Cycling in rural north Goa!

bagaboffin

2010-01-18 19:31:59

Hi All,

I have been visiting Goa for many years and done most of the main tourist attractions.
Last year i started to visit places kinda off the beaten track on foot (although not totally isolated) and really enjoyed seeing and experiencing rural locations and villages. I do quite a bit of cycling in the UK and was wondering if any of you have come across anywhere in the Baga, Calangute area that hire decent mountain type bikes. It would be a great way to get down some of the many treks and explore more of the villages etc. You definitely see more on a push bike and the climate in Goa is perfect for cycling.

I would appreciate any information on this as im sure there is bound to be somewhere that hires out decent bikes in North Goa, i just can't think of any.

Regards
BB

Phoebe

2010-01-20 01:27:27

Re: Cycling in rural north Goa!

In the absence of any other comment yet, and from a cycling forum fairly recently - might have a couple of useful general bits of info re good enough (or not?) bikes available/where
http://forum.ctc.org.uk/viewtopic.php?f=16&t=28038

I wonder if HT member Poipleshadow (Rob at Childrenwalkingtall children's charity) - very busy though he is - might be able to recommend somewhere locally you can hire a decent bike?

bagaboffin

2010-01-20 08:41:48

Re: Cycling in rural north Goa!

Hi Phoebe,

Thanks very much for the link,
It was very informative and helpful.

It was great to learn of the Hero bicycles and their cost........will be returning to Goa in March and can't wait.

Thanks Again,
BB

PS.Its great to find a forum that is positive and helpful and one which has not been hijacked with the Goan property drama.

spike

2010-01-20 14:48:22

Re: Cycling in rural north Goa!

You can hire mountain bikes from a store in Calangute, near the fish market, but I guess for what you need them for these would need looking at 3 or 4 times before getting on them, not in very good condition..
I would say the best place we found for hire / sale was in Mapsua, they had all you wanted travel wise, saddle bags,lights,locks repair kits etc.. not sure on hire costs there, but couldn't be much as you could purchase a decent brand new one for £30. Always thought of doing this and leaving it with our shack owner for use on our next visit + he could hire it out and make a few quid himself..
Have fun - some great places to get around away from the main roads.
Spike

poipleshadow

2010-01-21 03:55:36

Re: Cycling in rural north Goa!

Sorry for not seeing this sooner. Hero bikes are cheap but as such generally weigh a ton! I bought a 'Trek' (Imported) bike from Panjim which is fabulous, probably half the weight which makes life so much easier especially if you're doing a lot of biking. The cost is obviously more but it will be much more reliable and you could always sell it before going back (maybe we'd buy for the charity if it was a good price

The best shop I've found is near the big Panjim Church, there's a sports shop that sells Trek and also Firefox (better than local brands but not as good as Trek).

Hope this helps

Thanks

bagaboffin

2010-01-21 09:14:05

Re: Cycling in rural north Goa!

Thanks Rob!
What kind of money are the Trek bikes?......i would imagine they are expensive as Trek can be quite expensive in the UK.

Regards,
BB

sfelts

2010-01-21 10:20:53

Re: Cycling in rural north Goa!

I got my Trek 4300 mountain bike from same shop as Rob, it costs 22,000 rupees about 300 pounds but its worth paying the extra, as its lightweight aluminium frame and 24 gears makes it easy to get up the steep hills around the Goa countryside as I do daily rides of about 40 kilometers, 25 miles, nice just to cycle around quiet towns and of course stop of somewhere for liquid refreshment mainly kingfisher.

poipleshadow

2010-01-21 11:20:41

Re: Cycling in rural north Goa!

I don't remember mine being that much, I thought more like 14,000 Rs but not sure now.... You've got me wondering... It is such a nice bike though although I don't do too much biking....

Thanks

Rob

Goa Discussion Forum

Post a Reply

Goa Discussion Forum

Post a Reply

Get the best deals!

from our cruise, ski and holiday partners