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Post by crummy on Aug 29, 2009 18:00:00 GMT 10
;D
Armidale, NSW. Ask at the bike shop on the main street where some mtb trails are. They lead us to discoverer a well developed but unused for some time trail not far from the CBD. Easily accessible via a cycleway on the northern side of town. XC and light FR, heaps of fun!
Ipswich, QLD. In particular Castle Hill. Not far from town we were blown away by the fun desents the locals have built. Ride to the top of the hill and just look around. There is plenty of well bedded track built for a good ride. XC, FR and DH, there are B-lines for most of the technical sections. Fun includes se-saws, skinnys and log rides.
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Post by crummy on Sept 10, 2009 17:36:44 GMT 10
Western Sydney Cycling Network This volunteer organisation holds community rides on the first Sunday of every month. Team Crummy went along to their community ride for September, to see what all the fuss was about. Based out of Fairfield Showground these guys and girls like a bike or to. They repair old bikes and lend them out to the community, many of them are accredited cycling coaches which skills they use at schools around the district. Cycling as a school sport, it could be catching on. This enthusiastic team, on the first Sunday of the month, runs organised rides around the shared cycle ways of Western Sydney. For our ride we left the showground and headed around to Prospect Dam following the large network of cycle ways. From Prospect Dam it was onto the old water supply pipeline that had been now converted to a shared cycle way heading east. We turned right onto the Cumberland Highway and after a few clicks were back onto the designated network. Full story at mcrummy.blogspot.com. |
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Post by crummy on Sept 22, 2009 16:38:10 GMT 10
Been dragged to go shopping at Rouse Hill? Well take your favorite set of fat rubber with you next time and tell the partner to take as long as they want. 'Couse there are trails just five minutes from the red/green light parking based shopping village. I check some of the trails out recently and was presently surprised with the amount of single-track available to ride on. Many of these trails can be linked by the cycleway that rings the suburb. Rouse Hill single-track, hours of fun without the retail stigma. For more info on these tracks, mail me  |
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Post by crummy on Dec 29, 2009 13:41:24 GMT 10
Manly Dam Last week. You can find words on this track everywhere.........
Manly Dam circuits have been fun most mornings over the last week. A fast couple of laps or a casual couple of hours on the bike, finding fast lines, bombing the dh sections and tackling tech rock climbs. Next time I am in the area I will explore Oxford Falls, from what I hear it can be tougher than the dam. Fun!
As for this week, exploring the mid-north coast. Looking at tracks near Kempsey, if the weather eases from this rain. Full report of Kempsey to come.
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Post by pile on Dec 30, 2009 12:12:44 GMT 10
Keep an eye out for the signs, the rangers and the locals at Oxford Falls if you head up there. NPWS has closed swathes of the land on the XC loop and some of the good out-and-back tracks (esp the run to the moon rock) recently and NobMob are negotiating with them, residents and the local council re opening up the land. There were accounts of rangers stopping and fining riders a couple of months back - worthwhile being wary if you are heading up there. The gazetted loop around the dam is the best bet on the northside - trail access is a battleground north of the bridge.
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Post by crummy on Jan 1, 2010 8:07:29 GMT 10
Ends up the weather wasnt good enough to check out the Kempsey Trails.
Inverell
Mountainbiking in central northern NSW has a lot to offer. Inverell local area has a variety of levels of trails to ride on. Check out these spots.
The Goonoowigall Reserve 6km south west of the township offers beginner level trails. The terrain is well graded in most places made up of light gravel over hardpack. Features include plenty of small water bars, small step-ups and downs, and granite smooth rock sections. In the most southern section of the Waterfall Circuit, the main arterial trail, it does get a little tough with a series of single track pinch climbs in the clockwise direction. The trails are frequented by plenty of walkers, be wary of groups. Goonoowingal Waterfall Circuit is a 5km loop nice for a quick blast.
More to come.....
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Post by Lewy on Jan 1, 2010 17:04:11 GMT 10
You doing an East Coast MTB tour for you Hols Crummy?
