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Just came across this snippet from a SF Appeal article:
If the nineties were all about the mountain bike, then the naughties were all about the fixie. Which, while trendy and therefore kind of annoying, was at least a move away from the habit of driving to the middle of nowhere so that you can shred trails for a few hours and then drive back.Guess I missed jumping onto the fixie bandwagon last decade but I’ve certainly started to appreciate urban mountain biking more over the past few years… Who else likes to shred urban singletrack?
The cool thing is that IMBA’s on top of this trend and is pushing for more ride centers and trails close to large cities. Hopefully this decade will be all about carving sweet singletrack out of the urban jungle!
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Depending on the city and if the terrain has elevation or not I can see some fun…I still remember when I went to Lisbon in Portugal wishing that I had my MTB with me. Lisbon is built mostly on hills making it very interesting to get around. Specially the back streets which are narrow cobbled roads which can be threaded to make for a cool DH kinda run.
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Who else likes to shred urban singletrack?
I grew up doing BMX urban riding,we used to ride around town all the time BMX’ing and trick’ing and stuff wether it be to other dirt jumps across town or just riding up to 7-11 to get a big gulp,it was always a kick in the ass and I can only imagine it will catch on a whole lot more in the not too distant future in mtn biking.I already have a deep appreciation for urban riding and it is just that much better on a mtn bike when you come from a single speed BMX bike,the mtn bike goes alot faster,hahahah.Like you mentioned trek,driving to the trail head is a waste of riding time when you could ride to the trail or at least ride to a bus stop and catch a bus with the bike racks they have now so you can take your bike with while getting to a trail head somwhere on the edge of town.
Of course,time is the issue in the busy world we all live in these days,and if you dont have to time to take off on your bike across town then you obviously have to drive.I’m all for urban mtn biking,I got a set of Kenda K-Rads that are perfect for urban riding -
Gainesville is great for Urban MTB, with lots of little trails around town. Makes for a great alternative to getting in the car and driving to the trail, some of the trails you could say are not "official" however.
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I ride a lot of urban for cardio as well as a little urban freeriding. I usually run for cardio, but i like biking more than running. Now i just need a second set of wheels to put my kenda k-rads on so i don’t eat up my nobbies.
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"RunandBike0519" wrote
Gainesville is great for Urban MTB, with lots of little trails around town. Makes for a great alternative to getting in the car and driving to the trail, some of the trails you could say are not "official" however.
Is it illegal to ride on campus? I know if you show up with a skateboard you won’t last long but maybe mountain bikes make it under the radar of campus police…until they see you dropping stairs and ledges,haha.
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A lot a major cities have mtbing close to downtown, Toronto, Washington and Vancouver to name a few. I’m kind of glad this isn’t a thread about huge stairgaps and 10ft dorps to falt hehehe.
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I’ve all kinds of neat places to ride in and around Denver.
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What about the stairs at the CN tower….LOL… Umm thats kinda fun…((Stirring up crap))
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"ChiliPepper" wrote
[quote="Bob_the_Builder":3viso2l8]A lot a major cities have mtbing close to downtown, Toronto, Washington and Vancouver to name a few. I’m kind of glad this isn’t a thread about huge stairgaps and 10ft dorps to falt hehehe.
Whats up with the stair rides and hucking 10′ drops to flat? Not sure if I would huck 10′ to flat, but surely 3′ to 8′ to flat. Stairs with gaps or just stairs in general are soooo much fun. 😄 😄 😄
I love my urban loading docks and wall rides even though I am still working on the skinny wall rides. Transitions are sweet for hucking, but flat will do just as much. 😆 😆 😆[/quote:3viso2l8]
Meh been there done that with the urban drops to flat and stair gaps. IMHO anything to transition is way more fun, smoother and WAY easier on your bike. Nothing busts parts like drops to flat. I once flat-spotted a doublewide front rim 😮 Now I just hit smooth jumps and drops. -
"trek7k" wrote
Who else likes to shred urban [i:3bnq8gp8]singletrack[/i:3bnq8gp8]?
The cool thing is that IMBA’s on top of this trend and is pushing for more ride centers and trails close to large cities. Hopefully this decade will be all about carving sweet singletrack out of the urban jungle!
[i:3bnq8gp8]singletrack[/i:3bnq8gp8] here is the key word. Urban riding is fun but when you can jump on your bike in town and within minutes be on some sweet singletrack that will take you around and through a city with minimal blacktop time it’s awesome !
