I am an keen mtbk'r living in Zug who is looking for some genuine mtb single track within reasonable distance of Zug.
Basicaly I have had enough of having to ride on walking paths / wanderwegs which are suitable for hikers but not really meant for mountain biking....
Amazes me how Switzerland which has the best terrain for mtb'king and 1000'nds who own mtbk's but everything seems to be geared towards hiking or non technical riding.. help

I have the exact same feelings regarding mountain biking here, you can read my rant about it in this post on a previous thread. I believe there are some places that are great for doing downhill mountain biking, but I've yet to find anything like the sweet single-track cross-country riding that I did in Canada. Therefore, I'd also be interested in any suggestions - and it doesn't need to be close to Zug.

Buy the singletrail map for Einseideln Rigi, there are some good trails marked in it, and once you find these you will find many more in the vacinity of them. I know there are some trails on the Zugerberg there is a tour in the Mountain bike Erlebnis book for Zentral Schweiz on Zugerberg which brings you close to some of these trails. There are also some more trails closer to Aegeri by Gotschalkenberg, Biberbrugg and around Rige itself.

You are nearly always going to find hikers as well on most of the singletrails, its a fact of life, just be nice to them, so they don't get us kicked off the trails permanently! If you want hiker free trails then go to Filzbach or Gurten and get the lift up to ride the freeride routes down.

There are plenty of trails around, buy the maps and go searching!

Chris,
I have done some of the higher trails in Engadine and there were very few hikers on them. Some nice technical descents with singletrails that go on for ever without being full on downhill trails. One of my favorites is Val Suvretta near Celerina. The ride up is tough (you can get a gondela some of the way if you want), but there is a nice long singletrail waiting for you when you get to the top. Some great scenery, not so many hikers (don't go in august!) and fun trails. The only downside is that the altitude really does start to hit (2700m).

Check out the book, Schönste bike tours in der Schweiz for more ideas. Or most regions have a Mountainbike Erlebnis book. Check out the tours and use a decent map to alter the route to a more interesting one. I have discovered some cool routes by going a little bit off the published routes!

Thanks Eire, I think I need to take the MTB out of French-speaking Switzerland a bit (they don't even make the singletrail maps for this region). Your suggestions sound quite promising.

Maybe we might get a group together once to go for a spin in the hills.

My only issue is trying to keep up with you roadies!!! Must try to get my hands on a road bike and get a little fitter!!!

Hey Guys thanks for the response.

Chris - I agree with your feelings to a T as per the link you posted, REALLY DISAPPOINTING.

Eire - I have the maps and have spent many hrs riding them thar hills but usually come home feeling cheated. The uphill training is perfect, but the XC type technical riding is missing. Invariably any single track that looks suitable for mtbk’s are blocked off by the local forest dwerge. There are some on the Zugerberg which have been built by downhillers and more suitable for those with proper downhill bikes – even these seem to be few and far between (considering the amount of downhill that exists).
On a few occasions I have mentioned this to local mtbk’rs and they just give me that “silly auslander” look and then proceed to show me another piece of hiking trail which invariably has plenty of the following:
• Steps that a mountain goat would enjoy (cannot be ridden unless u have a deathwish).
• Switchbacks suitable for Hans Rey or those who can balance on 1 wheel and change direction with a smile.
• Narrow sections to narrow to negotiate at mtb speeds (designed for grannies walking uphill).
• And worst of all – no technical challenge, other than to apply brakes on gravel before riding into little Tobias and Family.

Living in Hope... :-)

I have seen those downhill trails that you talk about near Zug, and I backed off at doing them too, especially after I saw two downhillers com down, jump off a 2m drop onto the forest road, somehow manage to brake before falling to their death on the other side and then take off down another path!.

It seems you are looking for a similar type of trail to me, and believe me they do exist.

If you have the Einseideln singletrail map, one example is if you go to aegeri, and then look North/ Northwest towards Raten and Gotschalkenberg, Just south of the Gotschalkenberg look out there is the start of a red trail, the first section is a steepish climb it then drops (not very steeply) over some nice obstacles, including roots and rocks, it is a fairly fast trail, that you do not have to be a downhiller to master but does provide quite a bit of fun, at the end of this trail you can follow a nature street for a little bit and join into another red trail that keeps going towards a place called Gubel, and eventually back towards Zug, there is an unmarked junction on this trail which allows you to go back down towards Aegeri if you want (this route is not marked as a single trail on the map, but the paths do show up).

