"Merlin Macuser" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:<[email hidden]>...
Quoted message said:Hey there friends.
We are going to the west coast for a few weeks but can't take our bikes. So I want to rent some
whhile we're there to do a ride or two along the bodacious coast or in the hills and mountains
around San Francisco or Monterey. So a couple of questions for the experts:
1) Should I try to rent Mountain or Roadies?
2) Any suggested sources for good quality rentals (Klein, Trek, Fisher..etc) ?
3) Any suggested routes for day rides? Anything in the category of "must see" ?
4) How 'bout going up the Post Road?
5) Any tips like "watch for the big vicious dog at mile 31..."?
6) should we bring our helmets or will we be able to rent them there?
Mountain bikes would be easier to find since they're carried by more rental places. Most of them are
low-end bikes and most of the people renting them stick to bike paths, so they may not be exactly
what you want if you're an experienced cyclist. The rental places will typically require a helmet,
and will provide one for you. I've seen Adventures by the Sea rentals around, but haven't dealt with
them. adventuresbythesea.comadventuresbythesea.comOpen ↗. Road bikes would probably be better for the area.
The ride along 17 mile drive from Pacific Grove to Carmel is nice, if rather built up compared to
Big Sur. Free admission for bikes, $8 for cars. Highway 1 is of course nice, though the traffic can
be a bit bothersome to bikes if you don't know what you're doing. It's fairly easy to ride from
Monterey down to the light house at Big Sur and back, which covers some nice scenery. The Rocky
Point resturaunt is a good stop if you're hungry. Palo Colorado Canyon is a taxing canyon ride that
goes through some redwoods next to a creek at the bottom before climbing a couple thousand feet
through some very steep pitches to Botcher's Gap. Point Lobos park is a nice site for some brief day
hikes, and has some small but very beautiful coves.
See jrabold.netindex.htmOpen ↗ as well, who has a very good writeup on the region.
