Weekend Ride Reports

[Bo Diddley]

E bike

I did the same ride yesterday, and some big guy was in front of me and I didn't pass him until about 3/4 up. I'll bet he had one too. I remember looking at his bike at the top and thinking his seat looked pretty beefy and the frame was also pretty beefy. Now it all makes sense.

[BigPiney]

I did the same ride yesterday, and some big guy was in front of me and I didn't pass him until about 3/4 up. I'll bet he had one too. I remember looking at his bike at the top and thinking his seat looked pretty beefy and the frame was also pretty beefy. Now it all makes sense.

Or you could just really suck.

[Bo Diddley]

Or you could just really suck.

Probably just as likely.

[Moliere]

This is likely more of an indictment of the watts output of my motor, but on my ride up to South Fork today, I was passed by a fat girl. I'm not kidding she was big, and she was moving fast. By the time I crested the last hill before the final climb, she passed me on her way down.

I had a similar experience about two months ago. I was riding down a larger neighborhood street and a guy on a city cruiser bike caught up to me and passed me and when he did we looked at me and waved. Now, I'm no speed demon and probably going around 18-19 mph but he looked like it was effortless, which I finally saw that the back of the frame was much larger than normal and he obviously had some sort of pedal assistance. I'll admit that I was jealous for a second since the guy wasn't even sweating.

[Bo Diddley]

Strava says I average two rides per week. I rode up Provo Canyon today and lamented that the seasons are changing. I hate the cold with a passion, so it takes much of the joy out of riding for me, even if I'm properly layered. Still, today was enjoyable. Another PR on my favorite ride up South Fork.

[Bo Diddley]

My last ride was Thursday. Now winter has hit. I've been using riding this year to help stave off depression--COVID isolation has taken a toll.

I've decided that I need to keep riding just as soon as the ice melts. What strategies do people use to ride in the winter with snow and ice? Are fat bikes good? I can't imagine riding downhill very fast, even on one of them.

[chrisrenrut]

I usually stick to residential roads on dry days. I’ll usually ride hills to get the heart rate up and the calorie furnace burning. I’ll take a thin jacket to put on for descents.

When we have had stretches of weather, I have a trainer I can put the bike on to spin some miles. But I’m not sure a stationary trainer has ever been prescribed as a deterrent for depression.

Fat bikes would only needed on snow packed trails or unplowed roads.

[BrutusBuckeye]

18 months since the last post here; is anyone riding bikes anymore?

I just purchased a gravel bike and am looking for some good routes to ride within a reasonable distance of the Salt Lake Valley. I've tried mapping some out on Google Maps, but it's hard to get a good idea of what the dirt roads are like. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

[chrisrenrut]

18 months since the last post here; is anyone riding bikes anymore?

I just purchased a gravel bike and am looking for some good routes to ride within a reasonable distance of the Salt Lake Valley. I've tried mapping some out on Google Maps, but it's hard to get a good idea of what the dirt roads are like. Anyone have any suggestions? Thanks in advance.

Some of the more popular ones:
Skyline drive above Bountiful and Farmington, and can extend to Francis Peak.
Between Jeremy Ranch and East Canyon
The Wild Pony route near Delle west of Tooele
East of Heber, and in the Unitas like Soapstone basin.

This site has a bit more beta than Google. https://gravelmap.com/#10.05/40.5339/-110.9657
There is also a Utah Gravel Grinder group on Facebook that gets some traffic.

[bluegoose]

I've been meaning to resurrect this thread for awhile now.

I've been riding my mountain bike quite a bit over the last year. My road riding buddies have all either moved away or crashed and been injured enough times to cause them to avoid the road outright now. I never thought I would enjoy mountain biking as much as road riding, but I've had a blast on the dirt trails this year. We have hundreds of miles of single track trails here for all skill levels. Usually do 15-20 miles on a Saturday, and then 8-10 miles once or twice during the week, in addition to some time on the trainer catching up on some TV shows.

I don't know anything about Utah gravel routes, but I have several friends that absolutely love their gravel bikes. And they take them on some crazy trails that I would never have imagined seeing a road bike riding down. I doubt I'll ever get one, as I love my dropper seat post and suspension, but these guys love them.

[Jeff Lebowski]

I ride my Peleton 4-5 times per week. Does that count?

[BrutusBuckeye]

Some of the more popular ones:
Skyline drive above Bountiful and Farmington, and can extend to Francis Peak.
Between Jeremy Ranch and East Canyon
The Wild Pony route near Delle west of Tooele
East of Heber, and in the Unitas like Soapstone basin.

This site has a bit more beta than Google. https://gravelmap.com/#10.05/40.5339/-110.9657
There is also a Utah Gravel Grinder group on Facebook that gets some traffic.

Thanks, these will be great resources.

[BrutusBuckeye]

I don't know anything about Utah gravel routes, but I have several friends that absolutely love their gravel bikes. And they take them on some crazy trails that I would never have imagined seeing a road bike riding down. I doubt I'll ever get one, as I love my dropper seat post and suspension, but these guys love them.

I don't plan on doing anything too crazy. My plan is to be able to find some good dirt roads that will allow me to avoid traffic and to be able to do some mixed rides with road and dirt. When I lived in Oregon, there were tons of fire roads through the hills that would be perfect for this, but I haven't found quite as much in the Salt Lake area.

My brother and I are doing a MTB ride in Montana in August, so most of my riding will be on my mountain bike, but I'd like to switch things up and do some higher mileage on my gravel bike from time to time to mix things up a little.

[chrisrenrut]

I don't plan on doing anything too crazy. My plan is to be able to find some good dirt roads that will allow me to avoid traffic and to be able to do some mixed rides with road and dirt. When I lived in Oregon, there were tons of fire roads through the hills that would be perfect for this, but I haven't found quite as much in the Salt Lake area.

My brother and I are doing a MTB ride in Montana in August, so most of my riding will be on my mountain bike, but I'd like to switch things up and do some higher mileage on my gravel bike from time to time to mix things up a little.

On most gravel roads, you do have to worry about UTV’s and ATV’s. I usually still use a front and rear flashing lights for visibility.

I have frequently thought that my ultimate demise will be a high speed meeting with a Razor head on while descending Skyline drive around a tight turn.

[RC Vikings]

October 18th and no cold weather gear needed last night, that's going to end this weekend but it's been a beautiful fall.