new here.

[djb5118]

hey guys,

I will be working in skillman, nj from june -december of this year, and I am a XC rider looking for some stuff to enjoy while I'm in Jersey.

I have a few questions since I don't know much about the riding scene in NJ.

Would I be able to ride my xc bike at Diablo (doubtful)?
Any trails in the area worth looking into?
If i do need a different bike, what would you guys suggest for entry level?

THANKS!

[demo 9]

for diablo you wont have fun on an XC bike if its even worth taking home after the beating it will get. i would say to buy one of diablofreeridepak's rental bikes. but there is XC in and around vernon. hopefully pinkshirt will chime in about that

[jcook90]

If you want to DH you could get a specialized bighit for pretty cheap. XC at diablo is kinda asking for death

[yuroshek]

yea im sure you can ride diablo on an XC, depends on your ridin level.

if your lookin into a entry DH bike i have a giant faith 2. 900 and its yours.

[mntbiker2]

well..welcome oh btw: yuroshek is a professional so watch out for him on the mountain ;p

[yuroshek]

yes i am. watch out.

no seriously you can ride an XC bike at diablo. you might not be able to go as fast, but you can ride XC bike there.

[djb5118]

do you have pictures of the faith? i want to do some more research but i may be interested...

do they sell used rentals? what kind are they?

[yuroshek]

hey, i sent you a PM. to check it, its in the middle of the page pretty much in the yellow box.

[mtnbiker7]

for diablo you wont have fun on an XC bike if its even worth taking home after the beating it will get. i would say to buy one of diablofreeridepak's rental bikes. but there is XC in and around vernon. hopefully pinkshirt will chime in about that

you can buy a rental bike from diablo. I didnt pay much attention to the rental bikes when I went. Are they in good shape, how much can you buy one for.

[The303Kid]

im pretty sure diablo is adding an xc loop as an 08 inprovement

[mntbiker2]

you can buy a rental bike from diablo. I didnt pay much attention to the rental bikes when I went. Are they in good shape, how much can you buy one for.

fyi u can only buy rental bikes at the end of the season..or you can just talk to jamie usually there around a thousand or so

[djb5118]

what kind of bikes are they?

[mtnbiker7]

fyi u can only buy rental bikes at the end of the season..or you can just talk to jamie usually there around a thousand or so

I didnt pay attention to the rentals so I dont know what they are like. Good or bad condition.

[pinkshirtphotos]

if your looking for fun riding in nj go to mtbnj.com/forum
they had a problem with hackers not to long ago so not sure if they will let you make an account, pm me if you cant.

[mntbiker2]

they are iron hourse sundays

[jcook90]

They also have IH 7points, more of an all-around bike. Make sure to check it over though, Diablo eats the rental bikes

[Ironjunk]

Kittatiny is a nice place to ride, its pretty small but fast and fun

I used my diamondback xsl 2 years ago and it was pretty fun. It was my first times at the park and it really set me up as far as what i was in for without getting a nice bike.

I never regretted blowing both shocks over my 3 trip tour.

I recommend it if you dont have a nicer bike

Might even take it back there this year

[djb5118]

haha this place sounds rough, am i getting in over my head?

[jcook90]

Maybe just a little bit. Theres some easier trails there (upper/lower breakout, the one next to alpine, etc) that you could survive on with an XC bike if your a fairly decent rider and know how to handle a bike and control your speed. Things like body position, getting your weight back on the bike for the steeps, etc are all key.

[djb5118]

word. well here's the deal. I am thinking of getting a season pass after a trip or two, since i will be in skillman from june-dec (prime bike season). So i figure it will give me something to do during the summer weekends and after work. As it stands now, I plan to get a DH bike assuming I enjoy it. So I am not as concerned about getting through it on an XC bike but riding it in general. Ive never really ridden much downhill, but I consider myself above average for XC. So I should be ok?

[downhillbkr247]

yea sundays and Yakuza Anaki

[rossp]

word. well here's the deal. I am thinking of getting a season pass after a trip or two, since i will be in skillman from june-dec (prime bike season). So i figure it will give me something to do during the summer weekends and after work. As it stands now, I plan to get a DH bike assuming I enjoy it. So I am not as concerned about getting through it on an XC bike but riding it in general. Ive never really ridden much downhill, but I consider myself above average for XC. So I should be ok?

sure - just take it easy and don't go nuts your first time - I was an average XC rider before I went to diablo - scared the crap out of myself on some of the rocky trails when it was wet the first time I went (not a good day to try DH!) but there are plenty of less tech trails that you will be fine on. Highly recommend renting a bike there and giving the big bike a try - I rode it on my 5" trailbike and yes, you can ride it, but it makes a huge difference on the rougher trails to have a bigger bike. The XC bike will make it a lot less fun. Watch out though - it's addictive...I went from riding XC to an Intense M1 in just over a year...:cheers:

[jbogner]

Don't get rid of your XC bike, though- there's plenty of good XC around the Skillman area for after work rides on those long summer nights. Round Valley, Mercer County Park, Sourlands, Allaire, Hartshorne... plenty of good options that range from smooth and fast coastal trails to crazy rocky and steep typical NE singletrack.

