Some thoughts about my 5 weeks of cycle tourism in France, Spain and Portugal.

First, that thing is not a motorbike! It has a certificate of EU conformity as an e-bike, which got me a hefty state rebate on the €1200 price (from a French regional authority). To qualify as an e-bike in Europe you’re limited to 250W max output and 25km/h, with no throttle. Those caps can usually be jailbroken but I’m not interested in doing that: I’m touring, not delivering pizzas. The bike is made by Engwe, a Chinese budget manufacturer. It weighs 36kg, has a low-end Shimano gearset, no torque sensor, mechanical brakes with no regenerative function, and welding that looks like it was done in a hurry. On the other hand, it’s a bike, it’s made of metal. I keep it oiled and tuned and inflated correctly, and the ride is silky smooth. After 1500km I have zero regrets about not spending more. Thank you China.

The fat tyres must be a heresy for purist cyclists, who probably see them like vegans see SUVs. I think that’s unfair. As I see it, fat tyres are to skinny tyres what hiking boots are to sneakers: both are fine, but with the former you have the freedom to take your eye off the road.

In terms of comfort, I’ve found that riding an electric bike is not a fundamental improvement on a push bike. For me anyway, it turns out that discomfort is mainly a factor of things that a motor cannot improve: basically, the fact of being perched precariously on a tiny seat on a two-wheeled object in the path of other road users. The main benefit of the motor is that it takes the edge off hills.

Roads in western Europe are generally excellent. In Spain and Portugal many of them are quite new (often built with EU development funds since the 1980s). I regularly had rural roads almost completely to myself.

The big disappointment of the trip was the cycle routes, in particular the EuroVelo ones. I planned to follow Eurovelo 1 (Atlantic route) and 3 (Pilgrim’s route). But it turns out that many sections are not even paved! Again, this seems to be a question of taste. Some cyclists love bumping over stones and gravel, for whatever reason. Personally, I love rolling along in silence and without any fear of punctures (oddly, the luxuries that motorists take for granted!). In the end I chose to ignore all cycle routes. This was particularly a shame in Spain, which has a parallel network of vias verdes (green ways), former railway branch lines which make for ideal cycling. Alas many of them are unsurfaced and even potholed. The exception was the Basque country, where they are paved, signposted and well-maintained, like the rest of the public infrastructure there. The section from Eibar to Vitoria in particular was such a pleasure that I actually slowed down so as not to get there too quickly.

Car traffic was the main bummer of this trip as any other I have ever taken on a bike. This is where an electric motor really helps, because on an e-bike you are never out of breath. In my view there are few experiences as miserable as huffing and puffing up a hill in a cloud of diesel fumes from passing trucks overtaking in first gear. But, as mentioned, smaller rural roads in western Europe are mostly pretty empty.

On the rack is a backpack, attached by bungees. I was literally bikepacking. This setup is simpler than traditional panniers and makes it easier to take trains, which I did several times. Taking bikes onto (slower) trains is becoming easier in Europe but it still needs planning. French trains have bike hooks, which are incompatible with heavy bikes (or panniers). In Spain the station staff sometimes don’t know the (ever-changing) rules. Once I was refused access to my train by security guards who believed (wrongly) that electric bikes were banned (in fact, they have a exemption). By the time I’d proved them wrong, my train had left. I made an official complaint and expect to be refunded. Not a happy experience, but mostly things went smoothly. Commuter trains in particular are becoming easy-peasy throughout western Europe (the ones in Barcelona are now packed with bikes). Spanish stations are mostly modern and accessible by lift. Less so in France, but things are improving.

In sum, an adventure. I see a bike as a mode of transport that opens up otherwise inaccessible destinations. In this, the experience was a great success.

Photo: near Alcoy in Alicante province.