I am thinking about going to Arizona State University this winter and i was wondering what the riding is like around there. FR, DH, and even XC?? Is it worth leaving the northwest riding for arizona?
Arizona riding
- Thread starter Motoking16
- Start date
I moved here from Seattle...and I wouldn't do it again! You'll burn out on these bumpy, boring a$$ trails in a year. 1 downhill trail in Phoenix at South Mountain. Plenty of scenery free xc (unless you consider dirt and cactus scenery). But that's just my opinion! 115 degrees today and for the next couple of months. Extremely crowded (6th largest city) and not all that friendly. Major in Spanish, it'll help!
thanks for the info, the weather sounds great! the size doesnt bother me, but the boring souding trails arnt to pleasing and the funniest part is that i am actually majoring in french! I'll have to second guess ASU
Yall should have some bad arse trails all over az.. There are mountains everywhere.. NM is the place to go.. They have some bad arse trails of all sort..
Vno said:
1) Bumpy trails? Get a freaking road bike!
2) You ride DH?! On a Gemini with a Psylo?!
3) Probably some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.
4) Yea the summer's are hot, (it's a desert, please refer to the visitors brochure) but wearing shorts year round and having months of kick ass weather while the rest of the country drives around in snow and ice pays for itself.
5) Crowded? The Valley is urban sprawl at it's finest...
6) Not friendly?! Examples?
7) What are you doing that you have to be fluent in Spanish, or was that a veiled racial slur?
Moto, Phoenix is killer, and there are great places to ride all over the state, not to mention THE HOTTEST college babes on earth are everywhere at ASU.
1. I have a road bike. It allows me to pedal during the summer while you're sitting on your a$$ waiting for the temp to drop below 115! Have you ever ridden smooth, buttery single track? Not in Phoenix you haven't. Would you buy a hard tail here? Didn't think so. The trails here, other than Mormon and National, should be generally classified as jeep trails, not singletrack.
2. I use my Gemini for xc and downhill, whatever the trail has to offer. I suppose you shuttle to the top of South mountain. I'm willing to bet you've passed me at some point going up the road...you're baaaaaad! I have upgraded to the Stance though...added an inch and it's a hell of a lot stiffer. You don't need the biggest fork out there to make you a better rider...you need to practice! I've seen riders with 80 mm clear the Waterfall. Don't get a bigger bike just to make up for your inadequacies. Perfect your skills on what you have, then upgrade to something that can take you to the next level.
3. It looks like a catbox...colorless, featureless mounds of jagged rock that protrude into the sky, trapping in the smog, surrounded by an abundance of brush and cactus. Flagstaff is beautiful, Phoenix is NOT! You must be from here!
4. I prefer seasons... California, Oregon, Idaho, and Washington can all be ridden year round. Nothing wrong with throwing on the cold weather gear and gortex socks and hitting a good slosh ride. MMMMM....mud.
5. Urban crawl! Homeless at every major intersection. Don't bother bringing a nice car here, your panels will look like a golf ball by the time your a sophmore.
6. Go ride desert classic on your 40 pound sled and let me know how many spandex wearing racers said hi to you on the trail!
7. Are you telling me it WOULD NOT benefit you to speak Spanish in this city? Get real.
Moto, mountain biking shouldn't be your priority when choosing a school. There's plenty of riding here to keep you happy for four years, plenty. And I do agree with Stinky Boy about the women. This place is unequaled in that department. Depending on your major, you might want to take a look up at Flagstaff, it's beautiful, fun, more laid back. I've also been married for 14 years so I can't say that I frequent the party atmosphere that I'm sure surrounds ASU. It's in a great part of town surrounded by things to do. Good luck with you decision.
2. I use my Gemini for xc and downhill, whatever the trail has to offer. I suppose you shuttle to the top of South mountain. I'm willing to bet you've passed me at some point going up the road...you're baaaaaad! I have upgraded to the Stance though...added an inch and it's a hell of a lot stiffer. You don't need the biggest fork out there to make you a better rider...you need to practice! I've seen riders with 80 mm clear the Waterfall. Don't get a bigger bike just to make up for your inadequacies. Perfect your skills on what you have, then upgrade to something that can take you to the next level.
3. It looks like a catbox...colorless, featureless mounds of jagged rock that protrude into the sky, trapping in the smog, surrounded by an abundance of brush and cactus. Flagstaff is beautiful, Phoenix is NOT! You must be from here!
4. I prefer seasons... California, Oregon, Idaho, and Washington can all be ridden year round. Nothing wrong with throwing on the cold weather gear and gortex socks and hitting a good slosh ride. MMMMM....mud.
5. Urban crawl! Homeless at every major intersection. Don't bother bringing a nice car here, your panels will look like a golf ball by the time your a sophmore.
