[ktwodownhill]

I am a college student looking to transfer to Kings College and the two things i need to know about it are if it has a good business program and if there are any good mtb trails there, two of my friends go there and say the business school is good however they no nothing about biking.. i am a expert rider and am transfering from CO to come a little closer to home, are there any trails at all and if so what kind of trails does the area offer, any help would be great, thanks alot, KYLE

 

[JeffSkisMontana]

Great Mtn Biking all around Wilkes Barre

Take a look at the Sticky Thread at the top of the PA page.....lots of riding all around Wilkes Barre....you'll need a full suspension to fully take advantage of it though...lots of rocks compared to the areas of Colorado that I have rode(Fruita, Grand Junction). Active groups of riders out here too!

 

[ktwodownhill]

i plan on bringing my bighit, prophet and chase.. i live in durango ok so there are some legit trails tho... how far from campus

 

[NEPMTBA]

I am a college student looking to transfer to Kings College and the two things i need to know about it are if it has a good business program and if there are any good mtb trails there, two of my friends go there and say the business school is good however they no nothing about biking.. i am a expert rider and am transfering from CO to come a little closer to home, are there any trails at all and if so what kind of trails does the area offer, any help would be great, thanks alot, KYLE

I'm here if you need me

Questions?

[email protected]

Questions Specific to Downhilling

Hubbard Bicycle Clubs (Larry Fahn) can help! Post it on thier shoutbox on their website!

http://www.hubbardbicycleclub.com

 

[LarryFahn]

or contact me on here...

And Jeff, What's with this "you'll need a full suspension to fully take advantage of it though"? Can't you handle the terrain . Jeeze, next you'll be one of those on a 29'er "cause it rolls over things easier"! ttyl, Fahn:thumbsup:

 

[JeffSkisMontana]

Well......when your my age and .............

or contact me on here...

And Jeff, What's with this "you'll need a full suspension to fully take advantage of it though"? Can't you handle the terrain . Jeeze, next you'll be one of those on a 29'er "cause it rolls over things easier"! ttyl, Fahn:thumbsup:

LOL, you have skied,rode motorcylces, played hockey, and mountain biked for years your back and bones start to appreciate full suspension! Larry is right there are plenty of riders in the area on hardtails.....ride on! Oh by the way , I am looking into a full susp. 29'er, you have me pegged.

 

[NEPMTBA]

LOL, you have skied,rode motorcylces, played hockey, and mountain biked for years your back and bones start to appreciate full suspension! Larry is right there are plenty of riders in the area on hardtails.....ride on! Oh by the way , I am looking into a full susp. 29'er, you have me pegged.

Let's see?

All of the above, but!

Now riding 29er Rigid Singlespeed and Rigid 1X9

Jeff -- I keep telling you the secret to life is Mt. Dew and Donuts:thumbsup:

Front and Full suspension is for those "Wee Little Kiddy 26 Inch Wheeled" bikes..........LOL!

Hey when we rid'in? Thursday night?

 

[Scalpel15]

Ktwodownhill I was wondering if there were any other reasons for you coming back other then your family. I was actually considering the opposite of your situation. Transfering to Fort Lewis in Colorado. Whats the weather like compared to PA, are the trails covered in snow longer?

 

[Molasses]

I went to King's about 10 years ago and that is where I got addicted to Mtn Biking. At the time biking along "rougher" double track was considered Mtn Biking and I ended riding Giant's Despair alot because I could ride it right from campus. Also Kirby Park had some decent little "pump track" style trails that were a quick little jaunt from school. HOWEVER, the best singletrack in the area I remember was in Carbondale at a place called Merli-Sarowski (spelling is off but you should be able to find it in the trail review section)

For what it is worth I rode those trails on a fully rigid bike and loved every second of it ;-)

 

[ktwodownhill]

PA and CO

hmm the reason for me wanting to transfer is i hate the people here.. the kids here are stupid and not motivated.. west coast is alot different then east coast. dont get me wrong i love this place so much Fort Lewis is an amazing college and has an amazing business program which is what i am here for. i ski alot and mtb a ton, once winter hit tho we got so much snow as of right now we have 4 and a half feet in town and on the campus. this place is amazing but the people that i have encountered are kind of killing it for me. def check it out and if you want to come out here and check it out i do recommend a tour if you want you can call me 732-859-7617 if you have any question. btw i prob wont transfer im just looking at other possible colleges just to see

 

[iamandy]

KTWO, Why don't you check out Penn State? Awesome school, better riding community and insane single track.

Wilkes Barre is an arm pit. I lived there most of my life. It sucks. There's great mountain biking but you'll have to drive to get to it. Mountaintop has some of the best trails I've ever ridden (and great, nice riders). But much of the land has been devastated by strip mining and the local economy is terrible. Road biking is practically non-existent.

If you want to stay in Wilkes Barre for the rest of your life, then go to Kings. Its well respected in 'the valley' but once you move away no one has heard of it. Penn State has street cred. It makes a big difference.

