From England to Italy: Neil & Val's Epic 2500km Fafrees E-Bike Diary

We build Fafrees e-bikes to be tough, reliable, and ready for adventure. But every so often, a customer takes that to a whole new level. We were absolutely thrilled to receive daily dispatches from our customer, Neil S., and his partner, Val, as they embarked on an incredible 2,500km journey across Europe.

From Germany, through Austria, Slovakia, Hungary, and Slovenia, all the way to their destination in Italy—this is a true test of endurance for both rider and machine. Here is their story, in Neil's own words.

Day 1-2: The German Hills & Soaking Rains (Sept 14-15)

Route: Wendelstein to Regensburg (94.21km) & On to Linz (119.5km)

Sunday 14th September.
Wendelstein to Regensberg, another long day (94.21km), started off fine and then showers all morning. Again, a number of hills to start with, but then some nice downs, allowing us to turn the power off and only pedal when we started to slow down. Being Sunday, almost everything was closed, so no coffee stops today. We arrived in Regensburg so early we couldn't even check into the hotel until much later. No charging points in the underground garage either so we had to take the batteries to our room, but at least they were fully charged by 2am.

Monday 15th September.
Another fine day, at least until it poured down ab`out 40 minutes in. We were soaked! However, the weather changed again, which is what we needed as it was going to be a long day (119.5km). Luckily, Val had planned our route to pass charging stations, where we topped the batteries up whilst having a coffee. Even so, 8km from the end, I was on the last bar of power, so I had to turn everything off and just pedal, using the gears as much as possible. Just a couple of hills near the end meant I had to use the last of the power, but we made it! Tomorrow, we have an even longer journey to Linz in Austria. I hope we make it!

Day 3-4: The Danube & Arriving in Vienna (Sept 17-18)

Route: Along the Danube to Vienna (105km+)

Wednesday 17th September.
A typical Autumn day, warm in the sun, cool in the shade, and a good day for cycling. Today, we followed the Danube for almost the full journey, the cycle paths are the best we've seen so far, and the scenery was gorgeous. Again, we stopped at a charging point to top up the batteries, but as it was so flat, we did a lot with the assist set to 0. It was another long day (105km), but we still had power left at the end, because of the kind terrain. One more trip to Vienna and then a rest day. Yay!

Thursday 18th September.
Today the target was Vienna. It's somewhere we have wanted to visit, but never had the opportunity. Again, Vals planning meant that we managed to top up the batteries at 2 different charging stations on the way. The Danube cycle paths are brilliant, mostly smooth and flat with good views, but entering Vienna was a big change as the cycle paths were being used as racetracks by people not interested in the ride, just how fast they can get to their destination. As it's the mid-point, we're having a day off, and not cycling again until Saturday, when we visit a new country, Slovakia.

Day 5: The "PANIC" Moment (Sept 20)

Route: Leaving Vienna

Saturday 20th September (Morning).
Arghhh. Just set off from Vienna and one of Vals pedals fell off. It also took some of the thread out of the crank. I've managed to tighten it back up, so I hope it lasts, but is it possible to get a new one?

(Later...)
It looks like she has lost a couple of threads in the left crank, but the pedal has stayed on so far (about 25km). Also, the pedals on both bikes are twisting whilst riding, so these will also need replacing soon. Are these covered under the warranty? Hopefully they will last until we reach Italy, as any parts could be sent to my address there. If the pedal breaks off again and can't be refitted, what are the options? Can I take it for repair at a cycle shop?

Day 6-7: New Countries & Insect Clouds (Sept 20-22)

Route: Vienna (AT) to Bratislava (SK) to Sopron (HU)

Saturday 20th September (Evening).
Vienna was wonderful, and expensive, but it was a great place to have a break... They even upgraded our hotel room to a suite on the top floor, so that we could park our bikes a few feet from our room. So today we set off for Bratislava in Slovakia, a new country but a shorter trip for us at only 74km. Again, the cycle paths were wonderful... We made it to Bratislava quite quickly, but it wasn't all plain sailing today. Sadly, one if Val's pedals fell off as we were leaving Vienna... New pedals have been fitted, so hopefully everything will be ok tomorrow, when we cycle into another country, Hungary.

