MTB, Cycling...

[Wild4hockey]

Are there any avid bikers among us. If so I would like to hear of some of the better trails in your area i.e. paved, singletrack, old logging roads, etc...Also what type of equipment do you ride? Anybody commute?

I do my fair share of mountain biking. I have a Schwinn Mesa GSX from about 2000 (before schwinn was sold and started to sell at Wal-mart etc...) I am considering either an upgrade on my Mountain Bike to a Specialized Stumpjumper or going the cyclocross route.

When I lived in Anchorage my bike was my main source of transportation, however, moving back to Moorhead has altered that a bit.

[east hockey]

Are there any avid bikers among us. If so I would like to hear of some of the better trails in your area i.e. paved, singletrack, old logging roads, etc...Also what type of equipment do you ride? Anybody commute?

I do my fair share of mountain biking. I have a Schwinn Mesa GSX from about 2000 (before schwinn was sold and started to sell at Wal-mart etc...) I am considering either an upgrade on my Mountain Bike to a Specialized Stumpjumper or going the cyclocross route.

When I lived in Anchorage my bike was my main source of transportation, however, moving back to Moorhead has altered that a bit.

Wild4hockey, I ride the Willard Munger State Trail. It's a 73 mile paved trail which runs from West Duluth to Hinckley. It's a very flat trail (one section near Rutledge has a few moderate hills for roughly a mile) with no more than a one percent grade.

My favorite section runs from Carlton to Moose Lake. It's a 44 mile round-trip ride where you basically get up in the saddle and go like heck (or ride easily as I see most of them do). It's a great workout for me.

Another trail which rivals the Munger and probably surpasses it is the Mesabi Trail which is on the Iron Range. It's more hilly than the Munger so more of a challenge if you like pounding up those hills and then flying down the declines It's also paved. My wife and I have walked a few segments of that trail. Nice and smooth and roughly the same width as the Munger.

I have a road bike, a Lemond Nevada City. It's basically an entry-level which I bought on sale as they were clearing out the previous year models at my LBS. Had it refitted with the drop bars taken out and cross bars put on. I've had on-and-off problems with my back over the years, so I sacrifice being aerodynamic in exchange for being comfortable.

It's a blast to ride and was well worth the $950 I paid for it. Am currently mulling over whether to refit it with clipless pedels or take a chance on reverting to drop bars on a Trek 2200 or something similar.

Lee

[Wild4hockey]

Lee,
I have seen the pics of the munger trail on your site. Looks like a great distance ride. Have you or anyone else ever biked portions of the Superior Hiking Trail. I am considering coming out there in early June to bike some of it. It is primarily a hiking trail but according to their website it can be biked.

[Bash Brother]

Either of you 2 do the MS 150

[Wild4hockey]

Either of you 2 do the MS 150

Not familiar with it. I assume it is for muscular dystrophe? What town hosts it?

Sorry, I thought it read MD 150 my bad.

[Bash Brother]

It is for Multiple Sclerosis. It is a 2 day ride from The duluth area down to the st. paul area

[east hockey]

Lee,
I have seen the pics of the munger trail on your site. Looks like a great distance ride. Have you or anyone else ever biked portions of the Superior Hiking Trail. I am considering coming out there in early June to bike some of it. It is primarily a hiking trail but according to their website it can be biked.

The SHT is for hiking only:

http://www.shta.org/Trail/TrailGeneral.php

My wife and I have hiked a couple segments, and the spur off the trail which goes to the top of Oberg Mountain is awesome, if you're into such things. There are eight or nine different scenic overlooks viewing Oberg Lake, Lake Superior, etc. Fabulous place and our favorite of all the various hikes we've done in NE Minny.

Lee

[Wild4hockey]

All this time I thought portions of it could be biked. I am very familiar with their website, I can't believe I overlooked that. Under the trail section of the website it talks about bike shuttles. I thought this referred to sections of the trail that a person could bike. I guess I was wrong. They must be reffering to just popular sections of road to bike or possibly paved bike paths. Either way thanks for clearing that up.

[Wild4hockey]

Lee,
You say you are considering clipless. Do you currently just ride with toe clips. I would say once you go clipless, you never go back. Aside from the increase cost of buying the pedals and shoes your performance will increase substantially. You will find that you can pedal longer and faster with a more efficient cadence.

If you are considering upgrading bikes I would recommend looking at specialized. They make some amazing bikes. Personally I like the tarmac expert double. It has a great mix of ultegra and dura-ace derailleurs and plenty of carbon to aborb all of Minnesota bumpy roads.