Geocaching + Mountain biking

[NightHiker]

I'm an avid mountain biker, and there are plenty of trails in my area, as well as short dirves away. I think it would be interesting to combine Geocaching and mountain biking. Of the three caches I've found so far, all of them were in bike accessible areas; the caches were just too far off the trails to leave my bike behind. Also good would be multi-caches hidden in various public parks or such. Any comments would be welcome.

[+leatherman]

I've never been to a cache that I couldn't see my bike from, or sling it over my shoulder.

If you had to go off trail for more than a fifty yards, you should be able to lay your bike down in the brush.

If your that paranoid about your bike you should take the time to lock it to a tree, or leave it at home.

 

Preperation, the first law to survival.

[+Jamie Z]

I've done one hunt on a mountain bike (well, it was a combo, actually... I rode to the park on a road bike, then switched to a mountain bike for the hunt) and had a great time.

 

I can't imagine any cache that was "too far off the trails to leave my bike behind." Especially a mountain bike. If it's off the trail, I'd just push my bike into the woods with me. If the terrain makes that too difficult, it's probably a good place to hide a bike, and attach a lock if you want. I've found five caches from the seat of my road bike, and some of them were on trails or hidden in the woods.

 

Basically, I agree with Leatherman...

 

I feel much better about a cache when I get to it on my bike.

 

In fact, I have a cache hunt planned where the hider has encouraged people to use their bikes.. but from reading the logs, I have the impression that no one has, yet.

 

--Just one of the few I plan to find in Mississippi next week.

 

Jamie

[+bigeddy]

quote:

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Originally posted by NightHiker:

Of the three caches I've found so far, all of them were in bike accessible areas; the caches were just too far off the trails to leave my bike behind. Also good would be multi-caches hidden in various public parks or such. Any comments would be welcome.

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I understand the problem. I try to reach as many caches as possible by bike and have a Garmin handlebar mount that works well. I've been disappointed several times when the hiding place was too far off-trail or sometimes even in areas closed to bicycles--I'm not about to leave my bike & stuff out of sight. It would be nice if cache owners would not assume everyone arrives by car and mention if a cache is accessible by bike but that is rare.

 

I've learned by now to figure out from the cache description, topo map and general location if I can likely reach it by bike. They tend to fall into a pattern. I can reach most urban caches by bike and about a quarter of the rural ones. On rare occasions when I misjudge, I consider it reconnaissance and just enjoy the ride.

 

For my part, I've put in several caches that are on bike trails. Most people get there by hiking but a few mountain bikers log in.