might get to visit Illinois in the summer and I’m wondering whether to take me bike (or rent). I think i’ll be around Peoria.

Has anyone ridden there? Is it as flat as my googling suggests?

The Peoria Area Mountain Bike Association have a few trails listed. First hit on Google 😉

Thanks for that. The number of trails looks promising. Can’t tell if it’s pancake flat or not, though

It’s pretty flat yes, at least the bits I’ve seen, but not pancake. Think Swinley.

My experience of MTBing in the Midwest is little bits of woodland with relatively short trails, separated by long ish drives. It’s always worth taking (or hiring) a bike, but don’t expect much more than it being reasonably pleasant. If you get more than you’ll be surprised in a good way 🙂 Oh and shitloads of signs, rules and regulations about where you can and can’t go, if a state/county park.