Going to stay with girlfriend’s family in Switzerland this summer. She lives in Les paccots, Near vevey / Montreaux / Bulle.

Would it be worth taking a bike if I didn’t have a van to ship around, only maybe the back of a car for short journeys? What is the riding like around here – do you need a guide? Is it signposted? Is ENOUGH signposted to make it worth the £50 easyjet fees?

Conti

Yes

no… dump her.

Yes, Verbier less than an hour away.

Montreux has an EPIC descent (about 2km vertical) and best of all it’s accessable by train. Get the Montreux SwissTopo map and enjoy…

Where is the best place to find out the routes for around there? She might come with me one day but she has no idea more than me.

Would it still be worth it if I didn’t have a car, only the bike and train?

And for reference; I only want to do techy singletrack; nothing that you’d need a big fr/dh bike for.

As above the descent from the top of Rochers de Naye above the town is pretty awesome as is the train ride to the top! Definitely worth while, nothing signposted as bike trails but with a map and vauge sense of direction it’ll all be fine.

Techy singletrack is usually not signposted except in trail center-like areas like verbier. Open public transport brings you almost everywhere. If you have more than 2-3 hours to spend on the bike, i’d say, take your bike, it’s worth it, lots of great riding nearby. For maps or gps data look here. Enjoy!

Marry her.

I would for this reason alone 8)

@continuity – you are visiting a country with one of the best train services in the world. I would highly recommend a day up in Zermatt, with or without the bike. Have a look out for the statue down by the lake, it might surprise you, it certainly did me !

should you even have to ask!

Montreux has plenty of great riding above the town. I used to go there for work and hired a bike each time. Try and talk to some locals to get the best out of the trail network.

And as everyone else said you will have access via train to some awesome stuff. Nice town in the summer (bit grim and dull in the winter IMO).

Lucky you. Dirt mag did a series of three articles you should look up called Morzine OTA all about getting away from the big bike centres. One or more mentioned some riding the the areas you mention. I don’t think you’ll need to go as far as Zermatt to get some riding in. Be sure to swing by a little village above Vevey called Chardonne for a drop or two of the local white made from the Chasselas grape. Epic on a sunny day. Anyone know the deal on access laws btw?

Theres some lovely road biking around there as well if you like that sort of thing, cols that go high into the mountains, with the option to walk over the ridge and then descending into totally different valley. Les Paccots is at the base of Le Moléson, I’ve found some singletrack around there, I get the feeling theres more, but I’ve not spent loads of time exploring there. Following some of sign posts or the Swiss topo 1:25000 series should allow you to find something good. Theres a 1:25000 topo map special that covers all of RdN and le Moléson (it covers double the area of a normal one) and everything in between which would be ideal, it’s about 25chf. As said above the riding off RdN is good fun, quite a few options to get down from the top to Montreux, there will be a pretty sweet (epic) loop to be found linking Les Paccots to RdN if your prepared for some path finding and possibly some Hike-a-bike (there usually is when RdN is involved unless you take the train up). Les Paccots is around 1200m and Le Moléson and RdN top out around 2000m, so the riding gets you pretty fit.

I spend 2-3 weeks each summer staying with by brother in law who lives 10 minutes outside Montreux, in Blonay, near Vevey. You’re 35 minutes from Morgins, 45 from Chatel or Champery, 50-60 from Verbier, 75 from Chamonix, 90 from Les Gets. What an awesome place.

What you will probably find is that there are dedicated, fabulous trails very close to Les Pacots, but finding the best trails might be a little tricky. I’ve met people who’ve ridden at Pacots, and I’d have thought that it would be easy to buy trail maps.

With the greatest of respect, does she have a sister?

She has a handsome younger brother; if you’re that way inclined.

Anyone know the deal on access laws btw?

There are very little to almost none privatly owned and not accessible parts. Most of the forrest belongs to the local gouvernment. If there are privately owned parts, the landowner has to guarantee access. Another plus is the large and very good signposted hiking trail net, which does not just include fireroads but also singletrails. You are allowed to use them with your bike.

(please excuse the spelling, english isn’t my core competence …)

Nordifjura – I have been looking for a gps file for the descent from Rochers de Naye, but your link does not seem to work?

