A relative beginners review of Mallorca
Tjgoodhew
Posts: 628
So im not really a total beginner having been cycling for 18 months with over 3000 miles under my belt. But until last week most of my mileage was on the flat roads of Essex with a few bumps thrown in around Kent. But this was my first trip abroad and cycling on roads that were initially a bit alien to me.
So from reading the forum i decide on 5 days in Majorca. Stayed in Cala D'Or and had three days bike hire from the Canyon Base. I had a Aeroad with Ui2 for one day and a CF SLX with Sram Red for the other 2 days.
Firstly i couldn't fault the guys at the Canyon Base. Bike was perfectly set up, they measured my saddle height and had a good chat with them about the routes i had planned.
And then the important part - the cycling. It was amazing. I covered just over 200 miles in three days which was quite a bit more than i usually do and took in a large section of the east coast of the island. The weather was perfect. Sunny and warm but never too hot and a gentle breeze. The roads were in perfect condition and as others have said the respect for cyclist verges on strange. The local traffic is quite happy sitting behind you even if there is more than enough room to pass.
On my final day i decided to ride the Sant Salvador and Cura one after the other. Was by far the hardest but most rewarding day of riding i have ever done. The two climbs were in fact a bit easier than i expected. I just dropped into a low gear and kept spinning and with the gradients never going above 10% when i got to the top of both i felt i could of gone on for more. And in a strange way was quite disappointed i was at the top.
All in all - anybody that is at the same sort of level as me and is thinking of doing something like this - DO IT. I had so much fun and everything about the trip was just perfect. I am already planning another trip in October to ride Puig Major and I cant wait !!!!
The rides can be seen on My Strava profile for anyone interested.
So from reading the forum i decide on 5 days in Majorca. Stayed in Cala D'Or and had three days bike hire from the Canyon Base. I had a Aeroad with Ui2 for one day and a CF SLX with Sram Red for the other 2 days.
Firstly i couldn't fault the guys at the Canyon Base. Bike was perfectly set up, they measured my saddle height and had a good chat with them about the routes i had planned.
And then the important part - the cycling. It was amazing. I covered just over 200 miles in three days which was quite a bit more than i usually do and took in a large section of the east coast of the island. The weather was perfect. Sunny and warm but never too hot and a gentle breeze. The roads were in perfect condition and as others have said the respect for cyclist verges on strange. The local traffic is quite happy sitting behind you even if there is more than enough room to pass.
On my final day i decided to ride the Sant Salvador and Cura one after the other. Was by far the hardest but most rewarding day of riding i have ever done. The two climbs were in fact a bit easier than i expected. I just dropped into a low gear and kept spinning and with the gradients never going above 10% when i got to the top of both i felt i could of gone on for more. And in a strange way was quite disappointed i was at the top.
All in all - anybody that is at the same sort of level as me and is thinking of doing something like this - DO IT. I had so much fun and everything about the trip was just perfect. I am already planning another trip in October to ride Puig Major and I cant wait !!!!
The rides can be seen on My Strava profile for anyone interested.
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Comments
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Thanks for sharing the review! Although you only had a brief taster - What did you think of the Aeroad and CF SLX? And which one did you prefer?0
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How was Sant Salvador? It's one I'm thinking of doing as I'm staying Cala d'Or too. Doable from there as part of a morning ride then back to Cala d'Or for the afternoon?0
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If you go up San Salvador be sure to use the toilets in the 'new' restaurant just as you arrive. The view from the window as you stand at the urinal is outstanding.0
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Canyons - I loved the Aeroad and i think i would go for that. It sounds strange but the CF SLX is the better bike IMO. It feels effortless when riding. But the Aeroad isnt far off and it looks beautiful. I had it in Stealth matt paint and a set of Cosmic Carbons also in matt. You wouldnt go wrong with either and i would just buy the one that you like the look of
Sant Salvador was amazing. The route i took to the bottom of the climb was about 15 miles from Cala D'Or so very much doable in a morning. Thg climb is good fun, mostly in the shade so not too hot and the views at the top are amazing. If you go to Cala D'Or you have to do it.
Another piece of advice - there is a bar restaurant in the centre called The Pirate (pantani ref maybe??) but they had the Giro coverage on everyday so if nyou are out there for the Tour or the Vuelta you wont miss any0 -
So how did these bikes compare to your CAAD8? Would you have enjoyed it as much on your bike?0
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fatsmoker wrote:So how did these bikes compare to your CAAD8? Would you have enjoyed it as much on your bike?
When I first went to Mallorca the bike I hired was carbon/ultegra which was a lot better than alu/105 which I had at home. This was a problem when I got back and resulted in me spending a lot of money upgrading to carbon/ultegra and I now have a bike better than the one I'd hired. So when I'm going back this year I had the option of once again hiring a bike much better than the one I have at home, instead I'm getting one slightly worse (actually exactly the same one as last time Trek 3.5) as I don't want that happening again!0 -
Exactly what mark said.
The difference was huge. Both bikes seemed effortless to ride. For the same perceived effort I seemed to be travelling a lot faster. They were both very comfortable and seemed to glide across the road. Part of this was the much better road surface.
I think for me part of the enjoyment was experience high spec carbon bikes for the first time but i think i would still have enjoyed it riding a boris bike.0 -
I love cheese
edit: sorry, I left my screen open at work so a colleague posted on my behalf. It is true though0 -
Good one. I'm building up evidence to prove it is worth me upgrading.0
