• Menu
  • Skip to right header navigation
  • Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to secondary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to footer

Florida Hikes logo

Hike Bike Paddle Camp Florida with authors Sandra Friend and John Keatley as your guides

  • Trails
  • Maps
  • Guidebooks
  • Search
  • Hike
    • Scenic Hikes
    • Loop Trails
    • Dog-friendly Hikes
    • Hikes for Kids
    • National Parks in Florida
    • Florida State Parks
  • Bike
    • Major Bike Trails
    • Paved Bike Trails
    • Off Road Biking
    • Biking Articles
  • Paddle
    • Canoe & Kayak Rentals
    • Paddling Destinations
    • Paddling Articles
  • Camp
    • Cabin Rentals
    • Car Camping
    • Primitive Camping
  • Florida Trail
    • Plan your Hike
    • Best Scenic Hikes
    • Best Backpacking
    • Section Hiking
    • Thru-Hiking
    • Trail Updates
  • Travel
  • Hike
    • Scenic Hikes
    • Loop Trails
    • Dog-friendly Hikes
    • Hikes for Kids
    • National Parks in Florida
    • Florida State Parks
  • Bike
    • Major Bike Trails
    • Paved Bike Trails
    • Off Road Biking
    • Biking Articles
  • Paddle
    • Canoe & Kayak Rentals
    • Paddling Destinations
    • Paddling Articles
  • Camp
    • Cabin Rentals
    • Car Camping
    • Primitive Camping
  • Florida Trail
    • Plan your Hike
    • Best Scenic Hikes
    • Best Backpacking
    • Section Hiking
    • Thru-Hiking
    • Trail Updates
  • Travel
Trek Skye at KICCO

Tricking out a Trek

Offroad riding means a lot of bounce, especially on a washboarded limerock road like KICCO Grade. Adding trekking bars to John’s mountain bike made all the difference.

June 21, 2017    John Keatley

Trek Skye at KICCO

My new Trek Skye has had a few upgrades added since we bought our bikes for Christmas. A wireless computer, rear rack, front and rear lights, and a pair of trekking handlebars.

What are trekking bars? If you don’t know, it’s understandable. Neither did two of the bike shops I visited. I try to use the local shops when I can. It’s nice to have a relationship with the folks who will servicing and repairing my bike. So when the third shop knew what they were, I had them order a pair for me.

Trekking bars are handle bars that provide several hand positions. Most mountain bikes have flat bars, which provide basically one hand position while riding.

Trekking bars
My trekking bars in action

After installing the new bars I gave them a very good test ride: I rode up and down KICCO Grade, a washboarded limerock road, from the ghost town of KICCO. From the backside of River Ranch to the S-65A lock across the Kissimmee River, the Florida Trail crosses this limerock road several times before joining it for nearly 5 miles through open pastures with very large cows. And bulls.

Bull at KICCO
Unnerving enough on a bike, imagine meeting him on foot

I dropped Sandy off at the first trail crossing and drove to the KICCO town site, about a mile north of the lock. After loading up the bike and adding a couple of Gatorades to my pack, I headed north to look for her. Our plan was for her to make a large X when she came to a road crossing. That way I would know where she was along the trail.

As I was about to enter the open pasture, I noticed two hikers about to begin their long hot walk along the open road: Dirty Bowl and Cyrilla, who were thru-hiking. I’d met Cyrilla the weekend before at Billy Goat Day. I gave then a bottle of Gatorade to split, and continued to deliver the other one to Sandy.

Cyrilla and Dirty Bowl
Cyrilla and Dirty Bowl along the KICCO section

When I reached her, she was at the north end, about to start the same road walk. After giving her the drink, I headed back to the car. Passing the thru-hikers along the way, I said that I would be back with another drink.

long roadwalk down KICCO Grade
Sandy on the long roadwalk down KICCO Grade

After a quick snack, I picked up another load of Gatorade and was back on the road. Sandy and the ladies had crossed paths, so after leaving one with her, I picked up the pace to try and catch Dirty Bowl and Cyrilla. But they were well ahead of me. They’d already left the road and disappeared into the woods.