Riding DH on the weekends is a blast. Weeknight XC rides keep the fitness up...

[IAMAPRO]

haha this place sounds rough, am i getting in over my head?


Aside from Yushoreks and jbod's advice, most of the information here is about Pinkshirts goats, foxroxs sister, and dirttastsegood love for the other two. Although the school children are fun to listen to, it takes forever to filter through the pointless posts they seem to blurp out.

Most of the good advice is from a mature audience over at www.mtbnj.com -

You could also visit:
http://forums.mtbr.com/forumdisplay.php?f=75
but there isnt much traffic over there.

edit: and jcook seems slightly relevant and constructive.

[pinkshirtphotos]

go on a ride with some "skilled" riders who ride both xc and dh, evan, denis and i all ride downhill and gnar xc pm us if you want to ride.

[dirttastesgood]

Sean why are you calling yourself skilled?

[jcook90]

I thought my post was slightly relevant and constructive.

haha, evan.

[DownhillR3]

I thought my post was slightly relevant and constructive.

haha, evan.


Haha, Evan? What's that supposed to mean? I ride both Downhill & yes you can also see me on an XC ride when im not at Diablo. I keep it real, no skintights for XC riding. There is plenty of XC trails around Northern Jersey, like people have stated before, use www.mtbnj.com then go to Home for the complete list of trail areas all around Jersey. The closest XC park to Diablo would be Waywayanda.

[mntbiker2]

Haha, Evan? What's that supposed to mean? I ride both Downhill & yes you can also see me on an XC ride when im not at Diablo. I keep it real, no skintights for XC riding. There is plenty of XC trails around Northern Jersey, like people have stated before, use www.mtbnj.com then go to Home for the complete list of trail areas all around Jersey. The closest XC park to Diablo would be Waywayanda.

waywayanda SUCKS!...just thought i'd let you know :monkeydance:

[pinkshirtphotos]

waywayanda SUCKS!...just thought i'd let you know :monkeydance:

please remove the gerbil from your ass. wawayanda features some of the finest riding in new jersey. you can have more fun in that state park then diablow could ever offer. diablow may have rock gardens but wawayanda has rock fields. you can get twisty singletrack threw pine trees, or steep climbs and equally steep descents. also many lakes and ponds to take a swim mid ride..... ide like to see diablow do that :monkey:

[mntbiker2]

please remove the gerbil from your ass. wawayanda features some of the finest riding in new jersey. you can have more fun in that state park then diablo could ever offer. diablo may have rock gardens but wawayanda has rock fields. you can get twisty singletrack threw pine trees, or steep climbs and equally steep descents. also many lakes and ponds to take a swim mid ride..... ide like to see diablo do that :monkey:

rock gardens rock fields same thing!,you dont have to take the lift up at diablo you can bike up therefor that gives you a steep climb and once you come down you can find some single track and once you get all hott and sticky you can jump in the lake by the start of the dh courses...ha :monkey:

[jcook90]

Evan was more of a plattekill reference. "Evan do a 360."

[DownhillR3]

Evan was more of a plattekill reference. "Evan do a 360."


Alright, now I know i'm the Diablo Evan & theres a Plattekill Evan out there as well.

[djb5118]

http://www.rscycle.com/s.nl/it.A/id.8045/.f?CAWELAID=63652572

i found that. how will that bike hold up? I understand that the yakuza is what is rented?

also, im 5'10"-5'11", what size should i look into?

[NJMX835]

I love how everyone thinks Wawayanda sucks & in actuality it does if you don't know your way around.

If you do know where you're going though, it has some of the best single track around.

I can't believe I agreed with PS about something, I feel dirty & cheap now...

[dirttastesgood]

IF I WAS TRYING I COULD HAVE GOTTEN A TWO MINUTE TIME! I AM WAY FASTER THAN JURGEN, AND I DID A HUUUGE 360 OVER THE ROAD GAP!!!!-Retarded Evan from platty

[jcook90]

Yep that Evan

[djb5118]

sweet guys