# South Korea Trails



## pcupach (Dec 14, 2007)

Any info on ROK trail riding? Near Kunsan or Osan in particular.


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## austin_bike (Apr 2, 2005)

there is lots of stuff up around seoul, I have ridden surisan and bundang.

Pics on my site.

you can also find data here:

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/mtbk/?v=1&t=search&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=group&slk=2


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## Crockpot2001 (Nov 2, 2004)

Austin is right, the riding here is great. i will add that it's not like anything I'd ever seen before. The trails are everywhere but unmarked and often poorly connected. It several rides to get the hang of a given trail. The attached link is for a group in Osan. they are very cool folks and ride lots.

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/grou...=1&t=search&ch=web&pub=groups&sec=group&slk=2


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## austin_bike (Apr 2, 2005)

If I had a week to live I would head for Korea. Between the food and riding I would die a happy man.


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## taefoto (Sep 13, 2008)

i'm here right now and just got myself a new hardtail (made wicked bank off a c'dale tarck bike to fund it). i'm also looking for new trails to ride. it's my understanding that there is a group ride headed for some nice xc fireroads this saturday. i'm still trying to get info as the email based board system is really crappy.

btw, i live in donong which is about one stop further east of guri on the jungang line. if the maps are to believed i think i live just north of bundang on the other side of the river, if i had known this prior to chuseok i think i might've tried to get down there but now that classes are back in session i'm stuck with weekend rides (tons of hikers) till at least winter break.


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## austin_bike (Apr 2, 2005)

Bundang has nice trails:

http://www.austinbike.com/mtb/bundang/index.asp

Someone broke a pedal and I switched bikes with them because I couldn't finish (too tired from 2 weeks of asia travel). Only did ~12-15km but it was fun.


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## theseawind (Mar 15, 2007)

I was in Korea for 4 weeks last month and got a few good ridding in. The trails, community and terrain are really great.

You may want to check on Mtbk group. They have weekly ride on the weekend. I rode with them twice- really really great fun people. They lent me bikes and helmet. There are almost always beers and food post-ride too.

http://sports.groups.yahoo.com/group/mtbk/


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## tellmethat (Dec 30, 2009)

*Korean Riding*

I'm running a bike shop in Korea. bicyclehero.com If you need any support during Korea riding, feel free to contact us. 031-443-053. English This is not commercial service. I hope to support the riders in Korea.


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## EverythingBeautiful (Apr 3, 2012)

Good to see this thread! We will be moving to Pyongtaek area soon, I was considering whether or not to bring the bike.


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## Crockpot2001 (Nov 2, 2004)

EverythingBeautiful said:


> Good to see this thread! We will be moving to Pyongtaek area soon, I was considering whether or not to bring the bike.


If you have a good bike, are of a larger size, and have the ability to bring it with your PCS, do so. Nice bikes are expensive and small in Korea. Get hold of MTBK on facebook pronto. Dirt church was a lifesaver for my wife and I.


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## Flats (Feb 3, 2011)

My god- I used to ride the trails in Yuldong Park all the time- I was a teacher in Bundang in 02-3. We used to ride the mountain on the weekend and do night rides during the week, always ending up at a hof somewhere. I heard they changed the name of Samsung Plaza? Fun place- 5 stories of neon and booze. 

Another teacher and I took our bikes on the subway to an old castle somewhere in Seoul- can't remember where exactly, sorry, but I remember it was a 3 or 4 km climb from the station to the start- we found tons of trails in there. We got a bit lost, and as the sun was setting, we bombed down the side of a mountain to link up with the road again and on the other side of the hill this long, slow gong started ringing from a Buddhist monastery. Surreal. 

But yeah, tons of climbing. Tons of high-end shops, too. Tons of good memories. Say hi to Kim Dong Wook and Kang Han Soo if you see them. Good friends.


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## dltmdwns (Feb 8, 2012)

I'm living in Korea currently and just got into mtbs. Subbing for more updates.


