Roanoke is a great destination for biking – it can also be a great place to bike every day
My name is Ken McLeod. My day job is being Policy Director for the League of American Bicyclists.
I moved to Roanoke in 2018. While working remotely I missed my 10 mile round trip commute in Washington, DC. I joined the Downshift Men’s Cycling Team and have enjoyed the road, mountain, cyclocross, gravel, and many other types of riding in Roanoke and surrounding areas.
In this blog I plan to talk about bicycling, and how bicycling in Roanoke can be better. There are many great places to ride in the Roanoke Valley. Many times small changes could make those rides even better.
My Bikes
Lemond Zurich
Got this bike from Roanoke Mountain Adventures. It is a middle aged bike from 2002 with a mix of Shimano Ultegra and 105 components. It is my primary road bike and has been great for exploring the Blue Ridge Parkway and other road rides.
All-City Electric Queen
This is pretty new to me and my first adult mountain bike. Roanoke is a Silver IMBA Ride Center, the only one east of the Rockies, and I’ve really enjoyed learning to mountain bike.
Lauf True Grit
This is my gravel bike and I use it for road riding as well. For me, it has all the bells and whistles I could want, carbon frame, electronic shifting, plenty of mounting points, and a threaded bottom bracket.
Trek Crockett
This was my first high performance bike as an adult. It is a cyclocross bike, but I’ve only raced it three times. It mostly gets used for errands and casual greenway rides now. Currently rocking a swept back bar, but it has drops in this picture.