Conestee Nature Preserve North Swamp Rabbit Bike Ride 4K

[@leegandysdroid]

Thanks for another great video. You're getting into my biggest passion now, mountain biking! I've never heard of this trail, although I've ridden the Swamp Rabbit many times! I'll definitely have to check it out. It may be counter-intuitive, but when you're climbing, stay seated, so that your weight stays on the back tire, which will help keep it from spinning :). I was slow at first too. If you keep riding, you'll be as fast as those guys sooner than you think! You definitely have to build up to Dupont...and there's nothing wrong with hiking a bike when needed. Proper shifting comes with experience...just keep at it. If you need to downshift quickly, just hold the shifter down, and it should downshift 3 speeds at once. You have a great bike to get started on..just remember it's made to handle those roots and rocks. Let it do the work and glide over it. Stand when going over rough terrain. One more thing...ya gotta ditch the reflectors so you don't look like a newbie 😁 Notice the other MTBers...no reflectors. Thanks again for sharing your adventures.

[@roselee_explores]

That's awesome, Lee! I think they just opened it in the last year or so. I'll definitely try your tips ... I just rode up at Dupont over the weekend (Guion Farm - HIckory Mtn - Ridgeline - Hilltop - Buck Forest ... my entire body is worn out! But I did try to stand going over really bumpy stuff ... and I still walked up some of the climbs - but I didn't give up! :) I sometimes ride at night - especially when I go to Hilton Head or around town and stuff ... so I'll keep the reflectors for now. I'm working on trying to stay seated on climbs - but my natural inclination seems to be stand. It's definitely a fun hobby and I can't wait to see what other trails are out there! Thank you for watching and providing some great tips! :)

[@leegandysdroid]

@@roselee_explores Ridgeline is a blast. After riding that early in my MTB days, I was hooked. Cherokee NC's Fire Mountain is a blast too. I live close to Poinsett SP which has great beginning/intermediate trails. The holy grail for MTB trails in SC is FATS (Fork Area Trails System) in Clarks Hill.

[@roselee_explores]

I was just watching a video about Fire Mountain! It looks awesome ... I'm definitely adding it to my list. I went down to FATS a couple weeks ago (stayed at the lake for the weekend) and rode Skinny - super fun - but it was my first time on a singletrack so I was more apprehensive (somehow I got my video release out of order because I did the Conestee single track after FATS). I even threw in Bartram East - it was good but very bumpy close to the parking area. Now, I'm trying to decide whether to make a return trip to FATS for Brown Wave and Skinny again ... or do something new like Fire Mountain! So many great choices and so little time to ride them all!! I'll check out Poinsett ... some other people in a Facebook post had recommended it. I've heard great things about the trails around Clemson/SWU as well :) Happy trails!

[@leegandysdroid]

@@roselee_explores Well, you have hit the ground running! Sounds like you're hooked already haha. Happy trails to you too!