Tag Archives: bike minnesota

Bike Pic Dec 21, fond summer memories at a Jail Trail competition

Fond memories for this young mountain biker on the Jail Trail in St. Cloud last summer, competing on the St, Cloud High School Composites team of the Minnesota High School Cycling League.

What better way to reflect on your 2017 riding season and plan your 2018 #NextBikeAdventure. View all the great ideas and bike destinations in the latest Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide. Then plan your next outing with family and friends in one of the HaveFunBiking Destinations.

Thanks for Viewing Our ‘Jail Trail’ Pic of the Day

We are now rolling into our 10th year as a bike tourism media. As we pedal forward our goal is to continue to encourage more people to bike and have fun while we highlight all the unforgettable places for you to ride. As we continue to showcase more places to have fun, we hope the photos we shoot are worth a grin. Enjoy the information and stories we have posted as you scroll through.

Do you have a fun bicycle related photo of yourself or someone you may know that we should post? If so, please send your picture(s) to: [email protected]. Include a brief caption (for each) of who is in the photo (if you know) and where the picture was taken. Photo(s) should be a minimum of 1,000 pixels wide or larger to be considered. If we use your photo, you will receive photo credit and acknowledgment on Facebook and Instagram.

As we continue to encourage more people to bike, please view our Destination section at HaveFunBiking.com for your #NextBikeAdventure – Also, check out the MN Bike Guide, now mobile friendly, as we enter into our 8th year of producing this hand information booklet full of maps.

Remember, bookmark HaveFunBiking.com on your cell phone and find your next adventure at your fingertips! Please share our pics with your friends and don’t forget to smile. We may be around the corner with one of our cameras ready to document your next cameo apperance while you are riding and having fun. You could be in one of our next Pic’s of the Day.

Bike Pic Dec 19, fond memories riding along Summit Ave in St. Paul

Fond memories, we found this picture taken this last year of these two bikers enjoying warm weather riding on Summit Avenue, in St. Paul, MN.

View all the fun ideas and bike destinations in the new HaveFunBiking Guide. Then plan your next outing with family and friends at one of the HaveFunBiking Destinations.

Thanks for viewing our ‘Fond Memories’ Pic of the Day

Have a great day!

Bike Pic Dec 16, a fun photo opp on the Heartland Trail

It’s Saturday and time to ride off on another adventure or visit your favorite bike shop for those last minute stocking stuffers. Here in the photo we caught this biker dude posing with the worlds largest muskie, in Nevis, MN, on the Heartland Trail. It is approximate 16 on the trail from Nevis to Walker.

What better way to continue your 2017 biking fun and to plan your #NextBikeAdventure. View all the fun ideas and bike destinations in the latest Bike/Hike Guide. Then plan your next outing with family and friends at one of the HaveFunBiking Destinations.

Thanks for viewing our ‘Heartland Trail’ Pic of the Day

Have a great day!

The inaugural issue of the Have Fun Biking National Guide is here

From all of us at HaveFunBiking.com (HFB), We are elateded to introduce you to our inaugural issue of the Have Fun Biking Guide. We began with the HFB website in 2006 and have been publishing bicycle guides ever since.

What you will see in the Have Fun Biking National Guide

Like the Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide and our website, our goal is to help cyclists easily access the latest information on bicycling, including the best places to ride a
bike, plus helpful tips on gear, maintenance and safety for the next bike adventure. That
vision and process still holds true today as you page through the following feature
stories, tips and reviews in this new digital publication.

This new national bicycle guide offers bicyclists of all levels easily access the latest information on places to ride a bike, helpful tips and more.

Many of the articles and tips you see in the guide are also on our blog at HFB. So if you are looking for more updated details, along with additional descriptive photos and links, we have you covered.

A sneak peek at in future bi-monthly issues

Furthermore, if you want a sneak peek at what might be in our next issue of this guide or further details when on the go, please sign up for our weekly eNewsletter on the next page. I promise your email address will not be sold to, or shared with, a third party. Also, if you would like to view our daily photo ‘Pic of the Day’ please like – our Facebook or Instagram page.

Whether you are new to bicycling or a seasoned cyclist, we hope you enjoy and bookmark this handy guide to your favorite electronic device. Our goal is to continue publishing biking information to help you stay active and healthy.

Be an HFB partner, share you stories, pictures and ideas

To make future issues available, please check out all the links our sponsors have provided and let me know what you would like to see in our upcoming bi-monthly issues. This publication is a partnership between HaveFunBiking, our sponsors and you, our readers. We need your input
to be successful, so please feel free to share your opinions, ideas, photos and stories on bicycle related topics with us. Just send an email to: [email protected] and we will get back to you.

Read on and have fun!

Russ Lowthian, Editor
HaveFunBiking.com

Bike Pic Dec 14, fond summer memories at a Jail Trail competition

Fond memories for this young mountain biker on the Jail Trail in St. Cloud last summer, competing on the Mankato High School team of the Minnesota High School Cycling League.

Thanks for Viewing Our ‘Jail Trail’ Pic of the Day

A mid-term review of this amazing Sealskinz Halo Winter Glove

by John Brown, HaveFunBiking

Now that I have had over a month of cold weather under my belt, I feel comfortable talking about the Sealskinz Halo Winter Glove. The onset of Minnesota’s winter is probably colder than most peoples harsh winter months, so I feel that this mid-term review is probably a great indicator for 90 percent of America ’s riding needs.

