RhinoRiot

my wife and i are taking a little '2 year anniversary' trip to santa cruz in a few weeks, for some relaxation and most of all GOOD RIDING! i've been to the area a few times before, but it was a while ago when all i cared about was punk shows and record shops (not that i dont any more! ) now that we'll be bringing the mountain bikes, i need some advice on good trails in the area, sweet bike shops to check out, restuarants, etc...

i'm really excited because she's so stoked to go ride. we both work at different bike shops here in town, but she only got into mountain biking pretty recently after riding road bikes for a few years. it would be really awesome to find some great not-too-technical singletrack suitable for a great all day ride, since she's still a little apprehensive riding the technical stuff.

any info on the santa cruz area would be awesome, we're staying a few blocks away from the boardwalk and from what i hear, there is great riding and sweet shops everywhere!

mtb-chop

As far as a shop, Another Bike Shop is a good one.

www.anotherbikeshop.com

Also, what weekend are you making the trip? If it's the first weekend in April, that's the weekend of the Sea Otter down in Monterey, about 45 mins south. Regardless, depending on how long you'll be around, it may be worth a drive down; catch the Sea Otter if that's the same weekend, or ride those trails if it isn't. There's over 60 miles of swoopy singletrack that is more than enough for an all-day ride. There are some technical climbs, but they are infrequent - generally the trails down here are fast singletrack with some pretty good 600-800ft elevtation climbs that aren't too technical. There are definitely some trails that are much more fun than others.

I can't give you any more data on the actual Santa Cruz trails, but if you'd like more info on the Sea Otter trails (the old Ft. Ord) in Monterey let me know.

One question back, are you looking to pretty much park the car for your time there or are you going to drive to trailheads? That will definitely help with recommending places to ride.

Wilder Ranch State Park comes pretty well recommended:
https://mtb.live555.com/rides/WilderRanch.html

Here's the website for Mountain Bikers of Santa Cruz
https://www.mbosc.org/index.html

RhinoRiot

i appreciate the reply. we're actually going the same weekend as sea otter, but thought we'd avoid the chaos and have the weekend to ourselves. if possible, we'll drive as little as possible. riding to the trailhead would be awesome, if possible. wilder ranch seems like our best bet at this time, as well as the trails around USCS that i've read a little about.
see you on the trails,
-peter

greenbreezer

Keep in mind that the Bay Area (including the Santa Cruz area) had experienced a record-breaking month for the most rainy days in March. The trails closer to the coast are a bit sandier so drains better, but don't be surprised if a lot of the trails at Wilder Ranch are closed. In fact they tend to close one or two singletracks in rotation throughout the year just for restoration purposes. You may want to call before you go. Also, if you do go to Wilder, you'll notice a lot of people try to avoid the $5 parking fee by parking along Highway 1. Do not do this. That lot is a prime target for break-ins. Almost everyone we know who've parked there say they got their cars broken into. Just pay the fee and park inside the park -- it helps support the state park system as well.

concernicus

oh boy you are in for a treat. santa cruz has great riding. as far as shops go, another bike shop is the hottest mountain bike shop in town. sprockets and spokesman are good too. if youre into the do-it-yourself kinda thing, there is the bike church downtown, and the bike co-op on campus (https://bikecoop.ucsc.edu/) of which i am a core member.

as far as trails go, you wont be dissapointed. wilder ranch is very fun, no doubt, but dont forget about the soqeul demo forest (home of the annual soqeul demo) and the upper campus of ucsc. upper campus connects to wilder and you can find a lot of north shore stuff that my buddies and i are working on.

there is a lot of other cool stuff too! paul sadoff has his shop down on swift street, so just give him a call during the week and he will show you his shop. also, if youre lucky, you can see keith bontrager riding the trails with you. he still resides in santa cruz.

so have fun! come by the bike co-op if you have any questions or trail suggestions

RhinoRiot

thanks, hopefully we'll be riding to the trailheads when possible to eliminate all parking concerns, and just cause it sounds more fun!

see ya on the trails!