Southeast - Outer Banks, NC

I'm headed up there next week with the family. Is it worth bringing a road bike? In other words, are the roads/paths cycling friendly, are there bike lanes, etc?

Well, there is the Dismal swamp lands and these have lots of paths - often called ditches. I think a cross or hardtail mountain bike might be better suited though.

Sure...Hwy 12 is perfect for biking...only downside is going to be sand in the drivetrain.

What part of The Outer Banks are you heading to? They are made up of many different islands basically so that might be helpful to know which beach you are headed to.

We always go to a place down at Pine Knoll Shores, near Atlantic Beach, and I find it to be extremely bike friendly. There are wide shoulders for bikes along 58, the one main road down the island. If you go over the bridge to the main land there are plenty of places and routes to take once you get over there.

You will find plenty of other people out riding, so you won't be alone.

I have gone to the Outer Banks my entire life, but have never taken my bicycle. Just a couple of high level, general observations - 1) it's very flat (duh is on the coast) which means the winds can whip and be fun to deal with. 2) there is sand EVERYWHERE; so expect it in your drivetrain & all over your bike. 3) do remember that salt is VERY corrosive. If you are from the northeast & drive on salted roads during the winter; you know what I am talking about. Remember that the salt is in the air & will end up on your bike. Be sure to clean it well after riding especially the chain & gears or run the risk of rust.

As far as places to ride, we spent most of our time in Duck. From Duck north to Corolla, hwy 12 does not have the best shoulders at places. Traffic is heavy & often inpatient. I don't know that I would be comfortable there. There are bicycle paths; that are very dangerous because they tend to have lots of brush & they cross side streets about every 50 yards or so & cars are not necessarily paying attention to who is crossing. If you are going to Nags Head through Kitty Hawk, there is Bay Drive / Woods Road which is well off the beaten path & could provide a good place to ride. Further south than Nags Head, I don't have much to offer.

Let me know how you make out; I am going for a week in August.

Also, you may want to check with www.obxtri.com (http://www.obxtri.com); its the local club that does some rides on Saturday & Sunday. Someone may be able to recommend a route for you.

Riding in and around kitty hawk/ kill devil hills is great. You can do a nice ~25 mile loop that partially goes along the beach on old nc12, then crosses over to the sound side and takes that in through nice neighborhoods. The wind can be a problem, it is worse on the beach road than along the sound section so plan accordingly. You can get a local bike map showing the loop at kitty hawk cycles on eckner st. Have fun!

I'm heading out the Outer Banks for my 3rd summer, and, hopefully, I'll be figuring out how to take my bike again. There are often bike lanes and bike paths. There are also lots of people, some of whom may be walking in those same places. Plus the wind. I'm not a road biker. I do it for fun and transportation and to see the sites. There have been times when I felt like I could move faster than traffic thanks to my bike and the bike lanes, but that is not to say that I was going fast. Between wind and traffic, going fast may be an issue. And, as has been said, the salt is not good for your bike. I had noticeable rust on mine the first year I took it. The next year I took a pre-rusted bike, so no problems ;-) .
My wife likes to ride there, too, but doesn't like to haul her bike or let the salt get to it, so she rents a bike in the Outer Banks. Rates were not too high from what I remember. Lots of single speed cruisers, but there are some places with some other options, too. It's a way to keep riding but not destroy your bike. Just do some searches on rental places near where you're staying. You will probably find some, and may even be able to reserve a bike. Failing that, go to the rental place first thing (if you're on the regular tourist schedule), so you have the best selection to pick from.

If you are only going to be there for a week or so, salt/rust should not be a concern. I wipe my bike down w/ a damp towel, then a dry one after riding - it only takes a few minutes. Riding in windy conditions can be challenging but also quite interesting. If I'm riding the beach road only, I head into the wind until I've had enough, then turn around and sail back at record speed. If I'm doing the loop I head downwind on the beach road and upwind on the sound leg, where the wind is usually much lighter. There are others using the bike lanes but they mostly ride up and down the beach road, many (most) are unaware of the soundside routes.

