Moving to Florida- are the ANY riding options?

PB Forum :: USA - East
Moving to Florida- are the ANY riding options?
  • Previous Page
  • Next Page
Author Message
flag jagarcia89
O+ FL
Posted: Feb 24, 2016 at 19:00 Quote
Well I just got a call that (no offense), I was not excited about. My work is moving me to West Palm, FL and I am trying to get any info on riding.

I am moving from Teton Valley, ID (right outside Jackson hole, WY at the base of the Tetons) and I obviously know my days of riding 4,000 feet of downhill are over and it's time to sell the DH bike and the Enduro 650b Carbon I just bought last season.

I am hoping there is something in the area- even Dirt Jumps, BMX tracks, or some single track for my rigid SS 29er. Any advice, help, or even areas to avoid moving to would be appreciated.
flag TomFL
Posted: Feb 27, 2016 at 10:47 Quote
jagarcia89 wrote:
Well I just got a call that (no offense), I was not excited about. My work is moving me to West Palm, FL and I am trying to get any info on riding.

I am moving from Teton Valley, ID (right outside Jackson hole, WY at the base of the Tetons) and I obviously know my days of riding 4,000 feet of downhill are over and it's time to sell the DH bike and the Enduro 650b Carbon I just bought last season.

I am hoping there is something in the area- even Dirt Jumps, BMX tracks, or some single track for my rigid SS 29er. Any advice, help, or even areas to avoid moving to would be appreciated.

Well let's be honest as you know there isn't the same type of riding as you're used to out West. However, we do have a lot of decent stuff here and we do get to ride 365 days a year.

As far as riding, if you're in WPB area, you can go north to Jonathan Dickinson state park which the locals have pretty much turned into an 8' wide, smooth/groomed shellrock BMX pump track for the most part. It's about 9 miles and still has some natural terrain left in it. There are some false flats and short elevation changes. The only time it's worth riding is after a rain otherwise the sandy areas will swallow you whole. A bit north of that is Halpatiokee park in Stuart, a short/flat ~6 mile loop that has some decent natural terrain but rain will make it a mud slog. If you really need to have fun on a MTB in our area, road trips will be your friend, same as we do at least every other weekend. The Santos area in Ocala is awesome and really the best the state has to offer. 80+ miles of flowy singltrack with everything from short/punchy uphills to fast flowy sections, tight technical stuff and some really cool bike park stuff in the vortex area. Alafia river state park on the west coast near Brandon is another great place just a few hour drive from WPB area, with a good mix of riding and some challenging technical stuff as well. South of you is Markham Park which is shellrock based, some technical stuff but the crowd is decidedly non-English speaking so it may turn you off. Amelia is in the same area and offers a lot of fun stuff as well.

I would not sell your 650b enduro bike... you'll find it has it's place here to hit the root sections and just overall more fun. I have an Intense Tracer in the stable and ride it just as much as the Hard Eddie. Depends on what the gang is riding and where we're going for the day.

Sell the DH bike and buy a road bike. Yeah, you heard that right. Commit to rides along the beach in Juno and the like for mileage and some sunshine. The scenery is different than the mountain vistas but there's plenty of great views if you catch my drift. Winter/summer it doesn't matter there's always something to distract you from the road grind. Better yet, buy a fatbike and ride it ON the beach.

As far as living, if you like the hustle/bustle you'll find that starts south of the Jupiter area. The more south you go from WPB it gets busier and the ratio of non-English speaking illegals goes up mile by mile.

If you're more into the laid back lifestyle, look at Jupiter area and north. Less cars/traffic, more open space the more north you go. The Abacoa area particularly has a lot going for it for younger crowds and more walk-to nightlife.

Hope this helps a bit. Don't despair. We don't have downhills here but we can ride every day year round and there are a lot of cyclists here of all levels, you'll find a good group to hang and ride with for sure.
flag jagarcia89
O+ FL
Posted: Mar 1, 2016 at 15:46 Quote
Thanks Tom! That was perfect! I'll hold onto the enduro is it sounds like it'll be fun and selling it now will mean it cost me a few hundred bucks per ride. I have a cycle cross bike I can always throw road tires on. I also have a rigid salsa Singlespeed to keep things fun on the tamer trails. Hopefully I can also find some bmx tracks or pump tracks to ride the dj on too.
flag dbdg
O+
Posted: Mar 2, 2016 at 1:01 Quote
We dont have the really good down hill, but there is plenty of riding, and racing if you are itnterested. Go to Goneriding.com to see some of what we have to offer. A short trip north is GA with Cold mountain.

Plenty of riding, a lot of surfing/kayaking, sun, the weather: don't be too upset about coming here!
flag mikerod553
Posted: Mar 4, 2016 at 14:43 Quote
you can test your skills by riding the cx bike through most of the trails down here, especially the further south you go. Santos, Alfalia, and Markham have the best terrain, for central/south Florida. Markham and Santos have dj areas, if you look up fiftyfoe54 on Instagram, he maintains or is involved in most of the dirt jump areas down here, always see him at Marham. If you want to check out some of the terrain I put together a highlight fps vid of Markham


Best of luck on the move bud
flag jagarcia89
O+ FL
Posted: May 10, 2016 at 11:56 Quote
So I finally got here. Im living on the north side of Boynton Beach on recommendation from co workers. Figured better be closer to work and drive a bit for trails. I'm always looking for people to ride with so let me know if you guys know any group rides.

