Weekend MTB Rides

[Artista]

We need a thread to post about our mtb rides! I'll start...

Today was the best ride of the year so far. Cloudy, cooler temps, a bit of rain to cool us off in the middle of the ride, no rattle snakes, and no hubby endos:)

We rode about 2 hours on our favorite trail. I rocked all of the new obstacles that I've been working on this season! A couple of tricky, downhill switchbacks were "cake" today. A relatively steep, rocky, uphill section seemed just a little shorter and I made it further without having to stopping for a rest. I was also able to ride much more of "Ankle Breaker Trail" than I've ever been able/willing to ride in the past. I still haven't attempted the hill that I broke my ankle on but it's not far in the future. (Now it's in writing so I'm committed, right?:eek:).

My new, flat, Twenty6 pedals are the BEST! I'll write a review when I have a little more time.

[Catrin]

Sounds like great fun Artista! You will ride that hill when you are ready to ;)

What shoes are you pairing with those pedals? You may have said before but I probably missed it.

[Artista]

What shoes are you pairing with those pedals? You may have said before but I probably missed it.
I'm wearing FiveTen Women's Chase model. (http://fiveten.com/products/footwear-detail/10117-chase-womens) BTW, HucknRoll (http://www.hucknroll.com/five-ten-karver-shoe-womens) carries FiveTen Karvers at a discount with no shipping on orders of $50 or more.

[indysteel]

Artista, it sounds like you're making fabulous progress. Congrats!

The inlaws were in town this past weekend, so no riding for us, but we're hoping to hit the trails over the 4th or this coming weekend. After much debating, I decided to follow your lead in getting Five Tens and some good pedals, rather than clipless. I ended up with Five Ten Guide Tennies. Based on various reviews, I decided that the Karvers would likely be too wide (although I would like to try them sometime). The Guides fit well, although because they're not truly a cycling shoe, it remains to be seen whether they're stiff enough.

I also ordered Straightline AMP (http://www.straitlinecomponents.com/index.php/products/pedals/amp-pedals) pedals. There were several decent contenders, so I hope that I like them. My bike, a Santa Cruz Juliana, is a really pretty azure blue. It has little bits of red the stem cap, fork, and bars, so I went bold and got the pedals in red, too. We'll see how they look. I'm eager to try the new set up.

[Artista]

Indy, I'm so pleased to hear that you are sticking with flats. The marginal benefits that clipless pedals offer for technical mtb'ing just don't outweigh the risks in my mind.

I hope that the red pedals make you smile every time you look at them. One of the best things about cycling is decking out our bikes and bodies in really bold colors. Think of your red pedals as your alter ego outlet;)

I'll bet that you'll like your sticky-soled FiveTens on those pinned flats. The more flexible soles shouldn't be too noticeable since your flats have fairly large platforms to support your feet. My shoes also have pretty flexible soles. I haven't noticed any loss of power and the ability to walk comfortably is a bonus. But then again, having as much fun as possible is way more important to me than going fast:D

[jessmarimba]

I did 2 hours at Buffalo Creek on Sunday! I'm probably going to go back on the 4th but it'll be after an 8 mile trail run so I'll have dead legs, as usual. While I'm enjoying getting the running up to speed, my bikes feel awfully neglected.

[Catrin]

Great pedals Indysteel, and congratulations on making a decision, that is the hardest part. I seriously need to eventually get some grippy shoes...

My knee appears to be improving nicely, I think I will be able to go ahead and do my scheduled ride Thursday with Limewave :)

[indysteel]

Great pedals Indysteel, and congratulations on making a decision, that is the hardest part. I seriously need to eventually get some grippy shoes...

My knee appears to be improving nicely, I think I will be able to go ahead and do my scheduled ride Thursday with Limewave :)

There's at least some chance we're going to be there on Thursday. I have an eye appointment in the morning that Brian is taking me to (because they're going to dilate my eyes). I was originally planning to work from home the rest of the day, but now it looks like we're both taking the day off. I don't know if we'll ride on the 4th or the 5th; we'll likely just play it by ear. I sure wish my pedals would be here by then, but that's not likely.

[Catrin]

There's at least some chance we're going to be there on Thursday. I have an eye appointment in the morning that Brian is taking me to (because they're going to dilate my eyes). I was originally planning to work from home the rest of the day, but now it looks like we're both taking the day off. I don't know if we'll ride on the 4th or the 5th; we'll likely just play it by ear. I sure wish my pedals would be here by then, but that's not likely.

