I don’t normally comment, but this video was extremely helpful in the sense that I couldn’t get this much quality information about this area anywhere else. Everything you’re saying makes plenty of sense so thank you and keep doing what you’re doing.
Excellent video, I will recommend this video to some people new to the area, Madison is very blessed to have this variety and amount of riding choices, all this parks offer unique rides and are building blocks for future riders, thank you for the video
Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the video and found it useful. Madison is indeed a mountain bike oasis in the Midwest. If you want to venture further from Madison, WinMan (2.5 hours) and Standing Rock (1.25 hour) are two great systems as well.
@@bluegrey4009 I wish I could check it out! I actually moved away from Wisconsin last summer, but I have a soft spot for the trails there so I wanted to make this video to help people out. I have a few friends in the area still, and I'll recommend they check out Dubuque. Any trails in particular there?
@@GnarlyBearMTB Proving Grounds which has what I consider a black trail that could be a double black for the Midwest and some nice jump trails, has a beginner area as well, IPP it has some really awesome flow trails, and one tough black, also they have an older park that has some descent single track, you could spend the day there and ride all 3 , they all appear on Trailforks
This is amazing as someone looking into mtb in Madison. Would an XC bike like the Trek XCaliber be good for the area and handle all the stuff from your vid? Or is a full suspension needed?
Depends on your wants! The XCaliber is closer to an XC race bike than a proper trail bike meant for hitting big features. - If you want to go fast and set PRs, stick to the Xcaliber. - If you want to progress skills-wise and hit bigger features, but still want a hardtail, get an all mountain hardtail like a Trek Roscoe or similar. - If you want the "ultimate" bike for the area, get a full suspension trail bike. E.G. A Santa Cruz 5010 or similar. A full suspension trail bike is more than capable of doing anything in the Midwest comfortably. In this video, I'm always riding my enduro bike, an Ibis Mojo HD5. It's 170/153 and wayyyy overkill for Wisconsin. However... I was never "underbiked" and I really liked that feeling of knowing the bike was never holding me back. Good luck searching for your new bike!
Do you have any recommendations for a full-suspension bike for Midwest trails? I currently ride an SC Chameleon hardtail and am looking for something light but stable. I'm 6"3", 185lbs, and not too aggressive on the trails.
It sounds like you'd want a classic full suspension trail bike! If you like SC, you'd be looking at the bronson (burlier) or the 5010 (more playful). If I were in the market for a trail bike, I'd just be looking at the best deals right now because there are a ton of crazy deals with the bike craziness during COVID finally cooling off. I personally like to ride an enduro bike because i feel like I'm never held back from my bike, the components are more durable, and I don't super care about my speed & rolling resistance on the uphills. Are you planning on selling the chameleon?
@@GnarlyBearMTB Thanks for the feedback. Yes, the deals are crazy. I want a 120 rear and 130 front...like a Tallboy, Niner Jet RDO, or Trek Top Fuel. I can get a great deal on Stumpy with 130 back and 140 front, but I wonder if that is too much travel. I may sell my SC, but I am not sure yet.
@@RandyGrueb IMO 130/120 is super close to your hardtail already. If you plan on keeping the Chameleon, go for the bigger travel! You'll get tons of different opinions though :)
What is your favorite MTB trail in the Midwest? What are you looking forward to riding most? Let me know 👇!
Chestnut mountain has brand new trails with lift access. Green and blue lines this year with plans to expand in the future.
I don’t normally comment, but this video was extremely helpful in the sense that I couldn’t get this much quality information about this area anywhere else. Everything you’re saying makes plenty of sense so thank you and keep doing what you’re doing.
Excellent video, I will recommend this video to some people new to the area, Madison is very blessed to have this variety and amount of riding choices, all this parks offer unique rides and are building blocks for future riders, thank you for the video
Thanks so much! I'm glad you enjoyed the video and found it useful. Madison is indeed a mountain bike oasis in the Midwest. If you want to venture further from Madison, WinMan (2.5 hours) and Standing Rock (1.25 hour) are two great systems as well.
Dubuque Iowa has some awesome trails as well
@@bluegrey4009 I wish I could check it out! I actually moved away from Wisconsin last summer, but I have a soft spot for the trails there so I wanted to make this video to help people out. I have a few friends in the area still, and I'll recommend they check out Dubuque. Any trails in particular there?
@@GnarlyBearMTB Proving Grounds which has what I consider a black trail that could be a double black for the Midwest and some nice jump trails, has a beginner area as well, IPP it has some really awesome flow trails, and one tough black, also they have an older park that has some descent single track, you could spend the day there and ride all 3 , they all appear on Trailforks
Going to explore this area this weekend and ride the trails that you suggested. Thank you for the info!
Absolutely! Glad you got something out of it. 100% make sure you hit Quarry Ridge. It's got something for everyone :)
Great video man ! a bit stiff, but informative ! Thanks!
Thanks! Yeah I'm still getting used to the whole "being in front of the camera" deal
This is amazing as someone looking into mtb in Madison. Would an XC bike like the Trek XCaliber be good for the area and handle all the stuff from your vid? Or is a full suspension needed?
Depends on your wants! The XCaliber is closer to an XC race bike than a proper trail bike meant for hitting big features.
- If you want to go fast and set PRs, stick to the Xcaliber.
- If you want to progress skills-wise and hit bigger features, but still want a hardtail, get an all mountain hardtail like a Trek Roscoe or similar.
- If you want the "ultimate" bike for the area, get a full suspension trail bike. E.G. A Santa Cruz 5010 or similar. A full suspension trail bike is more than capable of doing anything in the Midwest comfortably.
In this video, I'm always riding my enduro bike, an Ibis Mojo HD5. It's 170/153 and wayyyy overkill for Wisconsin. However... I was never "underbiked" and I really liked that feeling of knowing the bike was never holding me back.
Good luck searching for your new bike!
@@GnarlyBearMTB I'll keep all this in mind! Thank you for the response and great vid.
Do you have any recommendations for a full-suspension bike for Midwest trails? I currently ride an SC Chameleon hardtail and am looking for something light but stable. I'm 6"3", 185lbs, and not too aggressive on the trails.
It sounds like you'd want a classic full suspension trail bike! If you like SC, you'd be looking at the bronson (burlier) or the 5010 (more playful). If I were in the market for a trail bike, I'd just be looking at the best deals right now because there are a ton of crazy deals with the bike craziness during COVID finally cooling off.
I personally like to ride an enduro bike because i feel like I'm never held back from my bike, the components are more durable, and I don't super care about my speed & rolling resistance on the uphills.
Are you planning on selling the chameleon?
@@GnarlyBearMTB Thanks for the feedback. Yes, the deals are crazy. I want a 120 rear and 130 front...like a Tallboy, Niner Jet RDO, or Trek Top Fuel. I can get a great deal on Stumpy with 130 back and 140 front, but I wonder if that is too much travel. I may sell my SC, but I am not sure yet.
@@RandyGrueb IMO 130/120 is super close to your hardtail already. If you plan on keeping the Chameleon, go for the bigger travel! You'll get tons of different opinions though :)
Yo, why are you running your running your bars upside down in the Middleton riding?
@@alexrohde4962 didn’t know what I was doing lol. There’s no real reason to do that unless your a reach/aero fiend
❤️🔥❤️🔥❤️🔥