Tour de' Central NH

[45a]

First up, thx Slav and pk for fixing my acct.

I'll be visiting the Laconia area 7/18 to 7/24 and would love to get a good samplin' of the trails in the area! Ideally, a cas/intmdt group ride... or some kind folk who'd like to play tour guide would be best..

I've heard that NH, like MD, has good diversity in its trails. Here in MD we have groomed hardpack singletrack to gnarly mile long rock gardens with big ups and downs. I prefer the latter but would LOOOVE to ride anywhere.

I guess I'd be categorized as a XC rider with a cas+ pace who can handle anything just short of full-on FR. I'd like to ride 2 or 3 times that week.

Please post your thoughts.. Thx in adv.

[TheSlav]

We'll do something good for our Monday Night ride on the 20th. Not sure exactly what yet, but we'll figure it out.

If no one else chimes in I might be able to snag some more time for a ride either Wed, or Thurs. or at the very least get you some GPS data so you can go get lost on your own. ;)

[jdm]

Franklin Falls (http://www.cnhnemba.org/default.aspx?pg=92098a46-2861-451f-936d-ba5a45ec2c82) is our local chapter's primary focus for trail building. It isn't very technical, but it is fast and flowy. I am busy on the 18th, but I could probably give you a tour on Sunday the 19th in the afternoon.

I usually ride mid-week, after work with a couple other guys in one of the places listed below. They are all fairly technical, have some good elevation, and can keep you busy for several hours. They are all also about an hour west of Laconia.

The Pinncale (http://www.team-pinnacle.org/resources/mtb-locations.html)
Boston Lot (http://www.omerandbobs.com/info%20center/mtbmaps/mtbmapsmain.html#boston lot)
Cornish town forest (http://www.omerandbobs.com/info%20center/mtbmaps/mtbmapsmain.html#cornish town forest)

You could also call the guys at Chain line (http://www.chainlinecycles.com/) or Piches (http://www.piches.com/) in laconia to hook on with their group rides in town or just get some info/maps. There is some really fun stuff right there in Laconia.

Also check out ridelist (http://sites.google.com/site/ridelistnh/) for the rides in plymouth (<30 min from Laconia).

[Groundchucky]

I ride the trails in Fox Park (plymouth) and Smart's Brook (waterville valley/ thornton) and could lead a group out on sunday 19th. Typical NH trails, rocky, rooty, and a bunch of climbing and fun....

[45a]

rocky, rooty, and a bunch of climbing and fun....my mouth is watering.

Thx all for the replies.. I'll stay tuned. I'll need to check the itinerary to see which days would be good for riding. A ride like this on the 19th could work. Monday aft/eve is good for the local group ride. I'll also have to factor in drive time and stuff..

Anyway,...looking forward to my visit. :D

[45a]

Lookin for trail input to decide on tires for local NH rides.

Mon 7/20 at Franklin Falls Rec Area-- can someone give me a quick descrip of these trails? Maybe a quick descrip of other local trails?

Also, how are the Timber Rattlers up your way? We have a thrrrriving population here in Frederick, MD.

[TheSlav]

Franklin Falls is smooth, buff, fast, flowy and tight singletrack. Great place to let it rip and really get your cornering down but there isn't a rock to be found in the whole place.

What tires do you usually run? I like the Panaracer Rampage for an 'all around' for the terrain up here and I also run the IRC Mythos II.

No rattlers up this way, as far as I know anyway, prob a tad too cold.

[45a]

What tires do you usually run?

No rattlers up this way, as far as I know anyway, prob a tad too cold.if i started telling you what tires i run you'd probably wish you hadn't asked. :D I have a million set ups- a hardpack set, an epic set, a gnarly big volume set, a beater set for mixed surface trails, a set just for Thursdays, etc etc. The closest I come to an all around set up is MotoRaptor 2.4 rear, Maxxis ADvantage 2.4 front.

and a pic of some of our local friends..

[TheSlav]

well then i guess bring your Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday set. Might want to bring the epics (just in case). gnar big volume would come in handy if you feel like hitting up this place (http://www.highlandmountain.com/).

Not sure what I would do if we had 'friends' like that around here. I'll stick with moose and black bears I think...

[DirtMissile]

45A

If you want some nice technical stuff, I recommend you check out Fox Park in Plymouth. Good combo of gnarly natural stuff with some man made stunts. There is a Wed Nite group ride there this week out of Rhino's bike shop. Call 536-3919 for details.

Also, Chainline Cycles in Laconia has a mountain bike ride posted for Thursday night.

See www.ridelist.com (http://www.ridelist.com) for times and contact info.

[45a]

Back in MD now..

Slav, thx for hookin me in to the local scene. I was able to ride Franklin Falls and Ahern. Loved them both.

NEMBA has done an awesome job with the trails in FF. Nice riding with Kevin, Matt, and Brad. Good trails, good folk.

And Big ups to Eric, Brad, et al for leading me around Ahern on Thursday. Having the roots memorized would've been helpful considering the low light at ride time.. but I managed 0 for 100 on wash outs ;)

NH topsoil is much more organic than I'm used to. Sections of our trails are soft and loamy, but by majority they are dirt and rock surfaced. I loved the tight, rooted turns and quick undulations... not to mention the tall Evergreens with rolling knolls and granite underneath. Absolutely beautiful.

But I'm not sure which is worse: Timber Rattlers or Mosquitos.. :D

Thanks all.