Recently we got to visit Macin mountains and their beautiful trails. Never expect less from this place. If you have a camera with you, even a phone camera, this place will turn you into an awesome photographer. Not a good rider, just an awesome photographer :))). But if you ride these trails a lot, you eventually will become a good rider to 😛
The trails are nit, beautiful and unique in their own way. You have some trails with loose over hard pack where you need to control your speed and brakes very good, you have rocky trails where you don’t want to get a flat or fall, and you have Tasmanian forest like trails … the scenery is very diverse for such a small region, but totally worth the effort. Its quite close to Bucharest (3h drive) and very close to the sea side so you can actually go for a swim after a day of riding ;). Check out Măcin hype, its true! enjoy and ride safe!
This year,Bârcaciu ski touringevent hold place, a bit underground, among friends but it had happen. And it was a great weekend to spend on the mountain with beautiful snow, fresh lines and bluebird days. It was also the birthday of the man in charge, the one and onlySherpa from Carpati, Mihai Petre, and seems the gods favor him that we had this briliant conditions.
I feel that i’m repeating myself but this area has so much to offer in terms of mountain acces, lines, trails, tracks and anything in between (good food and good accommodation😊)
Don’t be shy, check it whenever you have the opportunity. I will not continue buzzing you with the same details, just check the pictures and movies bellow and if you want, the the past articles like Bârcaciu Skitouring VRR Editionor Făgăraș from peak to creek #barcaciu. Enjoy and ride safe!
Sketchiest day so far at Balea Lake. I know that from the cover it doesn’t look that way, but it was. Things can change very fast on the mountain, so expect anything. We had a beautiful start of the day, with a decent descent from the ridge of the mountain to Capra lake, but then, the fog came and it stayed for diner… and breakfast next day too :))).
After that, we tried to become friends but she wont open up to us…😆 hard to make a bond when there’s no communication, you feel like talking to the walls :))). Enough with the funny talk, here are some pictures and 2 movies to judge by yourselves. Also for more riding in Balea Lake, you can check BALEA LAKE POWDER DAYS. Enjoy and ride safe!
This is a classic tour for us, each year we do one or tow rides in Ciucas. Why? because its accesibile, usually holds good snow despite of the windy ridge, has good slope with moderate inclination and you can have 2 or 3 decent descent in one day. I recomand a tour in Ciucas for intermediar to advance skiers and the recommendation is to check the weather and in before you go there. You can also look for a guide to take you there, its 1 day job and for sure you will find some good ones here like our friends from Massif Experience. if its heavy snow after a long dry period, better stay bellow the tree line or on mellow slopes. If not, you can try even a descent from the peak. each way you do it, check the conditions on the spot ;).
This is another epic that you must check in Mehedint county. Is the second time we send this trail and the feedback is the same, awesome and gnarly trail with beautiful scenery, forest and technical parts. The start of the trail is epic, and you have a clear view over Baile Herculane valley but the end of it is hardcode. Some tight corners on rocky sections and loose ones makes you think twice before trying anything.
This year again I didn’t get to nail all the bits of the trail and as I grow older its hard to say if I’m ever gonna send it from top to bottom. But no worries, this is not all its about, the gang, the mountain and trail itself make it worth the effort, as always…
As usual, we never leave Mehedints county without checking Mehedinti enduro trails build and maintained by our local trail forks ambasador, Alexandru Pufan aka The_pufalot, cheers mate!
Cindrel bike packing adventure reloaded. I think this is the third year we
do this track and not only the trails keep us coming back, I think the refuge
is. The way it looks and where its located has something to it. And doing the
trip this late in the Autumn, when the probability of finding someone at the
refuge is low, makes this more desirable.
This time we did it in the same manner as third years ago, Cindrel
mountains bikepacking trip, but the weather was top. A bit
windy but only to make thing more adventurous. Not to many peoples on the
mountain this time of the year and that suits us well. We saw a guy with a 4×4
going down from Cindrel peak, only to find him turn over on the trail to the
refuge. What a crazy dude to try this track whit a 4×4 car 😲…
didn’t thought he was gone make it down but with a little help from us, he
managed… we pushed him to the refuge and a bit beyond but from there, via con
Dios my friend… 😆
The night at the refuge was top, all alone we started a fire under the 1k
stars hotel. We had lots of food and some Romanian quality beverage 🥃🤩
just enough to get us worm and quite cheerful… In the refuge was quite cozy
and we had a good sleep but wake up early in the morning.
Next day, breakfast with leftovers and then pushbike back to the ridge of
Cindrel mountains, if we could call it a ridge. We did a descent to Canaia
refuge on the other side and then straight back to Paltinis. On our way back we
climb Batrana peak and then made the fun and gnarly descent to Paltinis. This
trail is long very Enduro like and gets easier at the bottom.
