Originally Posted by
marco polo
Ok, after an eventful trip to Wuxi, I can confirm that my tubeless wheels on the 502X indeed have tubes. On the way back to Huzhou this afternoon, the rear tyre met with a screw, just as I pulled off the road to have a look at the map. I thought I could put a plug in, being a tubeless tyre, but when I got the bike to an e-bike shop nearby, it was confirmed, tube. The short distance also managed to destroy the tube and then the bad news was that in the entire Wuxi, no tube in that size (150/60X17) could be found. The only solution was Taobao, which meant leaving the bike there, but the shop owner was insistent that he didn't have space for such a big bike. Fortunately his daughter arrived and she is a police girlie. She offered that the bike be stored at the police station, which happened to be right next door. I also had to produce my temporary licence plate in a subtle way, as there were questions asked why the foreigner's bike doesn't have a licence plate, but she appeared quite happy with my explanation.
So, plan of action is to wait for the tube, and an extra one, to arrive and then I wil go to Wuxi next Wednesday to fix it and return the bike to Huzhou. Just hope the tyre wasn't damaged in the about 500m I had to ride the bike at idle speed to the bike shop.
Back to the trip and the bike. I set off early morning from Huzhou, still a bit nervous and new, and finding myself on the G104 highway direction Hangzhou, instead of heading north not really helping. I managed to find a place to turn around before I got too far off course and set about dodging trucks and early morning traffic towards Changxing and Yixing. I eventually turned off on the S230 and calmness appeared. Although the road was still a dual carriageway, it had little traffic and settled down into a rhythm. The bike is very willing and confirming previous reviews I read, power delivery is linear with no powerband surges. although I am still revving only to 5000 revs for the run in. Seating position is perfect for me, but if I could change anything, I would like a slightly larger fairing. I am 1.86m and get a bit of buffeting around my head, but when ducking behind the fairing, it is really quiet. The engine has a nice drone to it, instead of the high rev screaming of the pocket rockets. It accelerates smoothly and there is abundant power for me and my intended cruising speed, considering I am driving an old Land Rover back home in South Africa and everything more than that feels fast.
As I entered Jiangsu province, the horror of a toll gate awaited me and all the stories on the forum about toll gates flashed through my head. However, I spotted the little lane on the right, just wide enough for a bike, and nonchalantly rode through without any attempt at making eye contact. Although Jiangsu is apparently bike unfriendly, I had a few cops driving past me, without batting an eyelid at my lack of licence plate. But I do have a plate with the name Benelli on it and maybe this confuses them into believing it is maybe a foreign bike when they see the old laowai face. Apparently one can also not buy fuel in Jiangsu province, but I stopped at a small petrol station with pretty young attendants, who were eager to help me, provided I pay cash. Then I got a very pleasant surprise. The bike took only 9 liters after having done 320km, thus more than 35km/l. Can't complain about that.
I planned to skirt around the outside of Wuxi, but my gf was tied up in the city and I decided to brazenly ride right through the city centre. Wuxi has a complete bike ban, but there are many bikes running around the outskirts, especially in the villages next to Taihu. I must admit I was getting a a bit tired by then and didn't enjoy the traffic at all, riding between the cars instead of in the e-bike line, but this was good for confidence.
This morning I took my gf on her first bike ride along Taihu lake, a bit cautious and nervous about the extra weight behind me, but it turned out OK and she loved it. Apart from being a bit more sluggish at the pull away, the bike didn't really feel as if it was struggling with the extra weight, mind you, she only weighs about 43kg.
All things considering still a good trip with lots of lessons learned for future riding:
- Take spares and tyre repair kit, same as per the many years I cycled competitively,
- Make sure you have enough fuel when riding in Jiangsu,
-The advent of online shopping means that nobody carries stock and on a long trip you might have to wait a few days for spares to arrive,
-Take cash with you, enough for unforeseen events,
- Roadside maintenance is an involved activity and be prepared to take the lead and swing a spanner yourself, thus know your bike,
- Chinese people in general will help a laowai in trouble, even if it is just for the entertainment value, but don't expect fireworks, you will need to drive the process.
I still love my bike and have no regrets buying it. The confidence is also returning and I am looking forward to riding it back to Huzhou and beyond in the days ahead. Will keep y'all posted.