Warm Weather Cycling Destination Input Arizona or Hawaii

[pjmsj21]

I am considering a destination for a 5/6 day supported tour in either the Tuscon area or perhaps Hawaii and am looking for input on either destination and or any suggestions on tour companies. '

Ideally we would like to plan this for either Feb or Mar as a break from the Northwest winter. This would be for my wife and myself and are looking for mileage in the 50-70 range per day.

The PAC tour that they do in conjunction with Bike Friday looks pretty ideal until you look at photos of cycling in Hawaii with the ocean in the background. On the other hand my wife is not particularly fond of high traffic roads and I assume there would be more of that in Hawaii than in the Tucson area where the PAC tour takes place.

So if you have any experiences or knowledge to share it would be greatly appreciated.

Pat Mc

[maunahaole]

I live in Honolulu, so if you want to avoid traffic - do not come to Oahu. I would suggest going to Maui to ride. The population density is significantly lower and the roads are in better shape than they are here. Be prepared for wind.

[dave thompson]

maunahaole is very correct about Oahu, which has 90% of the Hawaii's population in 10% of its land area; very dense. I lived there in the 60's and it was bad then. He's also very correct about the wind, it is always blowing and there's not a lot of shelter from it.

If it were me, I'd plan a cycling trip around Tucson or I'd plan a vacation in Hawaii. Hawaii has much too much going on to do a lot of cycling, it's quite different (in a very good way) that most other places you may have been. The food, the scenery, the beaches, did I mention the food?

[Lovetoclimb]

Either destination sounds terrific. Here I am going to Spain in early winter without my bike :crap:

[pjmsj21]

Dave

Your coments echo my initial thougths. For a cycling vacation go to Tucson. For a non-cycling vacation go to Hawaii.

Pat


maunahaole is very correct about Oahu, which has 90% of the Hawaii's population in 10% of its land area; very dense. I lived there in the 60's and it was bad then. He's also very correct about the wind, it is always blowing and there's not a lot of shelter from it.

If it were me, I'd plan a cycling trip around Tucson or I'd plan a vacation in Hawaii. Hawaii has much too much going on to do a lot of cycling, it's quite different (in a very good way) that most other places you may have been. The food, the scenery, the beaches, did I mention the food?

[RedRider]

Chris Huber, former pro, runs some great trips out of Hawaii. Alex Stieda is a frequent guide.
www.roadbikingmaui.com
www.roadbikinghawaii.com

[pjmsj21]

Chris Huber, former pro, runs some great trips out of Hawaii. Alex Stieda is a frequent guide.
www.roadbikingmaui.com
www.roadbikinghawaii.com


I did see these sites....perhaps a bit more training oriented as opposed to riding and spending some time seeing the area. But for hard core training, it looks great.

[Idris Icabod]

I live in Tucson, which is a way better place to ride than Tuscon by the way! At the moment we have snow on Mt. Lemmon and it is closed to non-residents but it usually isn't closed for long. I know nothing of the PAC tours apart from I know the bike shop they use as home base. I live in Oro Valley which is the north of Tucson so access to Lemmon is a 30 mile ride to the base but along roads with good bike lanes. Feel free to PM me any specific area questions you may have. There are a lot of really good and varied rides out here that will get you away from traffic, I've pasted a link to a ride indexer put together by some guys at the UofA:

http://psy1.psych.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/megahurtz

There are a lot of really nice resort hotels around town that are a great starting point for these rides so any days your wife wants a break she can lounge by a pool and go to the spa.

[ultraman6970]

Go to south america, your money will worth maybe more.

[pjmsj21]

Thanks for the really great information on the site. It makes doing something on our own a lot more feasible.

