Despite the snow, Syracuse residents can enjoy recreational biking at any time of the year.

CranX Bike and Sports Park is a 90,000 square foot sports facility and is home to one of the largest indoor and outdoor sports parks in the nation. From mountain bike courses to a fitness room, students can enjoy extreme sports in the comfort of the indoor warehouse year-round.

“Winter time is the busiest time for us,” said Dale Cruce, manager of CranX Syracuse. “We’re the only place you can rent a bike during that time.”

With 55,000 square feet of biking space inside the warehouse, it also features a lounge, party room, bike and equipment rentals, locker rooms and different types of biking trails. Inside the indoor facility is also a freeride area with drops, suspension bridges, teeter-totters and linked stumps.

Cruce said the indoor section is comprised of only trails, with the exception of a foam pit in the back.

“The pump pit consists of a lot of rollers that you don’t have to pedal to keep going around and around in loops,” Cruce added. “We also have a cross-country track for people interested in that.”

CranX Bike and Sports Park also caters to novice bikers with features that are less challenging such as bumps, logs, skinnies and root-like sections in the riding course. Cruce also said there are trails that cater to bike enthusiasts of all skill levels.

In the spring, the three-acre outdoor park offers different features like dirt trails, 12-foot jump lines and a road course for BMX and cross-country bikes.

Bike and equipment rentals are also available for people without their own, and visitors who want to learn how to ride a bike can also take private lessons with a coach. Additionally, the park offers free lessons with a trainer every Wednesday at 6 p.m., as long as people are signed up at the front desk by the Tuesday before.

CranX also has an offer specifically for college students — the park hosts “College Night” every Monday from 5–10 p.m. Students need only present their college ID, and they can get in for $14.

Cruce said CranX also has deals that are open to the public on specific days and is also the perfect spot for group gatherings and parties.

“We have a party room that we are actually renovating right now, but there will be video games and stuff like that there in the future,” Cruce said.

The private party room is available for rental at $50 for three hours. A group day pass also allows access to the park with a discount of 10 percent off for parties of eight or more. Another special group offer is the instructional group ride for parties of eight riders or more at $40 per person for three-hour access to the park.

Said Cruce: “Everybody having fun and kickin’ it — that’s pretty much it.”

Published on February 5, 2015 at 12:01 am

Contact; tchuang@syr.edu