Haibiking to a World Record E-Bike Long Distance Record

After eight-plus months of planning, a gruelling fitness regime and a flight from Australia to London, Gary and Rachel Corbett’s - e-Bike Cycle Tourists - plan to set a new world e-bike long distance record took a major step forward at the weekend with the delivery of arguably the record attempt's most important ingredient – two Haibike Trekking RX e-bikes from e-bikeshop.co.uk. Following a comprehensive rundown on the use of the bikes from e-bike shop owner Martin Brown and the addition to the bikes of various after market accessories necessary for a crack at the coveted world record of 16,000-plus kilometres, it was finally time to do what Gary and Rachel had been waiting so long for – to go riding.

While it was with a fair degree of trepidation that they climbed aboard their new Haibike's for their first ever ride on a new generation e-bike, it only took two or three laps of the e-bike shop car park to be blown away by the performance of their new machines. What a revelation it was – basically there is no other way to describe the experience of riding the Haibike xDuro Trekking RX than ‘f=*^%#g amazing’. Talk about impossible to wipe the smiles off their faces. Power, smoothness of ride, looks, technology and ease of use – the Haibike Trekking e-bike has it all and more.

But doing laps around a car park is one thing, what would the bikes be like to ride on a longer, more demanding outing where the electrical assist is really tested out? It was with that thought in mind that they set out on a perfect autumn day for a ride around the Surrey district to give their Haibike's a real workout. You name the challenge and the Haibike's were handed it. Pushed hard in Eco, Tour, Sport and Turbo modes the e-bikes never missed a beat.

With a full range of 27 gears to choose from in conjunction with assistance from the abovementioned e-bike modes, there wasn't a hill that posed even the slightest of problems. Such was the smoothness of the ride and the power of the electrical assistance, that Mrs e-Bike Cycle Tourist in all seriousness claimed that she felt like she should be buckling up her seat belt! And better still for someone who worried that the bikes were going to be too “high tech” to ride when she first saw them, she was in fact delighted with just how easy they were to use. Gear changes posed no problems, the upright riding position proved extremely comfortable – an important consideration when planning to cycle 20,000 or so kilometres over 12 months of cycling – and with the help of the electrical assist the kilometres just flew past. Also, given how hard Mr e-Bike Cycle Tourist’s Haibike was pushed over the maiden 58 kilometre ride in all four modes of operation – in contrast Mrs e-Bike Cycle Tourist mainly stuck to Eco mode – there was still 45% battery life left at the end of the day. With battery usage a major consideration in the planning for the e-bike record attempt given the daily 75 to 100km target, 58km with 45% battery usage at the end of an undulating and often steep ride was good news indeed.

The bottom line with just three days to go until the e-Bike Cycle Tourists head off from the e-bikeshop.co.uk’s sales center in Farnham, Surrey on their world record ride is that they are confident their new Haibike xDuro Trekking RX e-bikes are more than up to the task. With just days to go before the e-Bike Cycle Tourists head off from Farnham in Surrey on Thursday, April 23 in their attempt to set a new world e-bike long distance record over 12-plus months of cycling! Follow the Haibiking journey and stay up-to-date with further reviews here on the e-bikeshop blog!