I look forward to hearing what you think of the new combination. Assuming my knee continues to behave, we will be riding around 10, at least that is our plan...Tomorrow morning will rise early for a road ride and see what my knee thinks of that - if it can handle the road then it can handle Limekiln :)

[indysteel]

I look forward to hearing what you think of the new combination. Assuming my knee continues to behave, we will be riding around 10, at least that is our plan...Tomorrow morning will rise early for a road ride and see what my knee thinks of that - if it can handle the road then it can handle Limekiln :)

I hope your knee cooperates. If we head there on Thursday, I'll look for you. It would be nice to ride there that day because I assume the crowds will be lighter. But my appointment would put us there later in the morning, and I'd prefer to start early to avoid the heat. It's a toss up. I'd just as soon ride both days, too, but I doubt I can talk Brian into that. :(

[Catrin]

I hope your knee cooperates. If we head there on Thursday, I'll look for you. It would be nice to ride there that day because I assume the crowds will be lighter. But my appointment would put us there later in the morning, and I'd prefer to start early to avoid the heat. It's a toss up. I'd just as soon ride both days, too, but I doubt I can talk Brian into that. :(

I hear you...and otherwise I might have suggested an earlier time, but as I've a party Wed night that will go late I didn't think that to be a good idea. The party is at a condo in full view of the Regions Bank where they will have the fireworks. In this drought I am glad they do it on top of a very tall building...

I MIGHT ride Town Run with another friend for the first time Friday, but am fairly sure my knee will probably complain about that after riding for two days.

[Artista]

Another fun, 1 1/2 hour ride today. I easily managed two, new, downhill switchbacks without having to stop and evaluate them first. I chickened out on a third, steeper, switchback, though. I'm certain that I have the skill to handle it, just not the confidence yet. It's on my "to-do" list for this season, along with "ankle breaker hill".

This was my last ride until 7/15:( Going to Washington DC for a business conference, which is one of the reasons that I chickened out on that switchback. I attended an out of town meeting three days after breaking my ankle last fall. That did not make my list of favorite business trips.

I'm already going through bike withdrawal!

[Becky]

20 miles yesterday on my rigid singlespeed, 16 of which were with friends. I threw down a singlespeed challenge (no shifting!) to one of my friends, who's a pretty strong rider. He accepted, cursed me the entire time, and loved it so much that he's now shopping for a singlespeed!

I love my singlespeed- it makes me feel like a total bad-@ss :D

[Artista]

I love my singlespeed- it makes me feel like a total bad-@ss :D
Twenty miles on a singlespeed?! You ARE a bad@ss! I've never gotten the singlespeed thing. I figure the bicycling gods gave us gears so that not-so-young-women like me can get up hills;)

[Becky]

Twenty miles on a singlespeed?! You ARE a bad@ss! I've never gotten the singlespeed thing. I figure the bicycling gods gave us gears so that not-so-young-women like me can get up hills;)

Thanks :) Keep in mind that I live in a coastal area that's rolling, not mountainous. Also, the trail system that I use my singlespeed at most often (including yesterday) isn't terribly technical.

For me, singlespeeding is another way to introduce some variety into my local trails and to get stronger in the process, all while feeling like a kid again. Believe me, I have a full-suspension geared bike for the hiller and more-technical rides! :eek:

[Artista]

Thanks :) Keep in mind that I live in a coastal area that's rolling, not mountainous. Also, the trail system that I use my singlespeed at most often (including yesterday) isn't terribly technical.

For me, singlespeeding is another way to introduce some variety into my local trails and to get stronger in the process, all while feeling like a kid again. Believe me, I have a full-suspension geared bike for the hiller and more-technical rides! :eek:
You're still a bad@ss:)

[indysteel]

Ugh; I should have listened to my gut and stayed home. DH and I couldn't hit the trail until about 10:45 because I had an eye appointment first thing in the morning an hour away from the park. By the time we started, it was already terribly hot and humid.

I didn't feel great during a short road ride we did yesterday, so why I thought today would go any better, I don't know. I started to overheat about halfway through. It was rough going from there. At several points, I really thought I might throwup. We finally made it back to the car and I forced some food and hydration down. Catrin and Limewave, to the best of my knowledge were at another trail and I was originally planning to hunt for them. But I really just wanted to go home.

I cannot wait for this heat wave and drought to end.

[Catrin]

Indysteel, sorry to hear you were feeling so bad - it was HOT and this level of heat is just brutal - my body appears to tolerate trails much better than roads in this heat but hot is hot. We got started shortly after 10 on Limekiln. There was a 6 year old with us so we took a good number of breaks along the way and at the turn around. We finished about 11:15 - which is pretty good time for ~5 miles, especially with all of the breaks.

I had my first half-azz endo. I am not sure, but I think I got distracted by something on the edge of the trail that I didn't remember and wound up grabbing a handful of front brake while, of course, riding at the odd dip in the trail. Unsure, but that is the only reason I can think of why my bike stopped moving and I didn't :eek:

It wasn't a full going-over-the-handlebars but I did get airborne and landed on my right side. As I fell there was a shooting pain across the middle of my back and I made enough noise that Limewave and the other woman we were riding with heard me and came back - at that point I was taking up the rear.

