what are some good roads for riding in the springs

[W1LL]

i dont get out to ride much anymore and i usually ride alone so what are some good roads to take so i can get some more lean time in and get a bit better? i am not scared to go into a turn or anything i just have about 1/2" of chicken strip i am trying to work on.

[pg_rider]

I'm with ya! Wife and I just moved here from LA and don't know any of the good riding roads. I'm assuming there must be some good ones in the foothills? Hopefully Rt 24 isn't the curviest road around! :D

[usmcusafbiker]

Don't really post too much or ride to much with anybody here, because I get weird riding times (late Saturday afternoons or so). A couple of my favorites are to go west 24 up to Woodland Park and then up 67 north out to Deckers. Or go west 24 past Woodland Park to Divide and then south 67 (I think) out to Cripple Creek. Both nice rides 100+ miles long and about 3 hours round trip from where I live on Peterson AFB. Closer you are to I-25 or Hwy 24 depends on how long the ride will take you.

Watch for gravel on the roads heading out toward Deckers, due to the logging trucks sometimes dragging it on the roads. Caught me out last year, when it was in the shadows and I didn't catch it until the last second. Just a little 30 ft slide down the road, and few new scratches. Oh, well life goes on.

[~Barn~]

I don't really ride down in the Springs ever, but when I've been down for the AMA's over the past years, I always had fun taking that HW that goes up to Cripple Creek. :up:

[Mista Black]

deckers while nice is over rated. too many cops and even when i dont see a single one, there are way too many cars in general.

Hwy 9 is a personal favorite of mine

Hwy 24 beyond divide is a good one and will take you to the north end of 9 (turn left as you're entering Hartsal)

Hwy 50 through the canyon to Salida is another

the run to bishops castle (after you get past florance) is nice too

there are a lot more beyond those but they turn into much longer rides from the springs

[RAGrote]

I figured it'd be better to revive a thread rather than start another...

The road to Deckers is predictably sand strewn with only 2-3 "in the road" sand spots. Otherwise speeds of 65+ are possible. I think there's more to worry about with cold tires than sand. The shadows are quite deep and some of the road sections won't be seeing sun until March so watch that :x .
The coolness of the air keeps me @ 50-60mph with lots of room for error. But I'm a puss - ask anybody.
Otherwise....OH BABY!!!! It was beautiful!!!

Of course fire road season is over and I change the tires out to a more road going model... the knobs are in the basement for the season.

Being the curious fellow I am, however, I decided a short fire road jaunt couldn't hurt, right? WARONG!! Came around a curve in 2nd, maybe 25-30mph and it's a good thing I had time to straighten the trajectory.... PURE, ice rink, ice. Oh mama... adrenaline is BROWN!!

Watch urselves out there.

BTW, not ONE cruiser the whole day. Wouldn't want to dampen spirit during Xmas season, Mr. Leo? All in jest of course...

c-ya

[PhL0aTeR]

This is the link that brought me to this site...... thought id share....

http://www.cosportbikeclub.org/local/rides.html

most of those arent really THAT close to the springs.... so a good one i like to go on is take 115 down to penrose, hit 50 and it gets really good between parkdale and salida. Then if i dont turn around and hit the twisties from the other end, i usually take 291 and hit 24 over wilkerson pass, then back down the mountain from the other side of the springs.

[Brahma]

Deckers is always a fun ride, just be careful about the sand.

I know when I am just blowing off steem I will take powers north to woodman, take woodman past I-25 and then turn right on to old woodmen. Go through that posh neighborhood and then come out on centenial, then take GoG west to 30th, then through Garden of the Gods. Take that out to Manitou, take 24 too woodland park and then back home.

[snake226]

The best road I have found to get some "lean time" in is the short stretch of Hwy (it might be 67, I don't know) that runs between Cripple Creek and Victor. It's probably around 4-5 miles.

We used to do laps on it. Plus it's a fun ride to get there, if the traffic is not too heavy. Pavement is good, clear line of sight around most of the corners. If you time the cars, it's fairly easy to get a clear run on each pass, and, I've never seen the plod on that stretch. The open-air scenic train that runs between the two towns is always good for getting some cheers out of as you're dragging a knee. :lol:

That's the stretch of road that got me really addicted to the turns. I should add that my road rides have become the more laid-back day trip type of rides (and if you have the time there are some great loops from the Spgs.) Now, when I want to get "lean time" in, I just go down to Pueblo. It's a bit safer, and you don't have to deal with turning around every few miles. :idea:

[Lee]

During the colder months of the year, most of the roads with twisties have sand on them. If you're like my wife and I, we just need to get out and ride occasionally, even if we can't carve turns.

My offering:
Take Highway 83, North of Colorado Springs, to Franktown. It is not a bad ride; it's just not a great ride. The 2 lane road is in reasonably good condition. There are some washboard sections but most of the road is fairly smooth. I have never seen any speed enforcement on 83; in many sections, you can see ahead for miles so law enforcement is not going to easily surprise you. Traffic tends to be light.

From Franktown, you can go directly West to Castle Rock and return to Colorado Springs on I25, or return to Colorado Springs on 83.

You can go really fast on sections of 83. As far as your chicken strips, you probably won't narrow them on 83 but it is a winter ride.

;)

Lee

P.S. Highway 83 North does cross the Palmer divide. Because of the high altitude, it can be colder than you might expect.