Oh, yes. Long-time Marin resident who's been on the roads and only a few trails (Angel Island) finally wants to start biking where he's been hiking and trailrunning all these years. Totally new to the sport of mountain biking, many years away from attempting anything past negotiating the main fire roads and trails (no screamin' single-track downhillin'!)...and considering converting a hybrid for such nefarious purposes (http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=347265).

What's the best info source for bike trail suitability, ideally a source that lists relative difficulties? Books like this (http://www.amazon.com/Moon-Bay-Area-Biking-Outdoors/dp/1566919320/ref=sr_1_3/102-0975266-5918541?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190764838&sr=8-3) or this (http://www.amazon.com/Foghorn-Outdoors-Biking-Northern-California/dp/1573540617/ref=sr_1_2/102-0975266-5918541?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190764838&sr=8-2)? Club? Website? Simply through tears, blood and sweat? :D

Also check with local bike shops, they are usually populated by bikers. Sunshine in Fairfax, Village Peddler in Larkspur Mill Valley cyleworks in Mill valley, Mikes and Summitt in San Rafael. You will probably find that your hybrid will not do much more than the fire roads beyond that you will probably be in the dirt.

I have this book (http://www.amazon.com/Foghorn-Outdoors-Northern-California-Biking/dp/1566914221/ref=sr_1_23/104-7346579-3002368?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190768675&sr=1-23) and this book (http://www.amazon.com/Mountain-Biking-Marin-Great-County/dp/0961704470/ref=sr_1_1/104-7346579-3002368?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190768810&sr=1-1). If you just want Marin, get the latter. Both have "difficulty ratings" for the trails that are generally accurate, but there have been some that seemed a little off. Still, they give a good idea of how long, how much altitude, etc.

The easiest way up Mt. Tam is Railroad Grade. You can actually do it on a road bike if you're so inclined, and the hybrid you have will be fine.

Another fairly easy way, at least as far as the technical challenges, is Deer Park Trail; the trailhead is off Muir Beach Road.

I do a lot of riding of the fire roads in the Headlands and Mt. Tam, often solo and sometimes with a group. We'll actually be riding this Saturday, but it will be a combination off off-road and on-road, so I'm not sure that's what you're looking for.

But if you ever want to go for a ride, let me know.

Also, if any other NorCal BF'ers have an interest in doing a Headlands/Tam fireroads ride, I would be happy to plan the route.

http://farm2.static.flickr.com/1136/1440684746_ea18bf067a_o.jpg

You can also check this out. Be advised though, when people are giving reviews, they tend to macho up a bit and say "it wasn't hard" blah blah blah. You'll have to scan through the reviews and take the average, some are honest, others are not. But hey.. its the internet what are you gonna do right..

http://trails.mtbr.com/

I know its another forum, but it tends to be a pretty populated trail review section.

As far as a bike, I would almost suggest skipping the hybrid and going with something that gives you a little more flexibilty, like a XC (cross country) setup. Most can be found now with lockout suspension, or with a decent pedal platform. The XC bike may give you a little more room to progress in your riding. Just my thoughts.

What's the best info source for bike trail suitability, ideally a source that lists relative difficulties? Books like this (http://www.amazon.com/Moon-Bay-Area-Biking-Outdoors/dp/1566919320/ref=sr_1_3/102-0975266-5918541?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190764838&sr=8-3) or this (http://www.amazon.com/Foghorn-Outdoors-Biking-Northern-California/dp/1573540617/ref=sr_1_2/102-0975266-5918541?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1190764838&sr=8-2)? Club? Website? Simply through tears, blood and sweat? :D

http://www.btcmarin.org has some good maps and route descriptions.

Tennessee Valley loop in the Headlands is a nice ride. If you've ridden some and you're in ok shape, it's not too hard.

China Camp is great for getting used to single track. Not too technical, but would be a challenge the first couple of times. But I'd suggest starting at the campgrounds, rather than the Pacific Bike store like it says on the btcmarin site.

Most trails have a section or two that's more technical. Keep in mind you can always get off and walk these sections. On most trails they are short, and this can open up lots of trails that you might otherwise consider too technical.

Wow, excellent advice, folks. Thanks so much for taking the time to respond with the tips, resources, and advice, especially for a complete MTB newb. I'll give a few trails a whirl with the hybrid, see how it goes/feels, and keep an open mind for a bike that might be better suited for the trail types I wind up enjoying the most (as per Ty.S's advice). RR Grade and China Camp are both great suggestions, I've been around there but never biked those routes.

