The fleet, the van, and the licence question
What you will be riding, who fixes it when it breaks, what the vehicle behind you carries, and the legal position on riding a motorbike in Vietnam as a visitor.
The bicycle fleet
Forty-two bikes, all bought new by us, all serviced in our own Hanoi workshop between trips, and all replaced at three years or 12,000 km, whichever comes first. We do not rent bikes in from a hire fleet, which is the standard practice and the reason many bike tours start with a saddle at the wrong height.
| Type | What it is | Tyres | Sizes | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hybrid | Flat-bar aluminium, hydraulic discs | 38 mm | S – XL | Delta, valley floors, first-time riders |
| Gravel | Drop-bar aluminium, 1×11 or 2×10 | 40 mm | 49 – 58 cm | Everything, and the only choice for dirt |
| Road | Aluminium endurance frame, carbon fork | 30 – 32 mm | 48 – 60 cm | Central coast, Hai Van, Da Lat |
| E-bike | Mid-drive, 500 Wh, 70 km hilly range | 45 mm | M – XL | Mixed-ability parties, big climbing days |
| Tandem | Two of them, hybrid | 42 mm | One size | Riders with impaired sight, and couples |
Every bike comes with two bottle cages, a saddle bag with a tube and levers, and a computer showing distance and gradient. Bring your own pedals and shoes if you ride clipped in; we stock flat and SPD, and nothing else.
What we do not have
Carbon race frames, disc wheels, aero bars, and bikes below 48 cm or above 60 cm. If you are under about 1.55 m or over about 1.95 m, tell us at enquiry and we will find out whether we can size you rather than promise and fail.
The support vehicle
A 16-seat van with the rear seats out and a four-bike rack, on every riding day of every cycling tour, driven by somebody who has driven the route before.
What it carries, on every day, without being asked:
- Two spare wheels per bike type, six tubes, a spare chain, and a full tool roll
- Iced water and electrolyte, refilled at lunch
- Your day bag, so you ride with nothing on your back
- A first aid kit, a stretcher board and a rider-recovery blanket
- Sun cream, rain jackets and a spare set of dry clothes
What it is for, in order of how often it gets used: carrying a rider who has had enough, carrying luggage between hotels, fixing a mechanical, shading a group at a stop, and getting somebody to a clinic.
On a typical four-day trip with eight riders, somebody uses the vehicle on two of the four days. Nobody comments and no note is made. The vehicle exists so that a rider having a bad afternoon does not end everyone else's day.
Mechanics and what happens when something breaks
Two full-time mechanics in the Hanoi workshop. On group departures over six riders, one of them travels with the trip. On smaller trips the guide carries the same tools and does the same repairs, because every guide we employ has done a workshop season first.
| Problem | Fixed on the road? | Typical delay |
|---|---|---|
| Puncture | Yes | 4 minutes, tube swapped not patched |
| Broken spoke or buckled wheel | Yes, spare wheel from the van | 3 minutes |
| Snapped chain | Yes | 6 minutes |
| Bent or snapped derailleur hanger | Usually, we carry common ones | 10 minutes, or the spare bike |
| Broken frame | No | Spare bike from the van, same day |
| Hydraulic brake failure | Yes, we carry fluid and a bleed kit | 15 minutes |
There is always a spare bike on the rack for groups of six or more. On smaller private trips we carry a spare only if a rider is on an unusual size, and we tell you which case you are in before you go.
Motorbikes, and the licence rules that catch people out
Riding a motorcycle in Vietnam legally requires a Vietnamese licence, or a foreign licence with an International Driving Permit that Vietnam recognises. Vietnam recognises permits issued under the 1968 Vienna Convention on Road Traffic. It does not recognise permits issued under the 1949 Geneva Convention.
Several large source markets still issue the 1949 version. A rider from one of those countries who has done what their motoring organisation told them may still be riding unlicensed here, with the insurance consequences that follow. Your licence must also cover the engine size you ride — a car licence with an IDP does not authorise a 150cc motorcycle.
We ask for a photograph of your licence and your permit before we confirm a motorbike booking. If the permit is not recognised, you ride pillion behind a guide at no extra charge, or we help you convert your licence to a Vietnamese one if you have a visa long enough to do it. We do not put unlicensed riders on bikes, and we lose bookings to operators who will. Rules change, so confirm your own position with the body that issues your permit.
The motorbike fleet
| Model | Type | Best for |
|---|---|---|
| Honda XR150L | Manual, 150cc, trail | Ha Giang, the northwest, rough surfaces |
| Honda CB150 Verza | Manual, 150cc, road | Long road days, the northwest loop |
| Honda Winner X | Semi-automatic, 150cc | Riders without manual experience |
| Honda CB500X | Manual, 500cc | Experienced riders, long days, extra cost |
All bought new, replaced at about 30,000 km, and checked before every departure. We do not use the 110cc Cub-type bikes that most hostels rent for the Ha Giang loop; they are underpowered with two people and luggage on those gradients.
What you should bring, and what you should not
Bring
- Your own pedals and shoes, if you ride clipped in
- Your own saddle, if you have one you trust — five minutes to fit
- Padded shorts, two pairs. Nothing else on this list matters as much
- A windproof layer and long-finger gloves for the north from November to March
- Sun sleeves. The sun here is stronger than the temperature suggests
Do not bother
- A helmet. We supply them and yours will take up half a bag
- A pump, tools or spares. The van has all of it
- Water bottles. Two are on every bike
- A camelbak. You will not want anything on your back at 34 degrees
Questions travellers ask most
Can I bring my own bicycle?
Yes. We deduct the hire cost, meet you with a van big enough for the box, and store the box while you ride. About one rider in eight does this.
Bring a spare derailleur hanger — they are model-specific and nothing in Hanoi will have yours — plus a spare tyre. Our mechanics carry tools for Shimano and SRAM road and mountain groupsets.
What tyres will I be on for the dirt sections?
40 mm gravel tyres by default on any day with unsealed sections, which means the Pu Luong loop and parts of the delta.
If you are on a road bike for the rest of the trip, the van carries a second wheelset with the wider tyres and we change it in the morning, which takes about four minutes a bike.
Do you have e-bikes for a mixed-ability group?
Six of them, and mixed-ability parties are exactly what they are for. A rider on an e-bike can stay with a much stronger group on a 1,000 m climbing day without anybody slowing down or waiting.
The supplement is USD 22 a riding day. Range is about 70 km in the hilliest setting, which covers every day we run, and the van carries a spare battery.
What insurance do you carry?
Operator liability cover as required by Vietnamese law, plus the compulsory vehicle and motorcycle third-party cover. That is not personal travel insurance and it will not pay your medical bill.
You must have your own policy, and it must name cycling, or motorcycling at the engine size you will ride. A surprising number of standard policies exclude both. We ask for the policy number and the emergency line two weeks before you arrive so the guide has it in his pocket rather than in an inbox.
Read next
Tell us about the ride you have in mind
Dates, party size and the places you care about are enough to start. You get a draft route and an indicative price, not a brochure.