Our Benidorm experience

Have you ever been to Benidorm? Well we hadn't, we had just seen it on the comedy series on the telly! Having driven past on the motorway in the past and seen the high rise skyline we were curious to see what Benidorm was really like. We checked into Villasol Campsite for three nights and set about exploring the town. Apart from all the massive hotels there is every type of bar and restaurant lining the streets, especially along the busy beach promenade. Karaoke, music themes, sports bars with huge TV screens and every nationality of cuisine is on offer. The weather was perfect whilst we were there and during the day the beach was packed with holiday makers on the blue sun beds topping up their tans. Cycling around the busy streets we had to be careful not to run anyone over - tourists don't make good pedestrians- often looking the wrong way when crossing the road or staggering  into your path!

And we have never seen so many mobility scooters! People hire them just to get about - it's a cheap means of transport compared to getting a taxi. You can get a tandem scooter to tootle about together if you wish! Although apparently you need to be over 50 to hire a mobility scooter - too many young people in the past hired them, got drunk and crashed (or lost!) them.
Benidorm is a great place for people watching - so many colourful characters (including many lookalikes of the cast of 'Benidorm').
All the young people tend to gather at the bars selling a pint of beer for 1.50€ and even the local circus people come to do a bit of impromptu acrobatics for the crowd. At night the place is alive with revellers particularly groups on hen or stag parties and the choice of venue for them is endless!

On our third day in Benidorm we took to the hills and discovered the beautiful countryside a few miles back from the coastline. We set out on a circular route only to realise after about 15miles of climbing that the route was a bit too long and we risked running out of battery power on the bikes if we carried on, so we headed back downhill. Just a few miles inland you can escape from the hustle bustle of the city and enjoy the traditional Spanish villages where time still passes slowly and the afternoon siestas still the order of the day.

Review: Haibike S-Duro Cross 9.0 Part 2

Part two of my review of the Haibike S-Duro Cross 9.0 - don't read this unless you have read the first part!

This is the beginning of the E-bike revolution and in ten years time many people will have an electric bike, just like the smart phone revolution- everyone will want one! Once you have experienced an electric bike there is no turning back! Riding an electric bike is easy and uncomplicated just a few things to remember- don't try to exceed the governed speed when cycling on the flat, when you cycle uphill select the Turbo setting and a low gear so that the motor is not laboured (if the drive becomes a bit jerky the gear is too low) once in the correct setting/gear the bike will sail up the hill without having to apply much pressure on the pedals at all. It doesn't take long to learn how to ride an electric bike efficiently with optimal use of the battery and drive components.

The Haibike S-Duro Cross comes with front suspension which you can lock out if required - sadly with all the pot-holes in our roads these days this isn't often! The front suspension certainly gives a more comfortable ride especially over a long distance.

We have now owned our Haibikes for a few months and have cycled over 1000 miles so some day to day maintenance is needed. We had our initial service within a few weeks of purchase and Keith checks the bikes over regularly- checking tyre pressures, checking nuts and bolts are tight, particular attention to the chain - using a dry lube often (not wet lube) as an ebike chain has far more load put on it than a conventional bike so will wear more quickly. Its recommended that chains are replaced every 1500 miles and its best to use a quality chain.
Looking after your battery is important and we charge our batteries after each ride, which usually takes a couple of hours.
Our motorhome has a bike rack to transport the bikes and we also were able to buy a suitable rack for our car from Richard at E-Bike Sussex. When transporting the bikes we remove the batteries to reduce the weight on the back of the vehicle. It's important to check the weight limit of your rack when transporting e-bikes.

We have no regrets whatsoever about buying the Haibikes, we often turn heads with their stylish looks and bright colours. Owning an electrically assisted bike has transformed our rides, I don't feel any less fit as we go it for much longer periods (imagine sitting on an exercise bike for three hours!)
If you are considering buying an electric bike we would  also recommend a visit to Richard at
E-Bikes Sussex

https://ebikesussex.com/



This is my own personal review not a technical review and all words and opinions expressed in this review are my own. I have not received any financial incentive to write this review.

Review: Haibike S-Duro Cross 9.0 Part 1

If you had asked Keith and I what we thought of electric bikes a year ago we would have said what a lot of people say to us now, which is that they are for getting about when you're that bit older, less fit and that having an electric bike is not real cycling it's 'cheating'. But then we realised that actually having an electrically assisted bike adds another dimension to what we can do and where we can go on our bikes with the added bonus of still keeping fit by going out more often and on much longer rides. Plus having converted to an electric bike we just love our cycling even more!

So where to begin when choosing the right electric bike? As a starting point we researched the most popular brands, read loads of reviews and talked to other owners of electric bikes. Having done that we decided that the Haibike with the centre driven Bosch Performance  CX motor (German engineering) seemed to be the best option, we also wanted a bike with on road/off road capabilities with gravel trails in mind. So where to go to see and try out our chosen bikes? Fortunately for us we have within a 30 minute drive just the right place to go -
 E-bike Sussex in Shoreham-by-sea.


We phoned ahead to find the right time to visit the store, it's an expensive purchase buying an ebike so you need to feel you have all the information and not to be rushed.
Richard at E-bikes Sussex is both passionate and knowledgeable about his product and gave us the time and the information to make the choice that was right for us. We were also able to have a test ride of a few different bikes. We eventually decided on the Haibike S-Duro Cross 9.0, it seemed to meet all our requirements.

