Pedal Up Bike Parks Are Not Worth It | Kanuga

There are three styles of full size bike parks. Shuttle served, lift served, and pedal up. Are pedal up bike parks worth going to? Is the juice worth the squeeze? Watch and hear my thoughts on what might be an unpopular opinion.

[@joncalhoun]

In my experence, Kanuga is best if you: - Have an ebike, especially if you have kids you want to tow or run a MAC ride seat. - Get & use a month pass ($50/mo instead of $29/day). Even if only riding two days this cuts the cost per day down. - Want a place to ride in bad weather to avoid damaging Pisgah & Dupont trails - Want to progress in ways that you can't easily outside of a bike park. Eg going faster on directional, bike-only trails, hitting bigger jumps, and trying hard tech features. It sounds like most of these weren't true for you, so I agree it would be hard to justify paying vs riding more of Pisgah & Dupont. As ebikes become more popular, I believe this type of bike park will become more commonplace. Especially in areas where public land will never approve big jumps, hard tech features, or even directional, bike-only trails. I think public trails will always have a place in the ecosystem, and I don't expect parks like Kanuga to appeal to everyone, but I do think there is a subset of bikers who are willing to pay to have access to better (for them at least) trails.

[@TheMediocreMountainBiker]

All great points Jon. I think for a local, a lot of those reasons make sense. For somebody visiting from out of town, in retrospect, an e-bike is going to be the best option.

[@wizaxed]

This is where the E-bike shines!! I know people give crap to e-bike riders, but nothing like that pedal assist on those hellacious climbs. You have gone to some pretty cool places, Jason!! Thanks for sharing your great footage!

[@TheMediocreMountainBiker]

Not gonna lie, I was pretty envious of those e-bikes.

[@AdrenalineIsLife]

GNCC stands for Grand National Cross Country a Moto and ATV race series. Hence, the trail is rutted and rough like a GNCC race course. My favorite trail at Kanuga.

[@themostlymikeshow]

Those trails look excellent! That's definitely a bucket list destination for me!

[@TheMediocreMountainBiker]

It was cool and fun but if you have a chance, rent one of their e-bikes.

[@steve_exclamationpoint]

I felt the same when I went. Trails were fun, but for that price w/ no lift and the many options of trails in the surrounding areas it left me feeling not very eager to go back.

[@RobJurewicz]

I feel the same driving up to Quarry Ridge. The 2.5 hours from Chicago and then you get about 10ish 1 min runs before wanting to pass out. Wish I had an ebike when I got but also if I was local it probably wouldn't bother me so much.

[@TheMediocreMountainBiker]

I can see being a local to these trails working out. Once you figure out what trails suit you best you don’t have to waste time riding the others.