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## Canonite (Oct 11, 2011)

Are there any good singletrack/fireroad, etc trails around? (Especially in the Busan/Changwon area)...most of what I can find on here are brutal uphills with very technical descents...I would have been very happy with them 10 yrs ago, but I've been out of the hobby for a while and getting back in I don't have the confidence to have a ton of fun yet...

This felt nice...










This not so much haha...


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## PDKL45 (Jun 1, 2008)

thcbikr said:


> this no. still good? says not in service?


Bicycles Bikes MTB Road Accessaries Gears Fixie

Int.
Tel: +82-31-443-0530
Fax:+82-31-443-0531

Kor.
Tel: 03-1443-0530
Fax:03-1443-0531


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## PDKL45 (Jun 1, 2008)

Old and out of date info deleted.


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## LazyRider (May 10, 2012)

Canonite said:


> Are there any good singletrack/fireroad, etc trails around? (Especially in the Busan/Changwon area)...most of what I can find on here are brutal uphills with very technical descents..


Had any luck yet? I am in a simular situation but in Ulsan. Only source of info i could find online was this guys website:
www dot peder dot biz/MTB/maps%20Busan dot php

(Sorry cannot post links yet... replace dot by .)

He has some maps of Busan as well on which he indicated some MTB trails.


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## jakedsnake (May 15, 2010)

Anybody using a GPS app for navigating? Im looking for a decent android gps app in English to help me route my rides.


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## PDKL45 (Jun 1, 2008)

I have three on my Galaxy at the moment:

Sports Tracker: I distrust the amount of kms ridden that it reports to you (they never agree with my odometer) and it has a hard time depicting your ride off major roads.

Runkeeper: I kinda like this one, probably my fave. Always very close to odometer reading and okay at depicting off road courses.

Strava: More for roadies, but can be cool for places like Bukak Skyway etc.


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## n_peder (Oct 8, 2008)

LazyRider said:


> Had any luck yet? I am in a simular situation but in Ulsan. Only source of info i could find online was this guys website:
> www dot peder dot biz/MTB/maps%20Busan dot php
> 
> (Sorry cannot post links yet... replace dot by .)
> ...


I'm the guy with the website 
Would be happy to help anytime - just drop me a line on my personal email (address on my website). We normally ride twice/week here in Ulsan, but I can set you up with my MTB-friends in Busan or Geoje if you need.
Rides here are steep uphill and great singletracks down. Some are (too) technical but there are many really good rides around.


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## LazyRider (May 10, 2012)

Hi Peder, sent you a message


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## Lowered-S-Dime (Nov 11, 2012)

Well heres my first post im new here so be kind.... Im active duty military stationed in korea... i pick up a jamis komodo for 300 bucks and went out a couple times. might tackle hill 303


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## native_nate (Feb 9, 2011)

*Expat riding group*

There's a group of expats that are usually putting together rides around the Seoul area. Most of the planning / communication is done through facebook. Search the group "MTBR." I live in Incheon, and have about 35km of single track I make it on a few times a week.


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## austin_bike (Apr 2, 2005)

There are details about a few of the Seoul-area trails on my site:

AustinBike.com - Your home for Central Texas Mountain Biking


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## hector j castro (Nov 15, 2012)

I just got to Dongducheon(Camp Casey) 4 month ago 1 month ago finally got my 2010 trek 6500SLR (hardtail).I hit a few trails in this areas even participated wangbang (MT) international MTB match, finished it in 3 hrs that was only my 4th time riding my mountain bike (most demanding thing I have done so far, but it made me fall in love with MT biking!!. The four day is coming up and I would love to see if there is anytrails you can recommend for each day!!. eventhough I am a rookie at this sport I have already done some technical trails so any will do THXS!!


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## Ebeling (Sep 12, 2011)

*Geoje Riding*



n_peder said:


> I'm the guy with the website
> Would be happy to help anytime - just drop me a line on my personal email (address on my website). We normally ride twice/week here in Ulsan, but I can set you up with my MTB-friends in Busan or Geoje if you need.
> Rides here are steep uphill and great singletracks down. Some are (too) technical but there are many really good rides around.


n_peder,

I am working in Geoje & am in dire need of some trail riding... I see lots of activity around, but the communication barrier is preventing us from finding the good riding spots..


