Westminster/Broomfield Colorado - Safe areas to ride?
 

Greetings,
I will be moving to Westminster CO on January 2nd and I'm curious about safe areas to ride in and around this area. I've been to Map My Ride and there are numerous rides listed, but given the fact that I have no real frame of reference to the streets listed, I am not sure what would be safe or not. Many rides include Wadsworth, which to my memory is a pretty busy road. I know that winter riding is very much contingent on the weather, but should the weather permit, what would be some good rides to consider to get to know the area?

Thanks,

Mike

I guess it all depends on what part of Westy you plan on moving to. A lot of RMCC rides this time of year start at the Park and Ride on 120th and Huron. They can head east on 128th or west on 112th, both off of Huron. Of course, Huron will take you quite a bit north. I blast up 76th or 72nd from the house, and 72nd will take you almost as far west as you choose.

Best bet is to stop by a bike shop, and snag a bike map. They have them for 5 bucks.

Some Denver area bike trails

When I worked in southern Westy, I would catch the Clear Creek/Platte River Trail near 72nd and Pecos. BTW, temp today about 60F.

http://www.ourwebs.info/denverbikemap1.jpg

Thanks LAJ! We are moving into the 96th Avenue area. I'll check out the streets that you mentioned and also try a bike shop. Any shops in that area that you find better than others?
Thanks in advance for your feedback!
Mike

Thanks for the map DnvrFox! I've read that there are numerous trails through the greater Denver area, so I'm looking forward to getting to know the area. I've lived in Florida on and off for 26 years and this move to Denver is a dream come true. I've done lots of riding in Grand County area and I did the MS ride from Broomfield to Fort Collins and back a few years ago. I can't wait to get out there!
Thanks again for your assistance!
Mike

If you are interested in off street rides e.g. Multi-use paths, you can view over 1600 miles of them in Google Earth.
Trail information, Google Earth .kmz file and pictures are on geobiking.org website.

Paper maps are out of date when printed and don't give accurate placements, and trail markings may be missing or vandalized.

Sorry Dr. B. I didn't realize you asked about shops. Up off of 92nd and Wadsworth in Bicycle Village. They seem decent, and just depends what day as to the level of customer service. Derby, off of 104th and I-25 is OK, and the owner is always there. The issue I had was with their service dept, which is moot now. Performance at 88th and Wadsworth always treats me right, and has lots of stuff. Some folks just don't like the chain store deal. Urbanistic Tea and Bike is great, but they are at 32nd and Lowell, which is on my commute, but not really in Westy. Good folks there, and both are car free, and bicycles exclusively.

Thanks LAJ! I need to purchase a few new cassettes. The 11x23 won't serve me very well out here.

Today would have been a great day for a ride. My bikes are here, but none of my shoes, helmets, etc. are here. They are stuck on the road with all of our furniture! http://www.bikeforums.net/images/smilies/brood.gif

Dr. B.