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Tips for Moab?

Lelandjt

Turbo Monkey
Apr 4, 2008
2,516
829
Breckenridge, CO/Lahaina,HI
Can we see a pic of your bike? You’ve got a Sur Ron right?
Dammit

Those sur ron's are gonna eat my alta2 budget.
It's not a replacement for an Alta if you like going really fast or hitting big jumps but for mountain bike style riding it's so fun. I have 3 that are set up identically except for fork. My Hawaii one has a 888 air, Colorado one has a 40 air, and girlfriend's CO bike has a Boxxer air. They're totally ridable stock but I've made a few mods that improve them for "aggressive" riding.
-air fork
-500lb shock spring
-mud flap for shock
-carbon 26" x 40mm, 36 spoke front wheel
-26x3" DH casing Duro front tire
-19x3" Duro trials rear tire with some knobs cut off to make it dig in
-52t sprocket
-longer chain and axle bolts to place axle at back of swingarm
-higher rise handlebar
-pegs in rear position
-Saint finned pads
-The stock stem instead of a direct mount is intentional. In a fall the stem will turn instead of twisting the fork.
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Toshi

Harbinger of Doom
Oct 23, 2001
38,328
7,745
That thing is awesome… as long as you’re riding it on legal moto trails.
 

buckoW

Turbo Monkey
Mar 1, 2007
3,787
4,733
Champery, Switzerland
Those look like a lot of fun. I want one. Did you see that Luna is working on a better battery pack and controller?
I’ve been riding the Kranked E2 motor on a Voltage in the shoulder seasons and for shuttle retrieval.
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Flo33

Turbo Monkey
Mar 3, 2015
2,068
1,307
Styria
Yeah, that’s above Champery looking at the Dents du Midi
On my next trip there it would be a pleasure to meet you and go for a ride. :thank:
It's such an awesome part of the world. Only downside for me is me sucking at French. :phone:
 

slyfink

Turbo Monkey
Sep 16, 2008
9,337
5,095
Ottawa, Canada
On my next trip there it would be a pleasure to meet you and go for a ride. :thank:
It's such an awesome part of the world. Only downside for me is me sucking at French. :phone:
don't worry, there's plenty of anglos in that part of the country... you'll be able to get by no problem!
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,654
1,129
NORCAL is the hizzle
Welp, back from a fun trip. We kind of got hosed with some super cold weather during our time in Moab - high of around 25 a couple of days, and not much warmer others - so we didn't do as much riding as hoped. Burrow got snow and ice a day or so before we arrived, so we couldn't get up to the top, which was a bummer. Still, we hit lots of good trails, including UPS/LPS, Ahab, Navajo Rocks, Portal, and some other stuff. Made it over to Fruita for a half day at 18 Road and a day at Kokopelli (Mary's, Horsethief Bench, etc.). In Grand Junction we hit Lunch Loops (good stuff, like Holy Cross and Pucker Up). Overall we really only scratched the surface but we hope to get back at a time when we can spend more time riding and exploring and less time trying to feel our fingers and toes. (Went too early last time, and about a week late this time, so hopefully next time will be goldilocks...)

For food/beer/drinks, aside from the usual suspects we liked 98 Center in Moab, Hot Tomato in Fruita, and Handlebar in GC. We also had a fun day and night in Palisades hitting up a few wineries (Red Fox was a highlight) as well as the distillery.

Most nights were either in our van or at friend's places, but in Palisades we did a night at the Spoke and Vine, a newly-renovated, bike-friendly motel that is worth checking out if you're in the area.

Thanks for all the tips, we definitely got some good nuggets from the monkies and it was much appreciated!
 
Jun 20, 2007
349
9
Great info in this thread! I am planning my first trip to Moab for fall of ‘23. Three of us from the east coast. 25+ year riders. Any guidance/tips/info will be appreciated. Trail info, shuttle info, best bike shops, etc. We will be flying in, and bringing our bikes. Considering renting for the ease of not hauling bikes, but then have to deal with the downside of riding an unfamiliar bike. Anyone have any experience with rentals? Are there “good” bikes to rent? Anything change out there post-pandemic, in general?
 

jekyll991

Monkey
Nov 30, 2009
478
0
Belfry, KY
Early September I broke my SB100 on Capt Ahab the day before we planned to ride TWE so I rented a Ripmo from poison spider. Definitely the nicest rental I've ever had, but I also think they just got it in. If you have time to shop around there's plenty of shops to choose from that'll give you a decent ride.
 

SylentK

Turbo Monkey
Feb 25, 2004
2,332
879
coloRADo
Great info in this thread! I am planning my first trip to Moab for fall of ‘23. Three of us from the east coast. 25+ year riders. Any guidance/tips/info will be appreciated. Trail info, shuttle info, best bike shops, etc. We will be flying in, and bringing our bikes. Considering renting for the ease of not hauling bikes, but then have to deal with the downside of riding an unfamiliar bike. Anyone have any experience with rentals? Are there “good” bikes to rent? Anything change out there post-pandemic, in general?

I haven't been there lately, but used to go every spring and fall. For many, many years. Being a Coloradoan, I can do that pretty easily.

