Pontiac Lake in Mountain Bike Action

[Leroi Brown]

.....or Poto!

[Critter7r]

..... or Gruber's!!

[flamingo]

Looking in retrospect they should have stayed in the area for one week and cover all the above mentioned trails plus Brighton, Island Lake, Bald Mountain, Lakeshore and Stoney Creek. That way they could have stated that the Detroit area is a good destination for a week or a long weekend trip. Even thou we don't have the Rockies or Appalachians I think our trails are pretty good and offer very descent workout.

[football44]

A couple of summers ago, I rode with Ray at our local trail, Medina OH's Reagan Park, and he said that the best trails in his opinion are midwest trails. I asked him why he thought that, and he said that a lot of stuff out west isn't true single track, but old logging and mining roads, and he preferred riding in the woods to riding in the desert. He had just gotten back from Sea Otter.
I'm always bragging up Michigan singletrack and biking culture to my friends. Mohican has nothing on Big M.

[F7Cannon]

Would have been nice to be there on that day.

I think poor Emily would not have been able to really enjoy the ride as much. Or maybe she digs a bunch of guys following after her.

[AirGuitar29]

I think they did a fantastic job showcasing an awesome local trail and some of the Michigan biking culture.

I just thought I'd point this out: The last page of the story recommends stopping by Waterford Precision Cycles when in the area, which is actually in Waterford, WI. It's the former Schwinn Bicycle Company, who now makes Gunnar Bikes, etc. I think they should have also recommended picking up some Waterford Crystal while in the area.

http://waterfordbikes.com/w/

[mtbfree]

I just thought I'd point this out: The last page of the story recommends stopping by Waterford Precision Cycles when in the area, which is actually in Waterford, WI. It's the former Schwinn Bicycle Company, who now makes Gunnar Bikes, etc. I think they should have also recommended picking up some Waterford Crystal while in the area.

http://waterfordbikes.com/w/

HA! They probably thought "oh, Waterford makes their bikes in the Midwest, right? It must be in Waterford, MI! Print it!" Way to do your research MBA.

[SteveF]

I think they did a fantastic job showcasing an awesome local trail and some of the Michigan biking culture.

I just thought I'd point this out: The last page of the story recommends stopping by Waterford Precision Cycles when in the area, which is actually in Waterford, WI. It's the former Schwinn Bicycle Company, who now makes Gunnar Bikes, etc. I think they should have also recommended picking up some Waterford Crystal while in the area.

http://waterfordbikes.com/w/

Wow, that there's some quality editing...

I suggested Highland specifically because it's only a dozen miles from where they rode, and I think it's a far more iconic and representative trail for southern Michigan mountain biking...singletrack laid out by a well known trail builder specifically for riding rather than an adopted hiking trail. Don't get me wrong, I like riding Pontiac Lake okay, but Highland is in a class by itself.

[dirt]

I knew this ride was going to happen, I just didn't know when. (Ray had contacted me ahead of time, but I never got the email saying when it was going to happen)

Ray stated that when it came together, he wanted to do PLRA because it was his personal favorite trail from the SE Michigan area. I know he wanted to do a couple of trails, but it was limited by the schedules of the riders.

Either way, it's very good press for SE Michigan, Michigan in general, and perhaps might bring more out of town people to Michigan for our trails.

[Sortaslow]

Surprised on the length of the spread.

They did three laps. I say do one maybe two and head over to highland. Oh well.

There was mention of beginner friendly. Not a super hard trail, but not where I bring newbies either. It's all relative to your home trails I suppose.

[iamkickstand]

yeah i certainly wouldn't consider pontiac a good trail for newbies or beginners, but if you grew up on the east coast, or in the UP, or somewhere else pontiac would seem pretty tame.

[gossamer]

yeah i certainly wouldn't consider pontiac a good trail for newbies or beginners, but if you grew up on the east coast, or in the UP, or somewhere else pontiac would seem pretty tame.

It is all relative, if you are used to bombing down BC trails, then PLRA would seem rather easy. Those riders are at the top of the game, riden more places than any of us probably could dream about. Yes a bit jealous I am...

[xcrdr]

Ya I got a good laugh out of the Waterford referance. I don't know who did the writing or if any of them are from west coast. Sam is from Montana and i think Emily is Canadian right? (stalkers fess up). They did get alot of pics in there. They maybe could have showed a few more technical spots. It's not like the trail is flat and flowy all the way. It would have been great for them to visit Highland. With ya on that Steve. 3 laps there on A,B,C,D ? Still I'm glad Ray likes it and great to see one of our fine trails in pringt. When I tuned to that page I think I scared my wife. Nice surprise.

[mtbfree]

There was mention of beginner friendly. Not a super hard trail, but not where I bring newbies either. It's all relative to your home trails I suppose.

I don't take newbs there either because of the climbs, but the trail is much wider than others in the area (Highland, Tree Farm, and Hickory Glen to name a few), so it's not very challenging from a technical standpoint. If they've got the legs and lungs to make it through, it won't give a beginner much trouble.

[Rock N' Rolla]

I think they did a fantastic job showcasing an awesome local trail and some of the Michigan biking culture.

I just thought I'd point this out: The last page of the story recommends stopping by Waterford Precision Cycles when in the area, which is actually in Waterford, WI. It's the former Schwinn Bicycle Company, who now makes Gunnar Bikes, etc. I think they should have also recommended picking up some Waterford Crystal while in the area.

http://waterfordbikes.com/w/

Wow, that there's some quality editing...

I suggested Highland specifically because it's only a dozen miles from where they rode, and I think it's a far more iconic and representative trail for southern Michigan mountain biking...singletrack laid out by a well known trail builder specifically for riding rather than an adopted hiking trail. Don't get me wrong, I like riding Pontiac Lake okay, but Highland is in a class by itself.

+1