Spring Valley, San Diego, CA: Steel Bridge to Rock House Full Review 2/2/20

[@PACbelltech1]

This is the Steele Canyon Bridge. The original highway 94 til the 80s and the San Diego Wildlife Refuge

[@toyota1968100]

Right on!!!!! It’s not a race it’s about fun!!! Thx for sharing!

[@PseudoReality28]

My local trail system! Been riding these for over two decades. There's soooo many options and ways to approach these trails. They don't have the best descents in San Diego, but there's some real challenging sections that will hone your skills. Nice review!

[@MTBTrailReview]

Nice! I need to get back out there. It's been awhile.

[@amazeciane3657]

Saw your vid and was going to do rock house but we ended up going all the way through to the Bonita golf course! Longest ride I’ve done was definitely fun

[@MTBTrailReview]

Nice!

[@LevoRider]

30.43 is where I caught a branch through my wheel and did a header into the scrub, it was at a weird angle and when I turned the corner, Bam! I was on the ground. Your assessment of the trail is right, the trail is off camber and very loose. I liked the single tracks on the lower hill they were fun.

[@MTBTrailReview]

That's rough. The lower single track is definitely a bit more fun. I need to get back out there and do an update video. It's been awhile!

[@MrJamesLuz]

The other way up to the rock house is at the end of Paseo Veracruz, where the Mt San Miguel Park is

[@MTBTrailReview]

Thank you. I'll have to go check it out!

[@carlosmartinez-em4ir]

Yeah !!

[@chrisvanpelt5229]

Just found that steal bridge today it’s right around the corner from my house it’s super awesome!

[@MTBTrailReview]

I kind of forgot how much fun this ride can be. I need to go do it again soon!

[@HeroDrt420]

Awesome video! I’m hitting this trail head starting from Steele bridge any chance I get. I haven’t gone passed the wooden bridge towards that big climb, but that first down hill is so fun!

[@MTBTrailReview]

I need to get out there again. This ride is so good. Head all the way out if you get a chance. There are some really fun downhills.

[@HeroDrt420]

@@MTBTrailReview Most definitely! I'm looking forward to doing it soon. I am a bit weary since about a week ago I bottomed my rear tire against the bridge and got a pinch flat. The worst part about walking back on a flat is how boring it is. That fire road sure made it easy though. I've learned to come better prepared the next time I go even if it's for a short while.

[@gpapatgpapat2998]

Thanks for making these videos! The wife and I just got into MTB over a week ago. We live about 15 minutes further East on the 94. Took a ride on the trail Monday around 5pm. Right before I started to cross the bridge hear something rattling but not sure if it was an actual snake or some insect. However, 5 minutes into the ride I come across a rattler just catching his tail and part of his body as he crosses the narrow pass. His rattle looks to be about an inch and a half and the part of his body I did see gave me the impression he was an adult and definitely not a baby. Needless to say having the wife with me and being novice riders we didn’t want to go far. So we crossed over the creek via the bridge went to the left for a little bit. As the trail narrowed I kept thinking about that snake and didn’t want to come across another, and God forbid have to put my foot down and get bit. Headed back out on the fire road, exited and road on the trail across the street. Definitely not as exciting but probably where we need to be at this juncture. Once I build some stamina and more experience I would like to go further in and up.with my adult son whose been riding a little longer than me. Looks like a fun ride coming down. Thanks again for making these videos. They’re really helpful in getting an idea of where the trails lead and the level of difficulty to expect. Looking forward to watching your other ones.

[@MTBTrailReview]

No worries! The snakes are definitely plentiful in that area. I've found I'm a lot less likely to encounter them if I get an early start. Evening rides have much higher chances. That's really cool that your wife and son are riding, too. Let me know if you ever have any questions and I'll do my best to help out!

