Gary and I broke out the bikes – his aluminum 28lb German folding conventional bike and my new Maui 40lb folding e-bike – and headed to Mirror Lake. It was a clear, warm, virtually cloud-less day so we were thankful we had some clouds the day before. Gary likes the workout of biking uphill; me, I enjoyed using the e-bike assistance on the steeper part of the road to Mirror Lake. Blue skies and bright sun are not the best conditions for photography but it’s great for biking and hiking. When Carol & I visited Mirror Lake in July 2022, the water level was really low. It was hard to find a reflection in the water during that visit as we cooled off in the shallow lake under Half Dome. This trip, all the waterfalls were flowing full volume and the lakes, rivers, and creeks were cold & clear. There were waterfalls on every cliff wall with snow melt flowing in every crevice.
We took a lunch & beer break at the campsite after a leisurely bike/hike to Mirror Lake. Then we drove up to Tunnel View in hopes of an epic sunset. Tunnel View was busy but we found parking and setup an hour before sunset. Unfortunately, the evening before, the beautiful clouds covered Half Dome. Tonight, Half Dome was visible but the sky was not very interesting. Still, with the great flow of all the Yosemite Falls this visit, we took photos till the sun set.
While camping at Cattail Cove State Park in Nov 2023, our Canadian neighbor had a compact, folding “Maui” e-bike. I was unfamiliar with the brand but it resembles the Qualisports Volador I was considering buying to replace our Lectric XPs. We love our Lectric XP 2.0s E-Bikes but at 65+lbs each, they are hard to travel with. So we often bring our much lighter conventional Zisso folding bikes. They are much easier to ride but work best on flatter terrain like Yosemite Valley. I considered the Lectric XP Lite but didn’t like it being single-speed. We prefer to peddle and only use the peddle-assist on hills, so having 7-speeds is important. Plus the Lectric XP Lite equipped is close to 50lbs and we wanted something closer to 40lbs. Unfortunately, the lighter the e-bikes, the more it costs or the smaller the wheels (14″-16″). Qualisports has several lightweight 7-speed ebikes around $1000. So when I saw the Maui e-bike, I had to check out its specs and compare it.
Maui Summer $1100Qualisports Volador $1200Black Zizzo UrbanoWhite XP Step-Thru 2.0Red Zizzo UrbanoBlack XP 2.0
The Maui Summer, from Canadian-based Maui Bikes, is their lightest e-bike at ~41lbs. It has 20″ wheels, 7-speeds, and a seat-post battery. No suspension, lighter frame and a 350w motor so it’s a much lighter design than the Lectric (the Maui Jack model has specs much like the Lectric XP, including the weight). The Maui ebikes have really good components (see list below) & are folding for easy transport. So the Maui Summer is perfect for our rv-lifestyle. Availability in the USA is via their US website maui-bikes.com with a Florida warehouse. Because of their excellent Black Friday pricing,we bought us two Maui Summers. We’ve tested them on some local trails and they performed great. There are some compromises compared to our Lectric XPs – we miss the suspension & fatter tires for trail riding plus the rear racks. But because they are 25lbs lighter, they were much easier to load/off-load. Plus both fit in my Tacoma truck bed without needing to be folded. We will definitely enjoy taking the much lighter Maui e-bikes in the RV on our next trips.
Maui Summer
Pros:
350W BAFANG motor
XD-E300 Hydraulic disc brakes
Removable battery.
Bike weight – 41lbs (19kg)
Misc: CHAIN – KMC Z7; CRANK SET – PROWHEEL, 46T; REAR DERAILLEUR – SHIMANO Tourney 7-speed; ROTORS – 160mm; TIRES – KENDA 20 x 2; MOTOR – BAFANG 36V/350W brushless rear hub motor; BATTERY TYPE – SAMSUNG 36V/10AH Lithium battery, integrated in the seatpost.
