2026 Newsletter Updates
THINKING OF AN E-BIKE?
It’s important to remember that e-bikes are bicycles first: their wheels and tires, drivetrains, and braking systems require regular maintenance just like an “acoustic” bike does. Because e-bikes are often heavier and travel at higher speeds, expect wear items like tires, brake pads, and chains to wear out faster than they would with human power alone. The e-system itself is where repairs can go from “no problem” to “uh oh!” in a heartbeat.
Brand-name e-bikes equipped with trusted systems like Bosch, Shimano, and similar major manufacturers are typically far easier to service and more reliable long-term. These brands offer better parts availability, dealer support, diagnostic tools, and ongoing software updates, resulting in faster repairs and fewer headaches. Online-only brands or bikes sold through big-box stores often use proprietary or unsupported systems, making replacement parts difficult to source and service much more limited—sometimes turning a simple repair into a major challenge.
If you’re thinking about switching to an e-bike for 2026,here are five things to consider:
Make sure the battery and e-system are UL certified. It is still legal for some online sellers to carry non-UL-compliant batteries, and these are often the ones you read about starting fires in people’s homes. Yikes!
Many popular e-bikes have rear hub motors and/or fat tires, which add significant weight. Ask yourself: if this tire goes flat, can I get it home? How much will that repair cost?
Are the components—especially the brakes and wheels—standard bike parts?
How will I transport the bike to the G2G? Can I ride from home, or do I need an appropriate carrack?
Can I try the bike before purchasing it?
If you have any doubt about any of the above, get in touch with your local bike shop. Our team at Speed River loves to chat about bikes of all kinds, and we’d be thrilled to help you find the e-bike that suits your needs!
James Fedosov
Speed River Bikes
I Walked E2E
“Walking sections of the G2G trail became my outdoor exercise response to the COVID 19 lock-downs. It started in August 2020 as walks on the Goderich end when I was at a cottage north of Goderich. These walks continued through the fall until early December from my home base in Listowel either as solo walking or joining with Elora friends who favored the eastern part of the trail. I finished this past spring completing the last segment east from Walton in early May 2021. I have had wonderful conversations with the many interesting people that I met on the trail and enjoyed the varied rural landscapes through which the trail passes. Since I was walking sections from and back to a parked car, I have actually covered the trail from Goderich to Road 39 north of Guelph twice.”
– Warren Howard
“I started hiking the G2G last year in May as continued preparation for a future walk in Spain. I finished the last stretch from the Maitland River (Auburn) to Goderich, almost exactly a year later. It was a wonderful experience and I thank all the volunteers for the hard work they have put in to maintain and improve the trail.”
– Sandra Salter
“G2G – E2E – July 2021
This is a hike I’ve wanted to to do for a long time. I chose to do it in July of 2021 as part of the inaugural Paws in Motion awareness and fundraising campaign for National Service Dogs. I live in Benmiller, near Goderich. I’ve walked the section from the Maitland River to the Goderich Boardwalk with my walking buddy and his dog a couple of times through the pandemic. As a warm up to the E2E we walked the short section from Blyth to the Maitland River on June 17, after that I was hooked – I was determined to complete the E2E in July. On July 7, I walked alone from McNaught (#19) to Blyth and fed the many hungry mosquitoes along the way that day. I decided I had to select my walking days more carefully to avoid getting so bug bitten. On July 19, I started at Central station in Guelph and walked to West Montrose. I got to see Guelph from a different perspective, what a beautiful city. July 21, I walked from West Montrose to Millbank, I enjoyed this section very much. I was so lucky to witness a team of horses pulling a cart across the bridge just after I crossed. July 30, I completed my last section, the quiet middle section, going from Millbank to McNaught. I worked my way from the outer edges to the middle largely due to availability of people willing to drop me at my starting points early in the morning, I’d leave my vehicle at the exit points so I wouldn’t have to rely on taxiing at the end of my walks. What a wonderful trail and experience this has been and in support of such a great cause. Thank you G2G and NSD!”
– Gina McDonnell
“We started hiking in Blyth, completing the sections of the Trail towards Goderich to complete that end first. Then we focused on the Blyth to Guelph sections. We drove to the beginning of an un-hiked section that we wanted to start at and would hike to a certain km marker or side road and then hike back to where we had parked our Jeep, averaging 8 km /hike. We have actually completed the Rail Trail twice because of the way we structured our hikes coming back to our starting point each time. 264 km. On our last day to complete the end-to-end, we actually hiked 24 km in one day! An amazing end to our incredible journey! The experience has been amazing. We had always been keen supporters of the G2G prior to hiking it ourselves. We promoted it regularly but had never had the time to commit to hiking it. We really wanted to experience the trail so we could promote it even more with a better sense of what it really was. We gained inspiration from becoming acquainted with Lynda & Doug Wilson and learning about their story of hiking the G2G. Lynda’s book “Walking Home” was an amazing read as she told the story of hiking the trail and learning along the way. The G2G Trail is an integral part of all of the communities that surround it. It is an absolute gift to have it in our midst. We will hike on it again and enjoy!”
– Anne (Elliott) & Les Cook
I Cycles E2E
“Walking sections of the G2G trail became my outdoor exercise response to the COVID 19 lock-downs. It started in August 2020 as walks on the Goderich end when I was at a cottage north of Goderich. These walks continued through the fall until early December from my home base in Listowel either as solo walking or joining with Elora friends who favored the eastern part of the trail. I finished this past spring completing the last segment east from Walton in early May 2021. I have had wonderful conversations with the many interesting people that I met on the trail and enjoyed the varied rural landscapes through which the trail passes. Since I was walking sections from and back to a parked car, I have actually covered the trail from Goderich to Road 39 north of Guelph twice.”
– Warren Howard
“I started hiking the G2G last year in May as continued preparation for a future walk in Spain. I finished the last stretch from the Maitland River (Auburn) to Goderich, almost exactly a year later. It was a wonderful experience and I thank all the volunteers for the hard work they have put in to maintain and improve the trail.”
– Sandra Salter
“G2G – E2E – July 2021
This is a hike I’ve wanted to to do for a long time. I chose to do it in July of 2021 as part of the inaugural Paws in Motion awareness and fundraising campaign for National Service Dogs. I live in Benmiller, near Goderich. I’ve walked the section from the Maitland River to the Goderich Boardwalk with my walking buddy and his dog a couple of times through the pandemic. As a warm up to the E2E we walked the short section from Blyth to the Maitland River on June 17, after that I was hooked – I was determined to complete the E2E in July. On July 7, I walked alone from McNaught (#19) to Blyth and fed the many hungry mosquitoes along the way that day. I decided I had to select my walking days more carefully to avoid getting so bug bitten. On July 19, I started at Central station in Guelph and walked to West Montrose. I got to see Guelph from a different perspective, what a beautiful city. July 21, I walked from West Montrose to Millbank, I enjoyed this section very much. I was so lucky to witness a team of horses pulling a cart across the bridge just after I crossed. July 30, I completed my last section, the quiet middle section, going from Millbank to McNaught. I worked my way from the outer edges to the middle largely due to availability of people willing to drop me at my starting points early in the morning, I’d leave my vehicle at the exit points so I wouldn’t have to rely on taxiing at the end of my walks. What a wonderful trail and experience this has been and in support of such a great cause. Thank you G2G and NSD!”
– Gina McDonnell
“We started hiking in Blyth, completing the sections of the Trail towards Goderich to complete that end first. Then we focused on the Blyth to Guelph sections. We drove to the beginning of an un-hiked section that we wanted to start at and would hike to a certain km marker or side road and then hike back to where we had parked our Jeep, averaging 8 km /hike. We have actually completed the Rail Trail twice because of the way we structured our hikes coming back to our starting point each time. 264 km. On our last day to complete the end-to-end, we actually hiked 24 km in one day! An amazing end to our incredible journey! The experience has been amazing. We had always been keen supporters of the G2G prior to hiking it ourselves. We promoted it regularly but had never had the time to commit to hiking it. We really wanted to experience the trail so we could promote it even more with a better sense of what it really was. We gained inspiration from becoming acquainted with Lynda & Doug Wilson and learning about their story of hiking the G2G. Lynda’s book “Walking Home” was an amazing read as she told the story of hiking the trail and learning along the way. The G2G Trail is an integral part of all of the communities that surround it. It is an absolute gift to have it in our midst. We will hike on it again and enjoy!”
– Anne (Elliott) & Les Cook
I Ran E2E
“Walking sections of the G2G trail became my outdoor exercise response to the COVID 19 lock-downs. It started in August 2020 as walks on the Goderich end when I was at a cottage north of Goderich. These walks continued through the fall until early December from my home base in Listowel either as solo walking or joining with Elora friends who favored the eastern part of the trail. I finished this past spring completing the last segment east from Walton in early May 2021. I have had wonderful conversations with the many interesting people that I met on the trail and enjoyed the varied rural landscapes through which the trail passes. Since I was walking sections from and back to a parked car, I have actually covered the trail from Goderich to Road 39 north of Guelph twice.”
– Warren Howard
“I started hiking the G2G last year in May as continued preparation for a future walk in Spain. I finished the last stretch from the Maitland River (Auburn) to Goderich, almost exactly a year later. It was a wonderful experience and I thank all the volunteers for the hard work they have put in to maintain and improve the trail.”
– Sandra Salter
“G2G – E2E – July 2021
This is a hike I’ve wanted to to do for a long time. I chose to do it in July of 2021 as part of the inaugural Paws in Motion awareness and fundraising campaign for National Service Dogs. I live in Benmiller, near Goderich. I’ve walked the section from the Maitland River to the Goderich Boardwalk with my walking buddy and his dog a couple of times through the pandemic. As a warm up to the E2E we walked the short section from Blyth to the Maitland River on June 17, after that I was hooked – I was determined to complete the E2E in July. On July 7, I walked alone from McNaught (#19) to Blyth and fed the many hungry mosquitoes along the way that day. I decided I had to select my walking days more carefully to avoid getting so bug bitten. On July 19, I started at Central station in Guelph and walked to West Montrose. I got to see Guelph from a different perspective, what a beautiful city. July 21, I walked from West Montrose to Millbank, I enjoyed this section very much. I was so lucky to witness a team of horses pulling a cart across the bridge just after I crossed. July 30, I completed my last section, the quiet middle section, going from Millbank to McNaught. I worked my way from the outer edges to the middle largely due to availability of people willing to drop me at my starting points early in the morning, I’d leave my vehicle at the exit points so I wouldn’t have to rely on taxiing at the end of my walks. What a wonderful trail and experience this has been and in support of such a great cause. Thank you G2G and NSD!”
