E-Bikes for Fly Fishing: Part 2, Self Shuttling and Floating Remote Fisheries

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[EDITOR’S NOTE: This is part 2 of a 3-part series on using e-bikes for fly fishing. Part 1, released in July, covers using e-bikes for going uphill and getting into the backcountry, and Part 3 will cover the wide array of accessories, confusing world of laws and regulations, and other important details. For a primer on the rules and regulations before Part 3 is released, click here.]

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Don’t get me wrong, I’m grateful for shuttle companies that drive my truck and trailer to the take-out. It’s a noble, in-demand vocation and only once did a shuttler rifle through my CD case to find some music they liked better.

But nowadays many shuttling outfits charge $50 or $60–it’s one more daily expenditure to an already-expensive pursuit. Which is partly why, in 2017, I purchased a Dillenger e-bike kit to affix to my wife’s old childhood Schwinn 21-speed. That, and we were looking to float some remote river sections where no shuttle services existed, like Montana’s Marias River or the upper Green River in Wyoming’s Bridger-Teton National Forest.

(I understand that an e-bike is itself is a significant expenditure, but we came out ahead within 20 shuttles.)

Why E-bikes?

My wife and I owe a great deal of piscatorial success to the ability to float off-the-beaten-path waters thanks to biking, and we came out a little ahead financially. But why electronic, you ask?

Partly because after a long day on the river, I for one just don’t feel like pedaling several miles up a soft, gravel road or on a highway shoulder at dusk without headlights. The time savings alone can make a difference as the sunlight starts to wane on another glorious river day. Oh and e-bikes are just so much fun. As Marty Grabijas mentioned in Part 1, I defy anyone to take a ride on an e-bike and not come back grinning.

There are two main methods of using an e-bike to self-shuttle: Locking the bike to a tree at the take-out or bringing it with you in the boat. Certain bikes are better suited for riding along so if that’s your preference, consider either a lightweight, slender-framed bike or a folding e-bike (details below).

The market is flooded with brands and styles and it can get overwhelming quickly. There are folding e-bikes, designed for compact storage and travel. There are many brands of budget-friendly Chinese-manufactured bikes. There are higher-end e-bikes from companies who take pride in quality equipment and customer service that you can spend five figures on. There are cargo e-bikes designed to haul weight (including trailers, with the appropriate attachment). Some have throttles, some are pedal-assist only. Some ship direct to consumers and require a little assembly, others are sent to local bike shops for precision set-up to your dimensions. Some are light, others are less so. There is an e-bike for every angler–we’ll try to elucidate the pros and cons of some of them to help those piqued by these toys determine which path to take.

That original Dillenger Kit has performed admirably in the years since and is still going after being transferred to my son’s second-hand Trek. But this summer, I was given the opportunity to test out several new e-bikes and e-bike styles to see what each offered for the self-shuttler.

The bikes I used this summer were:

• Orbea Kemen ADV 20
• Trek FX+1
• Lectric XPeak2
• HeyBike Mars 2.0

And I included my original Dillenger Street Legal Electric Bike Kit mounted on an old Trek Mountain Track 820 mountain bike as it could be right for some. I break down the pros and cons of each bike and style below. Keep in mind the different price points–these particular bikes are not meant to compete head-to-head.

Orbea Kemen ADV 20: Adventure Touring E-bike

• Price: $4,399
• Weight: 51 pounds
• Motor: 600 watts
• Battery: 630Wh
• Torque: 85Nm
• Suspension Travel: 100mm
• Shop here

Orbea is a high-end Spanish bicycle brand that is sold at many specialty shops in the U.S., and the quality is obvious from the frame’s finish to the solid, smooth feel of the ride. This was the only bike that didn’t have a throttle (meaning it’s Class 2) so while my aging ass was initially bummed, I really didn’t miss it. The motor was powerful enough that each stroke gave an impressive boost, especially in the highest pedal-assist mode.