My language would have made a sailor blush briefly at that point for which I apologized - I don't ordinarily talk like that, especially around children. I took my time getting up to make certain nothing was broken (there wasn't), and while I will have some spectacular bruises later I think - and I may have strained my right pectorial (muscular soreness/slight pain in my right breast), there doesn't seem to be any real damage. Yayyyyyyyyy!!!!

The rest of the ride after that was great and I am pleased with how I did. There are certainly somethings I need to work on - one-legged drills on the trainer will help my climbing I think - but I am comfortable riding solo next week assuming I can work out all of the soreness that will likely come ;)

Oh yes, and I managed to ride the entire trail in the middle chain, last year I wasn't quite fit enough to leave the granny :)

[indysteel]

Owie, Catrin. I sure hope you're okay. Did you hit your head at all?

On a happier note, my pedals came today. They're prett cool! Not so sure about the shoes though. My toes went kind of numb. I might try the Karvers after all. I have to get the Guides cleaned up to return them if possible. They're just a little dusty.

[Catrin]

Owie, Catrin. I sure hope you're okay. Did you hit your head at all?

On a happier note, my pedals came today. They're prett cool! Not so sure about the shoes though. My toes went kind of numb. I might try the Karvers after all. I have to get the Guides cleaned up to return them if possible. They're just a little dusty.

I think my head/neck are fine - don't think I hit it - I wound up on my side so that was a blessing. That was part of the reason for my colorful language, I remembered the LAST time I had a hard fall - but there doesn't seem to be anything more serious than perhaps a slightly strained muscle. Time for a nice long hot shower now - I wanted to get home before the heat of the day.

Hopefully you won't have any problems trading the shoes, keep us posted on how things go. I have somewhat narrow feet myself, and every ride tells me I need to do something different with my feet.

[solobiker]

No riding for me for several weeks due to back issues. It flairs up every so often and puts the breaks on pretty much everything...except for hiking. Grrrrrr. It makes work as a therapist quite challenging. I am enjoying reading about all the fun you guys are having though.:)

[Catrin]

Weekday mtb camping vacation felt like the weekend :)

My crash last Thursday when testing to see if the laws of physics were still operational had consequences... Wasn't sure if bent boob and bruised muscles would allow me to ride but took Jamis Dakar and gear just in case ;)

Monday: no riding, didn't even consider it - 1.5 hour mtb trail hike instead.
Tuesday: TRIED to ride the road inside the campground. Uhuh, riding position too painful, 3 hour mtb trail hike instead.

Wednesday: 4 hour mtb trail hike (mixed with pruning sticker vines that stick out over the trail) AND succeeded in riding a 1-mile beginner trail without pain, repeated it and finished with pain. End of riding for Wed.

Thursday: Back to beginner trail - no pain. Rode it twice :) Rode another trail connected to it - no problem - even better! Rode a portion of a trail connected to that one up to the road and took that back to my car. Wooot! An entire 4-5 miles when I could barely tolerate 2 miles the day before.

Wait, it got better than that :D After an hours break or so for lunch and rest, I took my bike to Limekiln - I love that trail and can't say why since it's tried to kill me a couple of times - and rode THAT one with no problem or pain. It is an out and back that is just under 5 miles combined. The trails were so dusty that every part of me that wasn't covered with clothing had dust/dirt by the time I was done. Even the inside of my ears and the holes on my HRM watch strap! It was fun, but man-oh-man do we need rain.

Boob is still a bit bent, muscles still a little tender, but I rode close to 10 miles today on the trails and I will take it ;) I am also figuring out that roots and rocks make me far less nervous than those dratted switchbacks, but I did make some progress on that today. I decided I don't like the North Tower Connector for those familiar with the park, I think because it has more climbing than the other trails I can ride. I need to pay this trail more attention. I walked more on that trail today than I've done in a long time - which seems odd because the NT Loop is easier for me and I would have thought that to be the more difficult trail.

[Artista]

Finally got back on my favorite trails today after being tied up with business activities for the last 10 days. It felt sooooo good!

I've had absolutely no time for exercise and was a little worried that I wouldn't be quite as strong on the hills today. Fortunately, my exercise hiatus had no impact on my strength. I rode a long, steep, rocky, hill all the way to the top without stopping today for the first time.

We heard a rattle snake under a bush about 4-6 feet off the trail today. Fortunately, no snakes were lounging ON the trails today. Rattlers seem to be having a very good year this year judging by how many we've seen, heard, and heard about over the last few weeks.

[Catrin]

Hoping my schedule will allow me to at least do some mtb drills this weekend. My schedule is so wild these days that it is sometimes a hard choice between drills (when I can't head south to the trails) and a long road ride. I need the endurance from the long ride, but I also need the drills - and can rarely do both the same weekend :o

Decisions, decisions - but am thankful that I've no injuries of any kind that is keeping me from my chosen activities :cool: :D

[indysteel]

Did about 11 miles on our usual trail system today. My legs were already toast after s workout with my trainer on Friday and a day swimming at a friend's lakehouse yesterday, but I was happy with the ride. We have plans next weekend to ride with some friends at another state park. I hope it goes well.

