Most of the mountain biking threads were either outdated or specified about one event or a classified, so, I thought that there needed to be an "official" mountain biking thread. Reason being...

I used to race mtn bikes quite a bit in high school, then I came to college and bike got stolen. I just purchased an old Fisher off ebay for cheap, and I'm trying to get back into riding. Don't really know too many trails around here, and would like to do some riding with some folks. Hit me up!

5/14/2007 3:37:58 PM

http://trianglemtb.com/

Great site for the area.

5/14/2007 3:41:44 PM

I moved out of NC, but I still remember a few.

Umstead has some of the best trails. Definately, won't get bored out there.

5/14/2007 6:18:15 PM

anyone know if the chapel hill trails, aka bolin creek or estes trails are still there? I moved away from NC a couple of years ago, but these were some of the best trails in the area.

5/14/2007 7:39:05 PM

I ride a lot. I work until 5pm in RTP most days, but let me know and I'll meet you out at Crabtree or Umstead and we'll go riding after work.

My favorites around here are Crabtree and Harris Lake.

There's also Umstead, Beaver Dam, Rocky Road (not sure where it is, but i've heard it's fun), and all the other places listed on TriangleMTB.com.

5/14/2007 8:08:04 PM

How are the trails around Jordan Lake? I will be heading over there in a couple days.

5/14/2007 9:07:59 PM

I'm definitely up for some work day afternoon riding. Just let me know!

5/14/2007 10:22:03 PM

I rode Umstead today and I'm meeting some friends there tomorrow after work. I also ride Crabtree frequently, but only because I can ride the greenway from my house. I'm getting pretty bored with Crabtree so I'll be exploring the other area trails ASAP.

5/14/2007 11:31:09 PM

Gonna ride with the roommate today, we'll see how out of shape I am!

5/15/2007 2:08:37 PM

http://hickhucksters.com/

I used to ride with a few of the guys back in the day....they do various weekend trips.

5/15/2007 3:04:56 PM

Those guys are based out of Hickory? I'm from Lenoir!

5/15/2007 3:22:37 PM

i'm from HKY....there used to be a wildly technical set of trails near lake hky that we would ride on, but it was on city property and they caught wind of it a few years ago......while the trails are still there, all the ladder rides, sesaws(sp), and jumps are pretty much gone.

5/15/2007 3:27:01 PM

Quote :

"How are the trails around Jordan Lake? I will be heading over there in a couple days."

actually, i've never heard of any trails near jordon lake.

5/15/2007 10:17:49 PM

^^ Yeah, while in middle and high school we used to build our own trails too. I use to race quite a bit, showdown at sugar, mountain bike mania, there was a race in Waxhaw (sp?) that we use to go to and pwn everyone.

I haven't ridden much since high school and I just grad, so it's been 4+ years since seriously riding. I'm ready to back into it though.

5/16/2007 12:52:52 PM

Rocky Road is an unoffical trail... I haven't ridden it personally, but it's supposed to be extremely technical. It's located just up the road from the Lake Crabtree entrance off Weston Pkwy. Just beware- it's on RDU Airport's land and last year they were really cracking down and handing out tickets... (plenty of people still made their way up there, though!)

Last spring/summer there was a tww group that was doing quite a bit of riding. Dannydigtl and State409c were a few names that I remember. If you ever get a weekend, go out to New Light. The trails there are enjoyable. (And it's pretty much guaranteed you will get lost) You can check on trianglemtb.com for its availability... It's closed most days due to hunting season, but I don't remember when that begins/ends off the top of my head. Crabtree is fairly short, but very convenient. There's one that just recently (last year or two) added some black diamond areas... Harris Lake, maybe? Only made the trek out there once, so I don't remember exactly... but definitely worth looking up! Trails heading in were pretty lame, but much better once you get deeper into the woods.

Best suggestion: trianglemtb.com & any of their affiliates.

5/16/2007 3:11:54 PM

I dont know about technical or anything, probably just the walking trails.

5/16/2007 8:59:55 PM

I like to do the Advance loop at Harris w/ my dog. There normally isnt too many people so she can run free, etc. This loop is fun, but not too hard or anything. Just enough to be interesting, and you can still keep up your speed/flow, etc.

Rocky Road is a challenge (for me) and its more work than fun imo.

Crabtree is so boring i almost hate to go there even though i can ride to it from my house. but it is what it is i guess. Too populated and dense trailwise to bring my dog :/

I've never been to New Light.

