Riding Reminders
Riding season is right around the corner! The snow is finally melting, the mud is drying, and opening day for the mountain bike trails is fast approaching! But, before that happens, some refreshers and updates about riding around the area!
Where to ride?
I’ve covered this once before last year, and there’s a few updates to make from it. But first, you can re-read it here: https://www.hobbywheel.com/adventures/riding-guides
The most major updates were at Copper Peak and Winman. Copper peak got an additional descent trail from the top, this time on the same side of the hill as the climb. It is very fast and flowy, with a few small rock features and some exposure in a few areas. On top of that, there is an additional side route on the warm up river loop that is not completed yet, but will be early this spring!
Winman had a few major trail changes and new trails, the most major being the new tech loop Glacial Erratic. I did not get a chance last year to ride the full completed trail, but the about half that I did ride was some of the best tech and rocks that they have at Winman, easily competing with red trail in the tech category.
And while there may not have been major updates at Miners Park or Wolverine, they still remain great trail systems that are more than worth your time to ride once they open for the season.
What gear to use?
Like most other times in the bike world, gear has been constantly changing, even since last year’s bike and helmet buyers’ guides. You can read them here:
https://www.hobbywheel.com/adventures/the-bike-buyers-guide
https://www.hobbywheel.com/adventures/the-buyers-helmet-guide
The most major bike updates came in the recreational trail and trail categories. For the recreational trail, the Cannondale trail got fully revamped, with better price points and specs for the one and two models. For trail, the specialized Stumpjumper got its most major update in years, with all new suspension and geometry. Some other bikes, such as the Trek Verve + or the Rocky Mountain Element got minor refreshes, but nothing major to change what was said in the buyers’ guide.
The helmet buyers guide remains pretty up to date, with most of what was said remaining true. Some brands have slightly updated colors or some style looks, but for the most part they all work just the same. The most major change is that we now also carry Smith bike helmets, although we do not currently have any in stock, they can be special ordered.
Hopefully the dirt dries soon and we can hit the trails soon, as anticipation is at an all-time high! In the meantime,
Happy Adventuring!
-Peter
