I Rode My Bike Today...

buggravy said:
New dirt for me today, on another trail quite close to home. Took dirt Mulholland and Temescal out to the section of Backbone that runs from Temescal down to Will Rogers state park. It's been on the list for a while, but is often over grown, and requires a lot of fire road to get to. 6 miles each way of flowy, scenic, yet remote feeling single track. I actually only made it 4 miles before turning back as the bottom of the trail is still super over grown. Nothing like the exploratory feeling of new dirt, though some climbs on loose shale were pretty rough on the single speed. 19.5/2578
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A couple of my friends rode Backbone yesterday, and reported that it had been cleared out. However, they peeled off onto J-Drop into Rustic Canyon, rode Nic Cage etc. and exited via Sullivan Ridge. So, they wouldn't have seen the lowest part of the trail into Will Rogers SP. Not very useful information, but figured I would mention it.
 
JimN said:
A couple of my friends rode Backbone yesterday, and reported that it had been cleared out. However, they peeled off onto J-Drop into Rustic Canyon, rode Nic Cage etc. and exited via Sullivan Ridge. So, they wouldn't have seen the lowest part of the trail into Will Rogers SP. Not very useful information, but figured I would mention it.
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Hmmm, what is this J-Drop? That sounds like a fun route, but I'm missing a couple pieces of the puzzle.
 
buggravy said:
Hmmm, what is this J-Drop? That sounds like a fun route, but I'm missing a couple pieces of the puzzle.
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It's an old social trail. Pretty obvious if you're looking for it. Peels left off of Backbone right about five miles down from Temescal Ridge FR. Steep, rutty, rooty, and technical. Lands you into Rustic Canyon where you can head left a bit and hook up with the climb out of Nic Cage to Sullivan Ridge. I no longer live in SoCal, so haven't ridden it in a number of years. It's about 0.6 miles long and drops 600 feet. Roughly a three and a half to four minute descent for a well skilled rider based on data from this past month.
 
JimN said:
It's an old social trail. Pretty obvious if you're looking for it. Peels left off of Backbone right about five miles down from Temescal Ridge FR. Steep, rutty, rooty, and technical. Lands you into Rustic Canyon where you can head left a bit and hook up with the climb out of Nic Cage to Sullivan Ridge. I no longer live in SoCal, so haven't ridden it in a number of years. It's about 0.6 miles long and drops 600 feet. Roughly a three and a half to four minute descent for a well skilled rider based on data from this past month.
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Sounds perfect to gain perspective on Maxxis Rekons.
 
JimN said:
It's an old social trail. Pretty obvious if you're looking for it. Peels left off of Backbone right about five miles down from Temescal Ridge FR. Steep, rutty, rooty, and technical. Lands you into Rustic Canyon where you can head left a bit and hook up with the climb out of Nic Cage to Sullivan Ridge. I no longer live in SoCal, so haven't ridden it in a number of years. It's about 0.6 miles long and drops 600 feet. Roughly a three and a half to four minute descent for a well skilled rider based on data from this past month.
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Yup scary steep and IIRC, it was mainly one giant deep rut.
 
DangerDirtyD said:
Sounds perfect to gain perspective on Maxxis Rekons.
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Ha! Yeah, should add a little excitement to the experience. Funny to think that I never really consider tire weight/rolling resistance anymore. Just go with what works and holds up in my local terrain, generally DHRII/DHF combo. Thinking back, most of the runs I have on J-Drop were on my circa 2004 fully-rigid SS with 29" wheels. Being early in the 29er era, there weren't a lot of options for wheelsets when I built that bike. Went with Chris Kings laced to Mavic A719s, a 700c road touring bike rim with the unnecessary braking surfaces, since I had disc brakes. While I was running a decently wide and beefy front tire (can't remember what exactly), it didn't offer a very good profile on such a narrow rim.
 
Did a early morning cruze around the hood on Ol' Blue again, before the heat kicks in today.
I took the same route as the other week on pavement, don't tell anyone.
I thought about pushing it a little bit more today and my body said whatdahey and it took over after that. I like to analyze my riding data (see ShockWiz comments) if you haven't figured this out by know, so no pretty pictures, just screenshots of what I look at.

1st picture Last weeks ride
2nd picture Todays ride
3rd picture Todays ride
4th picture Ladt werks ride
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JimN said:
It's an old social trail.
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It's a bit more than that. Usually there's a sign at that junction, sometimes SP flavored, comes and goes. It's seen a fair amount of official construction, including sutter walls where it enters the creek bed, and some step work in the rocky chute section on the ridge. Socially maintained, but it was an official trail at some point. Backbone below this junction is usually much less overgrown, too much ped traffic.
 
Dr. Wellington Yueh said:
It's a bit more than that. Usually there's a sign at that junction, sometimes SP flavored, comes and goes. It's seen a fair amount of official construction, including sutter walls where it enters the creek bed, and some step work in the rocky chute section on the ridge. Socially maintained, but it was an official trail at some point. Backbone below this junction is usually much less overgrown, too much ped traffic.
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Thanks! Very good info. Makes sense that it has seen some work based on the recorded Strava times over the last month, even though the majority of them are from what I consider to be very fast and super skilled riders.
 