Have fun.
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Post by crummy on Jan 3, 2010 13:29:54 GMT 10
Weather has been a bit wet in N NSW so I checked out the center of NSW MTB scene.
Dubbo. Street, Massive Park, BMX, XC and light FR.
XC
Out of town in the SE direction is a small town of Guerie, 25km from Dubbo. Turn in a westly direction in the center of town, towards the wooded hill. Bald Hill Reserve is home to many trails from jump to XC.
I will polish up a couple of reports on Dubbo and Inverell soon....
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Post by crummy on Jan 8, 2010 15:31:43 GMT 10
Inverell the full report
Mountainbiking in central northern NSW has a lot to offer. Inverell local area has a variety of levels of trails to ride on. Check out these spots.
The Goonoowigall Reserve 6km south west of the township offers beginner level trails. The terrain is well graded in most places made up of light gravel over hardpack. Features include plenty of small water bars, small step-ups and downs, and granite smooth rock sections. In the most southern section of the Waterfall Circuit, the main arterial trail, it does get a little tough with a series of single track pinch climbs in the clockwise direction. The trails are frequented by plenty of walkers, be wary of groups. Goonoowingal Waterfall Circuit is a 5km loop nice for a quick blast.
Still in Inverell, SE of town, head down Rifle Range Rd for 4km, take the RH Y and continue for 300m. This is where you will find more advanced trails. This are is also frequented by Motos but I was alone the morning I visited. There is a great quick loop that winds its way over the hill, best ridden anti-clockwise. You utilise the granate rock face for climbing then sweep off the top into a heap of nice burms and jumps.
There is a ton of trails to be discovered. I linked in additional short single tracks leading off from the general area, again it used the smooth rock sections for climbing sections. It was an easy spot to find and great riding for an hour or two. Get out here for XC and light FR.
To further explore the area on MTB, speak to the boss of Bikes on Byron in Inverell. There is no longer a MTB Club in town, but I heard talk of a comeback. It seems MTBs are out selling the other bikes locally. Road cycling is big in Inverell I found out, there were small groups of teenagers getting around town on two skinny wheels and in lycra. For more info on road rides ask at the local bike store on Byron.
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Post by dunkman on Jan 8, 2010 20:27:59 GMT 10
Road cycling is big in Inverell I found out Road cycling had always been big in Inverell. The guy who owned the bike shop there (who's name I forget) was an Australian track coach at some point, they had a velodrome way back when and of course the Grafton to Inverell finishes there (oddly enough). And finally Heinrich Haussler was raised there. His father was a photographer who had very many photo's of young Heinrich in his office, but that's a bit off topic. |
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Post by crummy on Jan 11, 2010 10:27:42 GMT 10
Photos from Inverell are up on my blog, not overly speccy. As Duncan has pointed out, there is a rich history of Road racing.
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Post by crummy on Jan 11, 2010 10:33:59 GMT 10
Dubbo The first place I visited was the Skate park, located close to the center of town. This place was huge, with a street area and massive bowl featuring Australia's first full pipe. The bowl was particularly interesting as it can easily accommodate a MTB. Best suited here would be a short wheel-based bike, but even my XC bike had plenty of space. With a couple of roll-ins and some big walls this park is a sweet spot to pump. Just check it out early as it is popular with the skaters, scooters and an occasional BMX. A couple of blocks away is the BMX track. It is small and flat, makes for a heap of peddling. Not a heap of fun, but at least they have one. The bandits ride at the track on a monthly basis, during the cooler months. Close to the Skate park is the Velodrome. Road and Velo riding is popular in Dubbo from Bicycle Users to full blown racers, maxing out miles. There seems to be something for every skinny wheeler during the week. The local bike shop is a good place to start for more information. I asked around and found out where the XC trails are in the area. Head 30km out to Geurie, turn right at the pub, near Payne St, at the edge of town you will find the trail head. This is a Disciples of Dirt XC area, it is all single track, winding its way around the reserve on the hill. It is well marked in their usual direction of riding, it is clockwise at this spot. There are two trails, a shorter inside loop marked in yellow and the bigger outside loop which makes use of much of the reserve in white. As I said it is all single track but not of a highly technical nature. It is fun, fast and smooth. The outside trail is probably around the 7 to 8km length. The club holds regular races and weekly social rides around this location. Across the road I found the more adventurous trails. This spot had a bit of dirt jump and up the hill some small gravity assisted trails. Unfortunately the trails did not seem to loop but it was fun to get out on some wide burmed corners and rock jumps. Just ask the local Disciple for more information and access to other areas. Photos up on blog |