My 2 cents. History: I lived in Wilkes Barre till college, went to Philly for college. Then moved back to W-B for 5 years before moving to Ohio.

 

[krazcustoms]

Gee, Andy, how nice of you to insult those of us who actually like it here - and are doing pretty good to boot. You didn't mention how long it's been since you moved away.........alot has happened in that time ALOT.

Just because there aren't any lucrative jobs in YOUR chosen field doesn't mean there aren't plenty of opportunities in others. There are both large and small businesses popping up on a regular basis and someone pursuing a business background can not only be successful here, but can also make a difference.

Good thing Rich and Tom at Around-Town Bikes didn't ask your opinion before they opened their shop here in this so-called "armpit". They seem to be doing quite well! And while I'm not a roadie, I know of at least two groups that hold weekly group rides so I'm not sure where that comment came from.

Same goes for the strip mining comment. Yeah, there are some areas that have been strip mined, but they are small, insignificant, and are being reclaimed and turned into parks and athletic fields. We haven't ridden anywhere near them since the Country Ski & Sport days, so you're talking in the past, not the present. FYI a strip mine area in Wanamie has been turned into an official Mountain Bike Park and the area at the base of Giant's Despair is in the process of being turned into a park.


Just look at the NEPMTBA sticky at the top of this forum. Northeast PA is mountain biking heaven with literally hundreds of miles of trails within 30 miles of Wilkes-Barre.

You can keep your two cents in Ohio. We don't need it here.

Mike

 

[ganginwood]

Road biking is practically non-existent.

mon
recovery rides leaving from sicklers weekly. (c+/ b ride)

tues:
tuesday night sprints. longest running organized ride in the state. leaves from thomas' market in kingston

wed:
harvey's lake has group rides at 6:00 leaving from the grotto. 50 plus riders splitting into two groups (an "A" and a "B/C" ride). simultaneously there is the coccia ride 3 miles down the street containing 10 more a+ riders.

thursday:
most groups hold some sort of temp ride for all abillities

saturday:
speed rides from sicklers. 7:30
a+ ride. 21-25 average mph. 2 plus hours no stops. people get dropped

the more casual alternative....
group ride from around town bikes in w-b. 30 plus riders.
50 miles?? not 100% about that one.

sunday:
every local group and club has something going on.
"A" rides in sweet valley, mt. top, scranton, w-b, and exeter
casual rides everywhere in between.

just to name a few. i'd go out on a limb to say that there are more quality riders condensed into nepa per capita then most places in the east. its a unique situation. most of them oare roadies.

 

[iamandy]

Oh Mike! Chill out.

You guys are great. The mountain bike community is awesome in NEPA, a little young in its development (related to IMBA and other groups) compared to many other parts of the country but its a great community. And the trails are amazing. But, in your defense, you haven't need a big advocacy group till now. You could build trails just about anywhere.

I moved from NEPA five years ago and vist 3-4 times per year. I don't think much has changed. Please dont mix up my opinion of the overall Wyoming Valley with the people/riders of the valley.I don't think anyone can argue that the economy in NEPA is healthy. And although much of the riding isn't in strip mined pits, the landscape is still devastated by decades of mining and a lack of respect for the land by coal mining companies. Everywhere you look, you see decaying mining junk. Downtown still has tons of urban blight.

Sounds like the road riding in NEPA has come a long way. That's great to hear. I know when I would do road rides people would spit at me, yell and throw crap. Good times. It was the worst road riding I ever witnessed. I would be amazed if I saw 1-2 other road riders per week. But thats great to hear that it has improved.

Around Town is a great shop with great owners.

There's many amazing people in NEPA. It has some of the hardest working people you'll meet. Most will break a leg trying to help you.

Best pizza in the world though.

Mike,You won't let me visit? I still brag to everyone about how long you can do a wheelie!

 

[NEPMTBA]

Andy:

Cedar Bike Shop (Scranton store) has a road ride every Saturday in the warmer months!

Everyone welcome, no one "Gets dropped"

Years past, yes there were trails everywhere, Still are, but now they are cared for and organized. It's nice to see a well groomed trail! Many of the strip mine pits are gone or going. Which kinda makes this place unique as if all that land was bought up by shopping malls it would never be a park or mt bike area.
You can ride from Forest City to Berwick on some sort of trail. We have everything from rail trails to the Witness trail(that if you ride it clean you get your name on the plaque) A lot has happened just in this past year, NEPMTBA has stepped up to maintain trails at Frances Slocum and now the Lackawanna State Forest near Plymouth as well as other places. As far as your IMBA comment masking a place legit well... we haven't need them, and we have a pretty nice place here now, but if they join in so be it! There's never a shortage of trail work!!!!!!!!!

The "Valley" is a Great place!

Don't sell us short we have the trails and as far as the armpit I'm sure there are a lot worse places!