New to MTB

Hi everyone, just wanted to introduce myself. I’m new to the MTB community, just bought a used bike and have been gearing it up the past month. It’s an 2015 Opus Vox 2.0 1x setup XC bike, just doing maintenance mostly. I used to ride bikes lots when I was younger but after moving to the city for years I got out of it. I bought a house in St Margaret’s Bay which is where I grew up (we used to ride on the rails to trails when the trains were still running) and have been wanting to get back into it. I stumbled upon this forum during my research and am glad to see there is a healthy MTB community out here. Been reading the posts and doing some homework this past week. I’m pretty much a beginner at this point, looking for some advice for MTB trails out there to cut my teeth on to build some skill. I know there is not much out my way except the rails to trails as far as MTB trails go but I’m open to traveling a bit to good ones. I hear there is one in the Bowater Mersey, where exactly is it? I know it is an intermediate trail but it would be good to know for when I get comfortable. What were your favorite beginner trails when you started out? Any Tips or advice for a newbie would be appreciated. Thanks.

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Welcome @rhyno857!

It’s always contentious when we post trails that are not official, but built on someone else’s land… the trail builders sometimes like to keep their gem secret…

I think enough people know about Bowater by now though.
(Please don’t ride trails when they’re wet, it will piss off people for sure.)

Here’s a strava activity of last time we were out to Bowater:

Note, it is not on trailforks for some reason either.

Good beginner trails are:

  • Norrawarren in Spryfield by the lumber mart.
  • Irishmans Rd in Windsor
  • 9 Mile River
  • Some of Whopper, (Da Minion to power lines).
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Hi @rhyno857. You’re also welcome to join us on our Tuesday night group rides. Just keep an eye on the posted difficulty level and judge accordingly. Some of the less technical rides we do are at Shubie park, MacDonald park, 9 Mile River, etc. The pace is fairly relaxed and we make sure nobody gets lost or left behind.

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@rhyno857, @JeffV’s suggestion to use Trailforks is your best be to find trails on your own. It includes details about how technical the trails are. You can also use the Strava Heat Map to find trails that might not be listed on Trailforks although you won’t have any details on those trails, so rider beware! You hit the goldmine when you found this site though. Lots of local knowledge available here.

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