Bucegi mountains have a lot to offer in terms of hiking, climbing, skiing, biking, and a lot more. Each year we schedule some rides here and is great when we discover new trails that are simply perfect for mountain biking. This time we tried a new one that reward us with flow and view. It’s the trail that descents from Scara peak near Omu to the cross above Malaesti hut and passes Tiganest mountain refugee and Tiganest lakes. It is a trail whit a kind of technical access, almost via ferata :)) but once you put yourself on the bike you are immediately possessed by the trails and the flow it has. the view is epic, and I think this part of Bucegi mountains is the most beautiful one. The sections from the cross to Malaesti hut it’s to steep and not so clean so it’s a hike a bike sections but from Malaesti down, a new trail awaits you, technical at the start but flowy at the bottom. The trails are on trail forks so check them out. The track of our ride its here on Garmin connect. It’s one of those rides that we will probably take each year, along with Tiganest descent or Strunga descent. These 3 are our top 3 trails in Bucegi mountains. Enjoy and ride safe!
Fagaras from peak to creek, a weekend to remember @barcaciu mountain hut. The plan was on for this year, we wanted so bad to visit Barcaciu hut and ride some fresh trails in Fagaras mountains. The trigger was some post on NUFO BIKE TRIP YouTube channel and we were certain we wanted to ride those trails as soon as possible.
We made a quick plan and booked some places @Barcaciu even though the weather was not looking friendly. But as I say (ain’t always true) gods favor the strong ones and this weekend was so true. We had some small showers on Saturday, just enough to keep us cool, and on Sunday we had the perfect weather, chill, a bit cloudy for good pictures and no rain.
And the trails, let me tell you about the trails, they were in perfect conditions. You recognize a good mountain hut by the trail that accesses it, and this one was clean as a bike park trail.
On Saturday we send it down from the hut on the same trail we push-biked on and it was amazing. It’s a 4km trail in perfect conditions with some technical bits in the first half, roots and stones and lots of lines, and at the end some nice flow with some tight switchbacks just to keep you on your toes ;). Then pushbike back at the hut for some drinks and a good meal. We had a nice evening, even built up a ramp and jumped it in the sunset light for some cool pictures, thanks Mihai for the good idea, and keeping us in shape for them trails.
Next day we woke up in the morning for a beautiful breakfast in front of the hut. Mrs Mariana cooks up some great food and we left the hut with our energy levels restored. The target was Scara peak and some epic descent on an unmarked trail. We had 3h of pushbike up to the peak and after that over 90% descent, and a long one, around 12km of descent on an epic trail with an unique view over the west part of the country with Olt river sneaking in the horizon. Once we entered the forest, we passed the trail that links Barcaciu to Negoiu hut and stayed on an unmarked trail that was in rather good conditions.
The trail is incredibly beautiful on a loamy terrain. It’s good to have a GPS track with you. We put it on trail forks so check it out if you’re in search of new trails to shred.
Overall it was one of those epic rides that will remain pinned in our memories for a long time. Check out the pictures and the clips bellow for a clear verdict ;). Enjoy and ride safe!
This ride has become a season opener for us. It seems we always take on this ride at the beginning of the seasons when the snow melts and the trails become accessible.
It is an epic and beautiful ride that goes around Bucegi massif. We usually take the cabin from Sinaia, up to 2000 m and from there we begin our ride with a descent to Padina, then a climb to Strunga refuge where we stop for a quick lunch break. From there a beautiful trail awaits us and takes us down to Simon village. After Simon, we start a 3 h climb to Diham mountain hut. From this point we can take several trails down to Busteni, like Izvoare descent, Muchia Lunga or the fire road that takes you to Gura Diham. All of them are easy to ride and fun.
It is one of the rides we will take each year because of the easy access and the beautiful views along the way. You can find the track of our ride at this link on garmin connect. The trails are also on trail forks. Enjoy and ride safe!
This year was supposed to be the first edition of Bacau Enduro, a stage in CNE (Romanian enduro cup) but, due to Covid problems the whole cup was canceled after first stage, Semenic Enduor.