All ended up with a beautiful descent to Curmatura, from Oncesti peak, after
meeting up with Alex, a good friend of ours from Sibiu. Check out his YT
channel right here: La vale!
This is the receipt for a terrific weekend ;). Also check out our electric
adventure from last year in this beautiful mountains: Cindrel
electric bikepacking trip, thanks to NevAcademy. Enjoy and
ride safe!
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!
This is a quick post about Postavaru trails near Brasov City, Romania :D.
Brașov is located in the central part of the country, about 166 kilometres (103 miles) north of Bucharest and 380 kilometres (236 miles) from the Black Sea. It is surrounded by the Southern Carpathians and is part of the Transylvania region.
The city is notable for being an important centre of Transylvanian Saxons in the past, and a large commercial hub on the trade roads between East and West. (Source: Wikipedia).
Also for us, Brasov is important because of its potential in mountain bike and ski activities.
Near Brasov is Postavaru massive, an almost 1800m height mountain with some awesome trails just waiting to bi ridden.
Also, Brasov is a beautiful chill city, with an nice old city full of activity and beautiful people.
In order to ride there you have to get yourself and you’re bike up to Poiana Brasov, which is a bit higher positioned then Brasov. To get there you have to bike there (around 45min-1h by bike) or take a shuttle bus from the city center. For this check out NH Bike guys witch offer professional shuttle services there, taking riders every each hour from Brasov to Poiana Brasov.
From poiana Brasov are like 4 trails that get down to Brasov, but also from there you can take a cabin up to the peak of Postavaru mountain and from there you have a beautiful over 1200m descent to town witch we really recomand. Also you can take a break at Postavaru mountain Hut and enjoy the view and the bear there :D… oh, and the cookies :))).
Without further ado, we leave you some tracks with 2 of the trails there, and also a movie to better comprehend the fun you will face on Postavaru Trils :))).
Trail Riding Postavaru with Scoala de Mountain Bike and Benghea Florin.
La anu’ ori o dam si noi in Benghea, ori ne lasam de MTB :P… acum 2 weekenduri ne-am intalnit in Poiana cu Benghea Florin si a sa scoala de MTB. Pentru cine doreste cateva lectii de dat pe bicla, va recomandam cu drag Scoala de Mountain Bike, Florin chiar stie ce zice si trebuie doar sa il vedeti cum rupe traseele din Postavaru cu un hardtail 29er de carbon. Va garantam ca abia va veti tine dupa el! are Skill la kil :D. Va lasam videoul de mai jos ca si dovada si daca va intalniti cu Scoala de Mountain Bike prin Poiana, veti intelege despre ce vorbim :). Ne foarte bucura sa vedem asa oameni talentati pe cararile noastre. Enjoy!
Si nu doar ca suna, este, caci aici se regaseste una din cele mai faine carari ce trece de la rockgardenuri pana la singletrackuri de toata frumusetea, portiuni abrupte si pline de radacini, curbe stranse, ce sa mai, tot tacamul :).
Si mai ai si varianta cabinei, desi nu suntem fanii urcatului pe cablu, dar pentru cei ce is setati mai mult pe coborare, pica numai bine setupul asta. Cine nu, ii poate da direct din Brasov pe bike si pana sus pe Postavaru aduna foarte fain cam 1300m elevatie in 14 km si unde mai pui ca in astia 14 mai ai parte si de o mica coborare. Nu este cel mai epic traseu daca ca forma de antrenamet este brici si urcarea pe partie este chiar interesanta panta fiind destul de serioasa. Nu si coborarea pe partie, caci la coborare ai atatea variante, trebuie doar sa intri in padure.
Asa am facut si noi, dupa ce am bagat fiecare cate o ciorba si o bere la cabana, ne-am indreptat spre coborarea prin saua tampa. Sincer, nu suntem cei mai mari cunoscatori ai traseelor din zona, de fapt asta e singurul pe care l-am facut pana acum, odata anul trecut si odata acum, cu o mica diferenta la final, dar vor urma si alte trasee in zona. Oricum, coborarea este suuuper faina si chiar daca am face traseul asta 4 weekenduri la rand, tot nu ne-am plictisi.
Cum povesteam la inceput, traseul este plin de lucruri faine, de la singletrackuri lungi si bestiale la curbe stranse, zone cu radacini, rampe naturale si rockgardenuri, le are pe toate.
Unde mai pui ca este si lunga coborarea si spre final ai 2 variante, la stanga continui coborarea abrupta si tehnica pe pietre si radacini, la dreapta dai de cea mai faina portiune de single track cu 2 rampe naturale de toata frumusetea si un flow de numa numa…
Alte argumente de ce ar trebui sa veniti in zona nu am avea dar cred ca is de ajuns asa ca va lasam si materialul foto si video de mai jos asa, ca sa nu ne credeti doar pe cuvant. Traseul il gasiti la acest link. Enjoy!