Of note, this bike does not come with a built-in screen to monitor speed and distance, etc. Rather it has a native mount in the center of the cockpit (compatible with either a Quad Lock mount or an SP Connect–sold separately) to mount your phone. You then need to download Shimano’s E-Tube Ride app which will connect to your motor via Bluetooth, and give you the same functionality of most bikes’ displays. It was also the only bike I tested that did not come with a kick stand, which I missed. It would be easy to add one, however.

The quality of this bike also means it’s a slightly bulky frame, which is not great for riding along in my Outcast PAC 1300 (though it would likely fit in drift boats). The battery is built into the frame and requires a dealer to remove. It has knobby off-road tires that are great for gravel roads and two-tracks, off-road suspension, a handsome headlight system, and a rear rack that can hold upwards of 70 pounds.

In the end, if I had to choose a favorite, it would be this one. It’s not a fair comparison since this one is more than twice as expensive as any other bike I rode, but if it’s in your budget–get it.

Trek FX+1: Urban E-bike

• Price: $1,999.99
• Weight: 49 pounds
• Motor: 500 watts
• Battery: 520Wh
• Torque: 60Nm
• Suspension Travel: Rigid
• Shop here

Though classified as an “urban” e-bike, to me the Trek FX+1 is more of a hybrid in town/out-of-town model with streamlined tires, brake lights, and blinkers–you read that right. It’s great for shuttling on highway shoulders or for through-town floats. It is actually Trek’s first e-bike with a throttle and was released in May.

The Trek app was the best one I used–it allowed for up-to-the-minute battery/mileage range estimates based on your current conditions and usage, it can connect to a Fitbit-style heart-rate-monitoring device, and it allows free downloadable offline maps.

Its battery was also built into the frame and requires a dealer to remove. And notably, this model does not have any factory cargo racks.

Trek, with its brand reputation and industry experience, also offers features like the EasyMag magnetic charging port with a wall mount, long-term battery storage optimization, and fantastic customer service. You can’t go wrong with this mid-price versatile e-bike.

Lectric XPeak2: Fat-Tire All-Terrain Step-Thru E-bike

• Price: $1,499.99
• Weight: 75 pounds
• Motor: 750 watts
• Battery: 720Wh
• Torque: 85Nm
• Suspension Travel: 80mm
• Shop here

Lectric is an American brand that uses mostly generic foreign parts but is manufactured in Phoenix. It claims to be the best-selling e-bike brand in the U.S. and generally offers better customer service than most direct-to-consumer brands.

The XPeak2 is marketed as a “trail-ready, all-terrain” bike and comes standard with fat tires, a first-in-class Renegade suspension, and a 60-pound rear cargo capacity (a broken-down one-man raft, for example, can ride on the racks). But all these heavy-duty features come at a cost in weight and bulk, so this one, along with the Orbea, are best suited for locking to a tree at the take-out. Especially with the add-on accessories, it just doesn’t travel well in a boat.

This was the only bike I tested that does not have a compatible smartphone app, so all of your interfacing is at the handlebar display (which isn’t a problem). It was also the only bike that has cruise control and has the option to switch between classes if you dig into the settings menu.

Lectric makes tons of handy accessories like the USB-chargeable portable air pump, a compact e-bike tool kit, easily mounted pannier bags, a phone mount, and, get this–a rod rack that holds two fly rods. There was some assembly required, but it’s pretty basic. It has a removable battery which makes adding a backup battery to your panniers possible.

I used the Stratus White “Step-Thru” frame, which I would recommend, especially if you’re planning to wear waders.

You get a good bang for the buck with this bike, and though it’s not ideal for all applications, the customer service and quality make it a good option.

HeyBike Mars 2.0: Folding Fat-Tire Cargo E-Bike

• Price: $999.00
• Weight: 75 pounds
• Motor: 1,000 watts
• Battery: 600Wh
• Torque: 100Nm
• Suspension Travel: 65mm
• Shop here

Although the HeyBike Mars 2.0 is kind of the quintessential cheap Chinese bike, I loved the power the big motor provides and it has performed flawlessly for me. The 1,000-watt motor gives it the best acceleration of all the bikes I rode, and being a cargo-style e-bike, can carry the most weight of the bikes (330-pound total payload capacity, including rider). (NOTE: Federal law limits motor power to 750 watts, but some states allow for 1,000-watt motors. Be sure to check your local regulations.)

