First Ride on Cuyuna's Double Black Technical Trail | Sledgehammer | Mountain Biking Cuyuna
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- Опубликовано: 8 сен 2024
- Sledgehammer is Cuyuna's big-featured, rocky, high-consequence technical trail. Located in the Mahnomen North unit, and accessed by the Backcountry trail, this trail isn't for the faint of heart.
This was my first ride through Sledgehammer. I took my time and sessioned each big feature, bypassing a couple I didn't feel comfortable with riding solo.
Great video Rob! I totally agree with your take on Sledgehammer. It's not something I'll hit every time I'm at Cuyuna. Nice job clearing some of those features and passing on the crazy ones. It's hard to pass up features sometimes, but the mark of a mature rider.
Appreciate it! So tough passing up features you know you can do, but that you know you can also mess up pretty badly too! I think if I lived close by and could ride this trail repeatedly, it would become a favorite, but getting to Cuyuna once or twice a year leaves me choosing others I can ride more confidently.
I’d agree with your thoughts at the end. The big rock double works but it’s pretty tight coming into it. Probably a smart move to bypass it being by yourself. Another well done video buddy
Thanks man! Yeah I’m happy I skipped that one, have heard other people say it’s not the easiest to clear. Still can be deflating to walk away from a feature like that 😂
Props for knowing your own limitations and not feeling like you have to hit every feature just for youtube content sake. I was able to spend 3 days up riding Cuyuna last fall and absolutely loved how nature and humans have changed this this once mining-scarred land into natural beauty and how the area been revitalized in support MTB'ers. I'm originally from the Twin Cities, living and riding the rocks of the Arizona desert, so I found the grip of the iron-red dirt and the beauty of riding through the woods well worth the 1,800 mile drive. I didn't mind the "man made" features in the least - they didn't pour concrete, but used boulders from the area, so it kept to the natural feel. Thanks for riding and posting the Sledgehammer trail!
Thanks for watching! Yeah a few features I didn't feel comfortably hitting while out riding solo. Fair comment on the fact that they used boulders from the area. Yeah I totally agree with the positive impact these trails have had on the area. So many people are able to get out and enjoy it now!
The GoPro effect is real on that intro drop. Saw that IRL and it’s crazy steep!
Yeah it really is, hard to capture how big that rock gap is at the end too!
Part of me loves cuyuna but as you pointed out in this video, some of their features are.. odd. Idk if they dont quite plan it out as they build it or what but I've always felt the runups and landings are less than desirable on a lot of their features. I can say though, for flowy trails in MN they got more than average. The only place that i find to be more flowy than cuyuna around here is hillside in elk river as odd as that is.
Also, love the X3 series in the background of the ending 😆
Nothing runs like a Deere! 😂 Yeah good shout on the flow trails, Cuyuna overall has some great flow trails without a doubt. Agree that I don’t know what the plan was on a few of the newer trails (Sledgehammer, Dynamite, Backcountry…).
Great riding, Rob! Good, honest review of Sledgehammer. It’s really hard for me to pass on any feature, but sometimes you just have to try them another day.
Well said Randy, I’m the same way, hate passing but know it’s the right move in some situations! As always thanks for watching and sharing your thoughts! 🤘👊
I just did that trail last month and I was lucky to have met a guy who wanted to do the last big feature as well. It is harder to clear that last rock double than you think. I barely made it. I didn't like that large roller before the right berm before the rock double. I also had the same problem with ticks as well. There are more ticks there than anywhere else I've been.
Glad I bypassed it then if it’s harder than it looks!! I just kept thinking I’d case it and bust my rear rim. Nice work clearing that thing, it’s huge and definitely no joke! 🤘 So I lost count but I pulled off close to a dozen ticks.
I was on Sledgehammer a few weeks ago and I agree. I was also solo so I didn't hit a lot of the features because the landings were too high consequence. Cuyuna has a lot of fun trails but a lot of the new stuff is challenging in a tedious rather than fun way. I think it started a few years ago when they made most of the trails require loooong ride-arounds to get back to the start so they can't be sessioned. I don't understand some of their thinking.
Yeah I don’t get why they don’t attempt to make trails more sessionable. Winze is a good example, a short section of the Haul Road could be made two-way, with proper signage, to allow riders to session Winze. But they’re so opposed to any two-way trails that you have to ride a few miles just to get back to it. It’s a little perplexing.
Still haven't ridden Sledgehammer and the Backcountry trails at Cuyuna but I agreed 100% with your take on Bison Run and Dynamite in your video there, if I ever ride this I'll probably feel the same. Too much artificial chunk that drains your speed for no reason, killed the vibe for me on Cruser's Kettle as well. Good job knowing your limits while riding alone in an isolated part of Cuyuna, I'm sure that rock gap has broken several bikes and bones the bike shop warned you about!
There are some fun trail features on Sledgehammer, and even a flow spot or two, but overall it just felt like an attempt to make huge trail features, without considering how the trail would run as a whole. A place to session features, instead of a vision for an entire trail, like Bobsled.
