where to go for mountain bike recommendations

pab_lowe

Hi there,

I haven't seen a whole lot of mountain bike discussion here but I know there are some enthusiasts around.
I have been biking around cratloe for years and last year tried ballyhoura a couple of times on my hardtail, about 350 euros worth. The bike is fine, coped well with trail 2 in ballyhoura and its a bike I would hold on to for general usage.
However, I have been contemplating an upgrade but don't know a lot about the brands, makes, whats important and whats not in terms of accessories, are dual suspension bikes a must? where is the best place to buy? how much should one spend?
Is there a site dedicated to this or is there enough knowledge on these boards to point me in the right direction

many thanks
pab

Morgan

You'll get some good advice here:

http://www.madmtb.com
http://www.epicmtb.com
http://www.mtbireland.com

Vélo

http://www.mtbr.com/reviewscrx.aspx

This is where I looked when getting parts for my MTB.

Is Cratloe anygood? I have relations in Cratloe and will be visiting in the next few weeks. I was thinking of bringing my MTB and going to Ballyhoura but it would be great if there was something beside them.

pab_lowe

Thanks Morgan, Hi Aquinas.

Cratloe is a coillte forest and is used by dog walkers, walkers, duck watchers and of course mountain bikers. It is not an official trail and has just been used by enthusiasts for years. I think its not spoken about, its just a case of use it and say nothing.
The trails were 'created' by users over the years and are not marked so it was a question of getting to know the different routes and combining them to give a good ride.
Unfortunately, in recent weeks coilte were doing their scheduled harvest/maintenance of the wood and the main tracks are now pretty much unusable. This is because of bulldozer tracks and fallen trees and branches. I don't know how this will regenerate itself or how long it will take....Ipresume it'll be the users again who will take this in hand.
There are still a few trails left and plenty of space for adventuring if you feel inclined to bring your bike along for a spin. There are no long runs and it certainly won't compare with Ballyhoura, however, if its no load to you, bring the bike anyway. I'll be over there again soon, possibly this evening so I can check if anything has been done

concussion

Ballyhoura - long, sweepy, fast singletrack with fireroad climbs. Very little technical sections but a hell of a lot of fun

Cratloe - dirty, wet, muddy, slow, rooty, rocky, short technical trails which are great for skills training.

Cratloe is very worthwhile if you want some dirty technical cycling and its rather condensed area-wise so you can have a range of cyclists from novice to advanced and keep everyone happy. Shop is in the village and no more than 10 mins from the top of the forest. If you want to get some milage done you can climb to the top of Woodcock Hill and around via Oatfield or Sixmilebridge.

Some local info can be found on the UL MTB forum
http://www.skynet.ie/~mtbclub

Maps
http://www.esatclear.ie/~rdrohan/mtb/maps/CratOat.jpg
http://www.esatclear.ie/~rdrohan/mtb/maps/Crat_names.jpg

yhuof

pab_lowe wrote: »

Hi there,

I haven't seen a whole lot of mountain bike discussion here but I know there are some enthusiasts around.
I have been biking around cratloe for years and last year tried ballyhoura a couple of times on my hardtail, about 350 euros worth. The bike is fine, coped well with trail 2 in ballyhoura and its a bike I would hold on to for general usage.
However, I have been contemplating an upgrade but don't know a lot about the brands, makes, whats important and whats not in terms of accessories, are dual suspension bikes a must? where is the best place to buy? how much should one spend?
Is there a site dedicated to this or is there enough knowledge on these boards to point me in the right direction

many thanks
pab

Wow! Thank you for introducing me to the Ballyhoura mountain bike trails. There is 96km in 5 trails. It's super, great trails, north shore to die for -- swished along bellowing, not for the faint hearted. Stayed at the Ballyhoura Forest Homes and rode along a forest road to the trail head-had a blast.
If you want to get a sense of the trails, look at www.ballyhouramtb.com
Yhuof

yhuof

still looking for information? I spoke to a guy at the Ballyhoura trail head -renting bountain bikes. He sells them on inside a year. I think it was Xcountry was on the van.