[Artista]

Sounds like you're able to do more mtb'ing lately, Indy. Good for you.

We did two rides this weekend. Saturday's ride was on our favorite/usual trails. I'm thrilled to say that I earned the right to rename "Ankle Breaker Hill" to "Conquered Hill". It was good to toss the "old baggage" after successfully riding up that hill for the first time ever:)

We did another ride today on a popular trail system about 45 minutes from home. I ended up walking quite a bit of the uphill on super skinny single track with lots of big rocks and roots in the middle of the trail to sabotage my momentum, closely spaced trees just waiting to grab my handle bar, and tree trunks jutting into the edges of the trail just for kicks. The trail difficulty was rewarded with lots of shade while were climbing and stunning views of the local mountain range when we got to the top. We were so tired by then, though, that we rode a fire road back down. I'm anxious to go back and try riding the technical parts downhill, rather that uphill, as my decending skills are better than my climbing skills.

My husband was impressed with my riding today but I felt like a bit of a failure because I had to walk so much of the uphill. I looked up the reviews of this trial system on the internet when we got home and found out that the entire system is rated "advanced" by several websites:eek: I felt a whole lot better about what I DID ride once I read the ratings.

[indysteel]

Thanks, Artista. We are getting out a fair amount, although I sure wish we had a trail close enough to home so that we could ride during the week. Oh well; what we do have is very nice. I have no complaints. I tell ya; I am so pumped after a mtb ride. I love how "total body" it is. I feel the same way about yoga. I love road riding, but I don't get as pumped up from it unless the ride includes some climbing.

Congrats on conquering that hill!! Good for you! I understand your frustration. I think the conditions you describe are one of my bigger challenges. Maybe someone can chime in with some suggestions on how to tackle it. There's a root-covered climb on one hill that totally freaks me out. I was all set to session it today when I realized that they reworked the area to make it a bit easier. Plus, they blocked off a diversion around it that had started to develop. On one hand, I'm glad it's easier to get up now. On the other, I kind of needed to face the challenge at some point.

[Artista]

It's intriguing to hear that you equate mtb'ing with yoga. I've never done yoga but I'm considering adding yoga classes to my fitness routine this winter.

We have rocky, rooty, uphill, sections on the trails that we usually ride but the rocks are smaller and mostly buried, and the roots don't stick up as far as what we encountered today. I usually just power over that stuff on our regular trail but I don't have that kind of strength for the larger obstacles. I'm not sure that we'll do this new trail often enough for me to gain the strength to ride uphill over the bigger stuff. I may have to be happy employing Malkin's motto about never encountering a hill that I couldn't walk, although there were a few sections of this new trail that tested that motto. On the other hand, the shade and vistas on the new trails may be compelling enough to lure us back regularly.

BTW, Indy, are your feet still sleeping on your new pedals? If so, did you see the suggestion in the flat pedal thread about moving your feet a few millimeters on the pedals every few minutes to keep them from sleeping? It's worked for me.

[indysteel]

I equate yoga and mtbing to the extent they both fully engage my mind and my entire body. There's little room for outside thoughts and my whole body is actively engaged.

Still working on my feet. The Freeriders felt better than the Guide Tennies but I'm going to try some stiffer insoles to see if that might help. I'll keep your suggestion in mind, too.

[Catrin]

I equate yoga and mtbing to the extent they both fully engage my mind and my entire body. There's little room for outside thoughts and my whole body is actively engaged....

This! I don't do yoga, but this is the attraction for me to mountain biking.

[katherine]

With the kiddos camping with their grandparents I rose to the occasion, and may have overdone it (just a little bit). I did 70mls of the Arizona Trail in the Flagstaff area, which is really gorgeous. Lots of aspens and ferns, elk, the tiniest chipmunks I've ever seen and a gazillion butterflies.
Gotta say, I'm pretty darn exhausted today :) (I'd post pics, but for the life of me can't figure out how)

[Artista]

With the kiddos camping with their grandparents I rose to the occasion, and may have overdone it (just a little bit). I did 70mls of the Arizona Trail in the Flagstaff area, which is really gorgeous. Lots of aspens and ferns, elk, the tiniest chipmunks I've ever seen and a gazillion butterflies.
Gotta say, I'm pretty darn exhausted today :) (I'd post pics, but for the life of me can't figure out how)
70 miles on a mountain bike is darned impressive!

[indysteel]

Weeeeeeee! DH and I rode 17 miles today with six friends at Versailles State Park I'm southeastern Indiana. While several in the group were familiar with the trails, and one guy was very familiar (and a great guide for us), DH and I had never ridden them. What a blast!!! They were challenging in parts, but it was mostly flowy singletrack. The hardest section is called Cliffside. As the name implies, there was a streep dropoff. That combined with an off camber trail made it pretty scary. Our "guide" suggested some us walk...so I did. The other hard section is called Creekside. It's about 3/4 mile of nothing but rocks. I was behind my friend, Kim, and I just followed her lead. Fairly constant pedal pressure. Weight off the front. And I did it just fine, along with some rocky hoglike. My climbing technique is getting much better in terms of getting on the nose of my saddle and making smart gear choices.

