Pedros Fest!!!

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
good farging question

I am thinking of putting together a geared bike for Pedros. I haven't ridden gears in a long time..

What about you Chris G? Are you bringing the Titus out of the basement for the 2nd time in 2 years?
Can't ride it till the front brake is fixed, at the least.

If I don't take the Titus, I'll gear down the SS and ride some less crazy trails, that's all. Wouldn't be the end of the world to do something different.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
tell me that you did not use this technique with your marriage proposal..

Well it worked so well the first time I thought I would bust it out for this special occasion. No bites eh?
 
D

DANSPANK

Guest
Is anyone doing a day trip or a one-nighter over the Saturday night?
 

ArmyOfNone

Well-Known Member
exciting news! well not entirely yet. I have to make some checks w/ supervision however it MAY be possible that i can swing this. I may just need to take one day off from work.

J, I gotta see what your plans are.
 
K

klutch

Guest
bad news

not bringing my truck!!!:getsome: but I'll still be there taking my wagon instead...little white escort wagon with the pass. side smashed and yakima's on top...see you there.
 

anrothar

entirely thrilled
chris, i don't think you'll need to gear down. i had no problem up there years ago with a 32x16 and platform pedals. i was riding with eric roman a good amount of the time and he had no problem running a 2:1 ratio on a 29er. but he is a monster....
 

jdog

Shop: Halter's Cycles
Shop Keep
Pedros 07

:D First off let me thank the 2 locals, Zach and Shawn who cut these trails.

You wouldn't find these trails w/o this gps data so if you go and ride here please carry your bikes in and out of the singletrack. The trail-heads are all hidden from ATV traffic.

We had great weather and very good rides. The ride times alone speak of what kind of efforts these loops require.

This was my first ride on a geared bike in some time. I was glad to have that 34 on the cass. It got plenty of use. I am pretty sure that the 26" wheel is done with in my book. I had 4+ hours in the saddle each day with no back pain. At times I was wishing for a rear shock but overall this was my best experience ever on a 29er.

Pedro's is a blast but it may be slipping downhill since the old trails are gone due to development.


Congrats to Fred who only crashed one time that I am aware of. I believe this to be an all time record for him.

We saw lots of faces from NJ up there as well.


I also took a side trip to Bizen Sushi in Great Barrington. The owner is a family friend who has his fish delivered from the same guys as Nobu. This place was super. A++ Very busy and very very good.


Overall a super weekend with great friends and food.

j-

Day 1
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3308995

Day 2
http://trail.motionbased.com/trail/activity/3308996
 

The Kalmyk

Well-Known Member
Agreed I need a two niner for sure....Don't even want to ride my bike anymore...JDog when is a C-dale full susser 29er coming along...Ventana El Capitan in on my radar...
 

jdog

Shop: Halter's Cycles
Shop Keep
not yet..

Agreed I need a two niner for sure....Don't even want to ride my bike anymore...JDog when is a C-dale full susser 29er coming along...Ventana El Capitan in on my radar...

C-dale is not doing a Dual Sus 29er for at least another year. They are at least working on it though.

I am pretty convinced that a dual sus 29er is sort of overkill. I was nearly the fastest climber and descender on my 29" hardtail. That being said I would have on tomorrow if they made one.

Here is the reality for me, 29er don't really jump all that well as compared to 26" bikes. For me if you want a bike to jump a bunch and play with it might be best to stick with a 26" for now.

Keep in mind that just a few years ago 29" wheels were thought of as a passing fad. If the amount of 29" wheeled bikes I saw this weekend is an indicator you will not see any company survive the next few years w/o a 29er in their lineup.

With the 29" stuff changing so fast right now it does seem wise to keep a wait and see attitude for some part. The forks are still being worked out for sure and that is really a big issue. Also dealing with suspension travel and the big wheels is a pain. In order for the travel to grow the wheel base needs to get pretty long. As it is these bikes feel longish at 1st.


After ring for 3 days in the Berkshires I once again was reminded of how tame the riding in NJ can be as compared to other parts of the world. I was very happy to be back on a hardtail to really "feel" the trail under my wheels.


One of the highlights of the weekend was during a downhill run under the chairlifts on the ski slopes. There were 3 dudes in front of me in full DH kits and bikes. I fond myself running them down on the DH run on my hardtail 29er. This was an interesting experience for them I would bet. These guys might have been DH rookies for all I knew but it still felt good to push them down the hill on my 29er..



j
 

Allamuchy Joe

Not White House Approved
JORBA.ORG
:D First off let me thank the 2 locals, Zach and Shawn who cut these trails.

You wouldn't find these trails w/o this gps data so if you go and ride here please carry your bikes in and out of the singletrack. The trail-heads are all hidden from ATV traffic.

We had great weather and very good rides. The ride times alone speak of what kind of efforts these loops require.

