I used to ride with a guy named Ryan Budreau years ago. I consider him to be one of the best technical riders that I have ever ridden with. I did just what Bignose said and followed his every line.
Today, I am proud to boast that I am a good technical rider because of this technique.
I tried Wrandees yesterday on my old Hardrock. I tried four entrances (main, the one before main after some kind of iron “gate”, quick exit, cowie hills). One big tree was down near quick exit.
I found that Wrandees is well beyond my skill level. I was only able to ride a few short sections. I had to stop when the trails become very rocky. For example, after I entered through the entrance before the the main one, I could only ride to the lake and then it became too hard. How embarrassing…
Do we have any trail similar to the hydro cut trail near Waterloo, Ontario?
http://www.trailpeak.com/trail-Waterloo-Hydro-Cut-near-Kitchener-ON-992
http://fox7.pinkbike.com/album/Hydro-cut-pics/
I used to ride that trail before I moved to Halifax last year, though I stopped mountain biking for some time. That was a flowy singletrack (see pictures on the web page given above), and quite long (I think it’s 20km).
Thanks!
Yes we do. Shubie Park.
I couldn’t resist. That trail looks way too easy to be considered mountain biking.
Keep trying here, ride with some local folks and you will be nailing the rock sections soon.
Wrandees is a bit technical. I would try Spider lake.
yeah there isn’t much in the way of ‘ontario’ type trails in HRM. rocks and off camber roots are the name of the game. wrandees is one of the more extreme examples. if you want fast and smooth, parks like hemlock ravine and shubie are good places. they’re not very long, but there’s lots of loop options. i wouldn’t go there during peak times like weekends, to avoid walkers. after dark can be a blast.
Welcome to “East coast riding”. 
We’ve kind of grown up with the rocks and roots etc.
Spider lake is techincal, but pretty smooth in most places with a variety of different routes so you can avoid the really tricky stuff until you get used to it.
McDonald sportpark is a great option, as well as the trails in first/second lake in lower sackville, however they are multiuse so you have to keep your speed reasonable.
We have a ton of woods roads, pipelines and such throughout the province. It’s a great way to explore and get some exercise as well.
Also, there are some real gems in the Valley that are smoother than here. You would LOVE the Links. Look it up in the trail section, and keep an eye out for rides going on up there.
My first mountain bike ride was at Wrandees. I lasted about 20 minutes total. About half of that walking. HRM doesn’t have a lot of “in-between” level trails. Shubie and Hemlock Ravine are graded crusher dust… fairly “easy”. The Main Trail at Whopper Dropper is a pretty good “medium” trail. Nine Mile River (when it’s dry) is very flowy, but it’s a pretty muddy trail and takes time to dry out. The “Across from Exhibition Park” trail is a nice beginner trail ride, if you don’t mind carrying the bike across some logs at a waterhole about 20 minutes in. Seven Bridges in Kentville is a nice flowy trail.
Thank you so much for your advices.
Today I went to Spider lake, and rode some loops there by following some very nice folks that I met at the trailhead.
I enjoyed the ride. I had to walk in some of those tricky sections, but overall this appears to be a trail that I can ride to improve my skills.
I also plan to check some other trails that you recommended.
Happy Easter to you all!
Glad you liked Spider Lake. It’s a great place to hone some skills! Also, try hook up on some rides, and just watch how other people ride it a bit. It’s really eye opening the first few times. Have fun!
Aaron
Watching what others do does definately add skill in a hurry. When I got back on Mountain after being a purist roadie for about 3 years I remembered my old skills but had never progressed very much. I started riding Mont Royal in Montreal with a buddy who worked at a bike shop and had a very bling ride. He was going down steep stuff that I never thought I could. Then one say I said to myself (cue inspirational music) “physics is physics - his bike rolls down that hill, his body has arms and legs like mine so if i put my body in the same position and hold on and hope for the best it should work out fine. Worst case I wrap myself around a tree at low speeds and learn something”. No joke that was my actual pep talk to my self. It worked. My confidence grew ten fold in one 10 foot section.
That doesn’t mean you have to do stuff you are completly out of your zone on, but every single ride push things a tiny bit, and follow someone where you think you shouldn’t. If they are an experienced rider, physics will be physics and your bike will roll over it.
If you do the same thing every ride and trick your self into thinking you are getting better without experimenting, then you aren’t progressing. (no accusation there, I just had to finish my rant! )