I really started to appreciate the adages I hear quite often to trust my bike and to trust the trail. It was just a really good learning experience, in part because our friend, Scott, often coached us through some tricky parts. He lives in Cincinnati, so I hope to meet up with him at this park again. He and his buddies--two of whom are certified instructors--often ride in Brown County, which is our usual spot.

Anyway, I had a great day on the bike. I'm all smiles!

[Catrin]

So glad you had such a great time there Indysteel! I've seen a portion of those trails but not much of them.

I returned to my usual trail today and wound up riding it 3 times out and back - which translates to about 15 miles, perhaps slightly under. The first time was with a new riding buddy and that went well. There were, however strong storms here yesterday and on that first ride out/back ride we had to deal with several downed trees. By the time I returned after lunch they had been removed :)

Lots of sticks and brush on the trail and a couple of times a long branch wound up in my wheel spokes but I stopped immediately, no damage done. Great ride, and the mid-80 temps were just awesome! My partner had to return to town after our first out/back but it was far too nice a day to call it quits before 12, so I pulled out my lunch cooler for lunch and headed back to the trail :D

[indysteel]

Sounds like a good day! I hope you're feeling more positive after today's ride!

[Catrin]

Sounds like a good day! I hope you're feeling more positive after today's ride!

It was a great day, and yes, I am feeling much more positive. Now I am in a position that I can get out more often to the trails I will be doing so ;) I just haven't been able to get to the trails very often this summer because of this and that injury - which does make it difficult to progress.

[luv2climb]

I've been a bad girl! I haven't gone on a mtb ride since my Fleming Meadows ride in April (http://forums.mtbr.com/passion/beat-heat-ride-mountains-iffy-equestrian-encounter-pics-video-783920.html). :o The encounter with the equestrian kind of turned me off to mountain biking for a while and I concentrated on road cycling instead, with plenty of climbing, of course.

I thought my recent San Francisco steep climbs on my folding bike (http://forums.roadbikereview.com/commuting-touring-ride-reports/showthread.php?t=284687) would prepare me for steep mtb climbs, but as always the mtb stuff is more difficult than any road climb. The good thing is, for some odd reason I climb better at high altitude. I have no idea why but it's always been that way ever since I got serious about cycling in the early 90s.

As a result, I didn't suffer as much on climbs as I usually do on mtb rides. Even though I love to suffer, it's good that I didn't suffer too bad on climbs on this ride. I needed plenty of energy to navigate my hardtail Trek Wahoo through the incredibly technical singletrack on this famous trail.

This is in the Tahoe-Donner area of the Sierras, near Truckee, CA. I had a bit of trouble finding the trailhead at first. I climbed on pavement on Donner Pass Road from I-80 to the summit. While descending that road I finally found the dirt road turn-off to the snow laboratory. It was a long dirt road climb to the actual trailhead.

This may be the hardest mtb ride I've ever done. I think I set a personal record for dabs, stall-outs, and hike-a-bikes, both up and down! :o. Most hike-a-bike sections were very short, except for the stairs. There's no way in hell I was about to attempt those on a hardtail! :eek:

I rode more conservatively than I normally would, but this was my first ride on this trail. Also, I'd rather ride out of there on my bike, not in a helicopter. The owner of the store I bought snacks at after my ride told me that there have been people helicoptered out of there after they attempted stuff that was beyond their ability and got injured.

Hole-In-The-Ground by freighttraininguphill at Garmin Connect - Details (http://connect.garmin.com/activity/202300402)

In spite of my non-daring ride, I did manage to find enough footage for a video.

As with all my videos, this one is 100% natural sound. This means the sounds of effort are clearly audible on climbs and technical sections, so be forewarned!

Hole-In-The-Ground MTB ride - YouTube (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=v6WYNyvkenE)

I rode the trail in a counterclockwise direction. Here's the start of the singletrack.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8021/7631363684_85b8d7a36f_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76286317@N05/7631363684/)
Hole-In-The-Ground trailhead (counterclockwise) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76286317@N05/7631363684/) by freighttraininguphill (http://www.flickr.com/people/76286317@N05/), on Flickr

Views from near the top of Andesite Peak. Normally I try not to stop on climbs, but this view was just too good to pass up!

