Sunriver / Bend Info

[dpara]

Hey folks,

The family and I are headed out to lovely Oregon this summer for an extended stay at Sunriver. Since I'll be packing along the kiddies and the wife's luggage, I'm not going to have any room or desire to take along my own rig. So I was hoping for some local advice.

Are there any good shops in this area that will rent me a road bike to do some riding? I understand that most of the houses in Sunriver come with bikes but I wanted something a little better to put in some miles. Also are there any good routes around here, maybe up to Bachelor.

Any advice or info would be appreciated.

[Shifty]

Nice riding out of Sunriver, go west and up to Mt Bachelor and around Cascade Lakes Highway, lot's of road construction now, so check conditions in Sunriver for best routes.

I think you can rent road bikes in Sunriver, but in Bend you can start with these guys, I think it's the best shop in Central Oregon. http://www.hutchsbicycles.com/index.php

Also fantastic mountain bike trails in that area, miles and miles of beautiful single track.

Take the family for a hike and the day at Newberry Crater Natl Monunment, the Obsidian trail is great for kids, and you all will marvel at the huge chunks of obsidian all around you. You will also enjoy the High Desert Museum, it's great.

Have fun, lots to do there!

[dtrain]

You'll have a great time. I get over to Sunriver quite a bit.

The rental homes usually come with cruiser types that are pretty much intended for going to the pool or tennis courts on the bike paths with the family. But you'll be able to find decent road bike rentals in Bend or right in Sunriver (try the mall area - Sunriver Rentals or the Mountain Shop). I nearly bought a Felt 75 last fall that they'd rented during the summer. I saw a Pinarello there last week that was even more tempting. The guys in the shop will help you map out a route around Bachelor and down the backside of the mountain lakes highway if you want (anything from 35-90 miles). There's some incredible single track in the area as well if that interests you at all.

Also, there's an outlet mall on the south end of Bend that has a Pearl Izumi store. Good prices especially since there is no sales tax in Oregon. If you are a 'sample size' (Med.) you can really clean up there.


edit -- If I could type a little faster, I wouldn't have repeated so much of Shifty's post.

[dpara]

Thanks for the info. I am really looking forward to the trip.

[slowjoe66]

We rented road bikes in Sunriver last year. There were at least 3 bike shops to choose from. No worries. You can find a web page (something like Deschutes county cycling oportunities ) or something like that that chronicles dozens of rides with mileages and maps.

[riversiderider]

dpara,

We were in Bend this spring and I found this resource online. It's called the Deschutes County Bike Guide. There are a number of cycling route maps you can download on this site.

The URL is
http://www.co.deschutes.or.us/go/objectid/D9531619-BDBD-57C1-92865E7D3C09D97F/index.cfm

I cycled route 22 the "Ride Around Bend". It is around 19 miles and was a lot of fun.

I did a route in Sunriver as well but can't seem to remember which one.

It's a great area have fun.

riversiderider

[dpara]

Thanks for all the info especially the shops and the web links. It looks like I'm going to have no problem finding places to ride. Now all I have to do is figure out a way to fit in riding, golfing and sight-seeing into one little week. I'll probably need to spend some time with my family as well. :D

[dpara]

Just got back from this vacation and wanted to thank you guys for the info. It came in real handy and WOW what a great area for riding. The Deschutes County site provided some great routes and the scenery was unbelievable. Did one ride from Sunriver to the base of Bachelor and back and it was the the most enjoyable/scenic ride I have EVER done. Although being from VA, the altitude and going uphill for 20 miles or so can take its toll. Downhill for 20 on the way back was nice. Thanks again for the info.

[Shifty]

Glad you had a fun time, it's a beautiful spot and Sunriver is excellent for families. Was there still road construction between Sunriver and Mt Bach?
Come back in the winter when the road at Mt Bach looks like this:
http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d126/telehammer/Mtbach2.jpg

[dpara]

Thats a pic a don't want my wife to see if I am going to convince her to move to Bend. Rt 45 was closed so I could not do a loop but instead did an out and back which took me up from the south side of Mt. Bach past the lakes like Lava and Devils.

[dtrain]

Huge difference between Mt. Bachelor and Bend. I'm sure that picture was taken very close to the top. Rarely is there more than a few inches of snow on the ground in Bend itself, while the mountain and those lakes you rode by are swimming in the white stuff.

Glad you enjoyed yourself. The dual purpose MTB and cross-country ski trails are pretty nice as well.