3 Tips: First Time Here

^{Photo by ISA HALAMANI}

The Philippines is definitely a mountain biking country and you’re gonna love it here. The weather’s perfect, the community’s growing, and there A LOT more people biking now than there’s ever been. Yes, you can attribute (or ‘blame’ if you’re a gatekeeper) that to the pandemic mostly but even now that lockdowns are over, there are still a lot of people pedaling around town and down hills.

And whether you’re not from here and are a pretty experienced mountain biker or a local who’s slowly getting into the deep end of the sport, we’ve got three important tips for you to get you going.

CONNECT WITH A BIKE SHOP

Maybe not the first step on everyone’s list, but definitely in ours. We’ve ridden around the country and even outside the Philippines and it’s one of the first things we ever do — sometimes even before we arrive in town. Most bike shops, if not all (especially the good ones), have Facebook Pages and/or Instagram accounts, so start there.

More often than not, everyone that works in a bike shop is a serious biker– and in our experience, racers. Because for someone who lives and breathes bicycles, there’s no better place in the world than a bike shop. And if you can work there? Well, that’s even better.

You’ll be able to gain local insight into where the best trails are at, who to ride with, when to ride, and as mentioned join races even. Heck, you might even get great deals on parts and bikes too. PLUS, with how the trails are here, you’ll need a great mechanic and they’re all in the best bike shops.

RIDE WITH LOCALS

Yes, you might be the most macho, daredevil-type out there that rides alone like a lone eagle-wolf hybrid but just like in any country or town we roll into — we do it as a group. The best biking communities and crews ALL welcome new folk with open arms, don’t get that twisted. If you encounter a community that doesn’t feel right from the start, maybe don’t go. Trust us, you won’t have a good time. One time, Carlos was in another country and rode with a group that was so bad, it was the first time he dropped out of a ride and didn’t share ANYTHING from the trip: not a photo, not a video. Again, ALL the best crews will welcome you in without thinking twice AND we’ll all ride down with you too.

Another obvious thing about not going alone is of course, for safety. You can’t ever tell what could go wrong on a trail, especially if you go hard and fast. We’ve had our share of injuries and hospitals that from experience, nothing beats having people with you at all times. We all take care of each other out there, this isn’t some couch sport that we’re all into so if you can, always go with someone. Being in a group can also help you navigate the local nuances– buying food, water, interacting with the locals, all that stuff.

Oh and uplifts, our uplifts here are kinda…wild, if you’re not used to tying your bike to a motorcycle that’ll pull you up by your headset.

JOIN A RACE

And last but definitely not in any way the least, there is no better place to feel the entire community than at a race. Whether you’re an enduro Jack, a downhill Greg, or a gravel Peter, or maybe even an XC Nino, there is a race for you here. Just recently we did a pair gravel races, a ton of enduro racing, and a lot more fun races and we can tell you — there’s nothing like the camaraderie that you get at those events. You think the riding is fun? Wait for the afterparty and awarding ceremony, it gets…interesting.

All fun and games aside, if you are the type of rider who likes to race, join as much as you can. Besides the obvious, these are also the BEST times to ride these tracks because these are the times they all look and feel their best. A lot of effort is put into building these tracks and come race season, they’re at the best state they can be in for all the riders.

And it’s not just about race day too. Usually a full month or two before the actual race, you’ll have groups already track-reading and riding down the race tracks as much as they can.