Sedona, AZ

[Off The Road Again]

For those interested in cracking off the icicles, there's a multi-day ride planned in Sedona, AZ April 12-16. I'm going with a couple others, and trail descripts look like cat's pajamas so I'm hoping some of you folk might wanna attend to ride along and shred some pretty intense trails from what I've seen on YouTube. Let me know if you're interested and I can forward you more info.

 

[solorider]

My brother in law and I are riding out of absolute bikes, sedona this Thursday. Specialized epic and pivot 429, $65 each for the day. Will report back, but I think you can find plenty of info on this subject in the search tab.

 

[Off The Road Again]

Cool, solorider! Looking forward to some feedback. Riding out of Absolute Bikes too on a Pivot Mach 6. Bike-Bean has some real nice rides too, including my SC Solo, but rentals were a little higher and didn't go down per day like Absolute. Also want to know good places for breakfast and post ride brews. Have fun!

 

[mtnbiker5]

Sedona

Bike and Bean is great. Get a guide.

 

[Reggie]

Here is my $0.02 for what it's worth.....

I rented a SC Tallboy from Bike & Bean and rode the Bell Rock side for a day. The bike was a bit beat up, but didn't bother me at all. Dude Guy at Bike and Bean gave me a vibe of “gotta deal with another tourist pretending to be a mountain biker for a day”. For those that know me….I’m far from the “cyclist” physique, so I can see how he could think this. No issues on that, but he really wasn’t much help with any trail guidance/advice. Sold me a very good map and basically pointed me to the trail head. Luckily, the map was fantastic and the trails are very well marked.

The next day I headed over to West Sedona and rented a Trek Fuel EX 29r from Over The Edge bikes. These guys were super cool and extremely helpful. After some minor convincing that I knew what I was doing, they laid out a solid loop of 18+ miles of sweetness. They rented Trek, Niner, and Yeti’s.

Most shops offer a very comprehensive map that shows you all of the trails; highly recommend picking this up. Well worth the $$. I rode solo all week without any guides or company for that matter. Very easy to navigate; trails are very well marked.

West Sedona side has a lot more flow to the trails with some climbing; not nearly as many people; and I was able ride where I saw no cars, houses, or buildings. Ton of fun!!! Bell Rock side is more technical and more people, but still a great time.

Marc; give me a shout if you want anymore info.

 

[jmanic]

Reggie beat me to most of my points.
I was just there in Feb, have been there a few times.

Shops: my experiences with Bike and Bean rentals have been about the same. Basic FS rentals are kind of played, but their demo bikes ($$) are in good shape.

Absolute Bikes has probably the cleanest/best kept fleet of rentals top to bottom. Any level of rental is going to be in good shape.

Over The Edge- my preferred shop, bikes are in good shape, wide range of rentals to choose from. Only downside is they rent by the day (not 24-hour blocks like most places).

Trails:
Plenty of good stuff all over, but I'm with Reg- I like the West side. Less crowded for the most part, and some of my favorite trails out there.
If you can swing it, try to get out that way.
Maybe drop by OTE and pick up a copy of the Emmit Barks bike version map, and ask them to point you around.

Have a blast!

 

[Mike679]

Going there late June

I'll be there in late June and was planning to ride, so this is good info. I'm assuming you brought all of your own gear (helmet, Camelbak, shoes, etc.)? Trying to get away with only carry-on luggage, but that's going to be a stretch if I'm bringing all my stuff.

Any issues with the higher altitude there?

 

[jmanic]

I'll be there in late June and was planning to ride, so this is good info. I'm assuming you brought all of your own gear (helmet, Camelbak, shoes, etc.)? Trying to get away with only carry-on luggage, but that's going to be a stretch if I'm bringing all my stuff.

Any issues with the higher altitude there?

For gear, I bring camelbak, gloves, shoes and pedals, rental places typically hook you up with a helmet.
Most can probably set you up with pedals too, just call ahead to see what they have.
Usually you get basic back up stuff with the rental: tube and/or patch kit, levers and a pump.
I bring a multitool, extra chain links, c02, etc in the camelbak.

I haven't had any issues with the altitude, but ymmv.
Even if you do, you should be good after a couple of days.

 

[solorider]

Seems like most bases have been covered by other more experienced visitors. After spending the weekend in Sedona and getting a full day of riding in, i would suggest the following: Absolute Bikes and head out towards Bell Rock or hit the "epic" H trails across the way. Basically any trail that starts with an H is going to be super technical. The entire 'Hiline' Trail is worth the trip alone, bring your camera phone/go pro and balls... This is the setup we did on our trip. Brought Camelback and riding gear/shoes. Absolute Bikes provides pedals, helmet, tubes, air, etc... Also, they will give you a small laminated map and route a course for you. Just tell them how far you want to go and what type of riding... Super easy to follow. If you are looking for a less technical, more flowing chutes, then rent from Over The Edge, you can ride out from their lot. Regarding Bike & Bean, we stopped in for coffee, not much else going on. Dudes at Absolute Bikes were super friendly and didn't give us any grief for laying down a 2014 Enduro Exp Carbon and giving it some character.... Only regret was not riding more, but we did get T-Shirts!!

tom

 

[JimN]

I was out in Sedona this past fall and also rented from Absolute Bikes. They were awesome, and I also got the borrowed map and advice each day. Hiline was definitely the highlight.

but we did get T-Shirts!!

Niiiiiice! I wanted to buy a jersey there to help support them and advertise for them, but they were sold out of my size. If I have Mark pickup a jersey for me on this trip, is it ok to wear it? Should this be a poll?

 

[Off The Road Again]

Thanks all for adding your input- looking forward to some fun riding in Sedona!

Jim- special thanks to you for taking time out of your day today to show us the trail maps and giving us pointers on best trails to ride, good eats, and other valuable information. For that- I will get you a Jersey while I'm out there!

Mark

 

[JimN]

Anytime. I'll email you with whatever else I think of that I forgot to tell you today.

Jim- special thanks to you for taking time out of your day today to show us the trail maps and giving us pointers on best trails to ride, good eats, and other valuable information. For that- I will get you a Jersey while I'm out there!

Mark

Only if you let me pay; they are stupid expensive.

 

[jackx]

I was in Sedona and Tuscon for Christmas 2011. I rode a few times on wider double or probably more like old wagon trails. Nothing too technical, except for some flagstone steps in a number of places, but was super scenic and the goal was to get in some rides when possible.

Eats:
We enjoyed the breakfasts at the Coffee Pot, named after the Coffee Pot rock behind the restaurant.
For dinner, we enjoyed Dahl's and Deluca's, good Italian food, although the atmosphere is a bit fancy.

Have a great trip!