Article by Mia Phillips - Avid mountain bike rider and member of Sunshine Bike Advisory Staff
March 8, 2008
We are truly blessed here in the Ozarks! It's by the proximity to some unbelievable trail systems! In comparison to many cyclists, I am fairly new to the sport of mountain biking. Having only picked it up a few years ago after doing my first adventure race, I have grown to love everything about being on a mountain bike. I love that they’re called “Fattys” or “Knobbys” and I love talking to people ad nauseum about fattys and knobbys (I can’t lie, I love talking about bikes. Period.).
A few of my favorite trails are all within a 3 hour drive of Springfield. But, for starters, a beginner looking to boost their technical skills might head north of Springfield to Little Sac River. This is where I experienced my first trail ride ever! More than 300 acres of tight turns and twisty single track might not ever make it an IMBA Epic, but the trails certainly contain enough diversity for even the most discerning rider to get in a good workout.
Just a bit south of Springfield is Busiek State Park. The Busiek trails, in my opinion, are a rather rough ride and many of them I would rank as difficult to expert-level because of the increasing number of horses on the trails. You practically need a full suspension bike, with at least a couple of settings on the rear shock to ride these trails (though I’ve known plenty of people who can ride Busiek trails on a single speed hard-tail). Yeah, crazy. My sentiments exactly.
To the north about 3 hours, just outside of Steelville, Missouri is the fabulous Berryman Trail. The Berryman is a 24 mile loop of some of the most beautiful trail I’ve ever seen. Be prepared for a roller coaster ride; Berryman has also been designated an IMBA Epic. Also within a short drive is the beautiful Lake Leatherwood area in Eureka Springs, Arkansas. This is one of my favorite trails and also home of the Fat Tire Festival in July and the Eureka Springs Terra Off-Road Triathlon. There is an amazing lake crossing on a foot bridge…you’ll want to stop to take pictures. Watch out for the lung-busting climbs on gorgeous single-track and some seriously fast descents. After all, it is Eureka Springs.
Just a bit farther south and to the east is one of Arkansas’ gem trail systems – Syllamo Trails. A myriad of trails for the beginner to the expert. These trails have it all. If you own a mountain bike, these IMBA Epic trails are a must ride! If you don’t own a mountain bike, you need to immediately stop reading here and go buy one. Preferably from the good folks at Sunshine Bike Shop and preferably one from the much-hyped Giant Trance X-series.
I am presently blessed to be riding the unbelievable Giant Trance X1. Mountain Bike Magazine couldn’t have said it better: “Even with all its travel, the Giant climbs more like a cross-country mount than a trail bike, responding to momentum-robbing bumps when needed without feeling mushy or inefficient. " November 2007 Mountain Bike magazine. I couldn’t have said it better myself.
Because of our weather recently, I haven’t had the opportunity to ride this bike nearly as much as I would like, but I can certainly say that when I have been able to ride, the 5 full inches of travel on this bike literally eats up the trail and builds my confidence allowing me to ride some of those drop offs and take those downhills and turns a little faster. The normal fatigue I used to feel after riding my old hard-tail is pretty much non-existent with the Giant, and as for climbing…well, I CAN CLIMB! I can now climb most of the stuff I used to walk. The Trance climbs like a mountain goat…even in the mud! That might also have something to do with the “shootout-winning” Kenda Nevegal tires that came standard on the Trance X1. I actually plan on racing this bike this spring, so stay tuned to see if it really is possible that a middle-aged woman can take a performance-enhancing bike and make something of it!
See you on the trails!
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