# Lake Tahoe bound



## tandemfool (Jul 10, 2013)

Hi All,

Was wondering if there are any tandem friendly trails in the South Lake Tahoe area. I will be in the area for a few weeks at the end of September for a wedding. Can't decide whether to take our Ventana or road tandem. Thanks for your consideration


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## Okayfine (Sep 7, 2010)

If you scout trails with the Ventana, please let us know what you find.


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## Ciclistagonzo (Dec 10, 2001)

Tahoe is near me (Sacramento) and I usualy ride in Tahoe at least once a summer, mostly on my single bike but, if you are at all experienced as a Tandem MTB team, pretty much every trail in south shore area can be ridden on a Tandem. Mr. Toads, and Flume are the only two that I'd hesitate to recommend. Toads because of the uber Techy bits up high, and Flume only because of the exposure/penalty for failure.

I take my now 9 year old Daughter on all the Single track that's available on the West side of the Lake in the "Camp Richardson" are of Highway 89 and it's not as techy but very fun.
I've ridden Powerline and Corral on the single Bike and I think it's doable on a Tandem for more experienced riders that us.

Also, there are a bunch of new trails in Nevada side just east of the Stateline off of Kingsbury Grade area that I hear are very nice and doubt they would not be tandemable.

I will be in South Shore in early August and will scope out more trails while there, I will be bringing the Tandem up to ride with my kids.


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## ALM (Jul 14, 2012)

Take both tandems! We just returned from Crested Butte Colorado. Took both but mostly road the MTB.


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## tandemfool (Jul 10, 2013)

ALM said:


> Take both tandems! We just returned from Crested Butte Colorado. Took both but mostly road the MTB.


Having never flown with a tandem, I am filled with trepidation getting one tandem there. I do have an option of shipping to my niece's place. Not cheap.


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## tandemfool (Jul 10, 2013)

thanks for the feed back, Aaron. Keep me posted.


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## Stevoo (Mar 9, 2007)

Rode the Flume on the tandem and it was no issue at all. Off course everyone is different so just take this as a data point to consider. 

Have fun in Tahoe. Love that place.


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## ALM (Jul 14, 2012)

tandemfool said:


> Having never flown with a tandem, I am filled with trepidation getting one tandem there. I do have an option of shipping to my niece's place. Not cheap.


That is understandable. We drove so no cost to ship or packing for flight.


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## TandemBear (Aug 18, 2013)

*TRT, for one!*

If you're in South Shore, you should be able to get to the Tahoe Rim Trail without too much difficulty.

I was camped at west shore two weeks ago, when our Phil Wood freehub started to fail, which prevented us from hitting TRT at Brockway summit. Dang! There should be some good stuff above/out of Meyers for you to ride, including Mr. Toads, which would not be a tandem advised ride. I did it years ago and it wasn't advisable then, and I hear it's MORE technical now.

Someone mentioned new trails off Kingsbury Grade. That sounds interesting and I'll have to look into it more in the future.

If you're at north shore, there's always the Flume, which is pretty mundane as far as trails go. But the views are amazing.

And if you're heading towards Truckee, there's Prosser creek on 89 N to Sierraville and the new Donner Rim trail - only partially compete - out of Tahoe Donner. And then there's my favorite, Hole in the Ground up at the pass. A fantastic ride and a total blast on the tandem. But be prepared for tough climbs at altitude as well as the usual high degree of difficulty of technical Sierra riding.

I hope this helps a bit. Good luck and happy trails!


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## tandemJim (Jul 25, 2006)

Ride all Tahoe area trails on our mtb tandem several times Summer & Fall. This summer on our new 29er has been great. Go to the Tahoe Area Mountain Bike Association website for trails information. Last link on the trails page is to the Lake Tahoe Adventure Map which you should definitely pick up at one of the local bikes shops. Here's the link:
Trails |


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## daflostr44 (Sep 7, 2009)

My 9yo son and I are planing to camp in South Tahoe in July for 4 days, but was wondering if Northstar is advisable with a 26er Fandango. Will Northstar bring a tandem up on the lift? Is it worth it?


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## ds2199 (Sep 16, 2008)

Very interested to hear more about reccomended trails in the Lake Tahoe, Truckee area. We ride a fair bit, and don't mind the altitude or steep climbs, but can't really comprehend how difficult the "technical Sierra riding" will be.

We'll be passing through that area on our way to Sonoma in a few weeks. I hear that it has been a mild winter around the Tahoe area, so we'll ride some dirt if the trails are dry. 

Any advice on local bike shops or specific trails would be appreciated. Also if there is a reccomended area to stay (Truckee? Which side of the lake?) would be helpful too.

Thanks!


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## hpcbmw (May 21, 2008)

ds2199 said:


> Very interested to hear more about reccomended trails in the Lake Tahoe, Truckee area. We ride a fair bit, and don't mind the altitude or steep climbs, but can't really comprehend how difficult the "technical Sierra riding" will be.
> 
> We'll be passing through that area on our way to Sonoma in a few weeks. I hear that it has been a mild winter around the Tahoe area, so we'll ride some dirt if the trails are dry.
> 
> ...


I really prefer North Tahoe over South Shore. North Tahoe = Truckee, Kings Beach, Tahoe City, Incline Village. Truckee is cheaper, but not as pretty because no lake view. Tahoe City is very nice and usually affordable. There are LOTS of trails in Tahoe. Go to any of the bike shops (Olympic Bike Shop in Tahoe City is a great shop). They can direct you to good trails in your ability. My wife's favorite is Nordic Center ride out of Tahoe City, but there are great rides on the West Shore, near Kings Beach and out of Incline as well.

The "technical" Tahoe riding is usually rocky areas of climbing or downhill. Most of the stuff is rideable if you are a strong rider. If it's over your head, just walk the rocky stuff.

Enjoy!


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## ds2199 (Sep 16, 2008)

hpcbmw said:


> I really prefer North Tahoe over South Shore. North Tahoe = Truckee, Kings Beach, Tahoe City, Incline Village. Truckee is cheaper, but not as pretty because no lake view. Tahoe City is very nice and usually affordable. There are LOTS of trails in Tahoe. Go to any of the bike shops (Olympic Bike Shop in Tahoe City is a great shop). They can direct you to good trails in your ability. My wife's favorite is Nordic Center ride out of Tahoe City, but there are great rides on the West Shore, near Kings Beach and out of Incline as well.
> 
> If you end up near Donner Lake (North Shore) the new Donner Lake Bike shop is run by a really friendly and knowledgeable guy named Greg. He's very helpful and his prices are pretty good.
> 
> ...


We were out there about a month ago and did not spend much time in Tahoe. It was snowing a little so we headed into California and ended up riding in Auburn. Stopped into a local bike shop and they pointed us to some great trails!

I knew that we would likely be too early for much of the higher altitude riding at that time of the year, but we managed some great riding in Utah and California on our trip!


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## Hangtime (Jan 25, 2006)

I just got into Tahoe yesterday and popped into Olympic Cycles. I got great info from the staff. Great shop.


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## daflostr44 (Sep 7, 2009)

My 9yo son and I just got back from Tahoe. We did Northstar on Tuesday. There was some negotiating that I had to do with the Gondola and Zephyr lift managers to let us ride, which took a lot of time out of our already short day. They were considering refunding our money for the lift tickets. In the end, they asked that we stay off the black trails, which worked out fine for us. The blue and green trails were a lot of fun. They strapped the tandem across the bike lifts instead of putting it across the quad chair lift. Also, I think they were concerned we were riding a hardtail (26er Fandango).

I definitely recommend trying Northstar. I can't wait to go again.


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