Sounds like an awesome plan. Let us know how it turns out........
IMBA's Epics
Hey guys,
I have decided that this year is going to be my year to start knocking out some of the IMBA Epics and to see if I agree with IMBA that they are the trails that "make me want to ride"
I live in Washington DC, and I am looking at starting in February and doing at least one of the Epics every month until Oct or Nov.
So the First 2 in February will be:
Alafia River - Brandon, FL
Santos Trail System - Ocala, FL
If anyone has ridden these trail please let me know what you think, what kind of bike would be the best to bring, and any other great information about routes.
I will be driving down Thursday the 11th and riding the 12th-14th and driving home on the 15th.
Thanks!
Ryan.
I have decided that this year is going to be my year to start knocking out some of the IMBA Epics and to see if I agree with IMBA that they are the trails that "make me want to ride"
I live in Washington DC, and I am looking at starting in February and doing at least one of the Epics every month until Oct or Nov.
So the First 2 in February will be:
Alafia River - Brandon, FL
Santos Trail System - Ocala, FL
If anyone has ridden these trail please let me know what you think, what kind of bike would be the best to bring, and any other great information about routes.
I will be driving down Thursday the 11th and riding the 12th-14th and driving home on the 15th.
Thanks!
Ryan.
1 - 20 of 21 Posts
That's a pretty cool resolution. Post up before heading to california.
I've done a few, can't comment on either of those in Florida though but good luck and enjoy 
Thanks,
The plan is to hit the ones in the south early in the year when riding here is not as easy.
Florida in February
Georgia/Tenn in March
South Carolina in April
Moab Utah in May
North Carolina in May
WV in June
Virginia and WV in July
Pennsylvania in August
New York in September
Arkansas in Oct
Arizona in Nov
Ryan
The plan is to hit the ones in the south early in the year when riding here is not as easy.
Florida in February
Georgia/Tenn in March
South Carolina in April
Moab Utah in May
North Carolina in May
WV in June
Virginia and WV in July
Pennsylvania in August
New York in September
Arkansas in Oct
Arizona in Nov
Ryan
Try to hit Missouri while you're in Arkansas. The Berryman trial is one of the best I've ever ridden.scottryana said:Thanks,
The plan is to hit the ones in the south early in the year when riding here is not as easy.
Florida in February
Georgia/Tenn in March
South Carolina in April
Moab Utah in May
North Carolina in May
WV in June
Virginia and WV in July
Pennsylvania in August
New York in September
Arkansas in Oct
Arizona in Nov
Ryan
Iceman,
What kind of trails are they? Better to bring the Flux or RFX? I think that I read Ocala has some freeride stunts.
Thanks
What kind of trails are they? Better to bring the Flux or RFX? I think that I read Ocala has some freeride stunts.
Thanks
A flux is the best choice between an RFX for that trail . I rode there with a 5 spot and that worked good too, perhaps a bit much. Since I now ride an RFX in Socal I would definetly go with Flux if I had the choice. Watch out for Gators
I've ridden to both a few times with an MKIII 130mm, had a blast! definitely not what you expect from a state with barely any hills. Great flowy technical trails.
I think a Flux will be ok, as basically all the trails in both areas can be ridden on it. However Santo's gnar area (called vortex, with drops,jumps, etc) is too much for even a 5 incher, the RFX will definetly be better there. So depending on your RFX build, if it's more light trail than full All mountain it should be great all around down there.
Check OMBA's website to see some pics from Santo's vortex or the south forum here.
Enjoy your trip!!:thumbsup:
I think a Flux will be ok, as basically all the trails in both areas can be ridden on it. However Santo's gnar area (called vortex, with drops,jumps, etc) is too much for even a 5 incher, the RFX will definetly be better there. So depending on your RFX build, if it's more light trail than full All mountain it should be great all around down there.
Check OMBA's website to see some pics from Santo's vortex or the south forum here.
Enjoy your trip!!:thumbsup:
What is your AZ ride, and when? I'll be there for Thanksgiving, and would loooove to do an IMBA Epic.
Geoff,
I will be there around Thanksgiving too! I am flying into Moab to visit my parents and then driving down to Arizona. The ride is right next to the Mexican border. It would be awesome to hook up with some Turner rides for some of the Epics. Here is the link.
http://www.imba.com/epics/patagonia_az.html
Ryan.
I will be there around Thanksgiving too! I am flying into Moab to visit my parents and then driving down to Arizona. The ride is right next to the Mexican border. It would be awesome to hook up with some Turner rides for some of the Epics. Here is the link.
http://www.imba.com/epics/patagonia_az.html
Ryan.
geoffmayne said:What is your AZ ride, and when? I'll be there for Thanksgiving, and would loooove to do an IMBA Epic.
Before you do any of these rides read up on them elsewhere/check the regional forums etc.
I know some of the "Epics" aren't very epic or don't really exist as a regular ride, Nan Epic in NH is the one I've been told not to bother with.
I know some of the "Epics" aren't very epic or don't really exist as a regular ride, Nan Epic in NH is the one I've been told not to bother with.
Allegripis is sweet. Going back again this year with a single speed rigid in tow.
5 spots are right at home in Santos and Alafia. Each brings something different to the table but they are indeed technical stuff.
You're going to love those trails. Try looking at Balm Boyette which is literally 5 minutes from Alafia, especially a trail called Ridgeline. Then there's Carter Road as well.
Either way, post up. A few of us might be able to do a day trip up there and meet up. When we do a day trip up there we usually have a good 7-8 turner riders.
You're going to love those trails. Try looking at Balm Boyette which is literally 5 minutes from Alafia, especially a trail called Ridgeline. Then there's Carter Road as well.
