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You’ve got the itch. You want to hop on your bike, maybe even while wearing those funny stretchy shorts, and take it for a spin.

But you’re not interested in breathing in exhaust fumes. Nor do you want to have a near-death experience every time a delivery truck thunders by. You need a good place to ride.

Courage. You’re not alone.

“One of the most frequent questions I get is from parents who say, ‘Where can I take my kids to ride?’ ” said Mark Gatehouse, a member of Greenboro’s Fat Tire Society, a group of mountain biking enthusiasts.

Gatehouse and Ian Joyce, the president of the Greensboro Velo Club, have plenty of answers, whether you have children, and whether you want to take your bike on the road or on the trails.

First, the family question. For those looking for the group mountain bike ride, Gatehouse recommends the Big Loop and Little Loop trails at Bur-Mil Park. They’re short enough for children to ride and simple enough for beginners of any age.

If you’d rather bond with the kids on pavement, or if you just want to go on a solitary cruise without going into oxygen debt, there’s always the Lake Brandt Greenway, a paved path that will take you all the way down to the Guilford Courthouse National Military Park and even farther if you take the connection to the Bicentennial Greenway.

You’ll encounter cars only when the greenway makes a few road crossings. That goes for all of Greensboro’s greenways. If you’re looking for a quick fix near downtown, the Latham Park and Lake Daniel greenways offer a way to take a traffic-free spin.

Maybe you’re not just looking to lazily turn the pedals. Maybe you want to break a sweat, or jump a stump, or both.

Those who dig the technical side of mountain biking can try the Owl’s Roost Trail at Bur-Mil Park. Gatehouse also likes the trails at Northeast Park in Gibsonville.

“Northeast, I would say, is an ideal trail for people with varied skill sets,” he said. “It’s less technical than Owl’s Roost, but it can be very fun and challenging based on the way the trails are laid out.”

Northeast Park also serves as the starting point for some of Joyce’s favorite road rides. The Velo Club begins its annual Rites of Spring ride from there, offering routes that range from 21 miles to a 61-mile trek that goes all the way to Yanceyville in Caswell County.

“The nice thing about them is they get you out in the countryside,” Joyce said. “You don’t have to contend with a lot of traffic. They’re very scenic routes with a lot of varying terrain.”

Contact Jim Young at 373-7016 or jim.young@news-record.com