Just got back from cyuna. Did the Backcountry loop. Pushed my skills a little. I don't care for rocks for the sake of rocks. Every time i got moving another pile of rocks! No thanks. I did stand at the entrance to sledgehammer and debated, glade i chose not to. I don't think id be ok 😮
The backcountry trail is notorious (and in my mind super annoying) in that there are rocks placed on all the tight turns, between narrow trees. It’s a really odd build, like the builders were saying “Heh heh, this’ll get ‘em!” 😂
@@robonbikes exactly. We we three amateur riders and one of us who shall remain nameless had to walk most rock piles. Still had a good time.
Excellent video! The intro was fantastic and great job on the rocks and features. As a low intermediate mointain biker, I appreciate your approach to the features and I hope to get more confident in the air.
Thanks I appreciate it! Time and a lot of rides really help build the confidence. Finding a sessionable jump line is the best confidence builder for being in the air. The great thing is that even the more “boring” parts of mountain biking are super enjoyable!
Great vid Rob, really tied the reality of this trail together. You knocked off some big moves in there as well! For some this will be a one and done.
Thanks! Yeah, definitely some fun features, but I really prefer the Yawkey and Mahnomen South trails, they just flow together so nicely.
Nice riding Rob! I have a hot take on the build of this trail and Bison Run...Garbage, some things work but most things don't...
Thanks man! Overall I’m a big fan of Cuyuna, but yeah, some of the newer builds are head scratchers.
Someone had to say it
If I had to guess, it seems to be a case of having more money than they knew what to do with and/or having too many people giving input.
Yeah Buddy! Nice to check this one off your list! Knowing your riding ability but still pushing it a bit! Well done! Now back your regularly scheduled Cuyuna riding......
Thanks man! Haha, exactly, bring on Sand Hog and Bobsled!!!
I rode all of sledgehammer a few weeks ago when I was there, I really love the trail. I enjoy riding big features although I will say that it was hard to get enough speed for the last gap jump as the corner before it was slippery when I was there. Nice video!
Nice work hitting everything there! There are some big drops on this trail, not to mention that rock gap.
A-W-E-S-O-M-E
🤘
Cuyuna has a weird building style. I remember some gaps on some other trails that just were so poorly thought out. No speed for it. Always thankful people are out there digging but Cuyuna seems to have more than its fair share of weird moves that don’t work. I think some of the worst sections were done by paid builders too 🤷♂️
The newer builds out at Cuyuna have awkward sections. Hard to define but they just don’t work, or feel natural. I think Dynamite on the Sagamore Unit is a prime example. I do love the classics though - Mahnomen South and Yawkey!
Congrats on checking this one off your list. Haven't been out there in a while. The camera angles are worth the big bites. Hope you didn't get any ticks.
Thanks Brian! Good to hear those camera shots paid off! Ended up with about a dozen wood ticks 😳. Trail was super overgrown in spots; so much rain this season the trail trimmers have their work cut out for them!
Is this the hardest trail at Cuyuna? I’ve been up there once and only did a short loop including “Bobsled”
Yes, I would say it is the most technical, with the highest consequence features. Even some of the ride arounds could be challenging for an intermediate rider. Bobsled is a great trail, probably my favorite in Cuyuna!
Whats cuyuna like when it comes to overall terrain/geography? I assume its mostly flat with occassional short descents and comparable short climbs but is there some actual hills/elevation and lengthier descents as well?
Overall you're pretty spot on, but compared to other trails in central MN, and especially the Twin Cities, Cuyuna has decent elevation. This used to be a mining area, and so elevation was formed over the last century, along with great views of the turquoise pit lakes. There are some lengthier climbs and descents (Sand Hog Mountain comes to mind on both), and the terrain covers everything from dirt to very chunky iron ore.
@@robonbikes Yeah ive seen some footage of Cuyuna that showcase some high-up views. Such footage kinda makes it hard to discern what the overall geography and riding is like exactly cuz it SEEMS like there might be some climbs/descents at least of moderate length.
I started riding in the black hills region of South Dakota(you ever ventured out there and seen what it has to offer?) so I'm mainly used to lengthier climbs with coinciding lengthy descents, albeit nothing crazy long. I'm down south now unfortunately and while there shockingly are a couple cool/solid trails where i'm at(literally, just a couple hah), it is more of a constant barrage of repeated short up/short downs...still fun but man that just don't compare to a straight 5-20 minute descent.
@jackburton2680 yeah nothing quite like that in Cuyuna, much more elevation in the Black Hills. I’ve never ridden in the Black Hills, but have been to the area a few times in my day. What trails/trail systems would you recommend?
What are your GoPro settings? Always seems when I ride the footage looks like I’m 1/2 the speed I’m going(sad violin haha). Do you use the Max lens mod?
I do use the max lens mod. A little wider POV and it locks the horizon. You could check the film speed, if you’re at 60 fps, I think some applications might play it back at half speed.