Cycling Holidays

Kimi

Kimi

Kimi

Soldato
Joined
25 Feb 2009
Posts
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Was trying to find the posts in the Road Cycling thread but couldn't find them easily so thought it might be a good idea to have a separate thread.

I know a few of the guys on here have been over the Majorca this year. Im looking to go over in a group of 4 in September.

Looking at the maps, i think the Port de Pollenca would be best, that way me and my friend can ride and the girls can wait on the beach:D

For the guys who've been, i've got a few questions, where/what hotel did you stay? did you go all inclusive? did you take your own bikes? i was going to rent a bike box but maybe just renting a bike over there will be better?

If i do take my bike, im a bit worried about ruining my rims on the descents with all the breaking, im running Dura Ace C50s, theyre great over here but a windy day along the coast out to the lighthouse thing? maybe it would it be better to leave them at home if i take my bike and use a normal set of rims?

Im sure ive got more questions but thats all i can think of right now.

Chapeau!
 
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I don't have anything to add sorry but I'm also really interested in this. A few friends are looking at maybe doing this next year but we would be a very mixed group - some would be up for days of 100 milers in the hills and others would be knackered after 40 flat miles so we'd want the option of sticking to the hotel or doing non-cycling (ugh :p) things some days.

I've also heard that bike hire is actually good over there? Not having to take our bikes on the planes would be nice.
 
Have some friends who have been a few times now, they stay in Hotel Delfin Mar, Santa Ponca as it's closer to the hills I think. The beach is fairly protected there as well and plenty of pubs and restaurants.

They take their own bikes on the plane using decent bike bags with no damage so far.

Hopefully will go out with them next spring.
 
I was there in April this year.
Stayed in Pollenca Park (I think it might have been renamed now - but it should still come up in a google search). Not all-inclusive, just breakfast and dinner included (drinks extra). It's buffet-style so you can eat as much as you want but i'm not sure if this is year-round or not. I have heard that they only do that in the off-season for cyclists and have normal meals through the summer for the holidaymakers.

We rented bikes from ProCycleHire, literally across the road from the hotel. For a week, it works out slightly more expensive to hire but less stress worrying about your own bike on the plane or breaking something over there and not being able to source a replacement. The bikes are decent spec. I had a carbon frame with 11speed ultegra groupset but the brakes were set up euro-style which took a little bit of getting used to.

I'm going again in April next year and really looking forward to it :)
 
Thanks guys, i was just looking at that Pollenca Park touch, looks just what we need, the beach look great on streetview to. Its quite far from the airport i see, did you arrange transfers of rent a car?

Most importantly tho, how was the cycling !? :D
 
I was there with around 20 other people, so we arranged out own private minibus transfer.

The cycling is great in Mallorca, especially the north. You can get into the hills in about 20mins or have a flat ride if you head east along the coast or down towards the middle of the island.
The smooth roads and warmer temperatures will add 2-3mph onto your normal average speed :cool:
 
Kimi said:
For the guys who've been, i've got a few questions, where/what hotel did you stay? did you go all inclusive? did you take your own bikes? i was going to rent a bike box but maybe just renting a bike over there will be better?

If i do take my bike, im a bit worried about ruining my rims on the descents with all the breaking, im running Dura Ace C50s, theyre great over here but a windy day along the coast out to the lighthouse thing? maybe it would it be better to leave them at home if i take my bike and use a normal set of rims?

Im sure ive got more questions but thats all i can think of right now.

Chapeau!
Click to expand...

Been for the 3rd time this year. Id recommend either Puerto Pollenca or Alcudia. Both has easy access to the flats and the mountains. We stayed at Pollenca Park hotel for the first two years and Condes De Alcudia this year, both all inc.

If you're interested in staying in Alcudia then id have a look at somewhere other than Condes. It did the job, but I'm sure you can do better. Little things like not having dedicated bike storage meant that you had to lump your bike up and downstairs in the world's smallest lift each morning.

We have gone as a group of 4 each year and have all taken our own bikes. Wearing rims is something which hasn't crossed my mind. Don't worry about it. You're not going to wear them out. When we have been it hasn't been that windy. The bay from Alcudia to Pollenca can be breezy at times and the flatter ground inland can be windy too. But the road to the Formentor lighthouse isn't windy from what I recall. You will want to be climbing the mountains most of the time anyway :p

Three of us have the Evoc bike bag. Excellent bit of kit. Some people prefer boxes but they can be heavier and eat into your weight allowance. My other mate bought a cheap bag for around £60 and ensures his bike is super padded. Had no problems with it other than dragging it through the airport.

Any more questions? I's be happy to help.
 
