Questions about Riding in and around St. Louis

[sweitee]

I'm moving to StL from Philadelphia soon and I wanted to ask if anyone has any insight on what they like about riding in St Louis. For reference, I'll be living in the city itself.

What types of riding are popular? I prefer to ride from my doorstep. I know there will be some kind of road scene and I've looked into the outdoor velodrome. Is there any mountain biking to be had a ride-able distance from the city? I know that once you get into either rural IL or MO there are plenty of gravel roads, but again can you get to any of those easily if you were to do a 50-70 mile loop starting from Forest Park?

What kind of commuter is best suited for short trips within Saint Louis itself?

Say you could have 3 bikes to cover your preferred riding in StL, what would you choose and why?

[ColonelJLloyd]

Need to disclose whether or not you're a Phillies fan.

[alexihnen]

I've been gone from St. Louis for 7 years, but rode a lot in the city while I lived there (2005-2017). The upside of STL emptying out over the past decades is that riding in the city is pretty nice, especially on weekends. The street grid allows you to skip from Forest Park to Tower Grove Park, to Carondelet and out to Jefferson Barracks pretty easily. From Forest Park, it's not easy to get out of the city. North is pretty run down and you eventually get stuck in suburbs that border the Missouri River. East isn't easy as there aren't great crossings of the Mississippi, and it's pretty industrial/boring on the easy side. Going west is eventually really nice, but it takes a while to get out there. Once out there, the Wildwood area is great, and you'll see other cyclists - at least on the weekends. The inner western suburbs aren't too bad to navigate (again, on weekends) and it's easy to put together a 20-30mi loop from Forest Park.

I didn't do much mountain biking while there. There are good trails, but you need to be 20mi west or so. There's good gravel in Missouri and Illinois too, but also farther out from the city. There are a couple of great bike shops near the city - Big Shark and Billy Goat. They will be able to point you to group rides, events, etc.

[sweitee]

Originally Posted by ColonelJLloyd

Need to disclose whether or not you're a Phillies fan.

I was born and raised a Card's fan (grew up an hour NE of StL). I appreciate the fervor of the Phillies fanbase and have really enjoyed living in Philadelphia the last couple years while they've been a great team to watch and the Cardinals have been middling.

[CDollarsign]

Adding on to Alex's reply (loved NextSTL!). Riding in the city used to be nice but not so much anymore. I feel like drivers have become really unpredictable and the roads are in terrible shape. Early mornings on the weekend are your best bet. That said ... there is a lot of great things to see and do via bicycle. There is a great coffee / bike shop called Roadcrew that would be a good place to start.

Happy to field any other questions and Welcome!

[cmb5286]

I live across the river in Illinois, but really enjoy riding in Midtown and west of there. I try to avoid downtown because roads can be pretty chewed up and drivers tend to blow red lights frequently. Forest and Tower Grove Parks are nice to ride through this time of year.

I second CDollarsign with their Road Crew advice. Great coffee and nice/small shop for essentials.

If you want bigger/fast group rides, look to The Hub in Webster or Maplewood Cyclery.

If gravel is more your thing, Big Shark hosts rides out of their Chesterfield location - about 30 minutes from downtown.

There is also a pretty sizable paved trail system on the Illinois side called the MCT - https://www.mcttrails.org/. If you ride all the loops, you could get 160+ miles.

Happy to chat more if interested.

Chris

[Louis]

Originally Posted by cmb5286

If gravel is more your thing, Big Shark hosts rides out of their Chesterfield location - about 30 minutes from downtown.

Any idea where those rides go? The Katy Trail is the nearest gravel I can think of to that location.

[KonaSS]

Originally Posted by Louis

Any idea where those rides go? The Katy Trail is the nearest gravel I can think of to that location.

Yep, Katy and surrounding roads. https://ridewithgps.com/routes/31499803

[cmb5286]

Originally Posted by Louis

Any idea where those rides go? The Katy Trail is the nearest gravel I can think of to that location.

They take the levee to the Katy, but then shoot over into Busch Wildlife.

[texbike]

I'm in STL for a few days this week for work. What a cool city! I'd love to have a bike to just ride and wander around all the different parts of town.

Texbike

[Louis]

Originally Posted by texbike

I'm in STL for a few days this week for work. What a cool city! I'd love to have a bike to just ride and wander around all the different parts of town.

Texbike

What parts have you been seeing? Many visitors don't say that.

[texbike]

Originally Posted by Louis

What parts have you been seeing? Many visitors don't say that.

I'm staying right outside of Forest Park at The Cheshire. I think it's the Hi-Pointe/Richmond Heights area. I've driven through the park, into downtown, had dinner on the Hill, walked through Tower Grove Park, driven through the Delmar Loop area, downtown Clayton, University City, and out to St Charles for an event. I'm impressed with the architecture, the size of the City, the beautiful tree-lined streets, the parks, etc. I'd love to have a bike here with me to just meander and explore the city and neighborhoods.

Texbike

[Plum Hill]

As I remarked to the OP in a message: “BTW visitors and newcomers see much more positivity in STL than residents do. Not that there aren’t issues, but locals tend to dwell on them.”
I’m glad texbike is getting out and seeing the area.

I took weisan out on the MCT trails for a ride, stopping off at The Gardens of SIUE and Turtle Pond. Can’t believe it was that far back.

[MO Will]

The OP is in a great location right near Forest Park. That and the weather has been spectacular. And I agree, Forest Park and the neighborhoods just to the west are all pretty amazing. I commute to work everyday and love the ride!!

[Louis]

Originally Posted by texbike

I'm impressed with the architecture, the size of the City, the beautiful tree-lined streets, the parks, etc.

If you haven't already done so, it's always fun to drive down Lindell (the section just north of the park) and check out the houses there and on Portland Place and Westmoreland Place, some very impressive stuff.

Originally Posted by Plum Hill

As I remarked to the OP in a message: “BTW visitors and newcomers see much more positivity in STL than residents do. Not that there aren’t issues, but locals tend to dwell on them.”

Speaking of Portland Place, visitors might not remember the notorious McCloskey incident described at the link below, and know that St Louis has a long history of residential redlining, resulting in it being one of the most segregated cities in the US.

https://www.bbc.com/news/election-us-2020-53891184