capejohn

I ride a lot with my 27 year old son who recently moved back East from Austin, Texas. We have a great time but he is a whole lot faster than me and my regular riding buddies. I do find that I push a lot harder with him and that has put me in the middle when I ride with both him and my friends. I'm not as strong a rider as him but am stronger than the others. There are time when we are so spread out, we are all riding alone. No one has a problem with it and it's kind of like having the best of two worlds. Solo group rides is the description that come's to mind.

We are all long distance touring riders also and are doing the Erie Canal from Buffalo to Albany this summer. If you are over 50 and have never toured, it may be something to look into. It's very easy, and really a lot of fun. I don't really care for the group tours of hundreds of riders like those the Rails to Trails outfit offers. Nor do I care to ride alone. Touring with one or two friends I can highly recommend.
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No hands, no helmet, ear buds and talking on the phone. The "bike etiquette police" would have a field day with this one.

berner

I rode the Wheelmen ride beginning in the parking area behind the Wheelworks on April 29. It sounds as if you and your son rode the same loop as I did. I sure enjoyed that route which I found be be very scenic. There was a very large group of riders, maybe 150 total but after the first few miles, all were well spread out. I really like the way the club runs rides in that there are no ride leaders so one never is in a crowded bunch.

cyclinfool

Hope you enjoy the tour. You will pass very close to my house when past Schenectady. I ride the bike trail along the canal/river almost every ride. If you enjoy history you may want to do some research and then look for some of the old locks and aqueducts and general stone work.

capejohn

We did this in 2008 but it was just a bike ride. It seemed like we were always in a hurry because we started so late every day. The earliest we began riding was noon time but other days were mid afternoon. This time we will plan on seen a lot more and experiencing more of the history.