Mountain Biking

I started using my bike a few years ago to help move towards my goal of getting into better shape. I have had ups and downs but my love for cycling has continued to grow. My bike is rather old (mid-90's) all steel frame Schwinn Frontier 21-speed mountain bike. It used to have knobby tires, but they have been worn over the years riding on pavement and gravel trails. It is extremely well built and feels solid - granted it weighs as much as a Mini Cooper.

The steel beast on the Des Plaines River Trail.

I have recently started to enjoy more "off-road" trails and single-track. It's tough finding challenging trails around the Chicagoland area simply because it's so flat; I am actually surprised they are legally allowed to call them "mountain" bikes here. One of my favorite trails to ride has been the Des Plaines River Trail which spans from the Wisconsin border and connections to trails leading into downtown Chicago. It passes through several different preserves along the trail - from open prairies to extremely lush forests. A positive in my book, the river tends to flood the trail quite often; a challenge!

Flooding under one of the roads.

I hope to explore a few more trails towards the end of summer and into the fall season. Last fall I hiked some of the trails at Wisconsin's Kettle Moraine State Forest. It looks as if they have some great trails tailored for single-track mountain biking, I think this might need to be my next biking destination. :)

The Kettle Moraine single-track.