Complete loop, after a steep start a pleasant climb, at the end you need technique and fitness. The first part of the descent is enjoyable, then on the Italian side it gets a bit overgrown and blocked. In my opinion, the climb to Muggio is better than the following descent; still ok at the top, but the longer the worse, as it is an unmaintained path. There are a lot of branches and trees in the way, if someone doesn't regularly go through there with a chainsaw, this path will no longer be rideable in a few years. I wouldn't ride it like this again.

All in all, a fantastic tour!
The bike transport to the top went smoothly, and the ascent to the summit is definitely worth it - everything is rideable. Bike&Hike: Category 1*.
Very flowy overall (S1/S2). The trail from Runca Pino to Muggio was great!
The single uphill trail to Dosso Bello is also like something out of a picture book - absolutely worthwhile, with a motor it would be a bit more tolerable ;)
On the descent to Mendrisio, it's a good idea to keep an eye on your GPS at all times - there are lots of trails and it's easy to get lost.

An absolute top tour!

The descent from Dosso Bello is poorly maintained and difficult to ride. Too bad for the beautiful tour

Tastes seem to differ greatly with the new alternative from Dosso Bello onwards.

Today, the start of the trail in the forest was difficult to find, as was the first turn-off. Also, once the trail is completely gone, it has steep, gravelly gullies.

Almost everything is rideable, but not maintained.

I liked the old variant better, maybe you can offer both tours for selection....

Rode yesterday in perfect conditions !
Hammer round everything ready to go

Bike transportation by train was easy. The summit building alone is worth a visit if you know anything about building. The trails were in great condition and the longer ascent in the forest was a pleasure. For me, this tour is one of the best in Ticino. The trees across the trail were no problem at all as the local bikers had carved a rideable bypass in the ground. I'm totally thrilled with this tour, even though it's not that technically demanding. But the lower part is very flowy. We never had to dismount and I didn't find a gravel highway anywhere. A super cool tour, definitely recommended!

Fantastic tour. Great class and wonderfully varied. We rode the tour on July 1, 2023. Bike transport by cog railroad to the summit went without a hitch and is also an official part of the transport offer. The train has its own flat wagon for the bikes (and paragliders' parachutes). Even with rail transport, there are still a good 600 m of ascent on the clock by the end of the day. Extra praise is due to the truffle pig, which found the gimmicks behind Muggio and the subsequent shady and even ascent back to the ridge. The only current drawback is the descent from Orimento to the stream crossing: the path has been (commendably) prepared along the entire route and has not yet grown back in, which after a rainy night put quite a strain on our bikes on the loamy descent. However, time will turn this part into a top trail.
The new trail in the last descent away from the forest tracks is anything but boring. Fun at a consistently high level throughout!

Rode the tour today exactly according to the GPS track. Due to heavy rainfall last night, certain forest passages were wet and slippery, but still easy to ride. The trails are getting better and better in my opinion, cool trail down to Muggio, very nice climb over the trail in the forest, highlight is the descent to Mendrisio. The trail there is quite playful thanks to the "interaction" between the foresters and local bikers 😊. Bike transport up to the summit is no problem at all. Highly recommended!

Rode the entire tour on June 2nd. Very nice! I can absolutely confirm Jonas' comment - the last descent is awesome, very flowy for a Ticino trail!
Thank you!

The tour is cool except for the last section after the counter-climb. I found the descent very boring. Almost exclusively flat gravel road. I recommend an alternative route for the final section.

I do NOT share Mudi's opinion. On the one hand, I found the first part very fun, not a trace of boredom, but there was also no highway forest path. The statement about numerous S3 sections is also exaggerated - there are indeed some tricky sections to master, but most of them are in the upper S2 and can be tackled by S2 bikers without any problems. Yes, the trail is demanding and requires concentration - but that also makes it exciting.

Thanks to the e-bike, the return ascent was also pure riding fun. Yes, the subsequent descent is certainly not the coolest, but it's not as boring as it's sometimes mentioned here. You can also pimp it up by taking the trail at P. 675 towards the S. Nicola train station, where you have to push your bike briefly. From here, take the trail all along the ridge and it is worth paying a visit to the "Torretta" viewpoint. Then follow the hiking trail to Somazzo or down to Mendriso.

