This is one for anyone interested in Mountain Biking in Canberra and the surrounding regions.
The website
The story
Having recently moved to Canberra and being a keen mountain biker, I found it difficult to meet other people to go for a ride or find out what’s going on without having to trawl around a few different web sites. It’s OK to go to Sparrow Hill on your own once in a while, but can get pretty lame and boring.
I’d come from Sydney where there were a couple for social MTB websites that were pretty useful. I had a few options to start something here and a couple of people who are into this internet thingy said they’d maybe get around to doing something at some point. However, bored with waiting I decided to take control, found a suitably easy web platform that a computer novice like me could work out and just decided to have a tinker and see what happened.
Well, after a week of doing some thinking and experimenting and with some help from a web savvy mate, The Berm was born on 23rd November. I think it’s pretty cool, but you can be the judge.
So I invite anyone with an interest in mountain biking in Canberra and its surrounds to get onto www.theberm.ning.com, have a look around, join up, drop a link to the site on your own web pages (facebook, twitter etc), tell your mates and get involved.
Cheers for listening and happy riding.
Having recently moved to Canberra and being a keen mountain biker, I found it difficult to meet other people to go for a ride or find out what’s going on without having to trawl around a few different web sites
You have obviously not heard of mtb-oz then? It’s been around for 10y and there are heaps of Canberra mtbers on there.
Sparrow Hill possibly feels lame and boring because it has just about the most technically undemanding mtb trails in the whole ACT region.
Sparrow’s got flow and speed- just need the mind set to find it.
Anyway, great site and badly needed! The CORC site just doesn’t quite cover it all. Cheers.
s-s-a said :
Nothing wrong with having a Canberra specific one. Looks great – will definitely be signing up. I’d be into the long exploring rides like the one you’ve got planned for Namadgi.
Awesome site, just registered & whacked some pics of a recent ride through KNP.
Very shiny!
Don’t forget rotorburn forums.. though their region-specific subforums aren’t as popular as the rest of the site.
Quite a nice site you have there. I ride but generally I just do a lap around Lake Tuggers rather than heading off-road.
I’ve added a link to your site into the Canberra-Based sites category on ACT Bus – I believe there’s a few keen cyclists on there!
with something about a berm I was expecting something more Clouseau like…..
Cool site. I usually hang out on Rotorburn, and check out CORC occaisionally.
As for Sparrow it’s a bit more XC minded, but if you pedal faster (and keep off the brakes) it gets a bit trickier. At Sparrow try Japanese Garden, & Sparrow Loop for more technical fun.
Jerra & Tugg Pines are my favourites (along with my local trails at Stromlo & B Ridge).
I don’t know how much of Sparrow you’ve ridden but like kramer says there are many elements that are a hoot, like Japanese Garden, Sparrow Loop, and the balance logs. And heavy cow, dam runs, and bobsled at pace are a blast.
Red Hill is a rabbit warren of great technical hill climbing.
Jerra is one area I haven’t ridden and am keen to explore.