Hey
a couple of weeks after my knee recon and Ive put a Giant anthem X2 on layby. Should be good fitness for rehab and keep me amused since my summer is over before it began.
Since this is by far the best forum going around thought Id start here. I also know a lot of kiter's ride mountain bikes when there's no wind.
I live just north of Newcastle and wanted to know of some nice easy tracks that will get me going. Nothing too extreme as I dont want to come off and stuff my knee again.
Also what are the best websites for mountain bike info?
Is there anything else I should know about this sport before going out and getting my new pride and joy dirty?
cheers
I'd give the clip-in's a complete miss, unless you are riding with some faster mates.
Leeds, up your neck of the woods, kind of near you is The Oaks Fire Trail in the Blue Mountains. Better access for Sydney crew though....
If you park at the bottom, and get the train to the top, you get about 500 vertical metres under your bum, and you have a nice down hill trending trail....http://www.trailflix.com.au/tfx_new/trails.php?id=theoaks
In general, previous MTB experience, BMX, or Motor Cross Experience is a great advantage.... Just so you have a feeling of what to expect in sandy sections, etc....
Leeds, try the Hunter MTB Association website (sorry cant remember) or the Glenrock trails website for places to ride / compete.
BK (Before kids) i used to ride the glenrock trails regularly - not to demanding.
Have done heaps of riding in the watagans - just watch out for the hordes of trailbike riders - Having grown up in the area I have watched the numbers go feral - a adjective that could be used for a minds (sorry just an opinion of a motorbike and former MTB rider who has watched his playpen being ripped apart by idiots.
On the extreme end the downhill park in the Watagans is freakin wild - and defintily way beyond my skills
i dont get why cyclist are always sooo against moto riders i agree that some are idiots but we dont all go out to wreck jumps and rip up trails just to ruin ur fun! We go out there and do the same thing u do we just like goin faster without pedalling or wearing tight clothes.
And leeds try glenrock trails or even go the fernly track (worst thing to happen to glenrock/redrock area ever) if u dont want to fall off.
i dont get why cyclist are always sooo against moto riders i agree that some are idiots but we dont all go out to wreck jumps and rip up trails just to ruin ur fun! We go out there and do the same thing u do we just like goin faster without pedalling or wearing tight clothes.
And leeds try glenrock trails or even go the fernly track (worst thing to happen to glenrock/redrock area ever) if u dont want to fall off.
Sorry to hijack your thread Leeds.....
ok - You obviously didnt read my post - I am a fellow motorbike rider having a go at the way the Watagans has been trashed by some (not all) of the motorbike community.
I admit my thoughts are very biased as I am a landholder in the area and have had several confrontations with riders who, despite gates and signage, continue to tresspass onto my land. My family (3 generations) allowed the use of a significant connecting trail for many years, but as the volumes of riders increased so did the erosion problems. The decision to put up a gate was made when I encountered a 4wd club using our fire trail (not public property) during an east coast low rain event.
Since then I have had the gate gas axed off numerous times as people (as one pillock put it) "exercise my rights to use this fire trail". Motorbike riders continue to hack trails to get around the gate and the signs are constantly being removed.
I seriously doubt that if the motorbike numbers were converted to MTB's that I would be writing this - sorry ok - but as a fellow motorbike rider (XR 250/600 F650GS) I am ashamed when I see the damage left behind generally throughout the area
cheers for the info guys.
I'm sure once I get on the bike (knee still doesn't have the range of movement for a bike) Ill find a heap of tracks and trails around the place.
Do you know of any trails around the Pt Stephens and Wallaroo state forest areas?
Glenrock and Watagans sound like good places and will check them out in due course.
Seems like there is a lot of tracks just outside Penrith as well. Lucky I got a mate living there so will be able to check out some of those trails as well.
I'm not against motor bike riders but I can see your frustration when the area gets ripped up and they go around/over fences etc. There's a few around my area but they dont bother me. You never know I may get into this more than I anticipate and end up buying a dirt bike.
