April vs May

[Bike Chick]

Just realized I missed the original question. My apologies. I am a bit further south than you but it can be a crap shoot here as well. In late April, early May you might start the day in a light jacket and shorts or you might start in tights, a balaclava and heavy jacket and either way you could be stripped down to a sleeveless jersey and shorts by noon. You would need to be prepared for anything and be able to pack it with you as you take it off.

[withm]

It sounds like you are doing this trip by yourself. As a brand new rider, there may be a lot that you have not considered. If that is the case, I'd be sure to have spare tubes for each bike (you do need 2 different sizes, right?), the ability to change the tire/tube, tools and wrenches to make adjustments and perform other fixes to each bike. Lights might be a good idea if you encounter a problem that you can't fix and get caught out after dark.

Carry a cell phone, but if you are on rail trails or farther removed from "civilization" be prepared for no signals. And then again, have a plan as to just who you are going to call if you need help. Do you have friends in the area you plan to visit? Broken chain anyone? Broken pedal? Broken leg? Even if you are only doing 5-10 miles rides, stuff happens, and you may be far enough off the beaten path that help is not readily available.

I applaud your enthusiasm but am concerned that being so new to all of this you could leave yorrself open to some unforseen difficulties. We can't plan for every contingency but it does help to have some plans in mind in case stuff happens.

[Kathi]

Are you locked into late April or early May? As others have said the weather can be a crapshoot.

You could base yourself out of Xenia, Oh. It's the center of the bike trails and if the weather gets nasty you have a quick return.

A not to miss ride on Memorial Day is the Horsey Hundred in Georgetown Ky.

And when you're ready for a tour TRIRI is a good one. I've done it by myself and enjoyed every minute of it.

As others have said be sure to have appropriate rain gear with you. Sometimes the weather can be really gray and nasty looking but not a drop of rain falls.

[Catrin]

Thanks for all of the good ideas and advice! I always take a spring and late summer/early fall vacation, so I have lots of options. For my spring bike vacation this year I won't go too far afield since I am so new - though I do want to visit the rail trail system centered in Yellow Springs/Xenia Ohio. I have visited there and it looks like a great place. I figure a couple of days in that area, and then spending the rest of it locally exploring country roads

My bike's engine isn't ready for Brown County yet - though hopefully that will have changed by September. I went hiking this weekend at Brown County State Park and found myself looking at the hills and ridge inside the park rather differently than in the past When I can cycle through the Park - then I will know that I can take my bike home to East Tennessee

[indysteel]

Thanks for all of the good ideas and advice! I always take a spring and late summer/early fall vacation, so I have lots of options. For my spring bike vacation this year I won't go too far afield since I am so new - though I do want to visit the rail trail system centered in Yellow Springs/Xenia Ohio. I have visited there and it looks like a great place. I figure a couple of days in that area, and then spending the rest of it locally exploring country roads

My bike's engine isn't ready for Brown County yet - though hopefully that will have changed by September. I went hiking this weekend at Brown County State Park and found myself looking at the hills and ridge inside the park rather differently than in the past When I can cycle through the Park - then I will know that I can take my bike home to East Tennessee

I'm pretty sure that CIBA offers a "grand touring" ride in Xenia every year. Grand touring rides are a bit different from the regular weekend rides. The routes are not marked or SAGed. You more or less follow the ride leader (who goes at a casual social pace) or the provided map. They stop at local places to food and drink. They're fun, although like I said earlier, I prefer to ride at my own pace, so when my husband and I do them, we usually just follow the map and meet up with the group at the planned stops. There's one in Madison that we'd like to do this year. There several out of Columbus that are some of our favorite rides of the year.

Granted, it depends on the road, but having ridden in both Eastern Tennessee and Brown County SP, I have to say that the Park is far harder. I prefer long sustained climbs to the steep stuff down in Brown County.

[Kathi]

Do not ride the main entrance road (dual covered bridges) in the park to the lodge. It is narrow, windy, lots of traffic on the uphill. TRIRI organizers shuttle riders up to the lodge for meals. Downhill is probably ok? The recommended route is the Horse Camp entrance.

If you can ride the hills outside the park you probably don't need to ride in the park. More traffic and not as challenging.

[indysteel]

Do not ride the main entrance road (dual covered bridges) in the park to the lodge. It is narrow, windy, lots of traffic on the uphill. TRIRI organizers shuttle riders up to the lodge for meals. Downhill is probably ok? The recommended route is the Horse Camp entrance.

If you can ride the hills outside the park you probably don't need to ride in the park. More traffic and not as challenging.

There are challenging hills both inside and outside the park. Granted, you can avoid the worst of them if you know your way around, but well, the hills are part of the preverse "fun" of riding in Brown County. I've let out primal screams on some of those hills, but what a sense of accomplishment when you reach the top!

[Serotta Jim]

Are you locked into late April or early May? As others have said the weather can be a crapshoot.

You could base yourself out of Xenia, Oh. It's the center of the bike trails and if the weather gets nasty you have a quick return.

A not to miss ride on Memorial Day is the Horsey Hundred in Georgetown Ky.

And when you're ready for a tour TRIRI is a good one. I've done it by myself and enjoyed every minute of it.

As others have said be sure to have appropriate rain gear with you. Sometimes the weather can be really gray and nasty looking but not a drop of rain falls.

Great advice! The Little Miami trail is a great way to get around. Lots of other good routes cross the trail at a lot of locations. Also check out Waynesville & Lebanon.