[GraemeTee]

For those of you who don't have trails on your doorstep, how do you get to the trails?

If I'm riding by geared MTB or my CX, It's pretty easy to ride the 10-12 miles on the road to the trails but with the singlespeed it's not as easy.
10-12 miles at 15mph while spinning at 100rpm doesn't really appeal to me too much and no doubt by the time I get to the trails I'll be goosed, never mind getting back home afterwards!

So what do the rest of you guys do, drive to the trails then ride them?

 

[slowride454]

I put my bikes on the roof and drive the 45min to hour or so to the nearest singletrack trails.

 

[PoorBehavior]

I think most people drive to the trail. I use a hitch rack because I don't trust that I won't one day forget about my bikes and drive into the garage with them on top. I have a high distraction quotient. The worst part of mtn biking for me is the trip to the trail. The trip home is never bad. I always feel better after a ride, even when bleeding and bruised.

 

[phsycle]

Closest trail to me is about 6 miles, so I have ridden to it many times. However, that's probably the max limit for me, as it gets old pretty fast. Time constraint is another thing. With a family, job, etc., I don't get much time to ride as-is. Definitely don't want to use that precious time slogging on asphalt. Especially with all the idiot drivers out there.

I have thought about using my cargo bike to haul the MTB there, though.

 

[maximo]

I do this a lot...
http://www.strava.com/activities/119235824
http://www.strava.com/activities/118099915
Mountain Bike Ride Profile | trying to make heads and tails of South Foothills? near Albuquerque | Times and Records | Strava

 

[cr45h]

ride or drive, ya know, basically the only options

 

[leider]

take the proper tools with you and change gearing at the trailhead?

 

[Lord_Kevlar]

I throw bikes in the back of my truck. If I had nice bikes I might ratchet strap them like my dirt bike or weld some fork mounts to my bed, but all my bikes are cheap and chipped anyways.

 

[SS Hack]

I used to drive, but then I just bought a house a few blocks from a trailhead. Granted these nearby trails are pretty boring.

 

[pyze-guy]

I cheat and ride a double speed 34x16 to get there, 32x18 for the trails. Also only a 10 minute ride to the trails near me.

 

[KonaSS]

I do the dinglespeed as well on my El Mariachi. My trails are about 12 miles away.

Put it in the 34x16 for the ride to the trail. Just take the back wheel out of the dropouts and switch the chain over to the 32x18 for trail riding. This literally takes about the same amount of time as taking a bike off a rack.

I love it and it has made driving to a trail a rare occasion.

 

[mattbryant2]

2x2, for sure. I have a nice, gradual 3-mile climb on gravel from my place to the trailhead, so 1x1 suits me fine.

 

[GraemeTee]

I though that driving to the trails would be most common, I just wasn't sure!

I very rarely see another singlespeeder around where I ride so was just curious as to what others did.

I might have to look into the dinglespeed option to see if it'll work for me.

 

[Hairnet]

I had a dinglespeed until people here made fun of me for it :'(

Nah
dinglespeed for the close[er] trails (they're still like 10 miles away) and the car for the far away stuff.

 

[JakeStroganoff]

I'm thinking about the dinglespeed thing on my old Trek town bike. I have a spare 20 tooth cog and a spare Surly 32t ring. It's geared at 36x16 now. Closest trails are ~10 miles.

As long as the tooth count between my 2 gears is the same, the chainline will be the same, right?

Edit: Not chainline, but the wheel will seat in the same spot?

 

[Cygnus]

I'm thinking about the dinglespeed thing on my old Trek town bike. I have a spare 20 tooth cog and a spare Surly 32t ring. It's geared at 36x16 now. Closest trails are ~10 miles.

As long as the tooth count between my 2 gears is the same, the chainline will be the same, right?

Edit: Not chainline, but the wheel will seat in the same spot?

that should work, and that's the big 4-tooth spread on both chainrings and cogs that gives you a very different gear. i have two bikes like that.

for everyone driving to trails rather than riding, are you still a purist SSer if you shift in your car/truck or your automatic transmission changes gears?

 

[grundy]

I think it depends on your terrain as well. I sometimes ride ~6 miles to a trailhead on my SS, but that's over very hilly terrain. That's actually a pretty comfortable ride - knock out a climb, enjoy a descent, repeat. On the other hand, I've ridden ~8 miles to a trailhead on flat terrain and wouldn't do it again. Spin spin spin spin.

 

[Pick]

Unfortunately, I only have one trail close enough to bike to. I usually run 32x21 so the 2.5 miles to the trail head is pretty slow/spinny.

Otherwise, it's the Rhino Rack and Yakima Frontloader

 

[justin_amador]

For those of you riding to the trailhead - aren't you burning through expensive mtb tires mighty quickly? How many miles you getting out of a set of tires if you ride to the trailhead?

For everyone that drives, how many miles do you get out of a set of tires, riding exclusively dirt?

 

[GraemeTee]

For those of you riding to the trailhead - aren't you burning through expensive mtb tires mighty quickly? How many miles you getting out of a set of tires if you ride to the trailhead?

For everyone that drives, how many miles do you get out of a set of tires, riding exclusively dirt?

Not on my singlespeed but on my geared bike I often ride to the trails and have managed about 1500 miles on my Specialized Ground Control tyres and the rear's about half worn with the front showing very little wear.

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