In the summer season is when we have more vacation days, more time to rest and, above all, much more to enjoy compared to the rest of the year. The swimsuit, flip flops and sunscreen are the essentials of our suitcase. Why not also our e-Bike?
With it we can know much more in detail every corner of a town, a long promenade or those areas forbidden access to motor vehicles. But, above all, we can do it at another rate. Without the burdens of some massive tourist centers in which it is mission impossible to find parking space for the car or much time is lost in short journeys due to traffic density. In addition, with our electric bike we will continue to enjoy those rides without great effort but that also allow us to maintain a good physical shape throughout the year. An ideal combination to enjoy, get to know the sites better, relax and even have less regrets about the excesses at the beach bar.
It is not about going on vacation by electric bike, but with the electric bike, which is very different. For some, the most pressing problem is how to transport the bike, but the truth is that the variety of solutions is very wide.
Transport the e-Bike on vacation
If the rest of the luggage is not excessive, we can consider carrying it inside the car. There are even folding models, which we can carry in the same trunk or, if only two people travel in the car, we can lower the backs of the rear seats to significantly increase the load capacity. In this case, we must accommodate it in such a way that it does not limit the movements of the occupants, the visibility of the driver and is well secured; The most comfortable are the straps, but not with elastic fasteners, which pose greater difficulty and less security. It should be remembered that, in an accident, the weight of objects in the passenger compartment can be up to 40 times greater than its own mass circulating at 50 km / h. According to the RACE, a bag of 5 kilos and 80 centimeters wide would have a force in an impact of 60 kilos at that speed.
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Another option, essential if more than two people travel in the car, and also more comfortable if we want to take more than one bicycle is to use a bicycle carrier. There are many types: placed on the gate, on a tow ball or with special retractable structures. It is a more expensive option while it leads us to be more alert when we park the car during the journey to refuel gasoline, eat … but it is also more comfortable and safe while eradicating the possibility of staining or deteriorating the cabin if we are not careful when tying , put or take the bike. For bicycle carriers we have to resort to systems that are approved for the type of bike and its weight, but we must also meet other legal requirements. Thus, bicycles can not protrude more than 15 percent of the space of the vehicle both behind and from the sides, they must be marked with the corresponding plate and not hide the lighting or signaling devices.
However, the most comfortable option that allows us to completely disregard during the trip is to turn to a courier company. To do this, we will have to pack our e-Bike. The easiest thing is to use a cardboard box like the ones that come with new bicycles, which we can order at any specialized store. Correos offers the product “Paq National Bicycle” from € 45.
And if we travel by train or plane, it is possible to take our bicycle as part of the luggage. In Trenitalia it is usually free, except in some services with routes exceeding 100 km in which the cost is € 3 per way. By plane it must be packed or in a bicycle bag.