[macming]

We are thinking of checking out Durham forest for the first time this Saturday, and am just wondering if the conditions are good enough yet. I hate destroying trails, but I don't mind getting my bike a little muddy as long as I'm not doing serious damage.

Does anyone know the current conditions of Durham forest?

Cheers!

Ming

 

[nickboers]

DMBA says they're good to go.

 

[macming]

DMBA says they're good to go.

Perfect! Thanks for the update

Hopefully all the rain this week wont' change the trail condition report

 

[nickboers]

It's pretty sandy, so it should dry out pretty quick.

 

[Starbuck50]

I was at Glen Major on Sunday it was terrific! It dries out pretty quickly I think.

 

[HubbaMan]

2 rides in there this past weekend, conditions were superb

 

[macming]

Awesome! I can't wait to ride them.

My friend is asking if he should bring a Santa Cruz super light, or a Remedy with a 160mm Lyric. Any recommendations? I looked at a lot of trail reviews, but found nothing concrete of bike choice.

http://www.canadatrails.ca/mtb/on/durhamforest.html

I'm thinking of bringing a 26 pound Blur LT. It should be perfect for these trails

 

[garage monster]

I'd say the Remedy is too much bike but then again, my go-to bike has a 0mm fork.

 

[akura]

There are probably only 3 or 4 spots in all of durham/glen/walkers that would warrant a longer travel bike and even then it's not really necessary.

There are guys who ride them all day long in there but personally, I would go with the lighter of the two.

 

[silverstick]

Durham is great fun regardless of wheel travel. Short travel is best for a fast paced xc ride. Long travel is a lot of fun too, though some of the steeper single track climbs might be more challenging. With a 26lb Blur Lt (my got to bike as well) you will get the of both worlds.

 

[nickboers]

The Superlight will be more than enough. I did a race in DF last year with a single pivot similar to the superlight and never wished for anything bigger. A hardtail would have probably helped me be a bit faster.

 

[secret agent]

I have only ridden there once, but we covered a lot of area. I rode a Chameleon which is a hard tail with 100 mm fox fork and I had no issues at all. The guy I was riding with did it completely rigid and I had a hard time keeping up. He is an excellent technical rider and knows how to use his body over anything. I don't recommend it, but it is possible and not really all that hard.

 

[HubbaMan]

The place is pretty darn smooth, you really don't need much in terms of suspension, if at all. I ride with just over 6 inches of travel, but then I don't have anything with less travel and it is my 'do it all' bike.
The trails aren't technically challenging imo, but you can work on speed and rhythm quite well in sections.

 

[youcoming]

Everyone is different with a different level of skills. IMO there are some pretty tricky sections especially Glen Major section there are still a few sections I've never made it up. For new riders I would recommend Durham over Glen. I was there on Thursday and it was pretty good but had to get off a lot to do trail maintenance, a lot of trees down. Some of the bigger stuff will require chainsaw. Great place to ride!!

 

[Redbird74]

youcoming, you said the trails were pretty good. Even with all this wet weather, they're draining well and do you think they'll be good for the weekend? I've never been up there (just got my mountain bike and moved to the area), but am thinking of meeting some friends for a Saturday morning ride. Just wanted to hear some details on the trail conditions from someone who's been there this week after all this rain.

Thanks!

 

[Turnberry]

I road Sat, Sun, and Monday in DF and Glen Major last weekend. Trails are in great shape. Tomorrow (Sat) will be an awesome day. Per previous comments, you don't need more than 4" in there ... and you won't find anything scarey .. but you some nice techical stuff that will at least challenge you.

If you are trying to find your way around in there -- or if you ride there on a regular basis -- consider spending the $30 and joining DMBA (Durham Mountain Biking Association). Helps relieve the guilt from enjoying all the terrific free riding in there and helps pay for trailbuilding and other stuff they do. You can register online in less than 5 minutes.

They have a trail clean up tomorrow at 9:00 am from the Durham parking lot and a group ride at 11:30.

And yes .... I am a DMBA member .. as well as belonging to a couple other clubs ...

Enjoy the great weather we're going to have tomorrow!

 

[macming]

They have a trail clean up tomorrow at 9:00 am from the Durham parking lot and a group ride at 11:30.

A group ride eh? I totally would join DMBA if I lived in the area, but working in Chatham makes the trip fairly infrequent

I may actually be able to make it there for 11AM. Where is the group ride start/meeting? It'd be awesome to ride with locals that can show us the way.

I'm not too scared of technical trails, just want to make sure I bring the right bike for the trial

Thanks!

Ming

 

[want to ride]

4" or less would be plenty...

Durham Forest is a true XC playground.

You won't find big drops or any kind of man made stuff other than log overs....

You'll run into a couple of rooty technical descents and climbs but nothing more than that...

It is a really fun place to ride where you can pile up a lots of climbs with plenty of reward between them.

+1 on joining DMBA it's a super friendly and hard working bunch to keep DF in pristine condition all the time.

I'll be out raking the trails tmw and planning to put some sweat equity into the Trail building as well.

Have fun out there.:thumbsup:

 

[Mikhs]

Another DMBA member here, we had a good crew in yesterday giving the single track in Durham some tlc. Leaves, twigs, branches, pine needles were all cleared from most of the single track resulting in absolutely perfect trail conditions. To top it off it was the perfect spring day. After the work was done we put in a 30k ride.

On May 14 we are back in for a trail build. We are putting in a new trail almost a kilometer in length to replace a much shorter trail that was obliterated due to logging this winter. Check us out at DMBA.info
If you like what you see why not join up and come on out and give us a hand on May 14.

 

[macming]

We went there yesterday, and you guys are right. It is a XC heaven! Lots of little climbs followed by fun, twisty single track. None of the climbs were overly long, and I made up everything except one little really steep climb between two trees at 27/28? in Glen Major.

The trails were in perfect condition, and I only ran into one little mud puddle at the VERY bottom.

Totally glad I made the drive yesterday, and hopefully I'll be back there more often.