Mountain Biking Pulau Ubin, Singapore | Is Ketam 2023 still legit fun?

It's 2023 and Ketam - on the island of Pulau Ubin - has been revamped and re-opened after a 6-month hiatus. It now boasts more flow, more focus, and more... gravel?

We took the ferry across on a weekday to do a 'deep dive' ride on the trail loop that everyone is discussing currently, inspecting and hitting single and double black line options, and figuring out if the rumours that Ketam had been 'dumbed down' and made easier were true.

Spoiler alert: those rumours are false. Just respect the closure of the 'C-lines' ('C' for chicken, that is), perhaps pick the 'A-line' options... and you'll agree too. Sure, the climbs are still there and still physically demanding, but they are smoother allow better focus on technique. The descents have retained the flavour and heritage of its granite-based origins but again, have been made safer and yet able to carry speed more through exit corners and traverses. Major trail realignments now avoid tree root damage as well as steer riders away from danger spots (such as the infamous landslide section of 'Razorback'), or are simply wider.

Are there inherent problems with this renewed Ketam? Sure there are: the gravel top layers on inclines and bermed corners look suspiciously vulnerable to wet weather and high-density ridership. Shortcuts and easy 'C-line' bypasses - though obviously closed off - still exist and might tempt certain types of riders.

But overall, we think this trail is now much more conducive to safety, rider enjoyment, and possibly PR lap times! A definite improvement to an already brilliantly designed and resilient technical trail loop. And this is only phase 1 of the build. We look forward to Ketam's phase 2 completion when the 'blue trail' segments are re-opened as well.

#sgpov #singapore #rawepics
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Useful Links
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NParks Ketam MTB Trail Map | https://bit.ly/3Gh4GMf
Ketam MTB Trail (Trailforks) | https://www.trailforks.com/trails/ket...

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