mudgirl
06-10-2007, 09:53 AM
I'm fairly new to mtn biking, with only about 3 months total of riding under my belt since I got my bike last summer. I've been going to the local "beginner" trails, but I was bored with them and asked a guy I've ridden with a few times if he'd take me to the local hot spot, Shindagin Hollow, near Ithaca. He said the trails were a "little" more technical than what I'd been doing, but nothing I couldn't handle.
Despite the fact that I got off to a "wonderful" start and fell in the creek less than 20 feet from the trail head in front of five guys (not enough momentum to get up the other side :o ), I was having a blast! There were tons of roots, but I was handling them; tons of rocks, but I was doing okay. Until we were going down a fairly gentle descent and a tree trunk reached out and stuck its roots in the spokes of my front wheel!!! :eek: I have no idea how fast I was going, but it wasn't obscenely fast, thank God!! The back end of my bike whipped around so the bike was facing in the total opposite direction I had come, and I went flying!
I don't think I got too hurt. I've got a scrape just below my elbow and big knot on the bone a little further toward my wrist, but so far it doesn't hurt too badly. The worst damage was to my front wheel. I ripped out one spoke altogether, bent another, and totally ruined the rim. It's so bent even after we disengaged the brakes all the way, the wheel was still rubbing the pads in spots. We were so far out in the woods I don't think we could've been further away from our cars!! I pushed the bike back to the car and met up with two other groups of mountain bikers on the way. I was so mad and jealous I had to cut my ride so short!! :mad: I dropped the bike off at my LBS so they could replace the front wheel & give it a look-over to make sure nothing else is broken on it. Ugh! Oh well, my bike is supposed to be ready for me to pick up after work tomorrow afternoon, so I am going AGAIN, and this time, I will beat those trails into submission!!!
Today is a picture perfect day; 70's, no humidity, clear sky, and we don't get many of these in central NY!!! So, I guess I'm gonna go for a spin on the road bike now. :D
Despite the fact that I got off to a "wonderful" start and fell in the creek less than 20 feet from the trail head in front of five guys (not enough momentum to get up the other side :o ), I was having a blast! There were tons of roots, but I was handling them; tons of rocks, but I was doing okay. Until we were going down a fairly gentle descent and a tree trunk reached out and stuck its roots in the spokes of my front wheel!!! :eek: I have no idea how fast I was going, but it wasn't obscenely fast, thank God!! The back end of my bike whipped around so the bike was facing in the total opposite direction I had come, and I went flying!
I don't think I got too hurt. I've got a scrape just below my elbow and big knot on the bone a little further toward my wrist, but so far it doesn't hurt too badly. The worst damage was to my front wheel. I ripped out one spoke altogether, bent another, and totally ruined the rim. It's so bent even after we disengaged the brakes all the way, the wheel was still rubbing the pads in spots. We were so far out in the woods I don't think we could've been further away from our cars!! I pushed the bike back to the car and met up with two other groups of mountain bikers on the way. I was so mad and jealous I had to cut my ride so short!! :mad: I dropped the bike off at my LBS so they could replace the front wheel & give it a look-over to make sure nothing else is broken on it. Ugh! Oh well, my bike is supposed to be ready for me to pick up after work tomorrow afternoon, so I am going AGAIN, and this time, I will beat those trails into submission!!!
Today is a picture perfect day; 70's, no humidity, clear sky, and we don't get many of these in central NY!!! So, I guess I'm gonna go for a spin on the road bike now. :D