6. Go ride desert classic on your 40 pound sled and let me know how many spandex wearing racers said hi to you on the trail!
7. Are you telling me it WOULD NOT benefit you to speak Spanish in this city? Get real.
Moto, mountain biking shouldn't be your priority when choosing a school. There's plenty of riding here to keep you happy for four years, plenty. And I do agree with Stinky Boy about the women. This place is unequaled in that department. Depending on your major, you might want to take a look up at Flagstaff, it's beautiful, fun, more laid back. I've also been married for 14 years so I can't say that I frequent the party atmosphere that I'm sure surrounds ASU. It's in a great part of town surrounded by things to do. Good luck with you decision.
stinkyboy said:
1) Bumpy trails? Get a freaking road bike!
2) You ride DH?! On a Gemini with a Psylo?!
3) Probably some of the most beautiful scenery in the world.
4) Yea the summer's are hot, (it's a desert, please refer to the visitors brochure) but wearing shorts year round and having months of kick ass weather while the rest of the country drives around in snow and ice pays for itself.
5) Crowded? The Valley is urban sprawl at it's finest...
6) Not friendly?! Examples?
7) What are you doing that you have to be fluent in Spanish, or was that a veiled racial slur?
Moto, Phoenix is killer, and there are great places to ride all over the state, not to mention THE HOTTEST college babes on earth are everywhere at ASU.
Vno said:
1. I commute every day on my 47.5LB Kona or my 29er. Buttery smooth, that's funny!
2. If I'm riding downhill, that's what I do. Inadequacies? Like weak components? No thanks.
3. Featureless mounds of jagged rocks? You've seen Camelback Mountain and an Arizona sunset right?
4. I agree, but swimming in December is hard to beat.
5. Homeless in every major city. I don't know what the golf ball comment means.
6. You're looking for some play from spandex wearing men?
7. adiós amigo
Allright, allright...enough bickering. One mans trash is another mans treasure. I can agree to disagree.
On a different note: Did your E-13 end up working out for you or did it blow up like mine did? Just curious in case anyone ever asks. I'm not trying to be a smart a$$...I swear.
On a different note: Did your E-13 end up working out for you or did it blow up like mine did? Just curious in case anyone ever asks. I'm not trying to be a smart a$$...I swear.
Try NAU. It's in flagstaff, will remind you a little of the PNW, and the trail are pretty good. The trails in middle (phoenix/tempe) aren't bad, but you will be in the "valley of the sun" so you have to drive to Flagstaff, Globe, Sunrise, or Prescott for long DH trails. Lot's of XC, User pass, South Mountain, Pima and Dynamite, Mc Dowell Mtn Park, Estrella mountain park, Haws/Trw. QUite a lot of riding in Flagstaff, Prescott, Tucson.Motoking16 said:
I know spanish and never have to use it.
VNO get your ass back here :mumble:Vno said:
Hurry Sucka Butt
Actually, the shop that installed it, overtightened the bolts and I got a bunch of "spider" cracks, but they replaced it and it's been great since. I have a buddy that has one that has been absoulutely beat on (repeated sprocket stalls and random abuse) that is just fine.Vno said:
PS: Just gettin ya fired up...
:dancing:
South Mountain has some of the most technical trails I have ever seen. I have made two trips to Phoenix specifically to ride SoMo. If you are into buffed-out singletrack, SoMo is not for you. If you like line-picking (even on a big bike), and absurdly technical trails, commit these to memory:Motoking16 said:
1. Holbert
2. Geronimo
3. Kiwanis
4. National
5. Mormon
6. Telegraph
In terms of riding, I'd be stoked to live in Phoenix. It isn't too far to SW Utah, either, which also has bad ass DH trails.
My two cents.
i just moved here 3 months ago from texas and the trails here are some of the most fun i have ever ridden(i have ridden in almost every state in the country) I am not into smooth trails, rocks and bumps are what mtn bikes are for. if you don't want to ride in the cold or mud again you will love it here, no humidity here either, people here freak out when it hits 20 percent( try 110 degrees and 90 percent). i love it here but make your own decision come down for a couple of days and try it out. oh yeah asu is a pretty good school too.
my 2 cents
my 2 cents
I'm an Arizona native, so maybe I'm biased. But there are amazing trails all over this state. That being said, I don't like Phoenix. It is a big-ass city and wants to become Los Angeles (it's well on it's way there.) Sure the babes are hot, but they're also 70% plastic. 
I only stop occasionally to visit a couple friends... but most of the time I drive right on through to visit my parents in Flagstaff.
I was born and raised in Flagstaff and have to agree that you can't get much better ANYWHERE. NAU is a smaller, good school and the whole town is much more laid back and cycling-friendly. It has SEASONS, too!
