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Bacchetta Agio with TerraCycle Easy Reacher underseat racks for battery support
(Read about our record-setting 3200 mile Century-A-Day Headwind ebike trip across the southeast USA and back for more answers to these questions.)
"Can you travel cross-country on an ebike?"
Generally, no. Commercial ebikes typically have a 20 or possibly 30 mile range often at only 15 to 20mph under ideal conditions (flat ground, no headwind). I have made several 60+ mile rides using less than 1/4th the battery capacity of this vehicle (less than 7 watt hours per mile) while averaging around 19mph in hilly terrain, indicating I might have close to a 200 mile range under similar conditions and a likely 150 mile range with more of an average rider pedal input unloaded, meaning no panniers, etc. and likely 20-30 miles less fully loaded for touring.
This conversion was intended to provide a lighter alternative to commuting and travelling long-distance by trike. While not as aerodynamic or fast as our Scarab trike conversion, the Bacchetta Agio provides an excellent platform for carrying a fair amount of weight or towing a B.O.B. trailer. It is intended to provide substantially greater range at lower speeds than the trike and provide a smaller footprint for dealing with motels, etc. when travelling. It can be pedalled quite easily without engaging the motor, which is very unusual for a standard electric hub motor (I can travel at over 22mph with no motor support for about 10 to 15 miles on flat ground with it).
"Why use a recumbent bike? Why not use a mountain or road bike?
Recumbent bikes tend to offer a substantially more comfortable ride when covering long distances than standard bikes. Comfort, especially when done at similar or greater speeds as with this vehicle, can result in covering much more territory on a daily basis. We plan on installing the euromesh seat and long-reach tweener bars instead of the stock upright seat and bars shown in the pictures for even more long-distance comfort and better aerodynamics.
This vehicle can travel about 5mph faster using the same input power as a mtn bike-based ebike with a similar power-assist configuration. Our conversion uses less than half as much power to achieve the same speeds. The Bacchetta Agio is a long wheelbase recumbent designed for long-distance touring and handles heavy loads and tows trailers very well.
"What makes this ebike so special?"
I have ridden a lot of ebikes but nothing I have ever even heard of comes close to the combination of power, range and rideability of this vehicle. Plus it gives me more grins per mile than any other ebike. It is simply fun to ride. And ride, and ride...
May 23, 2023