De biciclit prin Postavaru nu am avut ocazia pana acum desi stim ca zona are foarte mult potential. Mereu am considerat ca este putin cam comerciala si, fiind in cautare de locuri ceva mai naturale si neumblate, nu am luat-o niciodata in considerare.
Am reusit sa ajungem weekendul asta si am vazut ce am pierdut. Am coborat pe saua Tampa si ni s-a parut cel putin bestial. Poate a ajutat si peisajul de toamna si faptul ca nu a plouat recent dar tot traseul a fost super fain.
Este chiar ok ca ai cabina pana sus si daca esti o persoana care iti place mai mult la vale decat la deal, poti face coborarea de 2-3 ori intr-o zi chiar, cu amendamentul ca ar trebui sa revii pe bicicleta de fiecare data din Brasov pana in Poiana , asta daca cumva nu ai un sofer dedicat :)).
Noi am ales sa plecam pe biciclete din Brasov si sa urcam pe ele pana sus pe Postavaru. Ne gandeam pe urcare ca ar fi o idee sa luam cabina pana sus dar pana la urma am zis ca nu strica putin exercitiu fizic. Urcarea pe drumul rosu/partie era sub semnul intrebarii dar pana la urma am descoperit ca este destul de ciclabila, cam 90%, mai putin o portiune mica inainte de telescaunul de pe Lupului si apoi ultima portiune pana pe varf.
Pentru antrenamet este fain sa urci Postavaru sub orice forma, alergare, ski sau bicla, muntele asta reuseste sa scoata untul din tine.
Pe urcare am facut o pauza la cabana Postavaru unde am infulecat repede cate o placinta si 2 ceaiuri si ne-am uscat putin la soarele ce batea bine. Vremea a fost foarte frumoasa si am putut sa admiram atat de la cabana cat si de pe varf toate gruparile de muntii dimprejur, Bucegi, Crai, Leaota, Piatra Mare etc.
Dupa ce ne-am ambitionat sa ne urcam bicicletele pe varful Postavaru, in ochii mirati ai oamenilor ce urcau si coborau (cine a fost acolo stie mica portiune cu pietre ce trebuie escaladata ca sa ajungi pe varf), a sosit timpul coborarii.
Aici incepe surpriza, caci ne miscam repede si ii dam blana pana inapoi la cabana si apoi la bazinul cu apa unde cararea noastra intra in padure. De aici doar singletrack de nota 10 pana in Brasov cu portiuni bune unde poti sa ii dai viteza dar si cu coborari abrupte pe pietre si radacini, care te solicita destul de bine. Mai sunt pe alocuri si cateva portiuni in care trebuie sa urci dar cand sti ce carare urmeaza dupa, deja nu iti mai pasa ca te mai obosesti putin. Era sa incurcam traseul undeva pe la jumatate caci apare o bifurcatie, ambele marcaje fiind dunga albastra. Am apucat-o pe cel care o ia inainte, cel mai putin umblat si dupa ce am vazut ca cararea era acoperita de frunze si nu parea sa fi trecut cineva recent pe acolo, am verificat bikemap-ul si am vazut ca ne-am abatut putin asa ca am facut cale intoarsa la intersectie. Cel gresit mai este marcat si cu un triunghi galben parca. Ambele duc in Brasov dar am zis ca de data aceasta sa tinem traseul planificat. Data viitoare poate incercam si varianta 2.
Ne ducem glont spre finish cu niste zambete tampite pe fata caci traseul pare sa fie de vis. Pe final reusesc sa fac o pana, desi merg tubeless. Speram sa fie mai rezistent de atat, cauciucul fiind nou :(. Se pare ca o piatra mai ascutita, probabil, l-a perforat si a facut o taietura faina de 2-3 milimetrii. Deja am in minte un cauciuc mai fain si mai adecvat ce il va inlocui, dar nu este nici o graba fiind final de sezon. Probabil ca voi pastra setupul asta pana la primavara iar atunci vad cu ce schimb :D.
Dupa ce reparam pana nu mai mergem 10 minute prin padure si deja ajungem in oras si cautam drumul spre masina lasata pe strada Tampei.
Per total tura a fost de nota 10, si urcare zdravana sa ne solicite din plin si coborare pe masura. Data viitoare luam in considerare sa urcam cu cabina ca sa ne bucuram odihniti de aceasta coborare, una sau mai multe.
Tura a avut putin peste 30 de km si aproape 1500m elevatie iar trakul in gasiti la acest link pentru movescount sau acesta pentru bikemap. In continuare, diferenta de rigoare intre bikemap si movescount :).
Va lasam cu pozele si filmuletele needitate de mai jos. Enjoy!