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8289/7631364022_8ef5d47613_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76286317@N05/7631364022/)
view from Andesite Peak (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76286317@N05/7631364022/) by freighttraininguphill (http://www.flickr.com/people/76286317@N05/), on Flickr
http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8013/7631364310_a0bd05dfc0_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76286317@N05/7631364310/)
view from Andesite Peak 2 (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76286317@N05/7631364310/) by freighttraininguphill (http://www.flickr.com/people/76286317@N05/), on Flickr

End of the singletrack, right before the dirt road.

http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8028/7631364722_c9c031ab14_z.jpg (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76286317@N05/7631364722/)
Hole-In-The Ground trailhead (clockwise) (http://www.flickr.com/photos/76286317@N05/7631364722/) by freighttraininguphill (http://www.flickr.com/people/76286317@N05/), on Flickr

The following weekend I checked out another trail. This one was much mellower though. It's the Sly Park (http://trails.mtbr.com/cat/united-states-trails/california-trails/california-all-other-areas/PRD_165165_4518crx.aspx) trail that goes around Jenkinson Lake, near Mormon Emigrant Trail (Iron Mountain Road).

After pushing my bike up a short unrideable section, I got stung on the back of the leg by a yellowjacket when I sat back down. It must have landed on my shorts or saddle while I was off the bike.

Twice when I yielded to hikers, they noticed the cameras and commented.

This loop doesn't have a lot of climbing, so I added some by exploring other legal trails after I was finished.

Here's video of the Sly Park loop. It's the quieter helmet cam footage this time. The chest-mounted GoPro recorded the entire ride with no sound, so that footage was useless. I formatted the memory card and the camera has worked fine ever since.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dlmtc4sZ62E

Here's a nice steep fire road I found that leads to one of the dams at Mormon Emigrant Trail.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gTwOsqVzRI8

[limewave]

We camped at a park South West of us and had ample opportunity to mountain bike Saturday and Sunday. These trails are well maintained and have some fun technical sections :p There is one section of big whoop-de-doos that I had forgotten about--selective memory I guess. They are very 'rideable' but I'm not used to them and my heart managed to lodge itself in my throat during that section!

I did most of my mountain biking with the kids. The trails at this park have lots of loops so you can easily add sections or take short cuts. There's a nice 1-mile section rated "difficult" that is relatively flat other than the whoop-de-doos that has some log piles and other small technical features. The kids LOVE riding this section--they call it the roller-coasters. We'd ride it over and over and over again. The funny thing is how great these kids are at the technical stuff but they just don't have the strength and endurance to ride other sections that are "easier" but have more climbing.

I was also able to introduce my 8 year old niece to trail riding. She told me that this was her Second Favorite trip of all time and that mountain biking is her new FAVORITE sport! Mission accomplished!

Oh, and we all stayed up very late to watch the meteor shower Saturday night. We saw quite a few small ones and one that was absolutely brilliant!

[Catrin]

Sounds like fun Limewave!

[Artista]

Dang, Limewave. Wish I was there. Sounds like fun.

I'm really intrigued by yours and Catrin's stories of camping and mtb'ing. I love the idea of camping but I'm not so sure that I love the actual camping part.

[Catrin]

Dang, Limewave. Wish I was there. Sounds like fun.

I'm really intrigued by yours and Catrin's stories of camping and mtb'ing. I love the idea of camping but I'm not so sure that I love the actual camping part.

I seriously that that at my age I would hate it. However, last year I really wanted to attend a couple of events and I couldn't afford a hotel room...but could score free camping. Some good friends loaned me camping equipment so I could try it out, and thankfully the owners of the tent were also camping that weekend so they pitched it and took it down.

I hate sleeping on the ground, but I have a cot which changes the equation, the camping part is nice and relaxing, I am very glad I started doing it!

[Artista]

It's not the sleeping on the ground part that bothers me. It's the peeing in my shoes part, being eaten by a bear in my sleep part, and not having any camping gear part that bothers me.

I assume that most "civilized" camp grounds have outhouses these days so that takes care of the peeing in the shoes thing. We camped a lot when we were kids and never even saw a bear so the risk of being eaten is probably pretty small. I don't know anyone to borrow camping gear from so we'd have to spend a fair amount of money on gear just to take one camping trip to see if we like camping as adults.

Still, it sounds glorious to get up in the morning, cook breakfast on a camp stove, head out to the trail, come back to camp for lunch, ride again, return to camp for dinner, admire the stars, sleep in the pines, and then rinse and repeat. Maybe we'll try it next summer. Then again, we may just spend a few weekends in a hotel in Fruita instead. We're planning a Fruita mtb trip this fall. I'm soooo excited.

[Giulianna23]

Did around 10 miles Saturday with my son. Discovered other interesting routes at the trail. It was Fun!..

[Becky]

I rode 16 miles after work on Friday with my friend K. This is the first time that she and I have been able to ride together, and we had a blast! She's not particularly fast, but man, she has skills! I aim to ride like that someday.

Sunday's ride was a fairly short but intense ride. DH, K, and I went to a Niner Bikes demo. I got to ride a Jet 9 RDO and a RIP 9 on a ~5 mile loop. No computer on my demos, but I'm guessing that I did somewhere around 8 miles. The Jet made me hammer...it wouldn't let me ride slow.

