The Endless Summer Biking on Maui and Around the World

Kicking off an endless summer of cycling, BMX bike fans enjoyed the XGames in Los Angeles and the 99th running of the Tour de France is underway! The cycling world will toast a glass of fine French champagne when the winner is crowned on the 22cnd. Keep an eye on your favorite road bike riders and teams while you check out the latest performance road bikes from the major bike manufacturers, including our Maui bike dealer brand, Specialized. The latest in bicycle technology is always on display at the tour de france. The first few days of racing already saw some nasty crashes even before the riders get into the mountains!

While some were busy keeping up with the XGames, mountain bikers got to witness another installment of the Cross Country Mountain Bike World Cup races in Windham New York. Specialized S-Works team rider won the race on a StumpJumper 29’er HardTail, just like the mountain bikes we rent on Maui. Watch a couple mountain bike video clips from the factory Specialized bike team and the Monster Energy Specialized Team at Windham:

World Cup Bike Video:

Monster Energy Specialized Team at Windem for the Mountain Bike World Cup Video:

Credits: Specialized Bikes - West Maui Cycles is a Specialized Bike Dealer on Maui!

As noted above, the annual Tour de France bike race is roaming about the beautiful French country and mountains, completing the 6th stage earlier today. Do you think it’s still too early to pick a race winner? Do you have a favorite? Use the Maui bike blog comments section below to let us know who you think will win the 2012 Tour de France! New to the road bike racing or have Tour de France questions? Get answers to your Tour de France questions on the bikerader.com forum and visit The Guardian’s Tour de France 2012 Interactive Guide.

Later in July, the Olympic bike races get underway with the Men’s road bike race on the 28th of July and the women’s race the next day. After the road bike racing events, the Olympic cycling events continue in August with mountain biking, BMX and Track bicycle racing all from England. The Track cycling events start on Aug 2 while the BMX events run from the 8th to through the 10th. The mountain bike riders won’t race at the Olympics till August 11 for the women and August 12 for the men. The Olympic mountain bike races are being held on Salvation Army land at Hadleigh Farm and Hadleigh Country Park in the grand old English countryside.

Not to be forgotten, we have our own Maui cycling competition with 36 miles of climbing the 10,000 foot Haleakala bike ride in the 2012 Cycle to the Sun on August 25. Bring your bike or reserve one of our performance road bike rentals. You’ll be competing against some of the best climbers bike riding up the steepest and longest paved road on the planet! And, you’ll be in Maui bike riding! What could be better? Ok, maybe you need a bike rental for the 2012 XTerra world championships at Kapalua in West Maui in October? Either way, mountain bike or road bike, West Maui Cycles caters to performance biker riders. We only rent the best bikes on Maui!

Can you tell I’ve been nursing my broken finger back to health unable to enjoy mountain biking in the West Maui Mountains? I usually get out at least a once a week and its already been over a month since my last mountain bike ride! To help me with my lack of riding time, please share your Maui bike ride pics and videos on our Facebook page.

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West Maui Cycles July Bicycle Riding and Tech Tips

We all do it. We ride the Maui hills for the challenge and bragging rites! The West Maui Loop and the mother of all road climbs Haleakala. Maui mountain bikers love the steep climbs around Poli Poli State Parkand the West Maui Mountains. And, don't forget the ups and downs of Classic Mac Nuts north of Wailuku town. What we all do, but never think about, is shifting.

No I am not crazy! There is a right time and a very wrong time to shift your bike gears to an easier ratio. You have to think and plan ahead. You see, shifting under load during a climb will not only make a lot of chain noise, shifting at the wrong time could cause the following damages with expensive repairs:

1. Bent or snapped bike chain
2. Bent chain rings
3. Bent or snapped derailuer hanger
4. Bent or snapped rear or front derailer
5. Or worst, all of the above FAIL

So, please save yourself a long walk home or a wait after your Maui bike ride: Think before you shift those bike gears!!

If you enjoyed these bicycle repair tech tips, please consider commenting below or subscribe to our Maui bicycle blog. If you have bike repair or bike maintenance questions, leave in the comments below and we'll do our best to answer.

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