U.P finally gets a bonafide biking trail! And it actually requires a bit of technical bike handling!
I am actually torn between sharing this and keeping it a secret. I want to share it because I want others to try this trail and have as much fun as I’m having. But at the same time, I shudder at the possibility that hordes of people will flock to this trail and create a singletrack version of Edsa on Friday payday.
It’s the surfers dilemma: Do you invite others to your local break or do you keep it to yourself?
I am choosing to spread the word. Who knows? If this trail turns out to be a hit, other trails may get built in U.P and turn the State U campus into the next urban trail biking destination.
This place already has the trees, the undulating terrain, and a very active biking community. Purpose-built trails are just waiting to be built. I’m keeping my fingers crossed for that.
Anyway, the U.P trail is a short XC track near the College of Human Kinetics, which is also known as the U.P gym. It was built by volunteers from CHK and the U.P Outdoor Recreationย Group or ORG. Kudos to you guys! You did an effin good job here!
It makes me feel proud to have once been a part of ORG. I was an applicant in the 90s but activism, rock and roll, beerfests, and occasional academic indulgences got in the way of becoming an inducted member.
If you’re a newbie who’s just getting his/her biking legs, you should definitely try the U.P trail. This will give you a very good sampler of what you should expect in Timberland’s trails.
This trail will introduce you to proper bike handling and build up your confidence when tackling technical trail features. The exit used to be technical but because of several accidents on this segment, UP ORG made it a little easier.
james
April 4, 2014 at 10:37 pmnice punta nko dito one time
jimmy
April 16, 2014 at 10:47 amSir, ikaw nga yung nakita kong kumukuha ng pic sa “no helmet no ride” signage =) dalawa kami nun. kaya di tumuloy kasi may nakapost na ng ganun..pero kinabukasan eh binalikan namin yan. at may dala na kaming helmet.heheheh
outsideslacker
April 16, 2014 at 12:19 pmmarami kaming mga long hair na nagba-bike sa UP, baka kamukha ko lang haha :p thanks for reading the blog bro
jimmy
April 17, 2014 at 4:42 pmsimula nung nagka mtb ako lahat ng blogs mo nabasa ko na =)
informative indeed!
outsideslacker
April 17, 2014 at 4:53 pmthanks for reading ๐
Glenn
April 22, 2014 at 6:33 pmThanks for deciding to share. First, thanks to the volunteers who made the trails. Great Job. It was very useful to newbies. Dinala ko friends ko (newbies) last Apr 9 (buti holiday), and they enjoyed to the max. I had a bad landing though dun sa isang trail near central ave. the ramp at the exit tempted me to do the jump kasi. I managed to have a good take off, kaso yung receiver pala medyo malalim na, so I had a double bounce in result.
outsideslacker
April 25, 2014 at 2:57 pmhi glenn, sana nga lalo pang dumami trails sa UP. any biker who has seen the place will know that the terrain presents a lot of potential.
tricky nga yung exit hehe. muntik rin ako sumemplang first time ko dun. it looks unfinished to me. i think the designers were thinking of building a fast berm there
Geof
May 24, 2014 at 3:15 amWow. never ko pa matry mag trail.. gusto ko to matry.. kaya ko ba to?
outsideslacker
May 24, 2014 at 7:57 amKaya mo yan. Ingat lang.
Bambino
June 6, 2014 at 9:39 amYour blog is very awesome. Nothing fancy, straight to the point, and very generous with visuals. I like it also that you are not mayabang. Thanks for putting up one.
Meanwhile, would you know how many kilometers this trail/loop is? Will consider visiting it. Miss the isaw in my Alma Mater ๐
outsideslacker
June 6, 2014 at 9:53 amthanks! ๐ i try to keep the articles short and sweet and free of ego whenever i can. the u.p diliman bike trail is pretty short, maybe just 1km. what i usually do is i make a long loop of the campus going through the outer oval through the science complex and all the way to heartbreak hill and then go to the bike trail for some technical riding para hindi bitin but you can also do several sprint loops of the u.p bike trail if you don’t like pavement. 2-3 sprint loops can really get your heart rate up.
the isaw is always great. but you should also try the eateries on jp laurel st. it’s actually becoming a foodie destination in the metro
Bambino
June 6, 2014 at 10:28 amThanks for replying. Will consider them eateries. A kilometer. Yes, several sprint loops should do it.
