Alex's Bike

-

Prior to booking our trip to Vietnam I had only two bikes at my disposal which covered all forms of riding that I have previously done, A Ribble carbon fibre sportive road bike and a Trek off road Mountain bike, However, taking on this challenge of an unsupported ride from Hanoi to Ho chi Minh city it was clear neither bike would best placed for this challenge and other options would be more suitable. 

Bike after up grades

Original bike

Carrying all our personal belongings and everything needed throughout the journey I needed something a bit sturdier than my carbon road bike and something quicker than my full suspension MTB so we could cover more ground quicker. I purchased a Boardman CX comp, cyclocross bike. The Boardman CX Comp’s frame is made from triple butted alloy so although I am giving away some weight advantage to a full carbon bike, it will be a stronger frame and be able to carry the extra weight I will be carrying over any tough/uneven ground we encounter in Vietnam. This bike is an effective entry level cyclocross bike and should make a very good touring bike. There are some cons though, IE the weight (11kg stand alone) but compared to Stuarts bike which is carbon and lighter mine will be far stronger and won't break!!  We will see how we get on...


I haven't done to much with the bike itself in terms of changing anything mechanically, apart from replacing the chain, fitting some SPD pedals & mudguards. The bike has got 32mm Schwalbe Marathon tyres which are perfect for touring.
I fitted a rear rack which will hold 2 x 20l Ortlieb waterproof detachable panniers just like Stuarts.  

As for other bags, it is a very similar set up to Stuarts bike minus the Front frame bag.
I have 1x 3L mid loader which will hold extra water and other small equipment.... Extra SNACKS! , A medium size saddle bag for Bike tubes/Tyre, multitool kit etc and a Top loader which will contain items I may need to hand while riding, small amounts of money, phone, maps, More food!!!

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Stuart's Vietnam Cycling Tour - Final Summary

-
Image
On finally arriving in Ho Chi Minh City I was glad we had finished the tour. We had spent 19 days cycling & staying in different accommodation every night with the one planned rest day in Hue. Because we had put extra kilometres in cycling combining various days we also had an extra unscheduled stop off and rest day in Danang, an afternoon & evening stay over in Hoi An, a rest day in Buon Ma Thuot & an additional stop off and rest day in Dalat. Vietnam is a really diverse country in all aspects, from the lower temperatures and rain in the North to the sun baked beaches on the coasts and the further south you get, to the scenery and how it changed so much every few hundred kilometres. The Vietnamese people despite going through much hardship many years ago I had found to be so friendly, helpful and engaging, especially in rural areas along the HCM trail. I will never forget the children's smiles, waves and Helloooooows. So many experiences and memories I have gained o
Read more

Day 18 - Dalat to Phu Lam

-
Image
The rest day in Dalat was certainly worth the extra cycling to get there. At 1500 meters above sea level the temperatures were in the low twentys with blue sky's. Dalat is the capital of Lam Dong province in Southern Vietnams Central Highlands and has a huge lake in the centre of the city and is surrounded by pine forests, golf courses and lovely manicured gardens all over the city with hydrangeas and roses growing. Known as the "City of Eternal Spring" for its distinctive temperature and climate, Dalat was developed by the French in the early 1900s, and many reminders of its colonial heritage remain with beautiful ornate buildings and villas. We walked around the city in the morning and in the afternoon taking in the sights and generally resting as today's ride would be our furthest of the tour so far. Myself and Alex discussed that we both really enjoyed Dalat and we were so glad we made the extra effort to get there which was in fact a lot extra kilometres and cli
Read more

Day 15 - Ea Drang to Buon Ma Thout

-
Image
After our ordeal of not finding any suitable food last night after the days long ride, combined with a poor hotel and sleep we woke extremely early and decided to get out on the road and to also find some food. We set off riding to Buon Ma Thout at 06.31 and for the first kilometre was a short stretch downhill. Scattered all over Vietnam  and particular the more south you get are little roadside glass fronted trolleys with bread loafs in and the ladies tending them warm the loafs up and you can add pork, herbs, fried eggs, greens and a selection of spicy sauces. These have been our lifeline over the last few weeks and this morning was no exception. We pulled in to the first one and ate two fully loaded sandwiches each - we were really hungry after last night famine. After we ate we started riding again and the road had a gradual climb but nothing too strenuous, but a steady 4/5% for probably about ten kilometre. Like yesterday,  initially the landscape wasn't to spectacular and
Read more