Women's Specific Information

About 30% of our riders are women. You do need to have experience on a bike to ride the downhill, however the trail can be between intermediate to advanced depending on how much of it you ride and how much of it you walk. Most women can ride 90% of the downhill trail. There are cross-country alternatives from the top as well.

Trail Description
This is a peddlers downhill because you are constantly going downhill but descend 4000’ over the course of 15 miles. The average ride time for an intermediate woman rider is 2 hours.

Other Riders
Stay left or pull over to the hillside if you feel you need to let a downhiller pass. You can usually hear them coming if you are not wearing an Ipod.

Stumpjumper FSR Comp Women's
Women’s specific bikes are designed around the average women’s body. The body standard is smaller, lighter weight, and has a smaller torso and arms than the body standard of the average male that most non- women’s specific bikes are designed around. If this average female body standard describes you, then you will most likely find a better fit with a women’s specific design. Downieville Outfitters offers one size small women’s Stumpjumper 120 for rental.

What to Wear
Dress for Downieville’s varied terrain by layering. For downhill riding try lycra shorts under a pair of looser shorts for air circulation. Wear socks that cover your ankles as there are oftentimes water crossings. We recommend SiDi’s for bike shoes, but any type of high-end shoe with a metal frame in the base is good for these trails. Make sure you have a tight fitting helmet with a visor. There is not a great deal of sun on the downhill, but there is a lot on the other trails like Big Boulder and Pauley Creek. Wrap around glasses are best since the trail can get dusty by mid-summer. Wear full-face helmets with goggles if you are planning on riding really fast.

Also visit our FAQ page for additional questions regarding Downieville.