Is an e-bike the right choice for your next bike trip?

For years, we were sceptical too. The idea of adding a motor to something that has always been about human power and freedom didn’t sit easily with us. But with experience, our perspective changed. E-bikes don’t “take away the experience”; they make longer, more ambitious tours accessible to more riders. Here’s our honest take on when to choose an e-bike and our experiences with them, and when a classic bike, powered purely by legs (and polenta & goulash), remains the better choice.

1. When is an e-bike the right choice?

When many people see the data on our daily stage lengths, they think: “Heh, that’s a walk to kindergarten!” But distance alone tells only part of the story. Our region is hilly, and we can tell you that 50 kilometers in the Netherlands or 50 kilometers in Slovenia are not the same at all. Therefore, we advise anyone who is not used to cycling about 50 kilometers with 1,000 meters of altitude, for several days in a row! – to consider renting an e-bike.

The help of an electric motor can also come in handy for couples who want to spend their active holidays together, but have different physical fitness levels. Let him choose a classic one, and she’ll take an electric one (or vice versa). Or even both can choose an e-bike, but one will ride in the ‘ECO’, and the other in the ‘SPORT’ or ‘TURBO’ mode – in the end, both of them will arrive at their destination with enough energy to visit local attractions, walk through a wine cellar or to a nearby castle, and both will still have will to cycle the next day. And the next. Seven, eight days in a row. The critical point for our guests is suddenly no longer the strength in their legs, but the durability of their rear end (more on properly padded pants another time).

In short, one of the main differences between a classic and an electric bike user is that the first one accepts suffering as part of the pleasure (yes, that’s how it is), while the latter thinks of cycling as a pleasant, leisurely ride through nature.

2. Limitations and potential downsides of e-bikes

If we ignore the higher purchase, maintenance, and rental costs, there are relatively few disadvantages – but it’s still important to be aware of them.

1. Range. In rare cases, battery range can be problematic on some of our more demanding tours, especially for heavier cyclists with luggage, using powerful modes (sport, turbo) and renting models with a 500 Wh battery. The range is also affected by the outside temperature; in cold weather, the range is lower. In most cases, the range of our e-bikes is more than sufficient to cover the lengths of the stages.
2. Weight. E-bikes have a stronger frame, an additional battery, and an electric motor, and are therefore significantly heavier, from 23 to 27 kilograms, which is approximately twice as much as classic bikes. Our staff feels this when loading onto a trailer or into a van (which is the most difficult), and guests, for example, on poorer gravel roads, and also when maneuvering, pushing over a curb, or taking the bikes to the garage. The worst-case scenario is that you run out of power on a steep, gravel climb, when you can’t even use the ‘walk’ function, which helps push the bike uphill. But these are extreme cases that should not occur on our guided tours.
3. Technical complexity. While a classic bike can be repaired with a simple mini-tool, servicing an e-bike in the field is sometimes impossible. However, it is worth emphasizing that breakdowns are very rare; the Bosch electric motor has proven to be bulletproof.
4. Speed. It may be worth noting that e-bike assistance is limited to speeds of 25 km/h; to go faster than that, only your strong legs can help. But let’s be honest, these are more theoretical concerns; most cyclists (except for Roglič, Pogačar, and similar road racers) are perfectly happy with a speed of 25 km/h.
5. Load limit. Every bike, even a classic one, has a maximum load limit. For our e-bikes, this is 130 kilograms (rider + bags, luggage, water bottle, tools…). Why is this even more important for an e-bike? Overloading could lead to expensive drivetrain damage.

Because of these limitations, we advise against using e-bikes on tours that venture into more remote terrain, such as the Trans Dinarica Croatia: Adriatic and Dinaric Alps. For our other touring programs, e-bikes work perfectly well.

3. What type of e-bikes do we have for rent at Visit GoodPlace?

Years of experience with over 100 such bikes have shown that we simply cannot go wrong with the Scott SUB eRide 10/20. These are fast and comfortable, durable, robust e-bikes with a sufficiently powerful battery. The majority of our fleet is represented by the Scott Sub eRide 10 model with a 625 Wh battery, and there are fewer ‘20’ models with a 500 Wh battery. If you help at least a little with your legs (and therefore do not ride on the TURBO program all the time), we guarantee that both bikes are suitable for all our cycling tours in the TOURING category and also for most GRAVEL tours. You can contact us, and we will explain the details.

We don’t have gravel, MTB, and road e-bikes in our regular offer (yet), but in cooperation with partners, we can also provide these on demand.

4. Touring with an e-bike: delivery, riding, battery charging…

For anyone who decides to rent an e-bike on our guided and self-guided tours, there are no special instructions. The bike has two tires, one handlebar and two pedals that, guess what, push in the same direction as a regular bike. Also, the fact that they are harder to load into the delivery van at the start of your cycling adventure shouldn’t worry you – our guys will handle that. 

You need to take care of four things when using e-bike:

1. Press the power button before starting your bike ride (that’s easy).
2. Select the assistance mode (we recommend ‘touring’ or ‘eco’).
3. Monitor the battery charge level or range during the day and adjust the assistance level if necessary. Our guide (on guided tours) will help you choose your mode, while on self-guided tours, our guys will explain everything when you pick up your bike..
4. Do you know the difference between classic and e-bikers? The former first asks for a beer at the finish, the latter for a power socket. So, number four, make sure the bikes are ready to go again the next morning! You have to understand that not every hotel offers charging or even a secure bicycle garage. That’s why we adapt our accommodations, both for guided and self-guided tours, to be friendly to e-bikers and cyclists in general.

If you’ve read this far, let us remind you of one more detail: when changing gears, we strongly recommend that you select the appropriate gears BEFORE the climb and not in the middle of the climb, preferably in the TURBO program, when the gears will scream and you risk jamming or breaking the chain. On behalf of your wallet and our mechanics: thank you.

4. Conclusion: e-bike or not to e-bike?

• Are you healthy, physically fit, and the thought of 50 kilometers and 1,000 meters of altitude (check the exact information for each tour separately; this is just an upper average) for several days in a row doesn’t scare you?
• Is the sporting aspect also important to you on your holiday?
• Do you intend to attack more technical, mountain bike terrain and prefer to have a lighter, more agile tool in your hands?

A classic bike will be just fine for you.

In the meantime, an e-bike will be right for you if:

• You want to enjoy longer distances without ‘suffering’,
• You want a more relaxed experience on your (first?) cycling holiday,
• You are traveling in a couple/group with different levels of physical fitness,
• You don’t know or have no experience with what ‘altitude climbs’ even mean.

We hope that we helped you solve a problem that, with the arrival of e-bikes on the market, is no longer a problem, and that is “Are cycling holidays right for me?”. We provide you with information from our own experiences on our tours, and therefore, it may differ from that given to you by a long-time cyclist friend, preferably a racer. In this case, don’t listen to him, but trust yourself. Or us. And if you have any other questions, we are here to help. You’re welcome!