You can cycle along main roadways and paved country roads year-round in Santa Fe, but be aware that traffic is particularly heavy around the plaza -- and all over town, motorists are not particularly attentive to bicyclists, so you need to be especially alert. Mountain-biking interest has exploded here and is especially popular in the spring, summer, and fall; the high-desert terrain is rugged and challenging, but mountain bikers of all levels can find exhilarating rides. The Santa Fe Convention and Visitors Bureau can supply you with bike maps.
I recommend the following trails: West of Santa Fe, the Caja del Rio area has nice dirt roads and some light-to-moderate technical biking; the railroad tracks south of Santa Fe provide wide-open biking on beginner-to-intermediate technical trails; and the Borrego Trail up toward the Santa Fe Ski Area is a challenging technical ride that links in with the Windsor Trail, a nationally renowned technical romp with plenty of verticality.
In Santa Fe bookstores, or online at sites like Amazon.com, look for Frommer's Great Outdoor Guide to Arizona and New Mexico by Lesley King, Mountain Biking in Northern New Mexico: Historical and Natural History Rides by Craig Martin, and The Mountain Biker's Guide to New Mexico by Sarah Bennett. All of them are excellent guides to trails in Santa Fe, Taos, and Albuquerque, and outline tours for beginner, intermediate, and advanced riders. Santa Fe Mountain Sports, 606 Cerrillos Rd. (tel. 505/988-3337), rents hard-tail mountain bikes for $20/half day and $25/full day, or full-suspension bikes for $35/full day. Mellow Velo Bikes, 102 E. Water St. (tel. 505/982-8986; www.mellowbike.com), rents front-suspension mountain bikes for $23/half-day and $30/full day. Town cruisers run $23/half-day and $30/full day. Full-suspension bikes run $43 per day. Add $7, and Mellow Velo will deliver to and pick up from your hotel (in the Santa Fe area). Multiday rentals can be arranged. Both shops supply accessories such as helmets, rent locks, maps, and trail information, usually at an additional cost. Mellow Velo also runs a private guided tour service, which includes back-country guided adventures starting from $60 to $95 per person. On their guided train tour, clients cycle to Lamy and take a train back.
Retro Cruising -- If you want to see Santa Fe's downtown the old-fashioned way, check out Mellow Velo Bikes '50s retro cruisers. These reproduction bicycles come with a basket on the front, so shoppers can cruise the plaza and Canyon Road and have a place to stash their goods. If you rent one, take a spin through some of Santa Fe's old neighborhoods on Acequia Madre and Garcia Street. Town cruisers run $23 for a half-day and $30 for a full day. Contact Mellow Velo Bikes, 102 E. Water St. (tel. 505/982-8986; www.mellowbike.com).