Thanks again - I'll see ya out there!

Also, if any other NorCal BF'ers have an interest in doing a Headlands/Tam fireroads ride, I would be happy to plan the route.




Me, me, me. I haven't ridden Marin trails in 10+ years.

Oh yeah, sorry ConstantRider - I'd be game as well! Kind of you to offer.

I do a lot of riding of the fire roads in the Headlands and Mt. Tam, often solo and sometimes with a group. We'll actually be riding this Saturday, but it will be a combination off off-road and on-road, so I'm not sure that's what you're looking for. ConstantRider, would that be Carlos' SFR Mixed-Terrain (non-)Populaire on Saturday ?

That looks like fun, but alas I have a prior comittment that day. Be on the lookout for a couple of thousand riders on Highway 1. :rolleyes:

ConstantRider, would that be Carlos' SFR Mixed-Terrain (non-)Populaire on Saturday ?

That looks like fun, but alas I have a prior comittment that day. Be on the lookout for a couple of thousand riders on Highway 1. :rolleyes:

Yeah, that's it. I don't think we'll be on Highway One at all, but I guess we'll be in the midst of the Waves to Wine people crossing the bridge and going through Sausalito...

As for a Norcal Tam/Headlands ride, would you guys who are interested be able to do it on Saturday, October 20? If not then, then maybe sometime in November (although by then we may be getting into the rainy season, and the trails can get pretty muddy...) I'm figuring something in the 20 - 30 mile range, probably, with as little pavement as possible. (To make the route a loop, however, you almost always have to include a fair amount of pavement somewhere along the line.)

That length and date tentatively look good to me. If you can drop some hints as to the general difficulty you anticipate, that'd be great. I'll triple check my schedule today but so far it sounds great. Much repsect for being willing to put this together.

I was thinking probably Railroad Grade to the top of Tam, descend via the road until we hit a trail called Rock Springs, take that to Lake Lagunitas and eventually hit paved road again at Bolinas-Fairfax. At that point, it would be paved roads back to the starting place in Mill Valley.

This would be around 30 miles, maybe a little more, with the first half being off-road and the last half being road back to the start. It's probably possible to create a route that includes more off-road on the way back, but I'm not sure of the difficulty of the terrain that would involve.

In terms of aerobic and technical difficulty, Railroad Grade is about as easy as climbing a 2500 mountain can be. That is, the trail is in good enough condition that it can be ridden by road bikes with skinny tires, and the grade never gets steep. But it is a long climb, so depending on what you're used to riding, it could be challenging.

The Rock Springs portion will have a few more technical challenges. At the beginning, there are a couple short pitches that are deceptively steep. You may find it hard to keep your back tire from slipping, and it's definitely an aerobic challenge to keep the pedals turning. But these stretches are only like 20 - 30 yards; if you come to a halt, you can just dismount and walk to the next ridable part.

After that, it's downhill or flat for a few miles. Some of the downhill sections get a little steep, a little rocky, and there will be loose gravel. I take these sections pretty slowly. If you go slow, there's nothing that's super-challenging or scary. For absolute beginners, there might be one or two stretches where it would be prudent to walk. After you hit the lake, it's mostly flat with a few more short stretches of climbing. Then it's roads back to the start.

So, ultimately, there's a fair amount of climbing for that distance. And climbing on dirt does seem to be more tiring on roads, even when the trails are well-groomed. But if you can do a 50 - 60 mile road ride with a fair amount of climbing (4000 - 5000 feet), then you would be fine on this ride.

Is this ride still planned? On the 20th of Oct.?

Is this ride still planned? On the 20th of Oct.?

Well, it didn't seem like anyone was interested -- but if you or anyone else is, I'd be happy to lead the way.

The one caveat being weather. The forecast says there's a 30% chance of rain on Saturday. Also, if it ends up raining a couple days before Saturday, there's a good chance the trails will be muddy, and while that can be its own kind of fun, I'm trying to avoid the mud for a while. So I'd say rains two days before, or day of, would cancel.

Taxi777 is planning it for 10/27.

Wasn't this ride an off-road ride? I actually can't make it on 10/20 though. Rats.

Wasn't this ride an off-road ride? I actually can't make it on 10/20 though. Rats.

Yep, this is off-road. (Spingineer, you've gotta read the fine print. ;))

Actually, it's a combination of off-road and paved roads. The route can be ridden on road/cross bikes, but I'd recommend at least 700x30 tires, and at least 39/27 as your lowest gear, with lower being better. And if you don't have much experience off-road, a mountain bike would be best.