#1
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Cycling in Vail? Mountain or Road?
I am off to Vail for a week and wanted to know if I should bring my road bike, dual suspension mountain bike, none (rent there) or bring both? I hope to get 3 or 4 rides in while I am there and we will be driving.
I will probably be riding solo unless I can find some local group rides. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Cheers GG |
#2
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The good news is that none of those options will be bad. Depending on your road/trail preferences you will find world class options either way. If you have the space, I would bring both, hit up Mtbproject and see what looks good. As always, be careful of hydration if you are coming from sea level.
If you decide you are going to do a lift served park day, rent. No sense trashing a perfectly good trail bike doing enduro/DH stuff |
#3
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I had an amazing time doing MTB rides while I was out there. There seemed to be an endless number of trails, and of varying difficulty to suit anyone (I am not a great MTBer, but I had a good time trying some of the harder stuff). I think road riding would be OK too, but MTB would be more fun IMO.
I rented a bike from High Gear Cyclery in Avon. Great shop, I highly recommend them. Last edited by fa63; 06-19-2018 at 04:57 AM. |
#4
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If you can bring both bikes and you want to get out for longer road rides, the Leadville loop is a great ride. For shorter rides, you can ride up Vail Pass, or down valley towards Edwards along the frontage road if you want to minimize climbing. Where will you be staying? |
#5
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The road ride to Breck & back is fairly good if you have time!
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#6
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Bring the road bike, rent the mtb. Have fun!
__________________
It's not a new bike, it's another bike. |
#7
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You can ride the service roads at both Vail and Beaver Creek, both are devoid of traffic (especially BC) and there are amazing views, plus restaurants at the top. Gravel bikes are ideal, but both could be done on 28s with a bit of skill. BC has little mountain biking to speak of, but Vail’s is good. The Copper Triangle (I prefer counterclockwise) is a classic road ride, but don’t do it on a weekend.
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#8
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Other way around. Not much real road riding in Vail as you either head up valley to Vail pass and beyond, or down valley towards Eagle.
There is the road to Minturn though that is pretty sweet road ride though can bee narrow and cars move along quickly. Thus, rent that road bike for a local spin and spend most of your time in the woods |
#9
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For me the mtn. bike would be best.I live at sea level so I would need quite a few days to get accustomed to the altitude at Vail. On trail rides it's easier to stop for a breather and enjoy the view. If you live in SLO the altitude may be a factor for you too.
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#10
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Vail has some amazing mtb trails...
+1 on the taking the MTB. There a bunch of road rentals options too if you want to add a couple of roady days. |
#11
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Thanks for the feedback. Maybe I should think about bringing the gravel bike (salsa Fargo 1.0). Honestly I am a lousy mtn biker. I love trail riding but jumping and downhilling are way out of my comfort zone.
Cheers |
#12
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__________________
It's not a new bike, it's another bike. |
#13
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Body armor. No shorts. Full face, too. Maybe a beer, to help.
__________________
It's not a new bike, it's another bike. Last edited by Mr. Pink; 06-19-2018 at 06:06 PM. |
#14
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It’s been decades since I lived in Vail, but is a very special place. P..S. You may not embarrass us by riding the gondola or lift up with your bike. You must pedal up. Last edited by djg21; 06-19-2018 at 06:29 PM. |
#15
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bring the mtb or rent there. whenever i have the choice to ride in a new place i always choose mtb. the variety of terrain in our country is incredibly diverse and it's always a blast to try out something different. on the road, it's more or less the same to me.
fwiw, if the lifts are open, at least spend one lift day. just as every road ride isn't an epic grindfest, downhill mtb is not all kamikaze downhill. it just means you take the climbing out of it so you can enjoy the flow of a trail. they're all rated too, just like during the winter when those same trails are ski routes. so you can start easy and progress from there. difficulty is not all the same either, some advanced sections are technically demanding, whereas others are gnarly jump courses, while another could be a straight up speed run. they are rated advanced for different reasons. one plus to renting btw, the locals know what tread works best for their terrain and will typically have the most appropriate tire on the bikes. |
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