What areas of Sweden are good for enduro MTB?

[vcpp]

Hello, I'm currently considering relocating to Sweden. Since I am addicted to daily enduro / trail riding, the availability of trails in a surrounding area is crucial to me.
I am aware Sweden is mostly relatively flat - however I assume there are areas with some nice singletracks :)
So, what are the areas or cities with a decent network of trails around? I'm not expecting to have a bikepark with lifts in my backyard, I'm just hoping to find a location where I could reach some decent trails in a reasonable time.
Any recommendations?

 

[Hälsingland]

Falun, Östersund, Göteborg, Sundsvall has a good amount of trails and enduro, and also jobs. ?

Maybe Skellefteå i have no experience there, but good job opportunity but difficult to find a place to live. (Northvolt)

 

[Hälsingland]

http://www.falustigcyklister.se/

Falun

 

[n3wton]

I know a guy who once said that if you are into surfing you should live in Hawaii, and if you are into trailriding you should live in Gothenburg.

He might be exaggerating a bit, but there are a lot of nice trails in and around Gothenburg, and its very accessible.

 

[WSMC]

I know a guy who once said that if you are into surfing you should live in Hawaii, and if you are into trailriding you should live in Gothenburg.

He might be exaggerating a bit, but there are a lot of nice trails in and around Gothenburg, and its very accessible.

And only 79 km to one of the best places to surf in Sweden.

https://surfers.se/

 

[MagerValp]

Trailforks should give you a good overview, but I can also confirm that we're pretty spoiled in Gothenburg. Finding a good place to live can be quite challenging here though unless you have a fair bit of money, there's a pretty severe housing shortage.

 

[SIE]

Trailforks should give you a good overview, but I can also confirm that we're pretty spoiled in Gothenburg. Finding a good place to live can be quite challenging here though unless you have a fair bit of money, there's a pretty severe housing shortage.

If they’re relocating from whistler or starting at Spotify that aspect should be covered ?

 

[MagerValp]

If they’re relocating from whistler or starting at Spotify that aspect should be covered ?

If you're relocating from Whistler most of Sweden is probably going to be a bit underwhelming...

 

[rix]

I know a guy who once said that if you are into surfing you should live in Hawaii, and if you are into trailriding you should live in Gothenburg.

He might be exaggerating a bit, but there are a lot of nice trails in and around Gothenburg, and it’s very accessible.

Just a bit?

 

[n3wton]

Just a bit?

Yes, I would say just a bit (even though I know nothing of surfing). The trail network is pretty large here due to a lot of people living here combined with a pretty common interest in spending time in the forest amongst the swedes, which leads to a lot of well-used trails. Of course there is a bit of a problem of too heavy usage leading to damaged trails and so on, but thats not that big of a problem..

 

[SIE]

Depends on your level of riding as well. I surf, but the swells that people travel to Hawaii for would kill me on the first attempt.

 

[rix]

I guess you are lucky then in Gothenburg, if it gets out its as good for biking as Hawaii is for surfing and people start to go there instead of Finale, the Alps and BC it will be even more trail wear. Would be interested to know what the reference frame is though.

 

[n3wton]

I guess you are lucky then in Gothenburg, if it gets out its as good for biking as Hawaii is for surfing and people start to go there instead of Finale, the Alps and BC it will be even more trail wear. Would be interested to know what the reference frame is though.

Thought of that, maybe I shouldn't recommend more riders to come here.?

I have no reference frame to be honest. I think the riding is nice here, but of course I dont think it can compare to the alps and stuff like that. To be honest Gothenburg maybe isn't the place to move to just for the riding, but if you already live here the riding is fully sufficient!

 

[WSMC]

Hello, I'm currently considering relocating to Sweden. Since I am addicted to daily enduro / trail riding, the availability of trails in a surrounding area is crucial to me.
I am aware Sweden is mostly relatively flat - however I assume there are areas with some nice singletracks :)
So, what are the areas or cities with a decent network of trails around? I'm not expecting to have a bikepark with lifts in my backyard, I'm just hoping to find a location where I could reach some decent trails in a reasonable time.
Any recommendations?

Hi,
why are you considering moving to Sweden and from where?(curious).

Have you landed a job, partner living here, or is it just to find great trails?

Best wishes!