Our bike club is working hand in hand with the City of Marietta Ohio and doing just that. Putting singletrack in any and all of the City’s greenspace. Areas like this are even passing laws that protect landowners if they allow their property to be used by the public on established trails. I hope to see this trend push across the river into WV, where I live, which will open more land to trails close to town.
ODN
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"Outdoornut" wrote
[i:52jk6lfw]singletrack[/i:52jk6lfw] here is the key word. Urban riding is fun but when you can jump on your bike in town and within minutes be on some sweet singletrack that will take you around and through a city with minimal blacktop time it’s awesome !
Yeah, my original post was actually about riding real, dirt trails in town, not so much about riding the concrete jungle. Right now there’s only one officially sanctioned trail close to downtown Atlanta but those in the know can link together an impressive singletrack ride. Hopefully we’ll see the the same protective legal environment developing down here as well…
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"trek7k" wrote
[quote="Outdoornut":uygdv5gd][i:uygdv5gd]singletrack[/i:uygdv5gd] here is the key word. Urban riding is fun but when you can jump on your bike in town and within minutes be on some sweet singletrack that will take you around and through a city with minimal blacktop time it’s awesome !
Yeah, my original post was actually about riding real, dirt trails in town, not so much about riding the concrete jungle. Right now there’s only one officially sanctioned trail close to downtown Atlanta but those in the know can link together an impressive singletrack ride. Hopefully we’ll see the the same protective legal environment developing down here as well…[/quote:uygdv5gd]
Morningside? Or are you referring to another ride?
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"GoldenGoose" wrote
Morningside? Or are you referring to another ride?
Yep, that’s the one.
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Still haven’t made my way out there. Haven’t really heard good things about it but maybe I need to get you to show me the linked together ride to make it worthwhile.
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It doesn’t get more urban than this. 😃
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Everytime I see that my jaw drops!
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amazing video
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Man that looks like some crazy fun… I’d actually have to put up the 29er and knock the dust off my old Giant AC… 😃
ODN
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Suprised that the rider didn’t pick up a taco on the way through the kitchen hehe. Doesn’t look like there are many soft landing spots on that race course.
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This is sweet. We’ve been waiting to hear about this and it’s timely that it came just as we spoke of the Marietta Trail System here. Here is a link to the news that notes the Washington Co. Health Dept. has awarded the River Valley Mountain Bike Association some of a Grant they received. Check it out. The Fact Box shows distribution of the funds. The River trail project is a bike path through the downtown district and another amount of funds comes to our club for more trail building. Awesome ! Work with your cities folks. It may help you build more trails in your Cities.
http://www.mariettatimes.com/page/conte … l?nav=5002
ODN
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Awesome news. Singletrack in the heart of a city is a real blessing. Toronto has many miles already and many more are built every year.
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http://www.singletracks.com/bike-trails … creek.html
That’s ours, in the heart of Downtown Denver. And the singletrack extensions to the paved part are 100% due to equestrian users so ease of on the horse apples comments. 😆
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"Outdoornut" wrote
This is sweet. We’ve been waiting to hear about this and it’s timely that it came just as we spoke of the Marietta Trail System here. Here is a link to the news that notes the Washington Co. Health Dept. has awarded the River Valley Mountain Bike Association some of a Grant they received. Check it out. The Fact Box shows distribution of the funds. The River trail project is a bike path through the downtown district and another amount of funds comes to our club for more trail building. Awesome ! Work with your cities folks. It may help you build more trails in your Cities.
http://www.mariettatimes.com/page/conte … l?nav=5002
ODN
Sounds great ODN. Do you work in Marietta?
I would rather be riding way out in the National Forest, but the reality is most of us have to work at least 5 days a week – and usually in a city. Urban trails are great and promote good health for residents, as well as letting us MTB riders get our mid-week ride on.
Roanoke, where I work (and ride usually during the week) has 2 urban trail networks. Mill Mountain which is great, and Murray Run which is OK. We are waiting to here about a stimulus package proposal that would fast track building of the Roanoke River Greenway and complete it in 2 years (versus 15 years it will probably take otherwise).
This post persuaded me to contact our Greenway coordinator with 3 trail suggestions. If they would build trails that interconnect with the Greenway as it moves in and out of city parkland that would be awesome. Stay tuned.