This does not mean that we cannot shred the CNE stops so we headed to Bacau to check out the trails. Cristian Totu, the main shaper here was kind enough to greet us and show us the trails. The community is a small one but very friendly and the trails are fun and kind of tricky, just like Ciocanu Enduro trails. They seem easy but they bite you when you least expect it. From a competitive point of view, the fit racers will have an advantage here because of the pedaling sections but you also have some technical sections that surprise you after some full speed ones. It was very dry and hot so is better to ride the trails in spring or autumn conditions, but we managed them in the August heat too. The access for the peak of the trails is quite easy, you can pedal it all the way up. They have 3 trails ready, all similar but with different features. You will find berm, rock gardens and jumps, all in a progressive way and all fun. Overall they are quite fun trails and if you ride with the locals you will have a 100% authentic experience ;).
Thanks Cristi, Andrei, Ana and Danut for the great time and the beers we had. Can’t wait to ride with you guys again! Cheers mates and we owe you one for setting up these places.
You can look up the trails on trail forks!Enjoy and ride safe!
Sorry to say this, but it was a veritable mudfest this year. We made jokes about the forecast but the weather was way worse than the forecast so we ended up riding 3 days on soaking wet trails.
Too bad for this beautiful place that got to experience such weather in a contest weekend and the trails got to suffer quite a lot ….
This is a shame because here are some of the greatest trails in Ro and I wanted to ride them so bad, just as I remember them.
It was a bit harsh on the organizers too. They found the courage to hold the event, even though the times are not the nicest (Covid and all) and the weather kicked their moral as well.
It was fun the first day in training but being in contest on this kind of a weather, man, it’s too harsh I tell you.
I had to do it just to learn that next time when the forecast comes true and looks like this, I’ll turn myself in an action sports photographer for the time of the contest 😆, it’s safer for me and for my bike, and I still do something more useful than racing 😅🤷♂
Otherwise, the place is great for riding trails, just beautiful. Some nice trails with good dirt, all on a beautiful Mountain with a beautiful lake at the bottom just in the perfect place for you to cool down after a gnarly descent 🌬💪.
Hope next year we get rid of all the troubles and have a perfect enduro season, fingers crossed.
Until next time, cheers to the guys from Bike Attack Resita for holding the contest and check out the trails on trail forks. And don’t forget that the trails are there the whole year, so go visit them, you’ll have a blast riding there 🤗😉. Congratulations to the winners for pulling hard and hope their bikes are ok! Ride safe and enjoy!
P.S. For accommodation in the area, if you don’t look for something fancy, you can check out Haus Hubertusplace, it’s a very nice hut with a great garden where you can even camp 😉 Great food also!
What do you take on for the ride?! essential stuff or waste of weight?!
Last year I helped writing an article about adventure bike packing and the things we should carry on a bike ride, depending on the type, place and length of the ride you are about to take.
The thing is that you have to be dynamic in everything you do, in how you ride, what decisions you make, and change your track if necessary and also in what you take with you on the ride. Yes, is good to have everything with you and don’t miss a thing when you camp but maybe you will not enjoy the trail that much with a 10kg backpack on you or with lots of stuff hanging from the bike. I for one don’t want to sacrifice the descent as much as possible, I like to enjoy every bit of it and ride it in almost normal conditions not being forced to take it to slowly because of the stuff I carry. That’s why I try not to take unnecessary things with me and I am very pleased when everything in my backpack (except first aid kit) is used and I did not carry anything useless with me :).
To help organize your backpack, you can use this website I find very simple and practical: lighterpack.com
With this in mind, I would split the bike luggage in 3 groups: super light, light and bike packing.
“Super light” luggage – for half-day or maximum 1-day ride
These are fun rides, for training in the bike park or on enduro trails. These are rides on routes that you already know and where no significant surprises can occur. These are rides in which you can leave later in the day and which you can finish without worries over a beer in the evening. In such rides the luggage is super minimal and many of the objects, such as tools, it is recommended not to be taken in duplicates. For example, a pump is enough for everyone or a single multi tool. The recommendation is also valid for the other two types of luggage.
