Vancouver

Author Message
flag KyleIsaman
Posted: Oct 7, 2017 at 10:03 Quote
PMac16 wrote:
Hey

Where should I ride this weekend. Looking to try some new spots.

Options

Bear mountain
Woodlot
Vedder

Thanks

Woodlot is pretty beat. Bear is great. If you've got a pickup and can run shuttles, I'd recommend Vedder
flag VagabondExpedition
Posted: Oct 7, 2017 at 14:19 Quote
Just thought I'd say hello. I'm fairly new to the area (been in Richmond a few weeks now) and looking to get out and explore the area. How late into the year can one expect to ride the trails here?

I had a friend fly in from Saskatchewan a couple of days ago, and we met up at Mount Fromme. My first time riding a "mountain". I was a bit skeptical at first with tight switch backs and on the brakes so often, but I'm sure the comfort level will come the more I'm out there.
flag sushifor2
Posted: Oct 7, 2017 at 15:27 Quote
VagabondExpedition wrote:
Just thought I'd say hello. I'm fairly new to the area (been in Richmond a few weeks now) and looking to get out and explore the area. How late into the year can one expect to ride the trails here?

I had a friend fly in from Saskatchewan a couple of days ago, and we met up at Mount Fromme. My first time riding a "mountain". I was a bit skeptical at first with tight switch backs and on the brakes so often, but I'm sure the comfort level will come the more I'm out there.

Welcome to Van! You can usually ride year round here if you stick to lower elevation trails, as you get higher, you might run into snow after mid november. Some years are different than others, last year we got a ton of snow, some years not at all
flag bigredride
Posted: Oct 10, 2017 at 14:46 Quote
[Quote="VagabondExpedition"]Just thought I'd say hello. I'm fairly new to the area (been in Richmond a few weeks now) and looking to get out and explore the area. How late into the year can one expect to ride the trails here?

I had a friend fly in from Saskatchewan a couple of days ago, and we met up at Mount Fromme. My first time riding a "mountain". I was a bit skeptical at first with tight switch backs and on the brakes so often, but I'm sure the comfort level will come the more I'm out there.

Welcome - you can ride almost all year unless it snows like last year! lower trails atleast. Maple Ridge/Mission and Vedder are almost always good to go. As for the video and your request for tips - yes, faster is almost always better for getting over stuff. As for stair and general riding - don't sit on your seat. Attack position, "heavy feet and light hands". seats are for climbing - a trail like bobsled I don't think Im on the seat ever.
flag kianrasmussen
Posted: Oct 23, 2017 at 15:21 Quote
looking for a riding buddy 15-17 y/o in the Vancouver area. hit me up if you're up for some riding!!
flag Massini64
Posted: Jan 28, 2018 at 13:25 Quote
Yo Vancouver! I've just booked my flights to come see ya!

I'll be staying 2 week from the 23rd of May before heading north to Squamish.

Couple of questions:

Where would be the best place to stay? I want to do as much riding as I can but also want to see the city - how east would it be to stay in the city and get the bike out to the trail heads? Or would it be better to find a place to stay nearer the trails and travel into the city?

Also whats it like finding riding buddies - would much rather tag a long with some guys rather than go up alone. Get shown some good stuff and safety in numbers!

Cant wait to get out there, cheers in advance!
flag gbeaks33
Posted: Jan 28, 2018 at 16:45 Quote
Massini64 wrote:
Yo Vancouver! I've just booked my flights to come see ya!

I'll be staying 2 week from the 23rd of May before heading north to Squamish.

Couple of questions:

Where would be the best place to stay? I want to do as much riding as I can but also want to see the city - how east would it be to stay in the city and get the bike out to the trail heads? Or would it be better to find a place to stay nearer the trails and travel into the city?

Also whats it like finding riding buddies - would much rather tag a long with some guys rather than go up alone. Get shown some good stuff and safety in numbers!

Cant wait to get out there, cheers in advance!

See if you can airbnb near the trailheads of Seymour or Fromme. I would recommend against staying elsewhere and renting a car. Traffic on the north shore has gotten pretty bad over the last few years. You can easily spend more time in your car than the length of your bike ride.

