Mountain Biking

[jones]

What you have here is a thread about mountain biking.  Never tried it?  You should.  

I bought my first mountain bike in 2008 and only rode on a trail maybe two or three times all year.  I got a little more "serious" and I raced in three events in 2009; two solo and one 12 hour endurance race (two man team).  This year I have raced in six events with just as many left in the season.  I ride in what is called XC, or cross country discipline which is more about endurance than riding a bike off a 20 foot cliff.  My next race is in Chattanooga in August, but I ride for fun/training just about every weekend.

[jones]

Here are a couple of websites that I use for trail reviews and info:

http://www.singletracks.com/
http://www.mtbr.com/

Here's a peek at what it's like on the trail:

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=spHgV1fH1xY[/media]

[media]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1GD7mS6E2Ew&feature=pyv&ad=4213127551&kw=bike[/media]

[Soulshine]

Ok, so WHEN are you going to come out?!

[TEO]

I used to go quite often. Got a 1980 Nashbar Terra XT that I used on the trails at Fort Benjamin Harrison until it really caught on in this area and they banned them from use there using bat-habitat as an excuse. Then they built up a bunch of homes on the local lake and now where I used to ride alone and in solitude stand multi-million dollar mansions. Really don't want to drive to ride, so now it sits on a shelf while I take local short jaunts on my street Raleigh. Would love to have some local good trails, but may have to wait for my move to Ft. Collins for that... ;)

[jones]

Ok, so WHEN are you going to come out?!

I usually end up in CO every three or four years so.... I'm probably due.  It seems like we alternate beach and mountains for vacation and we just went to FL three weeks ago.  Mountains are next and you will be the first to know.

[jones]

I used to go quite often. Got a 1980 Nashbar Terra XT that I used on the trails at Fort Benjamin Harrison until it really caught on in this area and they banned them from use there using bat-habitat as an excuse. Then they built up a bunch of homes on the local lake and now where I used to ride alone and in solitude stand multi-million dollar mansions. Really don't want to drive to ride, so now it sits on a shelf while I take local short jaunts on my street Raleigh. Would love to have some local good trails, but may have to wait for my move to Ft. Collins for that... ;)

That sounds about right: it caught on so it was banned.  Logic need not apply.  It really isn't very popular around here.  I really turn heads when people see bikes on top of our Durango.  We have more of a hunting, fishing, big truck, and Skoal mentality around here, unfortunately.

[pawpaw]

Yo, cool thread flyguy. I haven't had a decent mt. bike for 7 or 8 years, used to have a Stumpjumper that I rode pretty often though. For my bachelor party, we actually went downhill riding for a long weekend in Mammoth. A few of my favorite trails are on one of the sites you linked:

http://www.singletracks.com/bike-trails/upper-bidwell-park.html
http://www.singletracks.com/bike-trails/clementine-forresthill-connector-trail.html

I have a kinda "hybrid" bike now that I bought to commute in San Francisco, so it's kind of an urban mt. bike. I don't live far from the EXCELLENT trails in Auburn now though, and will probably buy a used bike one of these days.

[jones]

I had a full suspension Stumpjumper, but I sold it earlier this year and bought a hard tail Stumpjumper 29er.  Those trails look pretty sweet, bbill; completely different from ours here in Kentucky.  I hope to make a trip out west in the next couple of years with riding as the main objective.

This is my "home trail", although it's over an hour drive:
http://www.singletracks.com/bike-trails/canal-loop.html

Off subject, on subject: I don't think that I could get into road biking, but I saw a guy going into a small community convience store close to my house that was obviously on a long solo trek.  I asked him where he was riding from and it turns out he was riding from coastal Oregon to coastal North Carolina.  He left in early June and has about 10 days of riding left.  Over two months of riding!  He said that he rode through 40 mph headwinds for 5 days through Montana.  He also said that he would never do this again!

Mad respect.

[capt. scotty]

Gots me bike yesterday! Got your message after I actually bought it Flyguy, but it was in pretty good shape and certainly worth the $180 I paid for it. I guess I'll have to replace the NIN and 2 other metal band stickers with MMJ or something  ;D.....Went to a place to fill the tires up as they were pretty underfilled, and guy said just what you said that the tires - or at least front tire - looked like they were dryrotting. No biggie though as he said they should at least last the rest of the year.

Next on my list, new seat. I rode for about 45 minutes yesterday, little less today after work since I worked for 12 hours, and man, biking is hard on the taint. When I got on today I was like why is my ass hurting already and figured it must still be from yesterday. Tomorrow = no riding. Save the Taint!

[BH]

Next on my list, new seat. I rode for about 45 minutes yesterday, little less today after work since I worked for 12 hours, and man, biking is hard on the taint. When I got on today I was like why is my ass hurting already and figured it must still be from yesterday. Tomorrow = no riding. Save the Taint!