Thanks all for the replies. I was all set to take a bike, then at the last minute chose otherwise. I ended up riding with my kid on a beach cruiser a few times....pretty relaxing, as vacation should be, I suppose (or so I've been told). Other than that, just spent my time out in the surf.

We stayed in Southern Shores, which is between Duck and Kitty Hawk. From driving around there, it seemed as if unless you get out in the early am, then that area is pretty much a mess, even in the bike lanes. There's no sidewalks in some areas, so the bike lane becomes the de facto walking area....

North of "downtown" Duck was pretty sedate, all the way up to Corolla (~20mi). Also, once you get south of Nags Head, it's a nice ride down to Hatteras (~60mi). Again, not a lot of bike lanes, but a nice, scenic, mostly sedate, route. Traffic can get bad, but mostly around check-in/out days.

Next yr I prob will bring an old bike, though, and try to get out on the early side. But if I have that same change of heart, it's not as though there aren't plenty of other activities to stay active (even when the surf's flat, there's always kite boarding, hang gliding, etc).

I'll be staying in Corolla next week for a week with my family. Besides OBXTri, are there other bike shops closer? Nags Head is pretty south of me. Looking at the map, NC 12 is fairly it on the island as far as main roads go, correct? I'd be looking to riding in the EARLY morning, so traffic shouldn't be an issue. I'd welcome any info or input..thanks guys!

If you like flat roads with a lot of crosswind, then riding on Rt. 12 is fine. Early morning you'll be still be contending with other bicycles and a few walkers and joggers. If you make it down as far as Duck you'll need to choose between the bike path, which is always clogged with beach cruisers, walkers, joggers, strollers, and kids on bikes; and the road itself, which has a narrow shoulder and a lot of drivers that think you should be on the path. You can tell I'm not a fan of riding on Rt. 12. I tried it for a couple of years and decided I preferred just walking/jogging on the beach at sunrise. There's a lot more room and the scenery is better.

Thanks VA! One of the things I do a lot up here in northern NJ is...ride with a lot of traffic. I have a feeling that it may not be too bad from my perpective...you should see all the crap we cyclists deal with in NJ. I'll still take my Pedal Force road bike down and have comments when I return. This vacation is hopefully going to be one of many down there. Again, thanks for your input.

The loop I mentioned earlier is bike accessable from Southern Shores, also, you can get a free local cycling map that details it at kitty hawk cycles on eckner st., mp2.5, kitty hawk (between old nc 12 ("beach road")
and the newer bypass (158).

The loop I mentioned earlier is bike accessable from Southern Shores, also, you can get a free local cycling map that details it at kitty hawk cycles on eckner st., mp2.5, kitty hawk (between old nc 12 ("beach road")
and the newer bypass (158).

Norskagent, I appreciate the feedback. I'll ride down there and get a map.

Currently down here now...very nice riding! I'm riding down on Route 12 and aside from the cars, it's no big deal as I am used to riding in traffic in NJ. I agree with the mess from the sand in my drivetrain, but I'll clean up following each ride. This place is beautiful..I've decided that this place will be on our list every year for vacation.

check out tortugas lie for a great local meal,mp 11.5, beach road. Also, front porch cafe' for coffee at mp6, main drag.

I had lunch at Tortugas Lie yesterday. The fish tacos were awesome!

There is a group that meets at the shopping center in Southern Shores, and rides at 5:20 most mornings. As stated earlier, get up with Mike at Kitty Hawk Cycles for more info.

Willie, I may drive there to catch their ride before I leave but, I'M ON VACATION! Getting up that early may be tough, as I'm having cocktails in the evening. I'm over here by the Corolla Light water tower. My friends went out on a private guided fishing tour and caught 60lbs worth of fish..we're having fish tacos tonight. I ate @ two places since we got here..we ate @ Donkey Hotay(ok) and NC Bar-b-q over by the lighthouse(good). I'll be on the bike tommorrow morning.
Where is Tortuga Lie anyway?

beach road, nags head, mp ~11.5.

