ehku

Hello,
My husband is a devoted amaetur road biker (shaved legs, spandex - the whole bit). I would like to rent him a nice road bike for 6 days in the Dordogne in mid-June. I waited too long to book on the one option I could find and am now facing a very disappointed (and angry - ouch) husband and, yes, it was up to me to book the bike - my fault. Can you help? I'd be forever grateful! I'm at a dead end.

enzian

Did you try Googling various town names (or even Dordogne) with "Velo" or "bicyclette"? It looks like most rentals are hybrids, but there must be someone who rents nice road bikes. Good luck!

annhig

hi, ekhu,

i just googled "road bike hire in France" and came up with a number of options which may be able to help.

also, you could e-mail the local tourist board office and ask them.

regards, ann

missamericalondon

Try Backroads -- they do trips in that area, supplying bikes, and probably can sort something out for you if you pay enough. Or do a 4 day canoe trip instead. Try starting north of Soulliac, then going to Carnac, then Beynac -- there are adorable 3 star hotels on the way and you can lock up canoes safely with a bike lock for the night.

To you husband: Seems like a silly thing for him to get angry over; surely he's more interested in travelling, seeing caves, etc with you in gorgeous France than biking all day?

enzian

ttt---can anyone help? Places like Backroads aren't going to provide high-end road bikes.

Carlux

Where will you be? There are some bicycle shops which might do high end rentals, but it helps to know where you're starting from.

ehku

We'll be in Tremolat from 6/23 - 6/30 but can pick up a bike from anywhere in the area. I had a wonderful bike set up through http://www.discoverfrance.com/www.pu...ngclassics.com (all the same company as I understand it) but I blew it by delaying on the final details. Theowner was very gracious, but it was completely my fault. The bike I am seeking is a nice road bike, not the hybrid or mountain bike most tourists use. I've sent out emails to many sites I've found which look halfway promising but have come up empty handed. Any leads which I can pursue? Many thanks.

StCirq

Google bike rental or location vélo Dordogne (or Périgord). I got loads of hits, but knowing nothing about biking except that I consider it akin to offering onesself up as roadkill in the Dordogne, don't know which ones to suggest.

Stash

You can always buy a couple new bikes out there, call it a annivesary present and have them shipped home after the ride.

Call it a bike version of a European deilvery system many of the car mfg's out there do...

ls608

I looked into high-end bike rental for my trip to France in March- couldn't find anything that worked for me but there were a couple of places in the south that would ship bikes to your location (sorry, I'll have to try to find the info later- it's 1 a.m...). After debating on bringing my own bike ($150 each way on Air France and the possibility of lots of rain at that time) I ended up renting a 'city bike' in Paris for a few days, which was great, and spending a lot of time doing other things (including going to a pro bike race- maybe there will be something in your area at that time?). For your trip though, I empathize- I hope you find something somehow. After watching the Tour de France for several years, I understand what a beautiful experience this could be and how much it would mean to your husband. As for buying a bike and shipping it home after, Decathlon seems to have good deals, but my research had UPS charging over $400 to ship back to the US...

ehku

"Google bike rental or location vélo Dordogne (or Périgord). I got loads of hits, but knowing nothing about biking except that I consider it akin to offering onesself up as roadkill in the Dordogne, don't know which ones to suggest."
I've contacted dozens which look promising but they only have rent hybrids. We may have to think up a plan B . . . whatever that may be!

annhig

hi, ehku,

your DH may subscribe to a specialist cycling mag.

Have you tried the small ads or even the editorial?

just a thought.

regards, ann

StCirq

Or check ads in the local paper - Le Sudouest (www.sudouest.com)

ehku

A happy P.S. to my inquiry. The original rental company was able to come up with a bike after all. Thanks for everyone's help! Hubby is happy....

NThea

ekhu - I'm so happy you found a bike! My husband is also an avid cyclist (bike team, shaved legs [he's been shaving his legs so long that hairy legs on a man look weird to me now!], etc.). I posted a question yesterday & I'm thinking you may be the only one on this board who may have some good links for me. I'll ttt and see what you think.

P.S. In my rush to pick my husband up for a weekend cycling vacation, I pushed the garage door opener closed too soon and ended up scraping his expensive road bike (which sat atop the car). Unbelievably, the bike was OK. But my husband was not. It took him several days to calm down. Only cyclists and their widows & widowers can truly understand the mania of cycling.

annhig

hooray.

hope your DH is suitably grateful for all your efforts. what will you be doing whilst he's pedalling away?

regards, ann

bikebus

multitravel in castelnaud now has high end road bikes for hire.
Bulls 30 speed 8.2kg and brand new 2008 models.
CHEAPER than the provence guy too.

merckxxx

There are two responses that "Get it." For serious - high end road bike riders, the bike and riding are religion. All those commuter cyclists and 100-miles-per-year riders are on a diff planet entirely - nothing in common at all. I ride 3,000 miles a yr on a top bike , but even I do not shave my legs.