Thank you all very much for taking the time to provide your input for the Delaware Valley Trike Riders survey! Given the information received so far I do believe that we will have an excellent club of trike riders with many of the same riding skills and expectations in mind and I think the efforts we make to pull together a steady calendar of rides will fulfill many of our mutual riding goals.

The survey is still open for those who anticipate riding with us!

The majority of us are equally interested in riding for fun, camaraderie and sightseeing, followed by fitness and training. Overwhelmingly we are looking for rides lasting about 4 hours at about a 10 mph pace (we’ll look to add places to sprint and regroup for those with a need for more speed). The majority also are not looking for rides beyond 55 miles long and a few consider 40 miles to be about their limit.

Nearly everyone was interested in the NJ Pinelands and the Schuylkill River trail followed by the D&R and the D&L trails along the Delaware River. There is also interest in venturing further from the Delaware Valley to take advantage of the trails at the C&D Canal and through the Lehigh Gorge above Jim Thorpe PA. Equal interest was in the Coastal NJ rides (between Sandy Hook and Island Beach). People also expressed interest in the other trails mentioned and further recommended rides on the Chester Valley Trail, Perkiomen Trail, the York Heritage Trail and the GAP Trail out in S.W. PA.

Highways without dedicated bike lanes received the largest vote “against” in the road conditions to avoid, but even that was selected by less than half of us. I think that on most rides we can probably expect to avoid this condition – particularly when we take advantage of the popular trails. Packed Sand (not to be confused with beach sand) was the next least favorite but might be difficult to avoid during short stretches in the NJ Pinelands (it should be called the NJ Pine-Sands lands). I would suggest you give a packed sand trail a try as there are some amazing passageways through the deep pine forests that reveal sights unlike any seen from the roads.

Steady rain and freezing temperatures look like they will keep the majority of us off our trikes. High temperatures also seem to be worrisome. We can probably plan for more shaded rides on these excessively hot days (the trails along the Delaware River offer a lot of shade) as well as early morning starts. Selecting trails that have higher densities of support such as eateries and markets will also be included in planning rides and schedules.

Weekends look to be the best opportunity for most rides though there are riders available on weekdays too – this Might be a good chance for a smaller group to get together for a local ad-hoc ride?

There are a few people who can carry more than one trike. If you are interested in ride sharing, particularly on a trip further from your home, consider offering or asking to share a ride when you “sign-up” for a ride.

I’ll begin posting some of my rides (trip sheets and maps) in the archive section soon and if we have some agreeable weather I’ll post an invitation to join me. If you would like to lead a ride, or, if you have a favorite ride (like those added above) it would be very helpful if you could provide us with a trip sheet. If you have a trip sheet to share, you can forward that to me and I’ll post it online (or we can post a link to another resource online if one exists elsewhere).

Thanks again! I’m looking forward to riding with you!
Wayne K