I started with the cog railroad at S. Nicalao and there were no problems with the bike transport to the summit. Bike in the luggage car in front of the locomotive and that's it.

We rode the cable car all the way to the top. Only a few people managed to ride up to the summit - the view from the platform is magnificent and worthwhile.
The first descent to Alpe d'Orimento was rather disappointing: a nice trail at the beginning that soon turns into a forest road (= highway). But you can enjoy the beautiful landscape.
The trail from Orimento to Erbonne is very demanding, rocky and you encounter more difficult passages again (S3). I really enjoyed it; some people kept pushing. After the short counter-climb to Roncapiano, it goes back down to an easier trail towards Muggio.
In Muggio it goes down to Breggi and then very steeply up again! The ascent over the 400m singletrail is very hard in the afternoon, as the wooded ground offers a lot of friction.
The descent on the other side via La Grassa was a disappointment and not worth the effort! Almost no trails, just gravel and bumpy roads!
A better alternative is to ride back down the 400m singletrail (really worth it!) and turn right at some point to stay on the trail until Monte. Then you have to return to Mendrisio on tar.

Shortly after the summit above Pkt. 1590 there are some snow fields to cross. Yesterday, even in the afternoon at
15.00 in the afternoon, they were still frozen as hard as a rock and poorly groomed, a slip would have fatal consequences. We took the path secured with wire ropes all the way to the summit (carrying bikes), which was dry and snow-free in the exposed sections, with only two short, well-tracked snowfields to cross. Parallel route to the original tour, from Alpe d'Orimento dry and cleared, all storm wood has been removed.

Unrideable from Cragno!!! If you don't have a chainsaw with you, you should avoid this tour at the moment. Giant trees that have fallen down due to storms make too many passages a gateway tour. At some point it is impossible to get over because there are too many trees in the way. Definitely rideable again in 2021.

Unfortunately, there have been some road closures since 4.10.2020 due to fallen trees. You can find detailed information here: https://s.geo.admin.ch/8c38fc26a8. We had no problems between Erbonne and Scudellate. On the ascent between Muggio and La Grassa 1090 there were already some trees on the path. There were also many broken branches which got caught in the wheels from time to time. From La Grassa we took a different route (towards Somanzzo). Unfortunately, there were also many trees on the way. Under these circumstances, I would advise e-bikers against this tour altogether.

We rode the tour yesterday and really enjoyed it. Up to Muggio, the tour is beyond any doubt. If you still have enough energy, you can also enjoy the ascent from Muggio to La Grassa (apart from the ramps at the beginning, everything is on single trail with a pleasant gradient). The subsequent descent goes through the forest with lots of foliage - but at least now it was very fun to ride.

We rode the tour yesterday and really enjoyed it. Up to Muggio, the tour is beyond any doubt. If you still have enough energy, you can also enjoy the ascent from Muggio to La Grassa (apart from the ramps at the beginning, everything is on single trail with a pleasant gradient). The subsequent descent goes through the forest with lots of foliage - but at least now it was very fun to ride.

I did the tour this summer with my brother-in-law. We were able to have the bike transported to the summit by train without any problems. We simply promised to ride down the north side. The trail up to Muggio was fantastic: varied, with lots of flow and beautiful scenery. The long ascent from Muggio to La Grassa is really super rideable - but we still had enough energy reserves due to the train transport to Generso. However, the descent to Mendrisio did not meet our expectations. The hiking trail from Brusada is no longer (or poorly) maintained. There are various trees in the way. Orientation is not easy without GPS. The enjoyment of the ride was therefore limited. My tip: it's better to stay on the old mule track (it leads back to the trail anyway). The mule track is technically easy, but also has its charm (I rode it with my wife at a later date). Overall verdict: Really cool at first (up to Muggio) - for the long climb to La Grassa, not much fun as a reward. As an overall package, slightly below expectations.

The cog railroad only takes you as far as Bellavista, even if you take the northern descent.