That will get better pretty quickly.   5 or 6 long runs and it won't be so bad.  Also, they make shorts with pads!

[jones]

Next on my list, new seat. I rode for about 45 minutes yesterday, little less today after work since I worked for 12 hours, and man, biking is hard on the taint. When I got on today I was like why is my ass hurting already and figured it must still be from yesterday. Tomorrow = no riding. Save the Taint!

That will get better pretty quickly.   5 or 6 long runs and it won't be so bad.  Also, they make shorts with pads!

Congrats on the bike!  You talked him down from $200? It sounds like you hooked up on a pretty good deal.  Just keep an eye on those older tires because they will be more susceptible to punctures, especially in the sidewalls.  I recommend this anyway, but you will probably want to carry a spare tube and a mini air pump or a CO2 inflator.  It's a really sucks to flat when you're five miles from the trailhead and you don't have a tube.

Like BH said, your a$$ will get used to the pounding after a few times.  The first couple of times really hurt, but.... hey, wait a minute...

Seriously, I do have one of those ridiculously thin and underpadded seats, but I wear padded shorts (not just "biker shorts", they make regular shorts with pads, too).  With a hard tail bike you have to stand up off the seat a little more than a full suspension bike to soak up those little roots and rocks since your legs are the only suspension you have in the back.

[capt. scotty]

Yeah, I actually had $80 in my wallet, went to the ATM to get $120 but got $80 instead as I think I reversed what was in my wallet and whatnot, so I met him with $160 and ended up paying $180. He wanted $225 orignally. My grandad taught me good.

As far as the extra tire, what, wear a backpack to put it in then or something?

Hopefully it does get easier on the ass, but I wasnt even on trails and just riding around the park a few miles from here. Id expect trails to be even harder on it. Biggest reason I wanted to get a bike though is to get back in shape as I cant stand jogging and lifting isnt enough to shed the lb's. Once I drop some pounds and have better cardio endurance, I play on hitting more trails.

Good to know they make regular padded shorts as you would see the Alabama Leprechaun before seeing me wearing spandex and suffocating my boys  ;D

[Ruckus]

Duuuuude.  Carry an extra tube maaan.  Not a tire bro

[jones]

Yeah, like Ruckus said, just carry a tube and pump/inflator.  You don't need to carry a tire.  Even if you get a tear in a sidewall, you can use something (a folded up dollar bill for example) as a temporary patch to get you out of the woods.  Most people use a CamelBak to carry fluids, tools, tubes, etc.  I use a CamelBak MULE.



I always carry the following as a minimum:

- spare tube
- pump/inflator
- bicycle specific multi-tool
- gatorade/water
- clif bars, energy gels, etc.
- flask of four roses single barrel
- paper towels

You can definitely loose weight pretty quickly if you ride regularly and eat right.  I have lost 20 lbs since this winter by only riding once a week and eating a little healthier.  I generally ride at least 10-20 trail miles miles every weekend.  So that's at least one to two hours of riding with an average heart rate of around 170 or so.  According to my Garmin, I average about 1,000 calories burned for every hour of riding with around 1,000 feet of ascent.  A guy that I ride with is 6'2" and 240 and he will burn somewhere close to 1,600 calories compared to my 1,000.  I wouldn't focus too much on distance initially.  Keeping an elevated heart rate for extended periods of time is what will get you in shape.

[capt. scotty]

I didnt realize there was a difference between a tube and a tire. I thought it was biking slang.

I thought Ruckus was making a bong joke  ;D

I used to have a camelbak, but fat chance I find it in the garage or wherever it is.

[jones]

Getting started:

http://mountainbike.about.com/od/howtogetstarted/Beginners_Basics_Beginners_Guides_Advice.htm
http://www.abc-of-mountainbiking.com/mountain-biking-techniques/cadence.asp

[lucylew]

Went bike riding today along the American River - and there way a huge coiled rattlesnake right next to the bike path.  Scared the bejesus out of me.

[jones]

Current mountain biking joys:

1. I am ranked #1 in TBRA (Tennessee Bicycle Racing Association) in my cat and class.  I think that I may have this one clenched.
2. I am ranked #18 nationally in USAC (USA Cycling) in my cat and class.

I will need to soak up my short stint near the top now because next year I will advance to the next category where I will ride away into mediocrity...

[capt. scotty]

Nice dude!!!

...and I disagree that your rear starts to get used to bike riding. My taint is hurtin me every time I start to ride. I think after 20 minutes it just starts to go numb and it doesnt feel as bad. I need a new seat. I need some kind of seat with a big hole in the middle so my boys can hang and the taint can be happy

[jones]

Did you get some padded shorts?  I think that WTB makes some decent saddles, but I'm still running my stock Specialized saddle that has, well, next to no padding at all.  Hence, the shorts.  If your riding for fun then comfort should be a pretty high priority.

Are you hitting the trails yet or are you still mostly riding on the road?