200 Miles on a Commuter E-Bike: My Prep for the Seattle to Portland (STP) Electric Double Century

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Can a commuter e-bike handle a 200 mile ride from Seattle to Portland? That was the question that started this experiment.

Earlier this year I was at a Priority Bicycles test ride event that was hosted by Cascade Bicycle Club. During my conversation with Paul Tolmé, Cascade’s Content Strategy and Media Relations Manager, he mentioned that he has a range extender on his Priority Current which gives him (in theory) close to 100 miles, “that’s halfway to Portland!” he exclaimed.

Cascade is hosting their annual Seattle to Portland (STP) ride on July 15th and 16th. I’m going to ride it with a Priority Bicycle’s Current e-bike.

Priority Bicycles says that the Current, can technically handle 100 miles with the range extender, but will it actually make it? I’m not aware (nor is Priority aware) of anyone riding a Current 100 miles in one go. I have to admit I’m entering this experiment with a bit of healthy skepticism. Also, can I handle two back to back days of 100 miles? I ride an e-bike every day, but only for a short 5 mile commute. I ride my road bike a few times each week, but with two small kids at home, I usually only have time for a 30 mile ride.

Well, we are going to find out! I’ll be sharing my experience on this blog, as well as E-Bike Commuting’s Instagram and Youtube accounts.

The route

STP has been an iconic Northwest event for the past 44 years. Since its start, it has only been cancelled once in 1980 when Mount St. Helens erupted. The route is 206 miles long. I plan to break it up into two 100 mile days, like most riders, with an overnight stop in Centralia.

If you squint and look at the route’s elevation profile it almost looks like a rolling downhill from Seattle to Portland. But the route has a total elevation gain of 5,016 feet. In the grand scheme of a 200 mile ride the elevation gain isn’t that signifiant, it looks like there is only one big hill each day. The first day it comes at mile 42. The second day will start with a good size hill at mile 11.

If I average 15 miles per hour then I’ll spend 6.5 hours each day in the saddle. A 20mph average would equate to 5 hours in the saddle. I hope that with the pedal assist of the e-bike I can ride closer to the 20mph average.

The bike

For the event I’ll be riding the Current from Priority Bicycles. It’s a belt drive e-bike and in a roundup of the best belt drive e-bikes that we wrote earlier this year the Current was our top pick.

The Priority Current is our top pick for its quality components and materials, a powerful mid-drive motor with torque sensor, Gates Carbon Belt drive with internal geared hub, and rain fenders that provide great coverage (an essential for rainy Northwest commutes). The e-bike is agile and responsive, making it easy to handle all sorts of terrain. Additionally, Priority is praised throughout the bicycle industry as having one of the best Direct to Consumer (DTC) brands for customer service.

Priority says that the standard range for the Current is 20 to 50 miles. With their range extender, it’s expected to get closer to 100 miles on pedal assist level 1. So, the math says it in theory can do 100 miles, but as mentioned above, I’m not aware (nor is Priority aware) of anyone riding a Current 100 miles in one go.

It’s not the end of the world if it runs out of battery 10 miles before the finish line each day, but because the e-bike weighs 53 pounds it’s not going to be that much fun pedaling those final miles without any motor assistance. I could potentially take a third battery, but that seems like too much extra weight to carry on the ride, let alone cumbersome to attach to the e-bike.

Besides adding their range extender, the only other modifications I plan to make to the e-bike are to replace the standard flat pedals with my own clipless pedals.

In the next few weeks I’ll plan to do a few practice rear wheel changes. STP does have bike support on the route, I still want to be self-sufficient in case I get a flat far from their stations. I’ve never changed a tire on a belt drive e-bike and they require more adjustments to remove the belt before changing the tire. I’m hoping a few practice sessions will give me the confidence I need.

The gear

The route has aid stations with food, but I plan to carry the majority of my food on the bike. Lately I’ve been partial to the energy chews and bars from Skratch Labs. Besides food and water, I’m going to bring a cellphone, extra layers, and headphones so I can put one earbud in and listen to podcasts.

To carry my gear, I’m going to use the new handlebar bag and stem bag from Handle Stash. They’ve been making high quality handlebar cup holders for a number of years and they just released these handlebar bags. I’m excited to test them out on the ride. If you are interested in getting your own be sure to use our code “EBIKECOMMUTING” for 10% off your purchase.

I may also look at adding a higher capacity toptube bag, but due to the sloping design of the Current’s toptube it might be difficult to find a suitable bag.

I’ll be using a Garmin 1040 for route directions. Thankfully Cascade makes it super easy to download the route map to your device. I assume that it will be pretty well marked on the road, but it’s always nice to have the route in your device.

For charging logistics I’ll pack two chargers in my overnight bag so that I can charge both batteries at the same time. My wife, Jody, is going to meet me with my bag at the halfway point, so I’ll have a spare change of clothes and extra food for the second day.

What’s next

I’m excited about this experiment and to try the Priority Current for an extended ride. I hope to demonstrate that you can take a standard, good quality, commuter e-bike on a long distance 200 miles ride with no issues. If you’re interested in joining me on this ride, sign up for Seattle to Portland via Cascade’s website. There are still spots open.

Be sure to follow our E-Bike Commuting Instagram and Youtube accounts.

Portland, here I come!