JonRidesBikes

Im catching a cruise to the bahamas next week and will be docking in Nassau one of the days. Has anyone been cycling there before? Are the roads any good?

Anyone have any hookups there?

Davet

They drive on the 'wrong' side of the road, roads are narrow with few shoulders and often drivers have marginal skills. An acquaintance of mine was the General Manager of the Atlantis Resort and a cyclist. He saved his riding for when he was in Florida.

There's a goodly amount of things to see, do and eat in Nassau. particularly eat. Save the riding for another time.

rcummings1

Make sure you have lunch out of someone's car trunk at least once while your there. You'll understand when you get there.

seajaye

+1 on the "save it for another time". there's alot to do/see/eat/etc.

but, i do wonder what the non-touristy bahamas looks like...

Homebrew01

I was at the other island last year. It's in pretty rough shape in many areas. The recent hurricanes have really hit people hard .... tough on their little houses and tore up the economy.

Davet

,,,,you could visit the Barcardi distillery.

Non-touristy would be small towns, very nice folks (even in the touristy areas) great little cafes and restaurants serving marvelous food. Scenery is Caribbean islands.

markwebb

I'd avoid cycling in Nassau. Way too dangerous. I rented a moped there once for the day and it was OK, but I felt very intimidated because their car driving skills are marginal and they take lots of risks, plus they drive on the "wrong" side which makes intersections quite an adventure.

Stay away from cycling. Also stay away from booking shore excursions on the ship. They mark them up about a zillion percent. Exit the boat, go to end of dock, and find a local cab driver or tour excursion to show you the sights. Walk about downtown. But stay off a bike

I_Like_Bike

In my trips to the Bahamas I would have considered cycling but I wouldn't have made a hassle out of it. It is a poor country and the roads are rough and some areas seem dangerous to be alone. My tip is go to paradise island, which is right over the bridge of where you will most likely dock. There is an awesome casino/resort called Atlantis, tons of fun. Save the cycling for a trip to Europe

markwebb

We took a shore excursion that we found off the boat instead of booking on board. It was 25% the cost of the on-board booking fee. They took us in a van around most of the island...Cable Beach, Governors Mansion, Government House, the forts (watch out there - people selling dope and stuff. Don't get into trouble and land in jail), then they left us for a few hours at Atlantis on Paradise Island. We took a cab back there after dinner and stayed awhile longer at Paradise Island. I'm not a gambler - we just hung out and watched people and stuff. The aquarium there is awesome.

Stay off the bike in Nassau

Dolanarc1

I resurrected this thread cause I'm going March 9th for 8 days. Been many times in the past with my road bike, always enjoyed it.
Riding on the left isn't an issue once you've spent a lot of time in the U.K., and although the traffic can get hectic, the locals have always been respectful of me,

Dan333SP

My grandma lives there in the Old Fort/Lyford part of the island (Northwest corner, opposite side from Paradise Island). I've actually seen a handful of roadies riding in that area over the years, but I prefer jogs on the beach followed by a long swim for exercise while I'm there. You can ride anywhere, but you can't swim in calm blue 85 degree water every day...

Dolanarc1

Arrived home last week safe and sound. Riding my new Dolan ARES with Dura Ace electronic

Only one puncture, thank goodness, the weather was brilliant,

merlinextraligh

I've raced the Tour of Bahamas twice. The end of the island past the airport (opposite end from Paradise Island) isn't bad for traffic. The roads are a bit rough, but it's not that bad if you want to ride.

hug0911

Hi Dolanac1 and everyone

I know this is an old post, but I wanted to ask something about cycling in Nassau, I hope you guys can help me.

I will be in Nassau for about one month, for working reasons and of course I will be taking my bicycle with me. I read in some Bahamas Goverment's webpages, that bicycles are required to be registered and to have a license plate. Did any of you guys encountered any problem while cycling? I don't want to get into trouble.

Thank you!

Dolanarc1

Been there many times, with my bike and also rented some bikes,

https://www.cyclesbahamas.com/ Maria has treated me great for renting.

To answer your question, there is no need to license or register anything.
I've ridden with lots of locals, they don't license anything.

Enjoy the weather, and try to ride in the west side, marginally less traffic

Dolanarc

hug0911

That's great to hear, thank you Dolanarc1!