Sedona... amazing trails. 30 minutes south of Flag... 1.5 hours north of Phoenix. Slowly becoming yuppyville due to the large Southern California migration.
Tucson (where I live currently) has it's share of great trails. You want a great school, slightly bigger city atmosphere, still hot-chicks and trails that you can actually get to in a reasonable amount of time (if not bike to them?) then move here! Tucson won a silver award as one of the nation's most bike-friendly cities.
You don't like the heat that only makes it unbearable to ride for MAYBE two months? Then get up early and hit the trails in the morning or in the evening. I saw the most beautiful sunrise I've ever seen this morning on a short 20-mile road ride before work.
I need to write my own "Arizona" brochure!
I only stop occasionally to visit a couple friends... but most of the time I drive right on through to visit my parents in Flagstaff.I was born and raised in Flagstaff and have to agree that you can't get much better ANYWHERE. NAU is a smaller, good school and the whole town is much more laid back and cycling-friendly. It has SEASONS, too!
Sedona... amazing trails. 30 minutes south of Flag... 1.5 hours north of Phoenix. Slowly becoming yuppyville due to the large Southern California migration.
Tucson (where I live currently) has it's share of great trails. You want a great school, slightly bigger city atmosphere, still hot-chicks and trails that you can actually get to in a reasonable amount of time (if not bike to them?) then move here! Tucson won a silver award as one of the nation's most bike-friendly cities.
You don't like the heat that only makes it unbearable to ride for MAYBE two months? Then get up early and hit the trails in the morning or in the evening. I saw the most beautiful sunrise I've ever seen this morning on a short 20-mile road ride before work.
I need to write my own "Arizona" brochure!
Is the Mt Lemmon ride worth doing? It sounds interesting, but not if the climb isn't worth the downhill. I read about in the Cosmic Ray trail guide. Are the trails easy to find or should I bring a GPS?G-Cracker said:I'm an Arizona native, so maybe I'm biased. But there are amazing trails all over this state. That being said, I don't like Phoenix. It is a big-ass city and wants to become Los Angeles (it's well on it's way there.) Sure the babes are hot, but they're also 70% plastic.
I was born and raised in Flagstaff and have to agree that you can't get much better ANYWHERE. NAU is a smaller, good school and the whole town is much more laid back and cycling-friendly. It has SEASONS, too!
Sedona... amazing trails. 30 minutes south of Flag... 1.5 hours north of Phoenix. Slowly becoming yuppyville due to the large Southern California migration.
Tucson (where I live currently) has it's share of great trails. You want a great school, slightly bigger city atmosphere, still hot-chicks and trails that you can actually get to in a reasonable amount of time (if not bike to them?) then move here! Tucson won a silver award as one of the nation's most bike-friendly cities.
You don't like the heat that only makes it unbearable to ride for MAYBE two months? Then get up early and hit the trails in the morning or in the evening. I saw the most beautiful sunrise I've ever seen this morning on a short 20-mile road ride before work.
I need to write my own "Arizona" brochure!
i bet there would be some killer dh and freeride around tucson.. :eviltongu
Vno... can't say anything much abuot the Mt Lemmon ride, as that is one I haven't ridden yet. I've HEARD good things about it. In my experience all the trails are easy to find.
This is a local group... they're a good bunch of monkeys: http://www.sdmb.org/
This is a local group... they're a good bunch of monkeys: http://www.sdmb.org/
Very cool site...thanks. I haven't ridden any of Tucson yet. Now that I know I can hook up with some locals and not get my dumb a$$ lost like I did on the Mogollon Rim I'll definitely hook up with them on a group ride. I appreciate it.
i moved down here from washington too and i would have to say that the summers suck. i still ride every day even when it is 115 degrees out. the biggest key to beating the heat is to drink all the water you can but not so much it makes you puke. i like the trails here they are a lot differnet then the ones in washington but its fun to ride something different. winter time here is amazing i wish washington had the winters we have here. just make sure you get some good torn resistance tubes and have fun here in arizona.
p.s. i wish i was in washington i onlu here for 6 more months
p.s. i wish i was in washington i onlu here for 6 more months
Vno said:
My pleasure!
o yeah forgot to say, if you ride in scottsdale watch out for the people driving around. i had almost gotten hit sooo many times until today when i actually got hit by a mazda pickup truck. im ok but it still was scary as hell
Glad to see you're around to talk about it! Where in WA were you from?
i am from a really small town in south western washingtion the town name is Raymond WA. it is about 50 miles south of olymipa
You've probably ridden Capitol forest in Olympia. If you haven't, there's a $5 shuttle on the weekends that's a blast. Hook up with OLY and some of the other locals on the Pac Northwest forum, they know all the trails out there.BrandonWatts said:
my sister went to NAU and she loved it.