[Brendan]

Greetings Dirt Riders!

On Saturday, July 24th, Cycle Craft will be holding a dirt demo at Mahlon Dickerson park in Jefferson from 10:00am to 4:00pm. You can try Ellsworth, Intense, Santa Cruz, Maverick, Cannondale, Trek and Fisher bikes. Try 'em before you Buy'em! Everyone you talk to is going to have an opinion about what is good and bad but the the best way to find what's right for you is to try it on the trail! Take route 80 west to rt 15 north. Then, take the Weldon Road exit off of 15. About three miles down you will see the parking area for Saffin Pond. Look for the big Cycle Craft Truck!
See you There!

 

[bobmono]

Awesome

Ride it like you stole it!

can't wait.

-bob

 

[[email protected]]

This is gonna be awesome. Has anyone here ridden at this trail before?

 

[fakebeave]

trail review

I posted this review in Trail Reviews last summer - See you on Saturday...

I have ridden Mahlon Dickerson many times. I started with the loop in the Mountain Biking New Jersey book that takes you out across the street on the gravel rail trail to the major intersection. (Make a right on the white trail) Nice technical rocky ride to the next intersection. Make a right and climb to the highest point in Morris County. Take a breather at the top for a minute and get ready for a quick downhill. Bear right as you start to descend onto a sweet singletrack. Bear a quick left at the Y and hit a nice 3 foot drop off. You can fly down this hill, but there are 2 downed trees that lay across the trail. There are side trails that go around. (I spent 20 minutes one day trying to build up the logs so you can roll over one of them, then proceeded to do a face plant as I attempted to clear it, but it can be done) At the bottom make a right then a quick left onto the Green (Boulder Trail) This is a great cross country fast track. The faster you go the easier it is because you can bounce over the top of all the rocks. Bear right at the next Y for a quick climb to the fire road. Make a right on the fire road then follow the signs to the picnic area. There are bathrooms here if you need to stop other wise find the trail head on the left side of the parking lot and zip down it (watch out for hikers) and cross the road. This is your toughest climb of the ride. Stay on the fire road and pass the first intersection (which can be a short cut back to the parking lot if you are struggling)until you get to the next intersection (Blue Trail). Climb to the left for a nice view, then get ready for one of the hairiest downhills in the park. Head down the Yellow Trail. Hold on and stay in your line. Stay on the yellow for a while as you have a slight climb, but it is fairly long. Take a breather at the next T intersection and make a right for the BEST downhill of the ride. I think you will go down what is known as Devil's Staircase. Enjoy the ride until you get to the Beaver Pond. Make a right on the road, cross the pond, then make a quick right on a tight singletrack that leads to the fire roads that lead back to Saffin Pond and the Parking Lot. There are 2 additional loops that I know of. 1. Head across the street from the parking lot to the gravel rail trail the same way as listed in the original loop. Instead of going all the way to the intersection at the end, look for a sharp right off the trail. This is a very technical singletrack with rock gardens galore and more log jumps than you can imagine. This trail eventually heads uphill and you will find yourself at the Y where you made the left after the highest point in Morris County. Make the right and hit the drop off and follow the loop in my previous review. 2. I just found this loop yesterday and I liked it so much, I did it twice. Take the gravel rail trail to the intesection at the end. Make a left. This trail has a little bit of everything. It is a fast cross country dream. It seems like it is a great snowmobile/ATV trail. You will cross the power lines early in the loop. Keep on the main trail until you see your first major Y. I went right instead of the upsloping doubletrack to the left. Lots of rocks in the trail that make sweet little hops / jumps. Nice downhill. You will come to a major intesection. There is a rock at the intersection that make a perfect jump. You could get some major air if you hit it right. Make a left at the intersection and continue on the rolling hardpacked / muddy / slickrock / rockgarden trail. (This trail has everything) You will eventually cross the powerlines again with a tough uphill climb underneath the metal tower. Take a breath at the top and get ready for the best part of the ride. Head down the sandy trail parallel to the powerlines and take the first right onto an almost hidden singletrack. This trail blew my mind! It had it all. Rock gardens, slick rock (with 2 big steep roll downs) a 3 foot dropoff, switchbacks (reminded of the switchbacks at Ringwood). It eventually take you back to the trailhead of the gravel rail trail and the parking lot.
I love this ride.
Enjoy.

http://content.mtbr.com/pscTrails/U...ey/,Mahalon,Dickerson/PRD_169068_4564crx.aspx

 

[Rev Bubba]

Fakebeave's report is pretty accurate.

I rode Mahlon Dickerson last night and this past Saturday. It is my home area so I know the place very, very well. Some of the trees in his report have been removed, others have fallen. The three foot drop has been reduced to a two foot one but is still really nice.

There are plenty of trails outside the park boundries that you can easily connect with for added miles. Although one of the more technical places in northern NJ, it is quite ridable on a hardtail. My main bike is a steel HT with a SID up front and I have no trouble. Just keep up the speed as he suggests.

What he called the "Devils Staircase" is also known as the "Fire Road from Hell." The downhill he referred to as one of the hardest in the park is known as the "Drop of Dispair." It leads to the "Devils Rock Garden" just before the long and somewhat gentle climb that was described.

I attended the last Dirt Demo put on by Cycle Craft so here is what you can expect.

1. Lots of expensive bikes in many sizes.
2. Help from a Cycle Craft employee to get the demo set up correctly for your size and weight. This is very important with the new platform shocks.
3. Restrictions to riding a set demo loop. It is about 1.5 miles long and contains a rocky climb, fast xc type trail and a loose and rocky downhill before entering a rail trail and returning to the parking lot. I did two loops on each demo bike. The demo loop is ample to get a good feel for the bike but don't expect to take off for a couple of hours.
4. Bring a driver's license. You will need it to get the demo.

Overall, the day is handled in a professional and fun manner and is worth attending. I plan to be there and ride the demo loop on my hardtail first so I can warm up and be able to do a comparison to a bike I feel is just about perfect for me.

I was hoping for a demo ride on a Chameleon but none will be available. I was told there will be a Kona hardtail. I'm fast losing interest in full suspension and want to switch over my parts to a long travel hardtail if and when my current FS passes on.

Enjoy

 

[Brendan]

Mahlon Dirt Demo loop

To add to the Reverends excellent description: If you know the trails, you can ride the bikes a little longer. Just try not to be gone for the whole day! I set up the short loop for folks who don't know the trails so they would not disappear. Just what I need, a lost biker whose bleached white bones are found on top of the ski slope 3 years from now!

 

[bobmono]

Any chance...

of bringing out a Kona Unit for people to try out???

I would love to try a singlespeed.

-bob

To add to the Reverends excellent description: If you know the trails, you can ride the bikes a little longer. Just try not to be gone for the whole day! I set up the short loop for folks who don't know the trails so they would not disappear. Just what I need, a lost biker whose bleached white bones are found on top of the ski slope 3 years from now!

 

[cocoloco]

Ventana demos

Will there be a Ventana X5 or Saltamontes to demo?