New to MTB lifestyle

[newmoonkoala]

I just bought two Trek bicycles, 2019 Marlin 6 and 2019 Farley 9.6. I plan to use Marlin 6 as daily commuter and ride Farley on cold weather. There’s many singletrack trails from my home to work which I  can ride through on way to work which is why I have Marlin 6.

I’m from Minneapolis area.

Any tips or feedback would be great as I will get my hands wet on this forum and post/replies the threads from time to time.

[vapidoscar]

First off welcome.

From personal experience, if you end up using single track to work; make sure you have a shower you can use when you get to work. You are going to want to change clothes. You should try to avoid carrying stuff (backpack with clothes, lunch, computer, etc.) as it will affect your center of gravity and suck the fun out of the ride.

I have tried several routes to (and from) work with single track for the first mile (or last) but I do have to have to carry everything. As tempting as it is, I just try to enjoy the ride and get a good workout with no single track.

[Brad the Dad]

The single track scene in MN is great. Assuming Theodore Wirth is on the way to work?

As mentioned above, you can get pretty dusty and dirty on the trails. You’ll have to be ready for that. On weekend rides, head south to Lebanon Hills or Murphy Hanrahan. You can easily spend a few hours at both. Or go north to Elm Creek for some flow and fun technical features. Always check the MORC website (http://www.morcmtb.org/forums/trailconditions.php) to see if trails are open. If you ride wet/muddy trails, you’ll get the boo birds from the community and possibly fined if caught.

Welcome to new addiction…I mean hobby.

[TK34]

I’m also in Twin Cities area, and combination of this site and MORC will cover 95% of what you need. Can’t stress enough on the trail conditions link that Brad_the_Dad offers. Once you find value in what they do, please consider volunteering or donating. We’ve got some pretty good trails in the area largely because of them.

In addition to what Brad offers, the one local trail I’ll add is Carver in Woodbury. Those 5 are my go-to, but MORC has more to offer. When you’re ready for a day trip, Cuyuna is roughly 2 hours away and Duluth is about 2.5 hours – both are well worth the drive. Enjoy!

[TK34]

Almost forgot – one more resource is MTB Project app for trail maps. Invaluable when exploring new trails, and its free from REI.

[newmoonkoala]

vapidoscar, love your profile picture! lol, yes my workplace do have a shower I can use. I don’t plan to bring anything except my lunch/dinner bag to work. 🙂

Brad the Dad and TK34, so awesome to see fellow Minnesotans already. Yes, Therodore Wirth is the place I plan to go. I heard they have five different trails there, I’m going check it out. I just rode on Midtown Greenway already. And yes, I have followed MORC and I do plan pay the second level of membership for $50 if I remember it correctly. I follows MORC on my Twitter.

Duluth is my dream which I hope I’ll be ready for that peak in spring time. I’ve seen a lot of YouTube especially from Brian Vaughn, and get familiar with the singletracks surrounding the Twin Cities.

 

I almost went to an event in Woodbury hosted by Penn Cycle yesterday but the weather wasn’t cooperating so hopefully the other event will hold up on November 18th at Eagan.

[rmap01 ✓ supporter]

@newmoonkoala, welcome to the community.  With daylight getting shorter, make sure to invest in a decent bike light.  I can’t imagine you won’t need it either in the morning or afterwork commute (maybe even both).  There’s plenty of content here on night riding (both in the articles and forum sections).  Also, make sure you dress for the cold (there’s also excellent content on this site for that as well).

[newmoonkoala]

@brad_the_dad and @TK34, I just signed up Aluminum level ($50) for MORC membership. Forward for it already to help/contribute it/the adventure MORC offers.

@rmap01, yeah I do have few winter gear accessories. I plan to buy the jacket, baselayer clothes next Friday where my local store offer the 25% off on winter clothes. I’m torn apart between 45NRTH and Bontrangers’ gears. Yes, I have the Bontranger 45o light sets for my both bikes already. I have intended to go for night biking sometimes since the dark hit early in the winter.

[Brad the Dad]

I really like the 5 trails at Theo. I would advise upping your skill level and confidence before hitting Brownie Lake (the southern most trail). It has some pretty intense uphill rock climbs and some gnarly drops. With the snow on the ground now, time to christen that Farley.

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