There are three types of bicycle paths: paved, gravel, and dirt bike routes. I learned about these different types of bike paths over 12 years ago when my dad coerced me to start riding again. Or should we say, nagged me until I had no choice but to think it over carefully.
At first we only rode on Saturday. We would meet at the corner of Lake Avenue and West Ridge Road in Rochester, NY. He only lived a few minutes from the meeting spot, where I had to ride a little further from East Ridge Road in Irondequoit.
Across the glass and debris filled Veterans Memorial Bridge I rode, past the pedestrian bridge, and down the sidewalk to the corner across the street from our favorite hangout when we weren’t riding. It was Tim Horton’s where dad would get a custard cream donut and coffee, and I would just get a coffee and sometimes a bagel.
The Paved Bicycle Path in Urban Areas
The first type of bicycle path dad took me on was the paved one. Riding alongside motor vehicles going 40 mph or more, there was nothing to protect us but a painted line and our careful observations of traffic coming from behind.
As long as we didn’t ride too close to the gutter, we didn’t need to worry about getting a flat from glass and other sharp objects. Then dad brought me to Turning Point Park where the ride downhill is fast but paved. You just need to watch out for fallen tree branches, other riders blasting down the hill, and pedestrians walking their dogs.
Once we reached the bottom of the gigantic hill, it was smooth riding across the wooden bridge over the Genesee River all the way to Lake Ontario itself. On the way back, we had to use the lowest gear possible on our folding bikes. I was on my Tern Link D8, and dad was on his eight-speed Dahon Speed P8. Climbing the hill back to Lake Avenue took a while but our folding bikes had a low enough gear to make it manageable.
Gravel Bicycle Paths are Safe but Messy such as the Erie Canal
Our longest ride was on the Erie Canalway Trail. For approximately 11 miles we heard the crunch of gravel underneath our tires with stone dust covering almost every square inch of our bikes, despite having full-length fenders. From Rochester, NY to Spencerport, NY all we saw was the Erie Canal on our left and a few walkers and bicyclists until we arrived at the town of Spencerport.
Riding on the gravel bicycle paths was much safer than commuting on paved bike paths. There were no speeding vehicles to get flattened by. No red lights to keep stopping at and wearing down our brakes and our legs to get restarted. We also didn’t need to worry about dangerous intersections where drivers made turns without watching out for cyclists.
Dirt Bike Trails are a Bicycle Maintenance Nightmare
We didn’t ride dirt bicycle paths too much because they were usually muddy from recent rain, or very bumpy. A few times we rode the Genesee Riverway Trail, but never on our folding bikes. At the time when we rode those bicycle paths, we both had full-sized bicycles. My dad had a Trek Single Speed, and I had a Raleigh 24-speed hybrid. A lot of this trail was paved, but near the Genesee River itself, it was all dirt.
A few spots on the dirt bike paths were smooth and didn’t cause too much discomfort in our hands and saddle, but the mud would cause a bicycle maintenance nightmare. Mud got everywhere. It was on the forks, rims, tires, bottom bracket, rear triangle, frame, brakes, and even our shoes. Cleaning the bicycles made riding dirt and gravel bicycle paths too much work, so eventually we stuck to just urban paved routes, especially when we switched over to folding bikes.
Which type of bicycle paths do you like to ride? What are the names of the trails where you live?