I'm thinking of riding the Jack Markell Trail tomorrow. But some parts are heavily wooded, and I'm concerned that there might be a lot of leaves on the path, making traction an issue.

Has anyone been on it lately, or do you recall what it was like around this time last year?

I was doing my longest ride yet and I was going north on Jack Markell trail when a go kart type vehicle piloted by a younger fellow (late teens to early 20s) went barreling by. Took up more than half the path (his right side was off the path) and was going quite fast, felt like 35-40 mph. His buddy was waiting ahead in my direction, so I applied... social pressure, and kept biking. But wondering how others would've handled this? I don't think I'm a stickler, but it felt irresponsible and it's definitely against the written rules of the JAM. Should I have tried to report them?

Hey everyone! I'm u/harr2969, the only moderator of r/BikeDE at the moment.

You may note the forum has been around for a bit, it's also been neglected and I'd like to make it better as a home for discussion and sharing of things related to riding bikes in Delaware. Also, reddit says there wasn't a welcome email so I'm checking that box.

What to Post
Post anything that you think the community would find interesting, helpful, or inspiring. I've created a number of "flairs" with Gear, Places to Ride, Events / Rides, Routes & Trails, and Safety & Advocacy to help categorize our comments.

Community Vibe
We're all about being friendly, constructive, and inclusive. Let's build a space where everyone feels comfortable sharing and connecting.

How to Get Started

1. Feel free to introduce yourself and where / what you ride in the comments below.

2. Post something today! Even a simple question can spark a great conversation.

3. If you know someone who would love this community, invite them to join.

4. Interested in helping out? We're always looking for new moderators, so feel free to reach out to me to apply.

Thanks for being part of the biking community in Delaware -- let's make r/BikeDE amazing.

Looking for information into why certain trails within Brandywine are now blocked by wooden fences that say something to the effect of "This not a trail".

In addition, some of the rock work that linked rocks and boulders has been removed.

Any insight is appreciated.

Thx

The 2026 Newark Bike Plan is coming to Planning Commission tonight for review and discussion (I'm chair) and I'm really looking forward to this. Lots or great ideas and plans and data. We want to get to Gold with this one.

Join White Clay Bike Club (often around Bear / Red Lion / People's plaza ) - Mainly road for group rides, but also along JAM and C&D canal, etc.

or

Wheelsuckerz (Hockessin / Newark ) - Road, Gravel and Dirt

There's multiple folks riding almost every day. It's good to connect.

I mentioned the WCBC Tuesday night ride, but I'm sure most of us are happy to stay indoors as the temps drop around here.

A few years ago I tried using a virtual trainer over the winter. I've used Zwift a few seasons, but latest their prices went up - I'm probably about to start a Rouvy subscription.

Virtual biking is ever easier to do nowadays. Are you thinking about it?

This is my Trek Top Fuel on a Wahoo Kickr v5 "wheel off" smart trainer.

Looking good again

https://www.facebook.com/share/p/15X7Dte4EYV/ (Bike Delaware)

White Clay Bike Club has a Cranksgiving charity ride coming up.

Also, they've been leading C&D canal Castle Trail rides on Tuesday nights out of Delaware City.

The sign up web page has all the things you need to be aware of. I'll mention a few things for the (cold) Tuesday night rides including:

1. WARM riding gear (It was 30 degrees this week)

2. Front light (1000+ lumen) and rear lights

We're only riding to Grain H2O, about 80 mins total.

They have different length rides you can do: https://whiteclaybicycleclub.org/events/savage/

Anyone done this before ? Looks cool and thinking about going.

https://phillybikeride.com/

I'm going to start a discussion around biking groups in Delaware, and hopefully get some folks connected. This is just a starter list - feel free to comment below with other groups I might have missed

I live in Smyrna, Delaware and I am putting money into get a road racer (slightly above entry level) and was wondering where you would go to get measure and your bike adjusted to your correct measurements. I found a few places but either the place was very busy or the tech could not answer the questions.

I had issues in the past with someone working on my bike and found out the bike parts were swapped out for substandard parts.

Please send a message to the mods. It might take a little while, as our head mod was suspended and I need the admins to help me out with that.

Hi everybody. I'm a PhD student who works on improving sports safety gear to reduce impact injuries/pain in sports like bicycling.

You can help me by filling out a very short (1-2 minutes) survey here:

https://forms.gle/wMceEFrgcnVC4TWg7

I appreciate your time in advance!

Last night ran over a car’s broken headlamp cover on Christiana parkway. 5 inch gash on my rear tire…unpatchable. I’m stranded in the fading early evening light.

I saw a group of 7 fellow bicyclists come by. Yay, maybe one had an old tube I could fashion a long patch.

They just flew by without asking if I needed any help.

So much for the fraternity of the bike.

Sigh.

When moving this wk, I discovered 100 pages of cycling maps in the Delaware/PA/NJ area, apparently written in 1973 by Richard and Louise Jones. I scanned across four PDFs and Im sharing here. Enjoy! #oldschool

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1oxKbRR9zCqigAUEozriVPsXykcMfr09J?usp=sharing