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## terrasmak (Jun 14, 2011)

Well Osan AB for me, will be there in Sept. My Jamis will be packed up and going with me. Year away from the family, i will need to do a lot of riding to keep myself sane.


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## zahgurim (Aug 12, 2005)

You're lucky to be in Osan. Some of the best shuttle trails in the country are on your doorstep, in Cheonan.

Korean mountains aren't big, but they are plentiful, and there are a lot of trails around.


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## bucslax30 (Jun 18, 2010)

Ebeling,



Ebeling said:


> I am working in Geoje & am in dire need of some trail riding... I see lots of activity around, but the communication barrier is preventing us from finding the good riding spots..


I also live in Geoje, there are a lot of trails around, most require some sort of Hike-a-bike. There is a great ridge trail that start behind the high school in Okpo and goes for a while all the way to Daegumsan Mountian. There are also lots of firs roads around. There are a few downhill trails that were built by the local bike shop (Bike Dream), but those were recently ****ed up by some logging. Word is they will be done in July and we will be able to go back in and fix the trails. Also, there are some gnarly single track downhill trails off of the mountain on the west side of Gohyeon that start near the radio tower.

Let me know if you need any more help.


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## terrasmak (Jun 14, 2011)

Waiting for my bike now.


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## native_nate (Feb 9, 2011)

terrasmak said:


> Waiting for my bike now.


There is a group on facebook that is really helpful for plugging into the MTB community. There are a fair number if guys from Osan and Pyeongtaek on there too.

https://www.facebook.com/groups/156954190457/


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## terrasmak (Jun 14, 2011)

native_nate said:


> There is a group on facebook that is really helpful for plugging into the MTB community. There are a fair number if guys from Osan and Pyeongtaek on there too.
> 
> https://www.facebook.com/groups/156954190457/


just joined , the other group I'm on has been very slow lately.


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## native_nate (Feb 9, 2011)

terrasmak said:


> just joined , the other group I'm on has been very slow lately.


There are lots of solid guys in the MTBK group. I'd offer to show you some trails, but I'm out of here next week. There will be a handful of guys riding through the winter, and things will really pick up in the spring.


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## terrasmak (Jun 14, 2011)

My bike will be at my apartment in the morning, hope the weather is good for riding over the weekend


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## Lowered-S-Dime (Nov 11, 2012)

Well this is for a couple of u guys.... What jamis do you have..... And next time I come to okpo I need to get a hold of you.... I'm in daegu


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## terrasmak (Jun 14, 2011)

I have an XCT1


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## Lowered-S-Dime (Nov 11, 2012)

Crazy lol what year mines a 2005 xct 3 haha


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## terrasmak (Jun 14, 2011)

Ready to ride by terrasmak

Finally got it a couple hours ago, I believe a 2010 model.


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## Lowered-S-Dime (Nov 11, 2012)

Gimme those pedals lol... Do you like em?


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## terrasmak (Jun 14, 2011)

Mallet 2, worth every penny. I had a different set of clipless before, these are much better. I have yet to fall because I couldn't unclip yet with these.


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## Lowered-S-Dime (Nov 11, 2012)

I wanna get a set but kinda scared to use them on a trail since I'm not that great


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## terrasmak (Jun 14, 2011)

Lowered-S-Dime said:


> I wanna get a set but kinda scared to use them on a trail since I'm not that great


Just pull the trigger, almost crashed last weekend because of them. Shimano pedals, I would have. BTW, I am not a strong rider.


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## PDKL45 (Jun 1, 2008)

Flats said:


> Another teacher and I took our bikes on the subway to an old castle somewhere in Seoul- can't remember where exactly, sorry, but I remember it was a 3 or 4 km climb from the station to the start- we found tons of trails in there. We got a bit lost, and as the sun was setting, we bombed down the side of a mountain to link up with the road again and on the other side of the hill this long, slow gong started ringing from a Buddhist monastery. Surreal.