Either way, post up. A few of us might be able to do a day trip up there and meet up. When we do a day trip up there we usually have a good 7-8 turner riders.
Up until April, Alafia was my old "home course". Got my Sultan with those trails in mind. Flux should be fine. But the RFX could come in handy at parts of Santos (and Croom if you ride there on your trip) Great thing about Alafia is the way it is set up, you can ride it all, and then go back and hit your favorite parts again - all the trails branch off a doubletrack loop, with the end on one trail close to the beginning of the next. Hit the SWAMP website for a trailmap.scottryana said:Hey guys,
I have decided that this year is going to be my year to start knocking out some of the IMBA Epics and to see if I agree with IMBA that they are the trails that "make me want to ride"
I live in Washington DC, and I am looking at starting in February and doing at least one of the Epics every month until Oct or Nov.
So the First 2 in February will be:
Alafia River - Brandon, FL
Santos Trail System - Ocala, FL
If anyone has ridden these trail please let me know what you think, what kind of bike would be the best to bring, and any other great information about routes.
I will be driving down Thursday the 11th and riding the 12th-14th and driving home on the 15th.
Thanks!
Ryan.
Something for everyone there - fast easy flowing stuff (like River Loop and Sand Pine) for a warm up, then tons of fun on Bridges, North Creek (my favorite) Moonscape, etc, etc...Trails are marked green, blue and black for technical difficulty. Nice park facility there as well - clean restrooms, tables, grills and a bikewash right at the main parking lot.
Post up on the Southeast section here if you want a guided tour. Several locals post there (ProEdgeBiker and others) or PM me and I can hook you up with some of my old riding buddies down there.
While you are in the area, be sure to hit Boyette also - just as fun as Alafia, and only about ten minutes away. Only bad part about Boyette is the two mile beachsand doubletrack that connects the parking area to the trail system.
Happy to offer up suggestions for places to eat, etc., if you are interested.
Have fun,
Just did the "Southeast Tour" - Kentucky, Tennessee, Alabama, Florida on my new Flux and it was perfect. There's just so much XC stuff to be had, that a longer travel bike might be overkill. I don't own a 5-Spot but I bet that would work very well too.scottryana said:Hey guys,
I have decided that this year is going to be my year to start knocking out some of the IMBA Epics and to see if I agree with IMBA that they are the trails that "make me want to ride"
I live in Washington DC, and I am looking at starting in February and doing at least one of the Epics every month until Oct or Nov.
So the First 2 in February will be:
Alafia River - Brandon, FL
Santos Trail System - Ocala, FL
If anyone has ridden these trail please let me know what you think, what kind of bike would be the best to bring, and any other great information about routes.
I will be driving down Thursday the 11th and riding the 12th-14th and driving home on the 15th.
Thanks!
Ryan.
We rode Santos 3 separate days, and although there's some gnar there for sure. It's just not enough to warrant the bigger bike IMHO, unless of course that's what you are targeting. Santos has some big drops, but they're usually not opened except for special events.
Another must ride in the general area is Oak Mtn near Birmingham, Ala. We hit this absolute gem of a trail system between riding Chattanooga, TN on the way to Florida. We liked it so much, we hit it again on the way back.
Chattanooga ride must have been Raccoon Mtn, a great loop, lots of fun :thumbsup:Rideon said:Another must ride in the general area is Oak Mtn near Birmingham, Ala. We hit this absolute gem of a trail system between riding Chattanooga, TN on the way to Florida. We liked it so much, we hit it again on the way back.
I've ridden Santos a few times and would recommend an RFX if you like to hit drops and jumps. If not, a flux is great for Florida.
check out www.freeridesouth.com for local info.
Here's a link to some pics of some of the terrain there.
http://www.freeridesouth.com/pics/pics.php?page_num=4&cat=&order_by=id desc&query=santos
check out www.freeridesouth.com for local info.
Here's a link to some pics of some of the terrain there.
http://www.freeridesouth.com/pics/pics.php?page_num=4&cat=&order_by=id desc&query=santos
Just finished these first 2 epics in Florida!
So they couldn't be any more different and they couldn't be more surprising.
So I rode Santos on Thursday. It was a little cold and I didn't pack warm enough. I rode the IMBA Epic route, but it skips some of the better riding. It is 42 miles of mostly single track. But diving back into the woods you can find some great stunts and features!!
It rained pretty had Friday so no riding
Saturday, I drove to Brandon Florida and rode Alafia, fun trail, very tight and flowy in spots, there are some good little sections of double black diamond. I tried to ride most of the 30 miles there, but couldn't link up about 4-5 miles of it.
I ended up riding my Highline for everything. It was complete overkill for 90% of everything, but I still love that bike!! I just need to get a 410mm seatpost. I need a couple more mm for extended peddling.
Thanks for the advice everyone!!
Next month is Georgia and Tennessee.
Ryan.
So they couldn't be any more different and they couldn't be more surprising.
So I rode Santos on Thursday. It was a little cold and I didn't pack warm enough. I rode the IMBA Epic route, but it skips some of the better riding. It is 42 miles of mostly single track. But diving back into the woods you can find some great stunts and features!!
It rained pretty had Friday so no riding
Saturday, I drove to Brandon Florida and rode Alafia, fun trail, very tight and flowy in spots, there are some good little sections of double black diamond. I tried to ride most of the 30 miles there, but couldn't link up about 4-5 miles of it.
I ended up riding my Highline for everything. It was complete overkill for 90% of everything, but I still love that bike!! I just need to get a 410mm seatpost. I need a couple more mm for extended peddling.
Thanks for the advice everyone!!
Next month is Georgia and Tennessee.
Ryan.
1 - 20 of 21 Posts
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