Beginning Canyon Rides

[CraigB]

What canyons would everyone recommend for someone just getting started?

[Mother Goose]

Hwy 7 or Central City Parkway. Both are easy roads, smooth, and usually no debris in the way.

[tecknojoe]

Assume gravel is around every corner, anywhere in the canyons

eyes forward

[grim]

Lookout mountain

[dhearkt]

boulder pass over 119 through nederland,, watch the speed through nederland, it gets ridiculously slow and the cops take advantage of it , then on through to boulder and land almost in downtown right near pearl street or keep going around the backside to estes , then over to 25 for a smash down to denver..

[Owen_R6]

Might wanna go on this ride as well if you can make it...

http://cosportbikeclub.org/forums/sh...ad.php?t=42772

[grim]

Might wanna go on this ride as well if you can make it...

http://cosportbikeclub.org/forums/sh...ad.php?t=42772

+1 will be a slower pace very noob friendly!

[CraigB]

Lookout mountain

haha, yeah, I've already done that 'canyon'.

Might wanna go on this ride as well if you can make it...

http://cosportbikeclub.org/forums/sh...ad.php?t=42772

thanks, Owen, I saw that thread. I'm not available on Sunday and I'm going to hold off on the group rides for a while for a couple of reasons: a) i don't want to make others wait on me. and, b) i know myself well enough to know that i'll be too tempted to push myself to keep up before i've discovered where my limits are.

HWY 7 looks pretty good. I know that canyon fairly well as I've ridden it numerous times on a bicycle. and, unlike some other canyons I've ridden on a bike, i don't recall ever coming down to a switchback with white knuckles. and, it's not quite as popular as 119. i'll hit that one next time.

[JKOL]

As a new rider myself, I have done all the canyons that have been recommended and plenty of others. I would say any canyon is safe if you are smart enough to stay within your limits. Like my MSF instructor said, if you do the speed posted for the corner, you will be fine. As tecknojoe said, assume there is a hazard at every corner.

The best thing about the csc is I have yet to go on a csc ride where people werent willing to wait for slower riders to catch up. If you find yourself with people that arent willing to wait, they aren't worth riding with.

[OUTLAWD]

34 and 36 into estes aren't bad either

[CraigB]

As a new rider myself, I have done all the canyons that have been recommended and plenty of others. I would say any canyon is safe if you are smart enough to stay within your limits. Like my MSF instructor said, if you do the speed posted for the corner, you will be fine. As tecknojoe said, assume there is a hazard at every corner.

The best thing about the csc is I have yet to go on a csc ride where people werent willing to wait for slower riders to catch up. If you find yourself with people that arent willing to wait, they aren't worth riding with.

All good points. As for waiting to ride in a group, I'm more worried about myself than I am others. If someone is going fast in front of me, I will want to go as fast. And, I can easily imagine the voice in my head saying, "If s/he can go through the turn that fast, it can be done. Therefore, you can go through the corner that fast."

I'll avoid that temptation until I have a better idea of where my limits are so that I can have a reasonable conversation with that voice in my head.

But, it won't be long before I'm jumping in on the group rides.

[Solinary]

On the weekends I like to take Left Hand Canyon out to 72 and then either head south to 119 & Ned or North to 7 & Lyons. LHC is a nice ride though there is one turn that always seems to catch me by surprise even though I know it is coming up...not sure what my deal is with that one.

[Jim_Vess]

On the weekends I like to take Left Hand Canyon out to 72 and then either head south to 119 & Ned or North to 7 & Lyons. LHC is a nice ride though there is one turn that always seems to catch me by surprise even though I know it is coming up...not sure what my deal is with that one.

It's a decreasing radius turn. It's caught a lot of people by surprise.

[JKOL]

All good points. As for waiting to ride in a group, I'm more worried about myself than I am others. If someone is going fast in front of me, I will want to go as fast. And, I can easily imagine the voice in my head saying, "If s/he can go through the turn that fast, it can be done. Therefore, you can go through the corner that fast."

I'll avoid that temptation until I have a better idea of where my limits are so that I can have a reasonable conversation with that voice in my head.

