Monthly Archives: August 2011

River Bend, Randall Road and Great Western Trail Ride

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Yesterday, a friend and I went out and explored some new bike trails (which also connected to some bike trails that we had already ridden before) and had a really nice 35 mile ride.

I originally wanted to check out the Randall Road Bike Trail but it is actually a pretty short trail (4 miles) but what we discovered is that this is an excellent way to ride from the Fox River Trail to the Great Western Trail!

The other trail involved in getting from the FRT to the GWT is the River Bend Trail which is also known as the Silver Glen Trail. It is a little confusing since I have seen this trail referred to with 2 different names so I just referred to both names so people can find the info on it using either name.

River Bend / Silver Glen Bike Trail

The bridge over Randall Road on the River Bend (Silver Glen) Bike Trail

If you start on the Fox River Trail just before the long bridges in South Elgin, you’ll see a sign for the “Randall & Silver Glen Trails“. This is the River Bend Trail (as it is called on the map in the forest preserve that you go through).   Some of this bike trail goes along Silver Glen Road so I believe that is how the SGT name came about.

Anyway, if you get on the River Bend Trail from the Fox River Trail, you can follow the trail all the way to Randall Road. At Randall Road you can get on the north end of the Randall Road Trail which you can then take south the the Great Western Trail.

We connected to the GWT, as described above, and then took the GWT to Virgil, Illinois where we turned around and went back. I actually put together some bike trail pages, with photos for the River Bend Trail HERE.

The River Bend Trail is nice as you go through the John J Duerr Forest Preserve and if you take it through the wetland area west of Randall Road but the part that goes along Silver Glen Road is not that exciting.

Randall Road Bike Trail

A view of the northern end of the Randall Road Trail from the corn field

The Randall Road Trail is not very exciting either when you first get on at the northern end of the trail (at Silver Glen & Randall) but once you go over the long bridge (that runs parallel to Randall Road), it goes into a nice forest preserve area, followed by a real nice prairie and then you connect to the Great Western Trail (which I have always enjoyed).

There was no construction or detours on any of the trails that I have mentioned above and overall it was a really nice ride.

Bike Computers/Speedometers and GT Bikes 15% Off through 8/17/2011

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As I was updating all of the Bike Prices on this website for today, I noticed that Performance Bike has a sale going on where they are taking 15% off of all “Outlet” items through Wednesday, 8/17.

This sale is actually for 15% off of the lowest sale price listed and works out pretty well for the items that are on sale at Performance, including bikes.

I found that ALL of the GT bikes (Road, Mountain and Hybrid) on this website quality for the 15% off at Performance. So if you have been looking for a GT Bike, this is a good time to check out what they have on sale at Performace.  See any of the GT Bikes listed here.

There are quite a few other items that qualify for the 15% off sale at Performance including Bike Computers/Speedometers so if you are looking for a new (or first) Bike Computer  (or any other bike accessory) check out the Performance Sale that is going on now through Wednesday.

Diamondback Bikes on Sale at Amazon

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Amazon (like many other merchants this time of year) is having a back to school sale this month and as I was reviewing bike prices and the bikes that they sell, I noticed that they have quite a few Diamondback Bikes on sale right now.

I also noticed that I do not currently have any Diamondback reviews in my bike review pages (probably a mistake on my part and I will be correcting that as soon as I get back to bike reviews) but I do have Diamondback listed on the Most Popular Bike Brand page and I do mention that they have high quality kids bikes and high quality mountain bikes on our Kids Bikes Page.

Anyway, although Diamondback makes most of the popular bike types (road, mountain, comfort, etc.), I think that they make good quality mountain bikes and kids bikes, in particular, and at a decent price.

So until I get some detailed Diamondback reviews published, and especially if you are planning on a back to school  upgrade to your kids’ bike(s), check out the Amazon links on our  Kids Bikes Page for the bikes (and other back to school stuff) that are on sale now at Amazon.

A Simple Hot Weather Bike Riding Tip

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This is just a real simple thing and it may not be applicable to a lot of people but I came up with this on my ride today and I just thought I would write a quick blog post about it.

I have kept a handkerchief in my Topeak bike bag (which, btw, I really love due to the fold out panniers easy Quicktrack clip on and off mechanism) and I have found this to be very handy in quite a few situations.

Well, today I rode 26 miles and it is 94 degrees and humid! In very hot weather sometimes the sweat rolls down my forehead and into my eyes and the sweat on my face is just plain uncomfortable. The handkerchief can come in handy but it’s not so handy when it’s in my bike bag.

Bike handkerchief

Bike handkerchief

Well today I just decided to tie the handkerchief on to my handlebar post for easy access. This actually worked out very well and was very convenient. In addition to being handy it is also right there blowing in the wind to help it dry out a little between uses. 

I know some of you have helmets or hats (or dew rags) that help with this, or in hot weather you can just wear a bandana or keep a handkerchief in your pocket for easy access but I thought that tying it on to the handlebars worked pretty well and I haven’t noticed other people doing that (I’ll be more aware of it now).

It also reminds me a little of an Aerosmith mic stand (if it were a little longer and fancier)!!!

Aside from that little idea, don’t forget the more sensible hot weather riding guidelines such as dressing very lightly, bringing plenty of water and staying hydrated, bringing or wearing a hat or helmet, using sunscreen as necessary and taking breaks when you need to or just taking it a little easier in the heat (you can always work on breaking those speed records when it cools down a little 🙂 ).

Enjoy your ride and stay cool!