Cycling in Asia forum

Cycling Hanoi to Saigon for Charity.. what am I letting myself in for?

mattspeak

longtail driver
Posts: 7

OK, firstly, thank you so much for any feedback; its really appreciated!

Just under 11 months time I want to ride a bike an unforgettably long distance for charity. A lifetime experiance that I can raise plenty of money for a good cause.

After recently returning from a trip to Thailand and Laos I thought what better way to combine it than with a 2nd trip.

Now I understand that this is a BIG distance at some 2100km! And I have checked out some of the posts previous which talk about senic routes allbeit they are for motorbikes. But at this stage I have a few questions....

- How decent are the roads? Would a road bike be wise? Hybrid? Last thing I want to take is a moutain bike but I aslo dont want to be getting RSI/buckling wheels every 5 minutes!

- Is this crazy if we say we want to do it in 40 days? Thats 60km or so with 5 or so days rest?

- Is there anything I should be asking? Art from my own sanity?

- Is there any online resources on this which would help us cement our decision?

Thank you for your help, it is really appreciated!

Kindest regards,

Matthew

#1 Posted: 9/2/2011 - 20:50
MADMAC

mahout
Posts: 3999

What are you letting yourself in for? A long ass bike ride, that's for sure.

#2 Posted: 9/2/2011 - 23:13

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Victory in Pattani
mattspeak

longtail driver
Posts: 7

Urm, thanks for the response.

Shouldn't it be sore ass bike ride?

#3 Posted: 9/2/2011 - 23:15
MADMAC

mahout
Posts: 3999

It would be if it were me. I can ride about five klicks and then my ass starts getting sore.

#4 Posted: 10/2/2011 - 00:45

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Victory in Pattani
Tilapia

under-employed
Posts: 1204
Located in:

Private message

Hi Matt,

I'd say that whether or not 60 km/day is a lot or not depends on a few things such as topography, road and weather conditions, how you are feeling, and how much you like where you are (you may want to go slower than usual.) You may find most of the answers you are looking for here ...

http://www.crazyguyonabike.com/doc/locales/?locale_id=233&doctype=journal

I use this site quite a lot when researching stretches of road that I plan on cycling and that might not make it into any travel guides. If there's a guest house or hotel there, chances are good that a cyclist has been to it and written about it on Crazy Guy.

This site is also excellent for determining how far you can, and cannot go in a day, what road conditions are like, what certain places to stay are like, where you can find bike shops along the way, prices, food, traffic, etc. etc. etc.

I recommend taking a GPS.

Sounds like a great trip. Have a blast!

#5 Posted: 10/2/2011 - 00:52