New Zealand cycling tours and bike trips

We have selected high quality bikes to suit the varied terrain we cover – we wouldn’t make you ride anything we wouldn’t use ourselves! For more serious mountain biking and gravel roads we use Specialized Rockhoppers with an ultra refined alloy frame, Shimano FCM-341-8 crank set and front suspension forks. On trips where we cover paved roads and gravel, we use the Avanti Pioneer, an excellent lightweight, cross-terrain touring bike with great flexibility. For pure road biking we prefer the Avanti Blade which has been designed for comfort and has an alloy frame with carbon components for strength and lightness. As many cyclists prefer the familiarity of their own bikes, you’re also welcome to bring your own ride and we will help you assemble it at the start of the trip. It goes without saying that our staff are seasoned bike mechanics, so we’ll deal with any minor issues you may have as we go. Jim Hawkridge, our lead cycling guide, is a seasoned competitive cyclist in his own right, but he excels at helping people get the most out of their cycling vacation, looking after anyone from a seasoned athlete to a casual holiday cyclist, and keeping your bike in tip-top shape.

We have a variety of frame sizes available, and if you have specific requirements let us know in advance. Of course, we also supply cycle helmets, safety vests, rear pannier racks and bike computers. We are perhaps a little more safety oriented than most – we work very hard to ensure all our cycling clients are safe, warm and happy, and you’ll find our safety equipment is second to none. We don’t go overboard – we just do everything within reason to ensure that you go home from your New Zealand cycle trip in better shape than when you arrived!

Bikes

Avanti Pioneer specifications:

• Frame: ADT 6061 Series Alloy
• Fork: RST Neon TnL w/ Lockout 60mm Travel
• Front Derailleur: Shimano C102
• Rear Derailleur: Shimano Deore
• Brake Levers: Alivio
• Shifters: Alivio 24-Speed
• Crankset: Shimano TX-71 48/38/28
• Brakes: Shimano M420 V-Brake
• Hubs: Shimano RM40 Front and Rear QR
• Rims/tyres: Specialized Borough 700x 32 tyres, on Explorer rims
• Saddle: Specialized Milano seat for men or Dolce seat for women

Specialized Rockhopper specifications:

• A1 Premium Aluminum frame, disc only, double butted TT and ORE DT, externally relieved head tube, internally relieved BB shell, reinforced disc mount, forged 3D dropouts
• RockShox Dart 3 SL fork, 100mm, Mag Lower, 28.6mm Cro-Mo stanchions, coil spring, alloy steer, rebound adjust w/ lockout and preload adjust
• Specialized 3D forged alloy stem, two bolt, 25.4mm, 10 degree rise
• Shimano 415, mechanical disc brakes, 6" Center Lock rotors
• Shimano FCM-341-8 crankset, Octalink Spline, replaceable rings Shimano cartridge bearing BB
• Shimano HB-M65L, Center Lock disc hubs, 32h, QR

Avanti Blade specifications:

• Frame: Alloy 7005 UL1 Alloy
• Fork: Cro-mo Integrated with 1-1/8" Steerer
• Front Derailleur: NA
• Rear Derailleur: NA
• Brake Levers: Tektro RX 1.0 Alloy
• Shifters: Shimano Nexus 8-Speed w/ Shimano Outer Casing
• Shifters: Shimano Nexus 8-Speed w/ Shimano Outer Casing
• Crankset: SR Suntour Alloy Crank, 44T Chainwheel
• Brakes: Tektro RX3 Mini V Brakes
• Hubs: Nexus 8 Speed Internal Rear Hub, Shimano 2200 Front
• Rims/Wheel Set: Alex DA16 Alloy Double Wall