Taking an eMtb to NZ from Australia?

[Zed]

Wondering if any fellow Aussies have flown out for a trip to NZ and taken their eMTB with them? If so, could you tell us about it - where you went, with what bike, how was battery hire, etc?

I'm weighing up what to get for my next bike. I really like the look of the Mondraker Crafty RR, but the battery is non-removable, so it basically means flying with it is going to be no-no.

I have the NZ trip dreams of doing the likes of Queenstown, Rotorua and others and taking my eMTB. But maybe it would just be easier to hire bikes there?

Just trying to weigh this up. If it's a reality the Mondraker is not the right bike

 

[Tony4wd]

Airline travel is a major PITA at the moment with staff shortages due to covid. I'd suggest not taking the bike in order to minimize hassle at the airport.

 

[flash]

Legally, you can carry any number of batteries to 99wH or two batteries up to 160wH.

So you could have a Trek EXe and leave the big battery at home and take a couple of range extenders. But…

NZ bikes are assisted to 32kmh not 25 like Oz. I’d just hire a bike and enjoy the improved assistance settings.

Gordon

 

[Zed]

Legally, you can carry any number of batteries to 99wH or two batteries up to 160wH.

So you could have a Trek EXe and leave the big battery at home and take a couple of range extenders. But…

NZ bikes are assisted to 32kmh not 25 like Oz. I’d just hire a bike and enjoy the improved assistance settings.

Gordon

Thanks Gordon, but I did have a chuckle. I wouldn't buy a bike that had to stay restricted to 25km/h

I do get the feeling though just hiring bikes there might make more sense. I could try different bikes for different days. I could avoid the packing and cleaning and carting the lump about. It'd be fun to try a proper downhill bike at Queenstown bike park, or a real Enduro rig.

I do really like the look of the Crafty RR as a package, especially for the $$ and am seriously considering dropping some cash to hold one that's available locally.

 

[Farmernz]

I was in a shop in qtown last week that hired out a crafty for $150 a day I think it was.

 

[Zed]

I was in a shop in qtown last week that hired out a crafty for $150 a day I think it was.

Cheers. Yeah I mean if you can go for 5 days and have $1K cover the bike... it starts to make me wonder if I'd bother taking my own bike and all the hassle with it. It's really not much in holiday money eh. The difference would be if I went longer and while it'd be nice to do that one day, it's not on the cards for the near future.

At the same time, I'm starting to think about just springing the extra for the Levo and then the door to flying with it stays open.

 

[Farmernz]

I was in a shop in qtown last week that hired out a crafty for $150 a day I think it was.

I think the shop was called Alta.

 

[Zed]

I think the shop was called Alta.

Oh yeeeeeeaahhhh Full Day - Downhill Bike

It could be a lot of fun actually, with the gondala, and trying some of these: Vertigo Bikes Reservations

 

[Farmernz]

Yes, that’s the place, they did have a couple of mondraker ebikes too, although at the moment shop was full of ski gear, but there are heaps of hire places in qtown. Might be a whole lot easier to hire than traveling with battery and bike.

 

[Zed]

I actually decided to go with a Levo, I've put some cash down now. Levo for a variety of reasons, but one of them is the removable battery and prospect of battery hire in destinations like in NZ. Whether I end up using it, we'll see, but the option is there.

 

[Farmernz]

That’s exciting, enjoy the levo. Hope you get to ride nz trails on it. There are some great riding around qtown and within an hour of it, check out bike glendhu and Matangi station mtb , both awesome places.

 

[torabora851]

Renting bikes is always a lottery. Several times when I took rental bikes they were half-dead ones, which you can't even set up to your need. When I tried to attach the fork pump to my rental bike in the Red Wood bike park in NZ, the rental guy shouted at me, you can't touch it!

I prefer to travel with my own bike.