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What To Ride in Austin


krinks
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Im lucky enough to have a trip to Austin scheduled in mid February.  I carved out every afternoon for some sort of ride.  Will have a truck and want to hit the best stuff in the area.  I lean towards techy, rocky, and vert not a problem so not looking for lift-served areas like Spider Mt.  Rides not more than 25 miles and 2k vert are ideal.  More and Ill have to skip my conference!   Am considering Reveille Peak Ranch, Pace Bend, Brushy Creek,  Lake Georgetown,  Walnut Creek and Barton Creek.   Prob gonna have a Transition Smuggler demo for 2-3 days and a Scott Spark for the rest of the time.  Any ideas?  What should I drop?  What is essential Austin riding?  Any info would be awesome guys!   BTW, just joined and posted this twice, apologies if it duplicates. 

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Not sure what part of town you'll be staying in or how far you are willing to drive, but those are all good choices. Since you like techy, rocky stuff, I would x-out Walnut Creek and add City Park (Emma Long) for consideration. Emma is the most technical trail around and is challenging going both up and down. It's a short loop (~7mi) but 2 laps will take a lot out of you. It's also close in to town and easy to navigate.

I'm biased towards Brushy because it is my home trail and it offers a lot of variety - challenging tech, short punchy climbs that work the legs, and plenty of flow, especially when throwing in a couple of laps at Peddlers' Pass. Finding your way around to all of the trails in the area isn't that easy for a first timer though; so you might want to try coordinating with somebody who can show you around.

I'm also a fan of Lake Georgetown. It is scenic and punishing. Of the 26mi loop, 2/3 of it is relentless rock gardens with a few tough climbs mixed in. You can ride it in either direction, but most prefer clockwise. You can start at any of the multiple trailheads and should allow 3-4 hours depending on your skill and fitness. Once you're on the trail it's pretty easy to navigate around the lake. 

If you ride Barton Creek, I would definitely advise finding a local who is willing to guide you. There are a few folks on this board who would likely offer that option. Reveille Peak and Pace Bend are both awesome venues, albeit a bit further out of town.     

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Thank you both!  Im staying right downtown, by the University, so I thought BC would be within riding distance of the hotel.  Emma Long sounds awesome, online its listed as a motorcycle trail.  Is it mixed use?  Am really interested in Lake Georgetown, just not sure if its too much to do in an afternoon.  Do I see that its an IMBA epic?

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Georgetown is an IMBA epic trail and is demoralizing to me in how chunky it is.

 

Definitely take Austinbike up on his guide offer. I can vouch for his tail knowledge. BCGB is the crown gem of Austin and has a little bit of everything, but a lot of good technical stuff. You could spend two days there and get two different rides in.

 

I also agree that you should leave off WC unless you’re able to make it to a Tuesday evening ride with us. It’s a fun social ride/hangout with various speeds. Bring lights though.

 

Brushy is great too with a wide variety of trail types.

 

If you like super steep, technical, rowdy descents then you need to contact @Sethspool and hit Cat MTN.

 

For the surrounding area, I love Pace Bend and Spider Mt. is great!

 

 

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

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28 minutes ago, krinks said:

Emma Long sounds awesome, online its listed as a motorcycle trail.  Is it mixed use?

Yes it is mixed use. If a motorcycle is coming up on you, you'll know it well ahead of it reaching you and can get out of the way easily. I've only crossed path with them a few times in the dozen or so rides I've done there. 

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Thanks Austinbike!  when I get my schedule in better shape, Id love to take you up on a BCGB ride.   Not sure I can make the tuesday ride at WC but a night ride sounds awesome.  Just saw some ride vids on youtube from Georgetown Lake and Emma Long, EL is def in, not so sure about G. Lake.  Is RPR worth the drive when I can ride Barton from the hotel?

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4 minutes ago, krinks said:

Thanks Austinbike!  when I get my schedule in better shape, Id love to take you up on a BCGB ride.   Not sure I can make the tuesday ride at WC but a night ride sounds awesome.  Just saw some ride vids on youtube from Georgetown Lake and Emma Long, EL is def in, not so sure about G. Lake.  Is RPR worth the drive when I can ride Barton from the hotel?

I have space in my rack, I can pick you up at your hotel.

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lake georgetown generally take about 4 hours to ride and its 45 minute drive each way. The sun is setting around 6pm this time of year.

Just start with Barton Creek, and you can play it by ear from there. 

Yes, RPR is worth the drive.

Flat Creek Crossing is also a good riding ranch, and its right next door to Pedernales Falls, which has 30 more miles of trail. This is about an hour from downtown.

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Sounds like you’ve done your research. Lots of good peeps in our community willing to show you around. Austinbike is one of them. If you want to rack up some quick vertical one day, consider adding Canyonlands/Mount Lakeway to your list. MTB Project gives you an idea, but there are way more miles out there that don’t show up on the app. Hope the weather cooperates and you can enjoy the awesome resources we have at our disposal. 

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18 hours ago, AustinBike said:

I have space in my rack, I can pick you up at your hotel.

That's a hell of an offer @krinks that I'd take him up on. It's easy to get turned around out there if you're not riding with someone who knows the trails.

Edited by ATXZJ
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@AustinBike You're a man amongst riders,  I absolutely will take you up on it.  Thanks to all you guys, Looks like I will have all the riding I need and more.  I want to Hit BCGB with AustinBike, Brushy, RPR and Emma Long.  Any other time maybe canyonlands and/or Pace Bend.  Georgetown Lake Circumnavigation looks like too much to ask for an afternoon.  Ill post when im hitting stuff, and anyone who wants to come and beat me up is welcome.  

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1 hour ago, krinks said:

@AustinBike You're a man amongst riders,  I absolutely will take you up on it.  Thanks to all you guys, Looks like I will have all the riding I need and more.  I want to Hit BCGB with AustinBike, Brushy, RPR and Emma Long.  Any other time maybe canyonlands and/or Pace Bend.  Georgetown Lake Circumnavigation looks like too much to ask for an afternoon.  Ill post when im hitting stuff, and anyone who wants to come and beat me up is welcome.  

I sent you a PM in case you want a guided tour of the Brushy Creek trails. 

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3 hours ago, krinks said:

@AustinBike You're a man amongst riders,  I absolutely will take you up on it.  Thanks to all you guys, Looks like I will have all the riding I need and more.  I want to Hit BCGB with AustinBike, Brushy, RPR and Emma Long.  Any other time maybe canyonlands and/or Pace Bend.  Georgetown Lake Circumnavigation looks like too much to ask for an afternoon.  Ill post when im hitting stuff, and anyone who wants to come and beat me up is welcome.  

I have biked all over the world and relied on the kindness of strangers. Imagine being in Seoul or Singapore or London and having someone show up with a bike for you and take you to the trails. You really need to pay that karma back.

And check out Brushy while you are here. I don't know those as well, I'd be a crappy tour guide.

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1 hour ago, krinks said:

Do most of you guys ride flat pedals or clipless on the local trails?

You'll find a good mix of folks using both around here regardless of terrain. Seems to be more of a personal preference. I used to ride both but ride flats almost exclusively now. 

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