Downhill SoCal Bike Park on Facebook

So, for those of you on Facebook, there is a fairly new entitiy called "SoCal Bike Park" www.facebook.com/socalbikepark. They are currently working on getting permission to set up a Bike Park in Riverside on Winchester Road near Intense Bicycles. They are also looking at a Palmdale location as well. To get on the mailing list, send an email to [email protected]!

 

Bumping this to see if anyone has more info on it (besides what they have posted to FB). This is looking more and more like its going to happen. They are even talking actual lifts.

And the people behind this are a different group than the Vail park? http://www.socaltrailriders.org/for...eeded-bike-park-trail-building-vail-lake.html

So we are going to have 2 parks in SoCal? Or am i getting my hopes up?

 

Different locale, different people! And no, the only info I've seen is on FB. Posting pictures and getting peoples hopes up seems like a cruel joke given the amount of times I've seen wishful thinking go up in smoke. Only time will tell.

 

would b sick!

 

Seems like they are really targeting extreme "gravity" riders. I posted up and asked about trails for all levels of riders and if there would be any XC stuff for those who want to climb... The responded with a yes, but then deleted the post a day later. :?: kinda weird... SO, who knows... Would be nice, but I'm not going to get excited about it yet.

 

Haven't we all learned from the Baldy/Mt Waterman ass tickling? Once they talk to a lawyer they go back in their holes.

 

From their FB page:
[h=6]Socal Bike Park

BRAKING NEWS ; WE GOT IT : ) !!! we now have an agreement with the land owners to bring SoCal Bike Park to market at this location ... OMG we are about to change everything , THANK YOU SoCal RIDERS : ) !!![/h]

 

Carl I have done some riding out there . There are a few trails and fire roads already. I think you are right.
I see it more gravity oriented . We need to speak up and let them know a hell of a lot of us XC out here.
I live off Winchester Rd. so if it comes to pass it will be very close . If only we could get the county and
Diamond lake people to let us use the Horse and Hiking trails, both parks could be linked for some fun rides!

 

Why do xc riders need a bike park? I ride xc and gravity. I have a lot of choices for xc rides, but the big bike requires stealthy, secret, underground operations to thoroughly enjoy what SoCal has hidden in its hills. Big bikes almost require a bike park for bike transport and safety (of self and others). Tons of XC available everywhere. Keeping access to those trails is a different issue (IMBA).

 

Actually, I don't think there is much here in the IE for XC / AM trail riding unless you like fire roads. SRP and simpson park are ok, but small. And It's not that I'm looking for XC, I asked them if they were going to have something for everyone. Meaning some more AM flowy kinda stuff. All I hear them talk about is 10 foot ladder drops. Sorry, but you won't find me doing anything like that on my AM bike. I just hope they think about trails for all levels of riders. They way they talk they are going to focus on giant crazy freeride drops and jumps. Hopefully they will have something for everyone is all I'm saying.... If they start off by building trails that only 10% of the mtb community can ride, they are not going to get many riders. Compared to if they build trails that 100% of us can ride. If they are building a park and hope to charge a fee, they better think big.

 

win Win WIN!

If they actually succeed in building this park and having a mixture of intermediate to expert freeride stunts and WC-style DH trails, along with either lifts or shuttles, you can bet your ass that they'll attract PLENTY of business. No need for any XC type trails there. Legal XC trails can be found in damn near every nook and cranny of SoCal.

 

What Carl said is correct. We do not have a lot of XC options out here. Vail Lake and Simpson Park and S.R.P.
are about it. Nobody is saying it should be all XC . We are suggesting they offer some XC trails as well
as gravity runs. If they build a Park that caters to those that just do big drops and sketchy down hills
that only 10 % of Southern California's Mountain Bikers can Ride. They will never get enough paying
customers to stay in buisness. If they are smart they should include a BMX track next to the Pump Track
as many of the Groms that ride BMX will eventually become Mountain Bikers!

I thought Vail Lake was going to start building some Down Hill runs and a Pump Track as well as
getting a shuttle system up and running this Spring/Summer ? If So this will make it very hard on
the new park . In my mind they are going to need any and every kind of rider they can get to stay
a float.

Gravity and XC riders are both Part of the same Mountain Biking community that NEEDS to work
together to promote access and growth . What we do not need is a separation or even worst
an "us verses them" attitude.
Only by working together is the only way a bike Park way out here in Temecula is ever going
to succeed .

 

They are building what doesn't exist very much especially with legal trails.

Will they expand to more XC later, but how many people are going to pay to to ride XC.

I have not had an issue finding XC riding spots in IE.

And Vail DH being competition, I will believe it when I see it.

 

Not a DHer but it should be a full blown extreme downhill/freeride park. I for one do not pay to ride XC Trails although there are some wilderness trails I would pay to be able to ride.

I truly hope this project works out and gets a ton of support.

Dean

 

From the FB page:

We will have professional track builders on staff to regularly maintain and build new features.
We intend to offer at least 12 gravity tracks
1 UCI pro level downhill track
Multiple expert tracks
Beginner / sport tracks
Pro XC
Super -D
4X
Dual Slalom
and Freeride Park with indoor foam pits
reserved onsite camping
This will be the place to race all year long day & night !!!

 

I am sorry to hear you don't have many xc options where you live. XC trail building and access is critical to the enjoyment of our sport - but has little to do with the point I am making.

The trend in bike parks is to offer a ton of intermediate and a few beginner gravity trails. Think about a ski area in winter - beginner and kid areas, intermediate runs (mostly), expert runs and then usually park and pipe features. A lift-assisted bike park is not about big drops and sketchy runs (although those are there). It's about flowy runs that make your cheeks hurt from grinning so much. This has done a lot to get people into mountain biking. It does not promote an us against them attitude, it actually brings the genres closer together. What creates division is climbing SJT and having a group of gravity riders blast you half off the trail, or having these pajama-wearing full-facers ripping down a trail in Laguna that we can't even mention while Ma and Pa Kettle are walking their dog on the same trail. Dedicated bike parks bring peace and harmony among the various sectors of riding. My wife and I ride both XC and DH. Putting XC trails intertwining the DH trails is begging for conflict - and injury.

If you have not been to a bike park (such as Mammoth, Whistler, Keystone, Northstar, Trestle, etc), I can see where you might get a misperception of what they are about. Do yourself a favor - visit one next summer. Big Bear (Snow Summit) doesn't count. Practice your "wooo whooooos!"

 

One more thought - cross country skiers and alpine (DH) skiers do not have animosity towards one another. They are two different sports requiring different equipment and different venues. You can choose to participate in one or the other exclusively, or you can do both. It is rare to see a true xc skier at a ski area.

 

I can't wait till this thing is built. I have always wanted to have access to a foam pit... so cal is in dire need of a gravity oriented bike park.

 

i agree with monster pee pee

 

As I told the owner of the page, "I'm not holding my breath". I'll wait and see what happens. The fact that the guy won't even divulge his name ticks me off!