My Introduction

My name is Aaron and trail riding is a new way for me to both have some fun and get some good exercise all in one shot. Tired of riding the stationary hamster wheel of a bike at the gym, I decided firmly something must be done. My friend and I had been talking about hitting up the trails for many months, and our vision became a reality when he called me up after spotting the new 2015 Marlin Five sitting at a local bike shop. We snagged them up and since then have been eating either dirt or concrete whenever time allows. I am a full time college student and part time dog trainer. My experience with the bike began in youth with a great Schwinn road cycle my father passed down to me. Trail riding is very new to me, but I am up to the challenge.  I am big into outdoor activities and despise sitting still for too long. One of the greatest feelings is taking on a big trail, and relaxing with a good beer afterword's.

Slaying the Dragon at Bear's Best Trail in Las Vegas

One of Summerlin's hidden gems of mountain bike riding is the trail at Bear's Best. It can be a little tricky to find but once you do you'll be glad you did. It took us two trips to get through the whole thing but with a little luck and preparation you'll be able to make it in one trip. We ran into the dreaded pinch flat with no spare parts but we'll get to that in a minute.

The start of the trail is about a mile from the parking area (Town Center just past Flamingo). Once you get there you have a choice, left or right. We decided to take a right and that section of the trail was fantastic. It started with a difficult climb but quickly gave us exactly what we were looking for, a sweet downhill section! That was until the dreaded flat tire. We went a little fast and didn't have quite enough pressure in the tires and my front tire wasn't able to weather the storm. With a loud burst of air, the tire was completely flat within only a couple seconds. After the walk of shame back to the truck, which was about 3 miles, we headed out to get it fixed and planned our next trip to slay this beast, and slay we did!

Our second trip consisted of a bit more preparation and a whole lot more riding. We made sure we had the gear we needed and the correct tire pressure. This time of year in Vegas, and on tires with tubes, we rode with 40psi and it was great. We took the same loop to start and I braced myself for the rock of doom that I knew was coming but this time the bike rolled right over it and life was good. We continued the great singletrack section and eventually came to the end of it near a flood wash. After only about 4 miles, there was no way we were going to stop so we went back to the trail head and took the other path this time which lead us into some trouble.

When you reach the trail head, if you decide to go left, be careful that you stick to the bike path and don't accidentally get yourself onto the 4x4 trail. The trail isn't marked at all and there are forks all over the place so make sure you scan ahead and try to pick the best route. We ended up on the 4x4 trail and man was it nasty. The path was covered in large rocks and lots of sand. I was getting bounced around so hard that I could barely keep my feet on the pedals while doing a simple level terrain ride. The path was built for trucks so it was a lot of climbing with larger rocks and enough sand to make a beach. The plus side to putting yourself through the rigorous climbs is that you end up with a great view of the city. However, if you stick to the bike trail, you can still get the great views so I suggest you stick to the single track and don't be lured away by the wide trail.

After finally finding our way back to the proper bike trail, we rode some more and found ourselves at a great downhill section filled with lots of small rock drops and tight turns. The problem was that after being on the wrong trail, we were now heading the wrong way and didn't even realize it. Rather than going downhill for this great section, we found ourselves climbing again! We pushed ourselves up the hill and over what would have been the rock drops before finally reaching the top. 

Our reward was a good one. We ended up right back on the first loop we took with nothing but familiar downhill in front of us.

We rode that section as hard as we could and loved every second of it. After several miles of grueling climbs, we were finally done and enjoying the best part of the ride again. When we made it to the wash again and the trail ended, we felt like we had just won a huge victory. The ride was done, we were both exhausted but we made it and we felt awesome.

We ran into other riders on the trail who were great. What I love about this sport more than anything is the kind nature of the people who do it. People you don't even know who have gone through the same thing you just did giving you words of encouragement and pats on the back. Kind people and the beauty of this great desert trail are what made this a ride to remember. We'll be back out there soon to once again ride on the back of the dragon we slayed today. Hopefully next time, we can remember our way around!

Introduction to a Fellow Rider

My name is Justin and my friend and I are the very definition of amateur mountain bike riders. That doesn't mean that we don't have a great passion for it or that we don't know a thing or two. As the name of the page implies, we want to know more. We want MTB Apprentice to be a place where we can share great stories about our mountain biking experiences and a place where you can do the same. Sharing information about riding and telling stories with great people is what this is all about for us.

Before we dive into the biking, I wanted to give you a little background into myself as a rider. I personally have been riding trails since I was young. About 15 years ago, I took my first trail ride and fell in love. I rode a lot throughout my 20's. I finally reached a point where life demanded more from me and due to financial issues, I made the decision to sell my bike, a Trek Fuel 90. After that, riding was put on the back burner for me.

A number of years have gone by and now I'm back at it again. I was fortunate enough to have the chance to pick up a brand new ride recently (Trek Marlin 5) and I haven't been able to stop! I still have a fair amount of knowledge from my previous time riding but I have certainly lost things. I'm beginning to work on technique again and becoming familiar with local trails. I have a number of goals for myself when it comes to riding. First and foremost is to learn everything I can so that I can get the most enjoyment out of each ride.

That's is where this page, and you, come in. My hope is to share stories and information here about different types of trails and even about some of the equipment I use on my rides. Things from the bike in general to something as small as just a saddle. I want to be able to learn through reflecting on what I've done as well as hearing from other riders out there who may know what can help me get over that next hill.

I'll share more about myself as time goes on but I wanted to at least share this small amount in the hopes that it might inspire you to either get back on a bike like I have or share some wisdom that you've picked up on the trail. I truly look forward to being able to interact with some of you. Until next time, happy riding.