Most of the road was a rough washboard surface. I was very happy to have front shocks and a shock-absorbing seat post. Even with these comforts, I was getting a pretty good shaking.

On the return trip I parked the bike and hiked in to meet Sandy at the Rattlesnake Hammock campsite for lunch. It’s moments like this that I am so thankful to be outside, sitting at a picnic table under the shade of the oaks with nothing but the sounds of the wind and the birds. A great place for our lunch date.

Rattlesnake Hammock
Meeting up at Rattlesnake Hammock for lunch

Buy the time Sandy had finished her 7.4 miles of hiking in the hot sun, I had ridden the road out and back twice, tallying up 26 miles. Without the trekking bars it would have been a miserable ride. It was great to have so many hand positions available on such a rough road.

The next addition to the bike? Handlebar tape or foam covers. I had lots of positions for my hands, but the addition of padding will improve off-road riding even more.

Category: Articles, Cycling, Gear ReviewsTag: Biking Gear, Frostproof, KICCO, Lake Wales, Yeehaw Junction

Reader Interactions

Have an update? Contact us.

Primary Sidebar

MAJOR BIKE TRAILS

Cross Seminole Trail map at Big Tree Park

Cross Seminole Trail

Cross Seminole Trail
East Central Regional Rail Trail

East Central Regional Rail Trail

East Central Regional Rail Trail
Bike path through pine forest

Florida Coast to Coast Trail

Florida Coast to Coast Trail
Bike lane facing Caribbean blue waters in the Florida Keys

Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail

Florida Keys Overseas Heritage Trail
Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail

Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail

Gainesville-Hawthorne Trail
Jacksonville Baldwin Rail Trail

Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail

Jacksonville-Baldwin Rail Trail
Sunrise and fog at Moore Haven

Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail

Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail
Nature Coast Trail Trenton

Nature Coast Trail

Nature Coast Trail
Palatka to St Augustine Trail

Palatka to St. Augustine Trail

Palatka to St. Augustine Trail
Palatka-Lake Butler State Trail

Palatka-Lake Butler Trail

Palatka-Lake Butler Trail
Pinellas Trail Dunedin

Pinellas Trail

Pinellas Trail
Cyclist headed along bike path into forest

Spring to Spring Trail

Spring to Spring Trail
Suncoast Trail at Centralia

Suncoast Trail

Suncoast Trail
Cyclist Van Fleet Trail

Van Fleet Trail

Van Fleet Trail
Killarney Station

West Orange Trail

West Orange Trail
Long stretch of bike path in forest

Withlacoochee State Trail

Withlacoochee State Trail

Our Newest Outdoor Books

Discovering the Florida Trail


Florida Trail mini coffee table book cover of trail into palm hammock

A visual journey the length of the Florida Trail, covering more than 1,500 miles from the Everglades to Pensacola Beach. Hardcover, 196 pages. $24.95 + tax and shipping.

Order Now


Florida Trail Hikes


Florida Trail HikesThe best day hikes, overnights, and weekend trips on the Florida Trail. Full hike descriptions and maps, full color. 376 pages. $24.95 + tax and shipping.

Order Now


50 Hikes in Central Florida
Explorers Guide North Florida Panhandle
The Florida Trail Guide (third edition)
Book cover of trail down swamp causeway under ancient pines

Biking Links

  • Bike Florida
  • Ocala Mountain Bike Association

Footer

FIND A TRAIL OR PARK

NORTHWEST FLORIDA
Apalachicola. Apalachicola National Forest. Blackwater River State Forest. Blountstown. Bonifay. Bristol. Cape San Blas. Carrabelle. Chattahoochee. Chipley. Crawfordville. Crestview. DeFuniak Springs. Destin. Ebro. Eglin Air Force Base. Fort Walton Beach. Freeport. Gulf Islands National Seashore. Madison. Marianna. Milton. Monticello. Mossy Head. Navarre Beach . Niceville. Panama City Beach. Pensacola. Ponce De Leon. Port St. Joe. Quincy. Sopchoppy. South Walton. St. Marks. St. Marks NWR. Tallahassee. Vernon. Wakulla. Wewahitchka

