I'm trying to plan some cycling day trips, and there's a big difference in distances between the same locations, depending on whether I take the cycle route or the MTB route. I'd much prefer routes as car-free as possible.
Thanks.
Or rather, what is meant by a "mountain bike route" as opposed to a normal cycling route when it comes to the veloland.ch Swiss cycle network? I have a hybrid bike which has chunkier tyres than a normal road or touring bike. It's fine for forest trails and maintained riverside paths etc. Will this type cope with most of the national and regional designated MTB trails? So I'm not talking about hardcore mountain bike tracks up rocky slopes, which I've no interest in, but the mainstream, official routes.
A mountain bike route (i.e. the brown ones) is unlikely to be suitable. It may go across fields and through some quite rough terrain; of course it depends on the weather (if it's been dry for a long period it could be fine) and your skill.
Even the normal routes (blue) can have some pretty rough parts, those marked with dashes, where there have been more and bigger stones on a very steep supposedly "gravel" track than I really like on my tourer/hybrid.
(Down from Elm to Schwanden is a good example - absolutely lovely route, particularly if you take the bus up but a couple of bits are way more than "unpaved" and my younger daughter had a total nightmare)
Depends. There's MTB routes that are as newtoswitz describes (or worse), there's others that are on mostly reasonably well maintained forest trails. You need to research in advance.
However what would make me hesitate before using a hybrid bike would be the downhills. Without MTB tyres you may struggle for grip under braking and the (probably) weaker suspension may give you a very uncomfortable ride. And unles you have disc brakes forget any longer desents, rim brakes are simply not good enough.
How ever did we manage on our mountain bike descents before disc brakes?
Quite. And that selection must initially assume that only the least demanding trails are suitable until such a time where the answers to the above questions are clear.
It's only really the more extreme "off-piste" type downhills where suspension and brakes start to become an issue, and for a newbie it doesn't take a huge amount of common sense to avoid those. Tyres will be much more of a limiting factor, so the OP really needs to be selecting trails which are tarmaced and/or mostly very flat.
Rim brakes and minimal suspension are fine for most such, it just means you need to be a little more cautious (i.e. go more slowly) in unfamiliar territory.
I agree wholeheartedly with this. We did one trip along the Vorderrhein where even Mr L thought it a bit OTT as a normal cycling route. Going downhill on a rough, narrow track with 90° turn at the bottom is not what I call cycling. Didn't help that it was icy too but that was our 'fault' not the mapmaker's. It's very difficult to tell just by looking at the map and other routes are excellent for elderly ladies and families!
In my case stopped 2 or 3 times on a longer/steeper descent to allow the rims to cool. I have seen (in others) 2 blow-outs due to rim/tyre overheating.
@ Ace1 - slow for rim brakes is not necesarily good. Slow tends to mean more braking and less cooling so more overheating problems. But of course non-MTB tyres mean not going faster. It's the combination here that could be less than ideal.
Too much air pressure in the tyres to begin with? Excessive slow braking rather than intermittent braking?
Don't worry, I'm only jesting.
Being serious, I reckon one of the main problems with hybrid type bikes on more difficult terrain is the high cross tube could prove painful at times if you come off the saddle or have to put your feet down.
You can pretty much circumnavigate Zurisee without roads through the forest. I have yet to find any maps give great route guidance, more of a case of planning your breaks at restaurants on the way (so you have some direction in mind), sign posting is not too bad. Start above the zoo, point and ride!
Old school but it is worth a trip to a Tourist office (maybe HB) to get some basic maps and information. Riding along Pfannensteil Zurich to Rapperwil you always have the option on riding down to Seestrasse to return which has a bike lane or jumping on the train to get home.
You can get some pretty knobbly tyres for tourers - I had a set that were at least as grippy as my MTB on moderately firm ground, ideal for forests and UK "gravel" paths which tend to have no actual gravel left; trouble is the lack of width made them simply sink in anything soft, the buzz you get from an MTB tyre on tarmac was a horrible whine from those, and they wore down in a few months anyway.
