Showing posts with label road bikes. Show all posts
Showing posts with label road bikes. Show all posts

Monday, October 11, 2010

trail blogs?

Colorful autumn leaves adorn this
 impressionistic trail artwork.
Has anyone run across any great trail blogs out there?


I have been looking and can't find very many of them. I've found a few bicycle blogs and some specialized blogs like recumbent bikes and road bikes; but blogs about trails or, more specifically, bicycle trails seem to be pretty scarce.


I'd love some feedback / comments from my blog followers regarding trail blogs. I'd love to subscribe to a couple informative blogs on the subject. 


Please either send me an email or add a comment (below) if you know of any good trail blogs.

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Monday, August 23, 2010

Big Dry Creek Trail in Westminster, Colorado

If you want to see trail pictures, a trail map, and a trail description, for Colorado's Big Dry Creek Trail, click on this trail link.

Below is a quick look at the trail as seen on my Everytrail trip guide. It is approximately ten miles long and can easily be done with a trail bike, hybrid bike, and some recumbents. Although many people ride the trail on road bikes, it's not ideal w/ high pressure tires. A little less than half of it is cement. The rest is mostly gravel and a bit bumpy in places. It's a good trail for bike trailers, so bring the kids out for a weekend bike ride.

Big Dry Creek Trail


Plan your trips with EveryTrail Mobile Travel Guides

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Monday, August 9, 2010

Is there really a constant need for speed?

I've been involved in an ongoing online dialogue about bollards on trails. For those of you not familiar w/ the term, a bollard is a device used on trails to keep motor vehicles out. (see enclosed pictures.)
In the course of the discussion, I mentioned that riders/bicyclists could avoid dangerous collisions w/ bollards by limiting their speed. One member of the discussion asked "Don't we like riding fast ?"
My simple reply to that is, "NO!" Not always. In fact, when it comes to trails, for me the answer is never.
There are so many places and activities where fast seems to be the default speed. Some examples of perpetually fast(er) vehicles include motorcycles, road bikes, planes, trains, & automobiles. Okay, I'll grudgingly give them their "need for speed."
But what about trails? Can't we have just one place where we can escape speed? Can't we have a place where we can relax and enjoy the scenery? How about a place where we can relax and enjoy each other w/out constantly being angry that someone is going "too slow?"
And no we can't just leave it up to each individual; because then trails will just end up like the road: just another place to get frustrated w/ one another.
Bikers already have a bad name. Automobile drivers don't like them because they're a nuisance. Pedestrians don't like them because they're too fast and dangerous. And much of that criticism is rightfully earned.
But I'm a complete trail fanatic. I love trails, not because they're another place to put the race in "rat race." I love trails because they're a place to slow down and enjoy the world. They're a place to enjoy the view and stop to chat with fellow trail-users.
So it's a very short, one-word answer to your question. "NO!" We do not like riding fast. Not everywhere. And we don't like constantly worrying about others who ride fast. I'm not saying you can't ride fast, but please do it on the road or the race track or the velodrome. Please allow the rest of us one place for tranquility, harmony, peace, and all those other 6os words.
Trails are a special place, and we should keep them that way.







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