Riding distances

[pooks]

I'm not even sure where to go to ride distances. The bike trail at White Rock Lake is 10 miles; if I added the trail to North Dallas to it, I think it can end up around 30, RT. I don't know whether to simply double and triple up on rides like that, or what.

I know a lot of you live in smaller communities and may have nice roads/scenery/whatever to take longer rides on, but ... around here? Everything is very busy with road traffic that flies. I guess I could drive out of town somewhere, but this is all new to me.

Where do YOU ride when you're putting miles on your bike? Do you have good bike routes in your community? Do you ride out of town on the highway?

What do you do?

[Veronica]

I ride on some country roads with no bike lane and there is traffic. Some places I ride have a bike lane, but it's in the middle of strip mall heaven, lots of turning traffic. My commute is along on the canal trail, nice but I have to watch for clueless walkers occassionally. One road I ride has been closed to traffic. Some of my rides are through housing developments. The danger here is cars backing out of their driveways.

V.

[silver]

I live in a rural area. I asked at the bike shop. I looked at the local club website, I explored. I got a detailed map of the area. Some of my longer routes follow some of the club marked routes (marked with Dan Henry's) And then I've asked some locals when I stop in a conveniece stores. One of my favorite roads is one that the Sheriff's deputy pointed out to me.

I try very hard not to ride on bigger highways. Mostly state and county roads. If a road has lots or fast traffic I won't use it any more. I plan my routes so that there is a conveniece store every 10 to 20 miles.

I merge together shorter routes. That way I can ride the shorter routes and feel comfortable with them then add them together for longer rides.

Sometimes if there is a particular section of a ride that I like (maybe lots of hills for hill training or scenic) I'll double back and repeat it for more mileage.

Good luck

[indysteel]

I love in a rural area. I asked at the bike shop. I looked at the local club website, I explored. I got a detailed map of the area. Some of my longer routes follow some of the club marked routes (marked with Dan Henry's).

That's exactly the same approach I took. I felt frustrated at first about where to ride, but I finally bit the bullet and started exploring the outlying countryside. That means that I drive to ride most of the time. Since I live downtown, it's a practical necessity. The multi-use trail that links downtown to the northside is a death trap. Baby carriages, rollers bladers, kids, dogs. It's not worth the risk or frustration. I hate that the environmental irony to that, but I'm not willing to risk my life to save a little gas.

At first, I followed one of several routes that my LBS marked for training rides. Now, I explore a bit more on my own or follow the Dan Henrys for the numerous weekend rides out in the country. I also keep all the maps that my local club uses for weekend rides and use them when inclined. I prefer, however, not to fiddle with a map when riding. Once I got over my initial nervousness, it was like a whole new (cycling) world opened up to me. When I look at a map of the state, I'm amazed at how far from home I sometimes get. My guess is that Dallas has at least one cycling club. Recreational club rides are a good place to start and the club might offer some route information and maps on its website.

But before you load your bike on to your car and explore the unknown, make sure that you know how to change a flat and carry the tools you need to do so; leave word with someone where you're going; carry some form of indentification, along with insurance and emergency contact information; carry more than enough food and water for the ride length you're doing; carry a cell phone.

Good luck,

Kate

[Fredwina]

I live in Southern California , so I wind up on City streets 99% of the time. My Particular city (Rancho Cucamonga, aka Sandy Place Ranch). Most of the main streets in "Rancho" are bike lane equipped. good thing, since we are Cul-de-Sac heaven. Alas, most of the surrronding Communites are not as "elightened", which is problem in LA (200 surburbs in search of a Downtown:) )
The only rural riding nearby is in the San Gabirel Mountians, Pretty, but challenging.
After bike shops, you may want to see if you can hook up a bike club. Libraries may also have books on popular bike routes, And just seeing where that road goes is fun, too:p

[rij73]

I live in Brooklyn, NY and thank god for Prospect Park 3 blocks away! I rode 15 miles there the other day by doing laps (3.3 miles) and half-laps (there is a road that cuts the park in half). I assume I'll get tired of that, though, and will have to make some excursions. There are lots of good places to ride here (there's a bike path that goes practically all the way around Manhattan), but I'll have to take my bike on the subway, or brave lots of traffic (and bridges!) to get to them. On weekends my husband and I will probably get into the habit of driving out of town to nice, bikeable areas.

[mimitabby]

a bike path that goes around Manhattan?? Wow! BIKE MANHATTAN! sounds like a fun ride!

[pooks]

What are Dan Henrys?

And Fredwina -- I found Downtown LA by accident, and had a panic attack. I've never been SO AWARE OF SKYSCRAPERS TOWERING OVER ME. We have skyscrapers in Dallas, but I'm not aware the whole time that the earth may hiccup and bring it all down on me. LOL

Honest, I never once thought about or worried about earthquakes in CA except when I was driving in Downtown LA and trying to find my way out. Also, I suddenly felt like I was driving in a weird cave or underground parking garage or something -- and then realized there were buildings on either side of me and an elevated freeway overhead, and I remembered what happens when the earth moves and you end up the filling in a road sandwich.

