Steve & Jill
We are Steve Yeoman (74) and Jill Ewing (in her 60s and refusing to act like it). When we’re not riding long-distance tours or driving around with bikes on the back of the motorhome, Jill is out tramping New Zealand’s trails and Steve is in the shed making wooden things.
Our set up
Bikes
Moustache x-Road FS7 and FS5
Class 1, pedal assist, Bosch powered, 625 Wh batteries
We ride Moustache X-Road FS7 and FS5 e-bikes. Technically they’re urban eMTBs, but they suit us perfectly. Full suspension adds comfort, and with the right tyres, they turn rough shoulders into ridable territory. Loose gravel, potholes, cobblestones – all good fun.
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625 Wh batteries
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Bosch Nyon controllers
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Dropper posts on both bikes
The bars are 25-degree swept back, and I’ve fitted Ergon GP1 grips for extra comfort and support. It’s a bit tight on switchbacks, but comfortable all day.
We’ve removed the chainguards – I like to clean and oil the chains daily – and replaced the very urban front mudguards with short MTB versions.
Tyres: We’ve upgraded to Hutchinson 2.25” Hard Skin tubeless. They’re quiet and fast on hard surfaces, grip like crazy on gravel and rocks, and don’t like mud – neither do I, so that works. I still carry tubes as backup.
Saddles: I ride with a Brooks, my second one, with over 15,000 km of comfort so far.
Brakes: Jill’s rear brake needed work, so we upgraded it to Deore XT with better grip. She loves them. I’m just waiting for mine to wear out so I can upgrade too.
Carrying gear:
The bikes come with built-in pannier racks – integrated with the double-skin mudguards – rated to 25 kg. We run small bags, around 7–9 kg including chargers. I also carry a small tool bag under the saddle. We like to travel light and buy what we need along the way.
Locks: Abus folding locks, plus decent insurance.
Safety
We use Sena M1 Evo helmets with built-in intercoms (up to 500 m line of sight). Absolute game changers for our style of travel – wandering and chatting as we go. That said, I’ve heard that for some cyclists, not hearing your partner talk is part of the appeal…
Our second-best addition: Take-a-Look clip-on helmet mirrors. Great for road riding – the tail rider can warn of cars coming up while we’re mid-conversation. We think they make us look like quails, and they attract more comments than anything else we own.
We also carry a PLB (Personal Locator Beacon), just in case.