20th Annual Big Bear Run 6/21 & 6/23

So who else is going? We will be up there from Friday to Sunday. Not sure if we will be taking small bike or big ones.

I'll be there doing gps downloads

If I do go, I'll be on the 990S on Saturday. I did this about 2 or 3 years ago on the Husky 610. Just be aware that the hard sections really are hard sections. I wouldn't do them with the big girl (I know my limits). But even some of the regular sections were kicking other peoples butts on small bikes too.

I'll be there doing the easy ride! This is the first organized dual sport ride I ever did back in 2001 on my RT180. I've only missed a few of the Big Bear Runs.

If you're doing the easy ride, expect some challenges. If you're planning on going for the plaque and doing all the hard sections, be in good shape physically, have your bike in top shape with new tires, and eat carbs the night before and the morning of the ride. Plan on leaving no later than 5:30 or 6 a.m. You will be worn out when you arrive back at the Convention Center, and that might be at 8 p.m.!

Here's the District 37 newsletter I put together from 2012 about the Big Bear Run:

http://www.district37ama.org/dualsport/newsletter.php (click on Sept. 2012)

However, I really like the article I did in the 2010 newsletter below. That was the year Maurice Dorris FINALLY got a plaque after trying for years. His story is in there. He had to leave his riding buddy, Joe, behind to get the plaque. Joe finally finished, as the last person in and got a plaque too, but Maurice was worried about him for hours.

Also, Ben Geissel's story is in there about trying to win a plaque on a Honda Trail 70. You'll have to read the article to see what happened.

http://www.district37ama.org/dualsport/newsletter.php (click on Sept. 2010)

This will help you understand what it's like to go for the plaque and ride the hard ways.

Oh, this year, for the second year, there will be an Adventure route.

Here's the link to the Big Bear Trail Riders' Big Bear Run flyer: http://documents.clubexpress.com/documents.ashx?key=qPsNWRMuZxgC2CdOnVsqP4sAr%2fOW%2brh4dtq8u7poECxN66wrQ96eXQ%3d%3d

Have fun!

Can anybody in the know tell me how a new Dunlop 606 rear might work for this run on a 500 EXC? I've never done this before and plan on tackling the hard loop.

Thanks,

Well, it's got really stiff sidewalls, so you'll have a challenge changing a flat on the trail. On a good note, if you do get a flat towards the end of the ride, perhaps you can just ride it out.

Many dual sporters swear by the Pirelli MT43 trials tire, especially for KTMs. It will get you up any rocky hill. Make sure you don't put more than about 8 pounds of air in the rear tire, though. Really.

Go to the District 37 website and do a search on tires and dual sport. You'll find lots of treads on them. district37ama.org. You'll want the dual sport forum.

I'd Pass on the 606, go with the Mt43 or if you must run knobs, MX71.

oops, thought it said big Beer run. carry on.

What a route for the 2014 Big Bear Run! From the cool forest to the hot, hot desert, it was a ride to remember for the 250 plus riders that showed up this year for the Big Bear Run. Jim Nicholson, president of the Big Bear Trail Riders, stated at the festivities Saturday night that due to the U.S. Forest Service's concerns about nesting birds, the club was left with not a whole lot of forest area to put on the ride. They had to turn to the lower elevations to help make up mileage.

My thoughts were this. Did they have to put the desert and Rattlesnake Canyon in the route in the afternoon? Couldn't that have been ridden in the morning instead? I'm sure a lot of other riders were thinking that too as they hit temps in the high nineties while riding that section.

So, you all are asking the big question. How many riders earned plaques? The answer is only 36 this year. It was a very tough hard route according to the riders I spoke to, many claiming the toughest they've ridden yet.

There was a mass start Saturday morning with a LOT of riders taking off at 6 a.m. from the Convention Center all at once. It seems like the system should be changed for next year so the riders are more spread out. It resulted in about 150 riders being on Gold Mountain, the first hill climb minutes from the Convention Center, all at the same time. Look for a few videos to be posted soon of that.

At Redonda Ridge, some claimed there was an 1 1/2 hour wait at the bottom of the hill just to try and climb it. There were so many clusters of carnage on the hill, there was just no way to get through it. Some tried, and they ended up falling on top of the already downed riders. Keep in mind, that trail is narrow.

Some didn't see the humor the BBTR put at Heartbreak Hill. Upon reaching the top, there was an obscure sign off to the side that said, "Just kidding!" Some guys told others at the bottom, "You don't have to climb the hill, there's no check at the top," so those riders informed didn't end up going up that hill climb.

