A place to start riding?

[moto922]

Hi to everyone at SORBA. I need help on where to go ride. Here's the deal, me and 22 y/o son just got our mountain bikes. Son has a Cannondale Super V 2000 and I got a Trek 4500. I'm 57 y/o and need to start out on a trail thats only a few miles long. Where do we go? My son and I ride and race motorcycle motocross, not BMX, and would like to ride on a trial thats not just flat dirt road. We live in Augusta and have never rode any trails that are near. With me being 57 y/o and just starting with mountain bike riding I need to build up to longer trail rides but right now I don't want to over do it. If someone would tell us where to go park our truck and help tell us what type trail would be great. Flat dirt road is not what we would enjoy.

Thanks for the help,
Jerry Murphy
Augusta, GA

[seenvic]

Jerry,
Almost every trail in the area is a begginer trail of sorts. Some are just more so than others.

I'd start at the Bartram Trail up by Petersburg campground. The yellow trail is a 7 mile out/back so you need to turn around to get back to your car. If you feel tired, turn around and ride back to your car.

Look at the trails page on the site and it will direct you to the Bartram Trail.

[Mark Y]

Oct 30, 2008 11:57:12 GMT -5 moto922 said:

Hi to everyone at SORBA. I need help on where to go ride. Here's the deal, me and 22 y/o son just got our mountain bikes. Son has a Cannondale Super V 2000 and I got a Trek 4500. I'm 57 y/o and need to start out on a trail thats only a few miles long. Where do we go? My son and I ride and race motorcycle motocross, not BMX, and would like to ride on a trial thats not just flat dirt road. We live in Augusta and have never rode any trails that are near. With me being 57 y/o and just starting with mountain bike riding I need to build up to longer trail rides but right now I don't want to over do it. If someone would tell us where to go park our truck and help tell us what type trail would be great. Flat dirt road is not what we would enjoy.

Thanks for the help,
Jerry Murphy
Augusta, GA

As another beginner in his mid 50's I can vouch for the Bartram as a good starting point. It crosses several roads that lead back out to 221, so you also have the option of hitting the highway back to the car as a shortcut if you think you are too tired to get back via the trail, or if darkness is overtaking. Careful though, I've heard hunters' gunshots when on that trail.
The canal trail behind the pumping station is only 4 miles and a good beginner's spot too.

[dgaddis1]

Try the canal trail. It's under 4 miles long, and fairly easy. There are a few tough spots, but they're easy to walk if you're not confident riding them.

And, there's no hunting at the canal.

[moto922]

Thanks seenvic, iceman, dgaddis1, looks like Bartram will be the first weekend trail ride. Someone told me that there was some trails near I-20 that was off of the main Canal trail. If there is some trails, thats fun to ride there, whats the nearest place to park and about how far is it to the I-20 trails. I work at MCG and son goes and lives near ASU. What would be the nearest trails we could ride after work and where to park. Please tell me about the hunting at Bartram trail, is there any danger.

Thanks,
Jerry

[Mark Y]

Oct 30, 2008 14:32:32 GMT -5 moto922 said:

Thanks seenvic, iceman, dgaddis1, looks like Bartram will be the first weekend trail ride. Someone told me that there was some trails near I-20 that was off of the main Canal trail. If there is some trails, thats fun to ride there, whats the nearest place to park and about how far is it to the I-20 trails. I work at MCG and son goes and lives near ASU. What would be the nearest trails we could ride after work and where to park.

Thanks,
Jerry

Canal. You can park at the pumping station or at Eisenower Park and ride across the canal.

[brianW]

The Canal Trail is a single track/hiking trail by the pump station. Ride down the tracks to the tree line, about 100ft, and the trail will be on your left. It is a fun twisty loop. There is a sign at the bottom of the hill to show you which direction to ride. even days one direction, odd days the other.

This is not the same as the bike path. You can also park at the rapids but this will add 3.5 miles each way.

[moto922]

Oct 30, 2008 17:44:06 GMT -5 brianW said:

The Canal Trail is a single track/hiking trail by the pump station. Ride down the tracks to the tree line, about 100ft, and the trail will be on your left. It is a fun twisty loop. There is a sign at the bottom of the hill to show you which direction to ride. even days one direction, odd days the other.

