ravenmore

Hi all,

I'm photographing a wedding in the Ft. Collins area in Colorado weekend after next (specifically Bellvue). I'm going to have the Sunday after the wedding to myself, and thought it would be awesome to try and hit up a group ride in the area, or at least go put some miles in. It's not everyday I get to cycle in the mountains.

I was thinking of trying to bring my road bike, but that seems like a huge hassle for one day. Can anyone suggest any cycling resources in the area? Also group rides or route suggestions are appreciated as well.

UGASkiDawg

Route.....Rist Canyon.....look on mapmyride....can't help you with the bike or group parts

jdswitters

you might want to check out new world sports here in fort collins, they have rentals and are a new company so I have not heard much about them. They also do rides or can help you plan your route.


newworldsports@comcast.net

M_FactorX19

are you driving up or flying? if you are driving i dont see why you wouldnt just take your own bike. if you are flying it will likely be worth it to rent while you are there.

ravenmore

Thanks - I'm flying up. If I was driving I'd definitely just throw the bike in the back of the car. Will check out New World Sports.

valygrl

My first thought as well.

University Bikes in Boulder rents nice bikes, if you can't hook one up in FtC. There might be a few mountain rides worth doing here.. If you end up riding out of Boulder I can make suggestions for mountain rides.

From Boulder, the big gnarly racerboy rides don't go to the mountains so much - call U-Bikes or Boulder Cycle Sport and ask about Bus Stop or Gateway (= names of rides) -- I don't know what they do on Sunday, since I can't hang with them anyway I never bothered to figure it out.

ravenmore

The other tricky bit is that I won't have a car of my own while I'm there - doh.

valygrl

That is tricky. A bunch of those guys in the 33 are from Ft C - Badhat, possibly miwoodar - maybe someone over there could hook you up.

or try the regional forum
https://www.bikeforums.net/forumdispl...ountain-Plains

dstrong 

The other tricky part using a BF connection is they may know how ravenmore destroys wheels and shreds cogsets. I'd rent...both a bike and a car.

sbxx1985 

That stinks. I don't think rtd runs a bus b/w Fort Collins and Boulder, so you'd have to rent a car for the day.

As valygrl suggested, Ubikes has some really high end rentals. If you're willing to spend the day in Boulder, you could rent from them, ride some, and then head back to the Fort. They'll help you plan a ride.

glrnns280

Not to change the subject but, ravenmore your automotive pictures are amazing!!!

ravenmore

Wow - that Rist Canyon Rd. heads right through Bellvue (where the wedding venue is). Looks like an amazing place to ride. Definitely stoked to do some riding out there!

ravenmore

Heh - with the altitude I'm not sure that will be a big concern. I think the area is at a higher altitude than Denver. I'll probably be weak as a kitten until I adjust.

ravenmore

Thanks! I always have a lot of fun photographing cars.

ridenow

The Cycologist also rents high end bikes. (https://thecycologist.com) They're close to the New Belgium brewery too. Check out the road section of https://yourgroupride.com for some routes and rides.

ravenmore

Getting ready to head out tomorrow. Hopefully I'll be cruising some mountain roads come Sunday morning.

miwoodar

I'm south of Denver - I've never ridden in FtC. I know that Rist is a prized route though. Badhat's team is helping with a road race there this fall. The route is described here: https://www.fccyclingfest.com/aca-road-race.

I think the Gateway ride is on Sundays but I'm not sure if it's running right now.

celticfrost

Take a left out of Bellvue onto Rist, then take a left onto Stove Prairie (Rt. 27) and head into Masonville where you can refill your bottles at a convenience store. Then head back.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/492988

Here's a shorter alternative, but I don't think there'll be any place to refill bottles along the way. If you decide on this one, don't go east on Poudre Canyon (Rt. 14) -- narrow roads and a lot of people hailing trailers.

https://ridewithgps.com/routes/492999

ravenmore

Thanks for the tips guys. I'm going to call a couple of the shops to see if I can reserve a bike now.

sbxx1985 

Have a great trip.

I might be headed to the Fort this weekend for some riding. I'll be that one guy on the black bike riding with a couple other people.

ravenmore

Cool - I'll keep an eye out. The shop I'm renting from doesn't open until 11am, so it will be a late morning early afternoon ride. They also quoted me $75 to rent a bike for the day. Does that seem steep to anyone? (never rented a bike before).

sbxx1985 

What kind of bike? I think Ubikes has similar prices for their high end rentals.

Did you ask whether you could pick it up before the shop closes the night before? That worked for me in Sonoma.

ravenmore

It's all all carbon bike w/Shimano 105 or higher. Unfortunately I'm going to be photographing the wedding all afternoon/evening Saturday so I won't be able to pick it up until Sunday.

AltheCyclist

+1 there .. there are literally dozens of bike shops 'round the Fort - many of them rent, renting a bike won't be problem. New Belgium has free beer samples, Odells is also worth visiting (my fav) is right down the road and has the best beer.

Rist is awesome route. Not extremely easy, either, it gets to 8000 feet with a pretty good incline at the top.
Another good one is to loop Horsetooth res. If you're really hardcore - ride Bellvue to Masonville, and then head up Rt. 34 toward Estes Park - (near Rocky Mountain National Park). It's a good haul (40 miles mostly uphill, I would guess) but the scenery is worth it.

AltheCyclist

I've seen rental rates for like 50 - 100 per day so 75 seems pretty good.