Bikeforums.net is a forum about nothing but bikes. Our community can help you find information about hard-to-find and localized information like bicycle tours, specialties like where in your area to have your recumbent bike serviced, or what are the best bicycle tires and seats for the activities you use your bike for.BengeBoy
09-14-08, 01:20 PM
Hi,
Though I post here frequently pretending that I know something about on-road biking, I was followed home by a stray vintage mountain bike this weekend and wanted to know some shortcuts to finding light trails / fire roads to ride in the Seattle area.
The bike is a 20-year-old steel-framed Specialized Stumpjumper (no suspension). I bought it to convert into a rough-weather commuter / light gravel / light trail bike. I am going to take off the knobbies and put on some rugged touring-type tires (like Schwalbe Marathons), so it ought to be able to handle both streets and very light trails (e.g., fire roads and gravel, not technical single tracks).
I think my *ideal* ride with this bike would be to take it on some rides that are mixed pavement/dirt/trail that get me to places I wouldn't otherwise be able to go w/one of my road bikes.
I am wondering what the best resources are for finding ridable trails for this bike -- I know there are a bunch of books on mountain biking in the northwest, and a local mountain biking club (www.bbtc.org) ....and I could do this research on my own with more time. But...I'm also a *complete* newbie to finding off-road riding and thought some of you might offer some shortcuts to finding good fire-road type riding in this area (area=w/in one-hour drive of Seattle). Which websites to look at? Books? Maps?
Thanks!
BB
Though I post here frequently pretending that I know something about on-road biking, I was followed home by a stray vintage mountain bike this weekend and wanted to know some shortcuts to finding light trails / fire roads to ride in the Seattle area.
The bike is a 20-year-old steel-framed Specialized Stumpjumper (no suspension). I bought it to convert into a rough-weather commuter / light gravel / light trail bike. I am going to take off the knobbies and put on some rugged touring-type tires (like Schwalbe Marathons), so it ought to be able to handle both streets and very light trails (e.g., fire roads and gravel, not technical single tracks).
I think my *ideal* ride with this bike would be to take it on some rides that are mixed pavement/dirt/trail that get me to places I wouldn't otherwise be able to go w/one of my road bikes.
I am wondering what the best resources are for finding ridable trails for this bike -- I know there are a bunch of books on mountain biking in the northwest, and a local mountain biking club (www.bbtc.org) ....and I could do this research on my own with more time. But...I'm also a *complete* newbie to finding off-road riding and thought some of you might offer some shortcuts to finding good fire-road type riding in this area (area=w/in one-hour drive of Seattle). Which websites to look at? Books? Maps?
Thanks!
BB