Iceland

[jwave]

Going there the week of August 29th. Thinking of peeling off from the family for some riding. Anybody been there? Trying to figure out if it makes more sense to book a one-day trip with a company or just explore on my own.

Any suggestions regarding routes, tour companies, maps, etc. would be appreciated...

 

[sixseven]

I went a few years back but did not do any biking. So much crazy terrain I would imagine getting a guide would worth it.

BIKE had a article about the scene a while back and mentions a guide:
http://www.bikemag.com/news/bike-magazine-december-2009-issue-on-sale-now/

If you can swing it, take a jeep tour from Reykjavic. Amazing country.

 

[jwave]

Thanks for the tip about the article. Need to do more research, but either way I'm confident the trip will be amazing.

 

[Bleeder]

We took a family vacation there several years back. While I didn't ride there I we saw lots of people touring on bikes and occasionally a few mountain bikers. We basically circumnavigated the country, so... generally their maps sucks. The interior of the country is extremely rugged with almost no road access, that said some of the trials I hiked would be easily ridden. In particular, I remember the northeast part of the island looked especially enticing for riding. So to decide if you want to explore on your own or hire a guide, or find some locals really depends on where you are when you want to ride.

Outside of Reykjavic the towns are pretty small and there may not be bikes for hire. The glaciers are tourist areas, but I remember mostly hiking and climbing guides. So when I say really rough unless you have a gps, I'd go with a guide.

 

[Spylab]

<—— jealous.