# Relocating to the Raleigh area



## ph0enix (Aug 12, 2009)

I'll be relocating to the Raleigh (Wake Forest) area very soon and I'm wondering what the cycling scene down there looks like. Any info would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you!


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## thumper8888 (Apr 7, 2009)

*you're in luck...*



ph0enix said:


> I'll be relocating to the Raleigh (Wake Forest) area very soon and I'm wondering what the cycling scene down there looks like. Any info would be greatly appreciated.
> 
> Thank you!


The Gyros ride up on that side of Raleigh mainly as you have to get out of the city a decent distance to clear the traffic... and the best century in the middle part of the state (at least by my taste), velo for yellow, is run out of a brewpub there and the pub sponsors a race team.
There are other rides to be had, fast and slow... its a little confusing but one way to start getting in the loop is look up the google group raleigh rides and get on that.
If you need a hammerfest, I'm not up on that part of the Raleigh scene at all, as I ride out of Chapel Hill, though I think what's regarded as the toughest hammerfest in the region is run out of here, the P-ride.
You'll likely end up for convenience sake riding with some group that is close, but just for orientation, it's a metropolitan area that includes Durham, Cary and Chapel Hill, and you make find cause to do a ride somewhere 20-30 minutes away because you like the terrain or the group better.
IMHO riding is significantly better over here on this corner of the Triangle as the roads and traffic are generally better...lots of rolling dairy and row crop land with little traffic. (chapelhillcycling.com and chapel hill cycling google group (unrelated to the web site.)... and on any given saturday four to 6 rides of different pace and skill set depart from Wilson Park in Carrboro (attached to Chapel Hill).
In the summer there are any number of weeknight rides in the region, including Tuesday night street fights out of Durham, tuesday twin peaks in chapel hill, a few out of bike clubs in Cary and undoubtedly at least a couple out of raleigh.
Good place to live, great place to ride unless you need mountains....you'll enjoy it.


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## ph0enix (Aug 12, 2009)

Great. Thank you for the info! I don't need mountains but some hills would be good. I found a few short steep climbs in the area on Strava and I'm hoping they'll suffice.


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## thumper8888 (Apr 7, 2009)

We've generally got more hills over this way, but they don't get much bigger than a hard 4-minute climb. We have one route down into Chatham that's good for about 4000 feet in 60 miles or so, which kind of snipes the good ones. You can also pretty easily put the bike in the car, drive a tad and do the three mountain madness route, which includes pilot mountain.
Can even do the more ambitious mountain stuff as a day trip if you absolutely have to have altitude. I don't have much advice on that, as Im a sprinter and stay away from the vertical. But there is a good climb up to little Switzerland that's popular, and Mount Mitchell etc. Others will give you better advice on that.
What pace and distance is normal?


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## ph0enix (Aug 12, 2009)

Thank you! The work schedule only allows me to ride about 30 miles at a time unless it's a weekend. The pace varies greatly and I stopped worrying about it. I just go out and try to have fun. 
What's a good shop in the area? I went to Spoke Cycles in Wake Forest and while the guys there were nice, it didn't seem like they see too many higher end bikes. 
Also, during the move my shoes got packed into the trailer instead of the truck. The problem is that the trailer won't be delivered for another month so I need new shoes for the time being. Spoke didn't have anything in my size and they only carry Shimano. I prefer Sidi.


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## thumper8888 (Apr 7, 2009)

All this with a grain of salt, as i do nearly all my own work, so what I know about mechanics at a given shop is mainly just how sharp they sounded in conversation.
There are a few Performance Bike shops scattered around the Triangle, their HQ is just south of Chapel Hill. The one in Chapel Hill has a what looked like 10 pairs of shoes on its bargain table last night.
I think there is a Trek store up close to you still, and an All Star in North Raleigh. Bicycle Chain is probably the big gorilla of local traditional bike shops, there azre several outlets and the flagship on Glenwood/US 70 is relatively close to you via 540 i think, and the few times I have dealt with their mechanics and sales folks they knew what they were doing, ditto All Star.
Clean Machine is part of Bicycle Chain and they have had good mechanics there and knowledgeable people.
Performance can be better on price on some things, and if you want to order from them online they can often have the order at the local shops here the next day.
Cycling Spoken Here is a major shop, Back Alley is great, partic for service work, 
and there are several one-off shops scattered around that I just dont have experience, maybe one or two of the close to you.


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## ph0enix (Aug 12, 2009)

thumper8888 said:


> All this with a grain of salt, as i do nearly all my own work, so what I know about mechanics at a given shop is mainly just how sharp they sounded in conversation.


That's a very good point. The guys at Spoke were nice and the mechanic seemed to know what he was talking about. 



thumper8888 said:


> There are a few Performance Bike shops scattered around the Triangle, their HQ is just south of Chapel Hill. The one in Chapel Hill has a what looked like 10 pairs of shoes on its bargain table last night.
> I think there is a Trek store up close to you still, and an All Star in North Raleigh. Bicycle Chain is probably the big gorilla of local traditional bike shops, there azre several outlets and the flagship on Glenwood/US 70 is relatively close to you via 540 i think, and the few times I have dealt with their mechanics and sales folks they knew what they were doing, ditto All Star.
> Clean Machine is part of Bicycle Chain and they have had good mechanics there and knowledgeable people.
> Performance can be better on price on some things, and if you want to order from them online they can often have the order at the local shops here the next day.
> ...


Thank you for all the info, thumper8888! I'll check out the recommended shops at some point. I ended up ordering new shoes from Bikewagon and should have them on Monday.


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## ph0enix (Aug 12, 2009)

I discovered the Neuse River Trail today and while I'm not usually a fan of MUTs, that thing is fun ...and very pretty too.


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## 32and3cross (Feb 28, 2005)

The greenway system is quite good I use it to both commute and do nice recovery rides.


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