Finding Our Flume: A Bikepacking Tale of the Tahoe Rim Trail
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- Опубліковано 27 вер 2023
- Billed as one of the most scenic trails in North America, the Tahoe Flume and Rim, are a favorite amongst the bike and hiking community. We bike packed it for ourselves to see if this route lives up to the hype. Spoiler it didn't disappoint.
Here's the route we followed. (Just the Blue Loop).
bonestoblue.com
ridewithgps.com/routes/44008924
Ms. Cool's "one bike does most" is living up to its reputation.
skirting on the edge of the cliffs, so brave...Ms Cools leading the way!
I've been riding in Tahoe steadily for the past 5 years . Two bikepacking trips and countless trails in South lake , Tahoe City and Truckee . The best trails ever .
Very nice! Thanks for the memory. I rode the Flume Trail north from South Lake Tahoe on the NV side, up past Marlette Lake where you had lunch, then a long drop to the north side of Tahoe and back along the road. Not much traffic in 1989, I rode a Specialized Rock Combo, a drop bar 26" wheel mtn bike they made for a few years. Great scenery ride!
Great trail and video Hen👍. Had a subscription sort through and I am back on the sub list.
I was ducking my head as you went under the over hanging rocks. Awesome trip.
Thanks for another great video. Ive ridden lots in that area. One of my frame building buddy has his shop in Reno. All sorts of beautiful and super challenging rides up there!
You guys were doing awesome out there. You were most definately 'underbiking'!
Most of the trails in S Tahoe are pretty rideable on a hard tail mtb, along with some decent skill and fitness.
To learn to ride on rocks you always need to go a little faster than you're comfortable with, where momentum and inertia will do their thing. You also need to be able to trust your wheels and tires to withstand some serious abuse. The Sierra is brutal on tires.
For long rides on the tougher trails, full suspension helps immensely, most of all just with the beating your body takes on all those freakin rocks.
So you guys were killin it on gravel bikes!!
Next time, try the 'Star Lake loop' on real MTBs. Thats a beautiful trail, but it's a brutal high elevation trail roughly south and east of the Heavenly Resort.
The Hope Valley area just South of Tahoe is some of my favorite riding in all of the Sierra. But there's so much incredible trail riding in the Sierra.
Thanks again for a great video!
We'd love to get back up there and explore some more of the trails around the lake and beyond. The altitude does take its toll, especially for us sea level residents who go up there and don't take any time to acclimate. I love the granite sand on the trails and how it sounds rolling over it.
This scenery is so beautyful and I am glad you took it "easy" instead of lashing out. If someone had a bad night it can be really harmful to push on for a defined goal and it can be so rewarding to step back for one day and go on healthy and with new strength instead of going ahead for days with half power after half recovery. I remember one day when I vomited my food all over a place in a Swedish forest and the decision to rest another night after feeling better was safing my journey. The rack looks like perfectly balanced. Not to high, not to low, not to far out to the back.... but its always the same, the more storage you have, the more you take with you. Liebe Grüße🙋♀
Okay, next time you go on an epic biking adventure like that, take me with you!
I am for real enjoying Ms COols and Henry’s adventure at Lake Tahoe. It’s been 20 years when I was there riding. Your channel is cool and brings all the goodies to us. Adventure and mechanics.
Thank you for the kind words! We really appreciate it.
Stunning trails on great bikes!
Loved it. Totally enjoyed every frame.
Thanks Stan! It was hard to cut out clips when every view is just as good as the next.
The views bring back great memories, I only wish that I had ridden the trail as well as the road route.
Did part of the Flume in 1993. Super fun. Saw salmon running up a creek on the trail up to it.
That was a really skinny set of panniers! I couldn't imagine riding near those cliffs with my 40 liter set of Vaude panniers attached!
Beautiful riding conditions to the extreme.
Great time of year to be up there.
On your next bike packing adventure I’d love to see more about your overnight sleeping set up. ( not in the kinky way😂) What tents/ bags do you guys use. You mentioned a tarp and you both looked pretty cold in the morning, so perhaps you didn’t use a tent. Did you take a stove and cook ?
Some pretty eye watering drops next to the trail there. Brave folks!
There were some very exposed sections on the trail.
What a beautiful trail 🏕🚴♀️👍
Worth a visit.
Nice ride guys this one is solid 5 out of 5 on the Cools rating scale
Ms Cools showing her grit and poise. Hope she is feeling better.
The fresh squeezed orange juice paid off and Ms. Cools bounced right back.
A new adventure!!!😊👊
Thank you! A highly recommend route.
With those rock overhangs it is good you have a .' new ' Bell helmet to protect your head ! if I was 50 years younger I may have been tempted to book a flight out there, the scenery is spectacular.
You're never too old! Now is your chance.
very very nice. Have you guys thought about doing the PDP in 2027?