Thanks All. I'm thinking I should perhaps buy a mountain bike, instead of taking the risk of getting stranded.
Veloland.ch is a really good resource, but it would be nice if they described better what differentiates the two biking designations, and offer a bit more detail about the terrain for each route. Even better, allow some moderated comments at the bottom of each route so hikers and bikers can post advice / warnings about particular stretches.
You guys could reawaken this mountain bike thread and put your routes in there.
Limitations are more with the rider than the bike! I have yet to meet a rider who doesn't think about a new bike to improve their skills or speed, myself included, so what if you have to get off and walk a bit. If you do enough miles you will know when the bike needs an update. Spring is here so there will be a few test and ride days coming up, I would look at an electric mountain bike so that you can cover the distance and still get down comfortable.
For sure, no one would object to that, though TBH it doesn't address the particular need I was talking about. Realistically, an EF thread could only provide some general chat (useful though that would be!) but there are hundreds of routes on veloland.ch.
I looked at electric (road) bikes a while ago. I'm sure that they're here to stay, and soon enough most garages and cellars will have one or two quietly rusting in the corner. But I'm holding out as long as possible. I like moderate cycling as part of my lifelong campaign to 'get fit', whatever that means. [Aside] If I ever reach this nebulous peak, how will I know? Meantime I'll keep pedalling.
I'm a newbie in MTB, and would like to start exploring the biking trails in my neighborhood. What is the model or price range that I should look at? What is the considerations? Is it worth buying it abroad?
Thanks
I recently bought a mountain bike in the UK to add to my collection of road and hybrids.......I just brought them across on the roof of my car...no hassles and a lot cheaper than buying here........an example is my road bike cost £1600 in the UK, the same here is over CHF4000....crazy to buy here if you can get it elsewhere i.e. Germany.
For a 'Newby' i'd nearly always recommend getting a reasonable quality second hand bike and using it for a while until you've worked out what sort of rising you like to do and better refine your requirements.
Many mid-range mountain bikes are rarely if ever used for serious off-road work, so if you look at the overall condition, including cosmetics but not forgetting to look at sprocket wear as an indicator of how much use it's had, it shouldn't be too difficult to get a good idea even if you don't know that much about them.
Few points to bear in mind (for second hand bikes in particular):
Group set is often a deciding factor in the range-point of a new bike, but in practical terms is not as important as it may seem. The main differences are in durability and longevity, so a 'lower' spec with very little use may make a better option than a high-end one that's been used hard.
Fancy suspension often costs a bomb, and is not something a casual rider should be too concerned about. Check that it's fully functioning, and avoid anything that you can't find and check out in an Internet search. Cheap suspension is generally worse than no suspension.
Disc brakes are great, but as mentioned earlier aren't really necessary for most riding a newby will do. If a bike does have discs then again make sure they're working properly, and avoid cable-operated ones. Better to have well-maintained V brakes than a cheap and nasty (and unreliable) cable disc setup.
Don't hold out for more gears. Several of my older bikes are 'only' 21 speed and that's perfectly sufficient for most trail riding. I upgraded one (that's now a genuine 'hybrid' with road tyres) to 24, but only because I needed to replace the broken brakes, which meant a new brake lever, that meant a new gear shifter... cannibalised most of the bits anyway. But the point is that I wouldn't have bothered as long as I could have kept the old setup running.
Most good bikes now are 1x11 or 2x10 anyway.
FWIW migros sportxx have just launched a new bike specialist they're calling Bike World. Got a flyer through the door today advertising a Ghost (I think) bike, full suspension and very decent spec for about chf 1800 (40% off list ). Possibly only in the new Winterthur branch. At that price a real alternative to second hand.
Road?
Err, no. That's still proper money, and while it may be cheaper than some brands with similar range kit, it's exactly the sort of purchase I think a newby should avoid.
Btw there's loads of 'ghost' bikes, http://www.sportxx.ch/de/ghost-shop