Being persuaded to drop my usual Pyrenean/Alpine road bike holiday for off road Alps holiday.

Limiting factors are my skills and my bike, a hardtail.
However I like the idea of long hard rides and hours of being able to climb.
I don’t want to pad up
So basic XC on a grand scale.
What have we got.

And un guided.

i took 2 hardtails in 2003 (psylo races and psylo xc’s i think) and then a full sus (boxer racers) and a hardtail (psylos XC’s) for a season in 2004

I’m still alive

But are you?

With road riding it’s easy to plot a route. You just know you’re in for a hard day, but it’s all going to be rideable.

I guess I want to do the same thing, but with better scenery.

Hardtail and Alps is vague to say the least lol.

[video]https://vimeo.com/103408205[/video]

I reckon riding your own hardtail, and finding your own routes, you’ll have a good holiday.

Riding a FS and getting a guide, you’ll have a great holiday.

Ridden alpine XC routes on hard tail XC bikes and even a cx bike one year. The cx bike was fine mostly but challenging going down in the morzine region. The XC bike however was fine.

The cx bike however was great for exploring and let me nip between different valleys quickly.

Took my cannondale f29 to les-gets and morzine. Did xc routes and most of the downhill tracks alot of fun only a few of the bigger jumps got chicken runned.

Taking your HT to the Alps isn’t an issue, but confused about not wanting to Pad Up with limited skills (?) yet wanting to do Trail riding. Where do you ride xc here, to give some idea of what you’re aiming to do (but on a larger scale 😆 )

My first trip to les Arcs was with a rigid bike on xc wheels, riding the same routes as everyone else. Melted HS33 pads, but had a whale of a time. Returned with 6″ front and rear and had even more of a whale of a time. Been a few times since, never failed to have fun despite different bikes.

Alps is huge…

Also most of it is no harder than good bits of the UK, just a lot bigger. I’d probably take some pads for the descents which after hours of climbing could be very tiring.

Why not follow the Trans Alps route? Plenty of online info on it and routes on Strava.

Trans Alps route

This is what I was going to suggest when I read the op.

I did a route that goes from Austria to Lake Garda, easily ridable on a hardtail, well signed, amazing scenery. All natural trails, no mega downhill stuff so no need for pads or full face. One of the best trips I’ve done. But this was an organised trip so places to stay were sorted out for us, easily done yourself with a bit of research.

It’s what we were doing in the alps in the 1990’s before full sussers, disc brakes and stormtroopers. A lot of them are marked VTT and guidebooks are(were!) available, usually in french or italian to add an extra degree of confusion. I’m pretty sure I’ve still got guides for the Aosta valley and Chamonix area, full of Hardcore xc mincing.

No problems back in the early ’00s riding the Pleney, Chevannes, Swiss National DH courses on an Airbourne ti hard tail with 120mm forks. Probably a lot faster and more comfy the year after on a 6″ travel Kona full sus but all of the trails we rode out there were doable on a hard tail.
The pad thing I would reassess myself. If I’m n a riding holiday the last thing I want s to have a silly crash that stops me being able to ride. I was in the Borders for a week a few years ago, had a silly back wheel slide out on a bit of Spooky Woods at GT, ended up with 6 staples holding the skin over my knee together. Had I had knee pads in I wouldn’t have spent the rest of the week watching my mates go out riding every day and leaving me sat at each trail centre car park.
Lightweight knee and elbow pads are minimal faff.

I’ve found Germany and Austria great for this kind of riding. Superb scenery and great, non technical fire road routes.

Will look at trans Alp, thanks.
When I’m in the Pyrenees I see nothing but ‘rigs’ can’t say I’ve ever seen anyone riding XC bikes.
I suppose I’m looking for tracks to reach the summits.

Just ride up their downs 😉

Thegingerone and I survived a week in the Pyrenees last year With BasqueMTB and I took the same bike (Solaris) to the Alps this summer around Morzine/Les Gets for a “family” holiday but managed to do some big mountain exploring sans lifts. Lots of the “enduro” routes were good and it was relatively easy to find my way to the top via fireroads

The main issue is how much more of a toll on your body riding lift assisted stuff is on a hardtail.

I haven’t had an issue riding DH in the morning and doing more pedaly stuff in the afternoon on a hardtail though.

Chamonix.

In June or September (but not July or August) you can ride anywhere.

Petit Balcons are great. Route to Valorcine what I would call aggressive fire-road. On the Swiss side lots of of that, all signposted.

The climb from the town to Planpraz would satisfy anyone (1000m fireroad).

The blue and the red are great, if taken at speed.

Some of the guides on the tour de Mont Blanc rode hardtails. Big tyres and you’re sorted.

Not “The Alps” but I ride a Genesis Alpitude with 160mm ‘Zokes in Greece, where there are biggish dirt road climbs (anywhere up to 1,800 metres) and a mix of mule path, goat track and dirt road descents, some of them more than technical enough for me. To date I’ve survived, although I do wear knee pads and, on some rides, elbow pads as well.

I recommend Troy Lee 5400’s if you want knee pads that you can wear all day, in 30+ temperatures, without really noticing them. I’m using them here in the north too, to keep my knees warm.
I’m older than you, so I feel the cold……

I’d rent a full sus. Just won’t be much fun.

Transalp Route …

Here’s some photos I’ve found just to whet your appetite on a dull winters evening 😀

Lots of options and the French VTT maos you get st the tourist office generally are created with the intention that people ride up which they tend to do on hardtails. Seen folk doimg this in Areches-Beaufort (With Trail Addiction we went up in the van!), some of the marked VTT trails Samoans re on the side with no lifts and zi’ve seen plenty of folk grinding up the roads and tracks in Verbier. my Swiss mate is 30, fit as a fiddle and a natural on a bike – he rode Verbier red enduro routes on his ancient hardtail with 100mm forks and caliper brakes and bar ends – of course he went down much faster than me , here is his bike mines the white Covert 😳

So just do some research, there are many options inc places we uplifters don’t go. Jura is supposed fo be good, ditto Voseges. You miht want to stick in some bigger tyres for a bit more bump absorption

Love the piccys, bib on.