Where are you flying into? I can give you tips if you're flying into Denver. (Like if you are driving from Denver stop by some spots on your way)

Bike Rental: Pretty much every shop rents bikes. And quality bikes at that. Pick a shop with the brand you want to ride. They're all pretty good. It is a tourist destination, and they all love to ride. I have not rented, so I can't really say much on that, but I do see all the rental bikes when meeting up for a shuttle or just to poke around the shops. They all seem good.

Shuttle: I prefer Coyote. Not sure if they're still around. The dude is classic. VW Vans for the win. :) Some shuttle guys are more stringent about weather and where you can go than others. You may not know this but if it's wet, they will only take you to a certain part of The Whole Enchilada. Typically Lower or Upper Porcupine. And probably for a good reason. Hazard in the mud is no fun. OR is it?! :D All the shuttle companies talk to eachother. So if you're looking for something outside of normal, or if they're booked, they typically send you to another company. Its all good.

Rides: Definitely plan on The Whole Enchilada. Not sure when in fall you're going, but if it snows up on Burro Pass, you're not doing ALL of TWE. Just prepare for that. More of a let down than anything else. Mag7 is great. Both are full day shuttle/rides. And you can ride back to your hotel/camp site/town after. Or plan on parking a car strategically. Preferably with beer. They are long days. I guess you should do slickrock if you've never been. Also a good option if weather is bad. The trails off the Amasa Back area are all good for quickies. Jackson's, Rock Stacker, Pothole, etc. and of course the iconic Ahab. All good. Choose your own adventure. so many options.

Covid: I assume it's like Colorado and all is back to normal. Save for hospitals where masks are probably still required and will probably provide you one.
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,741
12,762
In a van.... down by the river
Great info in this thread! I am planning my first trip to Moab for fall of ‘23. Three of us from the east coast. 25+ year riders. Any guidance/tips/info will be appreciated. Trail info, shuttle info, best bike shops, etc. We will be flying in, and bringing our bikes. Considering renting for the ease of not hauling bikes, but then have to deal with the downside of riding an unfamiliar bike. Anyone have any experience with rentals? Are there “good” bikes to rent? Anything change out there post-pandemic, in general?
Prepare yourself for horrific, maddening crowds. If they don't materialize, consider yourself lucky. Hopefully you won't be there during some "jeep" thing. :fie: :fie:

I would *definitely* recommend renting to simplify things.
 

SylentK

Turbo Monkey
Feb 25, 2004
2,332
879
coloRADo
Prepare yourself for horrific, maddening crowds. If they don't materialize, consider yourself lucky. Hopefully you won't be there during some "jeep" thing. :fie: :fie:

I would *definitely* recommend renting to simplify things.
I was there for a jeep thing. It was a bit weird seeing all these jeeps lined up at the trail head. They're always usually pretty chill and nice. And they will want to talk about their jeep. So leverage that while you chug one of their beers on the trail and his girlfriend is smoking a jay :)
 

rideit

Bob the Builder
Aug 24, 2004
23,360
11,522
In the cleavage of the Tetons
If I’m flying somewhere, I basically have a (roughly) three Or four day threshold for whether I rent or not. When it starts costing a bunch more to rent than paying the airfare, I’ll deal with the PITA to have my own bike. That said, Moab is brutal on bikes, so thrashing a rental (within reason) can certainly help the longevity of your own ride.

You can rent almost any major bike model that exists, it just probably will have NX/SX/Deore level components, and ‘performance’ suspension. Super swanky stuff is available, but nowadays demo level is about $150 or more a day.

Coyote is slowly kind of phasing out the VW limos, I guess they are basically falling apart, and just aren’t all that reliable (as well as slow).
 
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manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,646
1,217
Nilbog
I was just out in Moab while visiting some family in Junction. If you have the time it's probably worth going to check out the 'Palisade Plunge' in Grand Junction, It's a big ass DH that probably won't have the crowds you see in Moab.
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,646
1,217
Nilbog
I guess you should do slickrock if you've never been.
I just rode slickrock for the first time in about 13 years, ON AN EBIKE. It was a blast and I do suggest this. On a regular bike just go do the practice loop and save yourself some time. The Novelty wears off fast.
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,654
1,129
NORCAL is the hizzle
Fall is a good time to go but as I saw in 2019, if you wait too long you can get snowed out of the high country and be riding in super cold temps. We had some bad luck with one of those atmospheric rivers hitting precisely the week we were there, but still.

I suggest Moab Rim Tours for shuttles, rentals, etc.
 

manhattanprjkt83

Rusty Trombone
Jul 10, 2003
9,646
1,217
Nilbog
Same thing just happened to a group of friends from here. They went out to Moab for a first time all psyched to ride TWE (Nov 5th) and got completely screwed w/ snow. Not sure they did their research on that decision I'd say mid sept or early october is prime, esp w/ the aspen leaves on TWE.
 

OGRipper

back alley ripper
Feb 3, 2004
10,654
1,129
NORCAL is the hizzle
Same thing just happened to a group of friends from here. They went out to Moab for a first time all psyched to ride TWE (Nov 5th) and got completely screwed w/ snow. Not sure they did their research on that decision I'd say mid sept or early october is prime, esp w/ the aspen leaves on TWE.
Yeah, it's funny, I had only been once before and it was too early to ride TWE from the top, then that second time we went too late by literally a day. (We met peeps who had ridden it the day before we got there.) It's kind of a crapshoot but I agree that late Sept/early October should be safe.