Cons:
Weight capacity – 250lbs (114kg) – not a con for us but lower than the Lectric by 80lbs
Rider height – 4’6″ to 5’8″ (seems short but that’s what they list)
Range: 22-32mi (35-50km), which is plenty for us but ~30% less than the Lectric
The coiled battery cable hangs down below the crank housing. I’ll zip-tie it so it can’t catch on anything.
Price when not Black Friday: $1100
Lectric XP 2.0/3.0
Pros:
Motor: 500W (850W peak) geared rear hub motor
Top speed: 28mph (45 km/h)
Range: 45mi (72 km), but actually less if not peddling a lot IRL
Battery: 48V 9.6 Ah (460 Wh)
Lockable battery
Max load: 330 lb (150 kg)
Rider height: 4’10” – 6’5”
Rear robust rack
Suspension: front fork suspension; optional seat post suspension in the Comfort Kit
fenders included standard, although Lectrics are sturdier/heavier
Folding Pedals.
Kickstand.
A few issues with the Maui Summer I’ve noticed that are not deal-breakers for me:
No mount holes for rear rack. Unlike similar ebikes, like the Qualisports Volandor, there are no threaded holes on the frame where you can attach accessories like a rear rack.
The LCD controller manual (King-meter K5317 LCD) doesn’t list the full settings. The manual lists settings from P01 to P13 and our controller has settings from P01 to P20. I contacted support & they sent me a link to a pdf of the same manual. Perhaps there was a firmware update?
The majority of the trails around Lake Havasu are for mountain biking or quads. There is a commuter bike path that parallels the highway and takes you into town. But we wanted to a more scenic bike ride, away from traffic so we picked the Havasu Island Trail. It’s a popular ~3.5mi walking and biking trail that circles the island.
The pavement is riddled with cracks so most of the bike ride was pretty rough & bumpy. Our Zizzo folding bikes do not have suspension so we appreciated the smoother areas near the residential sections. There are dozens of lighthouses along Lake Havasu. They are 28 scaled down replicas of well-known US lighthouses from all over the country. All of the lighthouses on the west side of Lake Havasu are replicas of famous West Coast lighthouses. The East Coast replicas are on the east side. The lighthouses around the island are replicas of lighthouses from the Great Lakes. We stopped at the Mudshark Brewery after our short bile ride. It is kind of out of the way but definately worth finding – beer, food, and the view were excellent. When we got back to the campground, we brought the pups back to the dog park. At Thanksgiving, they light-up the bridge ceremoniously – like the lighting of the Christmas Tree in Rockefeller Center, so a crowd started to build around Bridgewater Channel & the London Bridge shoreline.
London Bridge from the Island sideBike Trail northsideFishing pier, parking lotLake Havasu lighthouseRough bike trailAfter Bike Ride LunchAfter Bike Ride LunchEvening in Lake Havasu CityBridgewater Channel Paddleboarders
After hiking earlier in the day to Zion Canyon Overlook & Shelf Canyon. We drove into town for lunch then relaxed in the RV till early evening. It rained heavily that afternoon so I wondered how dramatic sunset might be, if there was one. So we planned to go into the park and photograph the Watchman at sunset. Riding our bikes through Zion Canyon is the best way to stop along the river. So we parked at the visitor center, where the Pa’rus trailhead starts.
Pa’rus Trail
Photographing the Watchman from the Virgin River bridge is a classic Zion postcard. Hopefully the remnants of the storm clouds catching the light, would make for an interesting, somewhat unique photo. We e-biked the Pa’rus trail during our 2021 trip. This trip we brought our Zizzo folding non-electric bikes and still had a great time biking the flat trail.
After our short hike on the Zion Canyon Overlook trail, we wanted to hike the nearby Shelf Canyon Trail. The trailhead is just a few hundred yards up the road from the Zion Canyon Overlook trailhead. According to Alltrails, the trail begins near the rest-stop parking lot. The trailhead isn’t marked and is not a managed trail, but it is rated 4-stars on Alltrails.
