Bike for Bender- Hell Ride!

I did a quick Google search and yeah, I agree Mt. Constance looks a little sketchy. I could see how the penalty for going right would be a big one!

Or... do I have the wrong Mt. Constance?

 

I agree with this, and would add that it's a different type of riding... On Trabuco, and even parts of San Juan, there are a lot more areas to just go fast in a straight line. On SART, it seems like you're changing direction every 1/2 second. Lots of twisting and turning, embedded rocks instead of loose scree, and more roots per mile than we have in the Santa Anas- which just means you have to be mindful of the penalty from start to finish.

Ride it @BonsaiNut ... You'll enjoy.

 

Are you talking about the same SART I rode with youse guys a few weeks ago???
I saw some exposure, but it didn't really bother me except one or two short spots, so it can't be that bad.

@BonsaiNut I agree with @Faust29. Go. Ride it. It's a hoot!

 

You left before the good stuff! No bailouts allowed next time.

 

These segments weren't part of that ride. They are further to the west/down-valley.

 

Traditional sart not so bad..it gets sketchy downill from post office loop..

 

I'll be there finally. Wanted to do this ride for a while, but always seemed to get squashed with family or other obligations. Finally have it set on the calendar and should be there with some buddies.

 

I'm confused...the only part I didn't do was from Glass Road to Seven Oaks. And from there it was just a turnaround from what all y'all were saying.

 

Yes, but that was 6 more miles up, and 6 more miles down....and some of the more fun/challenging parts of the trail are within that 6 miles.

 

Got it.

 

I think that 6 miles coming back was the most fun of the whole day... Rocks, roots, exposure, and fast! That was a riot chasing the guys through there.

 

If you thinking to do this on the same day. It's time to pull the trigger on it. Count me in

 

Some of the exposure is only mildly alarming if you were going fast:



but...

The picture doesn't even begin to do it justice.

 

Hey! That looks like the spot I went Superman last year and landed in a bush over the side. The exposure is there for sure, but the bushes can hold a lot of weight.

 

Good stuff up there!!!

 

Jumping Jim Pratt fell off a cliff on SART somewhere along the north face of Constance Peak. I was right behind him, and we made brief eye contact after his second tumble roll on the rocks on his way down. No words were spoken during his fall, and I could tell he was concentrating hard on spreading his limbs hoping to snag any vegetation or ledges within reach. He fell about 50 feet, but the slope was only 75-80 degrees, so it was more of a tumble slide than a free-fall. It was quite a scene after the ride at the in-n-out while he was eating his burger looking like he had just emerged from a car accident.

 

Take the time to go up to the fire look out at Morton. It's typically manned by a volunteer and they are usually gracious about sharing their views with you!
The singletrack past Morton to Greenspot/Redlands is pretty amazing. It's easier for me than the Mt. Constance sections, and some FANTASTIC views if you can take a second to stop and take them in.

 

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Interested!
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Another photo from last year:

 

Always good to see the posts here on IMTB.

Regarding the "Is it really that hard" question. The answer for most of us would be, "probably not." But since it's a shuttle with a lot of downhill, a lot of people expect it to be easy. It's a long ride with a fair amount of climbing. It's not what a lot of people expect who have never done it. In the past, we've had people bring newbie friends thinking it'll be an easy ride for them. They've even left their friends behind, making it a somewhat miserable and long day for them.

Many are right though, the Hellish part of the ride typically comes from the weather. No matter what the forecast is, expect it to be cold when you start.

Anyone planning on taking the shuttle, we have 5 spots left on the 7:30am shuttle. Plenty of room left on the 8:00am shuttle as of now.

 

Thread bump!

What are you guys thinking? I'd love to do it again... Preferably with a group from here.

 

Hecks yeah!

 

I'm still in. Haven't planned any logistics yet.
I'm still entertaining the idea of riding down from Big Bear

 

I'm down....wow, SART 3 times in 3 months

 

I'm in.

Probably out and back. Up 38 to LL, PO Loop, Seven Oaks and around to meet. Unless I find a shuttle to bring me back to my car at the start of LL and I can start from there. But I'm not looking hard.

 

I was in, but now family schedules are conspiring against me. It's looking doubtful.

I've always wondered about riding down from Big Bear ... hmm ... are there any fun routes from Big Bear to where the Hell Ride starts? Not that I'll be able to join this year anyway.

 

Wildhorse is good and kicks you out at the 38 a few miles above Southfork. You could even get on the upper SART above Southfork, but most of the time that's probably not worth it.

Other good option is the Seven Oaks trail, but it comes out at Glass Rd. so you'd miss the first 6-7 miles of the Hell Ride route.

 

Thanks! I just pulled those up on Trailforks to see where they are. They look pretty fun. I could see starting near the lake and climbing Pine Knot to Seven Oaks Trail, then SART all the way down to Redlands ... someday.

The idea of riding down to Redlands from the top of Sugarloaf Mountain at 9'952ft sounds pretty cool too, but the climb to the peak sounds pretty brutal to start the ride.

 

I've never actually climbed up to Sugarloaf, but have heard it's more of a HAB than a ride.

 

One awesome way to do this, and I've only done it once, but there is a bus that picks up at the Walmart in Highland. It costs $10 to take it all the way to Big Bear and they have a bike rack on the front of the bus. It wasn't made for a 29er, but it still fit. I spent the morning riding the lifts at Summit, then had a late lunch and rode back to Redlands down Seven Oaks and then the SART (I started the morning off by riding to Highland so I'd have no car to pickup).