Bike Denton's logo.

Bicycles are an important form of transportation for some students and residents of Denton. Reasons for using bicycles may be avoiding car related costs, environmental concerns, health reasons, or convenience. They are also commonly used for recreation by many Dentonites.

Bike Denton is a blog about biking. In Denton.

Denton is in the process of approving a Bike Plan draft that lays out the future of Denton's bicycling infrastructure and goals. Through a series of public meetings and an advisory board, city staff engineers working with a consultant from Freese & Nichols incorporated citizen input. The plan will go to city council in December or January for a final vote. As reported in the Denton Record-Chronicle, county commissioner Hugh Coleman recently pledged $100,000 in matching funds for the first year of bike plan implementation, and the city has agreed to match that. 

Types of Bicycles in Denton

  • Road Bikes are considered cool by bike geeks and indie kids, especially vintage models. They are generally designed to be ridden at high speeds on paved roads. Generally, they have light frames, drop bars and thin tires.
    • Fixed Gear Bikes (Fixies) are single speed bikes that have no free wheel, thus the pedals are always in motion when the bike is in motion.  Fixed gear bikes were originally only seen on a velodrome, but have recently gained popularity, and are now a common sight on the streets of Denton.  The Rear cog is permanently fixed to the hub, allowing the biker to brake by moving the pedals against their initial motion. Fixies are popular due to their mechanical simplicity, sturdiness, and ability to ride backwards.
    • Racing Bikes are mostly used for recreation and sport riding - they are the sports cars of the bike world, meant for speed and efficiency. They characteristically have lightweight, stiff frames, lower drop handlebars and a wide set of gears (except for velo track bikes). Often, aerodynamics overrides comfort.
    • Old Schwinn bikes can be found for moderate cost on Craigslist and are popular campus bikes.
  • Cruisers are popular campus bikes, often given as gifts by parents. They are scorned by Eurotrash (unless they are Dutch).
    • Dutch Bicycles are extremely heavy, but also cute. Some people will pay stupid amounts of money (around $1000) to own them. Not common in Denton ... yet. Traditionally painted black, they have a step through steel frame (which causes their heaviness) and are single speeds.
  • Hybrids are designed for use on multiple different surfaces, both paved and unpaved, and often utilized components of both road bikes and mountain bikes. While there are multiple varients such as the cross bike, commuter ,and city bike, they typically follow the same formula. They take the triple crank and handlebars from mountain bikes and use the frame and think wheel base of the road bike.
  • Mountain Bikes are enduringly popular, and with some modifications make good campus commuters. These bikes are often very cheap, used. The degenerative state of Denton's roads make mountain bikes a good choice due to their thick, studded wheels and heavy suspension.
  • Bike-Share Bikes VBikes has around 60 Cruiser style bikes in town which can be rented for $1 per hour. You download an app on your phone, find a bike, unlock it with your phone and ride wherever you want to go. then just park it appropriately and lock it.
  • Freak Bikes are an occasional sight in Denton.
    • Tallbikes are the most common form, a bicycle with a second frame welded to the top, creating a bike 5 to 6 feet tall.
    • Longbikes are seen on occasion; generally, two BMX frames welded together. Seat and pedal placement make riding for any period uncomfortable, so usually riders pedal to reach speed, then stand on the frame and "surf" the bike until they lose momentum, then repeat.
    • Many other styles of freak bikes can be seen around town, in almost any configuration imaginable.

The Law

See Denton Laws Made Easy. for information on equipment, cycling on the road, and cycling on sidewalks.

Bike Racks

For full article see Bicycle Racks

The city of Denton, the UNT and TWU campuses, and many local businesses have bike racks installed for the convenience of bikers. There are sturdy bike racks installed at several points around The Square, and all the campus residence halls feature large bike racks near an entrance. Dan's Silverleaf bike rack is the largest bike rack installed by a business, other than a university.

Bike Shops

  • Querencia Community Bike Shop is a wonderful volunteer organization that will help you learn the Fine Art of Bicycle Maintenance. The will teach you how to do basic maintenance and simple repairs at no obligatory cost.
  • Bullseye Bike Shop   is a local shop just south of the Square on Locust. They have a good variety of Road, BMX, Commuter, and Mountain bikes as well as all sorts of accessories. Their main bike lines are Bianchi, Jamis, and Eastern. They also carry Chrome accessories and Bern helmets. 
  • Sprockets Bike Shop is a good shop and a great place to find an inexpensive used bicycle.
  • Denton Bicycle Center has served Denton for over 30 years and is a wonderful shop located near downtown. It is owned by Justice of the Peace Joe Holland.
  • The Bike and Run Path is a great shop that stocks the latest high end bikes and has a very knowledgeable staff. 

Biking Organizations

Bicycle Lanes and Trails

See also Bike Lanes

Rail Trail

The Rail Trail follows the Katy Trail easement from Downtown Denton to Corinth. It was built as a crushed gravel aggregate hike and bike trail in the late 1990s on the abandoned rail line. When the Denton County Transit Authority began construction of the A-Train rail line, the Rail Trail was closed. Once construction of the rail line is complete, the Rail Trail will be reopened as an 8 ft wide paved walking and bike path. DCTA also has long term plans to build a pedestrian bridge across Lake Lewisville, extending the Rail Trail into Lewisville and connecting with the DFW Veloweb.

South Lakes Park

Located at 556 Hobson ln, the park includes roughly 3 miles of paved trails throughout the park. In addition to the trails, the park contains basketball courts, soccer goals, the most epic playground ever, and a host of other outdoor activities.

Green Belt

The Greenbelt runs from Highway 380 (University Dr) to Farm-to-Market 455 at the Lake Ray Roberts dam, following the river that connects Lake Ray Roberts to Lake Lewisville.

Denton Pedicab

Denton Pedicab is an organization which leases pedicabs to drivers, who then give rides (often from around the Fry Street area to around The Square) to clients, but only for tips. Denton Pedicab makes advertising revenue off of its leased Pedicabs, which feature ads on the back of the cab.

Bike Theft and Bike Security

Bikes are, unfortunately, a common target for thieves. Deterrents to theft include sturdy bike locks (run through the frame, not just the wheels!) and not leaving a bike that looks like it would have a high resale value unattended.

Videos

 

Add tags