Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

Allegrippis / Raystown: which bike should I bring?

7K views 70 replies 23 participants last post by  Rock Garden 
#1 ·
Which would be more suited to the Allegrippis trails?

26" FS bike (Nomad)

or

29er hardtail (Banshee w/ a big fork and big tires)


thanks.
 
#3 ·
Is there one that is easier for you to pump on? I would take that. The more nimble of the two.

I think some people treat some of the rollers at Raystown as doubles, if you are skilled enough to do so, take whichever bike enables you to get that rad, but basically you don't NEED full-squish there.
 
#5 ·
They are flow trails, so momentum is key. I ran a 140mm and 160mm bike both pretty firm, but was riding that much travel for all the extras, like grip, brakes, dropper, etc. My normal bike is more of a climber. I think the ideal bike would be a slack and light 29er. You Paradox will be enough.
 
#6 ·
I ride Raystown on a bi-weekly basis on my 125mm FS. Tough call for you. If your FS was anything less than a 6" all mountain machine (like 140mm or less) , I'd say FS no doubt. I haven't ridden a hardtail since 2002, so kind of hard to relate to that. I see a lot of riders on HT's out there. Since your FS is a VPP (as is mine - SC TRC), it will be efficient on the short punchy climbs.

If this is going to be your first time out there, I'd say bring the Nomad. As stated by others, Raystown is all about flow and keeping momentum. It's a fun network because the rollers and grade reversals offer endless jumping opportunities. You can either pump the rollers, pre-jump them, or treat them like jumps. Because of this, bring the Nomad and use that 6" of FS! Jumping the HT would take a toll on your body after a while, decreasing your mileage potential - not cool!

A few trails have rock gardens, so the FS will come in handy. You'll be able to just blast through them on the Nomad.

When riding Raystown, all I have to say is Osprey to Hydro (Hydro CCW). Stay off the brakes, and just grin all the way down to the lake overlook. You'll probably want to do another loop it's just that good.
 
#8 ·
2-3 hrs to ride

......
When riding Raystown, all I have to say is Osprey to Hydro (Hydro CCW). Stay off the brakes, and just grin all the way down to the lake overlook. You'll probably want to do another loop it's just that good.
I'll have about 2 or 3 hrs to ride.

Including the Osprey to Hydro recommendation, what is the best 2-3 hour route?

Best place to park?

Thanks everyone for all the info!

:thumbsup:
 
#7 ·
I've had full susser there and hard tail 29er. No need for suspension there. On some of the trails it would be sweet to have your SC but for most hardtail with fat tires will be perfect. I've ridden there many times, its a great place to shred.
 
#11 ·
Sounds like my buddy's setup. Salsa El Mariachi with a carbon Niner fork, with maybe even the same gearing. He tossed some new-style Conti Mountain Kings out for the Hans Dampfs and he's been loving it.

You'll have a great time.
 
#12 ·
Yea I found Allegrippis to be more dependent on braking and grip than on travel. It's a fun place no matter what you ride, but thats because its fast and smooth, with exception of a few loose corners.
 
#15 ·
Was just there this past weekend. I took my new 130mm 29er. I've ridden it several times prior, but always on a HT. I didn't miss the HT at all and couldn't have asked for a more fun ride on this new squishy bike! One of my favorite rides is under 3 hours there and looks like this:

Baker's Hollow Trailhead - Buck - Doe - Sleek Dog - Eagle - Ospry - Sidewinder - Left onto Ray's Revenge (short) - Left onto Berry Patch (short) - Locomotive - Red Legs - Allie - Buck - Trailhead
 
#17 · (Edited)
Ride both.

I'm a local guy so I ride these trails a lot. Most of the guys around here ride hardtails or rigid. You'll have a lot of fun rolling along building up momentum on the 29er.

I also have some friends who ride FS out there as well who seem to be grinning just as much as everyone else.

If it were me I'd bring both bikes out on a weekend and ride one on Saturday and the other on Sunday.

Enjoy the trails.
 
#19 ·
ride report

So I rode it w/ my 26" FS bike.



Yes it was overkill, but had a great time on those jumps.

Amazing trails! So fast.

I had Ardent tires set up tubeless (18psi front / 28psi rear) and I was just railing those turns.

I def would've had more momentum on my 29er hardtail though.
 
#22 ·
Winding down the last hour at work then heading out to Raystown for the weekend. Taking my Pugs with a Larry up front and vee-8 out back. I expect it should work out pretty well. Won't be running as low pressure as I normally do for technical/rocky/rooty singletrack. Probably be running about 10psi up front, 12 in the back.
 
#25 ·
What a great weekend out there. Weather was fantastic and trails were great. Had a group of 21 people and a good time was had by all.

Not sure if you're one of the people we saw out there. Not too many people out there Saturday, but ton of people out there Sunday. Guess the park stuff was having a busy day Sunday bailing out riders.

Unfortunately, one of the people they had to help was one of the guys in our group who had an ambulance ride courtesy of a tree. Very good rider too, just a fluke. Luckily he's all right, just some SERIOUS bruising on his leg...nothing broken.
 
#26 ·
Glad you and your crew had a good ride. I got on the trails Saturday around 9:30 and rode Rays/Hydro/Eagle/Sleek and didn't see a single rider and very few people were out on the lake. I guess the season is officially winding down. I'm looking forward to watching the leaves change and catching the views once all the leaves have fallen.
 
#31 ·
There will be...soon!


There is a new set of IMBA trails going in and around Quemahoning Reservoir in Somerset County near the towns of Boswell and Davidsville. Trying to find info as to there status is difficult, but I have a B.I.L. whose neighbor is the director of this project(can't remember his name), and we were just discussing these trails while riding Black Moshannon this weekend. Ground breaking has started !!! I've also heard it will be Allegrippis on steroids, offer many more miles as well as a few trails with just as much speed but far more technicality. I have yet to directly contact someone at LHORBA for first person confirmation, but plan to to offer some volunteer time.

Michael
 
#34 ·
Cool to hear all the positive comments about Allegrippis. I'll be up there with a crew of 5 on Sat and Sun of next week (Oct 5 and 6.) We're making the trip from the Baltimore area because we've heard the trails are just that good. I'm really looking forward to experiencing them firsthand!
 
#35 ·
They really are that awesome. I've taken a bunch of people out there and everyone has always had a great time. Even people that prefer rocky, rooty, technical singletrack can't help but having a great time. Its hard to not have fun when you're moving so fast, pumping up and down trails, airing it out, etc.
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top