[Closed] any good MTBIing Gran Canaria ?

yes, been on holiday there a couple of times and had a days riding each time with a shop/hire/guiding place. think it is called freemotion. met some Irish guys who were there for a weeks riding and the guides had shown them plenty they were raving about.

Una cerbeza (th as in three, therbetha) por favor.
Dos cerbezas, por favor.
Tres cerbezas, por favor.

If the barman is busy and you want his attention either make the above call or,
Cuando pueda (kwando poo eda)

Gracias usually goes a long way too.

And remember this is the Canary Islands, so nothing will happen quickly.

Very very good riding to be had there....enjoy

singlecrack any pointers to where the very very good riding is? i'd really appreciate some gps files or maps if possible. My wife is from Gran Canaria so we go at least twice a year but i've never taken a bike. We stay in Las Palmas with the in laws and i want to hire a car and explore but having the kids has always made it difficult

Lucas..
sorry fella no files or maps for you
I hooked up with a couple of locals and they showed me around had a good few days with them.
Try and google some Las Palmas mtb clubs and hook up with them

There are some gpx files linked to from my blog here

[url= http://www.ebygomm.ourownlittleworld.org/2009/03/a-trip-to-gran-canaria/ ] A trip to Gran Canaria[/url]

I'm not sure they're much use without local knowledge however

abenson, definately take your bike!

i was guiding out there over winter for Free Motion.

lots of great riding to be had depending on your skill level and/or your idea of mountain biking, but to make the most of it you need a someone to shuttle you around and pick you up at the end of the trail.

the island is a bit like a bike wheel laying flat.... the highest point of the island is in the middle (the hub) and the valleys and gorges radiate from there to the sea (the spokes & rim).

i've a map that i've marked with all the trails that i rode and in the six months i was there i don't think i covered half of them. the problem is is that many of the paths aren't on a normal map (the best map being Kompass, Gran Canaria) and those that are on the map are not necessarily 100% rideable.

some of the jeep tracks can be quite technical depending on how you ride them.

when you're up in the hills you'll see lots of trail disappearing into the canyons, but be aware that many of these trails are just service tracks that lead to an aquaduct and are essentially a dead-end.

the south of the island is completely different from the north. the south is dry and arid, whereas the north resembles a jungle at times; lots of lush greeny, big trees, ferns and fields.
the island is botanically very diverse. it can snow up the top in winter and be 25°C on the coast. it can rain all day in the north and you'll have clear blue skies in the south.

Free Motion's friday tour to the from the Pico to Teror is good fun if you are technically fit. the other tours offered are mostly relatively easy going (apart from the climbs) on rough jeep track and some take in an awful lot of road.

there is a good MTB scene on the island - both XC and DH. but the XC there isn't what you'd expect. the local boys i rode with were both physically and technically very fit and were riding some steep, tricky sections on their 100mm HTs with the saddles up their arses.

there are some good DH tracks. the best being around Teror, Pasadilla and a short, but fun pump track style track in the south east of Playa del Ingles.

i'm sure if you ask (or get your missus to ask) in one of the local shops in Las Palmas you'll soon find someone to ride with. the Canarians are pretty cool, easy going people.

take a look at this vid to get an idea of what the riding is like.
the first trail is a "secret" trail (it's not secret, but you'll have a hell of a job finding it without local knowledge) that cuts through an old vulcano crater. it then runs along above Guayadeque valley and over the old terraces, through a dump towards Vicendario.

the second trail (0:40) is the trail towards La Plata (can also see this in ebygomm pic) which is a bit of a classic. dramatic views to the south of island. you can then cross the road and go either immediately left to San Bartolome (nice, but easy donkey track) or carry on towards Ayacata (rough, technical, slow descent).

after 1:50 it's just a mish-mash of various spots.

oh, and take some sturdy walled tyres. the rocks are sharp!

the purchase of a surf board wouldn't be a bad idea, either!

HTH!

thanks alpin defo taking my bike now , my type off riding looks nearly as good as golden b.c , just hope my bike comes back in more pices than it did from there lol Are the any good bike shops or should i take a bucket off bits with me?

nah... not as goog as BC, i reckon.

like i said you'll need someone willing to ferry you around to make the most of it. the infrastructure is pretty poor - especially to the west of the island.

i know of a few people that go out there as a group of five or so, hire a van and take it in turns to do the shuttling for a week or two.

but get in with a group and i'm sure you'll discover some great riding, but be prepared to climb.... a lot. the highest point on the island is 1947m which can make for a great descent. it's also worth getting up there early to watch the sunrise - very pretty.

there are a few shops in Las Palmas. one that i know of it a bit more DH orientated. most parts are available, but you'll wait an age for them to turn up and make it through customs.

i used CRC quite often whilst there (as did many colleagues) and i was working in a bike shop!

The guys at freemotion were helpful and yed the riding is good

Cool well be taking my 2011 stummpy elite with me but watching so on the DH on you tube I'm sure i will come back with a new down hill bike:)Want have access to a car so hoping we are near a town!Sent free motion a email so hope they will get back to me heading out there in less than a month now , looking forward to it now i seen i can ride there:)

FM really only organise tours and it's a bit of a pain if you are in the north to travel down south to the tourist spot so that you can ride in the north.

they do sell the Kompass map for Gran Canaria, though. best map there is for the island.

i guided a few custom tours, but the guests were paying through the nose for it (they were norwegian, though... they're loaded).

as said, speak to some LBS and you'll find much better trails to ride than with FM.... most of the good stuff they won't guide because it is too remote if something happens - no helicopter or mountain rescue.

thanks for the help , any ideas on tyers would suite out there runing tubless s works captains 2.2 atm but i just shreded the side wall agine so nee to replace so might as well do it with grand cam in mind.So no sure what to go for think i may need something with a thicker side wall 1 any ideas?