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| - I dig this place and I get it. My first bikes in the 80's were a Diamond Back Hot Streak, Skyway Street Beat, and an 87' Haro Sport that I miss dearly. My early teenage years will filled with launch ramps, Vision Street Wear, Club Homeboy, street riding, and the occasional quarter pipe. Around college, I got into MTB and spent 4-5 back-to-back summers racing at Alpine Valley and The Knob. Once career and family time became important, I couldn't spend hours driving outside of NE Ohio to find decent MTB trails, I picked up road biking with an occasional MTB ride thrown in a couple of times a year.
My old MTB riding buddies and I decided to set a date and headed up to Ray's for my first ride a few weeks ago.
First, the place is hard as hell to find. GPS brought me to the outskirts of the massive collection of former factories (more like brick ruins), but you have to venture inside the maze to find Ray's. There is only minimal external signage that blends in with everything else, so it takes a careful eye to find.
Impression walking in was awesome. This place has a really cool vibe and the layout of the lounge is nice, even with fireplaces. The bicycle fork as front door handle is a nice touch.
It took a couple of laps first on yellow and then on green to figure out how the lane system works and how to get from one obstacle section to another. Once I got the hang of it, it was not very difficult. One note, my MTB was outfitted with city slick tires which turned out to be a bit sketchy on parts of the smooth concrete floor. Next time, I'd go with a semi-slick tire that has a bit of a bite. Traditional MTB knobby tires are overkill and are not necessary. Keep that in mind when outfitting your bike for Ray's.
I enjoyed it, but I think it may be a bit to "skate-park-ish" for me. If it was 1989, I was 14, and I had my 87 Haro Sport, I'd spend my entire weekends there, but in 2012 my nearly 40 year old body was beat to hell after two hours on a MTB. The frequency and intensity of the obstacles/ramps are much more rapid fire than any single-track trail I've been to, including Vultures Knob. It really beats one up, if you're not prepared for it. Furthermore, all the obstacles/ramps are made out of plywood, which means any fall is going to be significantly more painful than any falls one may have on real outdoor single track. After two hours, my odometer clocked nearly 10 miles and my heart rate monitor says I burned 1,400 calories. Not a bad workout, but I don't see how one could ride longer unless they are in top physical condition (and/or much younger).
For me personally, Ray's is the type of place I could go 2-3 times a winter to get out of the house and do something different. My primary interest is cross-country MTB, so the heavy ramp and jumping sections really don't interest me. I suspect that I would get bored quickly if I went there more often.
With that said, I'm not going to knock Ray's. I'm giving it a full five stars. Being a former 80's freestyle fanatic that has transitioned to nearly all the other primary areas of cycling, I'm for anything that supports the biking community (no matter what type of biking you're into). Plus taking breaks and watching the young guys on the ramps is fun as a hell.
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