[@biketothetop]

Great effort biking and sharing! I valued this video for documentation purposes so I can plan a visit. I've ridden there several times many years ago, but was not prepared to navigate well because of the lack of info like yours. I still have my GPS tracks from my visit so I could easily compare my track with satellite imagery/Trailforks, etc. and understand your route. I will return to kill this hill :-) As a content provider myself, I recognize the benefit you may appreciate by recording things in the best resolution available. If you have the means to either post in higher resolution or if you are not financially limited, I recommend you get a better camera. Myself having delayed going from a HERO 3+ to HERO4 not soon enough, I regret I forfeited the opportunity to get a lot of better footage. I recently got the HERO8 and and very happy I didn't procrastinate to get to this next level. Of course new stuff means more expensive memory cards/more memory is required. You can use an external Hard drive to keep your PC free of the storage burdens and process stuff overnight if processing speed is a concern.

[@MTBTrailReview]

Thanks for the input. I use the Rylo, which shoots in 5.8k, but I'm very limited by the software I have. I am currently experimenting with a new program, but I am very much a novice when it comes to editing, and this program is not very novice friendly. Hopefully I'll be able to figure it out so I can put out some higher quality videos.

[@biketothetop]

@@MTBTrailReview I don't want to sound too negative, but I'm just concerned that you get better results so you don't waste your time. It sounds like good news if your camera is 5.8k. I don't know anything about that camera and it's compatibility with various editing software, but I assume you are in a good position because as long as you retain the raw video files, you have the potential to generate high quality results. All I know is that the image on KZbin was not very good. Perhaps there are some settings that you need to change in order to improve the results. Perhaps a simple experiment tweaking these values can improve your results with very little effort otherwise. No matter what you figure out, just make sure that you figure it out sooner rather than later. I've found good information on GoPro's website that may be just as pertinent to your camera as theirs. I wonder if you are using the correct bitrate setting for your uploads? You're going to have to do some homework here, but I assure you the information is out there if you search for it. What is the exact camera model you have, the editing software you use, and the parameters that you have set for processing the video? I may be able to find some information for you.

[@MTBTrailReview]

@@biketothetop I have the Rylo 360, and I'm working on using DaVinci Resolve. As of now, the highest quality I can upload is 1080p, and that is because iMovie doesn't support 360 editing.

[@dev_IL666]

That's section off to the right, you said you've never gone up that way. It's a bad ass dh part with a chunky gnarly rock face, its meant for going down only ain't no way no one can climb that lol.

[@MTBTrailReview]

Good to know. Thanks!

[@dev_IL666]

Other side is off paseo Veracruz passing the baseball fields

[@MTBTrailReview]

Cool. I'll go check it out one day. Thanks!

[@huskerjeff1]

Climb is definitely NOT worth the payoff. 100% Just to be honest with you folks. Great training ride.

[@MTBTrailReview]

I'm on the fence. I think if I do it once or twice a year it's worth it, but I wouldn't want to do it regularly. I would also be perfectly happy doing laps on the first downhill section and not climbing all the way to the top/

[@huskerjeff1]

@@MTBTrailReview Agreed!

[@rad_playzzz6197]

this trail or black widow at black mountain?

[@MTBTrailReview]

This one is a little more raw, and Black Widow is more built, so I guess it depends on what you prefer. If I had to choose, I would probably pick Black Widow.

[@rad_playzzz6197]

@@MTBTrailReview I did black widow. I think I made the right choice. taking my relatives tomorrow morning (so don't know if you'll have the chance to see this!) they have been to Otay only, about 3 times. what trail do you recommend? we are from the bonita area of SD but are willing to travel as far as black mountain.

[@MTBTrailReview]

@@rad_playzzz6197 I would probably take them to PQ. You can climb up to the Del Mar Mesa, then ride the single track up there and drop in to Tunnels 4.

[@SMKHEMI]

My car was stolen from the theater parking lot. I would not recommend it.

[@MTBTrailReview]

Good to know. Thanks for the heads up!

[@WillG_MTB]

just clicked on this to see if i was first