Welcome to City-Data.com Forum!
U.S. CitiesCity-Data Forum Index
Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Colorado > Denver
 [Register]
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
View detailed profile (Advanced) or search
site with Google Custom Search

Search Forums  (Advanced)
Reply Start New Thread
 
Old 04-09-2018, 07:48 PM
 
54 posts, read 99,401 times
Reputation: 89

Advertisements

Hi!

My hubby and I plan on moving to Colorado soon. One of the things we love to do is ride our bicycles. We only go for leisurely rides on paved or gravel trails. No roads or mountain bike trails.

So here's my question: In Denver, how flat are the paved/ gravel trails there? Or are they real hilly and not too flat?

The reason I ask is because of the type of bicycles we own right now might not be appropriate for there. We have heavy beach cruiser bikes that have no gears. Works great for here.....flat Houston and Galveston Seawall. Those heavy single speed bikes would be awful if we had to deal with a hilly terrain. Heck just riding against the wind with those can be a challenge. Lol! With that said they are a dream to ride if the conditions are right.

Just trying to figure out if we should sell them before we move and buy lighter bikes with gears after we get there.

Thanks!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message

 
Old 04-09-2018, 08:36 PM
 
Location: 0.83 Atmospheres
11,477 posts, read 11,548,648 times
Reputation: 11976
I ride a beach cruiser around my neighborhood, but to answer your question better need to know where in the Metro Area will you be?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-09-2018, 08:40 PM
 
Location: Aurora, CO
8,603 posts, read 14,877,226 times
Reputation: 15396
Denver proper is fairly flat, but it's not Houston flat. My wife had a single speed bike that she rode maybe a half dozen times around our neighborhood, and she hated it because there was just enough terrain for it to be a PITA. She sold it at a garage sale and replaced it with a mountain bike.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-09-2018, 08:58 PM
 
Location: San Diego
50,244 posts, read 46,997,454 times
Reputation: 34045
Replace with bike that has gears.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-09-2018, 09:23 PM
 
Location: Na'alehu Hawaii/Buena Vista Colorado
5,529 posts, read 12,660,633 times
Reputation: 6198
Isn't the Platte River Trail from Littleton to downtown pretty flat?
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-09-2018, 09:51 PM
 
Location: Denver
1,330 posts, read 698,641 times
Reputation: 1270
Plenty of flat trails - Bear creek bike path, Platte River (that's 30ish miles long), Cherry Creek Bike Path, Highline Canal (both the paved section and the packed dirt section are mostly flat).

Last edited by illinoisphotographer; 04-09-2018 at 10:38 PM..
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-09-2018, 10:21 PM
 
Location: Aurora, CO
8,603 posts, read 14,877,226 times
Reputation: 15396
Quote:
Originally Posted by Dreaming of Hawaii View Post
Isn't the Platte River Trail from Littleton to downtown pretty flat?
Quote:
Originally Posted by illinoisphotographer View Post
Plenty of flat trails - Bear creek bike path, Platte Rive (that's 30ish miles long), Cherry Creek Bike Path. Highline Canal (both the paved section and the packed dirt section are mostly flat).
Both of these are true, but those cruiser bikes are hot garbage on anything remotely resembling a hill because they're geared like a BMX bike and (as the OP pointed out) heavier than hell. They're perfect for a place like Houston where the biggest incline you'll encounter is the 3-5 degree slope of your driveway. Even something as simple as a 3-speed (if they still make them) will be a huge upgrade over a cruiser.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-09-2018, 10:40 PM
 
54 posts, read 99,401 times
Reputation: 89
Thanks y'all for the replies! We are going to be retiring to Colorado and right now aren't 100% positive where exactly. Could be anywhere from Colorado Springs all the way to Fort Collins. Lol! It's so nice not to have to worry about moving location based on where you work or what school district. Anyway, we have a bike rack and plan on exploring all of the paved/gravel trails in and around Denver. Yep, our bikes are really heavy and weigh about 45 lbs each. Sounds like we need to sell them and get some lighter weight bikes with gears. I appreciate the feedback!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-09-2018, 10:46 PM
 
Location: Denver
1,330 posts, read 698,641 times
Reputation: 1270
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluescreen73 View Post
Both of these are true, but those cruiser bikes are hot garbage on anything remotely resembling a hill because they're geared like a BMX bike and (as the OP pointed out) heavier than hell. They're perfect for a place like Houston where the biggest incline you'll encounter is the 3-5 degree slope of your driveway. Even something as simple as a 3-speed (if they still make them) will be a huge upgrade over a cruiser.
Got it. I guess the only "cruiser" bikes I've ridden are the ones you rent in cities using your phone app, but I think you're right and they have 3 gears in an internal hub.

OP: I'd probably look into selling them and getting something new when you're here. Please stay away from Walmart bikes. If you're interested and don't have the $$ to spend at a local bike store, there's a website online, bikesdirect.com that I've ordered from a few times that have decent quality bikes for good prices (I'd be looking at around $250 or so per/bike. I'd be happy to help you pick out a new bike and assemble.
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
 
Old 04-09-2018, 10:51 PM
 
54 posts, read 99,401 times
Reputation: 89
Quote:
Originally Posted by bluescreen73 View Post
Both of these are true, but those cruiser bikes are hot garbage on anything remotely resembling a hill because they're geared like a BMX bike and (as the OP pointed out) heavier than hell. They're perfect for a place like Houston where the biggest incline you'll encounter is the 3-5 degree slope of your driveway. Even something as simple as a 3-speed (if they still make them) will be a huge upgrade over a cruiser.
Hahaha that is so very true! Ride like a luxury car on flat ground.

When we first got them we made 2 mistakes on 1 day with them.

Mistake 1 - Took them to the Galveston Seawall on a day that was blowing 15 - 20 mph.

Mistake 2 - Rode about 8 miles WITH the wind down the Seawall. I thought I was gonna die coming back those 8 mile AGAINST the wind!

Hahahahahaha we never made that mistake again!
Reply With Quote Quick reply to this message
Please register to post and access all features of our very popular forum. It is free and quick. Over $68,000 in prizes has already been given out to active posters on our forum. Additional giveaways are planned.

Detailed information about all U.S. cities, counties, and zip codes on our site: City-data.com.


Reply
Please update this thread with any new information or opinions. This open thread is still read by thousands of people, so we encourage all additional points of view.

Quick Reply
Message:


Settings
X
Data:
Loading data...
Based on 2000-2020 data
Loading data...

123
Hide US histogram


Over $104,000 in prizes was already given out to active posters on our forum and additional giveaways are planned!

Go Back   City-Data Forum > U.S. Forums > Colorado > Denver

All times are GMT -6. The time now is 10:06 PM.

© 2005-2024, Advameg, Inc. · Please obey Forum Rules · Terms of Use and Privacy Policy · Bug Bounty

City-Data.com - Contact Us - Archive 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32, 33, 34, 35, 36, 37 - Top