riding in Vieques, Puerto Rico...advice? got a bike for me to train on?

Hi there,

I'm vacationing in Vieques for a week starting next Thursday. I'd like
to get a bunch of riding in. I found one bike rental place. It looks
ok, but the $25 a day is going to add up, and the bikes look pretty
mediocre. It's www.bikevieques.com

Anyway, I've done this before with people on the newsgroups: on the
remote chance one of you lives there, would you consider renting a
decent bike to me privately for the whole week? I'm a very nimble
expert Norba racer--I haven't dinged a rim in at least 5 years.

Any other thoughts or advice on Vieques would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance. Respond here, or directly to me at jchup at yahoo
-Jake

wrote:
Hi there,

I'm vacationing in Vieques for a week starting next Thursday. I'd
like
to get a bunch of riding in. I found one bike rental place. It
looks
ok, but the $25 a day is going to add up, and the bikes look pretty
mediocre. It's www.bikevieques.com

Anyway, I've done this before with people on the newsgroups: on the
remote chance one of you lives there, would you consider renting a
decent bike to me privately for the whole week? I'm a very nimble
expert Norba racer--I haven't dinged a rim in at least 5 years.

Any other thoughts or advice on Vieques would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks in advance. Respond here, or directly to me at jchup at yahoo
-Jake

Riding in Vieguas will be a challenge. I would contact the rental place
and speak to them personnally. Everything on Vieguas is tentative.
Plans can fall through. When I was there I didn't see anyone riding the
kind of bikes you are talking about. That said, having a bike there
would be ideal since getting around by taxi is also a challenge. The
island is small, friendly, and has some great beaches. People still
ride horses through the streets. Thievery is a birthright so bring a
good lock. Don't take it personally. I would probably only ride a few
days and run for excercise or snorkel if cost for bike rental was a
problem. Be sure to wear a shirt when not on the beach. Have fun. I
have been lobbying to go back since my family vacationed there. It may
have changed with the openeing of the bombing ranges for development.
Check out the bioluminescent bay at night. Totally worth it.

My favorite Vieguas moment was at a restaurant. After walking into town
and a delicious evening meal, I noticed that another couple was
anxiously awaiting their check. When I mentioned it to the proprietor
as she attended to us, she said "No-one here has to catch a plane" and
continued ignoring them. I believe she was trying to instruct them on
Vieguas time, which is even slower than Puerto Rican time. Have fun.