Namhansanseong, to the north of Bundang. Good riding.


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## Koin (Mar 7, 2012)

I am in talks with a school in Bundang to do some teaching. What type of riding is in Bundang? Would you guys consider it more XC or all mountain type? I thinking of bringing my FS mountain bike with me, or maybe I'll just pick up a 29er hardtail somewhere when I get there.


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## terrasmak (Jun 14, 2011)

[email protected] would be a good person to contact, he owns Pio's Bike a Shop in Suwon , not far down the road. They do everything, XC to downhill, look at the vids his shop posts on Facebook. Im 20km south, my riding is a S ton of climbing and some fun downhills. Either bike will work fine, if you plan to buy here, I hope you do not ride a large. Last look up Beer Belly bikers Osan and MTB Korea on Facebook.


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## beavis87 (May 3, 2014)

Check out this Facebook page, MTB - Korea: https://www.facebook.com/groups/156954190457/


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## terrasmak (Jun 14, 2011)

The filthy free riders is another great group in and around the Seoul area https://www.facebook.com/groups/285585064873722/?ref=ts&fref=ts

Then my group is beer belly bikers osan, we are just south of everyone, plenty of rides involve all 3 groups.


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## hunrugger (Jul 23, 2008)

This post


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## sullivan17 (Jan 28, 2014)

Has anyone done any riding down near Uljin? I'm currently talking to a school about possibly working there and am wondering what the riding would be like.


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## sullivan17 (Jan 28, 2014)

Based on the silence no one on here has ridden near Uljin. Regardless, I'll be moving there in early december and riding as much as weather permits so if anyone ends up in the area let me know and hopefully we can get out and ride.


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## terrasmak (Jun 14, 2011)

sullivan17 said:


> Based on the silence no one on here has ridden near Uljin. Regardless, I'll be moving there in early december and riding as much as weather permits so if anyone ends up in the area let me know and hopefully we can get out and ride.


I'm 4 hours west of you , but heading back to the states in a month. All the riding I know is on the west coast. Heading to GoChang MTB park in the morning, southwest coast.


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## hunrugger (Jul 23, 2008)

sullivan17 said:


> Has anyone done any riding down near Uljin? I'm currently talking to a school about possibly working there and am wondering what the riding would be like.


Considering the terrain there, especially the east coast, if you can't find good trails you aren't looking. My very limited experience indicates you often times wind up riding the hiking trails - not very fun going up, but a blast coming down. From a trailbuilder's perspective S Korea would be a dream location with it being 70+% uplands and mountains, the hero dirt plus the rocks would make it ideal for building purpose-built MTB trails.

Doing some basic Google Earth exploration of the area I see a few trails in the mountains, that's always a great way to find potential trails, especially those trails that ppl will not talk about. You can also try some Strava stalking to find people riding the area - see several road rides in the area. You can stalk Strava users from the area and ask them as well. Finally, find the local bike shops that sell MTBs and ask them.


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## sullivan17 (Jan 28, 2014)

Thanks for the info. I'll definitely check out google earth and strava and the lbs when I get there.


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## gckless (Aug 25, 2016)

Yayyyy thread resurrection.

Anyone there now? I'll be heading there in a couple months, looking to start riding once the snow melts around Songtan/Pyeongtaek area. Willing to travel on weekends though, need new stuff to keep me satisfied. As much about exploring as riding for me


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## PDKL45 (Jun 1, 2008)

You can join the "MTB - Korea (MTBK)" group on facebook, people make frequent posts for group rides down in that general area and if you're military, there are quite a few USFK guys who go out regularly.

Slightly north of Songtan/Pyeongtaek, in Bundang, there is a really regular riding scene. I see the posts on Facebook, but I do more long distance endurance road and path riding these days on a dropbar adventure bike, so I don't really get into the hills--on a bike--much these days.