I live in Tucson, which is a way better place to ride than Tuscon by the way! At the moment we have snow on Mt. Lemmon and it is closed to non-residents but it usually isn't closed for long. I know nothing of the PAC tours apart from I know the bike shop they use as home base. I live in Oro Valley which is the north of Tucson so access to Lemmon is a 30 mile ride to the base but along rodes with good bike lanes. Feel free to PM me any specific area questions you may have. There are a lot of really good and varied rides out here that will get you away from traffic, I've pasted a link to a ride indexer put together by some guys at the UofA:

http://psy1.psych.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/megahurtz

There are a lot of really nice resort hotels around town that are a great starting point for these rides so any days your wife wants a break she can lounge by a pool and go to the spa.

[znfdl]

Pat, I will be doing the Pac Tour Az Historic Town tour with my son. This is the most gentle of the Pac Tour training camps.

There will be climbing on this tour but nothing too excessive. The climb from Tuscon to Sonooita is long but not that steep at 4-6%. I beleive that the tour also climbs Mule Pass which is about 5 miles at 8%.

The bonus is spending two days in Bisbee Az, which a a neat old town. Part of the charm is visting the Brisbee Bicycle Brothel that is a mini museum and a lot of artist galleries. The tour of the Copper Mine is interesting. The town also has geat restatraunts and coffee shops.

The Gasden and the Copper Queen Hotels are beautiful old buildings. I have never stayed in Sonoita, but it has an incredible German Bakery.

Tombstone is a pure tourist trap, just grin and bear it.

[Gummee]

The bonus is spending two days in Bisbee Az, which a a neat old town. Part of the charm is visting the Brisbee Bicycle Brothel that is a mini museum and a lot of artist galleries. The tour of the Copper Mine is interesting. The town also has geat restatraunts and coffee shops.I like Bisbee, but I don't think I could spend 2 whole days there. There's a nifty shop in town that does lots of old bikes. If you're a vintage bike kinda guy, that's your shop!

The Gasden and the Copper Queen Hotels are beautiful old buildings.We stayed at the YMCA last time I was there. Neat place. Turned into a hotel. Copper Queen's haunted. Bar's pretty good downstairs. :nod:

I have never stayed in Sonoita, but it has an incredible German Bakery. Me neither. Didn't know about the German bakery. Next time I'm back I'll have to wander over.

Tombstone is a pure tourist trap, just grin and bear it.Tombstone's one of those places ya gotta go just because. Yeah, its VERY touristy. On the other hand, they did a good job with the whole thing. If it gets to be too much, Big Nose Kate's has good beverages on tap. :beer: That whole area is great for MC riding as well as bicycling. Especially if you're dual sport riding.

Slime or some other kind of sealant is recommended. :nod EVERYthing has a sticker of some flavor on it out there in AZ.

HTH

M

[pjmsj21]

The Historic Towns Tour is the one that I am considering as well. Very do-able mileage, very reasonable cost and obviously very experienced in tours of the area.

Pat, I will be doing the Pac Tour Az Historic Town tour with my son. This is the most gentle of the Pac Tour training camps.

There will be climbing on this tour but nothing too excessive. The climb from Tuscon to Sonooita is long but not that steep at 4-6%. I beleive that the tour also climbs Mule Pass which is about 5 miles at 8%.

The bonus is spending two days in Bisbee Az, which a a neat old town. Part of the charm is visting the Brisbee Bicycle Brothel that is a mini museum and a lot of artist galleries. The tour of the Copper Mine is interesting. The town also has geat restatraunts and coffee shops.

The Gasden and the Copper Queen Hotels are beautiful old buildings. I have never stayed in Sonoita, but it has an incredible German Bakery.

Tombstone is a pure tourist trap, just grin and bear it.

[NeauDL]

I suggest Texas Hellweek, second week of March, in the Hill Country. Check it out at www.hellweek.com.

[znfdl]

I like Bisbee, but I don't think I could spend 2 whole days there. There's a nifty shop in town that does lots of old bikes. If you're a vintage bike kinda guy, that's your shop!

We stayed at the YMCA last time I was there. Neat place. Turned into a hotel. Copper Queen's haunted. Bar's pretty good downstairs. :nod:



I agree two days in Bisbee would be a bit much, but will be riding for a good portion of each day. I like hanging out at the Bisbee Coffee Company and a bakery at the top of the hill.

