Hey all, I pretty consistently bike up Lookout Mountain once every week or two but otherwise am lagree/pilates only thanks to a knee injury and tiring of the repetition quickly. I need some variation in my life but road cycling gives me a lot of anxiety. Is there anywhere I can go to bike that's: within an hour of central Denver, with a lot of incline, and where cars aren't allowed (and isn't totally covered in snow)? Thanks!

Hey all — looking for some route/trail recommendations for a week-long riding trip in southern and/or central Colorado this summer.

Trip details:

• Group of 3–5 riders meeting up (coming from Idaho + Texas)
• I’ll have both a gravel bike + full suspension MTB
• We’ll have:
  • Truck w/ rooftop tent (me)
  • RV that can handle gravel roads (not extreme 4x4)
• Planning to move around a bit vs staying in one place the whole time

What we’re looking for:

• 40–80 mile days
• Ideally < ~9k ft climbing per day
• Mix of:
  • Gravel / jeep roads
  • MTB singletrack (fun > super technical)
• Big priority on:
  • Epic scenery (alpine, passes, big views)
  • Ghost towns / historic mining routes
  • Cool features / unique terrain

So far I’ve been looking at stuff like:

• Salida / Buena Vista area (saw a route out to Turret ghost town that looks solid) 
• San Juan zone (Silverton / Lake City / Ouray — Alpine Loop / Animas Forks type terrain looks unreal) 
• Aspen area (Ruby ghost town ride seems interesting but maybe high elevation?) 
• Hagerman Pass / Tunnel loop (mix of history + big alpine views)

 

Also saw things like the St. Elmo / Tincup / Hancock loop hitting multiple ghost towns in one ride, which looks right up our alley 

Questions:

• If you had a week, how would you structure this? Basecamp vs moving zones?
• What are the must-ride loops that fit that mileage/elevation range?
• Any underrated zones we should prioritize over the obvious ones?
• How rideable are the high alpine routes (like Alpine Loop) on a bike vs just OHV?
• Best time window for conditions (snowpack permitting)?

Would love GPX links, must-hit trails, or even “don’t miss this zone” type advice.

Appreciate any insight 🤘

I just got into road biking last year and have been having a lot of a fun riding. I can make it up Lookout Mountain in about 30 minutes at a conversational pace, but yesterday I watched some riders fly past me.

It made me wonder—how much training or experience does it take to get to that level? They seemed to reach the top about 10 minutes faster than me, which feels almost impossible right now.

Looking to ride Independence Pass before it opens to cars this year. Original plan was to ski a lap at the top too...but I don't think that's gonna be possible this season. Anyways, I'm anticipating the pass will be open to cars earlier than Memorial Day this year with the low snow pack.

Anyone have an idea if it's rideable from Twin Lakes yet? I'm potentially looking at the first weekend of May.

Hey everyone!

I’ll be in Aurora for about two weeks, staying near the Anschutz Medical Campus, and I’m hoping to get some riding in while I’m there.

I won’t have a car, so I’m trying to figure out how feasible mountain biking is from that area. Are there any decent trails I can access by bike or public transit? From what I’ve seen on Trailforks, most spots look a bit far without driving—but I’d love to hear from locals.

I’m also debating whether it’s worth shipping my bike from Boston (round trip would be about $600). If trail access is limited without a car, it might not make sense—but if there are good options nearby, I’d definitely consider it.

Alternatively, are there any affordable bike rental options in the area? Most places I’ve checked seem pretty pricey—just a few days of renting adds up close to the cost of shipping my own bike.

Would really appreciate any advice or local insights. Thanks in advance!

It's been a week. I need to get out and ride on dirt tomorrow. What do y'all recommend? Proximity to Golden is important. I'll suck it up and ride the trainer in the basement if I have to, but I don't want to.

https://preview.redd.it/wkb5uspyt9wg1.jpg?width=2552&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=34c53034742bbf318d46c12aa83fa2bbdbe4dcf2

Planning a trip to CB in late June. Planning on doing some MTB’n. Are the trails reliably dry by then?