[particle bored]

Okay Moab locals/regulars, here's the deal:

I live in Missoula MT. I have never ridden Moab. My old friend from college lives in FL and is a pilot for Delta and he can fly to SLC easily at most any time he's not working. He wants to fly to SLC and then drive down to Moab to ride.

What I want to know about are these things:

1) Is any of the local shops better than the others?

I'm aware of Poison Spider, Chili Pepper and Slickrock Cycles. (I know there's also Dreamride the Yuppie Wallet Rapist, but I'm not into their gig).

2) Is Moab a good place to bring a trail dog?

My dog usually runs with me on short and intermediate length rides here around Missoula Has any of you taken a trail dog on any Moab rides? Is it even worth considering? Or should I just get her into a boarding kennel and leave her here?

3) What trails are too sketchy for an intermediate level rider?

Without having been there, it's kinda hard for me to gauge technical difficulty. I'm not worried about myself. My friend doesn't ride MTBs all that much but he's a great athlete with good balance. He'd be up for most anything that would be like, say, a typical Fruita ride with some rocky techie stuff.

4) Is body armor a good idea for everyone, or is it just dead weight on the climbs unless you really, really fall a lot?

5) What tires?

Thanks, monkeys.

 

[Tattooo]

2) No, Moab is not the place for your dog if its a busy weekend you're going to ride. Too many folk there come without the skills they need, and your pooch could get hurt.

3) I took my wife there, who is a love level intermediate, and it tried to eat her.

4) Body armor is a personal choice. I don't wear it for most of Moab, but when doing stupid things in Virgin I strap it all on.

5) Depends on the trail. I rode Nevagals on most things, changed to Short Trackers for the true slick rock trail.

 

[skatetokil]

The shuttles are the way to go, especially if you are doing porc rim. The guys who run it are super nice and they are cheap, and you can bring your armor without fear of becoming a piece of people jerky.

Dogs would die due to the number of riders and the nastiness of the trails.

Most of the trails are sketchy. Thats sort of the point. Very little of it (and most of this is super secret locals only stuff) is abusively technical like a dh resort, but there are plenty of steeps and ledges and ruts and rocks. How "intermediate" is your buddy? Can he comfortably manual off a curb? Very necessary skill for many of these trails.

There are lots of little kids and old people who go to moab and have a fine time every year. Then again, they have a very busy hospital. Just be careful, bring too much water, and put a full face on your buddy.

 

[ntron350]

i personally didnt like the vibe the guys at chilli pepper gave. kinda that better than you crap because they live in some little 2 trail town. whatever, its my thing and i wont support it, especially when there are 2 other shops within a 2 minute walk.

the dude that runs the poison spider shuttle is pretty cool and i highly recommend using him. if you go when things are busy reserve a shuttle a day in advance.

leave the dog at home. if it doesnt get hit by another cyclist, its pads will be worn and sore from the rock cutting them. also, thats more water to bring.

i think your buddy will be able to ride most of the stuff, but he might be slowing you down a bit. you cant help but rip some of those trails and you may be waiting quite a bit.

body armour i usually dead weight as far as i am concerned, especially if you go when the heat is on, but if thats your thing the wear it .

and good advice about packing too much water.