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"trek7k" wrote
[quote="Outdoornut":z842vnbq][i:z842vnbq]singletrack[/i:z842vnbq] here is the key word. Urban riding is fun but when you can jump on your bike in town and within minutes be on some sweet singletrack that will take you around and through a city with minimal blacktop time it’s awesome !
Yeah, my original post was actually about riding real, dirt trails in town, not so much about riding the concrete jungle. Right now there’s only one officially sanctioned trail close to downtown Atlanta but those in the know can link together an impressive singletrack ride. Hopefully we’ll see the the same protective legal environment developing down here as well…[/quote:z842vnbq]
Yeah, I first experienced real Urban riding this year in Athens. I’ve got to say, threading your way under overpasses and around highways has a certain appeal to it that is definitely enjoyable! It feels cool to find singletrack tucked away in places that no one else ventures, and the convenience if you live in-town is definitely a plus. Now if only EVERY city had it’s own urban network, we’d be in business.
PS would love to get down to atlanta to do some urban riding sometime. Sounds like fun
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"CraigCreekRider" wrote
Sounds great ODN. Do you work in Marietta?
Nope…. Did for several years back in the late 80’s however it’s only about 10 minutes from Parkersburg, WV and just across the river from Williamstown, WV. Our IMBA rep is working with several organizations and the cities of Marietta and Parkersburg to build a connector trail between the two cities. That will be awesome whenever that comes to be. However our club is located in both cities / two states so we spend as much time there as we do in our area. Good luck on your efforts there. Hope to see you soon. Won’t be long. I have a good friend now living in Orange VA so I hope to get down there to see them and I’ll look you up when I come down that way and you can show me around Carvins.
ODN
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[/quote]
Good luck on your efforts there. – [i:3rdro8rj]Haven’t heard anything yet, not sure if that is good or bad. [/i:3rdro8rj]
Hope to see you soon. Won’t be long. I have a good friend now living in Orange VA so I hope to get down there to see them and I’ll look you up when I come down that way and you can show me around Carvins.
ODN[/quote] [i:3rdro8rj]Definitely. Always up for a ride at the Cove.[/i:3rdro8rj]
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"trek7k" wrote
[quote="Outdoornut":32t8fdet][i:32t8fdet]singletrack[/i:32t8fdet] here is the key word. Urban riding is fun but when you can jump on your bike in town and within minutes be on some sweet singletrack that will take you around and through a city with minimal blacktop time it’s awesome !
Yeah, my original post was actually about riding real, dirt trails in town, not so much about riding the concrete jungle. Right now there’s only one officially sanctioned trail close to downtown Atlanta but those in the know can link together an impressive singletrack ride. Hopefully we’ll see the the same protective legal environment developing down here as well…[/quote:32t8fdet]
Trek, Richmond, VA is pretty lucky in that respect. In the heart of downtown along the James River we have the North Bank trail and Buttermilk (on the South Side of the river). Belle Isle links them together and has some trails of her own. This network also connects to Forest Hill Park, which has had some trails for years, but the historic park has under gone a renovation and in the process permission was granted to build even more MTB trails which should be open in April or May. And not too far away from those networks of trails is Powhite Park. Needless to say, from an urban standpoint, Richmond is pretty fortunate, and I feel like things will only be getting better as time goes by. Unfortunately, I live in the suburbs. 😢 But working downtown makes it a breeze to hit the trails after work!
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I think I might have done Trek7k’s Atlanta singletrack "epic" this past Tuesday. A buddy of mine lives near Emory and said he’d give me a tour of some of the local trails in-toen by his house. We started at his house near Morningside Nature preserve and rode the trails, hit up the street until we got to the Peavine Creek trail, cut up Old Briarcliff to the short trails around the Emory Recycling Center, then hit the rode to Mason Mill park and did the Waterworks trails. Then we turned around and did most of the trails again on the way back. His bike computer said we did 19 miles total and I’d guess about 9-10 miles of it was singletrack. 4 new trails in just under 3 hours and got to do them in each direction since we doubled them up on the way back. It was actually a pretty fun ride! I guess sometimes it pays to take a local riding with you. 😉
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"GoldenGoose" wrote
I think I might have done Trek7k’s Atlanta singletrack "epic" this past Tuesday. A buddy of mine lives near Emory and said he’d give me a tour of some of the local trails in-toen by his house. We started at his house near Morningside Nature preserve and rode the trails, hit up the street until we got to the Peavine Creek trail, cut up Old Briarcliff to the short trails around the Emory Recycling Center, then hit the rode to Mason Mill park and did the Waterworks trails. Then we turned around and did most of the trails again on the way back. His bike computer said we did 19 miles total and I’d guess about 9-10 miles of it was singletrack. 4 new trails in just under 3 hours and got to do them in each direction since we doubled them up on the way back. It was actually a pretty fun ride! I guess sometimes it pays to take a local riding with you. 😉
Nice! Sounds like a great ride man. Urban singletrack riding is a really cool experience.
