Author Topic: guiding services  (Read 9784 times)

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Offline johno30

guiding services
« on: November 19, 2012, 05:50:28 pm »
Does anyone ever wish when they travel they could rent a high end road bike and get a guide to show them the local routes that are the best and safest in that area?

Offline John Nelson

Re: guiding services
« Reply #1 on: November 19, 2012, 07:38:31 pm »
I've had lots of locals recommend good routes to me while on tour. If you're on an open-ended tour, that's great. But on all the tours I've done, I've always had the route and time-frame mapped out, so I was never interested in local routes. I always preferred to see what was down the road in the direction I was headed.

Offline DaveB

Re: guiding services
« Reply #2 on: November 19, 2012, 09:06:39 pm »
Does anyone ever wish when they travel they could rent a high end road bike and get a guide to show them the local routes that are the best and safest in that area?
I know there are several "touristy" cities that have companies that offer bicycle sightseeing tours.  Sort of like a tour bus or horse carraige or walking tours but on bikes.   But, I don't think that's what you are asking about.  If you can find a decent bike rental shop, they may be able to provide maps and route recommendations or even hook you up with a shop or club ride.

Offline johno30

Re: guiding services
« Reply #3 on: November 20, 2012, 08:47:48 am »
My question is, if you find yourself in a city say on business or even to visit and you have some time to ride, wouldn't it be nice to be able to get a great high end bike and do a route that is a sure bet?  I recently did this in Paris but I don't know of any in the US.

Offline DaveB

Re: guiding services
« Reply #4 on: November 20, 2012, 08:54:52 am »
My question is, if you find yourself in a city say on business or even to visit and you have some time to ride, wouldn't it be nice to be able to get a great high end bike and do a route that is a sure bet?  I recently did this in Paris but I don't know of any in the US.
San Francisco has several shops that rent high end road bikes and MTBs and can probably map out several recommended routes.

Offline Pat Lamb

Re: guiding services
« Reply #5 on: November 20, 2012, 09:18:52 am »
Does anyone ever wish when they travel they could rent a high end road bike and get a guide to show them the local routes that are the best and safest in that area?

Check out the bike touring companies that advertise in Adventure Cycling, or look in the Cyclists' Yellow Pages off the AC home page.  Several of these companies either include a bike, or will rent you one, in the price of their tours.  You can travel either in the U.S. or abroad.

I think the sales pitch for this is that you don't have to ship your bike, or pay the exorbitant airline fees, or worry about preciousss getting damaged on the way.  Of course, many of these are pricier than my bikes, so that just adds to the fun!

Offline staehpj1

Re: guiding services
« Reply #6 on: November 20, 2012, 11:54:51 am »
Does anyone ever wish when they travel they could rent a high end road bike and get a guide to show them the local routes that are the best and safest in that area?
It depends on what you call high end, but yes I would sometimes be interested in a decent rental bike.  On the guide service, no that doesn't especially interest me.

Offline DaveB

Re: guiding services
« Reply #7 on: November 20, 2012, 03:17:55 pm »
It depends on what you call high end, but yes I would sometimes be interested in a decent rental bike.  On the guide service, no that doesn't especially interest me.
The rental bikes I saw in San Francisco were mid-line Trek aluminum frame road bikes with 105 triples or a Cannondale or Specialized equivalent.  This isn't "high end" in that they weren't carbon Colnagos with Record or Dura Ace but they were far better than the usual single speed ballon tire cruiser I see in most rental places.

Offline BrianW

Re: guiding services
« Reply #8 on: November 20, 2012, 03:42:04 pm »
Sounds like a possible trolling post, with OP thinking of offering said "guide service" perhaps?

Offline Westinghouse

Re: guiding services
« Reply #9 on: November 29, 2012, 07:54:03 am »
I just get maps and go. I get a general idea and map as I go. If someone advises me on a route that is much better than one I have chosen, sure I'd go for it, especially if the advice comes from another cyclist. Non cyclists tell you a road is flat, and when they do, you might want to be prepared for steep hills, and that leads to an interesting observation of human physiopsychology.