In a “Super light” ride it is enough to have the things below. Luggage should not exceed 1-1.5 kg.
Helmet
Snacks (2-3 energy bars / chocolate, a sandwich, possibly 1 energy gel)
Spare tire tube, self-adhesive patches, levers, pump, multi tool (except for the tube, the others are enough to be in one for the entire group, spread to other friends in the brat pack :)))
Water bottle – with water 😉
Hip bag (optional), in which you carry tools and snacks
Knee pads (elbow pads are optional or depending on your experience)
2. “Light” luggage – for tours of 1 day or maximum 2.
The 1-2 days tours can be characterized as “short adventures”, in search of beautiful alpine trails. These are rides in which we do some exploration with an average level of “surprises”. It is not excluded to reach unknown areas from which we must get out safely. However, it is important to mention that having this luggage with you, rides should not exceed two days.
For safety we will have several items with us, such as a headlamp, first aid kit or change / sleeping clothes. If the ride involves sleeping in a shelter or a mountain refuge, we must also have a “light” sleeping bag. If we stay at a cottage, there is no need.
For such a ride, a backpack of 20-25 L is needed, and the weight should not exceed 3 kg (excluding the weight of the backpack). It is also important to say that the weight of the luggage is directly proportional to the accommodation comfort. The larger the luggage, the greater the comfort. I always sacrifice a little of the comfort side of the ride to have a lighter and more balanced luggage, to feel freer on the bike.
Helmet
Snacks – double the quantity from the “super light” luggage or keep the same number of energy bars if you can refuel on the route
The same tools (it is recommended to be fixed on the bike and not carried in the backpack)
Rain jacket
First aid kit
Sun lotion
Photo / video camera (or phone only)
Headlamp
1 liter of water (possibly with hydration powder if you know it helps)
3. “Bike packing” luggage – for rides that take more than 2 days
This baggage can be more complicated and certainly heavier, but it should not be discouraging. It depends a lot on how you evaluate yourself – whether you feel colder or not, whether you eat a lot or not, etc. And that’s because you don’t want to take with you things you won’t use, excluding tools, or first aid kits. During the multi-day tours, surprises can appear on the route, from bad weather to dead ends on the route and you have to make a U-turn or get stuck there. These are reasons why luggage gets bigger, with more food, spare clothes and extra equipment. The luggage must contain food for two meals (evening and morning) as well as snacks during the day, if you know that the route does not go near “civilization”. If you go down to the cottage or a mountain hut in the evening, you can lose food because you will eat there. But if the route is only on top, on ridges, then the self-assessment we were talking about matters a lot. As for the food, in the evening you can be satisfied with “gas station” type sandwiches that withstand a day of heat or you can add comfort if you have small burner and some quick cooking food. But keep in mind that luggage can be shared between members of the ride. The burner can be stored in someone’s backpack, the gas container can be carried by someone else, and the dishes can be carried by the third riding buddy.
Also, if there is an epic trip and you are going to wild camp, you should have more specific equipment like bivouac bag (in addition to sleeping bag), air mattress or tarp under which 3 people can sleep. The survival foil is very effective, put under the mattress, and does not weigh much. In addition, it is very useful in case of an accident. For a warm sleep don’t forget that the surviving foil must be put with the silver part towards your body.
Helmet
Knee pads (optional)
Food for two days – it is preferable for the route to pass through areas with villages, cottages from where you can resupply. Otherwise the luggage is a bit bigger
Tea or coffee – for relaxation in the evening and in the morning when you look at the mountain tops 😉
Tools (to be shared between members, taking care that the spare space remains in everyone’s backpack)
First aid kit
Sun lotion
Photo / video camera (or phone only)
External battery – for phone, video camera, GPS
GPS or cycling computer (preferably with navigation included)
Headlamp
Small burner (primus – 110-200g) and gas supply (capacity 100 g or more, 230 g if there are several riders in the lap)
Drinking cup for each rider
Spork (spoon, fork and knife integrated into a single object)
Lighter / flint (if you want a campfire or for the burner)
Toothbrush and toothpaste
Wet wipes for intimate care
Sleeping bag, bivouac bag, mattress
Change clothes, for wet or cold weather – it’s up to you how you can stand the cold
1-2 L of water – depends on whether you still find on the route for resupply (springs, cottages, villages)
Tent or tarp. The components of the tent (tent, tarp, sticks, nails) can be divided between ride members. There are also self-supporting tents. They no longer need the inner tent or nails because the upper tent is supporting itself using only the sticks.