NORTH FLORIDA
Alachua. Amelia Island. Baldwin. Branford. Bunnell. Cedar Key. Chiefland. Dowling Park. Ellaville. Fernandina Beach. Flagler Beach. Gainesville. Green Cove Springs. High Springs. Jacksonville. Keystone Heights. Lake Butler.Lake City. Live Oak. Mayo. Macclenny. Micanopy. Olustee. Orange Park. Osceola National Forest. Palatka. Palatka-Lake Butler Trail. Palm Coast. Perry. Salt Springs. St. Augustine. Starke. Steinhatchee. Suwannee River Wilderness Trail. Suwannee Springs. Talbot Islands. Timucuan Preserve. Trenton. Welaka. White Springs. Williston

  • Facebook
  • Flickr
  • Instagram
  • Pinterest
  • Twitter
  • YouTube

MULTI-REGION
Big Cypress Swamp. East Coast Greenway. Everglades National Park. Florida National Scenic Trail

CENTRAL FLORIDA
Apopka. Belleview. Brandon. Brooksville. Bushnell. Canaveral National Seashore. Christmas. Chuluota. Clearwater Beach. Clermont. Coast to Coast Trail. Cocoa Beach. Cross Florida Greenway. Crystal River. Dade City. Daytona Beach. De Leon Springs. DeBary. Deland. Deltona. Dunedin. Dunnellon. Frostproof. Geneva. Inverness. Kenansville. Kissimmee. Lake Mary. Lake Wales. Lakeland. Largo. Leesburg. Longwood. Melbourne. Melbourne Beach. Merritt Island. Merritt Island NWR. Mims. Mount Dora. New Port Richey. New Smyrna Beach. Ocala. Ocala National Forest. Ocklawaha. Orlando. Ormond Beach. Osteen. Oviedo. Palm Bay. Ridge Manor. Sanford. Silver Springs. Spring Hill. St. Cloud. St. Petersburg. Tampa. Tarpon Springs. Titusville . Walt Disney World. Weeki Wachee. Winter Springs. Withlacoochee State Forest. Withlacoochee State Trail. Yeehaw Junction

SOUTHWEST FLORIDA
Bradenton . Charlotte Harbor. Ding Darling NWR. Englewood. Estero. Fort Myers. Immokalee. Naples. Pine Island. Port Charlotte. Punta Gorda. Sanibel Island. Sarasota. Venice

SOUTH FLORIDA
Arcadia. Basinger. Big Cypress National Preserve. Big Cypress Seminole Reservation. Clewiston. Everglades City. Fisheating Creek. Lake Okeechobee. Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail. Lake Placid. LaBelle. Lakeport. Moore Haven. Okeechobee. Pahokee. Port Mayaca. Sebring. South Bay

SOUTHEAST FLORIDA
Big Pine Key. Biscayne Bay. Biscayne National Park. Boca Raton. Boynton Beach. Coral Gables. Davie. Delray Beach. Northeast Everglades Natural Area. Florida Keys. Fort Lauderdale. Fort Pierce. Hobe Sound. Hollywood. Homestead. Islamorada. Jensen Beach. Jupiter. Juno Beach. Key Biscayne. Key Largo. Key West. Marathon. Miami. Ocean to Lake Greenway. Overseas Heritage Trail. Palm Beach. Port St. Lucie. Redland. Sebastian. Stuart. Vero Beach. West Palm Beach

  • Trails
  • Parks
  • Beaches
  • Gardens
  • Springs
  • Ecotours
  • Attractions
©2006-2021, Sandra Friend & John Keatley | Disclosure | Site Index | Work with Us | Advertise with Us
Terms of Service and Privacy Policy | Florida Hikes PO Box 93 Mims FL 32754| Contact