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The trail is now a little over eleven miles long. I enjoy the trail so much I rarely go out of town to ride something else. There are several technical sections Bouldergeist, The Ledges, Rocknest Monster that are fun but not near as long as Freefall and The Gauntlet. Freefall is now longer and probobly about a mile long. The Jungle has added length and needs to be ridden to get packed down. Charlies Mountain still has a few tough spots and the three tough climbs towards the end are still there. We are lucky to have our local trail builder in Lee County. In the winter he puts as much time improving the trail at San Lee as he does riding the trail. In the past I would sometimes go to the Asheville area to ride but now I see no reason to spend so much time in the car when you got San Lee right here in the triangle area. |
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Hands down the best riding I've done in the Triangle Area. I'm a New Englander so the more technical the better. The free fall section was so much fun. Every bit of it is very ridable, it's just a question of linking one move to the next. I think riding the trail clockwise is probably easier than counter-clockwise but I'm headed back next weekend to find out.
The new section of trail called "the jungle" is great fun - like the speederbike scene in star wars.
As for flow - I like the steady change of pace. If I want to ride steady I'll get on my roadbike.
Hats off to the trail builder. Best section of trail around!! |
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I found this trail to be very fun. The technical rating is mostly for the vast amount of roots and rocks. So if a bumpy ride is not your thing I recommend looking elsewhere for a fun ride. Some tough climbs and fun difficult sections.(bypasses are available for beginners and anyone who does not feel confident in the rock technical sections. The flow would have been a 5, but the rocks and roots make some spots slower than others and some turns may require footing to make, creek crossings might need walking, and few hills dragging the bike but very nice overall. Overall highly recommend and please remember to sign the riders log! |
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Fyi - It is a good time to go there. I knocked down at least 200 spider webs this morning.... My first trip there and great trail! Good flow and very easy ride except for the "Expert" rock sections. All most got out clean till the last Rock section and then the "dabbing" started! Don't let other reviews scare you about the tech sections, they are fun and challenging. Nice to see some technical rock sections here in the Piedmont! |
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Rode this trail 3/26, then raced on it on 3/27. This is definitely NOT a trail for a race. There is limited opportunities for passing, and if you are not on a full-suspension bike you will be standing 90% of the 9.2mi lap. For riding in general this is a good trail if you like it to be technical. Never-ending roots and rocks! If you are anything but a pro rider make sure you have spare tubes/repair kit, or be sure to walk through the rock gardens as they will do a number on your tires. If you are Exp-Pro rider, you should be able to ride the entire course, but portions may seem like trials riding given the current conditions presented. The flow is not that great. There are a few un-sustainable nearly 180deg corners while climbing which can drive nearly anyone at anytime to have to put a foot down to navigate.
There are a few opportunities to follow bail-out routes for those who have mechanicals or decide the trail is too much for their abilities.
Overall a good trail to fine-tune your skills if you are patient and have an entire day to ride. A Pro rider at race pace would do 1 lap in around 55 mins. When you pull into the park turn left up the hill and park. The course starts behind the pavilion at the back of a gravel parking area for RV's.
Have fun! |
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I went to San Lee back in the beginning of October and by far the best part of the trails are the technical sections which are more toward the halfway point in the ride and definately take a more advanced riding skill to get through. The flow of the trails and design of the ride setup in the woods is nice along with it's away from the city so no noise from the outside world makes for a peaceful ride. There's a lot of ups and downs so definately be ready to do some peddling up hills and bring something to drink you're going to need it. As far as scenery goes it would be great if it wasn't all woods riding and a little of an enjoyable hilltop view of the area would be great but this is NC not Idaho so I'll take what I can get out here. Worth the drive from Raleigh or any other place within 75 miles. |
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This was my first trip to SanLee. I have only been riding about six weeks and this was tough. My previous rides have been at Harris, Umstead and American Tobacco Trial. Harris is much more my speed at this time. The trail at SanLee is very difficult to follow. I found myself heading in a loop. This my have been due to the time of year and the leaves on the trail. There were many parts of the trail under construction and lots of soft spots. I will probably wait until the spring to try SanLee again. |
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For the Triangle I place San Lee near the top. It has some good technial sections, decent trail mileage, and a nice flow. Other than Charlie's Mountain, the climbing isn't much, but that is to be expected for the Triangle.
The Gauntlet and Free Fall provide an excellent challenge for those that like to takle rock gardens. It takes tremendous concentration to clean both sections. It's also very nice that they offer a "ride around' for those lacking the requisite bike handling skills or when you just feel like skipping it. |
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I rode San-Lee up to the bail out this morning. The only problem that I ran into was that the bypass around "The Gauntlet" wasn't marked. It was no big deal to me, but I thought that I would put it out there.
Also the park times are incorrect on this site and the park website. Current Park hours are from 8am to 8pm. Only sucked that I had to wait an hour to get into the park. I let one of the Rangers know and he said that they would take care of the error. |
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No detailed review given.
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