Come join a fun team of diggers on the trails and meet others in your MTB community

Upcoming Dates:

Sun 21st Jan:

https://www.parkconnect.vic.gov.au/Volunteer/public-planned-activity/?id=d824828d-cba9-ee11-a81c-002248923efc

Sat 10th Feb:

https://www.parkconnect.vic.gov.au/Volunteer/public-planned-activity/?id=25055a03-cca9-ee11-a81c-002248923efc

Sun 3rd Mar:

https://www.parkconnect.vic.gov.au/Volunteer/public-planned-activity/?id=85453768-cca9-ee11-a81c-002248923efc

Sat 23rd Mar:

https://www.parkconnect.vic.gov.au/Volunteer/public-planned-activity/?id=584251cb-cca9-ee11-a81c-002248923efc

Sun 14th Apr:

https://www.parkconnect.vic.gov.au/Volunteer/public-planned-activity/?id=d6ec9524-cda9-ee11-a81c-002248923efc

Register for the February ride here: https://ldtr-mtb.tidyhq.com/public/schedule/events/56592-lysty-trailblazers-february-ride

Come help get the trails tidy ready for spring, no experience is necessary, young people are welcome with a parent or guardian

To Register: https://www.parkconnect.vic.gov.au/Volunteer/public-planned-activity/?id=e6abe7e5-049f-ed11-9ac4-501ac5cade35

Come help us get the trails back into shape.

To register: https://www.parkconnect.vic.gov.au/Volunteer/public-planned-activity/?id=229c9a56-099b-ed11-9ac4-501ac5cade35

LDTR Lysty Chicks Lake Mountain Adventure, Sunday 5th February

This ride is for intermediate and intermediate-advanced riders, who are capable of most terrains. (Intermediate is based on ability, technical skill, and endurance)

This event is made possible by our dedicated volunteer ride leaders and Change our Game to promote women's participation in sport.

https://ldtr-mtb.tidyhq.com/public/schedule/events/47242-lysty-chicks-january-ride

to come.

Everyone is welcome to join us on this ride (not just for the chicks) we'll be hitting the fire trails.

Thanks to ride leaders Yvette Diamond and Sarah Jade for making this ride possible during the year.

Come join us on the trails, Saturday the 3rd of December with Break the Boundary Inc. & LDTR MTB for an all-inclusive ride for everyone.

Who is this ride for? EVERYONE

What level rider do you need to be? doesn't matter, we'll have a range of levels, and we can help find the perfect group for you.

Please register to attend:

https://ldtr-mtb.tidyhq.com/public/schedule/events/47166-ride-with-us-all-inclusive-ride-at-lysterfield

We'll start with a meet and greet, then hit the trails, we'll then meet up for refreshments after the ride back at the information building (former Trail Mix Building)

***If the MTB single trails are closed we will still ride, we'll check out the Fire Trails because bikes can still be fun!***

Hydration is possibly the most important thing to consider on a longer ride. At best, your performance will be tied to good hydration. At worst, you could potentially do yourself damage by not drinking enough. How much you carry and how you carry it will depend on personal preference and how much you tend to need on a ride. I tend to err on the side of caution and carry more than I’ll need, but some are happy to run closer to the line.

Cheaper hydration packs

Under $100

These are an entry point to hydration packs while they’ll carry water and gear, they wont last for years like the better ones. There’s going to be a variety of sizes and shapes, but as a whole they’ll be on the smaller side with a cheaper bladder and bite valve, less comfortable straps, no air flow for your back, and no anti movement straps. They’re a good place to start though if you’re not committed to the sport yet but looking to venture out for longer rides. Usually places like anaconda and decathlon will have a variety of budget packs to look at.

Mid range hydration packs

$100-$200

These are a step up in quality and will normally give you years of service if they’re looked after well enough. They’ll come in almost any size you could want, most will have back airflow features and anti movement straps, as well as the nicer bite valves and anti bacterial bladders. There will usually also be spare parts available for wear and tear items like bite valves and bladders to make it easier to keep the packs for longer. They’re generally a sound investment and are definitely worth the upgrade from a cheaper pack once you’re riding frequently.

High end Hydration packs

$200+

These are the all singing, all dancing best-of-the-best packs. They don’t necessarily hold more water or gear, but they’ll generally do it more comfortably and have all the bells and whistles. They might not be worth the expense for some people, but the comfort and extra features might sway you so they’re worth looking at while shopping. On top of the mid range features, you might expect to see magnetic valve holders, bladder insulation, excellent anti-movement straps or even different methods of strapping or weight distribution.