Backpack 25-30 L.
You can check the representation of the bike packing luggage on lighterpack here.
This year is the first edition of Mehedinti enduro, courtesy of Alexandru Pufan aka The Pufalot who has worked his ass off for us to have an awesome contest on the 12th of May here in Topolniței Valley, Mehedinți county.
Yep, this guy has shaped some awesome trails here and took the time to show us around. It is the second time coming here and we had the same feeling, being amazed of what this place has to offer.
The contest itself has around 27.5 km with and elevation of 1350m and 5 downhill stages varying between 1 and 2 km long. Here’s a description of them made by The Pufalot, on which we agree 👊.
The 5 specials from Enduro’s first Mehedinți edition are located on the Topolnița Valley, a diverse area geographically, making the trails quite different from each other.
The first trail, La Muerte Peluda, is the rockiest and the longest (and the most difficult to reach, with a transfer of nearly 7km), with several exposed and inadequate areas. Completely natural, this is in fact an old touristic trail brought back to life with the occasion of the contest.
On the other hand, the second special PS2, Imagination land, will be the shortest but most interesting. It will pass through the ruins of a fortress and will descend along a natural carousel, so that in the end it will pass through a rocky and open area.
The following two, PS3 and PS4 have the same starting point, being constructed from scratch over the past 3 years. Much easier from a technical point of view, they will probably please those who prefer more of a bike park type of trail with lots of berms and jumps.
PS3, Stevie Nicks will actually be a berm skill test for the riders, having a dozen of berms, while the next one, PS4, Blame Canada, will show us who is best in the air, building the biggest gap in the competition. And yes, this guy’s a South Park die hard fan 🤣🤟.
The last trail, Taming Strange, completed this month, is actually a combination of everything we’ve ever met. Technical areas alternate with flow paths, including very tight switchbacks, straight-forward portions, drops and gaps, on unforeseeable terrain 😳.
Hope these words made you an image of what to expect, and if not check up this edit that we made from our first day of riding here.
Second day we took a short trip to Herculane baths to check up some sick exposed trails that we will be uploading soon on youtube. Besides this we will upload all 5 contest trails in the next days so stay tuned on VRR youtube channel 🤙.
Yes, it was a sick weekend and all we have to say is that we can hardly wait for the contest and to come back here to check out more trails. For sure in autumn we plan another trip here, there are so much more trails to be ridden.
This guy is actually shaping the south of this country! Cheers mate! 🍻
P.S.: Remember 12 mai 2019 – Valea Topolnitei. Photo credits: Alexandru Pufan.
You can also check out this article about Mehedinti county: MEHEDINTI FTW
This video is from a few months back when we did an awesome descent in Iezer-Papusa mountains, probably the coolest there is there. There are lots of trails but this one is the best here and its very long, over 10km and over 1000m of descent :D. For more info about this trail or other trails in Iezer-Papusa mountains, also check out this:Iezer-Papusa Enduro Singletrack or this Enduro bikepacking in Iezer-Papusa:D. Enjoy the video and ride safe! Link to track here!
This is not a recent one but its the one descent that keeps the smile on you’re face the longest time :D. Over 1000m descent. For more information about some of the trails here, chek out this article: Postavaru mountain bike Trails, Brasov, Romania. Enjoy and ride safe!
