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Reply to charging electric bike while camping

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May from Anchorage Alsaka on 8/20/2025 5:14:57 PM:

I searched the forum and only found one on the subject from 2023. I will be renting an electric bike and camping. The rental company told me that most people charge the bike are staying at hotel or bed and bresftfast....Has any one had experince chargeing while camping? I want to do the most pretty part .Im thinking about starting in new frankiln and trying to do it in 3 days to st charles ...but i dont know if I can do it in 3.

Gary from Near Tebbetts on 8/20/2025 6:20:28 PM:

A lot depends on the bikes battery amp hour rating, the bikes drive motor power, and how much you will rely on the motor vs pedal assist. When you stop to eat etc, look for power outlets and ask around. People will usually help you out.

The Turner Shelter in Tebbetts is a good place to stay inside and sleep while charging your bike.

Bill R. from Wentzville on 8/21/2025 8:04:28 AM:

NF to ST.C is about 150 miles. Do the math. Fifty per day gives you Tebbetts, Marthasville, and then Machens. Not sure what's near Marthasville BUT there's nothing at Machens. St. C would have to be your respite at the east end. Take it from a guy who depleted his battery once; DON'T DO IT! Be sure it's juiced. Pedaling an e-bike is a little more demanding. But if you're going east from NF, you're going in the least difficult direction. You won't be coasting but you won't be climbing significantly, either. But still, ... As for "pretty", beauty is in the eyes of the beholder. Enjoy.

Scotty Mac from OKC on 8/21/2025 3:27:59 PM:

If you camp at Coopers Landing, you can plug in - just dont ask if you can. They'll tell you the electrical outlets are for RV campers.
I've plugged in my devices twice there. If you have space, you might carry an extension cord with you.
Turner Shelter, yes, as mentioned above.
If you camp at the ball park in M'Ville, there's outlets there as well.
Then if you need it, you could grab some lunch and a beverage at the Good News Brewery in Defiance. I'm sure you could plug in there too.

Bill in Columbia (was Houston) on 8/22/2025 12:04:11 PM:

You won't find any places with a big sign that says "EBIKE CHARGING STATION", but there are lots of places to sit for a while and get some charge from an outlet on the side of a store or under a town pavilion or something like that.

I'd think you could find outlets at...
Rocheport - Meriwethers, neighborhood park, trailhead restroom.
Cooper's Landing
Hartsburg - trailhead, campsite, ballfield, that bar that seems to be the only thing with regular hours in Hburg.
N Jeff - maybe the trailhead bathroom, or the ballfields.
Tebbetts Shelter
Mokane - VFW, town campground
Portland - Holzhauers, maybe at the little campground.
Rhineland - maybe the park, Fire Department, or some of the unoccupied commercial bldgs
McKittrick - Loutre Market
Treloar - I think that the bar and grill is about to reopen
Marthasville - all kinds of spots.
Dutzow - that diner thing
Augusta - not sure about in town, Klondike Park
Defiance - all sorts of places
St Charles - all sorts of places

Eric from KCMO on 8/23/2025 5:17:11 PM:

I’d be interested in knowing how much electricity an e-bike is using as it charges. Obviously that amount would vary depending on the bike, the type of charger, etc. Expanding on that, how much that actually costs in electricity used, which would vary by the rate charged by the local utility. I suspect it’s probably not much, but if I was a business owner I would see someone using my electricity as an additional hurdle to breaking even financially. Perhaps spending money in the business or paying a token fee for using the power would be the decent thing to do.
Using the electricity being paid for by someone else makes me think of the word freeloader.
Note: this is not directed at the original poster.

Gary from Near Tebbetts on 8/23/2025 7:15:03 PM:

Just for reference:
My heat pump at home is set at 73 degrees and the thermostat has an option to see how much electricity it uses and allows you to enter your cost per kilowatt hour to see your cost per day. That said, running all day cost me between $2 to $3 a day. I’m guessing charging a bike battery would be somewhat less than that. I’m guessing there could be a meter you could add to a dedicated line to get an exact amount to charge but the expense to do that would probably far greater than the benefit.

Bill in Columbia (was Houston) on 8/24/2025 8:29:20 AM:

Eric, that's definitely a fair point. It looks to me like a typical bike battery is something like 500Wh, or 0.5 kWh. Assuming some inefficiency, it might take 1kWh to charge from completely empty to completely full. That's about 15 cents worth of electricity.

I definitely think that if you charge your bike a business, you want to be a customer of the business in some form, whether you eat lunch there, or buy a bag of chips, or drop a dollar into the campground paybox. If you charge at a town park you could walk around and pick up some trash or dead branches while you charge.

Anonymous on 8/24/2025 9:28:39 AM:

Have you have you considered the option of manually using the pedals, perhaps? This is a forgotten skill from days of old.

Bill R. from Wentzville on 8/24/2025 2:48:05 PM:

Wow! Easy to say under the cloak of "anonymous". Some people get up there in age and parts don't work as well. Or maybe because they're hampered by injury or illness. It isn't because they're lazy or unwilling. Cycling is not about seeing how much pain and discomfort you can inflict on yourself. At least it shouldn't be. I'm sure the vast majority of them transitioned from pedal bikes. I did. Like me, they use an e-bike to stay connected with nature. And while they're there, they support those communities they pass through. Be better.

John from PACIFIC on 8/25/2025 9:35:17 AM:

No kidding. That's a pretty uninformed comment. Many ebikes, like mine, are only pedal-assist. If you aren't pedaling it's not moving. The motor only helps push the pedals. No throttle. Also, without any knowledge of the rider. As we age, getting up the hills riding in the Ozarks can be limiting. I've ridden a Fugi Touring bike for years but found my yearly mileage dropping as arthritis got worse in my knees and wrists. Last year I bought an ebike and tripled my mileage from the previous year. I might still ride the Fugi on a rail trail like the Katy. But you can't beat the help getting up Missouri hills.

Also, Google says the charger would consume about 125wh charging a 500wh battery from 0. So the cost would be closer to a dime. If you plug in at a park or business while eating lunch or taking a break you might gain 10% on your charge costing a penny or two.

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