I will be there to mostly spend time with my 14 year old son.....

[godfrey1112000]

I live in Tucson, which is a way better place to ride than Tuscon by the way! At the moment we have snow on Mt. Lemmon and it is closed to non-residents but it usually isn't closed for long. I know nothing of the PAC tours apart from I know the bike shop they use as home base. I live in Oro Valley which is the north of Tucson so access to Lemmon is a 30 mile ride to the base but along rodes with good bike lanes. Feel free to PM me any specific area questions you may have. There are a lot of really good and varied rides out here that will get you away from traffic, I've pasted a link to a ride indexer put together by some guys at the UofA:

http://psy1.psych.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/megahurtz

There are a lot of really nice resort hotels around town that are a great starting point for these rides so any days your wife wants a break she can lounge by a pool and go to the spa.


PAC tours is a great option but the link http://psy1.psych.arizona.edu/cgi-bin/megahurtz
will keep you busy, stay central in Tucson, Oracle towards the ORO Valley has many options, and then night life/dining

I have riden many of these routes and they are great

Enjoy Tucson, I am going to be there for 2 weeks in Jan/Feb.

My Favorites

Mt Lemmon
Gates Pass
Lots of Flat routes
Great views

[Z3c]

I would be happy to offer whatever help I can if you decide to visit Tucson. The Megahurtz routes are pretty comprehensive and would offer you a lot of variety. If you are going to start your rides early in the mornings you will be surprised how cold it will be so you will want some appropriate gear. If you are ok with riding mid-morning or later it will be nice and warm. Temp swings here are typically 35 degrees which takes a bit of getting used to..

Scott

[Ken Robb]

maunahaole is very correct about Oahu, food, the scenery, the beaches, did I mention the food?
What foods are your faves?

[Ken Robb]

I'm want to try some of those "rodes" in "Tuscon" but I can't find either one in my atlas. :)

[benb]

I'd agree Oahu might not be ideal, but if you were clever I think there are lots of ways to avoid the congestion. It'd probably require a local cyclist's expertise.

But the "Big Island" would be fantastic for cycling... it's not very crowded at all and you could piece together lots of rides.. in a hundred mile ride you could go through the equivalent of Death Valley (North of Kona) and finish in the equivalent of summer in Vermont (Up in the Highlands)... pretty damn cool IMO.

[eddief]

i love the desert, but that tour, the desert did not love me so much. we happened to hit quite cold, windy, and rainy. unusual for this time of year, but so is the luck of the draw.

not to be the downer, but i also found many of the roads long, straight, and sorta boring at times. in other words, cycling the desert kinda all starts to look the same after not too long. but also plenty of undulating up and down with great vistas.

bisbee was a great place to hang out and eat, drink and walk around. steep, interesting neighborhoods, shops, and just a great artisic community. the brothel is only open at selected times. so if you want to meet the owner and see the bikes, you might even want to call ahead.

i have done a bunch of credit card tours and none has had the incredible support and sag as pac tour. my tour included a helper who was a massage therapist and what a luxury to be able to buy a massage after a tough day of climbing.

oh yeah, don't miss a tour of kartchner caverns. a highlight of my life.

[tiretrax]

You might also want to look at Hell Week in Fredericksburg, TX. They offer 4 rides per day of varying lenths. A colleague did it last year and loved it. There are lots of nice hills and rolling terrain.

[dave thompson]

What foods are your faves?
I used to go to the neighborhood joints where folks from the 'old' country lived; China, Japan, Korea, etc. and stuffed some really great, authentic foods into my skinny haole face. Liked most of what I ate, or learned to like it. Had dog unknowingly once. Doesn't taste like chicken!

[Ken Robb]

. Had dog unknowingly once. Doesn't taste like chicken!
Contrary to popular myth rattlesnake doesn't taste like chicken either.

[rockdude]

I will be heading back to Maui for my winter training camp in a month or so.... Great weather and riding in a beautifully place