Bike Portage Club came about after some mis-adventures with a buddy who was trying to find off-pavement routes to (or as near as possible) the summit of each of the local north shore mountains. These ‘rides’ had a comically small fraction of time actually spent riding, but what I realized through them is was that I was seeing terrain that I wouldn’t otherwise see and still having a good time in the forest. While I’ve always enjoyed a little hike-a-bike, these rides reminded me that hike-a-bike doesn’t need to be a means to an end, it can even be the most special and enjoyable part of an adventure.
To be a member, all you need to do is embrace walking or carrying your bike when things get too difficult to ride. Eventually I plan to introduce stickers and patches that’ll be available for cost.
Routes
Below are a couple routes that will make for a memorable day with your bike. Note that some sections are not meant for bikes, please walk / carry your bike on these sections.
The above route is an ambitious day out, but it doesn’t need to be a suffer-fest if you just take it easy and make sure you have plenty of time and snacks.
The Balloon loop below is a shorter loop with less prolonged pushing sections.
If you want to cover some good distance but don’t feel the need to climb a whole mountain in the process, the route below is a fun one.
I would be remiss if I didn’t mention Burnabop XL, which has perhaps a bit less walking than the above routes but is a premier Bike Portage Club route.
Appropriate Bike
You may be wondering what the appropriate bike for rides like these would be. Bikes have been increasingly divided up into ever-shrinking sub-genres so that marketing teams can sell you more bikes, but forget all that nonsense. Whatever bike you have is totally fine, although if it’s a road bike with 25mm tires, you aren’t doing yourself any favours. This is the whole premise of Bike Portage Club: ride when it makes sense to, but walk when it doesn’t and don’t feel bad about it.
All that said though, the perfect bike for rides likes these is honestly a 1990’s MTB / ATB. Zippy and efficient, but also plenty capable on technical trails and able to handle abuse. A gravel bike is the logical contemporary choice, but don’t stress about it.
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