Is this just dumb? Fourth of July weekend? This is my second trip to Cali and I am kicking myself for not getting to D'ville. Is it easy to hook-up with folks? Does anybody wanna ride with me? 
Riding solo in Downieville?
- Thread starter Dirtface
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For those that don't know, which I am sure they don't, you should ride with Jen. Super cool chick.
Jen - post this in the mud hunnies too. I know there are a couple of gals that live up there. amydalana or whatever it is, is one of them. Kidwoo lives up there too, but he seems creepy.
Kidding of course.
Jen - post this in the mud hunnies too. I know there are a couple of gals that live up there. amydalana or whatever it is, is one of them. Kidwoo lives up there too, but he seems creepy.
Kidding of course.
There are a lot of people who ride that trail, especially on a holiday weekend. If you don't have a guide worked out ahead of time, you should have no problem finding a group of riders to ride down with. If you take the shuttle from Downieville, chances are you will have a few new friends to show you the trails by the time you unload. The trails are fun and very scenic, you should not miss the opportunity to ride Downieville. You will want to do it a few times I'd bet.
Don't sweat it. There will be a thousand riders in D'Ville for the 4th. Catch the Yuba Expeditions shuttle, and hook up some guys there.
Even if you rode the Packer Saddle/3rd Divide/1st Divide downhill by yourself, it is very hard to get lost, and there will be riders from dawn to dusk going along there.
Even if you rode the Packer Saddle/3rd Divide/1st Divide downhill by yourself, it is very hard to get lost, and there will be riders from dawn to dusk going along there.
If you plan to shuttle the main trails using one of the shop shuttle services, it's actually kind of hard to avoid people if you stay on the main trails. The shuttle ride is at least half and hour so you'll have some time to let people know you are solo and might want to tag along. Just bring at least two tubes and some basic repair skills and you'll be fine.
But that's a popular weekend, so call ahead to reserve shuttles. Yuba Expeditions is my fave, good peeps who are responsible for a lot of the trail mainenance, organizing the DH race, etc. They deserve support.
Another idea is to wait until sometime a little closer to your trip and post up in the Bay Area forum.
But that's a popular weekend, so call ahead to reserve shuttles. Yuba Expeditions is my fave, good peeps who are responsible for a lot of the trail mainenance, organizing the DH race, etc. They deserve support.
Another idea is to wait until sometime a little closer to your trip and post up in the Bay Area forum.
Thanks loco! Any help I can get. :love:
Sounds like I am in good shape to hook up with people. I am doin' it!
Sounds like I am in good shape to hook up with people. I am doin' it!
Yea. I wanna ride D'ville July 2nd. I am in for the Hwy 32 route in Chico also. Are you IN Chico or in Paradise?chicodude said:Or 8 if you're kidwoo.
So Dirtface, are you really coming up here or what?
I hope they are running shuttles by July 4th. I'm only partly kidding. They way it's been snowing here (tahoe) it could be a while before any of the higher elevation trails clear off.
The easter bunny brought +2 feet of snow to my house today. It's still snowing hard and is supposed to conitnue through the night.
The easter bunny brought +2 feet of snow to my house today. It's still snowing hard and is supposed to conitnue through the night.
You know it. It totally sucked. If they can't run the shuttle all the way to the top and you have to hike over some snow just to be one of the first people down the trail for the season don't bother, it's just not worth it.sanjuro said:Are you going to demand a discount if there still snow at Packer Saddle, like you did last year?
Early June, in big snow years, has been dicey for the shuttle monkeys.
This year's snow pack is even bigger.
Shuttle monkeys beware!
This year's snow pack is even bigger.
Shuttle monkeys beware!
Hey, next trail daze, we can head to Packer Saddle with a snow blower!dfinn said:You know it. It totally sucked. If they can't run the shuttle all the way to the top and you have to hike over some snow just to be one of the first people down the trail for the season don't bother, it's just not worth it.
If you skip the shuttle and ride up, how long does that increase the ride time? I read where some of the shuttle rides only give you a 45 minute downhill. I hear it's a bitch to ride up but is it any worse than the mountains and elevation gains in Colorado?
I'll be up in Whistler that weekend, but I'm sure you'll have no problem finding someone to pedal around with. I usually don't leave the Tahoe basin to ride in the summer, but will more this year with no N*.loco said:Jen - post this in the mud hunnies too. I know there are a couple of gals that live up there. amydalana or whatever it is, is one of them. Kidwoo lives up there too, but he seems creepy.
I would like to go up to Downieville as soon as it's open, but considering we just got another foot of snow.... not sure when that would be.
I've been reading the snow reports. I also read that one of the trails lost up to six sections of trail due to mudslides.
Just think, today in Austin it's going to reach 99º in APRIL!
Just think, today in Austin it's going to reach 99º in APRIL!
I don't know you but "only 45 minutes" doesn't apply to most people. The course record is like 38 minutes or something and that is basically superhuman (Mark Weir). If you know the trails and ride well without stopping it's an hour, most likely a little more. If you take your time and stop every now and then you can easily take 2 hours, and that doesn't count flats and other repairs or any long breaks. (There are some stream crossings and other good places to chill along the way.)
Even if you do the main "DH" trails there is a short climb and a fair amount of flat and pedaling sections, you are not going downhill the whole time. Most people are pretty tired after two shuttles in a day. I do three now and then and it feels like an all-day epic.
