Wood Fest gives Pittsburgh mountain bikers indoor thrills at Wheel Mill

Pittsburgh, Scott Bricker boasts, has some world-class urban mountain biking. Its really incredible. After all, said the executive director of Bike Pittsburgh, There arent many places where you can fly into a city and, within an hour, be on an amazing trail.

But during winter, many riders would just as soon not even cross the street. Which is where The Wheel Mill, and this weekends Wood Fest celebration, come in.

Built inside an 80,000-square-foot Homewood warehouse, Wheel Mill is practically an urban forest in its own right. BMX ramps and mountain-biking obstacle courses sprawl from one room to the next, fashioned from plywood, recycled lumber and the occasional dead tree trunk. But its all indoors.

People have told us, Im so glad youre here, because I just used to drink over the winter, said Wheel Mill owner Harry Geyer, who opened the facility in 2013.

On Saturday, Mr. Geyer hosted Wood Fest in an effort to give hibernating cyclists extra incentive for getting in gear. Along with the usual crowd of riders perfecting the arts of tire-grabbing and tail-whipping, Virginia-based instructor Harlan Price was on hand to teach free clinics in skills like wheel hopping. There were also events like the footdown contest, a sort of bike-mounted combination joust and roller-derby event in which dozens of cyclists traveled in a loose circle while trying to force each other off balance.

Its like a childhood game that never got old, said Adam Hauck, who won the event.

A professional mountain-biker, Mr. Hauck traveled to Wood Fest from Bloomfield, N.J., on behalf of a sponsor. Pittsburgh, he said, has an unreal bike community, with The Wheel Mill serving as a family-friendly hub.

There arent many places where parents and kids have some place they can both ride, Mr. Hauck said. While he, too, appreciated a chance to bike while sheltered from the elements, he said the buildings gritty past kept the environment from getting too sterile.

I really like that its an old building thats gotten a second life, he said. The roof is leaking over there, so its just like being outside.

This is The Wheel Mills second winter, its busiest season, and Mr. Geyer said it has been attracting half again as many people this year as last year. And with constant additions and changes to park features, his wheels never stop spinning, even though the park already features some obstacles Mr. Geyer himself has yet to master.

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Wood Fest gives Pittsburgh mountain bikers indoor thrills at Wheel Mill