Good input on e-bikes and e-bikers.
How do you plan to handle the mileage on RAGBRAI? My Trek CrossRip has a fast recharger weighing about one pound and takes around two hours to fully replenish. My bike goes 60-70 miles on the lowest ECO setting and maybe 20-25 miles on the highest (TURBO) and can be shut off on downhills and flat areas to extend the mileage. Of course hills suck the juice faster and diminish the total miles … but fortunately most of Iowa is flat or downhill. The recharger can be plugged into any 110 outlet consuming and estimated 5 to 10 cents in electricity. Last year RAGBRAI said that each water stop should also have outlets we were welcome to use and refill our e-energy but I did not find any where I looked. Instead I also stopped at town pools at about the halfway point and plugged in here while I swam. An hour or so replenished my battery for around 30 additional miles. Most days I had sufficient battery power where I could have made the daily ride distance on one charge.

I found if I needed help with anything … like replenishing my battery … all I had to do was ask someone. Casey’s had an outlet out front at one stop and I asked before using it. Same with a rest stop at a church.

Some of the other e-bikers I met on the daily ride carried spare batteries but this is an expensive solution.