My family and I recently returned from a long weekend in Fort Collins, Colo.

This vacation was all about visiting with our friends and hanging out with my family, which means I didn’t get any riding in.

However, I did visit a few bike shops and took a few photos while walking around town.

The first thing I noticed is that there were a lot fewer bikes out and about than there were in the summer. Check out the post I wrote about riding in Fort Collins during the summer.

Two things probably caused the decrease in ridership. First, Colorado State University was still on winter break, which meant a large portion of cyclists were still out of town. Second, it is cold.

I chatted with Shawn Brooks from The Cycologist, a bike shop in Old Town. He said it is generally really easy to ride in the winter, but said they do see a drop-off in ridership in the cold weather.

Brooks said their bike-to-work events in the summer regularly draw around 300 cyclists. He said during their winter bike-to-work day, he had about 50 people attend.

I also chatted with Nathan Hope, the owner of A Brave New Wheel who said they are seeing more people riding in Fort Collins. He said often the new riders will pick up a fixed gear because they are popular and realize they like riding, but that a fixie isn’t practical and will eventually get something with racks and fenders.

Fort Collins also has a website devoted to rides and info about cycling in the area. Check it out: http://www.yourgroupride.com/