Having made the purchase our bikes were ready and prepared for the road in a few days and on collection Richard gave us detailed instructions on riding and caring for our e-bikes.
We were so excited those first few trips out on our new bikes (in fact I still get excited a few months later!)
When you reach a hill you select the Turbo setting and just sail up effortlessly - Wonderful!
We have found that we are able to go twice as far, twice as high and have twice as much fun!!
The bikes have a comfortable riding position and we changed to gel saddles to improve our comfort on a long ride. As you can see from the photos we have added some other useful extras for our touring, racks, pouches, a rear luggage box (essential for our picnic lunch!) and mudguards. We also have lights, ping bells and high quality shackle locks and the propstands are supplied as standard.
Riding the bikes is so easy with the 10 gears and 4 power settings, they handle well and we have been able to put them through their paces touring in Spain, climbing rough gravel and rocky trails and also climbing on tarmac roads into the National parks to almost 4000 ft of altitude.
We are often asked about the range of the 36volt/500watt battery supplied and of course there are many variations depending on the amount of ascent, overall weight, headwinds and rider usage of the bike, but we regularly ride up to 40 miles with battery range left when we return. We are able to charge the batteries using our inverter in the motorhome or the more usual direct to mains 240v (battery can be charged on or off the bike) and the approximate charging time is 2.5 hours.
One thing I learnt along the way is that when riding on the flat the pedal assisted motor is governed at approximately 16.5mph (a legal requirement) so it's no good when you reach this speed trying to pedal faster it will only tire you out! But going downhill is another matter and I reached 38mph the other day, the disc brakes back and front work really well which inspires confidence when whizzing down the hills. Another thing we have found about riding an ebike is that we are never daunted by the prospect of a long hill or strong headwind or worry about the hills on the journey home, you just relax and enjoy the scenery as you ride the hills with ease. We often go on mini adventures exploring an interesting looking deviation from our planned route.
To be continued in Part 2!
If you would like to look at the E-bike Sussex website, here is the link:

https://ebikesussex.com/

This is my own personal review not a technical review and all words and opinions expressed in this review are my own. I have not received any financial incentive to write this review.

Up into the hills of Spain we go

On our way to the town of la Vall d'Uixó

Without a second thought we decided to head into the hills that loomed behind the Aire where we were staying in Moncofa. In the days before our ebikes we couldn't really contemplate such an adventure as I have to admit I just don't have the level of fitness for mountain climbing.
We headed out towards the quiet town of la Vall d'Uixó where we stopped for a coffee in the town square by the ancient church. We were only a few miles inland, but the Spanish towns are so different to the coastal resorts, the old men still sit chatting under the trees like they have done for thousands of years - the difference now is that they answer their mobile phones when their wives call them home for lunch!

The ancient church of la Vall d'Uixó

After our coffee we continued up into the hills, past the quiet villages set into the hillsides, pedalling up with the minimum of effort, just enjoying the scenery.
After about 15 miles we decided to turn back and head down the hill and Wow! so exhilarating whizzing back down- we were back in no time at all!
After a couple of days at Moncofa we continued our journey south, skirting around Valencia and heading inland to a camperstop at El Paloma, a quiet Spanish town. We made good use of the free washing machine there and whilst the washing was drying we headed off on the bikes in search of a slightly elusive castle a few miles away.  We headed up a pretty steep hill, but this time it was a rugged off road trail with a few sections which were quite 'technical' ( by this I mean difficult!)
Eventually, having almost given up, we came across the castle which turned out to be more of a tower really, but the views were spectacular nevertheless and we stopped for a while to eat our picnic lunch.

On the way down the track from the castle 

This was the first time we had put the bikes through their paces on some pretty rough ground, but the bikes handled well and lived up to our expectations.
After our off road adventures at El Paloma where to next? Having never been before, we decided to go to Benidorm- somewhat of a contrast to the Spanish countryside!!

Heading across Spain to our favourite trail

The wide Sandy beach at Castellon de la Plana (right opposite where we are parked)

Leaving St Georges on a rather wet and windy day we headed south, skirting Bordeaux and on to the outskirts of Biarritz where we spent our last night in France by the peaceful Lac du Marion. We set the sat nav for Donastia-San Sebastian, but before we reached the city we turned in a south-easterly direction to head across Spain via Pamplona and Tudela to Zaragoza and our next overnight stop at a remote Park4night spot at Alfranca near Pastriz. Suitably refreshed the next day we continued on the wonderful A23 motorway towards Valencia, turning off to Castellon and the motorhome parking area by the Aerodrome.

A shady cafe - busy today its market day (great for people watching!)

And here we do what we love to do - pedalling  along the long cycle path to Benicassim and on to the Via Verde to Orepesa, stopping along the way for coffee.
We stayed in the area for about five days, the weather was unusually hot for the end of September and we were able to go out cycling every day, enjoying our electric bikes and the ease with which we cover the mileage.

I even went for a swim in the warm sea, showering under the cold water of the beach shower - refreshing!!!
On our last day we cycled to Orepesa and surprised our Dutch friends Paul and Gea who stay for the autumn at Camping Didota every year, we met them there five years ago but have kept in touch ever since.
Our next destination was Nules, only about 15 miles south along the coast, a free motorhome parking area behind a restaurant. Water, waste and free wifi thrown in, the owner hopes that you will have a meal in his restaurant. We had a delicious meal but on staying a few hours we realised that we were being invaded by Super-size Mosquitoes!! We decided to make a hasty exit and moved another couple of miles down the coast to the free Aire at Moncofa away from the wetlands at Nules and the pesky mosquitoes!! From Moncofa we went on our first mountain (read big hills) adventure on the electric bikes but that's another story - see you next time!!