Kat, do you and your bf still ride a lot?

5/16/2007 10:00:17 PM

there used to be mountain bike trails around lake johnson. and on centennial campus.

5/16/2007 10:07:44 PM

the trail around centinial lake is still there

5/17/2007 9:54:28 AM

Clayton has some really nice trails but is quite a drive. Really nice features like banked turns, bridges, and all kinds of jumps.

Beaverdamn is great this time of year without the $5 fee they charge during the summer. Stay off the south loop unless you like really really like climbing. Drop zone on south loop is the best thing around.

5/17/2007 10:22:32 AM

^dropzone is pretty wild. real fun.

i get em confused, but clayton and garner both have some cool trails that arent too long. one has a really cool ladder network and that platform/drop off thing near the parking lot. i'm not trying to fall off that ladder network though

5/17/2007 10:27:20 AM

These all seem like great suggestions, but after yesterday, it is evident that I need to get back into shape before hitting some long, techical trails. Too much beer and not enough working out!!!

5/17/2007 3:09:45 PM

Haha, I've got a 35lb department store beast of a bike that I use for a couple of weeks coming out of winter to get back into shape. It's amazing how quickly you improve trying to inch that thing up hills.

5/17/2007 3:19:08 PM

Yeah, the Fisher I got off ebay has some decent/good components, but it's a steel frame. It's a bitch to ride on technical/long trails. Hoping parentals will support me for one more summer so that I can get a better frame/bike. Anyone ever done a frame swap?

5/17/2007 4:20:38 PM

The trail on the west side of lake johnson between the right of way and the south side of the foot bridge is closed to bikes. There's an unpaved path on the southeast side that's allowed, but it's pretty damn rooty. Much better for dog walkin'. The paved part isn't so bad for a cruise, and for some reason the fire road section is really soft this year... not fun on slicks!

5/17/2007 4:51:22 PM

^^ what model fisher? i almost prefer a hardtail over my full suspension for longer rides.

5/18/2007 1:55:34 PM

It's a Hoo Koo E Koo, older model, but has XT components all around, Judy XC, and I'm starting to slowly swap out some parts. I'm looking to do a frame swap though, I want something lighter, most likely aluminum. I think the headset (which I actually need to replace) and fork should fit up, they are the popular 1 1/8". I've never messed with BBs, so I don't know if they will match up and how hard that will be to work out. It would seem like a lot of work, but the frame I have now has no room for upgrade and its too damn heavy. Hell, I can even upgrade to disc brakes, which really sucks.

[Edited on May 18, 2007 at 2:25 PM. Reason : .]

5/18/2007 2:24:22 PM

I've got an '06 Fisher Marlin and I love it. I've just started mountain biking and I figure in a few years I'll upgrade to full suspension.

5/18/2007 5:35:25 PM

Lake Johnson in half an hour. LETS GO!

5/20/2007 5:17:05 PM

I wouldnt really call full suspension an upgrade. They tend to weigh more, and to be quite honest, on 80% of trails around here, I'm faster on my hardtail than my full suspension.

It's a different kind of ride, and full suspensions have their times when they really shine, but for most of the stuff around here, hardtails are the way to go (for me)

5/20/2007 5:24:09 PM

^I've actually gotten to the point where I don't touch my FS unless the ride is going to be excessively long. Makes me feel kind of bad considering how much it cost.

5/20/2007 7:15:16 PM

Yeah, I have found an alum frame online and will hopefully win tonight...also comes with judy xc front fork, lx front derail, aheadset, seat post, and saddle for hopefully under $150. I think this frame swap should be painless since the headset/fork and bb are in place.

Also, anyone true their own wheels? Any advice? My rear wheel is all out of whack and I hate going to the shop and pay ~$10 for a true. On the same line, sometime next month looking to upgrade the wheels, went to mtbr.com and found that the reviewers loved the old Mavic 121. Anyone know anything about spins/spinergys?

5/21/2007 10:03:00 PM

new and looking to get out and ride some, must be willing to put up w/ n00b

5/21/2007 10:03:52 PM

I dont ever true my wheels, but i have double wall sun ringles.

5/21/2007 11:53:57 PM

I've trued a few sets of wheels, but it takes a really long time if they're massively warped. Basically, loosen/tighten, check, repeat. A lot. For $10, I'd say go with the shop and save youself ~10-20 minutes per rim.