You can bus downtown from north van fairly easily if you want via the Sea Bus. But honestly you've probably seen a big city before. Vancouver is similar. Although the beaches and Stanley park are pretty nice. But shred time takes priority.

I found getting into the riding scene and finding people to ride with was more difficult in Vancouver than other cities/towns I lived in BC. You can grab an nsride weekly membership for cheap and do their group rides. They did Thursday nights and the odd weekend excursion when I lived in Vancouver. Other than that there aren't really any organized group rides. Unless you're into racing, which I'd recommend the NSMBA Fiver series. They're pretty good and more about fun than pure racing.
flag rebel12
O+
Posted: Jan 28, 2018 at 21:15 Quote
Massini64 wrote:
Yo Vancouver! I've just booked my flights to come see ya!

I'll be staying 2 week from the 23rd of May before heading north to Squamish.

Couple of questions:

Where would be the best place to stay? I want to do as much riding as I can but also want to see the city - how east would it be to stay in the city and get the bike out to the trail heads? Or would it be better to find a place to stay nearer the trails and travel into the city?

Also whats it like finding riding buddies - would much rather tag a long with some guys rather than go up alone. Get shown some good stuff and safety in numbers!

Cant wait to get out there, cheers in advance!


I agree with what @gbeaks33 said about staying near one of the North Shore mountains. I lived in Vancouver and it took me an hour in traffic to get to the North Shore.

As far as finding someone to ride with I would join a "meetup" group. See link below.

https://www.meetup.com/cities/ca/bc/vancouver/?_cookie-check=09oIVi54JUEKE9qG

Or post on here. I would gladly show you a few trails but have now moved to the Sunshine Coast. I highly recommend riding on the Sunshine Coast. World class trails. IF you make it this way message me.

Good luck.
flag amongtalltrees
O+
Posted: Feb 6, 2018 at 16:06 Quote
Stay on the shore for sure. Best bet would be look at the parking lot for Seymour (old buck lot) or Fromme (top of mountain highway) and get as close to the as possible or somewhere inbetween the two. Another good spot to stay that allows you to access the trails and get downtown would be somewhere near the "Lonsdale Quay". Theres a seabus there that can take you right to the heart of downtown.

As far as someone to ride with and show you around feel free to DM me about it. No garrentees but could probaly show ya some of the best trails.

Hope that info helps your trip a bit!

Massini64 wrote:
Yo Vancouver! I've just booked my flights to come see ya!

I'll be staying 2 week from the 23rd of May before heading north to Squamish.

Couple of questions:

Where would be the best place to stay? I want to do as much riding as I can but also want to see the city - how east would it be to stay in the city and get the bike out to the trail heads? Or would it be better to find a place to stay nearer the trails and travel into the city?

Also whats it like finding riding buddies - would much rather tag a long with some guys rather than go up alone. Get shown some good stuff and safety in numbers!

Cant wait to get out there, cheers in advance!
flag jlizard
O+
Posted: Feb 6, 2018 at 19:13 Quote
I am moving to the Vancouver area, so stoked. Moving this summer in July. I'm wondering about places to live and riding alone, night riding after work, etc. The places I'm currently looking to live are North Van (but I probably can't afford it), Port moody (near Eagle mountain) or Burnaby. I could also be open to living in Maple Ridge, but it might be just too far of a commute as most of my work opportunities will be closer to the downtown and surrounding area.

Any advice on what life is like in different regions for riding? Are you generally wanting to ride Fromme and Seymour or does the riding closer to Coquitlam and such compare? Fromme just seemed like a great playground with a very reasonable uphill grade to do daily after work and good technical descents. Would I find a similar experiences in the mountain heading east? If you could live anywhere around Vancouver where would you live? (excluding West van and the Sunshine Coast)
flag gbeaks33
Posted: Feb 6, 2018 at 20:28 Quote
jlizard wrote:
I am moving to the Vancouver area, so stoked. Moving this summer in July. I'm wondering about places to live and riding alone, night riding after work, etc. The places I'm currently looking to live are North Van (but I probably can't afford it), Port moody (near Eagle mountain) or Burnaby. I could also be open to living in Maple Ridge, but it might be just too far of a commute as most of my work opportunities will be closer to the downtown and surrounding area.

