Minnesota/Wisconsin Rail/Trail Query

Robert Kline <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

Quoted message said:

My wifa and I have a EZ Quadribent and are looking to
find rail trails in the MN/WI area that would be
conducive to a (geezerly) couple looking for a relatively
easy ride in an area where we can enjoy a night at a B&B,
a nice meal and an extendede cocktail hour. We've been to
Lanesboro and thoroughly enjoyed it and will probably go
there often but we wonder if there are other such places.
Thanks for any advice.

I believe that the trails in MN are paved and the ones in WI
are not. Hard to beat the Root River trail.

"Robert Kline" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

My wifa and I have a EZ Quadribent and are looking to
find rail trails in the MN/WI area that would be
conducive to a (geezerly) couple looking for a relatively
easy ride in an area where we can enjoy a night at a B&B,
a nice meal and an extendede cocktail hour. We've been to
Lanesboro and thoroughly enjoyed it and will probably go
there often but we wonder if there are other such places.
Thanks for any advice.

Robert, do a search under Minnesota Rail Trails and you will
find more information than you will know what to do with.
The Root River Trail system in SE Minnesota with Lanesboro
as your headquarters is a hard one to beat for what you and
your wife want to do. I have never heard any but good things
too about the Cannon Valley Trail near Red Wing, also in SE
Minnesota. The northern Minnesota trails are not quite so
user friendly as you will be spending many miles just going
through those North Woods. Some folks find this a bit
monotonous after awhile.

I believe Minnesota may well have the most extensive and
best rail trails in the entire country. Most importantly,
they are mostly all paved, unlike the trails in Wisconsin. A
trail that is not paved will require fat knobby tires in my
opinion. I do not ever go fast on bike trails so I do not
mind being slow with fat knobby tires on a gravel or crushed
limestone trail, but you can't beat a paved (asphalt) trail
for ultimate cycling pleasure.

--
Regards,

Ed Dolan - Minnesota

Quoted message said:

"Robert Kline" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

My wifa and I have a EZ Quadribent and are looking to
find rail trails in the MN/WI area that would be
conducive to a (geezerly) couple looking for a relatively
easy ride in an area where we can enjoy a night at a B&B,
a nice meal and an extendede cocktail hour.

Check out the Great River Trail between Onalaska WI (starts
behind the Bait Shop) and Trempealeau WI with the historic
Trempealeau Hotel. The latter has great food and is a nice
place to stay though not technically a "B&B".

Edward Dolan said:

...A trail that is not paved will require fat knobby tires
in my opinion. I do not ever go fast on bike trails so I
do not mind being slow with fat knobby tires on a gravel
or crushed limestone trail, but you can't beat a paved
(asphalt) trail for ultimate cycling pleasure.

The I&M Canal Trail [1] is primarily surfaced with limestone
screenings (with a few section paved with asphalt cement
concrete) and I found less than 500 feet over the 61 mile
length to be unsuitable for a RANS Rocket with Avocet 44-406
Fasgrip Freestyle slick tires.

If I were riding primarily on limestone screenings I would
choose a tire with moderate tread such as the Continental
Top Touring or Primo V-Monster.

[1] <dnr.state.il.usmain.htOpen ↗
m>.

--
Tom Sherman – Quad City Area

"Tom Sherman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Edward Dolan said:

...A trail that is not paved will require fat knobby
tires in my opinion. I do not ever go fast on bike
trails so I do not

mind

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

being slow with fat knobby tires on a gravel or crushed
limestone trail,

but

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

you can't beat a paved (asphalt) trail for ultimate
cycling pleasure.

The I&M Canal Trail [1] is primarily surfaced with
limestone screenings (with a few section paved with
asphalt cement concrete) and I found less than 500 feet
over the 61 mile length to be unsuitable for a RANS Rocket
with Avocet 44-406 Fasgrip Freestyle slick tires.

If I were riding primarily on limestone screenings I would
choose a tire with moderate tread such as the Continental
Top Touring or Primo

V-Monster. [...]

Tom, when I am on tour on a bike trail I do not like to
spend any time at all looking at what is immediately ahead
of me on the ground in front of my front wheel. With fat
knobbies I can virtually ignore the surface of the trail and
look at the clouds or the passing trees or whatever. Most
limestone screenings types of trails are pretty good, but
with narrow road tires you have got to keep your eyes on the
surface of the trail or sooner or later you will receive a
rude awakening. With fat knobby tires you can go anywhere on
any kind of trail surface and not have to ever even look at
the trail surface. For gravel trails and roads especially,
fat knobbies are mandatory.