Never eat barbecue on the OBX.

Jacobsdad, the 5:20 ride is a bit early for me too. It would take me 35 minutes to drive there.
I threw it out there just in case you were up, and about one morning.
The ocean has been beautiful this week. I hope you, family, and friends have enjoyed your vacation.

I stayed in Kill Devil Hills last year and will be a bit farther south in Nags Head during Memorial Day week. Riding south on 12 all the way to Bodie Lighthouse or even up to the Oregon Inlet Marina was great. Riding north to Kitty Hawk, Southern Shores or Duck was not as nice. More traffic and more sand/shells/broken glass on the road. I learned the hard way up there to bring two spare tubes...only flats I've had in the past three years (knock on wood) and they happened within five minutes of each other.

Not being there in the height of vacation season helps on the traffic. And getting up somewhat early is good also. That being said, I didn't have much issue with cars except for the one guy in his purple jacked-up pickup truck with knobby tires taller than my bike --- at least I could hear those things a-coming up behind me.

While the salt and sand is an issue, staying in a beach house meant there was a hose sitting by the door to rinse things off as soon as I got done riding. The bike was probably cleaner there than at home.

I'll stop at Kitty Hawk Bikes on the way in this year to ask about route maps.

Two more weeks and I'm there.

In the winter, seagulls pick up small clams in their beaks from the water. They fly up high, and drop the clams on the pavement in order to break the shells, so the birds can eat.These pieces of shell blow around with the sand, and have a way of ending up in our tires.

Yes the traffic does decrease after Labor Day. We see more retired people start to show up. The heat starts to break, and the fishing improves. The fall is beautiful here.

I'll be at kitty hawk oct. 5-9, I plan to ride in the afternoons, probably the sea/sound loop I described earlier, plus some beach road legs. Bringing the bianchi or the fuji track bike, haven't decided yet.

Jacobsdad, the 5:20 ride is a bit early for me too. It would take me 35 minutes to drive there.
I threw it out there just in case you were up, and about one morning.
The ocean has been beautiful this week. I hope you, family, and friends have enjoyed your vacation.
We LOVED it there. We did alot after I got in from my morning rides. I basically rode up north for the 2 miles up to where paved Route 12 ends...that was my warmup and then headed south to Duck. I got in on the rides 30-35 miles, which was just enough to get in a good workout, yet be home in time for the days activities with the family. My best ride was on thursday and that's after having had shots of Patron the night before!! We went up to the lighthouse(wasted once I got to the top following a ride), went off-road to see the horses(fruitful and got to see a foal with its mother), hung out at the beach(prior to Bill whipping up the surf), went out on the beach at night to see the crabs doing their thing(my thought was that people who go out to walk at night without flashlights have NO idea whats crawling around them!!), played miniature golf(the mosquitos ate me alive) and rode on the Go Karts with my son over at TimbukII. We'll be back again....it was a GREAT vacation. I'll post or shoot you a PM next year when we head down again, maybe we can meet up. One thing I did notice, as the morning wears on, there are WAY too many walkers, runners and novice bikers(going the wrong way) who do help to crowd the shoulders...my advice to anyone going out to ride: get it in early.

Never eat barbecue on the OBX.

You know, the ribs weren't as good as I thought they were going to be. I did however love my burrito from the Bad Bean over in the Timbuk II complex..I'd recommend that place.

You know, the ribs weren't as good as I thought they were going to be. I did however love my burrito from the Bad Bean over in the Timbuk II complex..I'd recommend that place.

Barbecue is not good on the OBX. You need to go to the mainland and head west.

Well well....