I've never wanted to climp up from D-ville so can't help you there. The trails are pretty rocky and very fast in spots. A mid-travel (5-6") bike with beefy tires is my preferred ride up there, kinda heavy for long climbs. I sometimes climb up from where the shuttle drops you off to do some of the lesser-known trails. The climbing is typical high altitude, painful stuff.
Even if you do the main "DH" trails there is a short climb and a fair amount of flat and pedaling sections, you are not going downhill the whole time. Most people are pretty tired after two shuttles in a day. I do three now and then and it feels like an all-day epic.
I've never wanted to climp up from D-ville so can't help you there. The trails are pretty rocky and very fast in spots. A mid-travel (5-6") bike with beefy tires is my preferred ride up there, kinda heavy for long climbs. I sometimes climb up from where the shuttle drops you off to do some of the lesser-known trails. The climbing is typical high altitude, painful stuff.
Okay, so sounds like 2 shuttles might be the thing to do for me since I am driving in and out on the same day. Do you pay $20 for each shuttle ride or is that for the day? I know I have to make reservations early.
I think the main DH route is the one I'll take. I get a little creeped out on those trails where you can fall off into a 150 foot abyss, which I also hear is pretty much part of every trail up there.
I think the main DH route is the one I'll take. I get a little creeped out on those trails where you can fall off into a 150 foot abyss, which I also hear is pretty much part of every trail up there.
Yeah like Dfinn said, there is not so much huge exposure. For me, the only real danger comes from the fact that on some sections you can pretty much go as fast as you want and the consequences of smacking a tree or otherwise going off-line at speed can be pretty bad.Dirtface said:
If you do two shuttles make sure you give yourself enough time to get down and over to the second shuttle, factoring in flats, etc. Three or hours at least between the shuttles, more if you want a lunch break or something in the middle.
Mmmmmmm.......... cliff rides..............dfinn said:
Downieville is not like doing the A-Line at Whistler.Dirtface said:
The classic Packer Saddle-3rd Divide ride is more like an incredible point-to-point ride, which is mostly downhill. From Packer Saddle to town, it is 15 miles, and most people do it in an 1-1.5 hour. Two shuttles are very doable, and 3 is pushing it (the record is 7 shuttles to the top).
I also like to do a shuttle in morning, chill during lunch, then ride from town up 3rd Divide and come down 2nd. Nice XC ride that way.
If you are looking for maximum thrills-n-chills, there are probably more dangerous places to ride. There are plenty of places to hurt yourself, but there are no huge drops, ladders, etc. But for an amazing ride and experience, there is no better place.
Cool! We have a local ride like that. Every time I ride it the quip "use the Force" gets in my head.dfinn said:those sections you refer to are by far my favorite out of any trail I've ever ridden. It always makes me think of those speeder bikes in star wars.
Too bad it's "officially" closed now. Downieville's cliff exposure pales in comparison.SkaredShtles said:Mmmmmmm.......... cliff rides..............
Yep. Definitely better not ride it anymore.justsomeguy said:
neaky:Mmmmm.... cool water..........Downieville's cliff exposure pales in comparison.
where is that?SkaredShtles said:Mmmmmmm.......... cliff rides..............
i think kidwoo hit alpine meadows today... lucky bastiddfinn said:
when we can find a decent rental place and get our stuff delivered, i ll be into some of that white stuff... we drove up to tahoe on saturday... windy as...
looked at about 12 rentals so far
... the best one fell through... the guy decided to sell it instead of renting it to us... opted to sell rather than guarantee himself 1500 per month in rent for the next 3 - 4 years... crazy, but i guess it s his house... looked at buying but 300K buys a nice mobile home with redneck neighbours and 8 wrecked cars out the front... ... gonna lob in grass valley since my main motivation for the lake was northstar... since it s closed this summer i ll live down the hill a little and stay for the course... that way i won t have the hassle of moving in 12 months... we all know how much fun that is... plus, it s only about 75 mins from the lake... 45 miles or so to downieville... the search continues...
I have no idea............Dirtface said:
Right here:Dirtface said:
Where is that?justsomeguy said:Right here:
I thought Downieville was fun as all hell on my DH rig, although I definetely would have benefited from some additional weight savings, clipping-in (which I do now, want to try it again that way), and a sub-44t chainring. A 36t or 38t chainring would be ideal so you can just blast the DH sections and still get through the climbs. It was mostly the gearing in the climbs that held us back. There really wasn't anything in the flats or descents that we would have seen a huge benefit from with an XC rig (we also finished in about half the time as the massive XC group that was in our shuttle who were so full of personal hype on the way up it made me want to eat my brains - so whipping them whil riding Downieville made my day).
justsomeguy...that looks like southwest-ish Colorado, no?
Right click, "properties."
I don't think it gets any easier.
I don't think it gets any easier.
J
JRB
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That cliff drop in Fruita looks way more scary now that I can see the exposure. 
justsomeguy said:
<shhhhh, i have a mac>
i actually knew it was fruita.
Good luck in your search for a new home. What type of riding do you think your gonna be doing out there?partsbara said:i think kidwoo hit alpine meadows today... lucky bastid
when we can find a decent rental place and get our stuff delivered, i ll be into some of that white stuff... we drove up to tahoe on saturday... windy as...
looked at about 12 rentals so far
the search continues...
Hollar back, BIATCH!