REVIEWS DEALS BIKESHOPS TRAILS

Looking for some trail and bike demo advice

1215 Views 6 Replies 5 Participants Last post by r-rocket, Oct 30, 2021

cpercival

Discussion Starter · Oct 29, 2021

I'm going to be in the Boulder area in a couple weeks and am hoping to get out riding for a day. I would love to hear some trail suggestions. I can travel a bit, but with a limited bike rental/demo window, let's say within maybe an hour or two drive of Boulder. As a Northeasterner, I'm very familiar with rooty and rocky tech, so it would be cool to find some faster flowier stuff.
Also, looking for some bike rental/demo advice. Here at home, I'm on a Jeffsy, but I'm thinking a bike like that might be a bit much for that area, but correct me if I'm wrong. I also wouldn't mind trying something with a bit less travel that might also be a bit more playful, but only if it's appropriate for the terrain. I quickly looked online, and found I could get my hands on any of Specialized's fleet (Stumpjumper Expert or Stumpjumper EVO?), an Ibis Ripley, a Yeti SB130 Lunch Ride, and a Pivot Switchblade. There might be others, but those are solid choices right there.

Save

1 - 7 of 7 Posts

smmokan

· #2 · Oct 29, 2021

If you're looking for the fun stuff within a shorter drive of Boulder, I'd recommend:

White Ranch (Golden)
Hall Ranch (Lyons)
Left Hand OHV (North Boulder)
Horsetooth/Lory SP (Ft. Collins)
Bobcat Ridge (Loveland)
Golden Gate Canyon SP (Golden)

If you want specific routes for any of these, shoot me a PM and I'm happy to send you more info. As long as you're OK climbing with a bigger/heavier bike, I'd recommend more travel than less... sure, you can ride any of these trails with a 130mm trail bike, but it's a lot more fun with 150/160 underneath you.

Save

Reactions: 1

cpercival

Discussion Starter · #3 · Oct 29, 2021

smmokan said:
If you're looking for the fun stuff within a shorter drive of Boulder, I'd recommend:

White Ranch (Golden)
Hall Ranch (Lyons)
Left Hand OHV (North Boulder)
Horsetooth/Lory SP (Ft. Collins)
Bobcat Ridge (Loveland)
Golden Gate Canyon SP (Golden)

If you want specific routes for any of these, shoot me a PM and I'm happy to send you more info. As long as you're OK climbing with a bigger/heavier bike, I'd recommend more travel than less... sure, you can ride any of these trails with a 130mm trail bike, but it's a lot more fun with 150/160 underneath you.

Awesome, thanks for the info. Lugging around a 150/150 right now so that shouldn't be a problem. The altitude and lack of O2 however...
Speaking of, how's the weather? Any of these spots high enough that snow might be a concern? Can I get away with shorts and a long sleeve still or too cold for that? This will be the second week in November that I'll be there.

Save

Reactions: 1

sgltrak

· #4 · Oct 29, 2021

Weather is a big question mark. Bring adequate clothing for any condition.
I've ridden in shorts and a t-shirt the second week of November, and 2 or 3 years ago we got a foot and a half of snow in mid-November with a ton of wind and a cold snap that affected trail conditions for months.
Right now temperatures at night are in the high 20s and low 30s while daytime temps are in the 60s. If you ride early or if you are out as the sun is setting, plan for cold.

Save

stripes

· #5 · Oct 29, 2021

sgltrak said:
Weather is a big question mark. Bring adequate clothing for any condition.
I've ridden in shorts and a t-shirt the second week of November, and 2 or 3 years ago we got a foot and a half of snow in mid-November with a ton of wind and a cold snap that affected trail conditions for months.
Right now temperatures at night are in the high 20s and low 30s while daytime temps are in the 60s. If you ride early or if you are out as the sun is setting, plan for cold.

Today its in the 70s. Sunday into Monday the high is in the 40s and we are expecting snow on Monday.

Save

Reactions: 1

smmokan

· #6 · Oct 29, 2021

cpercival said:
Awesome, thanks for the info. Lugging around a 150/150 right now so that shouldn't be a problem. The altitude and lack of O2 however...
Speaking of, how's the weather? Any of these spots high enough that snow might be a concern? Can I get away with shorts and a long sleeve still or too cold for that? This will be the second week in November that I'll be there.

Yeah, like others said.... don't make any plans for weather until a few days beforehand. It changes way too fast, and there's no way to tell this far out.

No snow concerns for any of the trails I listed right now- that may change in a couple of weeks. Generally speaking though, all of those spots should be fine to ride without worrying about snow.

Save

r-rocket

· #7 · Oct 30, 2021

One thing to keep in mind for Front Range trails after Nov. 6th is that daylight savings ends. The sun also effectively sets earlier on east and north facing trails because of the shadow of the mountains themselves. Sort of an artificial sunset because of the mountain shadows. So plan on being done with your ride by around 3 PM or so to maximize any sunny weather.

As far as clothes, it can be long sleeve shirt and shorts weather on something low like Picture Rock, and freezing cold at the top of Little Scraggy. Packing an extra layer in a camelbak is a good idea, and sometimes I'll choose an easier trail at lower altitude instead of a trail I like better that is at a higher altitude. Trail report accuracy is sometimes hit or miss this time of year, but it is worth digging into anyways. There can be snow on some trails and completely clear on others. Pretty much a crap shoot.

Save

Reactions: 1

1 - 7 of 7 Posts

This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.

Top Contributors this Month