Just thought I'd share - I went up to Mt. Pinos last weekend, and it was a ton of fun to ride.
To be quite honest, I haven't really enjoyed riding in SoCal much. It's too loose, too hot, too much not-the-perfectly-groomed-what-I'm-used-to trails of the PNW. I don't enjoy riding without the trees around me, and never-ending rock gardens are better in Utah and Nevada from what I've seen, mostly because they lack the poison oak that has infested the ground here like the plague.
It doesn't help that I really haven't plugged into the MTB community down here like I was back in WA. I know a ton of rock climbers down here, and I can go climb with any number of people at any given time. But for the most part, I don't really know too many guys who ride bikes, so I haven't had too much fun with it.
We left a truck at the bottom and drove the other one to the top on Friday night, and made an evening of camping under the stars. Woke up the next morning at 6 AM to no clouds in the sky, and nobody in front of us at the trailhead.
Even though the tidings had been good thus far, I was still a touch apprehensive about the trail. My friend swore that it was the best trail ever. I took what he said with a grain of salt because of the other trail that he showed me in Ventura (not great at all), and due to his IH Aniki with a 9.5x3.0 DHX on it instead of the 7.875x2.25 shock is should have (and yes, I have pointed out that his swingarm tops out on his seat tube to him).
When we got rolling down the hill, that all changed. My friend may not have the best parts pick for his bike, he wasn't lying about the trail.
8 miles of DH singletrack, only a tiny pit of uphill pedaling, and the dirt was actually half-way decent. It was only a bit loose and sandy in places, but for the most part, it was hardpack and easy to hook up in. If we can get a bit of rain to fall, that place would be damn-near perfect for tires to really rail hard. Super easy to shuttle with two trucks, and it's high enough in elevation that it doesn't get too hot in the AM.
It reminded me of being back in the PNW. It was great. Good scenery on the way down made it that much better.
The trail is nothing that will get your technical side turned on, but it's still a blast to go out and ride. Tight switchbacks in places, wide open bombing in some places. Berms, linesman ditches, and makeshift wallrides in others. With a bobcat and some timber, you could make a SoCal version of A-Line.
The only thing to watch for are the XC guys suffering their way to the top.
In any case, it was a lot of fun, and if anyone is going up there in the future, hit me up with a PM.
(BTW, sorry about the lack of pics, I didn't have my camera)
To be quite honest, I haven't really enjoyed riding in SoCal much. It's too loose, too hot, too much not-the-perfectly-groomed-what-I'm-used-to trails of the PNW. I don't enjoy riding without the trees around me, and never-ending rock gardens are better in Utah and Nevada from what I've seen, mostly because they lack the poison oak that has infested the ground here like the plague.
It doesn't help that I really haven't plugged into the MTB community down here like I was back in WA. I know a ton of rock climbers down here, and I can go climb with any number of people at any given time. But for the most part, I don't really know too many guys who ride bikes, so I haven't had too much fun with it.
We left a truck at the bottom and drove the other one to the top on Friday night, and made an evening of camping under the stars. Woke up the next morning at 6 AM to no clouds in the sky, and nobody in front of us at the trailhead.
Even though the tidings had been good thus far, I was still a touch apprehensive about the trail. My friend swore that it was the best trail ever. I took what he said with a grain of salt because of the other trail that he showed me in Ventura (not great at all), and due to his IH Aniki with a 9.5x3.0 DHX on it instead of the 7.875x2.25 shock is should have (and yes, I have pointed out that his swingarm tops out on his seat tube to him).
When we got rolling down the hill, that all changed. My friend may not have the best parts pick for his bike, he wasn't lying about the trail.
8 miles of DH singletrack, only a tiny pit of uphill pedaling, and the dirt was actually half-way decent. It was only a bit loose and sandy in places, but for the most part, it was hardpack and easy to hook up in. If we can get a bit of rain to fall, that place would be damn-near perfect for tires to really rail hard. Super easy to shuttle with two trucks, and it's high enough in elevation that it doesn't get too hot in the AM.
It reminded me of being back in the PNW. It was great. Good scenery on the way down made it that much better.
The trail is nothing that will get your technical side turned on, but it's still a blast to go out and ride. Tight switchbacks in places, wide open bombing in some places. Berms, linesman ditches, and makeshift wallrides in others. With a bobcat and some timber, you could make a SoCal version of A-Line.
The only thing to watch for are the XC guys suffering their way to the top.
In any case, it was a lot of fun, and if anyone is going up there in the future, hit me up with a PM.
(BTW, sorry about the lack of pics, I didn't have my camera)
