Killer_D and I hooked up with some other guys today, and had a Good ride on Monte Sano\'s lower trails. I got a little turned around out there, and decided to consult a map and retrace our steps.
http://www.sorbahuntsville.org/images/MSanoColor11x13.pdf
- Down the switchback off the back of the bikers parking lot.
- Left on mountain of mist until it intersect with the area where the Sinks trail comes back out.
- Right on the Sinks trail, keeping to the left when it intersect with Logan Pt trail
- Logans point then around Kieth\'s loop until it hits the four way with the sinks, kieth\'s loop and stone cuts.
- We then turned on stone cuts from Keith\'s loop and rode straight uphill. I didn\'t realize we had made it so far around the nob at that point, so I got my norths and my souths a little mixed up...took half of the rest of the ride to re-orient myself. Looking at the map, it\'s no wonder that I only made it a fifth of the way up it before coming off the bike and pushing walking. It\'s about a 180\' elevation gain in a hair under 2/10 a mile.
- When we hit the top Killer_D and Josh kept going through the actual Stone cuts trail. Me and the other two (I\'ve already forgotten their names ::)) took the trail marked \"Stone Cuts Bypass\".
- From there it was the rest of the Stone cuts trail (wipe-out city). Then the climb back up out onto bankhead parkway.
We ran into and spoke with this off-duty firefighter guy who was out doing trail maintenance. He was the trail coordinator for the local chapter of SORBA (Southern Off-Road Bicycle Association). They work with the park to build and maintain trails. It turns out the the Monte Sano park management is pretty mountain biker friendly and works with these guys to maintain and build new trails. They are who got the biker\'s parking lot cleaned out and opened up, and built the kiosk and tool shed in the biker\'s area. They hold regular workdays and social rides and stuff.
Looks like they are pretty new to the area as an organization - http://www.sorbahuntsville.org/
Their links to maps and trails for local stuff - http://www.sorbahuntsville.org/localtrails.htm
Niether Killer_D or myself posted this as an event because it looked like everyone was disc golfing. We\'re going out every Saturday around 8:00 am when the weather allows and we\'re both in town. I\'ll make sure we post next weekend as an event.
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Killer_D,
When you start looking at wheels, here are some good sites to check out...
http://www.nashbar.com
http://www.performancebike.com/
http://www.jensonusa.com/
http://www.speedgoat.com
I\'ve ordered from nashbar with good results. I\'m afraid that wheels are pretty expensive :-
- Brick
Re: Riding... Yo!
Brick,
Mountainbiking seems to be an enjoyable pasttime. I can\'t say that I indulge in it myself, but when I get back that way I may sacrifice Christina\'s $70 Target mountain bike to to gods of experimentation in order to gauge my interest. I\'m just glad that everyone that I know here in THX is passionate about something. There\'s rarely anything worse than a person that has no interest or desire for anything, or at least isn\'t willing to try. Kudos on that.
Re: Riding... Yo!
I will start back riding soon. I took my bikes up to Tennessee to bike with my dad at our ranch and forgot to bring one back with me. So next time im up that way i\'ll make sure to bring a bike back with me. I really need to fix my bike, its in pretty bad shape.
Re: Riding... Yo!
I wouldn\'t mind spending some jack on a nice mountain bike...even if it were used. I\'m afraid my current bike would break after a few hard rides. Same goes for my Wal-mart bike.
Re: Riding... Yo!
I wouldn\'t mind spending some jack on a nice mountain bike...even if it were used. I\'m afraid my current bike would break after a few hard rides. Same goes for my Wal-mart bike.ÂÂ
I meant to mention this earlier. Two weekends back, we had a guy out with us that was riding a low-end Wal-Mart type bike. He kept up with everyone fine except for on the worst climbs. He said that he had to re-build it every other ride, but it didn\'t keep him from going out. You\'re light enough that it might be alright...I don\'t know what shape your gear is in.
Be careful when looking at buying a used mountain bike. The aluminum stresses over time in a way that Steel doesn\'t, and I\'m not sure that the warranties on the frames are transferable. I don\'t have any personal experience with this, I\'m just repeating what I was told when I started looking around for a bike. Also, bike\'s have come a long way in the last couple of years, kind of like PC\'s. $XXX.XX will buy you what would have cost double that five years back. Just like any other hobby, there\'s actually a bewildering variety of manufacturers and gear. I\'m just now starting to get a handle on it.
If you start speccing rides and have any questions just ask. One of the guys I work with has been riding for years and has been a huge help to me in answering gear/maintenance questions, and also in showing me local trails. If you\'re looking at high end bikes, ask lots of questions, get fitted to a bike, and test ride it before plunking down cash. I\'ll shut up now before I start babbling about gear.
- Brick
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