I just got back from my extended vacation beginning with Pedros. While I thought the festival was fun overall and I am glad I went, I thought the riding really sucked. Well, the "advertised" riding. There were rumors & whispers of good places to ride, but no one could point you in the right direction other than "on the other side of the mountain" and "watch out for the construction of the windmill". The maps they provided were a joke and the Vicious Cycles loop was the worst trail building I have every witnessed.

They got some things right -- the overall atmosphere, the music, the vendors, the displays, they cleaned the toilets every day -- but there were a lot of things that seemed like this was their first year doing this -- the lack of trail maps, the freshly raked trails that were constructed by dragging a McCloud through the woods, the fact that our "guides" got lost on the intermediate ride I went on Saturday -- after our 3+ mile road ride, we ended up going up a dirt road and down another dirt road the width of the Mass Turnpike then a 3+ mile downhill road ride. Wow -- that was fun NOT! The trails behind the fest were okay, but they were too short.

Unless they change the location, I don't think I'll be going back to Pedros. On the plus side, the weather was great, the vendors were good and the trails made me really appreciate the great trails we have here in NJ. (Imagine a Pedro's Fest at Waterloo Village -- the choice of rides would be overwhelming!)

On the opposite end of the spectrum, my vacation ended up with 3 fantastic days of riding at Kingdom Trails in Vermont -- now that is great riding! And the trails aren't kept secret. :D
 
Last edited:

jdog

Shop: Halter's Cycles
Shop Keep
If you go next year you can hook up with our crew.

I promise mega fun!

j
 

ChrisG

Unapologetic Lifer for Rock and Roll
On the opposite end of the spectrum, my vacation ended up with 3 fantastic days of riding at Kingdom Trails in Vermont -- now that is great riding! And the trails aren't kept secret. :D
I've already been talking to Mrs. ChrisG about how a couple of nights at Kingdom Trails next summer is looking better than Pedros did this year.

The riding in Pittsfield State Forest with the locals is incredible stuff. This was our fifth year up there and I'm still blown away by those trails. That being said, this year's festival was not up to snuff for us in some ways.

The new site is not an improvement over the last two, which were on the other side of the mountain and had a greater quantity of quality riding available right out of the site. We also made the mistake of setting up camp in a corner and feeling pretty hemmed in and claustrophobic. Instead of the gorgeous views afforded to us at the last two sites, the most interesting thing I saw was a kid in a Hatebreed hoodie puking his guts out on Saturday morning. Very pastoral.

I've heard nothing but rave reviews of Kingdom Trails and will be looking into it for a 2008 trip.
 

Norm

Mayor McCheese
Team MTBNJ Halter's
We also made the mistake of setting up camp in a corner and feeling pretty hemmed in and claustrophobic. Instead of the gorgeous views afforded to us at the last two sites, the most interesting thing I saw was a kid in a Hatebreed hoodie puking his guts out on Saturday morning. Very pastoral.

Sounds like Norman Rockwell.

We've actually done this for the last 2 years at the 24 HOA, ended up in the far lot right near the entrance which is a different world than the rest of the camp. Basically 2 years ago it was out of my hands and last year the other guys got there so late (one guy about 11:30 Saturday morning) that we just had to take what was there. To the point: It lessens the whole experience being so far away, or at the very least segregates you to say the least. Hopefully we can tuck into a better spot this year.
 
Last edited:

Allamuchy Joe

Not White House Approved
JORBA.ORG
If you go next year you can hook up with our crew.

I promise mega fun!

j

J -- Thanks for the offer! I did have fun, but it wasn't mega fun. :p

The problem is that the Pedro's Organizers should have provided some trail maps & locations to folks wanting to ride. I would have not minded if we had to load up the car and drive 10 miles to Pittsfield for a ride. The "official" riding almost seemed like it was thrown together at the very last moment as an afterthought. While some parts of the fest were well thought out, the major part -- the rides -- were not.

I don't want to sound like a critic with no suggestions, so here is what I would have expected: I would have at least provided information on Jiminy Peak with, if possible, the ability to purchase discount tickets for their cross country trails & provided trail maps to festival goers. And, as another riding option, I would have provided some cue sheets for rides in Pittsfield similar to the old Jim Thorpe trail guides. And, for extra, I would have provided cue sheets for road rides.

Oh, also the food vendors were not the best -- did anyone go to the grease truck? The amount of oil on those fries they had could have powered your car all the way back home. That "Hatebreed Hoodie" puking his guts out must have tried the hamburgers there. :puke:

After all the hype, I guess I was disappointed because one would figure after 13 years they would have these types of details all ironed out. While some stuff was very well thought out, some of it seemed very amateur -- that also includes the extremely limited amount of tables & chairs in the food/beer tent. What would have been better than a nice long satifying ride, then kicking back with some beer & grub listening to the bands in the beer tent? :drooling:
 
Top Bottom