^^How about this weekend? I haven't had my MTB out in a while, so a n00b is probably all I can hang with.

[Edited on May 22, 2007 at 12:46 AM. Reason : ^^]

5/22/2007 12:45:23 AM

^Agreed, if the wheels are more than a little warped it will save you a good deal of frustration just getting them done at a shop.

^^^^What frame did you end up getting?

5/22/2007 8:17:21 AM

i need to get my fat ass out on the bike again. i'm going to try and make it out to beaver damn tomorrow. i usually like to do the west and south loop there, but i'm so out of shape now, i'll probably end up doing the west, inner and outer loops.

beaver damn is one of my favorite places to go, but it's so far out there.

5/22/2007 9:28:00 AM

^^ I ATTEMPTED to get a alum fisher Big Sur hardtail frame. With 5 seconds left I was the highest bidder at $65, but then I got snaked at the last second. Guy won it for $66. Ohh well, there is a alum fisher tassagara, with some extras that I am watching too.

5/22/2007 10:37:09 AM

my masters swim coach had a top 3 ranking in mountain biking... her husband works for a bike shop

5/22/2007 12:47:02 PM

when i got my fs bike i converted my old trek into a single speed. it's pretty fun, and painful...but fun. i'm not particulary fast or anything, but my friends big into it so he just took it and converted it for me. anyone else have a ss?

5/22/2007 1:56:52 PM

dude a steel frame feels better than aluminium for the long rides because it isn't nearly as stiff. Many people consider steel hardtails to be the most premium mountain bike frame unless you want to shell out a thousand for titanium. I'd stick with what you got for now.

In addition there are some frame measurements you need to consider if you are doing a frame swap like bottom bracket shell length, seatpost diameter and headtube diameter. If these don't match you will need new components. Your older frame *might* have a 1" headtube, and if so you would need to get a new fork if you got a newer frame with either a 1 1/8" or 1.5" diameter headtube.

My philosophy is if it isn't broken, don't fix it.

5/22/2007 2:22:53 PM

^ Normally I would agree with you, but this steel frame is just too heavy to jump and what not. I use to use my stolen hardtail as a serious jumper/racer/trail rider, and I am looking to build something similiar. I think that I will like the feel of an aluminum bike better.

All the bikes I am looking at most likely have a 1 1/8" head tube. I know they do because A) I asked the seller, or B) the components are new enough to be a 1 1/8 (i.e. race face stem, newer generation fork, etc...) The seatpost and the BB could be a problem with one of the bikes since it is a different company, but those are both fairly cheap replacement (especially when you have a $100 REI gift card )

5/22/2007 2:59:14 PM

i hate how steel bikes start to creek after a while... even expensive ones.

5/22/2007 3:09:25 PM

Thats why they make iPods, duh.

5/22/2007 3:33:17 PM

I think I am going to try and ride the Centennial Campus trails, anyone up for a weekday ride (tomorrow or thursday)?

5/22/2007 4:23:13 PM

Quote :

"dude a steel frame feels better than aluminium for the long rides because it isn't nearly as stiff. Many people consider steel hardtails to be the most premium mountain bike frame unless you want to shell out a thousand for titanium. I'd stick with what you got for now. In addition there are some frame measurements you need to consider if you are doing a frame swap like bottom bracket shell length, seatpost diameter and headtube diameter. If these don't match you will need new components. Your older frame *might* have a 1" headtube, and if so you would need to get a new fork if you got a newer frame with either a 1 1/8" or 1.5" diameter headtube. My philosophy is if it isn't broken, don't fix it."

Steel is stiffer than aluminum using the same amount of materials. Steel however weighs more and is susceptible to corrosion.

5/22/2007 4:29:50 PM

^^Are those trails "open" at the moment? Last time some we went out there we got escorted off the campus.

5/22/2007 4:33:38 PM

Well I know that they aren't "public" trails, but I figured that if there wasn't a sign stating otherwise, I would ride it. I have never ridden them, but hear that they are great, was going to try it today. So, I don't know if they are "open", but what's the worst they can do to me? Kick me out! I still have my student ID, so it's not like I'm trespassing.

[Edited on May 23, 2007 at 12:09 PM. Reason : .]

5/23/2007 12:08:29 PM

on a related topic... are there any valid trails, say from RTP to Duke?

5/24/2007 8:40:00 AM

^google FTW

http://www.trianglegreenways.org/wheregwys.htm

5/24/2007 9:40:28 AM