Not many bicyclists around here. There is one bike rack in this town of 6,000 people but last time I saw it, it was knocked over. If you see someone on a bicycle here, it means they lost their drivers license again!

I recently bought a Buckhorn by Monument Cycles. It seems to be a good bike, but what do I know. i'm sure I'll reach my limits long before the bike reaches it's.

Anyway, thanks for letting me join. I've been reading many of the older forum posts and it appears to be a friendly place.

Best Wishes,
-Bob

Hello Bob, if you stay out of the Road Cycling forum, and Advocacy & Safety, you should be fairly safe. The Clydesdales/Athenas is friendly, so is Classic & Vintage, and Commuting isn't too bad. General Cycling and Recreational & Family are cool, too.

Enjoy your riding, and Welcome to BF!

East Hill

Hey Bob. Well your town has 1 more bike rack than my town then! Welcome to the forums!

... Brad

I did notice not a lot of people rode bikes when I was there. The kind with pedals at least. I think the fact so many people have huge commutes contributes to it. Only pedal type of bikes I saw there typically had tourists on them. And there were not a lot of them. I was there for a week and saw I think 3 adults on bikes.

Growing up in Illinois every single kid in town had a bicycle. If you walked, you were a loser. And the bike racks at school were always full. Around small-town New Mexico few kids have bikes at all, most don't take care of them, and there aren't any bike paths or trails. Seriously, if you see an adult on a bicycle here, they're either too poor to buy a car or they've lost their license.

The riding style I enjoyed the most was road riding in rural Illinois on a Huffy Aerowind. I'd take off after school each day, ride 5-10 miles to a nearby town, have a soda, and ride home again. And I rode everywhere in college - too poor for a car - on an old Schwinn that I rebuilt.

A few years ago I was a mountain bike instructor at Philmont Scout Ranch, leading short 'tours' in the Carson National Forest. No bike-specific trails, so we'd use the cow paths, historic railroad grades, and old two-track roads.

Never owned a mountain bike though until last year, and with so many years in-between it feels like I've never ridden before.

Thanks for the welcome!
-Bob

OT:
My wife has a Lexus RX300. I call it the "Estrogen Wagon." No man would ever buy one...

And since it's such an uncommon bike, here's a photo of the Monument Buckhorn:

Bit of an exaggeration there, Bob...when I lived in Raton there were lots of us who rode bikes. Nice to see someone in here from my old hometown - that I hope to retire back to someday.

Bob, Bob, Bob. If you want to find some trails, go up to Sugarite Canyon or up on the old pass road. The roads are great to ride too. Heck, when I left we even had cops riding bike patrol downtown. I rode a bike all the time...and not only had a job, but was also on the City Commission. Don't be dissing my old hometown, Bob, and watch out for them bears in Philmont...they have a taste for scouts.

Very cool. A bit suprised to see anyone from Raton posting online.

I have ridden the Old Pass Road, all the way to the dead end. It's a great leisurely ride once you're up there, but it's not a bicycle-specific trail and it is open to cars also. Quite a few cars up there now, since a lot of the surrounding land has been sub-divided.

The best local ride is about two miles long, the old road that's currently an ATV trail that curves around the top of Climax Canyon. It starts at the radio towers near Goat Hill and ends at the water tank by the Old Miners Home. Nice ride, plenty challenging for me, but you have to watch out for racing ATVs.

I've ridden a small bit out at Lake Maloya and hope to do a lot more. Again, not bike-specific trails, but the state park allows bicycles on the hiking trails. And I have seen a couple of bicyclists on the roads out by Maloya, but they aren't locals; they're tourists staying at the campgrounds.

The cops-on-bikes program lasted about three months, maybe a year. That was several years ago, maybe eight years ago, right after we moved here.

-Bob

Yeah, it's kinda nice to see someone from Raton on here. I was almost wondering if the Bob W was old Bob Wills - but I don't recall ever seeing him on a bike.

Get to know the Bergs, who own the ranch at the dead-end of the old pass road...old Don used to let me ride & hike through his property - he's probably gone now, but the family is nice folks. You can also hang a right at the dead end and follow those trails down to I-25, then either go over the pass to Trinidad or back down to Raton on the Interstate. (it's legal). There are also some side trails on Pilmore's property...I imagine Roy and his dad are still around to talk to about permission.

Lots of good trails at Whittington Center as well...again you can ride the interstate down the the 64 West exit to get there. Then there's always Vermejo Park, if you know anyone up there, and Carson National Forest. Lots of good riding up on Johnson Mesa too. You don't need bike specific trails.

Vince must of scrapped the cops on bikes program the winter that I left. Is he still Chief?