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mountain bike hire near Old Man's Valley?


lt's picture

By lt - Posted on 30 November 2013

Next week I'll be visiting Sydney for business. I'm planning to take a day off to go mountain biking in Old Man's Valley (Hornsby). Can anyone recommend a store where I can hire a mountain bike for the day? It would be best if the store is either near the Convention Center in Sydney (close to where I am staying in the city) or walking distance from the Hornsby railway station (since I'll be taking the train to reach OMV).

Thanks in advance for your help!

BTW: is Old Man's Valley the recommended place to go if you have only 1 day to ride near Sydney?

[Mod. moved to Sydney North]

Jonathan's picture

Dont bother hiring a bike, i'm pretty sure specialized test the best day is next sunday Laughing out loud

And old mans valley is defiantly worth checking out.

So u can hire about 10 bikes for free and u dont need to worry about transporting it.

lt's picture

Thanks for the info but unfortunately I can only ride either Thursday or Friday. Any rental options?

StevieG's picture

Give http://www.re-zycle.com a try. I've used the in the past and they were good. Based in Neutral Bay just over the bridge but it's probably not a massive deviation/walk from the train line.

hawkeye's picture

... in Clarence St Sydney does demos, maybe they'll hire you one for the day.

StevieG's picture

You may also want to consider a trip to manly dam which is reasonably accessible via ferry from circular quay and then a short ride from the manly ferry terminal.

MrSarcastic's picture

These are the hire rates for Clearance St Cyclery-

http://cyclery.com.au/hire/hire-rate

mikethebike's picture

OMV is quite a short loop I hope you realise. If you're wanting to spend a whole day riding it might not be the best place to go

lt's picture

Indeed, I just realized that both OMV and Manly Dam are quite short. Any longer trail recommendations in the area?

Scottboy's picture

Manly dam is a 9km loop ? Anyone correct me if im wrong please .

Matt P's picture

What type of riding do you enjoy? There are more options out there but it depends on what you like from your riding.

OMV is pretty basic, generally more of a beginners / practice track however I don't know if there has been further work done since my last visit in June. If you are looking to spend a day up there ( to get the most out of your day), you might end up a little bored after an hour or so.

If you can find a good hire shop, you could also look at getting a train down to Engadine which is next to the Royal National Park in the South of Sydney.

Whereas you would certainly benefit from a guide (its a bit of a spider's web of trails in there), it will probably give you a lot more riding.

If you can advise on your preferred riding, we might be able to assist with some areas to head to.

Re bikes, as you are city based, you might be able to find a bike shop in the CBD that could help with hire:

On Clarence St there are:

Giant Cycles
Clarence St Cyclery (Trek dealership)
Atelier de Velo
Jet Cycles (Specialized)

On Kent St you also have City Bike Depot (AKA CBD).

I might even be around on Thursday or Friday to show you around somewhere so if you can find a bike, let me know.

mikethebike's picture

Manly dam is just under 10km and is possibly your best option for length, accessibility from public transport and navigation around the track without a guide. Although there isn't a huge amount of signage, it is pretty easy to follow.
There is plenty of better riding to be had in Sydney, but without a guide or transport they are not really feasible.

Pete B's picture

Why not jump on a train and head to Katoomba. There's a few hire places there and plenty of trails too.

lt's picture

Thanks, Matt, for the information.

I usually do XC in New England (US). I like the uphill part more than the downhill. I enjoy challenging, scenic singletrack but not overly technical. The ideal trail for my day off in Sydney would be something like 2.5-3 hours with nice views.

Jonathan's picture

You could easily cruise around terry hills for 2-3 hours and you can also get some great views of the hawksbury on the long trail, hit up the single track on mona vale rd after and your laughing.

Not 100% sure but you might also be able to hire a bike at belrose bikes??

hawkeye's picture

... but Terrey Hills is mostly fire trail. Great if you want a technically undemanding cardio workout.

3 laps of Manly Dam will test your fitness nicely. I treat the first lap as a sighting-in lap anyway - the trail is moderately technical and changes from week to week.

You can also hook up Manly Dam with Cascades, then flick across to St Ives and then through to Terrey Hills. Enough elevation change if you like that sort of thing: Quarry Track out of Cascades is a nice steep climb. You will need a guide, though, to be able to hook them up.

lt's picture

OK, based on your recommendations and what I read about Manly Dam, I will probably head there. Is it better to rent a bike in the city or is there a shop that offers decent bikes for hire in Manly Dam? I know that Manly Bike Tours has bikes for hire but they seem really basic.

evan's picture

The Oaks trail is accessible via public transport. Great views. There are also plenty of out and backs to lookouts.

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