Milwaukee By Bike (Sheboygan, Wauwatosa, New Berlin: insurance, house, neighborhood)

[Milwaukee City]

So I live in Walker's Point or 5th Ward for those obsessed with changing the name of the neighborhood. I just bought a 26" mountain bike and last year I started to bike everywhere, not b/c I'm a bleeding heart liberal that believes man is killing mother earth. I'm starting to ride every where b/c I love the freedom and the views I can get of the city and the most important reason...exercise. So I know about all the bike lanes on Milwaukee roads but what about paved trails that most people don't know about? where are some great paved trails or non-paved as well? Not just Milwaukee but suburbs also and kettle moraine units? where do you bike?

I'm more interested in biking along the lake, anyone have any great routes?

Milwaukee by Bike

Bike Maps

Oak Leaf Trail

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

I myself caught the biking bug a few years ago, and today about 90% of my trips around town are by bike. I've lost over 40 pounds, have saved hundreds in gasoline, insurance and car maintenance costs, and literally feel better than I ever have in my life. Like you I was never motivated by a desire to "go green," rather just a love of biking. But the fact I'm not feeding the oil beast is a good feeling.

My personal favorite recreational ride is the south shore leg of Oak Leaf, from the Coast Guard station in Bay View all the way down to Seven Bridges. The views of the Lake are awesome, the trail is good condition, and it's not nearly as crowded as the north shore leg can get sometimes (downtown north along the Lake to Shorewood/Glendale).

A little more off the beaten path, the Southwest sections of the Oak Leaf down in Greendale and Frankin are surprisingly decent. There's a new section that follows the Root River parkway. In some parts you're riding through marshland over wooden plank bridges, up and down rolling hills. Very nice.

There is a little-known mountain path along the west bank of the Milwaukee River through Gordon Park, south of Locust to the Beerline. You can access it in Gordon Park in gap in the trees just south of Locust, just west of the bridge. You'll want shocks and knobby tires for this one. Beware of the drop off right when you get on the trail. It's steep, but fun.

As far as suburbs, I've never ridden the Kettle Moraine, but I have been on the New Berlin and Bugline Trails. They're alright. Out there you're probably better off on the roads, since the trails are spotty and mostly gravel. Watch out, though on those suburban two lane roads ... they can be narrow and can carry a fair amount of very fast moving traffic. The Wisconsin Bike Federation publishes a state map that shows you the best and worst rural roads for riding.

My favorite suburban paved trail is the Ozaukee Interurban, which runs the length of Ozaukee County from Mequon up to the Sheboygan county line. This is a really nice trail that takes you through towns and scenic countryside. Very well maintained.

Further outstate you've got some great trails and roads in the central and western parts of Wisconsin. The Military Ridge trail, from Verona to Dodgeville, is awesome. You can ride roads in the western part of the state pretty easily since it's very rural with little car traffic.

[Milwaukee City]

Great Info Milwaukee Ronnie thanks!!!

[43north87west]

Biking is one of my favorite things to do. I have two mountain bikes, an older modified Specialized Rockhopper hardtail that's super light and nice for climbing and distance, and a new Trek Fuel EX (full susp., disc brakes) that's good for all around riding, and more forgiving for the more rough and rocky sections. Obviously the FS bike is substantially heavier.

MKE Ronnie already covered what I'd suggest within the Milwaukee area in terms of riding. I used to ride the Oak Leaf Trail from the East Side to downtown daily (weather permitting), then venture onto the lakefront.

In terms of the Kettle Moraine, my favorite trails for off road riding are in this order:

1) Emma Carlin
2) John Muir
3) Greenbush

Here is why I prefer them and why I prefer them in this order:

Emma Carlin is the most challenging of the trail systems, for technical riding, although the outer loop is only a little more than 4 miles. There isn't much flat riding on this system. I used to ride it twice a week and on those two days it was not crowded. If you can ride around 2 or 2:30pm there is almost nobody there. It is also quicker to get to than John Muir, but not by very much, since the two are only a few miles apart. Furthermore, there is some nice on-road riding available right near Carlin, without any traffic. I used to wind down my ride with 3-4 miles on nearby roads, then return to the parking lot. I have never ridden this system on a weekend.

FYI, Muir and Carlin have a connector trail which I used to ride occasionally. If you tire of one, you can ride to the other.