Sunday 21st September.
(From Sept 22 email) ...yesterday's 90km trip from Bratislava in Slovakia took us back into Austria... before stopping at another charging station while we ate a sandwich... One problem though was the insects. Cycling through clouds of bugs for around 15km... We didn't talk much for a while to avoid eating them! Then onto the third country in the day, Hungary. ...As we neared the border, the cycle routes vanished, cycling on busy roads and high cross winds seem to appear from nowhere. We had to lean the bikes into the wind to avoid being blown over. But we eventually made our destination of Sopron.

Day 8-10: Into Slovenia & Conquering Climbs (Sept 23-25)

Route: Gussing (AT) to Lenart (SI) to Salec (SI) to Ljubljana (SI)

Tuesday 23rd September.
...finally entering Slovenia. It was a nice ride today... we found a nice charging point near a cafe... we went another 1km to do a little shopping. As soon as we left the shop, it started raining! ...it was fabulous. The hosts treat us to coffee and wine, their daughter sang for us (very talented), and they parked our bikes between their 2 pianos.

Wednesday 24th September.
Well, what a horrible day. Raining almost all day. Getting out of Lenart involved a steep climb almost from the start, power level 1 and second gear, and losing a battery life after 12km. Luckily, Val spotted a charging point... but the hills were killing the batteries. ...About half way into the journey, we found a cafe, and the owner agreed to let us charge the batteries whilst we sat with our drinks. That boost meant we could get to our hotel without any problems.

Thursday 25th September.
A shorter trip today and the weather is dry... After 20km, the route started to climb... until we reached a long climb near 30km, which just got steeper. Power level down to 1 and second gear, as more power is useless and I don't want to damage the motor or battery. Eventually we made it to the top, just to be faced with an 11% drop at the other side. ...Val... doesn't like going too fast downhill... After that, the ride was easy as it was mostly downhill, and we reached Ljubljana early in the afternoon.

Day 11-13: ITALY! (And a 24% Cobblestone Descent) (Sept 26-28)

Route: Ljubljana (SI) to Sezana (SI) to Portogruaro (IT) to Vigonovo (IT)

Friday 26th September (Diary from 9/28)
Today was an odd one, very few cycle paths and mostly following main roads, so no chance to take many photos. There were a few hills, but I've got the technique sorted now. Power level 1 & second gear has got me up every hill so far. The weather was dry with a little sun, so the ride was ok. Until we reached the last 15km that is. From that point on, it was downhill all the way to the end. We hardly used the pedals at all, we just sat and enjoyed the journey. If we had regenerative charging, the batteries would have been almost full! We got there so quickly we couldn't even check in, so were forced to find a bar and have a drink to pass the time. When it was check in time, we found that we had to carry the bikes up some stairs to get them to our room, so had to remove the panniers and batteries to make it easier. They are not the lightest bikes in the world. Anyway, another day over and another 82km covered. Tomorrow we hit Italy.

Saturday 27th September (Diary from 9/29)
Sezana in Slovenia to Portgruaro in Italy. Well, the days journey was long, but looked easy... Thats not what happened though. After carrying the bikes down from the room, we attached the panniers and set off. After less than 1k, I realised I'd left my helmet on the counter at the hotel, so turned back. 2nd attempt... we followed our planned route for about 2km to find that the road has been closed, forever. ...We found a track which looked like it would bypass the blockage, but no... Finding another route took us back to the hotel for the third time, before climbing into the mountains. After a few km, we entered Italy, but the route to our destination was a lot different... We entered the town of Prosecco, before reaching a 24% downhill slope, with a cobbled stone surface. We had to walk the bikes down as there was no chance of getting to the bottom safely. Eventually, after 126km, we reached our destination in Italy, Portogruaro.

Sunday 28th September (Diary from 9/30)
Portogruaro to Vigonovo. This was going to be a long day, with no known charging points on our route. Luckily, the route was quite flat, so after using the power to get to speed, we were able to cycle for long periods with the power off. A good job too, as our cycling app sent us almost 7km beyond our actual destination. Once we realised the abandoned building wasn't our hotel, I located the actual address and we had to cycle back to the place, just as the light was fading. We got there tired, and surprised that we still had power left after 113km. Amazing.