EXPLORING THE MOUNTAINS BY TRIALS BIKE
The Cormandel Ranges is one of my favourite places to ride. The terrain is steep, no that's being kind, it's near vertical most places and to compound the difficulty these mountains attract rain like a magnet to iron. Then there's the vegetation, growing all-year round in a profuse tangle of palms, vines, ferns and bushes. At times you simply have to get off the bike and cut back the vines with a saw or machete to even see a trail that only a few years previously might have been clear to ride. Any ride summer or winter is likely to be a test of stamina and fortitude.
Long ago our riding group discovered that our enduro race bikes were a poor match to the challenge of these mountains and that trials bikes were the ideal way to explore the ranges. Not only could we travel further with relative ease into the gnarliest jungle but we could do so quietly and without causing damage to the trails.
Long ago our riding group discovered that our enduro race bikes were a poor match to the challenge of these mountains and that trials bikes were the ideal way to explore the ranges. Not only could we travel further with relative ease into the gnarliest jungle but we could do so quietly and without causing damage to the trails.