Loop the USA: an ebike odyessy By Shawn McCarty Kindle Edition Loop the USA: an ebike odyessy Years ago after returning from cycling Europe I decided I didnt want my car any and sold it as a social experiment and as a statement. I rode bicycles and electric bikes everywhere. I installed photovoltaics so that my house and bikes are be powered by the sun. I found it great to be car free. Getting places became a pleasure not a chore. Electric bicycles became a passion for me. Eventually I decided to combine my two loves, bicycle touring and electric bikes and to pioneer a new sport, electric bike touring. This book shares the results of this first effort, where I “looped the USA” covering nearly 10,000 miles and setting a record for the longest journey ever taken on an ebike.Here I share a journal of stories and pictures. Youll feel the adventure, the ups and downs, the beauty and the hardships. In telling this story Im not taking a first I woke up and then I ate oatmeal for breakfast and then I rode my bike to XXXX approach. Better, I share how it feels, how it changes you, what it is like. I try to tell a short story with every days journal entry. Each night while camped in my tent I processed photographs and tried to distill the experience of the day into words. Many entries are humorous, some bring tears, some bring insight.You will learn, for example, how to camp at Walmart. You will talk with a number of unusual characters you never would have met if you stayed at home. You will see the USA slowly, at bicycle speeds. You will learn why wheat only grows 18” tall! In the final section I get technical and talk about whats needed to build an ebike that can travel 100 miles on a charge, haul everything and be ridden safely day and night. This section is for the volthead who wants to study how someone else solved these problems.This book is for you if you are seeking inspiration for your own adventure. It is for you if you ride a bike and wonder about the possibilities. It is for you if you already ride an ebike and want to see what is possible. It is for you if you have a disability which leaves you unable to enjoy conventional bicycle touring. It is for you if your partner wants you to go touring but you cant keep up. I hope you enjoy my book. Remember, Be Desert Hot Springs there is a place that makes Date Shakes. Sherpa stops. There is a young somewhat handsome man with a homeless look standing in front of the Date Shake store wearing a leather jacket and holding a bundle carefully wrapped in a towel.I say Hi, do you need some water? and he starts to speed Most people dont understand me because I talk fast and I am here waiting for somebody but I am not angry even though she didnt answer and maybe we should start again.I ask Do you need some water then? He replies You have already asked me if I need water and you are being redundant, thats twice now that you have asked me if I need water, once and once OK”, I say, “but do you?He holds out an empty water bottle. I unseal a new jug of water, being sure that he sees the unsealing, and fill his container. I offer him a burrito wrapped in plastic. He holds out his hand and takes it, and looks at it for a long, long time, half smiling, as if not sure what to do with it.I go for my date shake. When I return he is standing next to my bike. He says he has $80 for gas money and can I take him somewhere. He says he has a computer wrapped in the towel. I ask to see it and he unveils it. He says he found it. It is a mess of broken panels and wires and one broken vacuum tube. An inspection of the front panel reveals it is an old amplifier.

Loop the USA: an ebike odyessy By Shawn McCarty

English

Kindle Edition

Years ago after returning from cycling Europe I decided I didn t want my car any and sold it as a social experiment and as a statement I rode bicycles and electric bikes everywhere I installed photovoltaics so that my house and bikes are be powered by the sun I found it great to be car free Getting places became a pleasure not a chore Electric bicycles became a passion for me Eventually I decided to combine my two loves bicycle touring and electric bikes and to pioneer a new sport electric bike touring This book shares the results of this first effort where I looped the USA covering nearly 10000 miles and setting a record for the longest journey ever taken on an ebike. Here I share a journal of stories and pictures You ll feel the adventure the ups and downs the beauty and the hardships In telling this story I m not taking a first I woke up and then I ate oatmeal for breakfast and then I rode my bike to XXXX approach Better I share how it feels how it changes you what it is like I try to tell a short story with every day s journal entry Each night while camped in my tent I processed photographs and tried to distill the experience of the day into words Many entries are humorous some bring tears some bring insight. You will learn for example how to camp at Walmart You will talk with a number of unusual characters you never would have met if you stayed at home You will see the USA slowly at bicycle speeds You will learn why wheat only grows 18 tall In the final section I get technical and talk about what s needed to build an ebike that can travel 100 miles on a charge haul everything and be ridden safely day and night This section is for the volthead who wants to study how someone else solved these problems. This book is for you if you are seeking inspiration for your own adventure It is for you if you ride a bike and wonder about the possibilities It is for you if you already ride an ebike and want to see what is possible It is for you if you have a disability which leaves you unable to enjoy conventional bicycle touring It is for you if your partner wants you to go touring but you can t keep up I hope you enjoy my book Remember Be Desert Hot Springs there is a place that makes Date Shakes Sherpa stops There is a young somewhat handsome man with a homeless look standing in front of the Date Shake store wearing a leather jacket and holding a bundle carefully wrapped in a towel. I say Hi do you need some water and he starts to speed Most people don t understand me because I talk fast and I am here waiting for somebody but I am not angry even though she didn t answer and maybe we should start again. I ask Do you need some water then He replies You have already asked me if I need water and you are being redundant that s twice now that you have asked me if I need water once and once OK I say but do you He holds out an empty water bottle I unseal a new jug of water being sure that he sees the unsealing and fill his container I offer him a burrito wrapped in plastic He holds out his hand and takes it and looks at it for a long long time half smiling as if not sure what to do with it. I go for my date shake When I return he is standing next to my bike He says he has 80 for gas money and can I take him somewhere He says he has a computer wrapped in the towel I ask to see it and he unveils it He says he found it It is a mess of broken panels and wires and one broken vacuum tube An inspection of the front panel reveals it is an old amplifier Loop the USA an ebike odyessy.