Mountain - Plains - Bike Stuff to Do in Colorado?

My wife and I will be vacationing for a week in CO Springs in early August. Can't take my roadbike but I plan to rent a couple of mountain bikes and do some low-key riding with my non-cycling wife.

However, I have also been given permission to visit some cool shops and anything similar.

What are your reccomendations? Should I visit Durango, Boulder, Denver or Ft. Collins? Are there a few bike shops or bike related places you'd reccomend?

Thank you.

REI flagship in downtown denver is a mustfor anyone into outdoor sports
its a converted old power plant you can get "lost" in there for hours
-Aug 9 is a benefit ride in Summit county to help build the swan mtn bike path. you could ride the
benefit and your wife could browse the shops in breckenridge and silverthorne outlet mall
http://greatadventuresports.com/page.cfm?pageId=954
-LBS in Frisco rent bikes and include a shuttle to top of vail pass with rental
-if you can get a ride to victor/cripple creek ride the dirt gold camp road mostly downhill
back to co springs
-go to glenwood springs and cycle some of paths there and hike to hanging lake
i'd make it a loop i70 one way and aspen/independence pass the return

My wife and I will be vacationing for a week in CO Springs in early August. Can't take my roadbike but I plan to rent a couple of mountain bikes and do some low-key riding with my non-cycling wife.

However, I have also been given permission to visit some cool shops and anything similar.

What are your reccomendations? Should I visit Durango, Boulder, Denver or Ft. Collins? Are there a few bike shops or bike related places you'd reccomend?

Thank you.

Please check out mileage and driving time charts - i.e., mapquest or similar - for your visit. I.e., from my house in SE Denver to Durango is an 8 hour drive. You don't want to spend all of your time driving!!

Recommended - any and all of the bike paths trails in Summit County - crowded, lots and lots of folks, including some amateurs. Beautiful country except for the 2.5 million acres of dead pine trees, but still pretty. It is not fair to take a van to the top of Vail Pass and ride down, IMHO. Better to ride up and earn the privilege of riding down. With the van, you get a lot of folks who don't really know how to ride coming down some steep grades and twisting trails. There have been some accidents. Personally, I wish they would outlaw the vans.

Glenwood Springs - the 33 mile round trip from Glenwood to near Dotsero is beautiful, as is the 88 mile round trip on the new bike path from Glenwood to Aspen.

Leadville is kind of fun and funky. The highest incorporated city in the country, and it has a nice "mining Trail" - about 15 miles - that has historic sites, etc.

Then, more challenging, would be the "Copper Triangle" etc.

REI is a huge store at the confluence of two major Denver bike paths. The Platte River Trail, and the Cherry Creek Trail

Have fun!

7-Eleven Velodrome is there (CO springs) as well. Might wanna check that one out. :D

You mentioned a non-cycling wife.
There are literally thousands of miles of trails/paths/bike routes in Colorado.
Huge difference in difficulty levels.

TrailCentral.com has a lot of mountain bike trails on it, some that I've mapped.
Tracks are downloadable.

I am currently working on mapping trails in/around the Springs. Have the main N/S trail done
(Greenland to Fountain) and some of the 25 or so other trails in progress.
Website GeoBiking.org (http://geobiking.org) has over 1,500 miles of trails you
can view via Google Earth (fly-bys etc) and download to a GPS to follow.
All tracks are limited to 250 points to allow use on almost any GPS.

Thanks guys. Yes, my wife is a bike path type of rider. So, if there are some flat-moderate recreational trails in the Co. Springs area....I'd love to know about them.

Thanks again.

Steve

Thanks guys. Yes, my wife is a bike path type of rider. So, if there are some flat-moderate recreational trails in the Co. Springs area....I'd love to know about them.

Thanks again.

Steve

Go to either C.S. West or Criterium Bicycles in C.Springs.

Trails:
Sante Fe - Depending on where you ride this can be asphalt, concrete, or gravel You can start from Criterium Bicycles.

Palmer Park - If you stay on the top of the Mesa it's nice, when you start dropping down it gets more difficult

Fox Run Regional Park - Wide Gravel paths


Cheyenne State Park


I will think of more later

No cycling related things to do here....move along;-)

Vecchio's Bicicletteria on Pearl St. in boulder is worth a visit.

Wilderness Sports on Main St in Frisco (Summit County) rents road bikes.

Ride your bike up Vail Pass, don't take the shuttle. In fact, ride your bike from Frisco to Vail on the bike path, then turn around and come back. The last few miles up the bike path to the pass are spectacular, especially when the wildflowers are in bloom.

And yes, the REI flagship store in Denver is a great place to get lost.

Thanks guys....most appreciated.