If you are thinking of making the trip to Verbier this summer for the mountain biking you may be wondering what kind of mtb is best for the Verbier trails. First of all let's look at the kind of trails Verbier has on offer: Verbier has trails to suit all styles of riders and while there are plenty of easy fireroad trails around, if you really want to make the most of the superb lift accessed enduro and downhill singletrack you will need a bike with full suspension.
Even the blue trails have small rocky sections which are much more comfortable on a full-sus bike. If you want to be spending the day on the enduro trails you will need a bike that is capable of going up and down, both our mountain bike guides Andras and Chris ride bikes with 160mm of travel which is probably ideal for the enduro trails in the Verbier 4 valleys area, a bike with a lockable shock always makes those pedals up that little bit easier. For the bike park tracks there is no doubt that a downhill specific bike is the way to go, from the top of the gondola there is pretty much no pedalling involved on the yellow,black, red and blue bike park trails which means the bigger bike is far more practical. All the trails are doable on an enduro bike but the extra float you get from the bigger bike will mean you can really maximise those bike park laps.
If you are thinking about renting a bike whilst you are here don't worry. Mountain Air is situated at the base of the bike park, within 100 metres of the lift and has a well maintained fleet of the latest downhill, enduro and cross country bikes from Scott and Bergamont available for rental. They can also sort you out with helmets/protective gear if needed. Mountain Air also allow you to change your rental between enduro and downhill bike depending upon the day, furthermore fix your bike if needed.
If you are going to be bringing your own bike with you we have a couple of tips just to prepare you:
Check the wear on your brake pads – the bike park is nearly 1000 vertical metres so it is easy to go through a set of pads in a week.
Check the tread on your tires – again, all those downhill metres take a toll on the rubber.
Make sure generally the whole bike is in good working order, it's always best to find the loose screws/bolts before you set off rather than realising halfway down the trail!
If you have any questions about bikes, or any other queries about biking in the Verbier area, don't hesitate to contact us and hopefully we will see you this summer for some adventures!
See you soon,
Chris