But, it won't be long before I'm jumping in on the group rides.

It's good that you realize you might not be able to control the temptation. Only thing worse than wrecking yourself is taking another rider down with you.

I use the opposite logic from you. I know how fast i should go based on how fast others take a turn. If they go 70, I need to make sure to be under that speed by a healthy margin. Plus i like the safety of having other riders around in case i do go down, but smaller groups are definitely better than big groups for your first few group rides.

[bornwildnfree]

Going on a noob friendly ride is actually a great way to learn the canyons. Usually the leader is only doing 5 - 10 mph over the speed limit (or less depending on the group). If you stay towards the rear, you'll keep your speed down. Riding with people who are above your skill level helps you gain the confidence to go a little faster each time. The test I use is if my arms are fully extended and I think I'm going too fast, I am. Come to the new member meetup tonight and meet some of the riders, then ask to go on Sat with just you and that other rider. It really helps.

[Jmetz]

I dig solo riding. Not having to worry about what the person in front or behind you is doing lets you focus more on what you are or are not doing.

[Sully]

All good points. As for waiting to ride in a group, I'm more worried about myself than I am others. If someone is going fast in front of me, I will want to go as fast. And, I can easily imagine the voice in my head saying, "If s/he can go through the turn that fast, it can be done. Therefore, you can go through the corner that fast."

I'll avoid that temptation until I have a better idea of where my limits are so that I can have a reasonable conversation with that voice in my head.

But, it won't be long before I'm jumping in on the group rides.

It's good to avoid this temptation. You never know how much experience the person in front of you has, trying to keep up will only get yourself in trouble without proper seat time and riding skills. I've seen it happen many times. Check out the mentoring thread. There are plenty of skilled riders on this forum who can go out with you one on one and help you get better.

[Nooch]

When I was first starting out in the canyons here, I rode with a more experienced partner and I rode in front. This way I set the pace and he was there to watch my technique and help give me feedback for improvement. It was also helpful that my partner knew many of the canyon roads and was able to let me know what to expect in terms of challenging curves and general road conditions. This helped me focus more on my technique and control rather than worrying about what the road was going to throw at me.

[Clovis]

Craig - what part of the state are you in?

The roads other suggested are all spectacular. If you're around Colorado Springs I can fill you in on some southern roads.

The biggest thing you'll hear is ride your own pace and don't try to keep up. In fact when I was new (and still sometimes) I would intentionally fall back to where the lead rider was out of my field of view because I would catch myself pushing to keep up.

Around the start of the season (i.e. May) the club holds at least one noob ride.

As far as the yellow speed limits (corner speed) - use these as your road map. Start out going that speed and as you gain experience you'll find a good general rule of thumb is to double whatever the corner speed is.

Always go slow when you see 10mph or 15mph -- pay close attention for anything under 25mph.

35mph and above means an easy sweeper.

[Vellos]

boulder pass over 119 through nederland,, watch the speed through nederland, it gets ridiculously slow and the cops take advantage of it , then on through to boulder and land almost in downtown right near pearl street or keep going around the backside to estes , then over to 25 for a smash down to denver..

Don't do any of this crap. Bad advice is bad.

35mph and above means an easy sweeper.

Do not assume this, ever. If you're on a road that's new to you take it easy...

[deadline]

you could ride with other new riders... pace would be slower and you won't feel bad for holding others up.

[tecknojoe]

PM me if you want to ride sometime. I'll go your pace.

[Spooph]

Too bad you can't make it to the 250 ride... We'd love to have you!

[CraigB]

well, i did my first canyon ride today. 7 to Estes and back down 36. it was a blast.

took it very easy at the beginning. and, while i still wouldn't describe anything i did as fast, i was pretty stoked when i realized i was comfortably going 40+ through a 30 mph downhill sweeper.

thanks for all the good info and encouragement. it's very cool to know there are so many people out there willing to help out new riders.

unfortunately, i have other commitments that will prevent me from riding the rest of the weekend but i will definitely be taking some of you up on the offers to get out and ride soon.

cheers,
Craig