John Muir is a longer system (outer loop is about 10 miles) with some challenging parts as well. I like Muir for the length and the variety of trails, but it gets crowded since it offers a little more forgiving riding for novices. I never went on a weekend because of the number of people who would crowd it on the big weekends. During the week it's not bad; well worth the ride.

Greenbush is a great system to ride, with the drawback being that it is west of Sheboygan, between 41 and 43. There isn't a very fast way to get there. The good thing is, in all the years that I've ridden this trail, it's never been too busy. I have never ridden it on a weekend. The outer loop is only 5 miles, with a couple of fun rides on the inner loops as well. I love this trail system, but it takes a little more time to get to.

There is also the New Fane trail system just north of West Bend. I rode it once, on a weekend. It was not challenging, and was packed with families, so it was tough to get a good ride in. It's a nice system, but if you want a challenge, go elsewhere. I don't consider this in my short list of places to ride.

Obviously, having a house in the desert southwest, I have ample choices for technical mountain biking and skiing. In fact, I can ride my bike straight from my house to a 2000' mountain in a matter of minutes. But my response is intended to be relative to Southeastern WI, not the Continental US. I only say this because when discussions of mountain biking, skiing, or snowboarding come up, there is always some bloodshot-eyed underachiever who will immediately bash any and every local mountain-type sport, comparing it with a religious experience they had in the Rockies. This comparison is usually littered with the word "dude" (pronounced: deeeuuuuuuuuuuudde), and almost always contains multiple, thinly-veiled references to recreational drugs. If someone wants to go that route, fine, but I'm only giving examples that are relevant to the area in which you are located. And keeping it drug-and-dude-free.

[Milwaukee City]

The bike I just bought is a Jamis 17" trail X mountain bike and I bought it from Cory's Bike Shop on Murray and loved the service and bikes. I went to Bens really enjoy the two buildings they have but their bike are high end. Crank Daddy's seems way to expensive but I'm not even close to an expert but compared to bens they are more expensive. So this begs the question which place to you prefer to buy your bike from and why? what kind of experiences have you had?

[43north87west]

Originally Posted by Milwaukee City

The bike I just bought is a Jamis 17" trail X mountain bike and I bought it from Cory's Bike Shop on Murray and loved the service and bikes. I went to Bens really enjoy the two buildings they have but their bike are high end. Crank Daddy's seems way to expensive but I'm not even close to an expert but compared to bens they are more expensive. So this begs the question which place to you prefer to buy your bike from and why? what kind of experiences have you had?

I bought my Specialized from Ben's a while back. I'm not sure if they still sell Specialized. At that time they were definitely a staff of enthusiasts, so there was no shortage of high end bikes in the shop. I'm sure it's still the same today.

Never been to Crank Daddy's, and Cory's is right in my neighborhood. I have never bought anything from either one, not because I didn't like either, but that's just the way it worked out. I purchased my last bike in Scottsdale so I didn't make the rounds of the Milwaukee bike shops.

[Milwaukee City]

Me and My wife just bought bikes and she got a specialized allez comp. together we spent 1200.

[Milwaukee City]

What about trails that are not on any bike map???

[Milwaukee Ronnie]

Ben's and Crank Daddy's are both high end shops that cater to the high end customers. If you own, or are looking to own, a $4,000 customized Italian-made racing bike, then those are the places for you.

I only have one bike, an early-1990s Spalding that I bought refurbished for $175. I have kept it up and invested a lot of time and parts into it. It's a good bike. When I take it in for service I want the mechanic to give me a good deal and to treat my bike with the same TLC that I do. I want the same attention and service that the road warriors on their four-figure road bikes get.

In my experience, Johnson's in Wauwatosa, and Cory the Bike Fixer, are those places. I live only a mile from Johnson's, so that's my usual shop. Good service.

For more specialized gear or tools to do my own repairs, I ride down to Ben's. They've got harder-to-find parts and gear, but they tend to be aloof to guys like me that commute on solid, but inexpensive, bikes.

I stay away from Crank Daddy's, in general.

There are plenty of other shops I have no experience with.

[Milwaukee City]

Just wanted to know how the summer's been for biking for you, I still haven't taken any other trails other than the paved bike trail along the lake that runs up to shorewood and beyond. I kind of wish I bought a road bike now, my wife has a specialized and man can that thing roar! Riding my Jamis 2.0 mountain bike is somewhat of a workout but hers is a breeze and little to no effort and you're flying!

Anyone here commute daily on city streets? and good routes around the east side-Bayview? I take Milwaukee ave a lot during the week but not on a weekend.