Once you get to the pavement on Sulli ridge head uphill (north) when you get to a power pole at the beginning of the cure there is a right turn. It is like J drop but steeper.. It drops into Sulli Cyn approx at Queensberry. It is a horse trail so the tread is deep and it does not waste time dropping. J drop is the old Josepho spur trail. Camp Joespho is a scout csmp
 
Dr. Wellington Yueh said:
Squirrel Cage!
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Squirrel Cage, indeed! Historically, I aways found it easier than J-Drop, even with the level pedal deep rut.

Then of course, there's the "Horse Trail" that drops in by the gate at the top of the paved road that connects the bottom of Sullivan Canyon to Queensferry. This trail will connect you down to Old Ranch Road, where you can go left and take it out to Sunset Blvd. Last time I rode it, the local homeowners had really tried to block off access along the flat section that traverses behind some properties, and then the bottom section and roll out to the road was horribly eroded. It was pretty much always eroded and sketchy, since you're rolling out very steeply and blind onto a public road, but last time I rode it, it was the worst I've ever seen. I don't see any of my old SoCal friends riding it in recent times, so I assume it's done. I remember back in September 2014 when some local trail users tried to make it impossible for mountain bikers to ride the trail by attaching 18" tall wooden boards to steel pipes that were driven far into the ground. I singlehandedly ripped all of that stuff out and it never returned. I also had my own confrontations with the "Horse Lady" on that trail, which is one of those if you know you know references, even involving law suits. I always loved that trail. Strava shows that I have nearly 300 efforts on it, and I was riding it before Strava existed.
 
Wrightwood this morning.

Up Boy Scout, down Pinecone/Logging Road, down Leprechaun, and up the diabolical fire road. I wanted to go up Boy Scout again and ride it down, but the bugs were insane today. Every climb I had a swarm around my head. I spit out at least 10 and swallowed 2 and they kept getting in my eyes. That's what she said. :laugh:

Did not see one other bike the entire ride, and in fact, only two hikers. One was a barefoot lady that looked a bit crazy. Nobody on the fun trails though.

Logging Road is a blast, I really like that one. Leprechaun has its moments, but I hopped off and carried my bike over water about 4 times. :cautious:

Man, the bugs were brutal though. I need a net or something.

Good fun otherwise, and traffic there and back was better than normal.

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Is this trail any good?

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Obsidian said:
Wrightwood this morning.

Up Boy Scout, down Pinecone/Logging Road, down Leprechaun, and up the diabolical fire road. I wanted to go up Boy Scout again and ride it down, but the bugs were insane today. Every climb I had a swarm around my head. I spit out at least 10 and swallowed 2 and they kept getting in my eyes. That's what she said. :laugh:

Did not see one other bike the entire ride, and in fact, only two hikers. One was a barefoot lady that looked a bit crazy. Nobody on the fun trails though.

Logging Road is a blast, I really like that one. Leprechaun has its moments, but I hopped off and carried my bike over water about 4 times. :cautious:

Man, the bugs were brutal though. I need a net or something.

Good fun otherwise, and traffic there and back was better than normal.
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Looks like a great day out there, other than the bugs. Been many years since I last rode in that area.

Looked at Fenner Saddle Trail on Trailforks. It drops 540 feet in 0.7 miles, so pretty steep. The fireroad return from the bottom to the end of Boy Scout trail looks pretty manageable with 570 feet in two miles. Not much to glean from the reports. Someone rode it in last November and said that it was a little slippery in spots due to fallen leaves, but otherwise in good shape. That said, a trail report from the better part of a year ago doesn't mean all that much.
 
JimN said:
Squirrel Cage, indeed! Historically, I aways found it easier than J-Drop, even with the level pedal deep rut.

Then of course, there's the "Horse Trail" that drops in by the gate at the top of the paved road that connects the bottom of Sullivan Canyon to Queensferry. This trail will connect you down to Old Ranch Road, where you can go left and take it out to Sunset Blvd. Last time I rode it, the local homeowners had really tried to block off access along the flat section that traverses behind some properties, and then the bottom section and roll out to the road was horribly eroded. It was pretty much always eroded and sketchy, since you're rolling out very steeply and blind onto a public road, but last time I rode it, it was the worst I've ever seen. I don't see any of my old SoCal friends riding it in recent times, so I assume it's done. I remember back in September 2014 when some local trail users tried to make it impossible for mountain bikers to ride the trail by attaching 18" tall wooden boards to steel pipes that were driven far into the ground. I singlehandedly ripped all of that stuff out and it never returned. I also had my own confrontations with the "Horse Lady" on that trail, which is one of those if you know you know references, even involving law suits. I always loved that trail. Strava shows that I have nearly 300 efforts on it, and I was riding it before Strava existed.
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Yep I took Horse Trail down a few times and I too had at least one run-in with the lady on the white horse. She was a real nut case.
 
JimN said:
Looks like a great day out there, other than the bugs. Been many years since I last rode in that area.

Looked at Fenner Saddle Trail on Trailforks. It drops 540 feet in 0.7 miles, so pretty steep. The fireroad return from the bottom to the end of Boy Scout trail looks pretty manageable with 570 feet in two miles. Not much to glean from the reports. Someone rode it in last November and said that it was a little slippery in spots due to fallen leaves, but otherwise in good shape. That said, a trail report from the better part of a year ago doesn't mean all that much.
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I found a route from one of the people I follow on Strava that comes out to 15+ miles with Fenner, Boy Scout and Leprechaun. I might try that next time. There is probably a crap ton of fun trails up there that I have never ridden.
 
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