MountainBikinginArizona

Mountain Biking in Arizona:

A Beginners Guide

Les Hauer

July 24, 2007

GB1

If you have recently matriculated to Arizona and are looking for a fun and healthy way to explore this great state then mountain biking should be at the top of your list of the various transportation modes available. Arizona is a state of great weather and topographical diversity that make it a wonderland for the fat tire enthusiast. Most newcomers see our hot summer weather as a barrier to their enjoyment of the great outdoors. This does not have to be and great riding conditions can be found year round and not far from your suburban tract home’s garage.

For a newbie on a new ride the emphasis should be on fun. Start on trails that are going to allow you to spend more time riding your new bike than pushing it over terrain that is over your head. If you are brand new to biking then trail selection and trip preparation are going to be the key to an enjoyable ride. All too often aspiring XC champs throw down a ton of money on a great bike and head strait to Sedona, Flagstaff or South Mountain and get discouraged because their feeble muscles and lungs are ill prepared for the challenges they face in these magnificent but daunting locales. This leads to a great bike sitting in the garage collecting dust and not doing it’s job, a very sad fate for such an able machine.

A great way to start is close to home. This will lead to more regular rides and speed up the conditioning process. There are trails at all of our local spots that are suitable for the beginning rider. I like to take new riders to Papago Park near the Phoenix Zoo (see page 54 & 55 of Cosmic Ray’s Fat Tire Guide). I have not yet found a web of super smooth singletrack with just the right amount of climbing and screaming descents to inspire the new mountain biker to get on their bike again and again. Another great feature of Papago Park is it’s proximity to Mill Avenue and the ASU campus in Tempe. A short crank over Tempe town lake will take you to some enjoyable urban riding and a cool pint at the Bandersnatch Pub. If your hungry, the Chuck Box on University just east of Mill has the best grilled sandwiches in town. While riding in Tempe keep your head up because the scenery, if you get my drift, is truly something to behold. Follow traffic rules, the police in Tempe are notorious for citing bike riders for riding on the wrong side of the road and other infractions, don’t be that guy.

So it’s summer and it’s hot. Don’t let this kill your drive to ride. Thinking like a desert rat will lead you to an understanding of how to ride in our beautiful Sonoran Desert without suffering. A great afternoon ride that will shed the sun is Desert Classic (see page 42 & 43 of Cosmic Ray’s Fat Tire Guide) on the southeast side of South Mountain in Phoenix, one of our favorite mountain biking playgrounds. If you get on this trail after 6pm during the summer you will be riding in shaded bliss for a couple of hours because the sun has dropped behind the mountain. This is a primo trail for the novice because of it’s gentle climbs and whoopty doo roller coasters that keep you screaming. It’s a great place to work on climbing skills because of the short ascents out of washes and ravines. Remember to enter the rollers with your eye out for oncoming traffic and in control. Try using as much momentum as possible to carry you up the other side. Enter the roller in a gear that you will use to get up the other side once gravity grabs hold of you and your rig. Pick a good line that will allow you to use as little brake as possible and when it is time to really crank point your elbows towards the ground, this will help keep your front tire on the ground and steering and your rear tire engaged with the trail. Keep track of the sections you don’t make it out of and every time you ride them measure your progress. This is a great way to monitor your riding skills development.

For a truly adventurous mountain biking experience consider Arizona night riding. Get yourself a good light and hit the trail. This will add a new dimension to riding that is likely to be surreal and mesmerizing. The desert at night is a magical place but be advised that caution is needed. Our rattlesnake friends are masters of the night and I have encountered them on nearly every night ride. They like to coil in ambush on or near the trails. Keep your ears and eyes open and if you notice one in your path and stopping will place you too close to it then ride past it and when you’re a safe distance feel free to stop and admire this magnificent creature from a safe distance. Riding with artificial light creates it’s own hazards that you need to be aware of. The darkness beyond your beam limits your awareness of the environment and I don’t recommend riding trails at night that you have not ridden many times under the sun. A full moon can add a mystical dimension to your night ride and often provides enough light to see the world outside of your beam. Using artificial light also affects your perception of pitch especially when descending. This is because your peripheral vision will not have the horizon to reference, giving you the sensory input you need to know the grade of your descent. This can lead to an endo and can be avoided by knowing the pitch before you ride it and taking a cautious position over your bike.

The Sonoran Desert, mountains to the north and the sky islands scattered throughout the state provide endless opportunities to mountain bikers of every skill level. With year around riding conditions it offers new denizens and riders the chance to meet there fitness goals and explore the natural beauty that abounds in this region. I recommend getting yourself a copy of Cosmic Ray’s Fat Tire Guide, available at any Global Bikes location, to help plan your routine rides and epic fat tire excursions. Use common sense, be prepared and get out and explore this great state and you’ll be a two wheel junkie before you know it.