Electric Bikes

Yes, you pedal. An e-bike adds a motor and battery that assist while you pedal - usually at selectable levels such as eco, normal and high. As our own guidance puts it, you still need to pedal and steer, the assist just makes it easier on hills or longer distances. It is not a motorbike.

It varies by the bike, but as a rough guide anywhere from 80 to 150 km of pedal assistance before recharging. It also depends on how much you use the battery to boost your pedalling.

Four groups, on our own guidance: riders who are new or nervous and want confidence, anyone facing serious climbs, people with joint issues or recovering from injury, and mixed-ability couples or friends who want to ride together. E-bikes level the playing field - they make it possible for everyone to ride together comfortably.

No - it makes the hills manageable, keeping it a holiday, not a gym challenge. You still ride the whole route, still spend the day in the saddle and still finish tired in the good way. What changes is that the climb stops deciding whether you enjoy the afternoon.

On many trips, yes, as an upgrade with a supplement - each trip page states whether e-bikes are available on that route and what the upgrade involves. Availability is limited on some routes, so it is worth requesting at the time of booking rather than later.

Yes - the motor and battery add cost and require extra maintenance, so an e-bike upgrade carries a supplement. Each trip page states the position for that route. A higher security deposit also usually applies on e-bikes than on standard hire bikes.

Batteries are charged overnight at your accommodation and are ready each morning - it is a plug in a room, not a technical job. Your route notes or leader will explain the routine on day one, and on longer stages there is guidance on managing the assist level to make the charge last.

No - they are easy to learn and operate, and most people are comfortable within the first few kilometres. They are heavier, which is noticeable when lifting or manoeuvring the bike but not while riding. If you can ride a bike, you can ride an e-bike.

Choose guided if you want company, a leader's local knowledge and a vehicle alongside you. Choose self-guided if you would rather set your own pace, start on almost any day of the week, and stop when something catches your eye. Both are fully organised - the difference is company, not support.

Not physically - the routes are comparable. What self-guided asks of you is a willingness to navigate and make your own calls during the day. Most people find that easier than they expect, because the route is on an app on your handlebars and the notes tell you where to turn.

Routes are chosen to keep you off busy roads and on quiet lanes, bike paths and rail trails, which is the single biggest safety decision on any cycling holiday. Helmets are provided and we insist they are worn. Where a route crosses a road or a town, the notes and the briefing say so.

Yes. Helmets are provided and we insist they are worn while riding, on every trip and regardless of local law. If you would rather use your own, bring it.

Since 1978, when we pioneered cycle tours in India - three years after the company was founded. Cycling has been part of what we do for almost as long as there has been a company, and the reason our routes avoid highways is that we have had close to fifty years to find the roads that do not.

Cycling is a specialism across our group rather than an add-on to walking. Alongside World Expeditions' own cycling range, the group includes UTracks in Europe, Australian Cycle Tours, Trail Journeys in New Zealand and Great Canadian Trails - each built around cycling in its own region rather than covering the world thinly.

Both, and we are specific about which. Our Australian and New Zealand operations are wholly owned. Elsewhere we work with specialist local operators under our safety, risk and welfare standards, with us accountable for the trip. Local operators are why the routes avoid the roads a visitor would pick.

Fit enough for the grading you choose, and each of our cycling trips is graded from 1 to 7 with the daily distances, terrain and preparation described. A reasonable level of everyday fitness covers a great many of our trips. Read the grading description rather than the grade number.

People who have ridden them. Route design is the part of a cycling holiday that cannot be outsourced to a map - which turn is safe, which cafe is open on a Monday, which climb to avoid in August heat. It is the least visible thing you are paying for and the thing you would most notice missing.

We are accredited with ATIA and CATO and hold UK ATOL licence 4491. That accreditation is what gives your money financial protection if something goes wrong commercially - the thing a direct booking with a local operator cannot offer, whatever it costs.

Almost certainly, if you pick the right trip. The skill comes back quickly; the fitness is what needs building, and a few months of regular riding before you go makes the difference. If you are genuinely unsure, an e-bike removes the doubt entirely.

Two to three months of regular riding is enough for most trips, and longer for anything graded above moderate. Even on an e-bike, riding beforehand makes the holiday more enjoyable - the assist reduces the effort, it does not remove the saddle time.