Resources

Bike Trails

Want help navigating local trails? Feel free to call the trails hotline at 319-621-4911. For more information, visit IowaCityBikeTrails.com.

Health

There are numerous health benefits to riding a bicycle throughout the day. In addition, health problems can be avoided. Certain work-life injuries: Vision, Posture, and Repetitive Stress – can be avoided. Learn more by watching this video Youtu.be/chTmpNIjaPQ.

Personalized Trail Guide

You can get a personalized video, map, and/or tour guide by completing this online form.

Riding in Difficult Weather

Benefits of Trails Riding

Trail Cleaning

As someone who regularly benefits from trails, it’s good to be part of trail upkeep, maintenance, and cleaning. For more about trail cleaning and care, click here.

Cycling Events

  • Courage Ride – “Courage Ride, honoring the life of Seth Bailey, is an annual bike ride through rural Iowa. Courage Ride is dedicated to improving the lives of those affected by sarcoma.”
  • Old Capitol Criterium – An annual bike race in downtown Iowa City offering events for all ages.
  • Ride 4 Youth – “Ride 4 Youth was started in 2012 by members of the Boulware Learning Community at the University of Iowa Carver College of Medicine who were searching for a way to give back to the Iowa City community in which they lived and learned. Since then, Ride 4 Youth has continued to grow and raise money and awareness for United Action for Youth and Waypoint. The ride has ten routes with varying distances and difficulty to allow biking pros and biking newbies alike to get out and pedal for a great cause. Last year, over 200 bicyclist rode to make a difference to those in need…this year we are expecting that number to increase significantly!”

Bike Shops

There are a lot of really nice bike shops in the Iowa City area, particularly in the area from Gilbert Street and Prentiss Street south to West Benton where you’ll find 30th Century Bicycle, the Iowa City Bike Library, World of Bikes, The Broken Spoke, and Geoff’s Bike & Ski. Rather than try to maintain an up-to-date comprehensive list of local bike shops, we recommend exploring these web results.

Organizations

  • Bicyclists of Iowa City – “Bicyclists of Iowa City, known as BIC, is a bike club with over 450 members from the Iowa City area. BIC isknown locally and regionally for our cycling advocacy and our wide schedule of activities and events. We plan rides several days of the week, catering to beginners as well as intermediate and advanced riders. Our rides include trail riding, road bicycling, and regional touring. We work closely with the Iowa Bicycle Coalition, the Iowa City Bike Library and county and city officials for cycling advocacy. BIC is a member of Adventure Cycling Association, League of American Bicyclists, and Think Bicycles of Johnson County.”
  • Bike Library – See Iowa City Bike Library (below)
  • Iowa Bicycle Coalition – “The Iowa Bicycle Coalition builds partnerships, educates Iowans, and helps to establish safe and enjoyable bicycle transportation and recreation networks throughout Iowa.”
  • Iowa City Bike Library – “The Bike Library started in 2004 as a volunteer-run community bike project located in Iowa City, Iowa with a mission of getting more people on bikes. We repair donated bikes and offer them to the public. Bikes are priced with a deposit and checked out for six month periods. If a bike is returned in good condition within the checkout period, the deposit will be returned to the user. Alternately, patrons can choose to keep their bikes and forfeit their deposit.” [Facebook]
  • Iowa City Cycling Club – “The Iowa City Cycling Club exists to further the sport of bicycling through race promoting, team sponsorship, training, and mentoring other cyclists.  As a club we strive to support all aspects of cycling and fitness, including advocacy, safety, and community involvement.” [Facebook]
  • Think Bicycles of Johnson County – “Think Bicycles of Johnson County was organized through the collective efforts of the area’s finest bike shops along with the Bicyclists of Iowa City, Iowa City Bike Library, and others.  These businesses and organizations have come together to promote cycling as the preferred form of transportation and to strengthen the bicycle culture in Johnson County. The Think Bicycles website will help us stay united and informed and will strengthen our collective voices so that cyclists are represented in matters of policy and principle around Johnson County. We encourage you to stop by regularly.”
  • Think Iowa City – “The Iowa City area accommodates cyclists of all kinds – commuters, leisure cyclists and competitive racers. Hard surface trails, mountain bike trails, county roads and gravel roads provide bicyclists new ground to explore on two wheels. Bring your own bicycle or rent one from a local shop before deciding your route for the day.”