mshadow

Does anyone know of any good road bike routes around Indiana (esp Indianapolis) area? Or any guide books?

When I used to live in Cincinnati, there was a book published of different routes - they used public roads (alot of country roads) but showed different mileages, where the hills are along the route, places to get water, etc.

Thanks

roadwarrior

Indy bike/hike trails

the Monon is "rails to trails"..eventually the whole city will be interconnected with trails so you can ride without having to go on to the street.

mshadow

I was planning on doing some rides on the Monon - I just heard that it got crowded during the summer time with walkers, rollerbladers, etc.

Oak Park Biker

Monon is nice for jogging but it is really crowed. At least it was when I lived in Indy. But if you get out at the right time of day, it may not be too bad. You should look into southern Indiana around Bloomington. Its very nice with rolling hills and is about 45 minutes south of Indy. What side of town do you live on? There is a very nice park on the west side of town. Broadripple is a nice area as well. You also have the Major Taylor velodrome on the west side but I'm not sure about public use.

I wasn't really into cycling when I lived in Indy. Good luck.

mnppunky

If you don't mind driving an hour south of you to Seymour the club/shop I ride out of has plenty of road rides each week. For some info on our websites go to www.rideb2.com There are some great places to ride that vary from 5 miles to 100 miles. We do group rides at different speeds so everyone has a chance to ride and not get dropped.

mshadow

Thanks for the info. I work in Columbus so I may be able to do one of the evening rides. Are there weekend rides once the weather warms up?

mnppunky

Yes we do weekend rides! They are not listed yet but we have been riding pretty much most of the winter(weather permitting) The website is fairly new so it is still in progress and the shop owners name is Matt Nicholson and we have the club meetings in his shop. He is a great guy,mechanic and racer which makes it such a nice place to call your home away from home!

mnppunky

Where do you work in columbus? SEND ME A P.M.

wallybrau

Check out...

https://www.cibaride.org/

They are a very active club in Indianapolis with plenty of group ride opportunities as well a riding routes...

kobyj

You could check out the Columbus Indiana Cycling Club. Visit the Bicycle Station on 25th Street for more info. At least, I think it's on 25th. It has been a few years since I've been in Columbus.

There is a book in a shop in Lafayette that outlines bike trails for every county in Indiana. I'll try to look at the book on Monday when I'm on campus and post the name here.

mshadow

Is it Best Bike Rides Midwest by Phil Van Valkenberg? It's the only ride book I have been able to find

roadwarrior

this is true...you spend a lot of time yelling at people if you ride at peak times..I know some who ride early, and it is not too bad then.

personally, I ride out at Eagle Creek Park as there is little to no traffic except mid-dayish on weekends. Rolling terrain, huge park...no cars to worry about. When I get bored with that, I head up to Hendricks/Boone Counties up in the farm areas that also have few cars, no traffic lights. Many riders/racers train out there.

briansvr

Another trick is to call the county highway department. Most of them have good maps showing which roads are paved vs. gravel, and their usually free. If you're outside of Marion county (Indianapolis) you can easily put your own rides together.

rjklein

The bike line in indianaplois does a bike ride on Tuesday and Thursday Morning, and also on the weekends. Give it a try

rydwhite

Lots of good info. I live on Indy's southside about a half mile north of Greenwood. I have found quite a few nice routes through the Johnson County farmland. The biggest problem with the southside is there are no large parks or trails to ride so it is all surface streets.

mshadow

I would be interested in hearing about these routes as I am going to be moving to Greenwood in August.
Mike

bpohl

I live downtown, and I can give you a good 60-75 mile route with very little traffic (ped or car). I start out by taking 16th street to the Monon. Take the Monon to Westfield Blvd. in Broad Ripple. Take Westfield up to 142nd st. in Carmel. Hang a left there at Laser's edge Video. Take a right on 136th. Cross over US 31. Take your immediate left on Smokey Row Rd. In about a mile, you'll pass an elementary school where tons of CIBA rides start. You can then follow Dan Henry's all around there up to 296th st. if you want. If you ever want me to show you, drop me an email at bpohl@iupui.edu.
If you're on the Southside, I could show you my commute route to Franklin, too.

rydwhite

Here is a link to the Greenwood home page for trails and proposed trails in the area. They are getting started, give em a couple years and there will be a pretty nice trail system. https://www.cityofgreenwood.com/board...railsboard.htm

I live off of SR 37 and Southport Rd. and ride to work down in Franklin on occasion and I have found a fairly decent route without too much traffic. Once you get outside of the main artery between I-65 and US 31/Madison there are quite a few nice places to ride out in the back roads mostly through corn field lined streets. I have also ridden down around Camp Atterbury and Johnson County Park, both of which are south of Franklin. Franklin also has a nice greenway trail and some other fairly nice parks along the way to ride in, you can find a link to the site and a map of the trail at this link https://franklin.in.egovapps.com/parks/ . There are also some decent roads to ride down around Southwestway Park on Mann Road which will take you out to Mooresville and some other nice light traffic roads out by Southeastway park in Franklin Township. I am trying to find a nice route down to SR 45 and SR 46 to ride to Nashville and Bloomington.

Bpohl, what is your route to Franklin? I would be interested in trying a different route or at least part of it since I wouldn't be coming from downtown Indy, with a little less traffic, especially around SR 37 and US 31. Your route up north sounds like a nice ride. I have ridden up there a couple times, but the Monon just seems to have a ton of foot traffic. Eventually we will be connected to the Monon down here on the southside, which will be nice.

bpohl

Yeah, the Monon is pretty ridiculous when you get up north. That's why I get off at Westfield Blvd. Down by my neighborhood it's not too bad, though. My ride to Franklin starts on bus 16, then I get off at the Kmart on Emerson and Thompson. From there, I take Thompson East to the first intersection you come to (Arlington). I take that south to Shelbyville Rd., hang a left there on Shelbyville, ride to Franklin Rd., then that takes me straight into Franklin. It's about 40 miles round trip, and it's incredibly fast, since there are only four stop signs the entire way. I can usually average about 20-22 mph on the ride. The roads are in pretty good shape, and there's virtually no traffic, even in the afternoon. People who are on the road are nice and give you the entire lane. All in all, it's a damn fine route. I see a few cyclists every day on the way home. Not sure if they're commuting or what, but they always wave and say hey. If you ever want to ride it, let me know. I'd be glad to ride with you.

Had no idea there were so many people from Indy on here. It's encouraging!

rydwhite

I may have to try that route out sometime. It is on the opposite side of Perry Township from me, but I may try it for fun sometime, not a commute to work though.

There seem to be quite a few people around Indy that ride. I have just started here this year and decided it was time to get a good bike or at least a nice starter bike. I hopefully will make my decision by this weekend. I have been riding an ancient Schwin that is the most uncomfortable bike ever made.

bpohl

Did you see in another thread that a guy in Indy has a used Bianchi he's selling for $900? Also... this may interest you!!! They're both 58's and seem like great deals. Look into em.

rydwhite

Thanks for the links. I did see the one thread regarding the guy in Indy with the Bianchi, but it I need a 56. But, I ended up buying a new bike today, so now I'm all set. I go the Cannondale R600 with the ultegra rear derailer. Woo Hoo. Now I have to go home and get riding.

bpohl

That's a sweet bike. I just recently bought a Trek 2300. You should come out to a CIBA ride and show that new baby off. Congrats!