Blue Derby's New Trail: Shear Pin & 23 Stitches

If gnarly rock and big kickers ain’t your jam then stay clear of these two new descents in the Blue Derby network. Shear Pin has been cut from pure rock and 23 Stitches is a jump-riddled playground trail that’ll have you spending a whole lot of time floating in the fresh Tasmanian air.

Or if you’re game these two new trails will thrill your socks off and challenge your skills, and like Return to Sender, it’s either pedal up to the top via the climbing trail Long Shadow, or shuttle up to the Black Stump junction with a local shuttle operator, we recommend Vertigo MTB.

Watch video below

Make it a double, double black

Shear Pin and 23 Stitches are both black graded runs, not so much because they’re hard to ride down but if you ride each the A-line options you’ve earned some serious bragging rights.

Shear Pin

Where’s the name come from? A shear pin is a part designed to break before the tool does, World Trail broke many of them wrenching rocks around into place and out of the way, many shear pins were harmed in the construction of this trail and hence the name. They have managed to push a trail through a seriously rocky part of the hillside above Derby, linking up huge off-camber granite slabs and jagged rock-strewn terrain.

Where is it?

Shear Pin leads straight into 23 Stitches and is accessed from the Black Stump junction on Cascade Dam Rd, via a shuttle vehicle or climbing Long Shadow.

_LOW2547 — A fast start to a run down some seriously chunky rock.

_LOW2638 — The World Trail crew took this trail through the rockiest terrain they could find.

The photos don’t quite do the rock justice, and Rhys and Ryan do make it look too easy.

Huge bare granite slabs offer up options of high and fast, or low and slow. Stay high if you’re lucky.

You can bet your bottom dollar that this side of the hill will feature in the upcoming Enduro World Series in April 2017, it’s well and truly up to the task of challenging the world’s best.

It’s a jangly, bumpy, ragged run, while only just under 1km in length it’s hard to keep the wheels rolling through the rock. Then you’ll come across massive slabs of bare granite that will push the limits of your tyres if you take a bad line, or if you get it right you’ll stay high above the ugly stuff and through the other side even faster.

Ryan rides a tight line hard and fast, front wheel holding traction in a natural rut with the rear skipping out. Maniac.

Rhys tipping it in on a bare granite slab.

Keeping momentum and wheel rolling is the tricky bit.

23 Stitches

Quickly becoming a favourite is the new jump line that continues the descent from Shear Pin to the valley floor, riddled with jumps of every shape and size. From straight rhythms to big hits off the side of the trail, to whopping step downs this track will take a few runs to fully master.

Hip to the left, hip to the right, jump long, jump down, transfer to the other side, it’s all coming at you fast on this trail!

To get you into the mood, 23 Stitches begins with another huge chunk of off-camber granite.

Past the Great Race, a water race from the mining era built in the hillside to carry water to mine sites. — Dropping in past The Great Race, one of the many water races from the mining era that had dug and built into the hillside to carry water to mine sites.

Rhys off the wide kicker, boosting high.

One of the more mellow jumps is a right hand hip jump which can give you some serious pop and height if you want it.

And back to town for another shuttle run.

www.ridebluederby.com.au

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