[stenty]

Hi there,
I'm from the UK and going to be in Santa Cruz for three weeks next week. I've been riding and racing for 6 years at home, mainly enduro, And the mountain biking in SC is the main reason I'm going to be there. So it would be a dream to have a local show me around some of the trails that I've wanted to ride for years and have seen on PB and Youtube. If anyone would be up for showing me around then let me know and I would love to ride with you. I'm not taking a bike with me so would need to hire one.
Also I know its very cheeky to ask but I'm struggling to find a place to camp that isn't booked up so if anyone has a garden or a bit of dirt that a fellow mountain biker could put a tent up in for a few days I would be happy to pay, no worries if you don't though.
Cheers
Charlie

 

[RBoardman]

If you are looking to ride steep gnarly trails you can PM me.

 

[nativeson]

breh, free camping downtown Santa Cruz just look out for rats and used needles...kidding, not kidding. call or stop by cycle works on mission street. good dudes, should have demo bikes, and find you a place to crash possibly.

 

[skyno]

Hey Charlie - I ride there quite a bit during the week - feel free to reach out to me via PM if you need a guide and we may be able to sync up for a ride!

Cheers

Loren

 

[stenty]

Haha yeah might avoid that camping spot! That's awesome I'll defiantly go there to hire a bike and it would be amazing if they had somewhere to crash!!
Thanks for the advice. Cheers

 

[RBoardman]

I would recommend renting a bike from Santa Cruz factory. But get on that as soon as possible, since they get booked fast.

As far as where to stay on a budget, you honestly do not have many good options. Maybe a decent option would be to try and rent some type of van/truck that you can sleep in, and go find some nice spots right on the coast up north a little ways.

 

[KingOfOrd]

I would recommend renting a bike from Santa Cruz factory. But get on that as soon as possible, since they get booked fast.

Don't they restrict you to only riding wilder on their demo fleet?

 

[RBoardman]

Don't they restrict you to only riding wilder on their demo fleet?

If you ask for directions that's where they'll send you, but how would they know which trails you are riding.

 

[Callender]

Santa Cruz Ranch RV Park (maybe 10 minutes up the road from SC in Scotts Valley) has a nice little car camping area with hot showers. Are you here for 3 days or 3 weeks?

 

[stenty]

Santa Cruz Ranch RV Park (maybe 10 minutes up the road from SC in Scotts Valley) has a nice little car camping area with hot showers. Are you here for 3 days or 3 weeks?

That sounds great, I'll look into that! I'm there for three weeks.
Cheers

 

[Shamis]

I’m happy to ride with you during your stay, but I think RBoardman is probably going to be one of the best guides for local knowledge. We ride in the same woods, but he knows them much better. Might be cool to set up a small group ride one day.

 

[RBoardman]

I'm happy to ride with you during your stay, but I think RBoardman is probably going to be one of the best guides for local knowledge. We ride in the same woods, but he knows them much better. Might be cool to set up a small group ride one day.

I've definitely done my fair share of laps down that hillside. Actually did my biggest ride (elevation wise) ever at SC this morning. The goal was 10k, but my body shut down before then.

 

[KingOfOrd]

That’s sick ^^^

 

[Shamis]

I've definitely done my fair share of laps down that hillside. Actually did my biggest ride (elevation wise) ever at SC this morning. The goal was 10k, but my body shut down before then.

Nice work. For the record, I retract my previous suggestion for a group ride. On my biggest day, I once managed 5-6K at Demo and I never want to do that again.

 

[stenty]

That would be awesome to have a group ride!! Yeah you guys defiantly do a hell of a lot more climbing as a 30km ride would be a long day for us. If we arrange a day then I'll book a hire or demo bike for then pretty much any day works for me as I'm on holiday.

 

[RBoardman]

Nice work. For the record, I retract my previous suggestion for a group ride. On my biggest day, I once managed 5-6K at Demo and I never want to do that again.

The nice thing about SC compared to most places, is it's very easy to pull out when you are done and not effect everyone else since we will usually loop back to the cars every 30-60 minutes.

 

[nativeson]

there's a race in wilder ranch next weekend, if you volunteer I believe you can camp at the event, search "old cabin classic". you might be able to meet some folks who can help figure out how to fulfill your vacation plans/needs.

also, if you bought a cheap bike you could bike camp at the 2 state parks closest to town for $5 (or $10) a night. new brighton state beach and I'm pretty sure Henry Cowell state park have hike/bike in campsites.

 

[stenty]

there's a race in wilder ranch next weekend, if you volunteer I believe you can camp at the event, search "old cabin classic". you might be able to meet some folks who can help figure out how to fulfill your vacation plans/needs.

also, if you bought a cheap bike you could bike camp at the 2 state parks closest to town for $5 (or $10) a night. new brighton state beach and I'm pretty sure Henry Cowell state park have hike/bike in campsites.

I've just looked at the website and sadly I wont get to Santa Cruz until that evening when the race will be over. The bike camping sounds amazing though, I'm pretty sure I'll end up doing that unless I find a place to crash so thanks for the advice, really appreciate it!

 

[nativeson]

well fugggit....I guess if you act like a full on bike tourer just use https://www.warmshowers.org or buy a cheap moto and hit up https://advrider.com/f/threads/tent-space-map-v2.1215147/

just some thoughts.

 

[Shamis]

Could be an excellent camping solution, at least for part of your stay.

I think the campgrounds open May 15th, but you need to call about reservations.

https://www.santacruz.org/listings/manresa-state-beach-uplands/