atlanta visitor! in town for a week (4/9 - 4/16)

[the schwartz]

Hey folks

got referred to your site through atlanta pro bikes. I'm visiting atlanta for a week starting this friday and through next friday, and planning to bring my mountain bike.

2 questions -
a) Are there any group rides planned, or what might be a good way for me to hook up with some locals while i'm visiting? Don't mind riding alone, but after reading about the doberman/rottweiler packs in the one park i figure having a guide and some company might be nice more fun, anyway. i'll bring the post-ride beers

b) group rides aside, if i could only hit one or two spots while i'm visiting, where should i try to go? i'm a fairly advanced xc rider, definitely used to northeast technical rocks and roots riding, gone on a few downhilling trips, so i want to avoid any beginner loops and hit the sweet stuff. if my location makes a difference about where i should go, i'll be staying a few blocks from atlanta pro bikes, kind of between Poncey Highlands and Atkins Park (according to google maps - i don't know the area). I'll have access to a car to drive to trails.
i found this trail map http://www.sorbaatlanta.org/trails but it doesn't give too much trail information (though having them all on a map is great)


eager to hear what advice you all have!


(edit: i have lights also - night ride would be sweet

[MrUnderhill]

Hey Schwartz, happy to tour guide the trails on the north side of ATL (blankets, big creek) during the days m-th. kids on the bus at 7, i'm free til 2. Blankets= 12 + miles of well used single track, log rides and lake views. Big Creek = 5 or so miles of rocks (just kidding, sort of) with a super fun free ride area on the back side. 2 or 3 downhill runs, slalom course and a gulley run = lots o grins. both w/in easy reach of where you'll be. plenty of great stuff a little farther north (hour, hour ana half). Bear Creek/Pinhotis (my personal fave, N GA woods riding, lots o water crossings, incredible downhill rides) outside of Ellijay, Chicopee in Gainesville (very similar to Blankets more miles i think) Bull Mountain (N GA Mtns but more rugged than Bear). sure some will chime in with more, but you get the picture.
also, the urban ramble season is about to kick in. look for those and all group rides here in the Rides thread (duh). Alpha Bikes in Alpharetta is set to start on the 15th and Treybiker is already started up in Canton. tip of the iceberg, really.
You won't have a problem filling up your ride card. holler if you don't get any better offers j.

[rootrat]

There may be some closer but check out Blankets Creek especially for night ride. Take 575 North to sixes road. Go left. The trail will be marked on your left a couple of miles down on your left. http://www.sorbawoodstock.org/

[davidmuse]

If you're limited to in-town riding, I'd recommend Big Creek, Blankets Creek and Chicopee Woods.

In that order, they are successively longer and more strenuous. They're all within an hour or less of downtown.

If you can get up into the mountains at all, which is like a 2 hour drive from downtown, I'd recommend Bear Creek and the nearby Pinhoti Trails, Bull Mountain or The Aska Trails.

For those, print and bring a map. And also the Aska Trails are extremely strenuous.

[ScubaCruz]

A whole week... wow, you've got your hands full...

In addition to David's super duper cool trail site, there also the "all hale" Al Google Map:
http://maps.google.com/maps/ms?hl=en&ie ... 11055&z=13

But... before using Al's Google Map, show respect for "teh" Al and his mad multi-media skills first by viewing the best Hilter rant in town -- (and to truly experience metro Atlanta area SORBA members) http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_TGH7vBC2nw

The suggestions will be endless. Enjoy your week in the Atlanta...

where there is local riding with in minutes (Sope Creek, Yellow River, Big Creek, Blankets Creek).

Then a little further out, around an hour drive (Conyers Horse Park - Olympic Course, Ft Yargo, Dauset Trails, Chicopee Woods).

But the really good stuff is a little further out, 1.5 to 2 or 3 hours north, northwest and southeast of Atlanta (Bull/Jake Mtn, Bear Creek - Pinhoti 1-2-3-more, Snake Creek, Raccoon Mtn, FATS(Fork Area Trail System), to name a few of the popular ones).

Drop a note when you can go and see who says they're also going to be there or go there.

[k2biker]

Correction: Conyers / GIHP / Olympic Trail is 25 min from downtown - not an hour.

I'm sure I'll be riding Sope at least twice next week since it's my backyard trail. Drop me a line if you want to join -- it could be like Tuesday and Thursday and I'm off work by 3:30 so usually RTR anytime after that.

[the schwartz]

Thank you so much for the warm welcome! You guys are awesome and I can't wait to meet some of you.

I am in town for a conference (CHI) for the week, and I just got the schedule so I'm not sure yet which days will be best for me to skip out and hit the trails. Safe bet that Saturday will be a ride day for me though - anyone planning to go out that day and want to show me around?

Also: regarding bike rentals, I spoke to Atlanta Pro Bikes on N. Highland Ave and they said no shops in town rent mountain bikes. Anyone have information to the contrary? I'm about to start taking my bike apart to put on the plane, but I've never done that before and it's awful expensive to ship ($79 each way).
*edit - scratch that, it's packed and i'm just gonna bring it. i love my 29er anyway - it's new and beautiful

Lastly, totally off topic and a shameless long-shot, if anyone's company is hiring Interaction Designers, User Researchers or any other positions related to Human-Computer Interaction, I'd definitely like to hear from you - that's ostensibly what I'm in town for

[Baine]

Free flite Cycles has bike rentals. here is the link.

http://freeflite.com/articles/rental-bi ... -pg866.htm

[k2biker]

What size bike do ya need? I have a large Salsa Dos Niner geared and a large WaltWorks rigid SS we may be able to work something out with.

I'll be hitting Conyers first thing Saturday 4-10. RTR is 8:30 and can take both bikes with me. I'll die...I mean, ride the SS if you come out. GULP...riding the SS at Conyers...

Shops that I know of that rent: Cycleworks and Free Flite.

[cyclesmith]

Pretty sure Outspokin' rents bikes, too. And, I think cRASh (Michael) at Alpha Bikes has a few rental/demo bikes.

Mike, from Cartecay Bikes is hosting a group ride on Sunday up at Tanasi, which is at the Ocoee Whitewater Center, just across the state line in Tennesee. Great trails, and should be a great group. Ready to ride at 10:30 from the Thunder Rock campground parking area. More info on facebook, if you're active over there.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/eve ... 4911874009

[k2biker]

Pretty sure Outspokin' rents bikes, too. And, I think cRASh (Michael) at Alpha Bikes has a few rental/demo bikes.

Mike, from Cartecay Bikes is hosting a group ride on Sunday up at Tanasi, which is at the Ocoee Whitewater Center, just across the state line in Tennesee. Great trails, and should be a great group. Ready to ride at 10:30 from the Thunder Rock campground parking area. More info on facebook, if you're active over there.

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#!/eve ... 4911874009

good to know -- I was planning to head up there anyway!

[the schwartz]

re: Tansi group ride @ Ocoee

that sounds amazing and an awesome thing to incorporate into my trip down here. Any chance of me bumming a ride off someone? I'm in the Virginia Highlands.


~aaron