Vegas in April... Ride and Ski?

[adam_mac84]

My wife and I are planning to return (again) to Vegas (4th time in 4 years).

We rented bikes at McGhies just off of Flamingo and rode up to red rock, only to have my wife bail before doing the loop... She wants her revenge!!!

I was also wondering if in the 2nd full week of april (april 14th i think), it is likely that skiing at Mt charleston will still be a possibility. How is Mt charleston for cycling? I don't think my wife is very interested in many high speed descents. Is the 'descent' written about in bicycling magazine manageable for more of a beginner? (flatlanders in michigan).

I was thinking about getting a tues or wednesday night reservation on Mt. Charleston to do a day of boarding if it were possible. It'd be nice to be able to board and ride in the same week.

[Daspydyr]

Vegas/Mt Charleston weather is strange. They were still skiing last year in April. This is a looking like a different year. No one will know until early in April.

As far as the descent down Charleston, drive it first. There are some sections that are manageable, and then do remember, this is a mountain that leads to a ski slope. Be Careful!

McGhies has a great reputation for good bikes. Let them know what you are thinking and they will set you up with good brakes. Its all about staying in your skill set, if she gets nervous, she needs to reign it in.

[adam_mac84]

thanks Daspydyr. We obviously don't descend much. I may hit 40-45 for 10s on 'hills' around here. I hear horror stories about overheating brakes etc. She understands braking fairly well, but i am a bit nervous if she were to ride brakes the whole time. We will try redrock first (one way traffic) and see how it goes descending. And definately drive the descent

Thanks again. People don't understand that we go to vegas and only spend 1-2 days on the strip... haha

[Daspydyr]

We have lived here 11 years and only go there when someone comes to town. Its a ton of fun, but I like the biking. The wife likes the shopping.

[LoonyTick]

I think the thing to worry about most descending Mt Charleston is the traffic. I don't know if I will ever be up to riding up there on my new bike once I get it. I know I could probably have done this back in my 20's when I was young and invincible. Nowadays that is a totally different story.

Also, thanks for the info on McGhies bike shop. I will be checking that out soon and see if they can measure me to see what size/type bike will work for me.

[Daspydyr]

Hey Loony, welcome to Bike Forum. I see you are a Vegas rider. There are a few good shops in town, check out a number and then let us know what you get.

It did snow 7 inches today at MT. Charleston. Hopefully there is much more to come.

Also, Xterra is having the West US Championship Tri Athalon April 14 at Lake Las Vegas.

http://www.xterraplanet.com/races/race.cfm?race_id=1489

I went out and watched a bit of it last year. Its fun to see. There is a Sprint TRI that I am looking at, who knows.

[VegasTriker]

Good lord, why would someone from Michigan come to Nevada and then go play in the snow? Haven't you had enough of winter yet? By mid-April the temperatures in the valley should be mighty fine, particularly for someone coming from a place where winter hasn't given up yet (Yes, I once lived in Okemos and East Lansing so I know when winter ends there!). The River Mountain Trail on the east end of the valley (Henderson) runs for 30 miles and has easy areas and hilly areas too. I don't know much about renting bikes in Henderson but I'm sure others who reply can give you some ideas for shops closer to that trail.

[adam_mac84]

Good lord, why would someone from Michigan come to Nevada and then go play in the snow? Haven't you had enough of winter yet? By mid-April the temperatures in the valley should be mighty fine, particularly for someone coming from a place where winter hasn't given up yet (Yes, I once lived in Okemos and East Lansing so I know when winter ends there!). The River Mountain Trail on the east end of the valley (Henderson) runs for 30 miles and has easy areas and hilly areas too. I don't know much about renting bikes in Henderson but I'm sure others who reply can give you some ideas for shops closer to that trail.

well, today it was 44* and we have green grass, very little precip this year. Plus, skiing on a mountain, is very different than the pimples we have here. (even if it is a smaller mountain in a desert haha). Plus, it's a fun idea to ski and ride in extremely different temperatures in one week... Something can't be done in midwest

[Daspydyr]

There are a couple of smaller loops south of Red Rocks if you still have some legs left. Spring Mountain Ranch and Bonnie Springs are about 7 miles South of Red Rocks. You have a good chance of seeing burros at Bonnie Springs. They also have a nice Ranch Style Restaurant. Blue Diamond is a very small burg that time forgot @2miles south of Bonnie Springs. McGhies and it now looks like LV Cycles have shops in Blue Diamond.

http://allmountaincyclery.com/

http://www.jtsbicycle.com/

All Mountain is in Boulder City close to the River MT loop. JTs is in Henderson not far from the loop. Both are good places for riding the SE section of the Vegas Valley.

[adam_mac84]

Thanks a ton Daspydyr. I was thinking of buying a cheap trunk rack and renting for a week, maybe leaving it with a BF member haha (depending on how prices go for week rentals versus 2-3 rentals) to give a bit more freedom... then maybe I can catch a group ride if my wife is sleeping one off haha

[Daspydyr]

The bike shops might have rack rentals. If not I can let you borrow one. It fits your description of cheap. But I think that it is a good idea to rent for several days. Try googling Valley of Fire, that might be a nice trip off the beaten track as well as Sloan Canyon.

[Namida12]

I have been riding from the Academy just beyond Red Rock Casino on Charleston to the Shell Gas Stand on 160 & back on Fridays, a decent 29+ ride, with brilliance views as the sun peaks over the bluff lighting up the Red Rocks. Signs of the Burros are evident or they can be seen lurking off the road if you are observant enjoying the valley views, and an occasional turtle can be seen when you are in the right spot and time. I always find time to stop in Blue Diamond on the way to 160, to hear the latest news about Cottonwood trails in the bike shop, or manage a cup of coffee from the country store...

Last few times, I have been thankful the bicycle shop is located in Blue Diamond, trying several different bicycles, and discovering I have been negligent in common sense maintenance...

JR

[adam_mac84]

saw the mtn is closed for skiing.

How about some easy MTB riding? We have never tried that, i assume there are some green trails. I am going to call McGhee's and see if they can do a MTB/ROAD rental combo for the week with a couple days of each type of bike

[adam_mac84]

Well, we returned from LV yesterday.

Was able to do the loop at red rock from the Casino (on Charleston Rd?) twice. Rode the River Mtn Loop 2x as well, and did some cycling out at the valley of fire (nice climb north of the visitor center).

Couldn't have gotten better weather. My wife is not a super early rider, so most of our rides started at 9-10am, and ended at noon or just after, and we were able to stay in temps only up to the mid 80's. End of the week my loop around the River mtn trail got into the 90's but, was able to start early enough to not die.

Couldn't have done it without help from fellow BF members, thanks again everyone for your help (especially Daspydyr). Can't wait to get back out there to do some more riding...