Biking

Rules

One rule... All participants must wear a bicycle helmet when riding on a club trip. If you don't understand this rule or don't agree with this rule then please don't ride with us. Thanks.

Guidelines

Water is recommended for all trips and is required for trips longer than one hour. For trips longer than two hours, riders should bring food or money to buy food at planned rest stops. All riders must have bike lights if it is likely the trip will continue until dusk. Each rider must follow traffic regulations and observe traffic/obstacles/hazards at all times while riding. All bicycles must be in good repair and appropriate for the rider and the planned trip. It is expected that all riders on the trip will stay in one group unless specific plans are made to separate.

Equipment

The club has a huge inventory of biking gear, tools and supplies. The only thing we don't have is bikes. All trips are BYOB (Bring Your Own Bike).

Road Biking

The Finger Lakes region is a great place to ride if you like hills. In past years the club has run biking trips around all of the Finger Lakes. They make a nice training circuit. Owasco first, then Keuka, Skaneateles, Canandaigua, Seneca and finally Cayuga. Each time we extend Cayuga by 10 miles to make it a century ride, then finish by going up Buffalo street all the way from downtown Ithaca to the top at Eddy street. There are infinitely many road bike trips possible. Pick a direction and ride.

Multi-day trips are also popular, though less common. The club has the big racks and panniers necessary for this sort of endeavor. A good beginner trip is biking to the Finger Lakes National Forest for an overnight stay, then biking back to Ithaca the next day.

Mountain Biking

The best single track riding is in Shindagin Hollow (about 6 miles East of Cornell down route 79). Other popular areas include Connecticut Hill and Hammond Hill. Please ride responsibly on legal trails. Note that the Finger Lakes Trail is off limits to bikes.

Maintenance Clinics

The club has tools and supplies for maintaining your bike. More important, we have the expertise to help. We run clinics every now and then. Pester the biking chair if you think we should run one soon.