The short story
Adult bikes – comfort or sport models
- helmet
- pannier rack
- pannier bags
- front light (so you don’t have to remember to bring a torch for the tunnels)
- stand
- repair kit with spare tube and instructions
- air-seal tyre sealant in the tyres to reduce the chances of a flat tyre
= $40 / day
Kids bikes / tag along / trailer
- helmet
- front light (so you don’t have to remember to bring a torch for the tunnels) *
- stand *
- repair kit with spare tube and instructions
- air-seal tyre sealant in the tyres to reduce the chances of a flat tyre
* not included on the trailer or tag alongs
= $30 / day
Tandem
- helmets
- pannier rack
- pannier bags
- front light (so you don’t have to remember to bring a torch for the tunnels)
- stand
- repair kit with spare tube and instructions
- air-seal tyre sealant in the tyres to reduce the chances of a flat tyre
= $80 / day
The bikes:
We reckon we’ve got some of the best bikes on the trail.
Comfort - Our comfort bikes are the very latest 2011 comfort bikes from Specialized USA. Specialized are passionate about bikes (their company by-line is “Innovate or die”) and their 2011 Expedition Sports are testament to this. The “Ground Control Geometry” of these bikes means that you can sit on the seat with feet on the ground and then simply pedal away, perfect if it’s been a while since you’ve been on a bike. The upright posture means that you won’t suffer fatigue in your arms as you would riding a mountain bike (if you weren’t used to riding one). Combine this with the Body Geometry grips to alleviate hand pain, front shock absorber, suspension seat post and the wide platform sprung seat and you find that you’re in for a very “plush ride”.
The Expedition Sport comes in two models:
- A low entry geometry which lets you step through the frame to mount the bike rather than having to “throw a leg” over the seat and your trunk/pannier bag that you’ve stuffed full of trail mix
Don’t get caught out thinking this is a womens bike because it’s not, it’s form meets the functional need of an easy mount and dismount and super stable base. We recently had a group of customers where the males confessed to having swapped their sport mountain bikes for the low entry expeditions their partners had chosen so they could experience the fun, plush ride. In our opinion these are the perfect rail trail bike – fun, stylie, stable and plush.
- A traditional geometry with a steeply angled top tube and “Ground Control Geometry”. You’ll need to “throw a leg over” to get onto this one but they’re still a fun, stable and plush ride with an upright posture. Well suited to the purest or conservative at heart (yes, there’s a challenge in there to step out and try the low entry).
Sport - If you’re a regular mountain biker and simply can’t bring yourself to “go comfort ” or you’re going to try out some of the off trail options we provide, then the Avanti Atomic is a great sport mountain bike with disc brakes, 24 gears and regular quick fire gear changers.
We’ve also introduced some Specialized Hardrock 29rs. These have the big 29 inch wheels that are taking the mountain bike world by storm. Like the atomic they’ve got 24 gears and disc brakes with regular quick fire gear changers.
Both bikes are modified with the addition of a comfort seat comprised of double density foam and air cell springs along with a pannier rack for your gear.
Kids - Once again Specialized comes to the front with the kids Hot Rock mountain bike with super low stand over height, making it perfect for your 8 to 12 yr old (depending on height). Now that we’ve got some of these it’s time to give the kids Avanti Black Thunders we have the flick because they just don’t compare.
For the younger kids, we’d recommend a tag-along that attaches to your bike or for the really small members of the family then try the kiddie trailer. We’ve also sourced something really exciting and innovative in the tag-along range with IGO. This recumbent tag along is perfect for the 3 to 7 yr olds who may just want to take snooze along the way. No need for you to stop, but hopefully they leave the snooze for a downhill section.
Tandem
We’ve got one of these and based on customer feedback we’ve modified it to provide the right sort of ride for the Otago Central Rail Trail – super comfortable gel sprung seats, front shocks, and ape hangers for the “stoker” so that they’re not staring at the “captains” bottom (irrespective of how nice it might be to stare at).
Panniers
The majority of our panniers are the fabulous Topeak MDX Trunkbag DXP. Aside from being a gadget nirvana for the guys, this back has three excellent features
- It starts out as a trunk bag on the rear pannier rack, which means if you’re only carrying a little bit of gear, then it’s all nicely balanced directly behind you
- If you need to carry more then you just unzip the sides and flip out the additional pannier bags. The total capacity of this system is 20.6 litres.
- At the end of the day, don’t worry about having to unpack it or struggle trying to release it. Simply press the quick release button and slide it off. The next morning, just slide it back on again.
Itinerary options
We can help you:
- Cycle the Otago Central Rail trail from end to end
- Or just take in a section or two. We’re the closest bike hire operator to the Poolburn Gorge – Viaduct and Tunnels which is the most popular section of the trail for day trippers or over nighters.
Poolburn viaduct and tunnels – out and back
An out and back trip to the viaduct from Omakau is 26 km. Click here to see a map and elevation profile Omakau to Auripo out and back ride
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Oturehua via the Poolburn via duct and tunnels – out and back
If you feel that you’d like to go a little further then ride on through to Oturehua and experience
- Hayes Engineering works
- Gilchrists Store
- Golden Progress mine
The round trip is 60 km and you can click here to see a map and elevation profile for the Omakau to Oturehua return ride.
Other options
Get in touch to discuss other great options with us
For more details call Steve and Carol – 03 447 4047 or email bookings@shebikeshebikes.co.nz