SONORAN DESERT MOUNTAIN BICYCLISTS
Thanks for visiting the Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists! We are an all-volunteer 501c3 non-profit organization devoted to the promotion of mountain biking, and view the sport as a vehicle to promote low impact outdoor recreation, conservation, and opportunities that are environmentally and socially responsible. We hope that you will use this website as your Tucson mountain biking resource for finding events and trails to ride, as well as to stay up-to-date and help our trail advocacy efforts.
4-26-2012 Update
April TLC – Green Mountain Trailwork Day – Saturday, April 28th
The Last Saturday Ride has been changed to a Trail Work Day, due to bad weather the last time we tried to work on Green Mountain. So grab your work gloves and join us this coming Saturday the 28th for some Green Mountain love! Be ready for a hike of about 2-2.5 miles into Green Mt. There are some downed trees most are manageable for us to move one will need the FS. Lots of little brushback to be done and maybe fix some wash outs. Meeting Time: 9am Shuttle Place: At the camp ground where Green comes out.Plan: Plan is to just hike from the top all the way thru. Bring a lunch won’t be a short day. Check out the official TucsonMTB thread for the latest updates.
4-19-2012 Update
2012 Cinco De Mayo – Sunday, May 6th
For the 5th Annual Cinco de Mayo event, we’re headed up Mt. Lemmon! Bring a potluck Cinco-inspired item, your bike, and prepare to have a great time. There will be BBQ Grills there if you need to grill. We’ll be stationed at the Molino Basin campground, and rides will go out from there. The plan, if we have enough riders, is to Shuttle to Bug Springs. If not, then we’ll just do Prison Camp. Both Bugs and Prison are considered Intermediate trails. If you’re familiar and comfortable with Starr Pass, then you’ll be good to go. Be there by 8am, and remember, you will need to either have a pass, or buy one at the station on your way up the mountain. Please RSVP on our Facebook event.
4-6-2012 Update
NEW! MOUNTAIN BIKE SKILLS CLINICS (MTB 101 & 102)
Pima County DOT Bike Ped Dept is venturing forth unto the wonderful world of mountain biking, and our very own Martha Lemen is teaching! Even better…. it’s FREE! In Part 1 of this two-part class, riders will learn the basics of mountain biking – body position, bike set up & skills to gain confidence on the trail. Newer riders will learn a lot and experienced riders will learn more efficient techniques to ride faster with more control. Part 2 will give riders the opportunity to apply the skills learned in Part 1 on the trails at Fantasy Island. We will analyze lines and take the time to get over/through the various features at Tucson’s most popular trail system. Class size is limited to 8 riders. Riders need to bring a bike in good working condition, bring water to last 3 hours in hot sun and wear a helmet. Sunglasses and gloves are highly recommended. Call 243-BIKE (2453) to sign up. (Ages 16 plus, 13-15 okay with a parent). TO REGISTER, CALL 243-BIKE (2453).
- Part 1, Saturday, April 21st, 2012 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. George Mehl Park, 4001 E. River Rd.
- Part 2, Saturday, April 28th, 2012 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Fantasy Island – Irvington Trailhead (Irvington/Harrison)
- Part 1, Sunday, April 22nd, 2012 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Purple Heart Park,10050 E. Rita Rd.
- Part 2, Sunday, April 29th, 2012 8:00 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. Fantasy Island – Irvington Trailhead (Irvington/Harrison)
4-3-2012 Update
Sign a Petition to Legalize Night Riding in Tucson
Many of you may not know, but night riding is currently illegal in Pima County trail systems such as Sweetwater, Starr Pass, etc. With summer temperatures reaching 110 degrees, night riding is sometimes is the only way to get some quality singletrack time. Please sign this petition to urge Pima County into allowing night riding.
3-15-2012 Update
Cyclovia Tucson 2012
Cyclovia Tucson is this weekend. Please visit the SDMB’s booth and decorate your helmet and/or a bike plate, and play some ring toss for a chance to win some cool prizes. We will have an all ages group ride leaving from the booth at 11:30am to do the 5 mile loop, led by the wonderful Martha Lemen. Cyclovia is March 18th from 10am to 3pm. The 5 mile loop starts downtown and loops around the south side of town. Check the map on the Cyclovia website for details. The SDMB booth will be near 4th Ave and 24th Street.See you on Sunday!
