Colorado MTB'ing

Thin Diesel

Well-Known Member
Found out today about a business trip I've got to take in late March to Fort Collins, Colorado. Going to stay for the weekend and check out some trails. Can anybody recommend trails? How 'bout a bike shop to rent from?
 

capedoc

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
I was out in Vail in June on business. Took an extra day, rented a car and drove out to Fruita.. Yes, its quite a bit of a hike but man was it worth it!

Rented bikes from a shop called Singletracks. They gave us advice on where to ride and hooked us up with some maps.

It had poured rain for hours right before we got to the trailhead but the trails recover quickly, so the conditions where great. Super fast in some spots, technical in others and the scenery is otherworldly.

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VanDbtRiver

Well-Known Member
Lory state park, it's in Bellvue which is 20 minutes outside of fort collins off of 287 . This place is pretty awesome there is a good climb into a town called Stout. This place was my first taste of Colorado riding. Make sure you hit off the Rio in the downtown area for some slammin margeritas.
 

Thin Diesel

Well-Known Member
Thank you both for the replies - now I can't wait! I already made a contact with a LBS to rent from. Awesome pix Capedoc
 

Glancing Aft

Active Member
I was out in Vail in June on business. Took an extra day, rented a car and drove out to Fruita.. Yes, its quite a bit of a hike but man was it worth it!

What's the typical day time temperature in Fruita in June? I'm assuming since you're wearing long sleeves it's a morning ride you went on? Can you ride all day there that time of year or is it too hot by mid afternoon? I might be passing through the area late June and it was on my list of places to possibly ride.
 

capedoc

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
What's the typical day time temperature in Fruita in June? I'm assuming since you're wearing long sleeves it's a morning ride you went on? Can you ride all day there that time of year or is it too hot by mid afternoon? I might be passing through the area late June and it was on my list of places to possibly ride.

We hit the trail around 12 noon, (because it took 2.5 hours to drive there from Vail). It was a bit Chilly and overcast. The Sun came out and warmed everything up by 1:00. The area is open and exposed so the temperature changes rather quickly. What amazed me is how fast the trails recuperated after such incredible amount of rain!

I only spent one day there so I don't know how the local weather behaves. But I would imagine that you could ride all day? I don't think it ever got over 75º.

I would love to go back and spend more time riding there. Have fun!

-Eric
 

noonito

New Member
If you are out there in March you should be aware that most of the trails in the mountains/foothills of the Rockies will probably have a deep snowpack, depending on elevation. I was out at my sister's place last April for snowboarding, and there was still lots of snow above 7500'. Fort Collins is around 5000'. If you are on the plains you should be ok. The Snotel site has info on snow depth in the mountains: http://www.wcc.nrcs.usda.gov/snow/

As for specific places to ride, I know there are a few parks/reservoirs in the foothills just outside of Fort Collins that have trails; they are probably low enough that there won't be snow. Your best bet for trail info will probably be the LBS.
 

J-Dro

Well-Known Member
What's the typical day time temperature in Fruita in June? I'm assuming since you're wearing long sleeves it's a morning ride you went on? Can you ride all day there that time of year or is it too hot by mid afternoon? I might be passing through the area late June and it was on my list of places to possibly ride.

According to weather.com, Fruita's average high temp in June is 87 deg.

http://www.weather.com/weather/wxcl...ww.usatoday.com&cm_pla=WxPage&cm_ite=CityPage

This website is a great resource for finding trails in Fruita.

http://www.gjmountainbiking.com/index.htm

It's easy to get high quality rentals out there so no need to drag your bike along if you're only riding for a day or 2.
 

Glancing Aft

Active Member
According to weather.com, Fruita's average high temp in June is 87 deg.

http://www.weather.com/weather/wxcl...ww.usatoday.com&cm_pla=WxPage&cm_ite=CityPage

This website is a great resource for finding trails in Fruita.

http://www.gjmountainbiking.com/index.htm

It's easy to get high quality rentals out there so no need to drag your bike along if you're only riding for a day or 2.

Thanks for the info, I'll probably post up with some questions as things get closer. I actually found out today that the trip will be at the beginning of June so the weather should be more in our favor.
 

capedoc

Well-Known Member
Team MTBNJ Halter's
Oh, and watch out for elk ;) There where alot of trails that where closed because of Elk Migration. Something we don't usually need to worry about in NJ.....
 

Thin Diesel

Well-Known Member
Back from my trip

Got back from Colorado Thursday, the same day a blizzard shut everything down. For once I got *lucky* with travel. Anyways, Fort Collins is great...big college town (CSU)...lots to do, see, eat, and drink (local breweries!). Fort Collins is also VERY bike friendly. The town is mostly flat and there are paths and dedicated bike lanes everywhere. I arrived last Sunday which was my only day to MTB. Lucky for me it was 78 degrees! Couldn't believe it. LBS Full Cycle set me up with a Giant Trance X2. Nice bike. I hit up Horsetooth Mountain and had a blast. Nothing but climbing to start...but afterwards lots of mostly non-technical singletrack down, up, and across the mountains. Great scenery all around, wish I had more time. Oh, also no problem with altitude for me. FC (~7500' max) isn't really too high compared to nearby Rocky Mountain State Park (~14,000' max)...another place that just blew me away. No MTB'ing permitted there but still totally breathtaking.

pix from horsetooth attached...
 

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Thin Diesel

Well-Known Member
one more pic...

This shot shows "horsetooth rock" up in the distance. Horsetooth mountain and horsetooth reservoir take their name from this rock which, to some folks, looks like a horse's tooth. This seems like a good setup for some of the MTBNJ comedians to respond to...
 

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