Towing someone up a fire road w/ 2019 Levo?

[jd_3d]

Hi All,

I will be riding with a friend who has a 43lb downhill bike and he wants to shuttle the trail with his truck. There is a road that goes to the top of the trail. I'm wondering if I could bring a bungie cord and instead use the Levo to tow him up the fire road in between runs.

I weigh 140 lbs and he is 190 + 42 lbs so that's 370 lbs for the Levo to pull. Has anyone tried this? Thanks in advance for any input.

 

[Kernow]

I often push riders with my ebike when they are trying to get multiple runs in , just sit behind to the right and push on thier back with your left arm , I sometimes push 2 riders one pushing the other , obviously they are still pedaling . Takes the battery down fast but shimano motor doesn’t complain . Brose motor may have belt issues ?doing this , maybe

 

[All Mountain Coaching]

It's a great question, because I'm sure is ebikers have heard this A million times....giz a tow.

Does this screw up the bike? I sense a video and test coming up!

 

[Gary]

I bought an elastic tow rope for exactly this reason.

No it doesn't screw the bike up. it just depleats the battery quicker same as too many pies does.

 

[ULEWZ]

I read stories of the E-motor overheating when towing and thusly stopping to protect itself, requiring a 15 minute cooldown time before continuing. Anybody else heard of this?

 

[Kernow]

I read stories of the E-motor overheating when towing and thusly stopping to protect itself, requiring a 15 minute cooldown time before continuing. Anybody else heard of this?

Can only speak for shimano but I’ve never even noticed it get warm

 

[ULEWZ]

Can only speak for shimano but I’ve never even noticed it get warm

Might be a warm weather potential problem, but since it is winter, not so much.

 

[R120]

The older Brose motors had problems with overheating, don't know about the new one, but one of the reviews I read did mention the casing getting bolts got very hot

 

[mxh]

I think I'd be more concerned with the extra load on the drivetrain. I don't know how steep or graded your firetrails are in California, but here in Sydney they're steep and rough. I struggle to pedal up some of my local stuff in Trail mode (Shimano) and have to shift to Boost. But to add an extra 100kg of weight to the setup and expect it to go up the length of a DH trail - hmm, something's gonna go bang!

 

[Gary]

Except the other rider should also be pedalling and the motor is just to assist both riders and there are actually 2 drivetrains adding to the work.

Actually try it rather than making up ficticious scenarios to worry about. There are obviously going to be climbs unsuitable for towing. Just use common sense.
My tow rope was £8

 

[mxh]

Except the other rider should also be pedalling and the motor is just to assist both riders and there are actually 2 drivetrains adding to the work.

Actually try it rather than making up ficticious scenarios to worry about. There are obviously going to be climbs unsuitable for towing. Just use common sense.
My tow rope was £8

I think we probably need to clarify how steep / rough we're talking. And I'm not sure what you're talking about with your 'making up fictitious scenarios' comment - i'm just pointing out the concerns I'd have with doing what the OP is suggesting.

 

[jd_3d]

Thanks everyone for your replies. My wife ended up shutting us to the top with a car, which was awesome, so I didn't try towing. Still might try it some day...

 

[Kernow]

I think we probably need to clarify how steep / rough we're talking. And I'm not sure what you're talking about with your 'making up fictitious scenarios' comment - i'm just pointing out the concerns I'd have with doing what the OP is suggesting.

I think there’s a limit of steepness you can climb before you iether lose traction or you can’t keep the front wheel down , That is largely down to your skill . I’ve pushed riders on stuff where Iam in boost in my lowest gear , pedaling isn’t the problem , there’s no shortage of power in boost , in fact trail is often easier to control , keeping the front end down under extra load was the limiting factor on most occasions , it’s just before the point you all get off and push really
Yes it’s going to put more strain in the drivetrain , mainly the chain , but it seems to take it ok .

 

[Mattwilko92]

Tell him to buy a kenevo!

 

[TheBikePilot]

Which tow rope did you get? One round the waist would be good..

 

[R120]

I have one of these, which I use to tow my boy on his balance bike - good bit of kit, you could probably knock on up for cheaper via amazon/ebay etc

 

[Kernow]

Which tow rope did you get? One round the waist would be good..

I thought that , I think a kayak towline would be worth a try , simple waist belt

 

[Gary]

Which tow rope did you get? One round the waist would be good..

No it wouldn't.
4m Tow Rope 2000kg Vehicle Car Recovery Hooks Elastic Bungee Stretch 2 Ton New | eBay
clip one hook onto saddle rail of Ebike. other end goes under the towed bike's handlebar, round the back of the stem and is held by that rider (while they also hold their grip as usual)to allow safe decoupling in emergency or if safety isn't of importance clipped to the brake lever (possibly requiring a ziptie)

 

[jsalas2]

I'm making one like this, modifiy for your use. My motorcross buddy says instead of a hook at the tow end to wrap around the stem with some length left to reach the towee's hand. So they can just let go if things go bad and the leash will retract back to you. You can just use some rope on the seatpost with a piece of tube for seatpost protection with the bungee to keep it compact and simple Keep in my pack and strap on with zipties only when needed.

 

[Gary]

My motorcross buddy says instead of a hook at the tow end to wrap around the stem with some length left to reach the towee's hand. So they can just let go if things go bad and the leash will retract back to you.

That's exactly what I said above.
it's how we always did tow up uplifts on DH bikes BITD

the retractible dog leash isn't a great a idea.
firstly it would get smashed off by the rear tyre when the suspension compresses
secondly it's stuck to the bike
thirdly it's not elastic so droops (you can see it drooping in the video.
Also... don't retractible dog leashes need manually lengthened/shortened by pressing a button. (Sorry I'm not much of a dog enthusiast)

The tow rope I linked above is small/light/easily carryable and doesn't droop anywhere near either wheel in use

 

[jsalas2]

That's exactly what I said above.
it's how we always did tow up uplifts on DH bikes BITD

the retractible dog leash isn't a great a idea.
firstly it would get smashed off by the rear tyre when the suspension compresses
secondly it's stuck to the bike
thirdly it's not elastic so droops (you can see it drooping in the video.
Also... don't retractible dog leashes need manually lengthened/shortened by pressing a button. (Sorry I'm not much of a dog enthusiast)

The tow rope I linked above is small/light/easily carryable and doesn't droop anywhere near either wheel in use

I like the elastic tow rope ideal.