Sorta OT - South Bend Indiana Anyone?

[rsl]

So, I'm interested if anyone knows anything about riding in South Bend Indiana or that region. I'm applying to grad school, and Notre Dame has recently become a top choice program.

Anybody with any experience of riding in IN? Anyone have any knowledge of the town of South Bend?

thanks!

[JasonH]

It'll be flat. And closer to Lake Michigan it will be windier. So it'll always be fast at least one way =)

[jjb]

I grew up in Goshen about 45 minutes down the road from South Bend. I did some riding when I was in Highschool but not as much as I do now (I'm in Boulder CO now ). I don't know how good the riding in South Bend proper is but there are a lot of county roads and in the area with little traffic. The county roads don't tend to have much in the way of shoulders but since there are a fair number of Amish who are often on bikes or in buggies people are o.k. about giving space to cyclist. The area is pretty flat as you can imagine so there is very little in the way of mountain biking, but there are lots of rolling hills which can be fun.

Hope that helps but let me know if you have any additional questions.
Good luck
-jjb

p.s. Notre Dame is a great school, my Dad's an alum and I almost went there for grad school.

p.s. Notre Dame is a great school, my Dad's an alum and I almost went there for grad school.[/QUOTE]

p.s.s. You'd like University of Michigan and Ann Arbor A LOT better. Better school and better riding.Go Blue.

[mflaherty37]

I lived and rode in South Bend for 13 months. I actually hated being there so I found a different company to work for. North of town towards Michigan the riding is fine, southeast of town is fine. The southwest is unbearably rough, like you need a cross bike. It is flat everywhere. There aren't too many good rides in Southbend. There is a Thursday night (very) fast ride from Proform Bike Shop and that is it. The bike club rides were mountain bikes and hybrids. You can ride to lake Michigan 35 miles each way (from where I lived in town). 50 miles each way you can ride to Lake Wawassee and Lake Syracuse. I used to rent a lake cottage on Syracuse with friends from Ft Wayne, ride my bike down there on Friday night and come back on Sunday.

If you are into mountain bikes there is a 5 mile park there for that. I never got into to it but some people thought it was the greatest thing.

[tch]

but grew up in Culver (about 30 miles south -- hey jjb!). I think the area has been built up a great deal since I lived there 30+ years ago, but I bet that if you put the bike in the car and drive 10 miles you will find LOTS of lonely country roads. Indiana is really criss-crossed (it was flat enough to be really laid out when the white folks arrived), and I have fond memories of long, straight cornfield rides. Some time you should go down to the lakes (Maxinkuckee, Wawassee, others); that's where the terrain can vary from the bull-dozed effect most of Northern Indiana has.
BTW, politics is definitely red-state; I don't remember lots of wingnuts, but very much an Ozzie and Harriet feel to the whole experience.