This is not the same as the bike path. You can also park at the rapids but this will add 3.5 miles each way.

Thanks brianw and everyone else for the help. The Canal trail by the pump station sounds what we are looking for, twisty trail on a short distance loop. I'm sure we will find more places to ride and really thank you for suggestions and let us know about other places. After this weekend I will report about our ride.

[dgaddis1]

Here you go man, this has most of the trailheads marked:
maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie=UTF8&msa=0&msid=112493191138240861154.0004351308c52f1b7228a&ll=33.511348,-82.002162&spn=0.002075,0.003358&t=h&z=18

I work at the Enterprise Mill downtown, I ride the canal a good bit, and you can ride to the trail from the Mill very easily - the only pavement involved is two road crossings, everything else is dirt! Let me know if you and your son want a guide or someone to ride with sometime. I can be ready to ride as early as 4:15 during the week.

[yetichick]

Horn Creek is also a great place for beginners. I had been riding in Tucson for a year when we moved here to SC, but was still pretty much a beginner. Our first trail in this area was Horn Creek, and I learned a lot on that trail. We have taken several beginners to that trail, and they loved it! It is just shy of 6 miles, and is a loop.

[moto922]

Thanks dgaddis1, the trail map was what we needed. Weekday ride after work sounds good. I will let you know how this weekend ride goes.

Thanks yetichick, Horn Creek sounds like a fun place. I will know after this weekend what my mileage range will be.

[JIMMYC]

hey moto, you guys need to come up to bikefest next weekend, it'll be a good group of people and great way to check out the Bartram trail.

[moto922]

Oct 31, 2008 8:08:38 GMT -5 JIMMYC said:

hey moto, you guys need to come up to bikefest next weekend, it'll be a good group of people and great way to check out the Bartram trail.

Thanks for the invite jimmyc, next weekend I got a Vintage Motocross race near Macon. The club I belong to is Southeast Vintage Motocross, check out SEVMX website. www.sevintagemx.com/

[bikerides4u]

www.singletracks.com/metroMaps/pdf/AUG.pdf

[JIMMYC]

When I was a kid in the back in the '70s I had few dirtbikes, alot of your skills will transfer to the bicycle.
You guys are gonna love the FATS trails.

[moto922]

WOW, we had fun on our first ever MB trail ride. We arrived at the Pump Station around 10:30am Sunday and the weather was great. The Canal trail was easy to locate and the odd and even day sign was easy to see. My 22 y/o son loved the trail and rode it as if he has been mountain biking before, his past BMX and motorcycle motocross riding made him look like a season pro, he knows he still has lots to learn and the drive he has with motocross will go to MB riding.

I really liked the Canal trail, I liked the twisty turns and sometimes felt as if I was riding my motocross bike. The first loop we made I dismounted maybe 6 times mostly on hills that I could not pedal up and once on a down hill with lots of roots, am not counting times we dismounted for tree logs. Anyway the loop did not feel like we just rode over 3 miles. It did make me somewhat tired but after taking a break back at the truck we decided to ride some more. We rode down canal flat road to the South entrance and it was hard to find, we got on the trail and went under bridge and rode maybe another 200 yards and turn back because it did not look like it was leading us to the main canal trail loop. We rode back to Pump station entrance and rode another loop and this time I dismounted maybe 4 times because of mostly I was in wrong gear. Anyway I felt like I did ok with it being the first time I ever rode a trail on a MB and its really the first time for me riding a mountain bike. I have ridden motorcycle motocross since 1974 and my experienced made me feel right at home on the trail, both me and son liked the roots and rocks and we are looking forward to our next MB ride.

Jerry Murphy

[brianW]

I am glad you and your son had a good time. Do not worry about getting off your bike. We all do it no matter how experienced we may be. The key is to get back on and ride some more.

A few weeks back I rode a section at FATS, the switchback/gully section on Skinny, with a newbie. I had him try a few times til he got it. Next time after doing it he went back to re-do it because he realizes how fun it is. Had me laughing and followin him.