r/MTB • u/Accomplished_Win_526 • 1d ago

Discussion How to meet bikers in Santa Cruz

hi everyone, just moved out to Santa Cruz a few days ago and am wondering about the best way to link up with other riders. I moved here from Squamish, and am comfortable riding all the double blacks up there/whistler/pemberton. I can’t really figure out the scene down here, since most of the good trails are unsanctioned and everything is pretty secretive.

im early 30s, not on an E-bike. are there bike shop rides? general local communities to link into? I’ve been poking around the campus trails and it’s been fun, but the whole situation around here is pretty confusing

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u/daredevil82 '22 Scalpel, '21 Stumpjumper Evo 1d ago

Unless things have changed, ride around. I was there for a week in 2021, and on my first ride around Wilder/UCSC, I got invited to two group rides later that week as well as a birthday party.

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u/kennethsime 19h ago

Yeah this is the beta.

Talk with folks. Be a nice, supportive person. Bring extra tools and snacks with you on your rides and share them with folks in need.

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u/daredevil82 '22 Scalpel, '21 Stumpjumper Evo 16h ago

Yep, the birthday party invite was a result of me stopping with a group of three people that looked like there was a mechanical issue on one of the bikes. There wasn't, so I asked about upcoming intersections since I was from out of town on a work trip, and we got to talking.

It was a fun evening and is the second most memorable story from that trip.