I am now hopelessly in love with the Jet 9 RDO...and desperately wondering how I can come up with that much coin. Even the alloy version would require that I sell body parts. (Anyone want to buy a 4" FS bike with 26" wheels?)

Fantastic weekend :)

[Catrin]

Had a great time this weekend! Rode my favorite trails, just focused on having fun and stopping to smell the flowers...metaphorically speaking as there weren't any flowers :) Camping with 100 other mountain bikers is always a great experience - but this time we were sharing the campground with a LOT of boy scouts - neither group were aware the other was coming.

I've decided to just focus on having fun on the trails, and have given myself permission to stop when I want and to go as slow - or as fast - as my body feels like that day. I don't HAVE to continually push myself to increase my technical skills - with my new approach I will certainly improve but it might take a little longer. I am fine with that :)

It is a balance between my tendency to keep pushing myself too hard and the reality of not being able to take another hit to my neck like I took last fall. Doesn't mean I won't ever fall again, of course, and that was a freak fall to begin with. Just trying to balance things out so I can keep having fun on the mountain bike trails. My neck just isn't the same and I need to keep that in my equation.

All of that being said, I was able ride my favorite trail entirely in the middle ring the other day - only the second time I've been able to do that!

[Artista]

We've rediscovered a 2nd favorite place to ride. I used to ride these trails years ago on my hybrid but the horses have caused so much damage that the trails can really only be ridden on a good quality mountain bike now. There's a loop on top of one of the mesas that was closed when we rode that area years ago. It's reopen now and it's a great place to practice skills such as wheel lifts, staying upright in the deep sand, and bike-body separation. The views from the top of the mesa are spectacular!

We were ravenous after our ride so decided to try new-to-us coffee house in a tiny town a few miles up the road from the trail. We perused the menu with mouths watering as we waited to be seated. Come to find out, the coffee house had stopped serving food 10 minutes before we arrived:( They were kind enough to make us a couple of lattes while they closed up shop. We'll definitely try this place again next week.

[Giulianna23]

Catrin...I went to Brown County but got there a bit late we just got to see a few mtb riders approaching the finish line I guess they were the very last ones.
I went with my boys , my nephew and went hiking. We had a very good time. We are definitely going back Sunday...with the bikes :)..

BTW...I saw your Soul and your Jamis.... Pretty bike !! :)

[Catrin]

Catrin...I went to Brown County but got there a bit late we just got to see a few mtb riders approaching the finish line I guess they were the very last ones.
I went with my boys , my nephew and went hiking. We had a very good time. We are definitely going back Sunday...with the bikes :)..

BTW...I saw your Soul and your Jamis.... Pretty bike !! :)

Glad you had a good time! If you just saw a couple at the very end, then you saw the two riders in the new "Klunker" race which was the last one. To qualify as a Klunker the bike must be single speed, and ONLY have coaster brakes (no hand brakes). It helped the two in the Klunker race knows every rock and root in the trail system there - but they made it down the full course in almost the same time as on their regular bike. This was the first year for the Couples, Klunker and Drag races. I've a couple of pictures I will post later.

Drag is just like what it sounds, men must dress as women and vice-versa, and they have a "Le Mons" start. "Le Mans"?? No women entered, and only two men but they were a hoot to watch as they really got into it. I heard a good number of men discussing what they will wear NEXT year! If I had a hope of actually riding most of the course in question without killing myself I would have entered it myself - they had a LOT of fun :) Besides, how seriously can we take ourselves if, at the awards ceremony, there is a very big man with a beard, long blonde wig and a pink dress? :D The other man's ensemble was less memorable, but it was obvious they were both having a lot of fun.

Have fun next Sunday!

[Catrin]

I had a great mtb ride this morning with IndySteel and another friend. We rode a trail I've only ridden once before, and portion of another trail that I've not seen before. It was fun!

I've been more than a little frustrated recently with my slow progress on the trails - but the fact of the matter is that I was being too hard on myself - I've not had many chances to ride this summer. For now I am just focusing on having fun, and I succeeded today. I did bite it on the new trail when my rear wheel spun out in dust going uphill around a curve, but I am fine. I do have a lump the size of a large lemon on my hip and a bit of trail rash here and there, but that's all.

I am so glad I went today and am looking forward to returning for more!

[indigoiis]

Rode in Pittsfield State Forest today with Berkshire NEMBA on a group ride (family/beginner) as part of the NEMBA Mountain bike adventure series and...

I did not screech once! Yay!

[Giulianna23]

I was schedule to go to Brown County State Park today but I woke up with my sinus out of control. Ran to the Pharmacy and didn't feel better until the evening. Still not too good but I promised my son I was going to take him to the trails today so I went for about an hour with him at a slow pace. It was nice and relaxing ...I feel good.

