Ebike Questions
Contributors to this thread:Equipment
From: Candor
05-Mar-23
I am thinking through maybe getting an ebike for my whitetail hunting. I need to be able to use the bike with a climbing stand and bow not in my hands. I do not want to use a trailer. My questions are as follows -
1) I often go down red clay roads which can be muddy. How much will it impact the capability of the bikes if I have fenders on it? WIthout fenders on it I suspect I would be covered in mud
2) Would you carry the stand or bow on your back or put both on a rack?
3) Any suggestions for racks for holding a treestand (probably a bigger one like a treewalker or Summit Viper) or bow?
Thanks in advance.
From: Pat Lefemine
05-Mar-23
I have fenders. They’re a necessity.
Stand on back, bow on handlebars = doable. Not optimal however.
Take it slow on clay mud when it’s wet. Bikes are not great on mud, especially clay mud.
From: Candor
05-Mar-23
Thank you. Do you have a picture of your bike loaded with stand and bow?
From: Aces11
05-Mar-23
I personally think bow on your back is best, and is how I have always done it. I never tried on my handle bars, but feels like it would really rattle a lot.
From: JSW
06-Mar-23
I put my bow rack on the back rack. Generally, I have my bow and clothes bag on the back and wear a backpack.
I've carried a ladder stand on the back and it's much harder to control with 5' of ladder. It takes some getting used to.
From: Fields
06-Mar-23
I tried my bow/gun on the handlebars... It sure rattles around more than I like, I have shocks on my front tire too.. I prefer to carry it on my back. I also have fenders, as stated, a necessity. You will be covered in mud without them. As far as carrying a stand. You can strap it to any bike rack you put on. depending what you have, those carts they make for bikes look good, again, depending what type of terrain you are traveling....
From: Knifeman
06-Mar-23
I have an atv gun/bow rack on the handlebars, and I just bungee the stand and sticks to the back rack. I wear my pack on my back. its a lot, just dont wipe out. That hurts.
From: Lawdog
06-Mar-23
You will appreciate fenders. I wish I'd taken a picture of my bike after a day in the mud. But for the fenders, I'd a been a muddy mess. I put my bow in the rifle mounts on the handle bars. If your bow is elsewhere, I guess you can carry the stand on your back. But, I find it much easier just to pull a small trailer. Not to plug a product, but I use a Burley cargo trailer. I suppose you could bungee it to the rear rack without much difficulty.
From: PECO2
06-Mar-23
I rode a regular mountain bike in some wet red clay in Texas once. I did not have fenders, I think I got about a half mile and the bike had so much mud stuck to it it would not go anymore. Clogged the drive train and where the wheels pass the frame and fork. I cleaned it out with a stick and turned back. I don't believe fenders would have helped in that mud.
From: Ben
06-Mar-23
Not to change topic but, charge and store them outside when possible. Last night in N.Y. someone brought there's in there apartment and it caught on fire. Seven people injured (5 Fire fighters and 2 residents). Heck of a fire.
From: Ziek
06-Mar-23
This photo is not an Ebike since it's from 1990. We tried using bikes for a while to expedite some of our travel time. In short, it wasn't worth it. There is no safe, efficient way to carry a bow on any bike. Riding on sketchy roads, two-tracks, or single track, often in the dark, and in muddy or loose conditions is asking for disaster with an unprotected bow, no matter how you carry it, (unless it's a takedown recurve/longbow). A hard case adds weight and bulk, but that's better than a wrecked bow. An Ebike adds power, but nothing in increased stability. After a couple of years, we went back to foot power.
From: Squash
06-Mar-23
From: APauls
06-Mar-23
Fat tires add a ton in the form of stability. But ebikes will likely not get you as chiseled looking as Ziek ;)
From: Deer Nut
07-Mar-23
Fat tires are nice, but if weather is not the best or it was raining prev day - doesn't do as much as a lot of people like to think. Definitely go for thick tires though if you're planning to use it for hunting, stability is still suboptimal at best. On the offnote, do you guys know decent trail runners? I've been mostly using hoka shoes ( Clifton ones 'cause of wide toe box), but those feel a bit awkward, would like something with a tad bit more ankle support
From: Scott/IL
07-Mar-23
I’m one year in with an ebike. I just had my bow strapped to my pack. If I needed to bring a stand and sticks with me, I strapped it to the back rack.
From: 4araquiver
07-Mar-23
Anyone have a good solution to flat tires? I have an unimaginable amount of thorns on my farm.
From: smarba
07-Mar-23
Run tubeless setup with Stans. Problem solved. You can also add Stans inside a tube, but sort of defeats the purpose of the benefits of tubeless. Too much detail to get into there, but if you search online you can read all about it. Here in NM we have tons of thorns and goatheads and I've literally never gotten a flat on my mountain bike in the past 2 years of riding. The Stans seals up holes, although I add additional periodically as needed.
From: 4araquiver
07-Mar-23
Thanks Carl! That will be a game changer.
From: Whitty
07-Mar-23
I bought a cheap 1" foam stadium type seat and zip tied it to my rear rack...cuts out all sound from the stand bouncing along and protects the rear rack from getting banged up. I put my stand on my back like normal and the teeth part rests on the seat pad. Then either just run my bow in front of me with a Primos bow sling if it's flat traveling and short. Without my climber (or if a longer ride with hills) I strap my bow to my pack and either wear backpack in like normal or my pack/bow sits in between the cradle of my Viper stand.
