Thomas Croteau
New Member
Hello,
I am 54, 6ft, 180 lbs , I am looking to purchase my first Ebike, and use it on holiday adventures to start, then to daily workouts in future. So lets start with background. I currently have a Trek normal bike, semi mountain bike for road use, I have recently increased my daily ride to about 50 km a day on it. I usually only pedal at about 20 km/hr. Haven't seen the need to go faster. On my trip I may want to increase the speed to about 25 km/hr. I live on the coast in Saudi Arabia, and sometimes find the wind a bit hard for a few of the kms', but I am adjusting to it, and it usually only effects 5 kms' of my ride. The rest of the time its flat street or bike trail, with just a little incline if any. My normal bike is fine for my daily workout, but I want to buy a good Ebike that can be used on holidays exploring the other country I live in ..Vietnam.
In Vietnam I hope to start with a 1,250 km trip from Hue to Vung Tau, all across the coast of central Vietnam to the south, with a side trip to Dalat. Most of the journey will be on paved roads, some new, some old, and do not expect to be off road much if any. Some of the roads will be bumpy and in need of repair. The adventure will be down the coast and expect some wind associated with being near the coast, and the side trip to Dalat is know to be very hilly. If you have watched the Vietnam tour of Top Gear, you will notice quite a bit of hills and bad roads.
My goal is to do about 60-100 km a day, enjoy the scenery and countryside, and also get fitter all at the same time. I will pack modestly, by limiting the amount of clothes to change in, but think I can get by with maybe 3 sets of bike clothes and 2 sets of normal clothes and then have them washed every 3 days once I set in for 2 overnights in a nice beach town. So maybe a pannier weighing 20 lbs max with battery charger and other small items combined.
I am considering the Trek XM700+ 2017 edition when it is released, The Vietnam dealer thinks he can place his order for it in a few weeks time…estimate. I will add rear light and bike rack if the 2017 edition doesn't come with it, I have noticed the women's version is already released and has included both in it.
QUESTION:
Is the Trek XM700+ sound like the correct bike in this case? or should I also be considering other brands?
Do not base service on the brand, Vietnam will not have the support of this type of bike regardless of manufacturer. I initially thought of the Trek because there is a good dealer for their normal bikes there, but they haven't ever sold the Ebike version, and willing to guess neither has any other manufacturer as well.
Will I be needing a second battery to do 100km? I can adjust the daily ride to 60 km on hilly days, but on mostly flat days will like to do 60-100 km. I don't expect the whole trip to be hills, maybe some small inclines here and there, and a big hill 3-4 times for a km or more once in a while.
Is the charger good for 110v and 220 v as standard, like chargers for computers? only needing an adapter not a transformer?
My price range is maybe 4,000 usd… I can go higher, but do get sticker shock going to far more…
This is my first bike trip, if it goes well will do maybe 3 every year, head to Sapa and Hanoi in the north, and have many other routes interior of the country and neighboring countries I can explore as well.
So I am looking for some advise to ease my mind on the bike I go with and for the distances I wish to reach.
I am 54, 6ft, 180 lbs , I am looking to purchase my first Ebike, and use it on holiday adventures to start, then to daily workouts in future. So lets start with background. I currently have a Trek normal bike, semi mountain bike for road use, I have recently increased my daily ride to about 50 km a day on it. I usually only pedal at about 20 km/hr. Haven't seen the need to go faster. On my trip I may want to increase the speed to about 25 km/hr. I live on the coast in Saudi Arabia, and sometimes find the wind a bit hard for a few of the kms', but I am adjusting to it, and it usually only effects 5 kms' of my ride. The rest of the time its flat street or bike trail, with just a little incline if any. My normal bike is fine for my daily workout, but I want to buy a good Ebike that can be used on holidays exploring the other country I live in ..Vietnam.
In Vietnam I hope to start with a 1,250 km trip from Hue to Vung Tau, all across the coast of central Vietnam to the south, with a side trip to Dalat. Most of the journey will be on paved roads, some new, some old, and do not expect to be off road much if any. Some of the roads will be bumpy and in need of repair. The adventure will be down the coast and expect some wind associated with being near the coast, and the side trip to Dalat is know to be very hilly. If you have watched the Vietnam tour of Top Gear, you will notice quite a bit of hills and bad roads.
My goal is to do about 60-100 km a day, enjoy the scenery and countryside, and also get fitter all at the same time. I will pack modestly, by limiting the amount of clothes to change in, but think I can get by with maybe 3 sets of bike clothes and 2 sets of normal clothes and then have them washed every 3 days once I set in for 2 overnights in a nice beach town. So maybe a pannier weighing 20 lbs max with battery charger and other small items combined.
I am considering the Trek XM700+ 2017 edition when it is released, The Vietnam dealer thinks he can place his order for it in a few weeks time…estimate. I will add rear light and bike rack if the 2017 edition doesn't come with it, I have noticed the women's version is already released and has included both in it.
QUESTION:
Is the Trek XM700+ sound like the correct bike in this case? or should I also be considering other brands?
Do not base service on the brand, Vietnam will not have the support of this type of bike regardless of manufacturer. I initially thought of the Trek because there is a good dealer for their normal bikes there, but they haven't ever sold the Ebike version, and willing to guess neither has any other manufacturer as well.
Will I be needing a second battery to do 100km? I can adjust the daily ride to 60 km on hilly days, but on mostly flat days will like to do 60-100 km. I don't expect the whole trip to be hills, maybe some small inclines here and there, and a big hill 3-4 times for a km or more once in a while.
Is the charger good for 110v and 220 v as standard, like chargers for computers? only needing an adapter not a transformer?
My price range is maybe 4,000 usd… I can go higher, but do get sticker shock going to far more…
This is my first bike trip, if it goes well will do maybe 3 every year, head to Sapa and Hanoi in the north, and have many other routes interior of the country and neighboring countries I can explore as well.
So I am looking for some advise to ease my mind on the bike I go with and for the distances I wish to reach.
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don't know whether international shipping might be feasible for you?