Ciucas mountains have some amazing landscapes and awesome enduro single tracks if you haven’t heard about it yet. It’s also on our must do list of each year, and I think this year we will come again here when an event will be held to replace Ciucas Endro contest that was canceled because of the lack of implication of some parties…:(. But for sure we will come to the event because that means good people, nice bikes, beers and trails so you have it all in one place with this beautiful landscape on the background :D.
Ciucas mountains, as we also said in the previous post about Bucegi, they are also very friendly with ski touring and hiking and trail running activities. We did lots of trips here and cross this mountains in every direction but for sure there are more trails just waiting to be discovered here.
Until we come back with a different story abut Ciucas, we live you the pictures and videos bellow to better understand the beauty of these mountains!
2 weekend back we did an awesome ride in Bucegi mountains. It’s a ride that we tried for the first time last year and we like it so much that we included in the must do rides of each year :))).
As you already know by now, or if not you will, Bucegi mountains are a small group of mountains in our Carpathian range of mountains. They are ideal for ski touring and bike trail riding but also for hiking, climbing or trail running. We prefer ski and bike, but, whatever you chose you will have the same beautiful landscape that surrounds you so check out the photos bellow.
We are trail hunters, as we like to call ourself :)), so we wanted to make 3 beautiful descent this day. We started in Sinaia, taking the cabin to 2000m altitude near Furnica peak. From there we descended to Padina on a beautiful technical trail. From Padina we have like 1h pushbike to Strunga cole from were we have a long, beautiful and fun descent to Simon village. It’s one of the most beautiful single tracks in Bucegi, a must do in each year. We will go back there in autumn, hopefully with a drone to catch more of its awesomeness :D.
From Simon we took the road to Bran and then straight to the mountains to reach Long Ridge, a trail that will take us to Busteni city, on the other part of the mountain. It’s an nice retreat with an beautiful raw single track that few know of its existence :D.
Check out the clip ant the pictures bellow to see why we use so much the words beautiful and awesome :D. For track just ask us in email, we have many tracks and we want to give you all the details. Also for more detailed videos and track check out this article from last year: STRUNGA AND MUCHIA LUNGA DESCENT 2017. Enjoy and ride safe!
A SMALL SLICE OF ROMANIAN BULZ @ Ciocanu MTB Trails, Romania
This is a short video edit and some pictures from this weekend, shredding the trails @ Ciocanu MTB Trails, Bughea de jos, Arges.
Beautiful sunny day, with dry lose trails. Perfect for skidding around in every corner. You can find 2 of the tracks here, and here :D. Enjoy and ride safe!
This is a small retrospective of the last year in terms of mountain biking. Almost all footage is from Romania, except for a few seconds from Tour do Mont Blanc that we did in September. Awesome time riding here in RO and hope that this year will be at least as good as 2017. Check out this blog for more detailed content. Enjoy and ride safe!
Last ride in many more frames, #ciocanumtbtrails at its best 🤘. Riding, crashing, laughing and having fun, This is what it’s all about, except the second word. Until next time, ride safe! 🚵♂. Foto credit: Cristina Ion 👍
P.S. next articles and movies will include snow ⛷🏔😎
Ciocanu mountain bike trails late autumn ride with beautiful colors, friends, fun trails and a bit of rain. It’s all you need to have fun. We made 4 runs and on the forth one we took some pictures on the main trail. In first video you can see a second best trail :D, a nice one, wit a flow line that ends up between Bughea de Jos houses.
After the 4 runs we stayed in the village for a beer and some trail stories.
There, you can find some nice trails done by the local riders community. There are a sum of 4 tracks there, that average from 2 to 3 km long and with an elevation between 300m and 400m meters.
Are dirt trails, with some nice features done to them, like small drops, switchbacks and some natural roots section. Because of the altitude (starts at 800m), and that all tracks run thru forest, they are a good alternative to a bad weather day.
There is no shuttle there or cable for that matter but there is a forest road that takes you right to the starting point of the tracks.
We did a day and a night descent there. It is nice to descent a track at night. It’s like the track is totally new, like you discover it then, way more fun than the day descent. So, when you get tired of doing a trail, try to do it by night, rediscover that trail :D.
Vertical Riding Romania 