colorado weenies - advice

[swinter]

I have two conferences in Denver this Spring, one in April and the second in early June. I am planning to spend some extra days riding and am looking for two bits of advice:

(1) where should I ride? near Denver or should I go up to Boulder? (I'm looking for moderate climbing, as it's early in the season.)

(2) normally, I would bring my own bike. but the airlines are making it harder/more expensive. is there some place I could rent a good bike? (just bringing my pedal and shoes, etc.) or has the specter of liability put the kibosh on that.

thanks.

[toutenhoofd]

I have two conferences in Denver this Spring, one in April and the second in early June. I am planning to spend some extra days riding and am looking for two bits of advice:

(1) where should I ride? near Denver or should I go up to Boulder? (I'm looking for moderate climbing, as it's early in the season.)

(2) normally, I would bring my own bike. but the airlines are making it harder/more expensive. is there some place I could rent a good bike? (just bringing my pedal and shoes, etc.) or has the specter of liability put the kibosh on that.

thanks.

I'm in Boulder and would happily show you some rides. And what size bike do you need? I can loan you a 58cm.

I much prefer the riding in Boulder, but maybe that's just because I live here. Weight Weenie username coloclimber also lives in the area.

[kenyoncycleist]

Boulder

[zvanrheen]

Boulder or Golden depending on where you are staying and how far you want to drive (from central Denver Golden is ~20min, Boulder ~45). If you are looking to ride on trails then definitely Golden. Both locations have great climbing with Boulder also having more flat terrain available.

As for renting a bike, there are shops that will do it but call in advance if you are looking for something in particular. Many shops do demo bikes that you can rent out for a day.


Hope this helps. If you have any other questions feel free to PM me.

[swinter]

thanks guys. that's what I thought.

58 cm seems too big. but I appreciate the offer.

I'll pm you when I'm coming. You can show me the rides . . . whether I can keep up with you is another question.

[ProudDaddy]

I personally would not drive up to Boulder to ride if your conference is in Denver. If you are fit, you can ride to Boulder in 1.5 hours...where driving can take 45 minutes. Rent a bike in Denver and ride from there. You can ride to Golden, Evergreen, Boulder, Deer Creek Canyon or anywhere else along the front range and beyond straight from your conference site. Only limitation is time and legs...

[FourRings]

Another option is to check out mapmyride.com. Many people have loaded rides throughout Denver, Golden, Boulder, etc. From Denver, you may want to look at Lookout Mountain

Good luck

Mike

[coloclimber]

Its not worth riding from Denver to Boulder. I've done it when I worked in Denver what a waste. Just get to Boulder ride up left hand canyon to ward enjoy peak to peak and back through lyons. Beautiful steady climb.

You can rent really nice or just decent bikes at University Bikes on Pearl. They rent Colnago's Trek's and specialized last time I checked. Another option is to ship your bike FEdEx ground.

If you really want some climbing the ride from Vail up Vail pass to Copper is nice too.

PM me and I would be happy to help.

[DaveS]

I wouldn't waste a large portion of my energy riding through the city or to Boulder. If you really want to taste the mountains, you'll need to drive to a good starting point.

I live in Highlands Ranch, but from my house, it's still 14.5 miles to the start of the real climbing on Deer Creek Canyon road. I never drive over there, but sometimes it's tempting, since I could go a lot further if 29 miles of my ride wasn't just getting to and from the mountains.

[rockdude]

Boulder has great rides. Let me know when you are here and I can show you around. From flats to 4000ft in 10 miles Boulder has it all.

John...

[swinter]

Thanks all.

I was going to check out Motion Based and Map My Ride, but nothing like first hand info from actual weenies.

I will be giving you guys a holler when my plans firm up.

[swinter]

4000ft in 10 miles Boulder has it all.

ouch!