Hey folks, i’m curious about Austin TX (USA) as place to ride/train in February. Hoping to do mostly gravel/road but I will have my MTB with me. Thoughts on whether to stay on the west side of town vs. closer in to the U? Also, how variable is the weather at that time of the year? (Not sure if this is the right category, so move it as needed).
Arboretum Oaks Apts…ride hill country until your legs fall off…cruise by HEB for some cheap food…sleep…repeat. Not too far from Jester if you are feeling like a good VO2 test on a classic, quirky, austin icon. Yaupon repeats. Mesa repeats. I don’t know about gravel but I’m sure you can find somebody down there who knows where some gravel is.
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Reveille Peak Ranch and Spider Mountain are about an hour outside of Austin. Spider isn’t anything special if you have spent time at other downhill parks but it’s Texas’ only lift access park.
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Doesn’t matter too much where you stay. Pretty easy to access all parts of town and different routes out of town.
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How long are you planning on staying? Hotel or VRBO? On the west side your main riding “loop” would be SW Parkway to (right) on 71, then right on 2222/Bee Caves to 360. You can go left/north on 360 for 5-6 miles and then U turn, or go right/south on 360 and connect back to SW Parkway. Anywhere from 30-60 miles depending on your needs. Plenty of climbing (probably ave ~1000 ft/15-20 miles). Can add more (relatively flat) by going through the Circle C development and/or hitting the bike path along 45 toll road (it’s separate/shielded from the highway; good for an additional 8-10 miles); there’s also the Veloway (closed 5 km loop) off of Mopac/Loop 1 and LaCrosse (next to the Wildflower Center). For gravel, go to Capital City Racing’s website and you can download files for routes within an hour’s drive. The Lockhart and Lyton Springs courses are closest (or message me, I can probably email them to you). I don’t mtn bike, but Walnut Creek in north Austin is popular. Weather in February can be schizophrenic. 80’s, ice storms or blizzards, I’ve seen them all in February. In general it’s tolerable. Start temps upper 30s to 40s, finish temps 50-60s.
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Thanks very much for this!
Btw, I would not try to stay near the University. Traffic in Austin is horrible. Stay south of the river and west of IH35 and your mobility should be fine. The route I mentioned above (for the most part) has shoulders almost the width of a car lane, so pretty safe/easy to ride solo. Also note: “Jester” is a 1km climb that peaks around 20%. Near death experiences are common 
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Big loop out at Cedar Breaks park. Goodwater Loop.
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