Rather than starting a new thread I've been thinking about doing a long weekend abroad to get some cycling in around October time?

Any recommendations for package deals for a beginner rider?
 
I headed out to Majorca earlier this year courtesy of Sky.

I stayed in the cheapest hotel I could find which cost me £20 a night including breakfast. It wasn't great, but it had a TV and Wi Fi and buffet breakfast, and it was only me, so didn't matter a great deal.

This was in Alcudia old town, which at the end of January was absolutely dead, with very few restaurants open.

I am heading out with a couple of friends again next February, and we've gone for a half board hotel in Alcudia (Aparthotel Alcudia Garden) Obviously you won't be in most lunch times. So Half board is perfect and takes any worry about eating away.

I've used both a bike bag and box, and the box is 100times easier, and does make it quite a lot less stressful. I would always favour taking my own bike even though it is more awkward, as I know it, and I wouldn't want to be trying to get my position right for a week on a rented bike.

I wouldn't worry about your rims, the descents in Majorca aren't too bad, and it would have to be very windy to really notice it, up on the climbs you are quite well sheltered in the main.
 
Yep, if you can I would favour taking your own bike. There is nothing like riding you own bike up and down the Majorcan climbs. The hire bikes are of good quality, but I guess would never be 'the same' as you own bike.
 
Right so we're definitely going! 8 days in Port de Pollenca mid September, we booked into the Pollenca Park hotel as mentioned in the thread. Decided to go all inclusive in the end. Total was £570 for flights and hotel.

Im sure ill have loads of questions but my main one at the moment is what type of gearing would be best? Im currently running Ultegra 53/36 i think. This might be a bit big for the climbs? Im not really sure what to expect so was thinking of buying a 50/34 chainset for the holiday
 
There's nothing very steep in mallorca. I think Sa Calobre is the worst and it averages around 7%. It's long (over 5 miles) and it's a hard climb but it doesnt specifically need low gears.

They are the sort of climbs which may be easier/faster if you had a lower gear to spin but you should still be able to grind your way up with whatever gears you have.
 
Surely cheaper to get a bigger cassette. Ultegra 11 speed comes in 11-28 or 11-32 if your mech will handle it.

And your chainset will be 52/36 - double mechs can only handle a 16t difference in teeth between the two rings.
 
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Vonhelmet said:
Surely cheaper to get a bigger cassette. Ultegra 11 speed comes in 11-28 or 11-32 if your mech will handle it.
Click to expand...

Possibly a silly question but looking at the spec's for my DA 7800 rear mech (here).

Both SS and GS list the same sizes for largest & smallest cog - 27T and 11T. However, there's a figure for "total capacity" which is different - what's that mean and how does it influence the cassette you can run if both mech's are listed with the same largest/smallest size?

I'm currently running an Ultegra 6700 12-25t but hopefully going to France next summer, so feel something bigger on the back might be required. I remember speaking to a guy who'd rode the Maratona dles Dolomites and his tip was to put an MTB XT mech on the back and then run an MTB cassette. M771 XT (10 spd) cassettes can be had in 11-32 or 11-36!
 
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I think I can answer my own question :rolleyes:

Found this post on BR:

It works like this:

Determine Maximum Chainring Difference by subracting the number of teeth in the smallest chainring from the number of teeth in the largest chainring

Determine Maximum Cassette Cog Difference by subtracting the number of teeth on the smallest cassette cog from the number of teeth on the largest cassette cog

Determine Total Drivetrain Capacity by adding Maximum Chainring Difference to the Maximum Cassette Cog Difference

In the case of Shimano, only MTB derailleurs in theory are able to be paired with a 32 T sprocket

SS - Short Cage Road Double - Maximum Cassette Cog is 27 and Total Capacity is 29

GS - Medium Cage MTB/Road Triple - Maximum Cassette Cog is 34(MTB)/27(Road) and Total Capacity is 33(MTB)/37(Road)

SGS - Long MTB - Maximum Cassette Cog is 34 and Total Capacity is 45
Click to expand...

So running a 50-34 compact and 12-25 cassette for me gives...

Maximum Chainring Difference is 50-34 = 16
Maximum Cassette Cog Difference is 25-12 = 13
Total Drivetrain Capacity is 16 + 13 = 29

From the spec sheet I linked to above, total drivetrain capacity is 29, so I'm at the spec'd limit for sizes already.
 
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Yep, I was just typing a reply then saw you'd posted. I'm surprised the capacity of the derailleur is so low. My tiagra mech has a capacity of 39 by comparison!

I wonder how the pros manage to use 28t cassettes with DA mechs?
 
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