# In Denver for a wedding... Bike rental/rides



## adam_mac84 (Sep 22, 2010)

I am going to be in Denver for 4 days for a wedding. Was hoping to get some riding in while I was out there (end of June). Staying at the intersection of 25 and 225. Any tips for bike rental and some good rides to do? I want to drive out to flagstaff road and climb that. Any other good tips.

We are flatlanders, so the mountains are extra exciting for us haha


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## colorider7 (Jun 14, 2012)

As far as rental options, you won't be far from Bicycle Village and they have some good bikes for rent (like some nice Scott's and Specialized I think). Also, you will be very close to Cherry Creek Reservoir and the related path. You should also try to get to Golden and hit Lookout Mountain and/or possibly Deer Creek Canyon.


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## adam_mac84 (Sep 22, 2010)

Curious for the locals: Are roads like highway 6 (clear creek canyon road) and 119 that turns north off of it (near golden) safe for riding, or are these busy highway type roads. Don't know exactly how to interpret some of the roads on the maps... I know there were some roads when we were out in Nevada that looked like roads on the maps, but ended up being near singletrack up in the mountain areas


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## arkitect (Apr 25, 2011)

You cannot ride on Hwy 6 or 119.
You are staying in the "tech center", let the locals know that which will help you navigate around town. 
Lookout Mountain is probably a good climb to try as it is pretty short yet scenic. 
If that's easy, try Deer Creek Canyon and take High Grade. 
Lots of rides to choose from, just check with a LBS such Bikesource. 
Welcome!!!


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## Samadhi (Nov 1, 2011)

Paul's Bike Shop rents Masi and is located at the junction of two major trail systems. From Paul's you could ride south on the Platte River trail, west though Chatfield state park and have a nice warmup for a try at Deer Creek Canyon. Or you could ride out Bear Creek Trail into Morrison, play around in the Red Rocks area, maybe go have a look at Dinosaur Ridge. Good climbs everywhere in those areas.


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## adam_mac84 (Sep 22, 2010)

Looks like we are looking at Bikesource or Wheat Ridge cyclery for rental... Wheat ridge is a bit further away, but I like the rental bikes there better .

Curious for some input on the couple of routes that I mapped to try:

05/19/2013 in Golden, CO | MapMyRide

A 41.53 mi Bike Ride mapped on Sun May 19 2013 in Littleton, CO | MapMyRide


The first link does use some of 119, which someone above said wasn't able to ride on. I think I got that route from bicycling magazine or something.


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## colorider7 (Jun 14, 2012)

Both are fantastic rides. The first one is up Golden Gate Canyon to the Peak to Peak Highway and then back down Coal Creek Canyon. The second is Deer Creek / High Grade to Conifer and back (not clear on the exact route back from the map, but appears to be a standard loop). Both are classic Colorado biking areas. I would recommend doing both rides very early in the morning to minimize car traffic. Both routes lack a shoulder for most of the way. Also, both routes should prove fairly challenging and the scenery is incredible! Good riding! Colorider


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## Samadhi (Nov 1, 2011)

Both are good rides, but if you're not used to the altitude, those climbs might be a bigger challenge than you expect.

Make sure the rental bike has two bottle cages and keep water bottles in both. That, or ride with a hydration pack. The combination of altitude, heat, wind and lack of humidity will dry you out in a heartbeat. There are limited opportunities to get extra water on those routes.

Colorider's start time advice is good. Get started as early as possible. It reduces traffic interaction. The roads you're looking at have limited shoulders so you'll be riding "in-traffic". The earlier you start, the better. You also want to avoid the hottest part of the day.

Get a good sunblock!

I'd recommend the Deer Creek/Conifer/Evergreen loop. The route is more built up and there are more opportunities for support, supplies and stuff like that.

Have a great ride!


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## adam_mac84 (Sep 22, 2010)

Thanks a bunch everyone. I am waiting on my wife to finalize some of the plans so I can get my bike(s) booked. I realize that those climbs are probably going to kill me, but I figure, at least there is a downhill at some point. I may find that I over-estimated myself, or underestimated the challenges... At that point, I am perfectly content to just pedal around... Nothing that I will ever get to see on my rides (mountains and such that is). 

Vacations are a werid thing aren't they? What is a normal ride ares to one person, is something to plan vacation activities around for another haha... I havn't been to the beach here (lake michigan) in years, but people drive for hours to stay a week


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## Samadhi (Nov 1, 2011)

You'll be fine. Relax, take it easy and enjoy the ride. If it takes all day, what does it matter?


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## colorider7 (Jun 14, 2012)

Agreed! Take it slow, stay in your comfort zone, and drink as much as you possibly can and eat often. Also, would best to acclimate for at least a few days before heading out. Bring your camera! On the Deer Creek climb, if you can at least make it to the crux of High Grade (early in the ride you linked), you will get some very rewarding views. Finally, if you are a "flat lander" the Golden Gate to Coal Creek will be very challenging I think -- but your attitude is correct -- just cut loose if need be and head back down the Canyon. I would also look at a loop with Lookout Mountain near Golden / the Golden Gate ride you linked. It has a huge payoff in terms of views etc. for about a 4 mile climb and you can then continue down to Morrison and Red Rocks and back, which is also pretty nice views. Enjoy! Colorider


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## adam_mac84 (Sep 22, 2010)

Hey everyone... Thanks for the tips. Just returned the rentals to Wheat Ridge Cyclery. I had a Madone 5.9 with Ultegra electronic shifting, and my wife had mechanical Domane.

We rode:

1) Deer creek canyon clockwise from the south to High-Grade and through some random neighborhood (can you say 15% grades in a neighborhood)? And down Turkey Creek back to Deer Creek.

2) Flagstaff. My wife made it 3/4 of the way to the mailboxes, I went up to the mailboxes and came back down to join her (she only needed about 0.5 more miles, but they were TOUGH), we then rode down to the Amphitheater, and back down. She got the car, and I did one more loop back up to the Amplitheater.

3) Today. Mt Evans from Idaho Springs. Amazing ride, great weather... That is until that ***** mother nature spewed her bowels on me 0.5 miles from the summit. Rain, freezing wind, and horrible ice chunks (think razor-blade hail). I wasn't willing to risk exposure for another 10 minutes to get to the top and turn around, so I bailed about 2 switchbacks from the top. I was also concerned about the descent. Headed down to the rest stop by the higher-elevation lake, huddled in a shelter for a minute or 2 to let my hands warm up, and headed down. Under 12,000 things got better, and by the tree-line, everything was good. It was a fun descent at a 28mph average back to the Springs (after some coco and chili at the restaurant there)


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## Samadhi (Nov 1, 2011)

adam_mac84 said:


> Hey everyone... Thanks for the tips. Just returned the rentals to Wheat Ridge Cyclery. I had a Madone 5.9 with Ultegra electronic shifting, and my wife had mechanical Domane.
> 
> We rode:
> 
> ...



Sounds like you had an awesome time. Well done, but too bad you had to bail on Mt Evans, though.


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## colorider7 (Jun 14, 2012)

Wow! Nice work! Some classic front range Colorado rides! Mt. Evans is not for the faint of heart! Way to go and sounds like things worked out very well (all things considered)... Some great memories for you... Good riding...


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