I just got back into cycling this summer after several years off and it never ceases to amaze me how many cyclists come to the 'banks.
There is an organised ride M-F @ 5:30am that leaves from the Food Lion (Southern Shores) across from WalMart. We (A&B group) ride down the beach rd (12) to mp8, turn on Colington Rd (A&B split) and ride behind the Wright Memorial, north up Canal Drive to Bay Drive and back through the neighborhoods of Kitty Hawk back to the Wal Mart (18 miles). Several guys ride longer through Southern Shores for about 7-8 more miles. It's usually an A/B ride. A=22-28 and B=18-22.

There is also a Sat ride (60 miles) from Southern Shores to Manteo and back that leaves at 6 am.

A few thoughts:
Riding on the bike paths here is crazy. Way too many joggers/walkers/bikers going the wrong way. Most guys (and girls) here ride on the road edge.

Riding after 8 am is not great either.

I clean my bike weekly. More if I ride on wet roads.

Pigmans BBQ is awesome!




My site has more info: www.obxcycling.com (http://www.obxcycling.com)
The OBXTri site is great: www.obxtri.com (http://www.obxtri.com)

and the LBS's are:
Outerbanks Bicycle--MP8 Beach rd, KDH 252 480-3399
Kitty Hawk Cycle Co--Ekcner St (behind Winks in KH, mp 2.5) 252 261-2060
Both have great info and rent road bikes as well as cruisers etc.


Hope to see some of you guys out!

If I were local I would consider the 5:30am ride, but when I'm down there (april, oct.) my best window for riding is in the afternoon. Traffic and peds that time of year are not bad at all. I've had some indifferent service experiences at outerbanks bicycle. Once I had a chain problem but I showed up about 10 minutes before closing. I asked if they could look at my chain, prepared to buy a new one if necessary, but was informed by the lone employee that he had a tennis match he needed to attend. I ended up bending the kink in my chain out myself, but at the time I wasn't sure that was the problem. An experienced bike mechanic would have diagnosed and fixed it in a few minutes. On the other hand, Kitty Hawk cycle co. is great!

If I were local I would consider the 5:30am ride, but when I'm down there (april, oct.) my best window for riding is in the afternoon. Traffic and peds that time of year are not bad at all. I've had some indifferent service experiences at outerbanks bicycle. Once I had a chain problem but I showed up about 10 minutes before closing. I asked if they could look at my chain, prepared to buy a new one if necessary, but was informed by the lone employee that he had a tennis match he needed to attend. I ended up bending the kink in my chain out myself, but at the time I wasn't sure that was the problem. An experienced bike mechanic would have diagnosed and fixed it in a few minutes. On the other hand, Kitty Hawk cycle co. is great!

I can't speak for everyone who works there but they are usually extremely helpful. We do have some shops around here that are really just rental bike places but Outer Banks Bicycle and Kitty Hawk Cycle Co. are top notch. Both owners work in the shops and neither place has pushy sales people.

My wife and I are headed to Ocracoke week after next - can't wait!

I'll be at kitty hawk oct. 5 - 9. riding most afternoons around 3 or 4.

Just spent the last week riding all over the southern outer banks, Atlantic Beach, Emerald Isle and such (otherwise known as SOBX), and it was great. It is a 28 mile long island end to end with lots of people riding at different times of the day. I always rode in the evenings and tended to see a few people out and about. Besides the long straight shot it was fine. The wind was something a little different for me, but I got used to it.

besides, going and jumping in the ocean right after a ride was really nice!

I'll be at kitty hawk oct. 5 - 9. riding most afternoons around 3 or 4.

Good Luck!

Hopefully you'll won't need too much, though. The touron traffic has died down a bit. Now you just have to watch out for the insane locals! Especially the landscaping trucks pulling trailers that are wider than the truck.
Be safe and if you need some local routes, lemme know.

I'm here now! Short ride in today, longer ride tomorrow. Weather so far is great - lo 70s, light wind.