safe bike routes and trails for new riders? (Austin, Brushy Creek: maintenance, quality of life)

[centralaustinite]

Looking for reasonably flat and uncrowded places for my kids to become better riders. They are used to riding bikes in beach towns in the summer with slow traffic and flat roads.

My sister is a hard-core bike commuter in DC and has gotten them all riding. One will get a new bike at Christmas. I'll admit, I have an irrational fear of them getting hit and injured or killed on a bike. We live at the top of steep hill with heavy traffic despite speed bumps and cars parked in the bike lanes. A teenager on a bike was severely injured last year when a car ran a stop sign at high speeds.

So when Auntie comes to town -- where can I send them? Walkers and runners on the Town Lake Trail seem to get pretty annoyed by kids on bikes. Paved trails would be even better. For the youngest ones, flatter is better.

Also, is there such a think in Austin as a "bike coach"? Someone to teach them basic maintenance, rules of the road, etiquette etc.

[atxcio]

This request screams Veloway... Shouldn't be that far for you. It's not that crowded during the days on weekdays.

I don't know about bicycle coaches, but the Veloway would probably be a good place to find one or a recommendation. Also the riding groups and bike shops. But I don't have a specific recommendation.

[Trainwreck20]

The hike-n-bike trail is fine if they are courteous and keep their speed down. Kids on bikes have as much right to the trail as anyone....

[10scoachrick]

Originally Posted by Trainwreck20

The hike-n-bike trail is fine if they are courteous and keep their speed down. Kids on bikes have as much right to the trail as anyone....

Respectfully, it's not just up to the kids. There are plenty of fast runners, walkers walking four abreast while chatting, oblivious to their surroundings, dogs on long leashes, fast cyclists, slow cyclists...all sorts of challenges to even a seasoned rider. There are sections of the trail that would be safe; but plenty of stretches that even I don't find particularly bike friendly(after 30+ years of riding).

I'd say a trip up to the Brushy Creek Trail would be interesting...if you are headed up this way.

[Austin97]

agree south = veloway
north = brushy creek regional trail
central - hike and bike during off peak hours

[joqua]

If you will GOOGLE on the words: "Austin Bike Trail Maps" you'll pull up all sorts of references to available maps of the suggested bike routes throughout the area.

For example: http://www.mapmyride.com/us/austin-tx/

[owlman]

Veloway is a great idea. It does have one hill, but they could walk up it.

The part of the Hike & Bike trail east of Congress, and especially the part east of I-35, is much less crowded than the western side.

Dick Nichols park in SW Austin has a flat paved trail a little over a mile, during off-peak hours it's not too crowded. Lots of kids so people wouldn't be annoyed by yours

The first half of the brand spankin' new Southern Walnut Creek trail (paved) in East Austin should be officially opening soon, hopefully by Christmas?

[centralaustinite]

Originally Posted by joqua

If you will GOOGLE on the words: "Austin Bike Trail Maps" you'll pull up all sorts of references to available maps of the suggested bike routes throughout the area.

For example: http://www.mapmyride.com/us/austin-tx/

Ha! Five years on CD, I think I have proven my ability to google! But just like so many other posters, I was looking for more personal information. I would have thought/googled the Veloway -- although I didn't realize just how perfect it was but I would have never considered Brushy Creek.

We can easily ride the eastern end of the hike-and-bike trail too, that is pretty empty. Does anyone know if the trails in the Colorado River park are bikeable? More specifically, can you park at Krieg field and then skirt the disc golf on a trail and end up at Roy G?

google doesn't really tell me.
Parks, trails, and open space in Austin and Travis County | Austin Parks Foundation

[CptnRn]

Also near the Veloway are the Circle C public parks, there are lots of fairly level gravel trails there that are not heavily used. Dick Nichols District Park also has a nice wide paved concrete trail that wanders through the trees at the park. All of the above are shown on the map below. Dick Nichols Pool | AustinTexas.gov - The Official Website of the City of Austin

The map below is from google maps, if you display an area of town, and click on "bicycling" it displays all the bike routes and trails in the area.

[LiveUrban]

Congrats on encouraging your children to bike! Biking will improve their quality of life and keep them fit/healthy! I started bike-commuting when I moved to Austin a few years ago and I'm in the best shape of my life. It's my main mode of transportation and I love it.

For places to ride that are offroad, check out the South Walnut Creek Trail that will open pretty soon. For in-city riding, there's the Lance Armstrong Bikeway that runs along Cesar Chavez. It's links up with the Pfluger Ped/Bike Bridge which has stunning views of downtown.

To learn about bike maintenance, check out the volunteer-run Yellow Bike Project: http://austinyellowbike.org/
For rules of the road, I believe Bicycle Sports Shop runs classes several times a year. Might want to keep a lookout for that.

For group bike rides, check out Social Cycling Austin. They put on themed rides almost everyday of the week the biggest being the Thursday Night Ride with over 300 riders:

https://www.facebook.com/socialcyclingaustin