Continuity – When are you visiting? I am here until the end of May. The trails from the Dorenaz cable car are also supposed to be good. Check out Dorenazbike.ch Plenty of xc routes on http://www.mountainbikeland.ch/en/welcome.cfm

@Blessey – just remove the extra http stuff at the start of @nordofjura’s link

That’s a very kind almost offer of you Blessy! I’ll be jumping over mid june, unfortunately. Will be saving this thread for posterity!

Les paccot to RDN down into montreaux sounds like an epic day’s ride. A gpx would be amazing.

Thanks Jambalaya.

Have found a gps for the Rochers de Naye route via http://caterpillarmountainbiking.blogspot.com/ (I couldn’t get the link to work from the gps page, but if you put Rochers de Naye in the search box you’ll find a link to the gps file which does work.) Hope to ride it before I leave.

I have been looking for a gps file for the descent from Rochers de Naye, but your link does not seem to work?

Try this but warning: you only can buy all the maps together as a complete package, which is probably not of use for you, and, it’s horribly expensive! So you’re better of with Jambalayas tip.

Two things you might want to google are the Jura which are the hills all along the north side of Lake Geneva and the Saleve which is Geneva’s ‘local’ mountain and has a cable car you can take your bike up on. Both have good riding

No need to buy the maps. Print your own!
http://map.geo.admin.ch/

http://map.schweizmobil.ch/?lang=en

This is your best friend. You can print maps and overlay ariel photos which is very handy for scoping singletrack.

You will be very well located for some amazing riding locations. Study those maps and ride the small dashed lines at RDN and you’ll find some real treats. Some of the best stuff is not marked on there though. RDN is cool because it takes you from loose, rocky exposed hair pins to hard bed rock to leafy steeper forest singletrack all in one run. Its quite technical in places but not too hard. Train runs every hour and if you really pin it (and no punctures) you can make it down in less than an hour to meet the train, otherwise a nice beer break by the lake.

You also have Bex which is down the valley a bit but easy by train I think. Also train access to the top, but be warned, its VERY steep here. Not so technical but continous, leafy, beautiful, loamy, hang-off-the-back steepness. Dorenaz is further down the valley but it only has one track which is fun but quite brutal on the body, even on a DH bike. Its not so steep but rocky as hell.

For more xc there is plenty around Bulle/RDN area and there is riding around Leysin but I’ve never been there.

What bike will you be riding and what kind of level are you?

I’m riding a trancex with 140 or 150 forks. I don’t know how one mentions level, but I’d happily ride any UK trailcentre black route. I used to live an hour from Coed Y Brenin.

Awesome links.

I think I’m going out at the start of june for a few days, might just go with walking boots and persuade gf to “go walking” i.e. scope out mtb trails.

If you’re out from 6th-10th June, there’s a cool, low-key music festival in Nyon called Caribana
Caribana

You should be fine on that bike then. You would take a battering at Dorenaz and may scare yourself silly with the steep head angle at Bex but its almost all ridable on a Trance X. Dorenaz is far more DH orientated. Technically wise I would have thought you would be fine and would enjoy it, especially RDN.

Thanks tim. Stuff like trailcentre blacks is what I’m after, just longer, prettier, and less fireroading.

I mentioned RDN to my gf, she said “Yes, I think I’ve seen people bike off that. I’m pretty sure I nearly wet myself at the idea.”, to which I replied “well, lets rent you a bike and see if it happens”.

RDN is a bit of a step above the trail centre blacks that I’ve ridden as its all natural and has not been made for bikes. Having said that, there are only a few sections that are harder and its always good for a bit of a challenge. I rode up there yesterday and the top section has changed a bit after landslides and avalanches making it very loose! It was pissing down with rain of biblical proportions making a few sections somewhat tricky.

I might be able to guide you a bit around RDN but I’m afraid I can’t commit much more than “might” as I’m so busy at the moment!

Any STW-ers up at Roche Naye/Jaman yesterday afternoon, group of 3 one with a yellow Tranisition.

What a stunning spot ! Picnic-ed up there after shortish hike from car park. Definitely going to take a bike next time. Very jealous of all you “locals”