sk8rdi16

I am trying to decide on a bike for my needs. I will be commuting for the next 2 months on Guam. It's really rainy now, but should be drying up soon. The hills are much steeper than I'm used to as well. I commuted to school for 4.5 years in MS on a Diamandback Hardtail mountain bike, but I'd really like to get something more efficient now (bike is still in MS). My plan is to do some loaded touring as well when back on the mainland. The problems I'm having are the only two bike shops on island have either mountain or road bikes. One deals Giant/Cannondale the other Trek and Gary Fisher. They don't have much in stock and takes a month to special order bikes! My options are an '07 Giant OCR or some higher end Treks (not sure) I'd like to keep the price under $1k, but cheaper is always better. There's not much in the way of used which would be ideal. I've fallen in love with the Surly LHT and of course the Trek 520, should I just try to get one shipped from the states, used? I can't really wait a month for delivery. Thanks for any help!

RKDNE

Having spent 3 weeks in Guam, xx years ago, (1984) I wish I were there shopping for a bike with you. Well, almost... I learned how to SCUBA there, and they had to drag me out of the water when the ship went to sea. I've heard that it's really developed since then, but wonder if they still do Booney Stomps into the jungle? Good luck with finding your ride!!

sk8rdi16

I hear that in the 80s Guam was really booming! The boonie stomps are still going on, every Sat morning a group goes on a hike.

pedalmyass

Let me be the first to welcome you to the Island “Were America’s day begins”. Guam is the first US Territory that the sun hit’s on any given day.
There is a really good bike scene there and most people are surprised at the amount of riding you can do on such a “tiny island”. You can talk to "Niko" at Hornet sporting goods he owns one of the two Bike shops on the island, he is really busy so it is sometimes hard to get a hold of him. The other shop is owned by “Mark” if I’m not mistaken I’m not sure as to what he sales at his place but I heard it’s mostly MT. Bike stuff. Most of our “upper end” stuff is ordered via the internet, I’m talking Zipp Wheels, Colnago’s, De –Rosa’s, and other one of bike items. You can always get it from the shops on the island but comparing the prices is very similar to what you find between a LBS and the internet. Places like Performance, Colorado Cyclist, and Excell sports etc all ship to Guam. As a matter of fact a lot of the racers here know the Colorado cyclist operators by first name because we order so much from them. Any Asian made bike will be cheaper on Guam because Asia is much closer to Guam and the coast associated with importing them are usually passed onto the consumer. With 80% of the bikes on the market nowadays being made in Asia you can get almost any make or brand offered.
Insofar as commuting I would suggest in the best lighting system that you can afford. The street lights are decent in the city but in many parts of the island they are nominal at best. PM if you have any questions or hit the link below and get a hold of the members on the attached link.


https://guamcycling.com/

sk8rdi16

Ok still no bike... My options are now. Giant XTC MTB with hydraulic disc brakes, or a Giant TCR both '06 models and $599/$549 My thoughts are: the MTB with 1.5 slick tires and a rear rack, panniers, and fenders or the TCR road bike, don't think fenders or rack will fit so I'll have to carry a bag. The reasons for the MTB: the roads aren't great here, there are some sidewalks, I tend to be sort of an Urban assault-ist sometimes on a bike, there are some great off road trails around here. The Road bike: much more efficient, I'd like to get into doing triathlons, I have the MTB back home that just needs some tuning.
The Surly is out of the question due to shipping prices/time. Or should I go with one of the cheaper Giant MTB bikes?

Thanks for any help/thoughts!

Thanks for the link pedalmyass

pedalmyass

If you've looked at the pictures on the link I attached earlier, you'll see allot of people on Giant's. And of course you’ll see both the bikes that you've mentioned on allot of those pictures. The guys with mt bikes all have 1.5 or skinner slicks for road riding, there is a lot of mt biking on the island but you would normally have to drive 20-40 min to get to most trail heads. Like I said before, bikes made in Asia will be cheaper on Guam than in the States. Give the guys at either bike shops on Guam a call before you make a purchase in the states and ship it over. Of course ask them to price match. I own a Giant TCR and it is a great all around bike. Granted... it doesn’t have the “coolness” of the Surley or other high end brands but if you look at any Lemond, Specialized, Trek, GT line of bikes you’ll see that a lot of them are made in Asia, with that there is a good chance that they were made by Giant. The TCR geometry is set up a little aggressive because it is part of the Giant's Racing bike line. There is a good Triathlon scene on Guam so hooking up with other athletes will be really easy. Good luck and again PM me if you have any questions.