Riding the Loops at the Outer Harbor Bike Park

As cyclocross season approaches, I always have two things that I try to do as much as possible. I get out to the local cross practices, and I get on the mountain bike whenever I can. Both allow me to add a little skill sessioning to the road fitness built over the spring and summer. With the building of the new Lakeside Bike Park on the Outer Harbor, I wondered if this would be a good solution to get my MTB fix more easily?

Usually, getting out to Hunter's Creek or Sprague Brook Park is a 45 minute to an hour trek one way. The Outer Harbor is about 20 minutes tops from North Buffalo, but is the biking experience worthwhile? I would say yes and no.

A lot of thought went into the park, but the three unconnected loops leave a lot to be desired when you want to get both a good workout in and work on skills. Yes, there are enough rocks and ramps to session, but it gets monotonous quickly. I also have to note that on an 80 degree day like yesterday, it has almost no shade.

Because of the small loops, I think a great use would be to ride here to fine tune your set up or bring multiple bikes or try different wheels, tires, etc.... It seems like the perfect place to decide what pressure your new 2.8" tires roll at or whether you like a 27.5 or a 29'er better. It would be a great place for a bike shop to setup and demo stuff. It would be a great place for a clinic.

It's just that car ride that makes me scratch my chin and say, "meh." Do I really want to invest 40 minutes to add on to a mediocre ride experience? I had fun, but I am still not sure.

I left lots of trail footage in the video so you can see all the trail features. That right hand elevated ramp will be tackled one day, just not today.

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