On the easy route in the morning, my group was having its own issues. It was SO dusty that either you couldn't see out of your goggles, or you couldn't read your GPS because the screen was so dusty. The drought has really done a number in the mountains, and dust is a result this year. If you were following someone, you simply couldn't see. If someone from the hard route passed you, you couldn't see. Once you wiped the screen off, then your goggles would get dusty again and you couldn't see. Thank goodness there weren't any jeeps or cars on the trails early in the morning, because that would have made things worse if you had to pass one, but they didn't come out until around 9 a.m.

As usual, the easy route on the Big Bear Run is not a route meant for beginning riders and some novices. It takes you on some blue diamond trails and I think on some black diamond trails too. When I saw two Kawasaki KLRs on the trail in front of us, I yelled at the guy to slow down and let us go in front of them. We were entering 2N07, which is a challenging trail that winds around through HUGE, tall rocks. There was no way I wanted to be behind those two dudes and have them riding slowly in front of us. They let me by. Surprisingly, they were pretty agile riders and they made it through the trail not too far behind us. In fact, I was the one who got hung up for a moment on a rock, and a rider on the side of the trail ran down to give my front wheel a tug to get me going again.

Then, the STEEP hill climb appeared out of nowhere. I can't even say right now what trail number it was, but it was on the Easy track #2. It went straight up, and was stair steps made out of roots. If I was a cursing person, I would have cursed the BBTR, because something like this doesn't belong on an easy route, but that's the BBTR for you. Ralph was leading with Joe behind me. One KLR was down or stopped on one side of the trail, the other was stuck elsewhere, and we three went up between them. I stalled and almost fell over. Joe asked me if I was okay, and then Ralph almost made it to the top and then stalled and rolled backward. I hollered back at Joe that this was ridiculous. If Ralph couldn't do it, then we weren't doing it. We were going to find a way around this ridiculous stuff.

Joe had left his Easy track #1 on, which he wasn't supposed to do. He found where that joined up to the Easy track #2. Like a Pied Piper, Joe rounded up all the guys stuck on the hill with us, got them turned around, and they followed him for about 15 minutes as he led us on 3N16 east up another trail that joined us back onto the continuation of Easy track #2. We continued on from there, as did the band of all the other riders who had followed him.

I don't know what happened to all the other easy riders who couldn't make that hill climb. Did they back track and give up and go back to the start? Did they use the Big Bear area maps I was passing out on Friday afternoon to find another trail to get them back on track? I think there should have been a go-around shown on the GPS for a trail that difficult.

A lot of the hard way duplicated the easy way. I was surprised by this. When I got my map at signups Friday night and saw this, plus noticed that the route after lunch was going down into the lower elevations, I made a call to my riding buddy that I ride with weekly in the Big Bear area. I described the map to him. He said, "That area is terribly rocky and sandy and will be extremely hot. After you get gas, skip the planned route and take your riding partners to some of the secret, beautiful legal areas I've taken you that are cooler on the southwest side of the lake." Well, I wasn't sure I could find all those trails, so I took Ralph and Joe to Green Valley Lake instead. Surprisingly, we only met one vehicle on the trail on the way over there, a ranger. Otherwise, the trail was nice and quiet. We had a leisurely lunch next to the lake, then went to my cabin, relaxed, and Joe drank a cold Vitamin Water from the fridge while I shared my bear stories. We then rode back toward Big Bear, took a trail that had a great view high over the lake, and got back at the start at 3 p.m. without having experienced any heat exhaustion. So we just did our own version of the Big Bear Run.

After taking a much needed shower to wash off all the dust, the riders headed back to the Convention Center for dinner around 7. The chicken and pulled pork, beans, coleslaw, garlic bread, salad, and two types of cake were delicious! The club had lots of great prizes for the riders. It was fun to listen to the hard luck stories, although it wasn't fun if you were the person experiencing the hard luck. Whether crashing into a car, avoiding a crash with a vehicle by running yourself into an embankment and dislocating your thumb, riding with a concussion and coming to and not realizing where you've been and then launching your bike into a BBTR check worker's truck, we got to hear all the stories. Then there was Jim Nicholson who had to drive all the way down to the end of Rattlesnake Wash to pick up a broken down rider. He came within a mile of the rider and just couldn't get his vehicle through the deep sand in the wash. Maybe he deserved the Hard Luck Award for trying!

Last but not least, Jim Nicholson gave a couple of announcements. First of all, the Moonlight Madness ride is cancelled. I don't remember if he said why. Second, next year, the Big Bear Run might be moved to September because the Forest service said that the club would have ALL trails open to them on the mountain if the ride was held in September. So Jim was going to look into that. Watch for next year's calendar to see if that month is cleared with District 37.

So, what was your take on the ride? Was it grueling for you? Did you do the whole ride or hang up your hat after part of it?

Did anyone ride on Sunday?

Let's hear from YOU!