This is just one example. It does take some getting lost, but eventually you can find the trails they do exist. Another trail on the same map goes down the back of Rigi, there are some switchbacks on it, but they are totally doable without much trouble.

Do some of the more popular tours like Wildspitz, I haven't done it yet but have been told there are some good single trails on it.

I agree with you that the singletrail maps aren't brilliant, but they are a good starting point to find some trails which will ultimately lead to you discovering more.

Another idea, is a lot of bike shops do a ride of some sort one night of the week, join in on one of these to find some of your local trails. I have started doing a wednesday night ride here in Zurich and it is great fun, I've been shown loads of trails, and while the locals are infinitely more skilled and much faster then me it is still fun to follow on down at my own pace (well there are a couple of other auslanders that a closer to my pace!!).

Hope this helps,

Thanks again Eire - will go and look for the trails you mention, i do recall there be more single track available on the Aegri side of the berg.

Tried the local bike shops but the all leave to early in the afternoon for me, some of us have to work.. he he

Cheers

here is a highly non technical answer, haha

in zug there is a little mountain railway thing... furnicular i think u call it, that goes up the zugerberg. ride up the road beside it (or take your bike in the furnicular like i do!).

at the top, basically continue up the hill along a gravel path.

keep going for about 10 minutes until basically it flattens out at the top.

look for a kind of hidden place to turn left.

follow that down and just kind of keep going for ages and you will somehow find a great ride that brings you back into Zug town.

If you did it right, there is a very high bridge en route that you go under, then following a river for a bit. its a great route with a bit of everything for a rider like you.

try to avoid unfriendly farmer that almost started a fight with us.

krlock3

We did this ride last weekend:
GPS-Tracks.com. Detail anzeigen MTB-Touren

After the first summit there is a nice single trackish gentle downhill, probably the best I've ridden for a long time, but still short when compared to the tour length.

Back home we don't have mountains, or many hills, but the tracks are great and almost privately yours. Sigh.
Munda Biddi Trail Foundation - Friends of Western Australia's Long Distance Off-Road Cycle Trail

Actually think I accidentally found this a few years ago after taking a wrong turn on a tour. If it is the same place I am thinking of it was pretty good fun to ride down.

HI Yokine, there is another tour starting in Wallenstadt, and ending in Weesen, which has quite a lot of single trail in it for the tour length. We tried to do it last month but play got called off by snow! The next day we went back from the other side and cycled up the singletrail section to come back down. The trail looks fun as far up as we went, but I rekon it will be pretty tough at the upper sections. Hopefully get to go back and try the full thing soon.

Guys,keen to get a group of MTB bikers going around Zug, who are ready around 7 to kick off for a quick 1.5 hours ride and get a bit of adrenalin going through single trials and training condition. Myself just figgering out the region. Anybody up for it?
Meeting could be say around Bahnhof Zug at 7 or adhoc via email group.

Let me know.

best, holger

You could jump on a train and meet the Zurich MTB crowd on our Tuesday evening rides. Or every now and again we might organise a ride at the weekends.

I'm keen, sent you a pm

I've generally found that (in the resorts at least) the best time to be out on the bike and get some sweet trails to yourself is between 17:30 and 21:00 (light allowing) as thats when the blue rinse brigade have their half board meals, I also like 06:00 to 09:00, but that hardly ever actually happens!

I also have to say I find Switzerland's MTBing fine, if not stunning! Coming from Kent in SE england where I have seen burnt out caravans, wires streched across the trail, chavs on motocross bikes and chavs throwing stones at anyone biking past their 'campsite' Switzerland is a paradise. To be fair all the trails I rode in SE england were nearly all hiking paths, just they are not so popular with the hikers.

I seem to remember there being some nice routes in Villars - sur - Ollon and in Crans Montana in French Switzerland, though it's been a few years since I've been that way.

I'll write up some of my local trails (time allowing!)

Shh.... keep your local trails secret!

We wouldn't want them getting any more crowded!

just moved to zug and keen to find some trails, im not that fit or massivlely technical, did the zugerberg, didnt find anything technical there at all though, got a bit bored of the climbing involved .

Having just recieved my bike - I would be up for a thing like that from time to time. Shoot me a pm if you are still up for it.