Bottles

The old bottle might have limited storage capacity, but its much lighter and can be stored on the frame where the weight will have less of an impact. Weighing less appeals to some but they may struggle to fit some dual suspension frames and leave you with less options for other storage. Bottles are a relatively simple buy, some are a bit nicer than others though. A basic bottle wont set you back too much and usually do exactly what they’re meant to. You can get bottles with squeeze valves, insulation, dust/mud caps if you want something a bit fancier.

Nutrition/first aid/repair gear

Another thing to consider when choosing a pack is the volume of extra storage depending on what you want to do. We’ll delve into this another time in more depth, but its something to think about. More storage space means you can take more stuff, but also the pack gets bulkier and heavier as a trade off. If you prefer a small pack or bottle, you can always tape or strap things to your frame so there is more than one solution.

"Do I need a Fullface Helmet”

You see that enduro rider out there kitted up in a RAD looking fullface, and start wondering if that’s something you should have. You’d get one just to find out, but damn, they’re expensive!

Short answer – ride in what makes you feel comfortable, and its usually money well spent when you’re talking about protecting your head (I’ve got a helmet that probably saved my life).

Long answer – there’s a few distinct helmet options out there, and a lot of brands doing them, and they’re all a good option depending on what you want out of a helmet. I’ll run through the main types and what benefit each has, it’ll probably make decisions harder to make but at least they’ll be slightly more informed decisions.

Cross Country

Generally very light with great ventilation, covering the bare minimum of head area

Provided they have the Australian standards sticker on it, they meet all protection standards and will generally hold up to most direct impacts. They’re designed for where keeping cool is important due to heavy pedalling, and less protection is needed due to generally less technical trails.

Trail

A little heavier duty than a cross country helmet

Less ventilation, and starts covering more of your head going down to the base of your skull at the back and sometimes even over your ears. These still feel reasonably cool and do provide a bit more protection than an XC helmet due to extra coverage. The extra weight and loss of a few vents doesn’t bother most people, but its always a personal preference thing.

Fullface with removable chinbar

Fairly similar in build to a Trail helmet with the addition of a removable chinbar

The additional removable chinbar allows conversion to a fullface. These are a great option for versatility, providing more protection and confidence while being able to take off the chinbar for less gnarly riding. They’ll usually be fairly expensive though, and if you have aspirations to race in gravity enduro or downhill events, you may get knocked back if the chinbar is removable.

Fullface enduro

Have an always on chinbar

Permanent chinbar and usually cover more of your head than a detachable chinbar helmet does. They are stronger, bulkier and heavier, with stronger chinbars, but have excellent ventilation still and use lightweight materials to keep them as comfortable for all day riding as possible. They lose some of the versatility of a removable chinbar, but gain extra protection as a result.

Fullface Downhill

Prioritise protection at the expense of ventilation and weight

They’re still bicycle helmets so they’re not excessively heavy, but you’ll definitely feel the difference if you try to pedal around much in one. They’re designed for belting down a hill and not much else, protection is without comparison.

We all know the trails are going to be pretty wet this coming week (and some have been for a while!).

For the protection of the trails Parks Victoria Ranges have made the sensible call to close the MTB trails.

We expect this will be for a short time, so keep checking back.

For those who are still keen to get out and ride, there's always plenty of Fire trails to check out.

Who is up for some Halloween fun?? We are!!!! With the days getting longer lets hit the trails and find the spooks in the forrest!

We will have two loops running, a short track that leads off from the Race Village and returns to the race village, and for the adventurous speed freaks how does laps of Anurysum sound?

Dress yourself up, dress your bike up, and keep an eye out for the goulies carrying sugary goodnees!

Family Friendly event, Mums and Dads ride with your kids. Big kids welcome to join in on the fun.

Rego here: https://ldtr-mtb.tidyhq.com/.../46917-halloween-family...

Cost: FREE but you must register (all paricipants)

All riders must have Aus Cycling insurance: https://www.auscycling.org.au/membership

Free 4 week trail is available: https://www.auscycling.org.au/membership/other/free-trial

What you will need:

- A mountain bike in good working order

- An Australian safety standards approved helmet

- Water, snacks, spare tube

Schedule: 6:00 pm Meet and greet, get a run down of the loops 6:30 pm Ride, laugh and catch ghosts 7:30 pm Return to Race Village, sweeps clear the course 8:00 pm Take your shredder home See less

Over 70 riders turned up and raced at our casual MTB timed loops race on last Friday night. There was a slight mishap in the timings, so apologies from our timing Marshall but these may not be a true reflection of the night eek!