Shelf Canyon Trail
We found a path down into the start of the canyon next to the road that appeared to be the start of the trail. Using the Alltrails app on my phone, we followed the footpath along the canyon bed and appeared to be on trail. But after about 1/4mi, we hit a dead end or a recent rockfall that clogged the canyon. We scrambled over the first slab incline but boulders blocked the canyon. Either we were not on the trail, needed to scramble over these boulders to where the trail flattened or there had been a recent collapse into the canyon. I could not see any obvious way around and the height of the scramble was more than we wanted to try. So our Shelf Canyon Trail hike was short. According to Alltrails, the trail leads into a slot canyon but we were unable to make it past the boulders. It’s possible the ‘real’ trail was higher up along the canyon wall but no trail was obvious. We were low on water so headed back. There is no running water at the rest-stop or Zion Canyon Overlook parking lot restroom so bring plenty.
When we first brought our 20ft travel trailer home in Nov 2020, we wanted to camp locally to practice & learn. We ended up staying at Campland-On-the-Bay, which was a great 1st trip. But we also were interested in staying at some other beach campgrounds like Silver Stand State Beach in south San Diego. Unfortunately, it was booked solid for months but Carol found a block of three nights available. This opening was Oct 17-19 2021, late into our camping season. In fact, pretty much ending our summer camping season. This state beach is open year-round and a great place for winter camping although the ocean is obviously colder in autumn or winter. Across the bay from Sun Outdoors RV Resort, which we enjoyed in August. Silver Strand State Beach campground is a small, beach-front ‘parking lot’ with water & electric hookups. There is a fee-based ($10) dump station but we noticed most rv’ers preferred to hire a mobile pumping service. The campground is the last of three large parking lots next to the road so road noise is noticeable, louder that the waves. We brought our e-bikes since we figured this flat stretch of beach would have good bike trails and we were right. There is a great bike trail next to highway 75, Silver Stand Blvd, dedicated to pedestrians, joggers, & (e)bikes. Being later in the season, the beach weather was cool and windy so we did not spend too much time on the beautiful, wide sandy beach. We brought our dog Bodhi, our ~38lb terri-poo, since he did not travel with us to Zion. Bodhi tolerates RV travel because he loves being with us 7/24. But because we started rv’ing later in his life (9yrs old), he does not adapt well to the tight confines of Howie & trailer living. But he does enjoy getting out with us, he just doesn’t have the stamina for long outings. Coronado has a great dog beach about 6mi north so we took him in the late afternoon when the tide was low. Both the bike trail, which we rode to the Hotel Del Coronado, and the dog beach are highly recommended if you stay in this area.
Although visiting Zion National Park is only a 25min drive from St. George or Hurricane campgrounds. If you can stay closer, it’s easier to get an early start. In late September, afternoon temperatures are in the high 80s low 90s so morning excursions are recommended. We were lucky to book 3 nights in Zion Canyon RV Resort in Springdale, 0.4mi from Zion NP south entrance. This is a private campground with full hookups, unlike more primitive campsites inside the park. Since we postponed our original dates by one week, because it was over 100°F, a riverside site was available. Definitely worth the extra expense if you can book a site next to river. But the riverside sites are smaller and back-in only, unlike the many pull-thru sites at this campground. Howie’s only 20ft so we backed in & really enjoyed the view from the rear dinette, Howie’s best feature. Zion National Park Visitor Center, Zion Canyon RV Resort, and other places on the Virgin River were heavily damaged by a flash flood on Jun 29 2021. Most of the damage has been repaired but cleanup continued and there was a lot of construction going on. The main lodge that used to greet people at Zion Canyon RV Resort was gone and new construction underway. The offices are housed temporarily in small office trailers. Since it took less than an hour to move from the Hurricane KOA here. We unfolded our two Lectric E-Bikes and rode into the park. Having an America the Beautiful Park Lifetime Pass makes coming and going simple & free, bypassing the regular line. We rode the Pa’rus Trail which runs along the Virgin River, through the South Campground into Zion Canyon.