pab_lowe wrote: »

Hi there,

I haven't seen a whole lot of mountain bike discussion here but I know there are some enthusiasts around.
I have been biking around cratloe for years and last year tried ballyhoura a couple of times on my hardtail, about 350 euros worth. The bike is fine, coped well with trail 2 in ballyhoura and its a bike I would hold on to for general usage.
However, I have been contemplating an upgrade but don't know a lot about the brands, makes, whats important and whats not in terms of accessories, are dual suspension bikes a must? where is the best place to buy? how much should one spend?
Is there a site dedicated to this or is there enough knowledge on these boards to point me in the right direction

many thanks
pab

kona

What the hell is this ballyhoura place like?

Descriptions range from dirt road to freaking North Shore? WTF?

I really doubt they have North shore style trails.

t0mm

kona wrote: »

What the hell is this ballyhoura place like?

Descriptions range from dirt road to freaking North Shore? WTF?

I really doubt they have North shore style trails.

It's man-made single track. Tree's are generally kept back from the trails, anything fallen is quickly cleared. It's dry almost all the year round, and when it does bog up it's still very usable. The are some north-shore style ladder walks, ie some built wooden stuff, not no massive see-saws or big drops or rock gardens. The trails are very long, and give you the opportunity to drop out at various points. There is a big car park, a bike wash and showers though you have to pay for these. There is a small cost for using the rails to cover upkeep.

thebouldwhacker

kona wrote: »

What the hell is this ballyhoura place like?

Descriptions range from dirt road to freaking North Shore? WTF?

I really doubt they have North shore style trails.

Theres bits of nothshore, nothing to match the big traks around the world but its there; Kona, stop posting about them blind and grab your bike and come down and ride them!!!

If nothing else their fast on the decent with great views and facilities, a great way to spend a weekend.

pab_lowe

thanks yhuof. I've discovered there's a lot to MTBs that I didnt know. I'm currently putting a few good bits on my existing bike while I think about up grading.
I've spoken to the guys that do the rental, XCT1 I think is the name. They say the bikes are normally 850-900 new and they get 30 hires and are sold on. Don't recall the make but my brother rented one and found it excellent.

What is this Northshore place I see mentioned?

mossym

pab_lowe wrote: »

thanks yhuof. I've discovered there's a lot to MTBs that I didnt know. I'm currently putting a few good bits on my existing bike while I think about up grading.
I've spoken to the guys that do the rental, XCT1 I think is the name. They say the bikes are normally 850-900 new and they get 30 hires and are sold on. Don't recall the make but my brother rented one and found it excellent.

What is this Northshore place I see mentioned?

xtc1 use specialized rockhopper disc...a very nice bike...

(I have one..!!)

thebouldwhacker

+1

pab_lowe wrote: »

What is this Northshore place I see mentioned?

Northshore isnt a place its man made modifications to natural trails, this is a boardwalk in Ballyhoura.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSd_JpDgykQ

ednwireland

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

+1



Northshore isnt a place its man made modifications to natural trails, this is a boardwalk in Ballyhoura.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pSd_JpDgykQ

more like boardwalk over bog

real northshore ( and no i havent ridden any and my bones would break now cos i'm sooo old)

Morgan

thebouldwhacker wrote: »

Northshore isnt a place its man made modifications to natural trails, this is a boardwalk in Ballyhoura.

Well, it's originally a place.

kona

ednwireland wrote: »

more like boardwalk over bog

real northshore ( and no i havent ridden any and my bones would break now cos i'm sooo old)

Thats northshore!

I dont think ill be heading to ballyhoura, too far from dublin, much better stuff on my doorstep.:cool:

thebouldwhacker

Thats great footage but surly thats Down Hill riding?

ednwireland

allright then this

cant please some people

thebouldwhacker

Happy now:cool: