Coming to Vegas, can't think of anything better to do than ride

[island rider]

No, seriously. I'm thinking of renting a bike out there for a day, maybe more if I decide to limit my alcohol intake, and go for a ride. (May even mix it up and do road one day and mtn the other.) Looking for advice. I have seen some threads here, but was curious if anyone had any updated advice.

Here are my thoughts.

1) Rent from Pro Cyclery or Mc Ghies and just make my own way around.
2) Go on a guided tour with Mc Ghies or Las Vegas Cyclery.

I am leaning towards the guided tour, as I am a relative beginner when it comes to this sort of biking (spend most of my time at or around sea level) and could probably benefit from having a helping hand around. Anyone have any experience with these outfits?

[slant911]

Both are great choices. Both have great customer service and will take care of you. If you decide to not go the "guided tour" route and want to just go on a nice group ride check out www.greenvalleycyclists.org and go to the calendar. Just about anyday of the week there will be organized rides you can just show up at the sync point and ride with us. If you feel better about having someone with you you are welcome to PM or email me and we can make arrangements for a particular day to ride.

[island rider]

Thanks Slant. It seems I have all the luck. The group ride would have been fun but the day I'll be looking to ride it Friday the 28th, nothing scheduled.

Depending on the situation, the new riders ride might be a nice way to get some exercise on Sunday morning without pushing too hard.

I'm really looking to ride on Friday morning the 28th and everything else remains to be seen. If Friday is a possibility for you, shoot me a PM and we can see if it makes sense.

Right now I am thinking that Mc Ghies might be good. They said the odds are that it would likely just be me and the guide. Sounds a bit like a personal training/coaching session, but I'm not sure how they would view it.

[slant911]

It's a bit early for all the rides to get posted for the 28th. The 28th BTW is a Saturday. Were you looking at the 27th? The calendar fills up usually just a few days before a particular ride. If there is a ride you want to do for sure I can post a ride and whoever wants to show up to "our" ride is welcome. Friday morning could work OK for me. I'll just take an extended early lunch. On either the 27th or 28th there will be a ride. Our "club ride" is always Saturday and Sunday mornings where we typically get 20-30 riders this time of year. Friday would be a group of about 6-10 depending on schedules for everyone.

Where you are staying is about exactly in the middle of the 2 sides of town you are thinking about. McGhie's/Pro Cyclery are on the west end of town and closest to Red Rock. Our club is on the east end of town near Lake Mead. Either choice has some fine scenery.

Let me know also what your fitness level is so we can find the correct ride for you. We have A,B, and C rides. You can check out our website for descriptions of each.

[island rider]

It's a bit early for all the rides to get posted for the 28th. The 28th BTW is a Saturday. Were you looking at the 27th? The calendar fills up usually just a few days before a particular ride. If there is a ride you want to do for sure I can post a ride and whoever wants to show up to "our" ride is welcome. Friday morning could work OK for me. I'll just take an extended early lunch. On either the 27th or 28th there will be a ride. Our "club ride" is always Saturday and Sunday mornings where we typically get 20-30 riders this time of year. Friday would be a group of about 6-10 depending on schedules for everyone.

Where you are staying is about exactly in the middle of the 2 sides of town you are thinking about. McGhie's/Pro Cyclery are on the west end of town and closest to Red Rock. Our club is on the east end of town near Lake Mead. Either choice has some fine scenery.

Let me know also what your fitness level is so we can find the correct ride for you. We have A,B, and C rides. You can check out our website for descriptions of each.

I meant Friday. I'm not very bright. I'll have to determine when I can actually get a bike from the shop as well. I'll keep you posted. Sending PM now.

[VegasTriker]

The other bicycle club in town with organized rides is the Las Vegas Valley Bicycle Club and their website is www.vegasbikeclub.com. I took a quick look but didn't see Friday as a regular scheduled ride either. You might try E-mailing the newsletter editor for more information.

[island rider]

So, I rode Red Rocks. I rented a CAAD8 from McGhies and couldn't have been happier with the service, the bike or the ride. All in all, very pleased. I am going to post a better description and some pics on the main Road cycling board.

[Anabella]

I am new to Las Vegas from Italia. Do you say the greenvalleycyclists go challenging rides? Do you ride with them? Thanks you. Ananbella.

[Daspydyr]

McGhie's also has an OUTPOST at Blue Diamond. It is a popular Mountain biking area. You can rent at the outpost and ride Cottonwood Canyon for days. Ask about that.

Green Valley Cyclists is a solid group. Many advanced riders in that group, some of the rides are mellow, a few. In the Henderson area check out these shops for other ride alternatives.

http://www.jtsbicycle.com/

http://www.bikeshop-lv.com/

http://www.aspencreekcycling.com/

Horizon Ridge is popular with the Roadies. I like Mountain biking. If you want some trail recommends, let me know.

[VegasTriker]

Here is a link to the Regional Transportation Authority bike route map for the Las Vegas valley. It hasn't been updated in about two years so there are more routes available than are shown on the map but it is a good start.
http://www.rtcsnv.com/cycling/BikeMapBrchrJune09web.pdf

If you live in Henderson, there are so many bike routes and bike paths that you can easily find a route from any part to any other part. Try the Rivermountain Trail at the east end of the valley. It is paved and runs from Lake Mead Drive all the way to an overlook for Hoover Dam. There are a couple of places to get water and use bathroom facilities along the way. Just be sure to ride early in the morning because it gets miserably hot by late morning.