Photo Kris Sieber.
A carpet of trillium borders Backstage Pass, a favourite local trail, during the Peterborough Cycling Club’s season kick-off her in the Millbrook, last May.
It’s almost May and, finally, the trails are coming back to life. Bright green regrowth and a sea of trillium will soon take over the forest. Spring riding is like no other time of the year.
After an icy winter and a less than cooperative spring, only a few trails here in Millbrook are currently dry enough to ride. Harold Town Conservation Area, in Peterborough, has also been late to open. However, the Ganaraska Forest, with its fast-draining sandy soil, opened on May 1st. The trails in Millbrook and Peterborough are always free to use but the Ganaraska Forest is not ($12/day or $75/season, less for kids). Remember to consult trailforks.com for trail reports/status if you’re unsure of conditions or unfamiliar with an area.
Frog Cycles, here in Millbrook, is your most local option for new bike shopping, tune-ups, or repairs. Eric Freeman-Roth is the owner and although he specializes in repairing and refurbishing older bikes, he loves working on newer technology as well. Eric doesn’t typically stock a lot of new bikes but there are still many models that he can order in for you.
Moving beyond our village borders, into Peterborough, there are several shops to choose from. Wild Rock and Fontaine’s have historically offered the largest selection. There is also a new shop opening up on George St., this spring, called Dream Cyclery. B!ke is also worth mentioning here. It ‘s a community bike shop and, for a very small fee ($35/year or $7/hour), they provide their shop, tools, and knowledge to DIY minded cyclists who are interested in doing their own repairs.
Price is always a big factor when buying a bike. It can be hard to justify and understand the differences in price between some makes and models. So, what does spending more get you? In most cases, the answer is performance (lighter, stronger, more tech, etc.), but spending more can also buy safety and reliability. Consult your local bike shop or someone knowledgeable to be certain the bike you’re considering is truly suitable for trail riding. Just because a bike has knobby tires, doesn’t necessarily mean it’s equipped to go off-road.
If you decide on a department store bike, it’s always wise to look everything over before taking it out for that first spin. Most department stores don’t hire bicycle mechanics to assemble their bikes whereas, most bike shops do. If in doubt, for $30, Frog Cycles will do a complete check of your new bike, regardless of where it was purchased, to ensure that it is safely assembled and ready to hit the trails.
For used bikes, the usual suspects of online buy/sell pages are a good starting point. Pinkbike (pinkbike.com/buysell) is another great resource. Among other things, Pinkbike offers one of the largest, if not the largest, buy/sell classifieds for mountain bikes and parts. The MTB Parts Finder group on Facebook is also worth adding to your feed to see listings across Ontario.
For a decent selection of used bikes that you can see in person, check out Wild Rock’s spring gear swap. This year’s swap happens on May 4th (from 10am-4pm).
The Millbrook Valley Trails Committee is also planning their spring Work Day on May 4th (9am). See the story in this month’s Millbrook Times for more details.
Next month, we’ll discuss kids’ bikes and kids’ bike setup.
This month’s trail tip: Always assume that wooden bridges and boardwalks are slippery, even if they appear dry!
Mountain Bike Ride by David D’Agostino