– Gina McDonnell
“We started hiking in Blyth, completing the sections of the Trail towards Goderich to complete that end first. Then we focused on the Blyth to Guelph sections. We drove to the beginning of an un-hiked section that we wanted to start at and would hike to a certain km marker or side road and then hike back to where we had parked our Jeep, averaging 8 km /hike. We have actually completed the Rail Trail twice because of the way we structured our hikes coming back to our starting point each time. 264 km. On our last day to complete the end-to-end, we actually hiked 24 km in one day! An amazing end to our incredible journey! The experience has been amazing. We had always been keen supporters of the G2G prior to hiking it ourselves. We promoted it regularly but had never had the time to commit to hiking it. We really wanted to experience the trail so we could promote it even more with a better sense of what it really was. We gained inspiration from becoming acquainted with Lynda & Doug Wilson and learning about their story of hiking the G2G. Lynda’s book “Walking Home” was an amazing read as she told the story of hiking the trail and learning along the way. The G2G Trail is an integral part of all of the communities that surround it. It is an absolute gift to have it in our midst. We will hike on it again and enjoy!”
– Anne (Elliott) & Les Cook
I Made It E2E
“Walking sections of the G2G trail became my outdoor exercise response to the COVID 19 lock-downs. It started in August 2020 as walks on the Goderich end when I was at a cottage north of Goderich. These walks continued through the fall until early December from my home base in Listowel either as solo walking or joining with Elora friends who favored the eastern part of the trail. I finished this past spring completing the last segment east from Walton in early May 2021. I have had wonderful conversations with the many interesting people that I met on the trail and enjoyed the varied rural landscapes through which the trail passes. Since I was walking sections from and back to a parked car, I have actually covered the trail from Goderich to Road 39 north of Guelph twice.”
– Warren Howard
“I started hiking the G2G last year in May as continued preparation for a future walk in Spain. I finished the last stretch from the Maitland River (Auburn) to Goderich, almost exactly a year later. It was a wonderful experience and I thank all the volunteers for the hard work they have put in to maintain and improve the trail.”
– Sandra Salter
“G2G – E2E – July 2021
This is a hike I’ve wanted to to do for a long time. I chose to do it in July of 2021 as part of the inaugural Paws in Motion awareness and fundraising campaign for National Service Dogs. I live in Benmiller, near Goderich. I’ve walked the section from the Maitland River to the Goderich Boardwalk with my walking buddy and his dog a couple of times through the pandemic. As a warm up to the E2E we walked the short section from Blyth to the Maitland River on June 17, after that I was hooked – I was determined to complete the E2E in July. On July 7, I walked alone from McNaught (#19) to Blyth and fed the many hungry mosquitoes along the way that day. I decided I had to select my walking days more carefully to avoid getting so bug bitten. On July 19, I started at Central station in Guelph and walked to West Montrose. I got to see Guelph from a different perspective, what a beautiful city. July 21, I walked from West Montrose to Millbank, I enjoyed this section very much. I was so lucky to witness a team of horses pulling a cart across the bridge just after I crossed. July 30, I completed my last section, the quiet middle section, going from Millbank to McNaught. I worked my way from the outer edges to the middle largely due to availability of people willing to drop me at my starting points early in the morning, I’d leave my vehicle at the exit points so I wouldn’t have to rely on taxiing at the end of my walks. What a wonderful trail and experience this has been and in support of such a great cause. Thank you G2G and NSD!”
– Gina McDonnell
“We started hiking in Blyth, completing the sections of the Trail towards Goderich to complete that end first. Then we focused on the Blyth to Guelph sections. We drove to the beginning of an un-hiked section that we wanted to start at and would hike to a certain km marker or side road and then hike back to where we had parked our Jeep, averaging 8 km /hike. We have actually completed the Rail Trail twice because of the way we structured our hikes coming back to our starting point each time. 264 km. On our last day to complete the end-to-end, we actually hiked 24 km in one day! An amazing end to our incredible journey! The experience has been amazing. We had always been keen supporters of the G2G prior to hiking it ourselves. We promoted it regularly but had never had the time to commit to hiking it. We really wanted to experience the trail so we could promote it even more with a better sense of what it really was. We gained inspiration from becoming acquainted with Lynda & Doug Wilson and learning about their story of hiking the G2G. Lynda’s book “Walking Home” was an amazing read as she told the story of hiking the trail and learning along the way. The G2G Trail is an integral part of all of the communities that surround it. It is an absolute gift to have it in our midst. We will hike on it again and enjoy!”
– Anne (Elliott) & Les Cook
