Yo AZ Monkeys,
My buds and I are headin to AZ for a ride weekend next week (Fri 10/26 - Sun 10/28). Two of us coming from SF Bay Area, one one from Denver. It's in celebration of one of my riding buddies last good mtb outings for a while (he's got twins on the way). So, I'm hoping to get feedback from you guys on what trails we should hit in Flagstaff. We're also thinking of hitting Sedona one of those days. None of us are endurance racers, but we're all able to do 3+ hour rides if there are some long loops that are "must-not-miss" ones. The goal is to hit all the "fun" trails in the area that we can. For me, the more technical, the better (I'm the freerider in this group), although one of my buds would probably prefer flowy to gnarly. And, yes, I know I need to be careful about asking for gnarly out there...
None of us have been to Flagstaff or Sedona though, so any recommendations would be most appreciated. (we're staying in Flagstaff)
Also, I need advice for a potential bike rental. I was the last to join this trip, while my two buds reserved bikes from Absolute Bikes in Flagstaff. Well, it seems that Carmichael Training is holding some clinic in the area the same weekend, and they've reserved EVERY other full suspension bike that they have - and I couldn't find any other shops in Flag that rent 'em (including AZ Bikes). I could rent a Jamis Dakar XLT from Cactusbikes in Phoenix (where we're flying in/out of) for $150, or I could bring one of my own bikes for $200 (f*#!ing airlines screw us on this). The most ideal would have been for me to find a rental in Flag, but I snoozed too long on that one. I'm leaning towards spending the extra $50 and bringing my own bike. Would my Nomad by overkill out there?
My buds and I are headin to AZ for a ride weekend next week (Fri 10/26 - Sun 10/28). Two of us coming from SF Bay Area, one one from Denver. It's in celebration of one of my riding buddies last good mtb outings for a while (he's got twins on the way). So, I'm hoping to get feedback from you guys on what trails we should hit in Flagstaff. We're also thinking of hitting Sedona one of those days. None of us are endurance racers, but we're all able to do 3+ hour rides if there are some long loops that are "must-not-miss" ones. The goal is to hit all the "fun" trails in the area that we can. For me, the more technical, the better (I'm the freerider in this group), although one of my buds would probably prefer flowy to gnarly. And, yes, I know I need to be careful about asking for gnarly out there...
None of us have been to Flagstaff or Sedona though, so any recommendations would be most appreciated. (we're staying in Flagstaff)
Also, I need advice for a potential bike rental. I was the last to join this trip, while my two buds reserved bikes from Absolute Bikes in Flagstaff. Well, it seems that Carmichael Training is holding some clinic in the area the same weekend, and they've reserved EVERY other full suspension bike that they have - and I couldn't find any other shops in Flag that rent 'em (including AZ Bikes). I could rent a Jamis Dakar XLT from Cactusbikes in Phoenix (where we're flying in/out of) for $150, or I could bring one of my own bikes for $200 (f*#!ing airlines screw us on this). The most ideal would have been for me to find a rental in Flag, but I snoozed too long on that one. I'm leaning towards spending the extra $50 and bringing my own bike. Would my Nomad by overkill out there?