At the advice of some Monkies (based on a post I made requesting such advice), I took my bike on my work trip to Phoenix. I brought the hardtail and took a pedal around South Mountain. The local bike shops gave me a few ideas of which trails to hit.
I started in the parking lot and headed up the main fireroad.
I passed an old stone building along the way. If there was signage about the importance of this building, I missed it.
I started up the Mormon Loop.
I came to a fork in the road. It was a good place for pictures. You can see downtown Phoenix here. I could even see my hotel. I was amazed at the smog. Part of having a city in a valley, I guess.
Enough rest. Back on the trail. I took Mormon Loop to National.
This spot looked nice enough.
However, there was a bit of a drop to be prepared for (reverse view)
It was a great ride. I was in the saddle for about an hour or so riding out. On the return trip, I took the National trail back. There was lots of techy stuff. No big jumps or drops, but tons of fun. I was running Maxxis Hollyrollers (semislicks). They gripped well in the sand-over-hard-rock. I did the trip about two weeks ago and the weather was amazing. It was warm, but not hot in the morning. I started about 10am. By noon, I was back at the car and the temperature was rising. The dryness of the air did help make the heat less of an issue.
Overall - a fun ride
I started in the parking lot and headed up the main fireroad.
I passed an old stone building along the way. If there was signage about the importance of this building, I missed it.
I started up the Mormon Loop.
I came to a fork in the road. It was a good place for pictures. You can see downtown Phoenix here. I could even see my hotel. I was amazed at the smog. Part of having a city in a valley, I guess.
Enough rest. Back on the trail. I took Mormon Loop to National.
This spot looked nice enough.
However, there was a bit of a drop to be prepared for (reverse view)
It was a great ride. I was in the saddle for about an hour or so riding out. On the return trip, I took the National trail back. There was lots of techy stuff. No big jumps or drops, but tons of fun. I was running Maxxis Hollyrollers (semislicks). They gripped well in the sand-over-hard-rock. I did the trip about two weeks ago and the weather was amazing. It was warm, but not hot in the morning. I started about 10am. By noon, I was back at the car and the temperature was rising. The dryness of the air did help make the heat less of an issue.
Overall - a fun ride