The pros of the Sealskinz winter glove so far

I think we all agree, the major selling feature for any winter glove is warmth and this glove has that in spades. I have ridden well into the mid-teens and never once wanted for more insulation. Considering these gloves are a full five finger glove and lightweight, the fact that they are warm is unparalleled. Overall the gloves breath well, fit well and have a great amount of flexibility. I like the large Velcro flap that acts as the wrist closure and the palm material’s tacky grip on the bar.

The cons to date

The lighting system is one of the selling features for these gloves, but sadly it didn’t perform as stated. While the lights are bright their position on the glove doesn’t lend to amazing visibility. However, they do offer a really cool look when signaling your turns. Sadly, for me, one of the blinkers didn’t start well and didn’t last long. The bracket that holds the battery was loose from the factory and led to intermittent function. I was able to readjust the bracket (read bent) and the light functioned well. Unfortunately, maybe due to my work the wires broke free from the switch.

The wiring broke free on my Halo light (red circle). Luckily the part is replaceable

More Sealskinz info coming

With the lighting system aside, these gloves have been amazing. Considering that the Sealskinz Glove is known for warmth and not electronics, this makes sense. I’m planning on riding these gloves right up until they can’t insulate anymore. So far they have done a better job than any of the dozen or so gloves I have sitting at home. I also hope to see how long the palm material stays grippy. That palm is starting to show some signs of wear, but overall, they are well intact.

Light wear on the Halo’s palm

Bike Pic Nov 5, winter fat bike fun is back in the upper Midwest

A perfect fall day to get out on the mountain bike trail and burning some holiday calories while testing your fat bike legs.

What better way to continue your 2017 riding season fun and to plan your #NextBikeAdventure. View all the great ideas and bike destinations in the latest Minnesota Bike/Hike Guide. Then plan your next outing with family and friends in one of the HaveFunBiking Destinations.

Thanks for Viewing Our ‘Fat Bike fun’ Pic of the Day

Bike Park Rapids and enjoy Minnesota’s forest and lake features

by Hayley Spalding

In the heart of Minnesota’s lake country, Park Rapids never lacks when it comes to outdoor recreational activities. Throughout the seasons, spending time visiting family and friends in the area I have had many fond memories. In the fall you will find many hunting and gravel road riding opportunities. Through the winter cross country skiing and fat biking are prime. Then in the spring, a color dash of trail riding as our feathered friends return. Before pedaling to many outdoor festival scheduled throughout the summer. It’s always fun here in the Heartland.

Riding the Heartland Trail out of Park Rapids

Exploring Park Rapids

Each year people spend time on the beach, pedal the Heartland Trail or discover Itasca State Park. If shopping is your thing a stroll downtown on their quaint Main Street is another option. It’s fun to window shop through the old fashioned stores fronts, where parking is never an issue. Cars are allowed to park in the middle of the street and getting downtown by bike is easy. What I find most appealing, is the community itself. It has small town charm and little quirks that makes it appealing to people of all ages, whether they are into riding a bike or not.

Where to Bike

The Park Rapids area, offers fun opportunities for both the recreation trail rider and the touring cyclist, with:

The Heartland State Trail

This 49 mile paved trail system starts in Park Rapids on the west side. Then connecting with the Paul Bunyan Trail as it passes through Walker, before ending in Cass Lake. A multi-recreational trail system the Heartland Trail is open for biking, hiking and other trail uses. Parts of the trail also has a parallel grass track alongside for runners. This unpaved path is also available to mountain bikers, horseback riding and snowmobilers. The Heartland trail, meandering past shaded pathways that pass alongside several lakes, offers cyclists plenty to see.

Shorter rides on the Heartland

A mileage marker on the Heartland Trail

The Heartland trail is used by a variety of people from serious cyclists to leisurely riders and everyone in between. For those who prefer a shorter distance rather than the full 49 miles. consider biking to Dorset, the “Restaurant Capital of the World. Its about five miles out-and-back from Park Rapids. Riding from Park Rapids to Nevis and back is around 15 miles. This will allow you a chance to see the World’s Largest Tiger Muskie. No matter how far you bike on this State Trail, you will find a welcoming community and a Loon calling out to greet you.

Stopping in Nevis for a selfie

Bike Itasca State Park

About ten miles up the highway from Park Rapids is another place for trail riding. This State Park, known for the Headwaters of the Mississippi River and Historic Douglas Lodge offers 16 miles of paved bike trails. The rolling trails in the park winds through virgin pine forests that meander around a couple lakes, fun for the whole family. For a full bicycle tour of the park the Wilderness Drive, shared with motorists, adds an additional 10 miles to your ride. For those into road riding, at the Headwaters parking lot, the Mississippi River Trail (MRT) begins its journey to New Orleans.

At the Headwaters of the Mississippi River, in Itasca State Park.

Gravel and road touring options

Besides a road trip out of Itasca State Park on the MRT, the Park Rapids area also offers a network of bike-friendly roads so you can explore the Heartlands countryside. See more with MnDOT’s county bike map, of Hubbard County.

For more information on visiting the park Rapids Area see our HaveFunBiking At-A-Glance article on Park Rapids.

Bike Pic Dec 4, riding into the Monday morning sun this summer

Here is a biker dude having fun, riding into the Monday morning sun this summer on the Mississippi River Trail Corridor that runs through the Twin Cities Gateway community of Fridley, MN.

Thanks for Viewing Our ‘Monday Morning Sun’ Pic of the Day

Have a great day!

Bike Pic Nov 18, some Minnesota biker chicks having a good time

A little damp weather bike touring wont stop these Minnesota Ironman biker chicks from having a good time riding around Washington County, in 2016.

Thanks for Viewing Our ‘Biker Chicks’ Pic of the Day

Have a great day!