We had an easy day at Sand Hollow. We started a little later today, figuring it’d be cooler by the water – wrong! it was hot by noon. We brought our e-bikes, planing a ride around the lake. But unlike Quail Creek, Sand Hollow does not have a good bike trail – lots of OHV trails but nothing very good for bikes/e-bikes. This park is great if you want to spend time on the lake boating, kayaking, fishing or even scuba diving. But is really geared towards off-roading with lots of ATV & 4x OHV trails & rentals. We weren’t interested in off-roading or kayaking again so after a 4×4 drive around the lake. We spent our time exploring the rocky shoreline and watching cliff jumpers. In hindsight, taking a drive to one of the other State Parks like Snow Canyon might have been a better plan. But is Sand Hollow is popular and worth a visit, just be geared to off-road or enjoy the water.
We were unable to get a full-hookup campsite at the south entrance of Zion National Park for the first 5 nights of our trip. Fortunately, there was availability at the St George/Hurricane KOA. There is plenty to do in this area – access the Kolob Canyon entrance of Zion NP, and several State Parks such as Sand Hollow and Quail Creek State Park. Quail Creek is less than a mile from the KOA so our first day in southwestern Utah was spent on the lake. We e-biked the short distance to the park entrance and paid $5/person day-use fee. There is a campground here with access to the lake. Campground: $25 per night for the primitive site and $38 per night for a site with power and water. DIG Paddlesports rents one or two person kayaks and paddleboards ($25-$35/2hrs). People working there are friendly and helpful, emphasizing water safety. Afternoons are still 90+degF in late September so spending the morning on the lake was a cool break.
It took a little over 2months to get our two Lectric e-bikes. Unlike some new owners on the Lectric XP EBike Owners Facebook group, ours seem to come undamaged and working fine. After unboxing and general checkout, it took ~4hrs to charge each bike’s battery. My Black XP 2.0’s front brake was scrapping slightly which I read isn’t uncommon and should go away after 100 miles of use. But after my 1st short ride, I adjusted the disc brakes open 2 clicks on both front & back as prescribed in YouTube videos that discuss this problem. When looking down on the disc pads, the outside pads were touching the disc when the brake was open. Making this adjustment seems to remedy the problem.
We bought a few accessories from Lectric – the matching comfort packages for the XP & the ST, one set of mirrors, and a cargo package. Using a discount code found on YouTube (changinglanes2.0), accessories were 20% off which made them comparable in price to similar third party parts. The mirrors and cargo package still haven’t arrived – ordered in Jun 26 & today is Aug 26. I installed the XP comfort package which is a suspension seat post and softer, wider seat. It’s heavier than the stock seat & post, adding probably 2lbs, but installed easily and is definitely more comfortable. I also installed a (Amazon) well-reviewed left handlebar mirror for my XP. My wife’s ST comfort package has a shorter seat post and weighs close to the standard seat & post. But, in it’s lowest position, is ~two inches higher due to the springy portion of the column. This put her on her tip-toes when stationary so we will hold off on using the suspension seat post for now. I switched the wider, softer seat onto the standard seat post so she can touch the ground while seated. The bike is 63lbs so its handling is quite different than the 24lb Zizzo folding bikes we have been riding. Once she feels more comfortable with the heavier bike. We can consider re-installing the suspension seat post and raise her seat so she has fuller leg extension when peddling.
The other accessories added to my XP are: Abus 6000 folding lock & iPhone mount. A pannier bike bag will be added soon to carry bike tools & other necessities like a first aid kit. Her ST also has an Abus 6000 folding lock (keyed the same). Since her iPhone has a PopSocket, she will need a compatible phone mount.
Settings changed: P09=1 on both bike to prevent throttle from being active when the bike is not moving. So we’ll have to pedal from a standstill. P10=0 on the Step-Thru since my wife doesn’t want throttle enabled; P10=2 on my XP, both PAS & Throttle enabled. P11=4 on the Step-Thru so it takes an extra revolution for the motor-assist to engage. P21=1 enabling walk mode on both bikes to help push them uphill
Some of these setting will be set differently once we are accustomed to the bike handling. But while learning, we are erring on the side of caution with conservative settings.