But my favorite feature of this bike is that it’s easily foldable and despite the relatively heavy frame, rides easily in the rear seat of my Outcast PAC 1300 raft. Being that it has fat tires meant for off-road travel, you don’t need a boat ramp as long as your boat is light enough that it can be dragged with manpower (which mine is). This opens up tons of water that doesn’t often see boat traffic–a welcome advantage in this day of crowded rivers.

As with the Lectric, you can change the class in the settings or the HeyBike app, and requires minor assembly. It also has a removable battery which makes strapping a backup battery to the rack possible, doubling your range.

This has been a dependable bike for me so I have not needed to reach out to customer service, but I have read online that that can be problematic. That said, I find this bike full of usefulness and a ton of fun at an affordable price point.

Dillenger Street Legal Electric Bike Kit: Mountable Kit for Various Styles

• Price: $699.00
• Weight: 17 pounds (plus bike weight)
• Motor: 250 watts
• Battery: 470Wh
• Torque: Unknown, but likely the least of these five bikes
• Suspension Travel: depends on bike
• Shop here

This was the e-bike system that got me into the game, and it’s been fantastic. You can mount this kit to any bike that has enough room between the frame tubes for the battery and battery cradle. The battery receiver mounts to the water-bottle bolts on the down tube and you use zip ties for all the cables. It has both a throttle and pedal assist mode, and I can vouch that it has withstood the test of time (I’ve been riding it problem-free for 8 years).

The kit includes the battery, battery cradle, LCD display, front wheel with hub motor, brake sensors, charger, throttle, pedal-assist sensor, and cables. The rest of the components depend entirely on the bike it’s mounted to.

For the money, I rate the Dillenger Street Legal kit highly.

All of the bikes I tested (the Dillenger notwithstanding) have a headlight and taillight for floats that drift through dusk, disc brakes, and all are designed to survive getting rained on. All were a ton of fun and performed flawlessly, but the quality of the more expensive bikes was undeniable. The right bike for you really depends on your needs and your budget.

Other E-bike Considerations

One of the first questions most people have is how far a full battery will take you. This is not easy to answer because many factors go into it: Wind resistance, weight of rider and cargo, pitch of ascent (if any), how much the rider pedals, and more. So while manufacturers will give guidelines, determining your charge distance requires experience and trials. But keep in mind that you can always pedal so you’ll never “run out of gas.”

And for those who consider e-bikes “cheating,” I’m probably not going to sway you. But just like there are some fly anglers who look at using beads, center pinning, and bait fishing as “cheating,” why shouldn’t we all be allowed to recreate how we see fit as long as we’re not impinging on others’ experiences or harming the resource? And as Marty pointed out: “There’s also a range of older elite athletes who have had a few parts replaced on their bodies and can no longer pedal like they once could. E-bikes allow them to continue riding with friends and significant others–what’s not to like about that?”

Some studies have shown that while often not as intense as riding “acoustic” or “analog” bikes, e-biking is a legit way to boost many anglers’ fitness. It’s still a relatively healthy option, and the science and technology is still evolving. And a recent study by Colorado State University's Sustainability Research Lab showed that e-bikes have a lower carbon output (in grams of CO2/mile) than electric cars, horses, trains, and regular bicycles. 

Especially when coupled with one of the new fly-fishing mapping apps like TroutRoutes or onWater, e-bikes can legitimately open a good deal of new water to float anglers. And in this era of packed parking lots this is no small thing, especially if it can also bring some eventual financial savings. Feel free to scoff, but while you’re in the middle of another flotilla, those who embrace e-bikes will be gliding down another uncharted river.

Come back for Part 3 in September, which covers the details of e-biking such as the wide world of fishing-specific accessories, laws, and other important details.

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Josh Bergan is Fly Fisherman magazine’s digital editor.

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