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## gckless (Aug 25, 2016)

PDKL45 said:


> You can join the "MTB - Korea (MTBK)" group on facebook, people make frequent posts for group rides down in that general area and if you're military, there are quite a few USFK guys who go out regularly.
> 
> Slightly north of Songtan/Pyeongtaek, in Bundang, there is a really regular riding scene. I see the posts on Facebook, but I do more long distance endurance road and path riding these days on a dropbar adventure bike, so I don't really get into the hills--on a bike--much these days.


Awesome, joined there. I'm mostly looking for adventure stuff, I want to get out and get on top of mountains/hills or anywhere scenic to get landscape photos and drone shots. I do enjoy riding trails where that doesn't happen also though, about half and half for me.

Now that I think about it, maybe a damn moped is better suited to me....lol. I know, I know, blasphemy! But I still want to get out and ride the MTB.


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## gckless (Aug 25, 2016)

I am now in the ROK, waiting on my bike. There are a few groups on Facebook for the guys in the country here, and there are a couple bike parks. Still waiting on my bike to get delivered unfortunately, but there is apparently some good stuff out there.


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## PDKL45 (Jun 1, 2008)

Welcome to Korea. What sort of bike do you ride? If you are into randonneuring/Adaux there are still places available in some of the 200km brevets in Chonan. 

Otherwise, Pio's bike shop is down your way if you're into AM/Dirt/Freeride and there are regular trail rides in Bundang.

I am currently into endurance road riding, pulling 100km rides in preparation for brevets and permanents later this year. Feel free to PM me if you ever want to do any of that style riding--lots of kms at a time on the bike path network and secondary country roads.


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## gckless (Aug 25, 2016)

PDKL45 said:


> Welcome to Korea. What sort of bike do you ride? If you are into randonneuring/Adaux there are still places available in some of the 200km brevets in Chonan.
> 
> Otherwise, Pio's bike shop is down your way if you're into AM/Dirt/Freeride and there are regular trail rides in Bundang.
> 
> I am currently into endurance road riding, pulling 100km rides in preparation for brevets and permanents later this year. Feel free to PM me if you ever want to do any of that style riding--lots of kms at a time on the bike path network and secondary country roads.


I appreciate the offer, but that honestly sounds terrible to me lol. I mean I respect 100km ride, I just can't do it. I've got like 30km MTB rides in me right now. I'm into MTB, I've seen they have some parks around here which is cool. I heard about Pio's, I need to visit the place. I'm on a Diamondback Recoil Comp right now, but hoping to upgrade to some enduro bike like a YT Capra or Canyon Strive or the like sometime this year. I'm still fairly new to MTB, and haven't even received my bike from shipping yet, but I'll start with general trail/AM for the first couple months here.


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## gckless (Aug 25, 2016)

I've started a Strava group called "MTBK", so anyone interested can get on there and scope out some trails. 

I still haven't been able to ride, but did just get a Canyon Strive, so I'll be out soon!


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## gckless (Aug 25, 2016)

Got my bike, been out riding around. There's actually some pretty good riding around here. I've been trying to add more trails on Trailforks, I've become a regional admin for Gyeonggi-do so that helps out. I still have a ways to go, there are lots out there! https://www.trailforks.com/trails/map/?lat=36.796091&lon=127.551613&z=8&m=trailforks


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## gckless (Aug 25, 2016)

Photo proof of good stuff:


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## gckless (Aug 25, 2016)

Still adding the stuff I'm riding to Trailforks, there's quite a bit more there now than there was. Definitely some good stuff out here. There are two bike parks (with a unicorn third that might open next year), I was just at Yongpyong MTB Park this past weekend and it's good stuff. Lots of work has been done to it, and they're not stopping. It's at the site of the 2018 olympics. 

There's also an MTB-K Strava group now, you can head there and check out where people are riding if they're clocking it. 

I guess I'll stop replying to myself lol.


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## trek87 (Oct 8, 2016)

isn't spring awesome there! Lived there for 3 yrs. '10-'13....Good time! Rode with some of the dudes from osan (air force). Went to namhansan. Wicked downhills, loved it! nice shots....thanks!



gckless said:


> Photo proof of good stuff:


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