How to Choose the Best Electric Touring-Style Bike for Challenging All-Terrain Routes

An electric touring-style bike with a powerful frame, ergonomic design, and tough, durable wheels is a great option for touring, whether you’re planning a long road series during the summer months or an off-road expedition.

What is the best e-bike for touring? Much depends on your requirements, the nature of the touring routes you cover, and the weight of the luggage you carry, with a good level of suspension and extended battery range necessary to cope with the extra weight of loaded panniers.

Multi-day touring is also easier with an e-bike that can “hot-swap” a charged battery during a trip. Still, the primary things to look for include a strong frame, comfort, capacity, and features designed for uneven road conditions, such as multi-terrain tires.

Different Types of Touring-Style E-Bikes

An e-bike specifically engineered for touring is the obvious choice, but if you’re planning on traversing steep hills, off-road trails, and mountainous routes, it’s also important to have a full overview of the varied e-bike models to ensure you’re making an informed decision. Here’s a quick run-through of the e-bike models you might consider:

• Electric mountain bikes, often used as a hybrid for MTB and touring trails with good grip, provide thicker tires for optimized friction, shock-absorbing suspension for bumpy tracks, and the ability to handle steep climbs and rough ground.

• Road e-bikes, while much lighter, slimmer, and faster, can be suited to touring when riding on smooth, paved roads and long distances without transporting an excess of luggage with you. 

• Touring-style e-bikes, like the Turris, are the best of both options if you need a hard-working, multi-terrain bike that can deal with whatever you throw at it. A touring-style ebike is well-suited on and off-road and has an ergonomic design helping you maintain a more upright seated position for comfort.

Of course, the right e-bike for you will depend on your expectations, and a seasoned rider looking for a modest motor to help with the most challenging descents might select a different model from a novice touring rider who wants all the support necessary to complete a challenging route.

If in doubt, it’s worth consulting an e-bike specialist at Ride1Up, who can explain the features and functions of each electric touring bike and help you pick the model that is best suited to your riding style.

Which Factors Impact the Right Touring-Style E-Bike for Me?

Advanced e-bikes are packed with premium components, design capabilities, and high-quality materials, all intended to make touring more enjoyable and accessible for riders of all fitness and experience levels. Let’s look at some of the questions we’d ask a customer looking for suggestions about the ideal e-bike for touring:

What Topography and Routes Will Your Electric Touring-Style Bike Need to Cover?

All-terrain covers a vast array of scenarios. If you have a specific route, location, or touring series in mind, this can influence your choice of e-bike frame, battery, and weight. For example, road-based touring is far better suited to an agile road e-bike than a rugged, heavier electric mountain bike.

Terrain also affects the braking functionality and suspension requirements, where most touring e-bikes feature disc brakes rather than rim brakes for enhanced stopping power. If your ride is predominantly on loose terrains like sand, snow, or gravel, you may be best choosing a fat tire e-bike built for this environment, like the Rift.

What Sort of Motor Power Do You Want Your E-Bike to Have?

Motor power makes a huge difference to the effort and physical force you expend when pedaling to achieve and maintain higher speeds–a powerful motor is best for tackling steeper inclines and ensures the ride is less exhausting, but longer routes without steep hills may not need this level of assistance.

How Many Days Do You Spend Touring With Your E-Bike?

Battery life is always significant in choosing an e-bike, and touring routes over multiple days or in remote areas command a battery that lasts longer between recharging. That said, shorter touring rides or those with numerous overnight stops along the way may mean you can opt for a smaller, lighter battery and recharge as you go.