Any advice on what life is like in different regions for riding? Are you generally wanting to ride Fromme and Seymour or does the riding closer to Coquitlam and such compare? Fromme just seemed like a great playground with a very reasonable uphill grade to do daily after work and good technical descents. Would I find a similar experiences in the mountain heading east? If you could live anywhere around Vancouver where would you live? (excluding West van and the Sunshine Coast)

If I could live anywhere near Vancouver it would be in squamish and I'd never go to Vancouver ever, haha. In my opinion the best riding, period.

When I lived in van I really liked the ability to mix things up. Fromme when I was feeling mellow climbs and flowy descents. Seymour when I wanted to challenge myself and climb up some more technical trails. I'd even throw SFU in there sometimes for xc rides. I regrettably never went to cypress, as I assumed it was more of a DH and full face zone. But apparently there are trails comparable to Fromme Ave Seymour.

I only rode at night once at Seymour in the winter. You could easily do laps at fromme in the evening. But I found getting to north van anytime between 4-7pm a nightmare so I gave up.

While not on trailforks, apparently Burke Mountain has amazing riding in the Coquitlam area. Gotta find a local to show you around though. I have never ridden Eagle but hear good things. Woodlot near maple ridge is awesome and has steep grades and lots of wooden features. If you're going to live out that way there's great riding at two networks in abbotsford that honestly would probably be easier to get to than driving to van. Also Chilliwack would make great weekend adventures. Vedder mtn is great.

If you're going to be doing most of your working in downtown Vancouver, you could ride after work if you stashed your bike in your car. I did that a few times and it's a bit of a chore but doable. I was able to park for free though. Very few people can do that downtown. And theft risk is a legit concern. The downtown east side area is unfortunately one of the biggest drug user areas in North America and while violent crime is very low and its very safe to visit, theft is unfortunately quite high. I had a commuter bike and even my car stolen in that area.

Depending where you're working take a look at squamish. It seems far, but it will take well over an hour to commute into Vancouver from Coquitlam, maple ridge etc so the 40ish mins from squamish doesn't seem so bad. Can also carpool with similarly minded people and then shred right from your house in squamish when you're home. And you're less than an hour to whistler, if you ever feel the need to venture that far.
flag jlizard
O+
Posted: Feb 6, 2018 at 21:53 Quote
If you could live anywhere around Vancouver where would you live? (excluding West van and the Sunshine Coast)[/Quote]


If I could live anywhere near Vancouver it would be in squamish and I'd never go to Vancouver ever, haha. In my opinion the best riding, period.

I only rode at night once at Seymour in the winter. You could easily do laps at fromme in the evening. But I found getting to north van anytime between 4-7pm a nightmare so I gave up.

If you're going to live out that way there's great riding at two networks in abbotsford that honestly would probably be easier to get to than driving to van. Also Chilliwack would make great weekend adventures. Vedder mtn is great.

If you're going to be doing most of your working in downtown Vancouver, you could ride after work if you stashed your bike in your car. I did that a few times and it's a bit of a chore but doable. I was able to park for free though. Very few people can do that downtown. And theft risk is a legit concern. The downtown east side area is unfortunately one of the biggest drug user areas in North America and while violent crime is very low and its very safe to visit, theft is unfortunately quite high. I had a commuter bike and even my car stolen in that area.
[/Quote]

Squamish is too far and too country for the wife, already had that discussion Wink

Sounds like I should just suck it up and move to North Van. I can commute on public transport and when I get home I can just grab my bike and go.

Thanks, this is all great info to know. I think this really makes it clear for me and moving my family 1000 miles away because I want to ride my bike on mountains. I guess my question should have been; North van and 1000sq foot place or Port Moody and a1250 sq foot place with a woodshop in the garage? I think I'm going North Van and I'll sell the table saw and maybe find a maker space.
flag jaydawg69
Posted: Feb 6, 2018 at 22:05 Quote
jlizard wrote:
If you could live anywhere around Vancouver where would you live? (excluding West van and the Sunshine Coast)


If I could live anywhere near Vancouver it would be in squamish and I'd never go to Vancouver ever, haha. In my opinion the best riding, period.

I only rode at night once at Seymour in the winter. You could easily do laps at fromme in the evening. But I found getting to north van anytime between 4-7pm a nightmare so I gave up.