Beautiful…thank you! How did your “new” bike do? Happy with its performance and comfort? Always glad to see a new Wildeberry film arrive so thanks again.
Thanks Tomordr. The bike worked out very well. I'm really impressed with the high volume tires and the load biased towards the rear. It makes easier handling on the rough stuff.
I'm no engineer but that rack looks plenty solid especially with the cross brace above it. I guess you could make the the attachment point from sheet and then slot and braze the legs onto that but I think you've done a good job with that one.
Thanks Glenn. I hope it holds up on a longer ride.
Action! Well done, Henrywildeberry
Thank you!
Wow ! What an adventure. Did I miss something, or did you guys sleep under the stars ? No bears or mountain kitty's ? KB
The bears are all hanging out in town:)
@@Henrywildeberry kool.
That would be a lot of hike a bike for me 😂😂😂 I'm old
Haven't ridden the flume in a while. I think the last time was on the tandem. Need to get back up there and check out more of the TRT.
Where did you access it? Mt. Rose Highway?
I imagine riding a tandem on the Flume trail would be pretty hair raising especially for the the stoker! We accessed the Flume trail from Incline Village. We followed the Bones to Blue Route. I can put a link to the route up in the description. It's a quiet way to get up there. There were no highway miles (at least from Incline Village). Check it out.
@@Henrywildeberry it was a blast, and not that hair raising. We've ridden narrower and more exposed stuff before. Hole in the Ground at Donner Pass is one of the more challenging rides we've done. We've attempted the Slickrock Trail twice, only to be thwarted by rear hub failures (split a Phil Wood in half!). My stoker trusts me FAR more than she should! That said, no drops in 30 years of tandeming!
Thanks for the info. I've only done it from Spooner Lake; I'm sure you "earned" more of the ride climbing it all on your own!
Keep up the great riding & videos!
Those lights you saw weren't Reno. They probably were Minden/Gardnerviille, if I'm guessing right as to where you were. You camped out at Star Lake, correct? I live here in South Lake Tahoe. I'm glad you found Grassroots...my favorite store. What campground did you stay at on the second night?
Now that I look at the map you're right. We were way too far South to see Reno. There were more lights down there than I would have expected. We ended up staying in a motel in South Lake the second night. Ms. Cools still wasn't feeling well, so I decided it would be better to get a room and try and sleep it off in a warm bed. In the end I think she was suffering from a bit of altitude sickness. Our tight schedule didn't allow us acclimate to the elevation at all before setting off on the ride. Grassroots saved the day for sure.
That was indeed high-altitude. It can really take it out of you.@@Henrywildeberry
My guess was going to be Carson City, but I've only been in that area during the day, and the Rim Trail is still on the bucket list, so I'm only guessing.
Does ms Cools has a bike with flat bars? Some sections looks more proper to one of those
Unfortunately, no. She has a new bike coming soon, but it's still a drop bar bike.
is that a clamp-on rearview mirror at 22:56? would you mind sharing the make and model?
It's a bar end mirror by CatEye, I believe it's the BM-45. I highly recommend a mirror whether this model or any model.
Man, I really enjoy your videos but you have to do something about those blurry shots... Keep it going! Nice content!
? When was this recorded ? Curious about the temps too.
I’ve never ridden in the Tahoe area, Something I’ll have to change.
We rode this a few weeks ago in late September. Fall is a good time to check it out. Keep an eye on the wildfire maps, but otherwise it's a good time.
What size tires are you using?
I'm using a (650b x 58mm) or 27.5 x 2.25" MTB tire. Ms. Cools was using a 650bx50mm Soma Cazadero.
As a thru hiker, I have hiked sections of the TRT and thought it was primarily for hikers and not also cyclists. Hmmm! I guess I was wrong.
Gets onto the TRT... "Hope it's not like this the whole way."
(Foreshadowing!)
Ms. Cools walking bike up next section! Oops!
Oh and WTH, man?! "Hope it's NOT technical?" What is Sierra riding for if not technical & gnar???
Not OUR fault you two madmen/women seriously underbiked the TRT on your "do-everything" bikes!
(Jobst Brandt would be VERY proud!)
Wow, what's that metallic clanking sound? Clipless pedals? Loose metal pie plate?
NO! IT'S GRANITE TALUS! Fun, fun, fun!!!
"We've only gone like 40 miles." 40 miles of Sierra singletrack on gravel bikes. I always consider off-road miles to be 2X road miles. So you did the equivalent of 80 miles of what you're used to riding. Oh and at 8k feet elevation!
Man, you two are an INSPIRATION! Really makes me realize I haven't taken better advantage of our state's glory, especially Tahoe.
Thanks again for a wonderful video.
Are vegan dandies any good?
Love your videos but this one made me a bit dizzy in places.
Wunnerful