 

[Rattnalle]

I guess you are lucky then in Gothenburg, if it gets out its as good for biking as Hawaii is for surfing and people start to go there instead of Finale, the Alps and BC it will be even more trail wear. Would be interested to know what the reference frame is though.

I haven’t been to North America but with a few trips to Norway, the Pyrenees and the alps Göteborg still compares favorably if you enjoy techy trail riding.

We haven’t got the verticals but you can go out and do really excellent trails right next to several areas of the city and get hours of quality riding into a normal work week without even taking a long lunch break, for most of the year if you’ve got a headlamp. Since it’s quite flat you can get right on the trail with no long climb to the trail head. The terrain and trails are very varied as well especially between the different riding areas.

I’ve lived in Falun for a year and it’s nice as well but it’s nowhere near really. Not as many trails and not as varied. Also it’s a much smaller city if that’s something you value.

Åre is probably the only other place I’d consider moving to for biking in Sweden. I’d really like to live in the alps for a while as well but having that kind of climb to the trail head really makes it a very different kind of riding.

So Göteborg might not be the place you go with a guide for a holiday but as a place to live and fit riding into a regular work schedule it’s actually quite awesome.

 

[kais01]

stockholm and gothenburg are both magnificent mtb-scenes as that type of cities go. both in my view worth a mtb-holiday even with pretty high demands.

östersund is rather decent in itself, and with an hour of driving you are doing trails in the mountains including dh-mecka åre.

if you are into international tech work, i can recommend västerås. somewhat flat, but a good amount of interesting single track directly accessible from the city, actually some of them crossing the habitat in unattended parks 'allmänningar'. nice way to get out in the real woods surrounding the city in all directions.

roaming the greater part of directly from your home accessible trails would keep you busy full time for a week or two. with a car multiply that. daytrips to surahammar, norberg, sala, örebro, eskilstuna, stockholm, kolmården, ludvika, falun...; list is pretty endless of what you may reach in 1-2 hours.

active and social mtb-scene gives buddies, and keeps the trails open. an important factor;)

 

[SIE]

Also, bigger cities often have the advantage of a higher number of qualified medical professionals which for me has come in handy over the years.

 

[Velocipeden]

Norrköping!
Great long trails, some gnarly stuff and nice variedly nature.

 

[Höjdskräck]

Enduro riding in Gothenburg is very different from other places. It's "flat style" enduro riding. I mean, it's technical enough but there are'nt any 3 minute downhill runs. More like 15-30 seconds of descents and then lots of climbing again. Just to clarify.

 

[MagerValp]

Enduro riding in Gothenburg is very different from other places. It's "flat style" enduro riding. I mean, it's technical enough but there are'nt any 3 minute downhill runs. More like 15-30 seconds of descents and then lots of climbing again. Just to clarify.

15-30 is a bit pessimistic, but they do top out at around 90 seconds (if you're fast). If you're slow like me you'll have several minutes of downhill fun :D

 

[vcpp]

Wow didn't expect that much answers, thank you :) The reason I'm considering a relocation is simple, I'm getting quite a lot of interesting job offers from Sweden. Also, been there several times and fell in love with the nature, the way people live etc. I spent couple of years working in Germany, Czech Republic and now I'm in the northern Poland.
Back to the trails - I actually did some research and went through the Trailforks - while I can see there are plenty of trails around Goteborg, most of them are indeed short and kind of flat (no offence guys!). That's why I posted the questions, hoping there are regions with longer trails and bigger descends. Like in Czech Republic or southern Poland - I know some 1.5-2km long trails descending around 600-700m :) Will check the other regions out though.

BTW, while we're on it, I started to wonder why there's almost no trails on Trailforks in Norway? I know they're also doing a lot of outdoor activities. Is it because of more strict law they decide not to publish the trails? Not considering Norway, just out of curiosity ;)

 

[Hälsingland]

I think it depends on whats is used locally, strava is easier and more popular where i live. And norway seems to agree. ?

If you are looking for +500m descents you will need to live in Åre

 

[Rattnalle]

Wow didn't expect that much answers, thank you :) The reason I'm considering a relocation is simple, I'm getting quite a lot of interesting job offers from Sweden. Also, been there several times and fell in love with the nature, the way people live etc. I spent couple of years working in Germany, Czech Republic and now I'm in the northern Poland.
Back to the trails - I actually did some research and went through the Trailforks - while I can see there are plenty of trails around Goteborg, most of them are indeed short and kind of flat (no offence guys!). That's why I posted the questions, hoping there are regions with longer trails and bigger descends. Like in Czech Republic or southern Poland - I know some 1.5-2km long trails descending around 600-700m :) Will check the other regions out though.