When I say I practically had a panic attack, I'm not kidding. I hyperventilated until I managed to find Wilshire Blvd and head back to Beverly Hills!

Sorry. End of flashback.

[LadyinWhite]

I ride either inland through a pretty quiet part of the world (by NJ standards) and can actually go up to 3 min w/out being passed by a car. Sat. mornings it's roadie heaven.

OR - I ride to and then along the ocean. TONS of traffic and even MORE roadies!! LOL - I have a healthy respect for traffic but no fear anymore.

What can you do? It's NJ.

[li10up]

Lots of county roads around here. The traffic isn't very heavy and there is usually a pretty good shoulder - even though it's usually littered with broken glass. It's probably the same jerks that throw out the bottles that are yelling at me to move over. I WOULD IF IT WASN'T COVERED WITH GLASS! Sorry, just had to vent.

Sorry can't help you with Dallas routes. But I hear White Rock Lake is pretty.

[rij73]

a bike path that goes around Manhattan?? Wow! BIKE MANHATTAN! sounds like a fun ride!

Yep! Check out http://www.nycbikemaps.com/maps/manhattan-bike-map.php
The green lines are dedicated bike paths! They are beautiful all going along the water...

[Geonz]

Don't be afraid to repeat yourself. I have a nine mile lo9p that has a four mile loop inside it so I can do 9 or 13 or 17 or... some people take issue with the "boredom" - but as soon as I start comparing times between loops I'm not bored, I'm competing ;)

[ehirsch83]

really crowded down here in south fl. I either wake up early(95% of all cyclists here are done with there rides by 9am) so I can ride before the traffic hits, or I ride in the mid day/afternoon and just stay really aware of the cars around me. I can't think of a club ride down here that meets later then 6:30am, maybe 7.

[Fredwina]

What are Dan Henrys?

They are paint markers that clubs put on the roads to help you find your way at tours:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/gloss_ha-i.html
http://www.tulsabicycleclub.com/misc_dan_henry.php
I think of things that donotes how big SoCal is that you have to designate "which" downtown you're referring to i.e Downtown LA, Downtown Ontario, etc...

[pooks]

Yes, Fredwina -- Downtown Beverly Hills and (beautiful) Downtown Burbank didn't bother me a bit!

Thanks for the Dan Henry info.

[DarcyInOregon]

Pooks, I live rurally, but I still need to put my bike on the bike rack and drive to where I cycle. I live on top of a small mountain, and one would think oh wow, lots of hill training, but even though it is the 21st century my rural area has a lot of gravel roads that are very steep and the road bike can't go over such roads.

I park at a nice state park out in the valley, about a 20 minute drive for me. There are nice restroom facilities and water faucets. The rangers patrol the park so I don't have to worry about my car getting broken into while I am gone. Where I park is popular with the cyclists and when I park I can tell instantly if anyone is out cycling that day or not. This park is a popular place to start a daily ride for my category of cyclist, which is the long distance soloist fitness/fun cyclist.

There are trails inside the park, which are good for those riding hybrids and who cycle at a slower pace. However if you are on a road bike like me, you want the road, and you want the miles, therefore my daily rides are out of the park and the park is just used to unload and load and use the restroom facilities.

I used Mapquest to figure out my routes. I know my starting point, and from there I can zoom in and go in all directions, seeing where roads go, how I can make loops, and how I can make larger loops, and how I can make loops within loops.

I am like others on this thread in that I stay off of the busy roads. However there are stretches of some rural highways that don't get too much traffic, and those roads are ok to cycle. You learn these tricks by observation on your rides.

I developed routes that enable me to circle back to my car if the wind or rain gets too fierce, or if I feel fatigued. So I have routes that can expand or contract, because once I get on the saddle and get going, unless I have a serious time constraint, I might have intended to only bike 30 miles but I can veer off at certain points and actually do 40,50 or 60 miles if I am really feeling the joy.

I realize you will be an urban rider, which will be different types of rides. When I was younger I lived in San Francisco and there was a book titled something like "Bicycling the Back Streets of San Francisco." That book gave a lot of routes, and I learned how to cut through the Golden Gate Park, and go through the Presidio and get on the Golden Gate Bridge to bike over to Sausalito - all on my heavy steel road bike. I remembered I biked near where Alioto lived, the guy who eventually became a mayor, or maybe it was his son who became a major; he wasn't a mayor when I lived in SF. I biked all of the routes in the book, then took off from there, because this was back before the internet and Mapquest. It has to be the same in your city, bike routes developed for the back non-busy streets that may not be designated bike lanes, but will let you pedal for miles and miles without being on a busy boulevard. If you can find that book for your city, even if it is out-of-print, then you can start with the routes described in the book and after you learn those routes, go off and figure out some on your own by using Mapquest.