3-9-2012 Update
SDMB Offers Mini-Grant
The Sonoran Desert Mountain Bicyclists is pleased to offer a $1000 grant available to Pima County residents and organizations with the intent of bettering the local biking community. If you are interested, please head on over to our Advocacy page and view/download the requirements. All submissions due by June 30, 2012. All applications received will be reviewed by committee and the winner notified by the end of the following month.
Build Trails + Ride Your Bike = FREE STUFF!
Yep, you read that right. And it’s no joke. SDMB wants to thank hard working folks who give back to the trails and offer their time to the mountain biking community. Here’s how it works… You attend certain SDMB events and you earn entries into a raffle that will be held at the end of the year, at the SDMB Holiday Party. The more events you attend, the more entries you earn. It’s that simple! What can you win? Well, we’re not going to spoil the surprise, but lets just say that it makes the membership raffle prizes look like chump change. What certain SDMB events do you need to attend to earn yourself entries to the raffle?
- You will earn 3 entries for each SDMB TLC (Trail Love Crew) workday.
- You will earn 1 entry for each SDMB Last Saturday Ride.
- You will earn 1 EXTRA entry if you LEAD a group on a Last Saturday Ride.
- There may be other SDMB Special Events throughout the year that can earn you additional entries. These Special Events will be posted and highlighted as such, as well as noted how many additional entries these events could earn you.
Some additional notes about the raffle: To win, you MUST be a current member of SDMB as of the time of the drawing, Board Members and Officers of SDMB are NOT eligible to win, Winners do NOT need to be present to win.
Hope to see more people out at these events. They are always fun, even if they do involve a bit of work here and there. The best way to make an impact is to be involved!
3-2-2012 Update – SDMB/IMBA Trailwork Day
50-Year Trailwork on Saturday, March 24th
Woohoo we have IMBA coming to town to help us out on a trail event. The plan is to meet at Coronado K-8 School 3401 W. Wilds Road Tucson, AZ 85739 Room 211 at 9am for some class room sessions. After the class work is all done then the fun begins at the 50yr. trail system. We will be working up near the Chutes in an area that has become damaged by riders riding threw when the trail is muddy. This has left this clay section extremely wide with tire ruts and all that mess.
1-27-2012 Update – SDMB Starts Some New Saturday Rides for Ladies and Beginners!
SDMB is proud to present two new monthly rides. The Third Saturday Ride is geared toward ladies looking to ride in a no-pressure, fun atmosphere. The ride actually is co-ed occasionally but is never high-pressure and is no-one-left-behind. The other new event is our First Saturday Beginners Ride, which (obviously) takes place on the First Saturday of every month. This ride is specifically for those new to mountain biking and/or mountain biking in Tucson. So come on out and enjoy these great rides!
1-17-2012 Update – Two Great Bike Movies!
Chasing Legends – Loft Cinema – Thursday, Jan 19th, 2012 – 6pm
There is no greater sporting event in all of cycling than the Tour de France. Chasing Legends touches on the rich history, passion and true grit of the The Tour as seen through the eyes of Team HTC Columbia along with commentary from Phil Liggett, Paul Sherwen, Eddy Merckx, Lance Armstrong and some of the sports most prolific heros. With a stunning array of HD cameras, poignant and touching interviews, “Chasing Legends” will take viewers deeper into the pro peloton than ever on a roller coaster ride of action, story and emotion.
Bicycle Dreams & Re-CYCLE – Fox Theatre – Wednesday, Jan 18th, 2012 – 5:30pm
Do you have some bike parts, clothing, bikes, bike relate anything you no longer have a need for? Lets Re-CYCLE it. Your trash may be someone’s treasure and vice versa. Bring something- take something. This event is part of the Bicycle Dreams movie at the Fox Theatre. Tickets are 8 in advance at Ordinary Bikes, Fairwheel, Sabino Cycles and Fitworks. $10 at the door. For Bicycle Dreams, filmmaker Stephen Auerbach and his crew worked around the clock to capture the highs and lows of the Race Across America. With 18 cameras in the field, the team found innovative ways to document this massive event. To uncover the inner workings of the race, embedded camera operators traveled inside the riders’ crew vehicles, gaining unprecedented access to the cyclists and their teams. Their footage captured emotional and physical breakdowns, late-night strategy sessions, and great moments of personal triumph, all in intimate detail. Auerbach then took on the enormous task of editing hundreds of hours of material into a powerful, inspiring look inside the most difficult race on Earth.