I will be in Las Vegas for several days in early July, when the daily temp is supposed to be around 104 degrees.
Should I bring my folding bike and try to squeeze in a Sunday morning ride? What time of day does the heat become unbearable? (Note that I survived 110 miles in Sunday's 98 degrees--but I wouldn't try it in unfamiliar surroundings.)
The Las Vegas Valley Bicycle Club has a friendly Web site at http://www.vegasbikeclub.org/page_rides.html. No rides are listed for July yet, too early.
Appreciate your suggestions.
Vegas in July
Mon, 06/19/2006 - 3:01pm
Mon, 06/19/2006 - 3:41pm
#1
.
"Its a different type of heat out there. Its a "" dry heat"".
When I was there didn't even feel like it was 110. Got hottest at noon"
Mon, 06/19/2006 - 4:36pm
#2
Be soooo careful...I was there and tried to do my runs.. the cars are driven all by lunatics and the air quality SUCKS! I couldn't wait to get home!... also a family that my sister knows the father was killed running there- it was soo sad ..so be really realy careful of the cars!
Mon, 06/19/2006 - 5:23pm
#3
July is hottest month + it's a desert.
Vegas in July will often exceed 110 degrees as a high and will be 80-85 degrees for a low. (For reference, the official high for NYC on Sunday was 91; i.e., not comparable.) 110 degrees is very hot, even though you won't feel your sweat because of low humidity (less than 20%). There is NO SHADE and there is often 20+ mph wind with blowing sand. It's easy to suffer heat stroke if you don't know what you're doing. (Anything chrome will get too hot to touch very quickly.)
The only possible time to ride to minimize the heat is early morning when it might still be in the 80s (Vegas is on PDT, instead of MDT, so it's sort of double daylight saving time adjustment).
Clark County is fairly flat; traffic moves fast; most of the drivers are tourists, not used to cyclists. Hills (mountains) are 20+ miles away where you can find long grade slopes. Carry lots of water. (Better yet, have the sense to stay in air conditioned spaces.)
Mon, 07/10/2006 - 10:23am
#4
HIGHLY HIGHLY recommended. Leave your bike at home and call a place like Escape the City Streets:
http://lasvegas.citysearch.com/profile/7028047/
(8221 W. Charleston Blvd.; (702) 596-2953)
I'm not sure if these guys are related or not:
http://www.escapeadventures.com/las_vegas/
You could not pay me to ride a bike anywhere near the city; It's barely safe to walk across streets there. And the desert roads have more than their share of yahoos tearing up the roads in rented Vipers. Instead go mountain biking!
We did a half day trip in June I think. They came to the front of our hotel with a small bus loaded with about 12 bikes. Made 2 quick stops at nearby hotels to pick up a couple more people. We then drove about 15 minutes to the outskirts of town. The guide took down the bikes, put my clipless pedals on a nice full suspension bike that fit me pretty well and off we went. We rode up to a small gated fence and into the red rocks hills for about 25 miles.
It was amazing. Not super technical, great views, a bit of climbing and a fun ride back. The experienced riders and total novices in my group all loved it. One guy was kind of out of shape and that coupled with the hangovers we all were working off, well, he didn't make it up the first hill and ended up waiting by the van for 4 hours.
On the way back to the strip we saw wild horses running along side the road in the desert. 20 minutes later we were back in the hotel drinking frozen daiquiris by the pool contemplating which buffet to descend upon.
Mon, 06/19/2006 - 8:55pm
#5
It's hotter than hell and the traffic is to die from.
To some, Vegas IS hell, but I digress.
Bring your bathing suit, find a pool, swim some laps. Alternatively, give your right arm a good workout at the slots. (Do they have left-handed slots???)
Mon, 06/19/2006 - 9:52pm
#6
Leave the bike home.
I went to Vegas a few years ago in August and it was to hot to really do much outside. We played golf and I couldn't imagine walking the course. We were all dying to get into the air conditioning from the golf carts. My suggestion is enjoy the shows, restaurants, shopping and, of course, the gambling. Maybe rent a bike if you get the urge but I probably wouldn't go through the trouble of packing a bike to ride in that weather.
Tue, 06/20/2006 - 1:39pm
#7
Red Rocks
"http://groups.google.com/group/rec.bicycles.rides/msg/aed17f584f667a99
http://groups.google.com/group/rec.bicycles.rides/msg/171c16bd709891ef?hl=en&
http://www.bikingdestinations.com/vegas.htm
Here are more threads from rec.bicycles.rides about Las Vegas."
Mon, 07/10/2006 - 12:25am
#8
Report
"It was hard to decide. The pro- and anti-schlep arguments were equally matched, until an enthusiastic pitch by Glen Goldstein tipped the vote. Though I got in only one day of riding, about 50 miles on Sunday, it was worth it.
It was 89 degrees at 6:45 am when I headed out, and 106 degrees at 10:00 when I was returning. However, a light cloud cover kept me from baking. That was just luck. A cyclist I rode with for a ways told me that two weeks earlier it was unbearably hot. Plus, the two previous mornings I had gone running (carefully around all those cars!), so my hamstrings were strung.
The road out to Red Rock Canyon, Route 159 (Charleston Blvd.), is ""flat"" only in the sense that there are no rolling hills. But actually, it's a 19-or-so-mile steady incline from the Strip, to about 4,500 feet at the park, or so I was told. The return trip, almost entirely downhill, was fun!
Vegas's suburban sprawl now goes right out to the edge of that national park, and a stupid faux stucco wall keeps you from seeing the undulating sandstone hills in the distance until you're right in front of them. I tried not to get depressed at the thought of the immense use of resources, including water and energy, needed to maintain those gated communities. Meanwhile, the commercial parts of the old downtown area are pretty much used up and abandoned--sad.
Up in the high desert, the sandstone hills--brown, tan, red, mottled green--are just exquisite. I rode out to Blue Diamond--Vegas's Nyack, apparenatly (""Elevation: High, Population: Low""). There, I bought Gatorade and doughnuts at a convenience store and got my front wheel trued at McGhie's Bike Outpost. The dozens of cyclists I saw en route must keep this little shop in business.
The Las Vegas Valley Cycle Club also has ""adopted"" a highway-- a stretch of 159 near the Red Rock Canyon.
Though the city is TOTALLY auto-centric, no one honked at me, even when I pulled out into traffic (which moves pretty fast). However, on my return, a well-meaning but misguided tourist tapped his horn and wagged his finger at me on the Strip. I guess he doesn't know that bikes belong on the road, too.
I saw a number of short-distance runners in the mornings--possibly visitors like me. The cyclists around the Strip appeared to be mainly people getting to work--mountain/hybrid bikes, no helmet, slow pace in the heat. I saw a couple of bike lanes, but most of these cyclists stuck to the sidewalks. Out in Gated Community land, there is a bike lane on Rte. 159, and almost everyone there was on a snazzy road bike. (There were also a couple of marathoners!) But as usual, the Swift Folder made a few new friends.
I saw two bike shops on Rte. 159, including one, Pro Cyclery, that rents bikes. It's a good 10 miles from the Strip, however, so if you're staying there you have to take a cab, so add another $15-$20 to the rental fee each way.
The bike ride was the highlight of the trip--and since I brought my own, it was free! Thanks everyone for your tips."
