[ghostrider]

All, just curious about any thoughts on the biking scene in Corvallis, as well as Corvallis in general...cool place to live? Good singletrack close to town? Is the weather as bad as it looks on paper? Good beer? Know anybody that works at HP in town? Thanks in advance...

 

[Ridemonkey]

Corvallis is pretty cool. There is lots of great riding around there but its pretty wet for more than half the year. The college scene dominates the town for most of the year but summers are chill. Good place to live overall for sure.

 

[Heidi]

I've never been there, but it is always rain, rain, rain on the weather reports. There is actually a race there this weekend that we are going to so I'll take some pics.

 

[pangeist]

My brother in law lives there, kind of a dump hole, seems like all the pretty girls are at risk for abduction, has a tiny DJ park near the food co-op. I wouldn't move there if you paid me.

 

[Ridemonkey]

Dump hole in what way? I lived there for 4 years and I don't anything about a dump hole. One girl was abducted and now all the girls are at risk? You get the bad post of the day award.

 

[ioscope]

I went skating there when I was 10.
Miller Paint was the local spot.

 

[BuddhaRoadkill]

Well, I've lived here for some time and it's ok if you like rain. What makes Corvallis a great place is it's location [think of it as a homebase]. It's small, quiet, safe, sleepy, and 1 hour from everything ... well, 2 for someplaces. It is first and foremost a college town. Completely dries up in the summer. Almost zero in the way of nightlife, other than a few choice wateringholes. Beer is fine, we even have our own brewery. Their are 5 active bike shops, each catering to a certain style and personality.

There are plenty of trails you can ride to from town [MacDonald Forest]. The legals ones have been made all year with the addition of gravel [sucks in the summer, but when the rains come - I praise those college kids and their gravel wagon]. The illegal ones are short and steep, but well connected with logging roads. In short, pick the amount of time you want to ride [1-6 hours], and you can do it without repeating trail. If you just like to spin, you can spend days out on the logging roads.

An hours drive north puts you into FreeRide mania BlackRock or XC Bliss [Dallas]. 2 hours south gives you lift access DH [Willamette Pass] in the summer, or even greater XC bliss [Oakridge]. 45min west is Mary's Peak [largerst coast range mountain in Oregon] with 2 beautifull and technical singletrack trails ... which connect to another trail system [Blodget]. Also West is the coast, not much riding but it's got good fishing [the riding is secret]. To the east 2 hours is the Famed MR. T trail [McKenzie River Trail ]. Another 2 hours on top of that lands you in RideMonkey's Home [Bend ] with high desert riding.
Albany has the DirtJumps and it's only 20 minutes away. We have an OK skatepark if urban is your thing.

HP ... I don't work there, but a large chunk of town does. If your moving here for a job, do your research. They tend to go through large lay offs in the last decade, and rumors are always floating around about the next one.
Depending on what you do, it could be extremely stable, or on the block.

You get used to the rain. Plenty of gear available to make it easier to deal with. [I'm a sweater, so rain or shine, I'm soaked] I've learned to really enjoy rain rides. Completely different atmosphere in the woods. Riders here don't really stop to consider the weather ... other than to choose the appropriate trail/gear [some are death in the wet]. One of the shops has a ride twice a week. Lot's of bikes. Bikes everywhere. Theres even a fairly strong roady scene. The only catch, it's a small town so it's very clicky - but not in a hostile way. Local and to the North is the Turf of The Merry Cranksters. To the South is the Disciple of Dirt.
[I've got crappy hours, so I always ride alone ]

Hope that helps. If your a homebase type, who only uses his home to store stuff while your out somewhere else ... it's great. If your the type that needs city life, it's dead ... but within driving distance. Hah, more info that you probably wanted.

 

[ghostrider]

Thanks for all the info. My wife is considering going to school there, and it gets us closer to our ultimate destination (Bend). We are doing a scouting expedition up there in June, and I'll have my bike. The weather doesn't scare me too much - I grew up in Rochester. No night life = no big deal either, provided there's a good microbrewery and decent Thai food.

 

[BuddhaRoadkill]

Our Brewery [Oregon Trail] is nothing like the Deschutes Brewery in Bend. Ours is a little hippy hovel with a coblestone floor even. But the beer is good. The Ginsing Porter is excellent. Thai food? ..... uh oh :nuts:

 

[Heidi]

For Thai food you can just visit Bend! Toomies has some outstanding dishes. I love the drunken noodles - spicey!

 

[ghostrider]

For Thai food you can just visit Bend! Toomies has some outstanding dishes. I love the drunken noodles - spicey!

We'll also be coming to Bend on the same trip, be forewarned. Already tested Toomies, quite tasty.

You know, if there were a job for me in Bend, we could skip the whole Corvallis thing altogether. Ridemonkey, are you hiring yet?

 

[Heidi]

We'll also be coming to Bend on the same trip, be forewarned. Already tested Toomies, quite tasty.

You know, if there were a job for me in Bend, we could skip the whole Corvallis thing altogether. Ridemonkey, are you hiring yet?

When exactly are you coming?

 

[Ridemonkey]

Ridemonkey, are you hiring yet?

Sure, on a 100% profit sharing basis

 

[ghostrider]

When exactly are you coming?

I'll be in Oregon from Monday 6/20 through Friday 6/24 or so. Not sure which part will be Corvallis and which will be Bend. Probably two days each. Since this is a family trip, I'll only get one ride in each place, so I've gotta make them count.

 

[pangeist]

Dumphole as in it dumps rain......two girls were abducted, years apart, both cute and similar looking almost in the same spot. And there have been attempted abductions in the same area. I am not trying to offend anyone, sorry. I just wouldn't want to live there. Its an opinion. Whats the big F'in deal?

 

[BuddhaRoadkill]

Since the Mary's Peak trails open up on 6/15, I would hit those for your time in the valley. Far and away the best we have to offer. Might be hard to find a guide as the Cascade CreamPuff is on 6/26 and some like to rest the week before.

 

[Heidi]

Dumphole as in it dumps rain......two girls were abducted, years apart, both cute and similar looking almost in the same spot. And there have been attempted abductions in the same area. I am not trying to offend anyone, sorry. I just wouldn't want to live there. Its an opinion. Whats the big F'in deal?

Dude, you have issues, chill