Thanks again!
flag FlyFishingRI
Posted: May 10, 2016 at 16:35 Quote
Check this out, looks pretty fun considering how flat the state is.
flag cheetaspeed
Posted: Jun 6, 2016 at 6:07 Quote
Im in coconut creek. Definitely hit up markham, its the best in south florida imo. Theres also virginia key, oleta and amelia. Quiet waters is alright if you need to get back into shape but i have t riddent there in a long time since the hurricane killed it. Theres a few of us that ride feel free to hit me up. In N.H. riding mx, mtb and just enjoying the outdoors for a little bit. Theres also some good riding in central and west fl as stated above. Ive done alagia as a day trip on a weekend but it was a long day
flag jagarcia89
O+ FL
Posted: Jun 10, 2016 at 19:36 Quote
cheetaspeed wrote:
Im in coconut creek. Definitely hit up markham, its the best in south florida imo. Theres also virginia key, oleta and amelia. Quiet waters is alright if you need to get back into shape but i have t riddent there in a long time since the hurricane killed it. Theres a few of us that ride feel free to hit me up. In N.H. riding mx, mtb and just enjoying the outdoors for a little bit. Theres also some good riding in central and west fl as stated above. Ive done alagia as a day trip on a weekend but it was a long day

Thanks. How is markham after rains??? It seems like it's dumped a lot this week. I'm always down to ride Mtb and twist throttle. When do you usually ride?
flag Staktup
O+ FL
Posted: Sep 17, 2016 at 21:19 Quote
TomFL wrote:
jagarcia89 wrote:
Well I just got a call that (no offense), I was not excited about. My work is moving me to West Palm, FL and I am trying to get any info on riding.

I am moving from Teton Valley, ID (right outside Jackson hole, WY at the base of the Tetons) and I obviously know my days of riding 4,000 feet of downhill are over and it's time to sell the DH bike and the Enduro 650b Carbon I just bought last season.

I am hoping there is something in the area- even Dirt Jumps, BMX tracks, or some single track for my rigid SS 29er. Any advice, help, or even areas to avoid moving to would be appreciated.

Well let's be honest as you know there isn't the same type of riding as you're used to out West. However, we do have a lot of decent stuff here and we do get to ride 365 days a year.

As far as riding, if you're in WPB area, you can go north to Jonathan Dickinson state park which the locals have pretty much turned into an 8' wide, smooth/groomed shellrock BMX pump track for the most part. It's about 9 miles and still has some natural terrain left in it. There are some false flats and short elevation changes. The only time it's worth riding is after a rain otherwise the sandy areas will swallow you whole. A bit north of that is Halpatiokee park in Stuart, a short/flat ~6 mile loop that has some decent natural terrain but rain will make it a mud slog. If you really need to have fun on a MTB in our area, road trips will be your friend, same as we do at least every other weekend. The Santos area in Ocala is awesome and really the best the state has to offer. 80+ miles of flowy singltrack with everything from short/punchy uphills to fast flowy sections, tight technical stuff and some really cool bike park stuff in the vortex area. Alafia river state park on the west coast near Brandon is another great place just a few hour drive from WPB area, with a good mix of riding and some challenging technical stuff as well. South of you is Markham Park which is shellrock based, some technical stuff but the crowd is decidedly non-English speaking so it may turn you off. Amelia is in the same area and offers a lot of fun stuff as well.

I would not sell your 650b enduro bike... you'll find it has it's place here to hit the root sections and just overall more fun. I have an Intense Tracer in the stable and ride it just as much as the Hard Eddie. Depends on what the gang is riding and where we're going for the day.

Sell the DH bike and buy a road bike. Yeah, you heard that right. Commit to rides along the beach in Juno and the like for mileage and some sunshine. The scenery is different than the mountain vistas but there's plenty of great views if you catch my drift. Winter/summer it doesn't matter there's always something to distract you from the road grind. Better yet, buy a fatbike and ride it ON the beach.

As far as living, if you like the hustle/bustle you'll find that starts south of the Jupiter area. The more south you go from WPB it gets busier and the ratio of non-English speaking illegals goes up mile by mile.

If you're more into the laid back lifestyle, look at Jupiter area and north. Less cars/traffic, more open space the more north you go. The Abacoa area particularly has a lot going for it for younger crowds and more walk-to nightlife.

Hope this helps a bit. Don't despair. We don't have downhills here but we can ride every day year round and there are a lot of cyclists here of all levels, you'll find a good group to hang and ride with for sure.

Jagarcia, are you of Latin American descent? Is Garcia is your last name? Beware them non-English speaking illegals...enjoy the move and new digs, good luck.
flag activ3
Posted: Sep 30, 2016 at 17:23 Quote
If you haven't yet, check out the Grapefruit Trails in Palm Bay. They have dirt jumps along with a short loop full of drops, tables and doubles. It's realistically a trail built for hucking and nothing else.
flag mpeagan
Posted: Oct 8, 2016 at 14:02 Quote
Check out Gone Riding's website, they hold xc races at all of the Florida venues. Look to Lakeland - Carter Rd - also. Call LeRoys for info on it.
  • Previous Page
  • Next Page

 


Copyright © 2000 - 2024. Pinkbike.com. All rights reserved.
dv65 0.011571
Mobile Version of Website