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Dig up some old singletracks! 10 inches of snow we just got in eastern pa so anything with a climb on the trails is no go for now but lots can be accomplished around the neighborhood. After coming off a season of hard technical riding (thats awesome) it looks like its time to be creative. Although down hilling in 10 inches of power does catch my interest and one section of the mountain you can ride the road to the top of which is also a killer climb. Some urban mtb riding is what it’ll be for the most part until some trails get blazed. Doesn’t matter what the ride is as long as your riding
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I live in a rural setting so driving an hour or so to the nearest urban MTB trail would be an “inverse fixie” for me. Given that and the fact that all of my trails mean 1/2 to 1 hour drive, I will stick to the places I currently ride. 🙂
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Mr. Harris, I too live in a rural setting. Albeit, in the Rocky Mountains with fine mountain bike habitat. Getting into the city is far and few between. If that is planned properly, a bike will be involved, come hell or high water! Urban assault biking is something from time long passed. Does it really matter what kind of bike? Nope! Fixie, HT, FS, singlespeed plus. All can apply! Frankly, I enjoy the singlespeed plus with a pair of Schwalbe G-One 2.8’s for that sweet time machine like experience. Simplicity of a one speed automatic transmission!! Towing package brakes aka Hope Pro 4 with 4 piston on 180mm rotors for sticking to features with confidence! Beside that, singlespeed makes you strong fast, is trialsy as it gets. A fella can aggravate geared bikers by leaving em behind as they wind up the spin cycle!
I recently had a roadie ask, how the hell do you make all that power to leave me like a dirty shirt. I replied, this bike has an LS under the hood!
Cities differ but there are often very nice features to be utilized by a silly bicyclist with a vivid imagination. Be vigilant and on the lookout for these features and incorporate them into the ride.
Smiles per mile factor is easily at hand!
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I live close to Charlotte NC. There has been a good construction on urban trails in the last few years. They are relatively easy trails but, it does get you out for some fun.
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Cool revived thread. I recently moved back to the Toledo area after living away for 10 years. I started Mountain biking while I was gone. There are two parks right next to each other (Ottawa & Jermain Parks) that are right in the middle of town, but they cover a big area and include a golf course too. Volunteers built a MTB trail that meanders across the wooded areas of the two parks 10 years ago. It is actually pretty amazing how you can be in the middle of a city across the street from a major medical center and forget you are in town at all. There are old trees and wildlife including whitetail deer. It is kind of a hidden gem. The city has expressed interest in supporting improvements there too. I’ve heard of people having problems with some kids from adjacent neighborhoods but every time I’ve been there there has been no problems (or people for that matter). So it will be interesting to see how it develops in the next few years.
Having trails close to the population centers makes a lot of sense. I’d rather have a lesser trail I can ride 2-3 times per week than a better trail I can only manage to visit once every 3 or 4 weeks bec. Trying to find time to drive an hour or two each way is tough for me and probably most other people. Proximity removes a barrier to entry.
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Tex, the mention of “major medical center” indicates the location was designed for mountain bikers to get silly.
Good stuff with the proximity from the front door!
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“the mention of “major medical center” indicates the location was designed for mountain bikers to get silly”
well, the trail is pretty tame by mountain biking standards. My old body does not tolerate getting too silly anyway.
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As some of you know, I lived in Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia for 22 years. It is hardly a destination city of any sorts, but it has both amazing, remote trails in the hills and mountains surrounding it and also amazing urban riding in the city. The urban riding is one of the advantages of being a second or third-world city. We lived very close to downtown – just two miles from parliament – and yet, there was amazing riding directly out our front door.
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