I’ll be visiting ft Collins in early August and renting a bike. What are the best trails to check out around town. I’ll be working until about 5 PM so the trails need to be reasonably close to the city and 2 to 3 hours in length so I can make it back before dark. I expect to have 3 to 4 evenings available.
I’m an intermediate rider. I will likely be renting a Ripley or Ripmo. Any suggestions on what trails to check out (or where/what bike to rent) are appreciated.
Most of the close to town stuff is going to be up near horsetooth res. Maxwell and Foothills are on the east side of the res so a little more accessible, but that means also busier.
For my money, I’d go over to the west side and pick a route. I usually get suckered into riding up Towers which is a solid test of your fitness. For down, it’s usually Mill Creek. Frankly I don’t remember anything on Mill Creek that earns a black diamond in my book but I was raised on CO jank and have a Ripmo.
Are you a Colorado intermediate or a flat lander immediate? That might be what would be my deciding factor.
Another option is to go south from town on Blue Sky to Indian Summer. Both are lovely rides but they can get hot and don’t have a lot of shade.
I’m an intermediate for the desert of Washington. Climbing 2k feet in just over an hour in 95 F weather is doable for me (will likely take me longer at 6k feet elevation). Where I expect to struggle is any rocky chunder.
Those two areas were on my list so I’ll almost certainly be doing both of them and it’s good to have some specific trail recommendations.
I suspect you could handle those “blacks” - none of what I remember out around horsetooth is too crazy for a strong intermediate rider but if I’m wrong I hope someone with better memory steps in 🤣
If you’re really worried about being on the edge, no sense in getting a Ripley over a Ripmo - they both pedal incredibly well and the extra plush of a Ripmo might give you a confidence boost.