If you're going to live out that way there's great riding at two networks in abbotsford that honestly would probably be easier to get to than driving to van. Also Chilliwack would make great weekend adventures. Vedder mtn is great.

If you're going to be doing most of your working in downtown Vancouver, you could ride after work if you stashed your bike in your car. I did that a few times and it's a bit of a chore but doable. I was able to park for free though. Very few people can do that downtown. And theft risk is a legit concern. The downtown east side area is unfortunately one of the biggest drug user areas in North America and while violent crime is very low and its very safe to visit, theft is unfortunately quite high. I had a commuter bike and even my car stolen in that area.
[/Quote]

Squamish is too far and too country for the wife, already had that discussion Wink

Sounds like I should just suck it up and move to North Van. I can commute on public transport and when I get home I can just grab my bike and go.

Thanks, this is all great info to know. I think this really makes it clear for me and moving my family 1000 miles away because I want to ride my bike on mountains. I guess my question should have been; North van and 1000sq foot place or Port Moody and a1250 sq foot place with a woodshop in the garage? I think I'm going North Van and I'll sell the table saw and maybe find a maker space.[/Quote]

Good luck trying to find a place a rent. Vacancy rate is less than 1% but maybe you have that sorted already? The traffic in the am to NV is horrendous so people try to live here.
flag jlizard
O+
Posted: Feb 6, 2018 at 22:38 Quote
jaydawg69 wrote:
jlizard wrote:
If you could live anywhere around Vancouver where would you live? (excluding West van and the Sunshine Coast)


If I could live anywhere near Vancouver it would be in squamish and I'd never go to Vancouver ever, haha. In my opinion the best riding, period.

I only rode at night once at Seymour in the winter. You could easily do laps at fromme in the evening. But I found getting to north van anytime between 4-7pm a nightmare so I gave up.

If you're going to live out that way there's great riding at two networks in abbotsford that honestly would probably be easier to get to than driving to van. Also Chilliwack would make great weekend adventures. Vedder mtn is great.

If you're going to be doing most of your working in downtown Vancouver, you could ride after work if you stashed your bike in your car. I did that a few times and it's a bit of a chore but doable. I was able to park for free though. Very few people can do that downtown. And theft risk is a legit concern. The downtown east side area is unfortunately one of the biggest drug user areas in North America and while violent crime is very low and its very safe to visit, theft is unfortunately quite high. I had a commuter bike and even my car stolen in that area.

Squamish is too far and too country for the wife, already had that discussion Wink

Sounds like I should just suck it up and move to North Van. I can commute on public transport and when I get home I can just grab my bike and go.

Thanks, this is all great info to know. I think this really makes it clear for me and moving my family 1000 miles away because I want to ride my bike on mountains. I guess my question should have been; North van and 1000sq foot place or Port Moody and a1250 sq foot place with a woodshop in the garage? I think I'm going North Van and I'll sell the table saw and maybe find a maker space.[/Quote]

Good luck trying to find a place a rent. Vacancy rate is less than 1% but maybe you have that sorted already? The traffic in the am to NV is horrendous so people try to live here.[/Quote]

I'm confused by your last sentence. The traffic is bad going from downtown into North Van in the morning and that's why people try to live in North Van?

We have a place to stay for up to a year in Vancouver but we want to buy once my wife can work and has a job. I guess we will have that time to sort it all out.

Can't I just take the ferry from North Van to downtown and then grab a train for my commute?
flag pete-moss
Posted: Feb 7, 2018 at 7:14 Quote
I live in Port Coquitlam and commute into north van, just across the ironworker's. It can take 1hr, sometimes it's only 35 minutes. No traffic at night it's 20 minutes. Nice thing is I can ride Seymour or fromme after work and wait for rush hour to ease up before I go home.

That said I primarily ride Burke. It's awesome, way quieter than the north shore, not as maintained so a way more raw and nicer dirt and a mellow fire road climb. Eagle is good too but the climb is steep, still good though. Woodlot in maple ridge is a bit run down last I've been there. Further east Bear mountain is also really good. Truthfully I prefer these over Seymour or fromme because it's quieter, less crowds, better dirt!

 


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