There is a timing/result that we can't allocate to anyone so let us know if your name isn't on there.

Thank you to everyone for your patience with waiting for the results. It takes a lot of time and effort behind the scenes from our volunteers, but we want the night to be as fun and enjoyable as possible.

If you have suggestions on how we can make these race events better to the riders needs, send us an email to administration@lystefieldmtb.com

The next race is planned for Friday March 4th. This event is actually flagged at the moment for being cancelled as we don't have enough volunteers to run the event. If you feel that you can help with marshalling [standing on the spot and making sure that riders take the right route], timing, setup and backup, please send an email again to administration@lysterfieldmtb.com

Some photos from the night can be found here:

https://lightroom.adobe.com/shares/8be9250674024845a2e6d253da668325?fbclid=IwAR2U4dbP4aGOS8E8a95wJ3sF702mjgtEKnell6Hz0t8q7p5vDrphvajGqf0

Results here:

Our first trail maintenance day for the year was held 12.2.22.

We had 12 volunteers come along to reshape the jumps and berms in the skills park.

Huge shout out to our TMC coordinator Mark Fleming and the following volunteers:

Matthew

Ben

Don

Jared

Pali

Daniel

Dale

Simon

Jim

Kaylee

Kirk

"Such a great bunch of people from all walks of life including a father and daughter team and two father son teams all pitching in to get the job done. Even the Golden Goat paid us a visit and got his hooves dirty.

We shifted, spread and compacted a full truck load of crushed rock supplied by Parks Victoria. We built up the little roller jumps on the green line, reshaped the lips of the jumps, cut out and filled in the braking bumps and built the berms back up on the blue line, and gave some love to the step up and doubles jumps on the black line.

The place is looking SWEEET but if you can, please let it rest for the weekend to give it a chance of surviving through Autumn.

Everyone who attended went away with a smile on their face and a LDTR drink bottle in hand, but most importantly a bucket load of trail karma. Thanks heaps team!"- Mark Fleming

The next trail maintenance day will be Sunday 20th March [that's the weekend after the Labour Day long weekend]. Hope we can see a few new and returning faces. Links to sign up for this day will be posted on our socials and on the events page soon.

Our next trail maintenance day will be sponsored by boutique brewery the Project Brewery Co. in Rowville. Braden and the crew at Project Brewing Co. have kindly donated a token for the first 20 people who sign up and attend the day. Each token is to the value of $18 and will entitle you to a Sample Paddle board. Check out all the Project Brewing Co. offer here [they are made keen MTB'ers and even have their own MTB merch at the brewery .... *take our money*!]

Please be aware that some trails will be closed this weekend at Lysterfield Park due to our Trail Build Team and Trail Maintenance Crew out and about.

‍♀️'Lil Shawty

Upper Buckle

CLOSED Saturday 12th Feb - Monday 14th Feb.

REOPENS Tues 15th Feb

Work proposed: Maintenance and armouring both trails

See graphic #2 for a map of these trails in the Lysterfield trail network and a detour route for you to find your way back to the single trail.

‍♀️Skills Park

CLOSED Saturday 12th Feb

Work proposed: filling in pot holes, reshaping features, general maintenance.

If you've been wondering what is happening with the plan to reopen Aneurysm and Lower Buckle... here's what we know:

1️⃣ Assessments by Parks Victoria are in progress and we are waiting for their official update.

We are hoping to see some work done on this trail soon and wish we had details confirmed for you, but this is out of our hands as we all wait for the boxes to be ticked.

Thank you to everyone who has respected the trail closures so far. Please continue to respect trail closures this weekend - especially as our volunteers will be out with machinery and everyone's safety is our number one priority.

- LDTR

Lysty Program:

1. 8am Intermediate Skills Session

2. 9am Beginner Skills Session

3. 10.30am Group Ride Adventure

ride out with friends and complete as many tasks* as possible *Photos! or it didn't happen

4. 1pm Lunch, meet up at Montague cafe @ the LDTR tent

After Lunch

Maintenance Time:

Can you change a tyre, need some advise about your suspension set up? Want to know how to bleed your brakes? Let the team show you how to do it!

Sign up registration coming soon. Keep an eye on our socials for details!

Click here to join the Lysty Chicks Private Facebook Group

Check out Yarra Ranges Mountain Bike Club here

Check out Red Hill Riders here