I'm With Stupid
Active Member
- Location
- HCMC Vietnam
I'm on the committee of an annual charity bike ride that goes the length of Vietnam. This year, we had a pretty bad accident and so we're looking at how safety can be improved for next years ride. So I'm here to ask for people's input, because most of you are far more experienced than any of us.
Firstly, a quick overview. It's a month-long ride down Vietnam, averaging about 80km per day (although some of the longer days are 110km in the mountains). There are 20 riders and 2 support vehicles, so nobody has to carry anything on their bikes during the day, and any technical problems with the bikes can usually be fixed because there's a spare bike to cannibalise. We also have a rule that none of the riders are allowed to ride after dark.
So far, we've re-routed sections of the ride, so that we almost completely avoid the dreaded highway 1, which is where the accident happened (if you're ever riding in Vietnam, avoid that road). Basically, a truck overtook her and didn't give her enough space and she ended up under the wheels. That's not unusual in Vietnam, even with vehicles overtaking coming the other way. We're now pretty confident that the route itself is as safe as it can be, without cancelling the event altogether. We've also discussed the possibility of limiting the riders from 20 to 16, although because it's a charity event, that could reduce the amount of money we bring in.
The road conditions are varied and changeable. Most of it is beautiful tarmac, but a good section is fairly badly-maintained tarmac, and small sections are completely unpaved, jagged, muddy sections that any reasonable person would only use a mountain bike on. Some sections have a dedicated motorbike lane, which doubles as a cycle lane. We've tweaked the dates for three years now to find the right weather conditions, and I think we've finally got the best time of year to do it (the problem in Vietnam is that nice weather in the North, is during rainy season in the South, and between the two is hurricane/mudslide season in the middle).
My main question is on what bikes to recommend to people. Most of the people are 20-somethings on a limited budget, who are only living here temporarily. As such, we don't want to put people off by saying you have to spend a grand on a bike that you'll possibly never use again and struggle to sell/bring home. Most participants are also pretty inexperienced cyclists, certainly as far as touring goes. So far, most people have been using these really cheap ($200-300) Chinese-brand road bikes. They just about get the job done, but I can't help but think that they contribute to some of the safety issues (particularly in terms of grip on the road).
We've discussed banning road bikes completely for next year, and making everyone get mountain bikes instead. Or certainly strongly recommending it. Do you think that's a good idea? Obviously it will slow the pace quite a bit (although maybe that's safer). Some have suggested cyclo-cross bikes are a better compromise, although their availability is quite limited here in Vietnam. If you were going to choose an ideal bike to do this trip on, what would you pick? And what would you pick if you were on a pretty extreme budget?
Firstly, a quick overview. It's a month-long ride down Vietnam, averaging about 80km per day (although some of the longer days are 110km in the mountains). There are 20 riders and 2 support vehicles, so nobody has to carry anything on their bikes during the day, and any technical problems with the bikes can usually be fixed because there's a spare bike to cannibalise. We also have a rule that none of the riders are allowed to ride after dark.
So far, we've re-routed sections of the ride, so that we almost completely avoid the dreaded highway 1, which is where the accident happened (if you're ever riding in Vietnam, avoid that road). Basically, a truck overtook her and didn't give her enough space and she ended up under the wheels. That's not unusual in Vietnam, even with vehicles overtaking coming the other way. We're now pretty confident that the route itself is as safe as it can be, without cancelling the event altogether. We've also discussed the possibility of limiting the riders from 20 to 16, although because it's a charity event, that could reduce the amount of money we bring in.
The road conditions are varied and changeable. Most of it is beautiful tarmac, but a good section is fairly badly-maintained tarmac, and small sections are completely unpaved, jagged, muddy sections that any reasonable person would only use a mountain bike on. Some sections have a dedicated motorbike lane, which doubles as a cycle lane. We've tweaked the dates for three years now to find the right weather conditions, and I think we've finally got the best time of year to do it (the problem in Vietnam is that nice weather in the North, is during rainy season in the South, and between the two is hurricane/mudslide season in the middle).
My main question is on what bikes to recommend to people. Most of the people are 20-somethings on a limited budget, who are only living here temporarily. As such, we don't want to put people off by saying you have to spend a grand on a bike that you'll possibly never use again and struggle to sell/bring home. Most participants are also pretty inexperienced cyclists, certainly as far as touring goes. So far, most people have been using these really cheap ($200-300) Chinese-brand road bikes. They just about get the job done, but I can't help but think that they contribute to some of the safety issues (particularly in terms of grip on the road).
We've discussed banning road bikes completely for next year, and making everyone get mountain bikes instead. Or certainly strongly recommending it. Do you think that's a good idea? Obviously it will slow the pace quite a bit (although maybe that's safer). Some have suggested cyclo-cross bikes are a better compromise, although their availability is quite limited here in Vietnam. If you were going to choose an ideal bike to do this trip on, what would you pick? And what would you pick if you were on a pretty extreme budget?
There's nothing like real experience.
