Local fire roads and such?

[Slide Panda]

So I'm working my way to getting one of them dirty orange devils - currently a 530 EXC. If it works out this season will be one of more explorations and shenanigans! So Pepe et al, what have we got for unpaved stuff around here?

I'm figuring fire roads and trails at first to get my legs under me and the bike won't be sporting heavy duty knobbies - Distanzas or something similar so I don't die and/or get shaken to bits on the slab.

[JoeP]

A friend of mine put this together: http://tinyurl.com/6pwyby8

[The Mad King Pepe']

A friend of mine put this together: http://tinyurl.com/6pwyby8

Link doesn't work for me. 

For what I know about VA, the best area is on the VA / WV border: get to Rt. 33 then go either North or South (or both). Here's a bit of a map that has some roads. I don't know of anything (in VA) closer to where you live tho, it's not my stomping grounds...

If you want to meet up by Whites Ferry I can lead you on some of my usual roads, I'll post a map when I have one... I think "ducati culture" would be interested as well so I'll PM him too. In the meanwhile you can check out our "regional" section on ADVRider.com. I'm subscribed to the Maryland Tag-O-Rama thread, even tho I don't participate, it gives me ideas for roads to check out (that's how I found out about Hawbottom Rd  ).



Don't worry too much about tires unless it's deep mud (such as in rivers... ), sand or snow. I have a pair of Tourance tires on the GS and they're fine for 90% of the time. It's more important to get the shocks setup for your weight.

[JoeP]

Link doesn't work for me. 

Try this: http://www.more-mtb.org/forum/showpost.php?p=201418&postcount=1 and click on the "database" link in the post. We've put together 60ish mile rides that were 90% dirt road, albeit on our human-powered bikes.

[Slide Panda]

Link doesn't work for me. 

Did for me - try the full nasty one

[Slide Panda]

Don't worry too much about tires unless it's deep mud (such as in rivers... ), sand or snow. I have a pair of Tourance tires on the GS and they're fine for 90% of the time. It's more important to get the shocks setup for your weight.

Oh the tire comment was more based on the fact that the target bike has full on knobbies right now and I'm not even sure if they are road legal. Even if they are, they would shake the shit out of me.

Lucky thing is that it's been set up for a 200 pound rider. It'll probably need some tweaks as it's listed for to be set up for woods - which I'm not 100% sure how that translates. But that's my ignorance at play more than anything.

[The Mad King Pepe']

Try this: http://www.more-mtb.org/forum/showpost.php?p=201418&postcount=1 and click on the "database" link in the post. We've put together 60ish mile rides that were 90% dirt road, albeit on our human-powered bikes.

Works perfectly, thanks!

Oh the tire comment was more based on the fact that the target bike has full on knobbies right now and I'm not even sure if they are road legal. Even if they are, they would shake the shit out of me.

Not to mention they would last about a thousand miles on the road...

Lucky thing is that it's been set up for a 200 pound rider. It'll probably need some tweaks as it's listed for to be set up for woods - which I'm not 100% sure how that translates. But that's my ignorance at play more than anything.

Not an expert, but I would assume it means pretty soft.

BTW, what's the maintenance like on the EXC?

[Slide Panda]

BTW, what's the maintenance like on the EXC?

It's a little more needy that the 690 it seems - thought the 690 manual has the caveat of 'after each sporting outing' added to pretty much everything. I think the manual for the 530 was written assuming 'sporting outings' would be it's life and it'd be spending most/all of it in the dirt.

[ducati culture]

YES!!!!!
The full knobbies are not to bad at 85.  I just picked up a set of trail wings.   I freaking love those dunlop 606

[Slide Panda]

If you want to meet up by Whites Ferry I can lead you on some of my usual roads, I'll post a map when I have one... I think "ducati culture" would be interested as well so I'll PM him too. In the meanwhile you can check out our "regional" section on ADVRider.com. I'm subscribed to the Maryland Tag-O-Rama thread, even tho I don't participate, it gives me ideas for roads to check out (that's how I found out about Hawbottom Rd  ).

heh - the board name of the person who started the MD tag-o-rama is Skyclad... If you don't know, look it up.

I'll have to check it out more - right now I don't have the new toy yet... so it's still in my mind...

[The Mad King Pepe']

Here's my current map. I'll update it with some more roads when I have the time (need to dig through the history on my GPS).

BTW: Prices Distillery Rd. and W. Old Baltimore are the only roads I've found that ford a creek.

Edit: always happy to contradict myself (never been on this one tho...  )



Found here: http://www.damnriders.org/viewtopic.php?f=8&t=1903

[ducati culture]

ohhh YEA!  I am soo ready. 

[twolanefun]

http://nvtr.groupsite.com/main/summary - Gene

[Slide Panda]

Thanks Gene!

[twolanefun]

No problem, gave it a thought back 2 years ago to get back in the dirt, so did some research and found them. I belonged to NETRA http://www.netra.org/back in the day, back when real trail riding could be had and my Ossa and I spent almost every weekend racing an enduro and/or doing short track. I gave up on the idea of riding in the dirt again after a little get off on the S2R showed my how long it takes me to heal these days. - Gene