RobbieTunes

It has some of the best bike mechanics in the world, people who have been fabricating wheels, spokes, and bike parts for 60 years. There are miles and miles of gravel roads, and great scenery. It's a hop away by boat or plane. Food should be good, people friendly and entrepreneurial. An affordable C&V trip, to bring and deliver parts, would be a pretty killer time, in my opinion.

I figure $1500 total for a 1-week trip.

Any ideas?

gomango

No ideas whatsover.

Count me in though.

Mrs. Gomango is fluent in Spanish if that helps the cause.

She loves to ride as well......

ramzilla

Count me in. Did a stretch at GITMO back in the early 90's. Never got to leave base. Was really impressed at the natural beauty. Huge Iguanas. Clear blue water. Unbelievable fishing. Good place for snorkeling. Nice.

Velocivixen

I'd go in a minute.

jon c. 

You can do it now, you just can't fly direct from the US. From what I hear, there is a desperate need for parts.

whatwolf

I'm down as well.

Chrome Molly

Sugarland dare?

Never tried gravel grinding whilst jawing a stogie, but there's a first time for everything.

Wileyone 

Bring me back some Cohibas... My stash is getting low. Been going there for years. My Country said it was OK. Never Biked there though bet it would be a blast.

P.S. The Rum ain't bad either.

72Paramount

I'm not keistering any deraileurs for anyone, no matter how lucrative it may be. Last time I went to rio I bought some Cuban cigars in the plaza, damn they were smooth.

kroozer 

Americans can go to Cuba any time they want, as long as they enter from another country like Mexico, Jamaica, etc. My brother and a couple buddies took a 2-week bike tour there about 10 years ago and loved it. No need to gravel grind, they were riding on the empty freeways.

Wileyone 

So no direct flights?

jon c. 

No direct flights from the US for straight tourism. There are flights from Miami, but they're restricted to those visiting family and those traveling on licensed educational tours (which I understand are not really economically priced and are very structured tours).

OLB

Count me in.
I went in '96 (shhhh).
Didn't ride, but had a great time.
Picturesque, friendly people, and warm weather.

otg 

Count me in.

mikemowbz

My dad has hinted at a desire to travel to Cuba in the near future, to practice the Spanish he's been learning since retirement.

He likes to ride a bit...actually quite regularly when not snowed in on the Canadian prairies.

Being Canadian, of course, traveling to Cuba is no more uncommon or difficult than flying to Mexico or other Caribbean nations for a getaway.

That said, I'm into the idea. My Ritchey Breakway Cross is already set up with bombproof wheels (36º Mavia A719s) and 35mm Clements with a good tread. Not vintage, but it's the only big, tall bike I have that will fit in the suitcase...

Grind away?

Lascauxcaveman 

Oh, hell yes. My wife is fluent in Spanish and would love to go with us, but would hang back in Havana while the rest of us go to a-grinding. Not this spring, however, since she's off to Ireland with my youngest daughter but maybe next winter?

It warms the cockles of my heart to think that Cuba someday is going to be showing up regularly in the 'Where'd You Ride Today' thread. I mean, **** Castro; but Cuba? Hell to the yes.

RobbieTunes

I, too, have been to Gitmo, and would love to have been able to go outside the gates. Sigh, it was during the Cold War, so we could only imagine the fun.
Somehow, 96-hour passes to Puerto Rico generally ended in a holding pen until the Shore Patrol came and took us back to the ship. I think they had a system.

Italuminium

Cuba, I'm on my way to Cuuuuba...

Let there be just this treasure trove of pre-1959 bikes all held together with tin cans and parts scavenged of soviet roadsters or Iranian copies of Italian bikes

rootboy 

Where do I sign. But I'll be over on the beach, looking for these. You can join me after your ride, Gomango. I'll bring the flies.

gomango

.Now we're talking!

Definitely a goal. Bet the fishing industry will light up like a Christmas tree when there is improved access.

rootboy 

I know. I'd love to go down there before it does. My wife and I have explored taking a flight from Montreal, but it was sort of complicated as I remember. Something about filling out a form. It would have required "lying" on the form. And I have a tough time with that. Even on an internet form. I would think going from Mexico City might be easier.

mobilemail

I would love to go there, riding would just make it better. My wife says I'm nuts. Okay, so I'm nuts...

JReade

As a Floridian, I'm excited about this. From a Cyclist standpoint, I'm really excited.

For the unaware, out of Fort Myers, FL (Gulf Coast, north of Naples, south of Tampa), there is a ferry service that goes to Key West.



It's about 150 miles, 3.5 hours. I've done this trip probably 10 times. They put on a movie and you space out for 3-4 hours. They also serve alcohol on board, if that's your thing. This trip is $120-150 for a round trip ticket. Best part? You can walk your bike right on board. I think it's a $10 charge.

Seeing as there is already a ferry port in Key west, and is only 90 miles to Cuba, I can see a $300 round trip ticket with a stop in key west to refuel. Sure it takes a day to get there, but if you were going for a two week trip, a stop in key west for a night aint the worst thing. Besides, how cool would it be to bring two bikes, and mountain bike in Cuba too?

jonwvara 

My friend Wally Smith and his wife have done a number of bike tours in Cuba, and say that it's a wonderful place. He wrote a guidebook about it:

Bicycling Cuba: Fifty Days of Detailed Rides from Havana to Pinar Del Rio and the Oriente: Wally Smith, Barbara Smith: 9780881505535: Amazon.com: Books

that strikes me as clear and detailed, as well as fun to read.

He actually got in big trouble with the state department when they saw the book, and ultimately had to pay a substantial fine, I think. (Regular non-book-writing visitors had no such problems.) It looks like those bad old days might be behind us now.

rootboy 

It's a good thing I don't like cigars anymore. Used to. But now I'd just love to see the country. The old architecture. The beaches. And, of course, the bonefish.