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Post by crummy on Jan 12, 2010 19:21:37 GMT 10
You doing an East Coast MTB tour for you Hols Crummy? Have fun. It has been fun......... Nearing the ceiling of Australia the trails of Thredbo can cover a lot of altitude. The XC loop starts on the eastern side of the township and was well marked. It followed some multi-use trail firstly heading east then climbed the hillside for the remainder of the trail in a westerly direction. As these are multi use trails you have to be vigilant for walkers which used the trails in both directions. A part from the walkers the loop is not heavily used by MTBers, there is probably a few good reasons. Firstly the designated loop has a heap of climbing and I mean granny gear type of stuff. Also don't head down there with your super fast semi slick tyres either, a proper set of knobs were needed just for traction when climbing. The second reason for the lack of use would have to be the popularity of the gravity fed adrenalin rush, but I will get to that soon. Back on the XC loop, it crossed a variety of terrain from hard packed dirt to loose gravel, grass, rock and timber platforms The trails are graded for difficulty with most of the loop in the moderate category and it is not till you reach the heavily timbered section on the western end that it hits difficult. The technical DH sections of the loop are studded with large rocks, roll-overs and stairs, still all within the realms of a XC bike. I recommend getting out on the loop during the early morning or late afternoon as the trails are virtually empty. The XC loop at Thredbo is part of the National Series and makes a fun and tough track. Once again there are pictures @ mcrummy.blogspot.com |
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Post by crummy on Jan 21, 2010 18:25:32 GMT 10
The fastest way to the top of Thredbo is by chairlift. The fastest way down is by mountainbike. From the top of the chairlifts are marked mountainbike tracks, downhill tracks if you will. You could ride any mountainbike down but a downhill (DH) specific bike is the easiest and the quickest. The main DH trail begins on the access gravel road and after an introduction to water-bars it sweeps into single track. This track is not for the faint hearted, even the B lines required technical abilities. Marked with boulders, tree roots and tight burms this gravity fed track goes only one way, that’s down. There is no need for a chain, as you can quite easily coast the entire way. If you want to go faster, remove your vice like grip of the brake levers, peddle a bit and do a sub 10min run. Don't forget kids, to wear amour. After a couple of runs I had a grasp of the run, well that's what I thought. Then I found myself flying across the rocks. With claret oozing and a bit of gravel rash I thanked the full face helmet for saving my head, body amour and knee/shin guards for saving most of my skin. At pace there were some good rhythms you could get into over the boulders and also in the switchbacks. Give a gravity run a go some time, it is real fun, just do it safely. Once again there are pictures @ mcrummy.blogspot.com |
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Post by crummy on Jan 31, 2010 21:54:06 GMT 10
Kempsey Ends up I did manage to get back to Kempsey to try out their local track. So if your driving from Sydney to Brisbane and need a break halfway, Kempsey might be the trail fix your after. It is all located on the south side of the township just park at the golf course and the trail is located on the western side of the car park. You get a well built sections of single track linked together with short sections of fire-trail. Not being overly technical the trail is built for speed and there are no major climbs either. The trail twists and turns over the small amount of forested area available taking in many natural features. There is some nice switchback descending sections before you find yourself back on the side of the golf course. Ride up along the tree line to the car park for another lap. It is simple and plenty of fun, check it out on your next trip along the coast. The local bike shop in town can facilitate most of your needs and has information on the local MTB scene. Once again there are pictures @ mcrummy.blogspot.com |
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