BTW, while we're on it, I started to wonder why there's almost no trails on Trailforks in Norway? I know they're also doing a lot of outdoor activities. Is it because of more strict law they decide not to publish the trails? Not considering Norway, just out of curiosity ;)

For longer descents there really only is Åre reasonably close to where people live.

Otherwise you’ll have to check out Norway. They use another app that’s local instead of Trailforks, I don’t recall the name.

 

[vcpp]

I don't consider Norway at the moment. I believe the living costs are much higher than what my cheap ass is willing to pay :) But seriously, I know they got some pretty serious mountains in Norway but that's not enough ;)
Anyway .. thanks, I think I got the picture. Got some stuff to consider now :)

 

[JohanRR]

I don't consider Norway at the moment. I believe the living costs are much higher than what my cheap ass is willing to pay :) But seriously, I know they got some pretty serious mountains in Norway but that's not enough ;)
Anyway .. thanks, I think I got the picture. Got some stuff to consider now :)

Norway is more expensive but you also earn almost twice as much.

 

[Rattnalle]

I don't consider Norway at the moment. I believe the living costs are much higher than what my cheap ass is willing to pay :) But seriously, I know they got some pretty serious mountains in Norway but that's not enough ;)
Anyway .. thanks, I think I got the picture. Got some stuff to consider now :)

The next best thing then would be proximity to Norway so you can go there for weekends.

 

[DeAngeli]

https://mtbmap.no is a good source for Norway

 

[SIE]

The next best thing then would be proximity to Norway so you can go there for weekends.

Like Göteborg?

 

[zinkpasta]

If the work consists of shrimp eating contests or any other shrimp related activity I would recommend Göteborg since it is the area where you would be most likely to find like-minded friends who also might like to ride bikes while they're not shrimping (or sometimes at the same time).

As for Norwegian trails I recommend www.trailguide.net.

 

[kais01]

The next best thing then would be proximity to Norway so you can go there for weekends.

yes, really sounds like norway would be your thing:)

travelling there however means prohibitive road tolls unless you have an electrical car, and average speed hardly ever over 60 kmh / 40 mph. so not very accessible even if you live close to the border.

 

[implor]

I would recommend my area around Borlänge/Falun. You got a lot for trails (check Trailfork).

cost of housing is cheaper. 2-2,5h to the capital, 2-2,5h to Järvsö (bikepark, we do over the day trips regularly ).

Åre is better but the season the bike park is open is very short. Snow on the mountain into late June and closes around September.

Borlänge/Falun you can ride into January many years and then start again late February (on compressed snow) and most snow is gone in mid April.

 

[mzi]

But you should know that outside of Stockholm - and maybe Gothenburg - Sweden is rural. Poland is two-thirds of Sweden in area, but four times as populated.

The urban area of Falun is less than 40000 inhabitants. So depending on what you want to work with you have to expect a car commute.

Åre is a ski resort so practically noone lives there.

I don't know where you are located in Poland now, but for example is Gdansk twice the size of Gothenburg.

 

[implor]

If It get serious I recommend you visit first. Finding accomedation will be the difficult part in every city in Sweden.

 

[vcpp]

I actually live in Gdansk now :) Also, visited Sweden and Norway multiple times, mostly during the winter and mostly the northern areas though (usually the areas between Tromso - Mo i Rana - Arvisjaur - Kiruna) . So I am aware of the speed limits, how slow the traveling is (also did some 2000km trip with a camper around southern Norway this summer) and how (un)populated it is. But also how beautiful and wild the nature is, how clean and white it is during the winter (because somebody figured out using salt would not be a good idea) and so on. I am also aware finding an accomodation is hard, particularly in Goteborg - have some friends who moved there. Still, thanks for all the practical tips and infos! I think I will indeed get there next spring with a bike and find out what it's like bike-wise. Probably will consider Goteborg and Falun areas first. Will also study the climate statistics ;)

 

[Larsifer]

The next best thing then would be proximity to Norway so you can go there for weekends.

And remember to bring the makaroner and ketchup!