Anyone ever done any?

Travelling there and staying in Funchal, a few hits on google but not much in the way of routes or companies to go with!!

Aren’t http://freeridemadeira.com in Funchal?

did u not see this?

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Madeira-The-undiscovered-MTB-paradise-Video-2014.html

They are – and last time I looked at their website I thought they only did package holidays, not individual day rides!!

Thank you very much!!

I did but again ruled out Freeride Madeira as I am sure when I looked at their website before they just did bike holidays not day rides.

Travelling with the family so a day would be fine…. a whole holiday….. mmmmmm.

I’m sure the MTB is great, but I took a road bike there and loved it. Lots of big, steep climbs.

I’m booked in for a day ride on Thursday. €65 for a days guiding and €35 for bike hire. Price includes pick up, safety gear and insurance. Great comms so far from Marco and I’ll post up a review after riding.

Cheers Pembo, be interested to hear the bike rented, where they picked you up from and where you rode.

Hi Pembo, how did you get on?

Smufly13 i tell you mate the mtbng must be insane there!! We went some years ago… Monster descents i saw while doing their lavada tour walks!! The locals simply hang on to buses to get up into mountains then fly down!!… Would be fairly hardcore as very mountainous but extremely beautifull!!! I would love to return one day #stunningisland

Bloody great. Anyone who travels overseas to do MBing must put Madeira on their bucket list. Difficult to do a long review on the smartphone so I’ll post up when I get back to the UK tomorrow.

Awesome – glad it was good!

Been a few times so know what the terrain is like, just never biked!!

The pinkbike review Kimbers linked to covers pretty much everything you need to know about Madeira, but here is a bit more info on the guys at freeride.

When to go – this is the great thing about Madeira, you are not locked into a short summer season as the weather is pretty good most of the year although I would probably avoid the winter months.

Cost – €65 for a days guiding plus €35 for bike hire. I hooked up with a couple of Swiss guys who were there for the week which kept the cost down. The price goes up to €145 for the guiding if you go on your own.

Hire Bike – Specialized Pitch which although a bit old suited me fine. It had a triple ring but needed a bash as I had a couple of strikes which nearly had me OTB. The brakes were setup the European wrong way so if you book a hire bike make sure you request UK brake setup. The Swiss guys had brought their own bikes and one of them had a fairly new Santa Cruz Tallboy which he didn’t like for Madeira’s tight trails.

Uplift – I was picked up from my hotel in Funchal, then we went across town and picked up the Swiss guys. As we left Funchal I checked whether they had helmet and pads for me, which they hadn’t so we pulled into a petrol station for a quick cup of coffee while the guy from the shop brought them to us. Anyone who has been to Portugal probably recognise that local folk can be a bit slapdash so it’s worth checking and double-checking on any booking details. The island’s roads are very good with lots of tunnels to get you around quickly, but as you start climbing you get onto the typical switchback roads.

The Guiding – Nuno was our guide and he was brilliant, not only for picking the trails but also giving you the history of the island. He also insisted on swapping the brakes around for me. Unlike the Alps where you tend to get very long trails, in Madeira the runs are typically between 1/2 and 1 mile, then you hit a road and have to pedal up or down for a couple of minutes before hitting the next section so a guide is essential. We finished riding at a great little beach bar for a few beers before heading back in the van to Funchal.

The riding – just look on You Tube and you will see what a huge variety of riding is available, often on the same decent.

Cheers buddy, fantastic to know!

I’ve just got back from Madeira and left very disappointed. Not at the terrain I may add as barely got to see any of of the good biking stuff, but at Madeira Freeride who were a bit of a shambles really. After plenty of pre-holiday communication about ability etc (wife and I are pretty decent and can get down most blacks competently and with fun) the first alarm sign was on the way up the mountain in the minibus when a chap sharing our Enduro tour asked me if I had ever cycled single track before, as he hadn’t!!

When we (four of us) finally got to the start, after playing around with the bikes (which took an age – picked up at 9.40 and started cycling at 11.15) I discovered that my wheel didn’t turn when my handlebars did – just glad I spotted this before thee first descent! Secondly, when we started a small incline, another chap riding with us (“the competent one”) found that his bike wouldn’t actually pedal. I had to inform the guide that it was a broken bottom bracket as he didn’t have a clue. More waiting whilst he called the van back and the spare bike, one that was a couple of sizes too small for “the competent one” which spoiled any fun he was going to have”. Then, “the incompetent one” (not his fault, he shouldn’t have been on this tour with any decent questioning) found that only one brake worked, but unfortunately discovered this after he had gone over the handlebars (fortunately though this GoPro which he played with endlessly until it ran out of batteries wasn’t damaged….). Then, my chain started falling off with any decent downhills no matter what gear I kept it in, and only had four that could be used going uphill without slipping. When we stopped for lunch, I asked the guide and driver/mechanic if they could take a link out as the chain set was obviously on it’s way out, only to find that at the end of the lunch they hadn’t bothered. It became apparent why though when they tried to do it and couldn’t. I had to do it myself which is fine, but wish I had known half an hour later rather than sitting around at lunch.

The guide, who was miserable from the moment we set off and didn’t communicate any landmarks or anything, decided that the afternoon would have to be XC due to “the incompetent one” riding with us. We thought we’d make the most of it and just crack on with it, only to discover that we were descending more than three quarters of the mountain on fire track and roads. The riding from my back door at home was better than this.

We received small apologies at the end, but no offer of discounts or such like. My advice? Always take your own bike when you can (difficult though when you are only able to bike 1-2 days on a holiday due to kids), and try and get a private tour so you know you are riding at your own limits.

I’ve got to say, your experience was the opposite to mine with Freeride Madeira. I took my own bike, so that’s maybe a difference. My guide was one of the two guys that own the company and he was fantastic. We went for a 50 km ride that went from the Island’s 2nd highest peak to the beach. Cracking ride. I couldn’t recommend the guys too much.

Fair enough Fat-Boy-Fat, but bikes that hadn’t been maintained or checked prior to biking is inexcusable, especially when it is simple stuff like steering column not being tightened, a brake not being attached properly, a broken bottom bracket and a chain set that was completely goosed. It’s not like they were crap bikes either – Specialised and Trek Fuel full suss.

One positive is that I have just found the small energy bar I was given on the day and it tasted alright. 😉

Thanks for the update Gents – I am back over in Madeira in May-Jun so will make a few enquiries…

Is it something you can self guide if you rent a bike (have an GPS routes?)

Or is it too crazy to even attempt that?!

I thought I’d add one more recommendation as I got back from a short break in madeira yesterday and had a day ride with lokoloko. Good guide who seemed to really want to show us some local trail stuff so we rode almost exclusively on singletrack or levadas (fairly narrow exposed footpaths next to irrigation channels) from about 1800m to the city. Seemed excellent value at 60eur for about 8hrs riding, transfers to and from my hotel and hire of a cannon dale rize 120 which was in reasonable nick and about to be replaced.