Darcy

[pooks]

Thanks, Darcy. I can definitely ride routes in my community. Getting out of the area is dicier, with busy streets and all. That's when I'll have to start driving to other areas.

You rode across the Golden Gate Bridge? Even thinking about that scares me!

[Starfish]

Pooks, when I lived in Seattle and was just starting out, I used the paved bike path for a LONG time. Then, with my then-husband's help (he was more experienced), I started venturing out into urban traffic behind him. Later, I found I could go to it alone, and I got used to truly urban riding. I don't love that, though.

Now I live in a more small town area, but the traffic is on the rise. It is a rather interesting thing because we literally only have one highway into town and one highway out of town. We are squished between mountains and salt water, on a peninsula. So, for long routes, it is either all the main highway, or climbing the foothills.

Mostly my challenge is finding a route with only as many hills as I want that day. So, some days I drive my bike out to a flatter area about 30 minutes away, and I ride in the country, although still a lot of traffic.

Other days I ride out my back door and in 5 minutes I am heading up into the national park climbing up the local mountain. That is a serious climbing day. the first 6 miles take me up 1600 feet of climbing, and it only climbs up from there.

Other days to do the longer loops there is no avoiding the 2-lane highways, complete with RVs and loaded logging trucks. I just wear my ID, use my helmet mirror, and wear bright yellow.

[Kano]

Sometimes we load 'em up and drive to somewhere we can ride, and that's fun -- we go to the "greenbelt" down by the river, and even though sometimes there's lots of foot and bike traffic, but sometimes it's just plain delightfully quiet. "out and back" on the greenbelt is a surprisingly easy 35 - 40 miles, depending on where we start. We've ridden with a group, and they usually start us out near the edge of town, and take us off into "the toolies" where we can cruise along without traffic. Varying distances, longer and longer through the summer.

Other times, we just head out from the driveway. There are lots of subdivisions around us, and we can wander through those, usually not too fast, since there are lots and lots of intersections, not much traffic, but you gotta check! It's surprising how many miles we can go wandering "the neighborhood" on the way to the grocery store that's only about 7 miles round trip by car! We're also "on the edge" of a desert and we don't have to go very far to get to mostly deserted roads -- long, low-traffic, straight roads, some hills, where we can ride like the wind! Again, it's remarkably easy to do upwards of 20 miles if we're in the mood!

Karen in Boise

[DarcyInOregon]

You rode across the Golden Gate Bridge? Even thinking about that scares me!


Pooks, there is a sidewalk and the cyclists have to walk their bikes across the long bridge on the sidewalk. At least that is how it was when I did it, back in the mid-1970s. There was a turnstile that one was supposed to insert a dime into to gain entry to the sidewalk, but I was young and never had a dime on me so I just lifted my bike over and squeezed through the turnstile without inserting a dime. It is really awesome on that bridge, even during heavy fog.

I prefer Oregon though. I haven't been back to California since the 1980s. The state is too populated today, and since I grew up there and remember California during less-congested times, when I travel, I go elsewhere.

Darcy

[Mr. Bloom]

Here's the link to routeslip for Dallas. It shows routes that others have mapped out...

http://www.routeslip.com/discover/USA/TX/Dallas

Of course, there are others listed separately for the suburban cities.

[li10up]

Here's the link to routeslip for Dallas. It shows routes that others have mapped out...

http://www.routeslip.com/discover/USA/TX/Dallas

Of course, there are others listed separately for the suburban cities.

Very cool website...is there a way to zoom in on the maps so I can actually see the street names? or print out a cue sheet?

Edit: Oh, I found where you can zoom in/out. Had to close the left hand pane.

[KSH]

Pooks... If you start at Hillcrest (Park Lane) and 635... from those soccer fields (SW corner)... that path goes all the way to the lake with 2 stops for traffic. Go down the path, around the lake and back... you rack up 24 miles.

Otherwise, don't overlook the local bike rallies that are coming up. You can go to a bike rally and ride roads with other cyclists... but keep your speed... have a SAG if you need it and rest stops every 10 miles.

[RoadRaven]

Where do YOU ride when you're putting miles on your bike? Do you have good bike routes in your community? Do you ride out of town on the highway?

What do you do?

I live in the country, so most of my riding is on country roads.
Also, the two cities i live near are "provincial" and this is a rural area so we have farms, orchards and vineyards all about the place.

I try and avoid the highways where possible, however, both councils are bike-aware and are slowly upgrading all roads to be wider, and all new roads are wider as a matter of course.

As I write this, I realise I am fortunate to live here.

[pooks]

Thanks to everybody for all the info -- for some reason I can get to routeslip and even joined, but the routes won't load for me. I'm on a Mac, if that makes a difference. Is anybody else having this prob?

[SouthernBelle]

Pooks,

I can't speak to a Mac, but routeslips doesn't like my laptop. Does fine with my desktop though.

You might also try www.bikely.com