olddbrider

What bird?

What's with the weird knob/handle on the rear suspension? Or is the intended purpose of that bar to basically kick the stoker in the ass every time you bottom out the suspension?

I didn't see this mentioned anywhere, but I thought folks might be interested. Spider now has info about their season pass on the website. Several options to choose from ranging from the $299 Summer Pass (May through early Sep.) to the $599 Power Pass which includes year round riding at Spider as well as a number of other bike parks. They'll even let you pay it out over the next few months with no interest! Looks like prices go up to the full price after Friday, 4/26. https://www.spidermountain.com/season-passes

I remember looking into this place a while back, but the pictures and videos were not that impressive at the time. One piece of advice is to make sure their website is accurate, up to date, and gives people the information they need if they are considering a visit. At a minimum, I'd like to see a trail map with (at least) a short description of each trail and pricing information (maybe it's already on the site, but I can't find it). They are presumably going after many of the same folks that would go ride Spider. Spider has a lift, so it better cost way less than $50 a day to ride at Bandera... Spider Mountain's website was not great at first, but it has come a long way.

Sounds like you have a pretty good idea of what you want to hit, but if you are looking for alternatives, Mt. Lakeway might be fun if you have a couple of hours. Park up by the water tower behind the swim center. Coming from CO, he may not think too much of the climb, but there's enough Central TX rocky goodness to make it interesting...

Shit just got real...

Did it come with a free shirt? I love free shirts...

I finally made my first trip to Spider Mtn on Saturday and ran into a few familiar faces out there. The threat of rain in the morning never really materialized, which is too bad because the trails could have used a bit of water to alleviate the dusty conditions. I can't imagine what it's going to be like out there in August if they don't start watering and maintaining some sections of the trail. I was initially hesitant to fork over $50 given the small # of trails, but I have to say I had a really good time. Still, after a dozen or so runs, it was hard to string together any combination of trails that elicited any excitement. The black and double black trails are definitely challenging and steep - there were a couple of sections I decided to walk given my lack of recent time in the saddle. Green trail is super-flowy with really nice berms and it was way more fun than I thought it would be. Blue trail was getting a bit torn up in places but was still fun from top to bottom, especially since you can mix and match sections of the green and blue trails to add some variety. The short jump line off the green trail is fantastic and I kept wishing there was more of that kind of trail. Speaking of which... it looks like they are working on another line off the top of the hill and from what I could see it looks to be a jump trail with several medium-sized tables visible from the clearing. All in all, the day was really fun. I couldn't see myself going on a monthly basis until they add more trail (especially at $50 a pop), but if they continue to add more and maintain what they've got, I might even splurge on an annual pass when they become available.

Do you still have that shiny, red jumpsuit from a few years back? Couldn't hurt...

Super skinny tires and high tire pressure. Recipe for victory!

Thanks for the map. We followed SN past the retention pond at the end of the cul-de-sac (near Brady Ridge Drive) and we eventually came upon a fence. It looked like people had been going around the right side of the fence (the side away from the creek), but it wasn't so worn in that we felt comfortable going that way. We didn't want to accidentally trespass and piss off any landowners. Looks like we should have kept going past the fence and we would have found some more trail that eventually dumped us near the end of Kati Ln.

Pfft. You're going to need the following (in no particular order of importance): Spandex - everyone knows they are faster than baggies $300 mtb-specific sunglasses - even if it's overcast (or even dark) you must wear these on your helmet to indicate that you are a true racer Chamois cream - you can't go fast if your junk has any friction Supplements and a nutrition/hydration plan - you've got to feed the engine! Just to be safe, you're going to want to hire a nutritionist to plan all your meals pre, during, and post race Skinny tires - 2.1s or smaller - Rolling resistance is your enemy! I'm sure there's more, but that's all I can think of for now...

I finally hit Suburban Ninja over the weekend. Other than a minor altercation with a cactus, we had a great time. I can't believe how much trail is back there and the work being done on the pump/jump line looks awesome. The only hiccup in our ride was trying to figure out how to get from SN over to BC. We eventually figured it out, but it involved some trial and error and consulting of some maps. I know there's no way to get there without riding some streets, but I'm still not convinced we did it the "right" way.

I totally get the avatar now...

+infinity for Phil's World. I only got to spend an afternoon there, but it was the highlight of my trip to the Durango area a couple of years ago. When (not if) I go back there, I'll devote an entire day to it. Hermosa Creek was beautiful, but not great riding in my opinion. Very little flow, lots of awkward rocky sections, and the climb at the end is not worth the effort (again, in my opinion). As stated in an earlier post, I thought this area was heavily damaged by last summer's fires. I supposed if you are hiring a guide they wouldn't take you if it's unrideable, but I won't be heading back to Hermosa Creek on my next trip to Durango either way...

I'm not a surfer, but my reaction to Spider Mtn. pricing is pretty much the same as it was when I saw pricing for NLand Surf Park. Very different activities, obviously, but both places are giving folks the opportunity to do something you would normally have to go elsewhere to do. The fact that NLand is still open means I guess I was wrong to think that their pricing was way too high. Maybe I'll be saying the same thing about Spider in a few years, but I'm with everyone else who is having a hard time understanding the pricing/membership decisions they are making...

I wonder what their policy will be on rain/wet trails. RPR drains like a champ, but from what I saw of the race they had out there last year, Spider may not be as immune to rain. Forecast is showing a high chance of rain early Thursday, and then 40% chances on Saturday and Sunday. Obviously, lightning will close the lift, but I'll be interested to see how they handle rain.

You can't spell Reveille without an R and an I... I know, I know... driving out to Burnet is not exactly practical for a late-afternoon ride, but it may be one of the few places that's rideable.

Damn. Thanks for bursting my bubble...

Can't argue with that. There was very little standing water, which was surprising. Looks like Burnet got less than 1/2 an inch of rain Saturday night, so in addition to RPR draining well, it got less rain than a lot of other spots in the area. Seems like they are in the process of bulldozing some new roads out there in the vicinity of several of the enduro lines. Does anybody know what they are up to? I was hoping maybe they were creating roads to make it possible to shuttle people up the enduro runs. Seems like with Spider Mtn opening (eventually, probably), RPR would be smart to capitalize on the increase in gravity riders that will be heading out that way...

Any updates on the opening date for those of us who aren't on the email list?

The Wook lives!

After doing a little recon, I reckon Rekons are the way to go.

So... my bike is my best friend now?

30 years ago, please.