The Talon is what’s known in the mountain biking community as a “double diamond” trail — the toughest and most potentially hazardous.
There’s also a new bike repair and cleaning station and a permanent restroom facility at the trail head. About 30 bikes will be available for day rentals at the park, which is located at 4485 Union Road in Huffman MetroPark.
The ribbon-cutting and opening will be June 11. Until then, the new trails remain closed to the public until signs can be installed. In all, there are eight trails at the park.
Rentals will be available June 18 through Sept. 24 every Saturday from 9 a.m. to noon. Rates for youth bikes start at $6 an hour and adult bikes start at $8 an hour.
Five Rivers paid for the upgrades that started in October with a $144,000 grant from the Ohio Department of Natural Resources Recreational Trail Project.
It was the first grant from the state program for a mountain biking park in Ohio, said Randy Ryberg, Outdoor Recreation Coordinator for Five Rivers.
It all adds up to the biggest improvements at the MetroParks Mountain Biking Area, or MoMBA, since it opened in September 2007.
“The trail head improvements, new trails and mountain bike rentals make MoMBA an even better experience for families and riders of all levels,” Ryberg said.
MoMBA has more than nine miles of biking trails with a variety of terrain — hardwoods, a rock-bottom creek, hills and rocky ridges.
After the ribbon-cutting at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 11, Five Rivers is hosting a free program from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. for those who want to try mountain biking. It’s part of the national Take a Kid Mountain Biking Day.
Chris Tumbusch, 52, works at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base and stops off at the park to get a workout on his way home.
“It’s great to have the new restroom facility and water and the new trails,” he said. “It’s all coming together.”
Ed Finke, 51, his biking partner, is equally enthused.
“This is awesome,” Finke said. “For Ohio mountain biking, this is about as good as it gets in this area of southwest Ohio. With the improvements, it will bring more people here.”
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