--
Ed Dolan - Minnesota

Edward Dolan said:

...For gravel trails and roads especially, fat knobbies
are mandatory.

Not on a trike. 🙂

--
Tom Sherman – Quad City Area

I've ridden the beautiful Elroy-Sparta Trail in soup with
skinny Schwalbe Marathons on my old Rocket. Those limestone
trails are quite safe on tires of any persuasion IMHO.

If there weather is good, I'd imagine you will have a
great trip.

elroy-sparta-trail.comlodging.htmOpen ↗

Rod Kuehl Strada Riverview,FL

People that ride recumbent bikes do not run knobby tires as
best I know.

"Tom Sherman" <[email hidden]> wrote in message news:2lbekjFaopj0U1@uni-
berlin.de...

Quoted message said:

Edward Dolan said:

...For gravel trails and roads especially, fat knobbies
are mandatory.

Not on a trike. 🙂

--
Tom Sherman – Quad City Area

Rod Kuehl said:

I've ridden the beautiful Elroy-Sparta Trail in soup with
skinny Schwalbe Marathons on my old Rocket. Those
limestone trails are quite safe on tires of any
persuasion IMHO.

If there weather is good, I'd imagine you will have a
great trip.

And please do not run over any squirrels.

--
Tom Sherman – Quad City Area

"Rod Kuehl" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

I've ridden the beautiful Elroy-Sparta Trail in soup with
skinny Schwalbe Marathons on my old Rocket. Those
limestone trails are quite safe on

tires

Quoted message said:

of any persuasion IMHO.

You have got to pay attention to the trail surface on any
other than a paved surface. If Wisconsin weren't so cheap
they would pave their bike trails like Minnesota does.

[...]

Quoted message said:

People that ride recumbent bikes do not run knobby tires
as best I know.

Most people who ride recumbents ride them on paved surfaces.
When you are not riding on paved surfaces you had best get
your tires right or you will regret it sooner or alter. I
have ridden hundreds if not thousands of miles on gravel
roads and I have never yet seen any other cyclists, let
alone recumbent cyclists, on those types of roads. Almost
100% of all cyclists like paved surfaces. That is why a bike
trail that is not paved is such an aggravation - unless you
are running fat knobbies. I do not consider limestone
screenings a substitute for a paved surface.

--
Ed Dolan - Minnesota

"David" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Rod Kuehl said:

Quoted message said:

People that ride recumbent bikes do not run knobby tires
as best I know.

Does that mean I'm breaking new ground when I put knobbies
front & back on my Tour Easy come wintertime?

I have found that knobbies won't help much on ice and
compacted snow. Frankly, the only thing to ride when the
streets and roads are full of ice and snow are trikes. At my
age I cannot afford to fall - not even once!

--
Regards,

Ed Dolan - Minnesota

David said:

Rod Kuehl said:

I've ridden the beautiful Elroy-Sparta Trail in soup with
skinny Schwalbe Marathons on my old Rocket. Those
limestone trails are quite safe on tires of any
persuasion IMHO.

If there weather is good, I'd imagine you will have a
great trip.

elroy-sparta-trail.comlodging.htmOpen ↗

Rod Kuehl Strada Riverview,FL

People that ride recumbent bikes do not run knobby tires
as best I know.

Does that mean I'm breaking new ground when I put knobbies
front & back on my Tour Easy come wintertime?

David

Year ro

I have had knobby tires on my Actionbent Jetstream for 7
months and so far have over 1000 miles on trails with them.
They work just great except in deep sand. There is another
Bent rider I see now and then on a rail to trails ride that
has knobbys also. I have a Tour Easy that I do the paved
road rides on.

Jerry

David ,you and the knobbies would be a big hit here in FLA, USA. :-))

Rod

"David" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
"]news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Rod Kuehl said:

I've ridden the beautiful Elroy-Sparta Trail in soup
with skinny

Schwalbe

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Marathons on my old Rocket. Those limestone trails are
quite safe on

tires

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

of any persuasion IMHO.

If there weather is good, I'd imagine you will have a
great trip.

elroy-sparta-trail.comlodging.htmOpen ↗

Rod Kuehl Strada Riverview,FL

People that ride recumbent bikes do not run knobby tires
as best I know.

Does that mean I'm breaking new ground when I put
knobbies front & back on my Tour Easy come wintertime?

David

Year 'round recumbent rider

Socked GRR, All Weather Tour Easy, Idle R40