Just a suggestion, how about uploading a GPS-mapped route of the trails you feature in your blog? Runtastic Mountain Bike is an app that can track your route (among other things). It’s free anyway. I’m sure it’ll be helpful.
outsideslacker
June 6, 2014 at 11:02 amI’ve been meaning to do that actually. Just need some sparange for a good powerbank so my smartphone doesn’t run out of juice when i go on all day trips outside manila ๐
Kaz
July 10, 2014 at 9:36 pmI’ve been reading most of your articles and I find them helpful! I really like how you write and keep technical words to a minimum for newbies to understand. I really want to try biking sa trail pero wala pa akong bike XD I read your tips, and still looking for a good bike.
outsideslacker
July 11, 2014 at 8:33 ammasarap talaga trail biking bro ๐
Ark
July 12, 2014 at 11:30 pmTricky po yung sa puro mud ang hirap pumidal =)
outsideslacker
July 13, 2014 at 6:20 ammahirap nga yan. at mas mahirap yung paglilinis ng bike pagkatapos ๐
Jow
August 31, 2014 at 9:38 amNapaganda nitong site nyo. Nagpaplano pa lang ako mag-bike/bumili ng bike. Salamat at marami na ako mababasa at matututunan habang inaassemble ko yung pangbili ng bike.
Kathlyn
January 15, 2015 at 2:37 pmWhere can you rent bikes in UP? Is there a group that does biking on certain days? Appreciate information.
outsideslacker
January 15, 2015 at 4:29 pmhi, as far as i know, walang nagpapa-renta ng bikes sa UP. if you want to try biking there, i think travel factor offers group rides. but i’d suggest investing in your own bike if you really want to get into biking ๐
Pilot Sesh at U.P. Trail | Raphael Jose Blog
February 3, 2015 at 7:35 pmLena Abanes
February 13, 2015 at 7:26 pmhi sir! May ninja route ba kayong alam pag manggaling manila or makati tapos dito punta? Bike all the way lang kasi sana. Thanks in advance!
outsideslacker
February 14, 2015 at 12:33 ama ninja never reveals his secrets! :p actually, shortest route is just follow q-ave all the way to diliman. ingat lang sa underpass at sa qc cirle. from makati naman, pwede na yung c5. i’ve done both of these routes at safe naman sya basta alerto ka
Dondon
March 31, 2015 at 9:09 amfirst timer sa mtb pero sinipag na agad sa mga ridses 3x during week days after work umiikot ako sa taytay-cainta-junction-tikling back to taytay. nag search ako ng magagandang pwedeng puntahan near taytay na kaya ng mga first timer then nbasa ko tong blog about u.p and now pang apat ko nang balik sa u.p every sunday kung hindi ako mag ride sa motorcycle ko mtb nman Ilove u.p yung malaking oval nila mga nag gagandahang joggers and pang main event ko yung mtb track. first muntik na akong sumemplang sa track doon sa pangalawang pa bulusok pa baba kc pag baba biglang liko pero naka survive nman hehe. 21kl frm taytay to u.p solve na solve na ako tnks to this blog. more power sir and hope marami p akong ma discover na magandang puntahan mula sa inyo God bless!
outsideslacker
March 31, 2015 at 2:33 pmthanks for visiting the blog ๐
rolly
April 18, 2015 at 6:27 ameveryday po ba open ang UP trails at oval pra sa mga bikers at mga nag jojoging?
outsideslacker
April 18, 2015 at 4:54 pmyup, open yan everyday. di mo kailangan ng ID to run and bike sa UP dahil malaya ang unibersidad na ito hehe
kean
May 5, 2015 at 8:43 amHi Sir, hindi ko nakita yung entrance ng trail na yan, ang napuntahan ko yung sa likod ng archery, medyo extreme pala doon at may bangin. Actually hinahanap ko yung Entrance sign doon sa picture na post mo, pero hindi ko nakita. Kasi I asked the guard sabi nga nya 2 daw yung trail doon, I asked kung saan yung madali he pointed out the direction kaya lang napunta ako doon sa parang parking area lang na dirt.
outsideslacker
May 5, 2015 at 4:12 pmmay trail dun. if you see the hump near a tree, that’s the start of the trail. maiksi din lang at di masyadong technical
The Flash
May 12, 2015 at 3:53 pmIkaw na naka Helicopter.. wahaha
outsideslacker
May 12, 2015 at 8:30 pmhindi sa akin yan. sa driver ko yan, sira yung private jet eh
Neil
August 23, 2016 at 10:15 amHi Sir patulong nman route neto from taft manila?
Thank you
Art Fuentes
August 25, 2016 at 7:55 pmfrom taft, mag quiapo kayo tapos quezon ave. derecho lang ng quezon ave hanggang makarating kayo ng UP, tapos dun sa guard station bago dumating ng oblation, kaliwa kayo. pauntang u.p gym yan, nandun ang trail. good luck
Ronald Subaldo
September 23, 2016 at 6:00 amUnfortunately… Wala na yung offroad bike trail…
Art Fuentes
October 12, 2016 at 11:23 pmhopefully once the construction work is done, the bike trail will be restored :/
Jacob Natordad
November 1, 2016 at 1:31 amOngoing construction… hopefully it won’t be removed :c
Art Fuentes
November 1, 2016 at 10:04 amsana nga :/ daming construction ngayon sa UP