[sashadieken]

It was my last chance to ride the chairlift up the ski hill and try coming down their mtn bike trails, so I did it! I was pretty nervous starting out. I took a wrong turn right off the bat and began to wonder when I saw the black diamond signs! I went back and found the right trail, which was the big easy one, Elk Trail. I spun out a couple of times on turns where the dust was so thick, but I wouldn't say I fell off--more like I laid over! Acceleration control.

Down near the bottom I took another wrong turn and all of a sudden the bumps were 4' tall! I walked the steepest part, but then rode out into the parking lot and I'm sure everyone thought I had ridden that trail all the way! :D

[Artista]

I'm so glad that we have this thread. It's great to know that so many of us are mtb'ing every weekend!

Hubby and I discovered a way down the mountain on our 2nd favorite ride that has turned it into our top favorite! This ride is "pig-on-a-zip-line" fun! (In reference to the TV commercial with the pig squealing "wheeeee" all the way down a zip-line:))

This new section that we found includes a super steep service road that's deeply and heavily rutted. The sign at the top of the road warns:"Steep and Rough, Enter At Your Own Risk". They're right - it's steep enough to require a dropped saddle, butt hovering over the back wheel position all the way down. The many ruts are simple enough to negotiate if a person picks their lines well. Riding this road reminds me of the first time that I was big enough to ride the "big kid rides" at the amusement park!

After riding this very fun service road, it drops into a few miles of vaguely downhill, flowy, single track, that alternates between open grasslands and forested areas with aspen groves. The single track includes lots of short moguls that my hubby jumps...I just roll over them at up to 17mph. The forested areas are going to be ablaze in color in the next month. I can't wait to go back!

[Catrin]

I was schedule to go to Brown County State Park today but I woke up with my sinus out of control. Ran to the Pharmacy and didn't feel better until the evening. Still not too good but I promised my son I was going to take him to the trails today so I went for about an hour with him at a slow pace. It was nice and relaxing ...I feel good.

Sorry to read that you had to bail on the BCSP ride yesterday, glad you were still able to get out there and ride a bit with your son!

I hope to hit Pine Loop at BCSP at some point next Sunday afternoon or Monday morning to check out my new tire combination - you are welcome to join me. That is assuming life, and rain, doesn't interfere ;)

[Giulianna23]

Sorry to read that you had to bail on the BCSP ride yesterday, glad you were still able to get out there and ride a bit with your son!

I hope to hit Pine Loop at BCSP at some point next Sunday afternoon or Monday morning to check out my new tire combination - you are welcome to join me. That is assuming life, and rain, doesn't interfere ;)

Catrin I was just thinking about if any of you were planning on going any day next weekend.... Yes...of course I will join you... just let me know at least by Thursday which day you are going..so I can organize my weekend ahead of time.

[Catrin]

Catrin I was just thinking about if any of you were planning on going any day next weekend.... Yes...of course I will join you... just let me know at least by Thursday which day you are going..so I can organize my weekend ahead of time.

I will try, but I may not know that early. We will see as things develop.

[Giulianna23]

I will try, but I may not know that early. We will see as things develop.

OK...I will just leave my Sunday eve and Monday morning open just in case. I really want to go to BCSP and check out them trails.

[Catrin]

OK...I will just leave my Sunday eve and Monday morning open just in case. I really want to go to BCSP and check out them trails.

It looks like the leftovers from the "little" storm in the Gulf will start hitting here early Saturday afternoon - and depending on the amount of rain we get the trails could well be closed due to being too wet or fallen trees. I am just going to head down Friday after work (I get off at 10:30 am on Fridays), and ride then. I will let you know the next time I head south on a weekend. The Hoosier Mountain Bike Association is suggesting folks get their ride in before Saturday, and I am listening ;)

[Giulianna23]

No problem Catrin...

I just got back a couple of hours ago from the Avon trails.
I went with a group from HMBA forum and I had a blast!...I had a heck of a workout...We did around 8 miles on the beginners trail and at some point we hit around 10mph.

They said I was sandbagging them when I told them in the forum that I just started mountain biking a few weeks ago.....not sure exactly what that means though :(

They have this group that get together every tuesday

[Catrin]

No problem Catrin...

I just got back a couple of hours ago from the Avon trails.
I went with a group from HMBA forum and I had a blast!...I had a heck of a workout...We did around 8 miles on the beginners trail and at some point we hit around 10mph.

They said I was sandbagging them when I told them in the forum that I just started mountain biking a few weeks ago.....not sure exactly what that means though :(

They have this group that get together every tuesday

Glad you had a good time! They meant that they didn't believe you are a beginner, it wasn't an insult :)

[Giulianna23]

Glad you had a good time! They meant that they didn't believe you are a beginner, it wasn't an insult :)

Yeah I had a great time...... I will meet with them every tuesday if possible. There was another gal in the group and they say they have other females that are not able to make it every Tuesday.

I was the only Newbie yesterday and at the end of the ride they where calling me "Sandbagger Speedy Newbie".. LOL...I was surprised that I was able to keep up with all them big guys. They did ask me if I road bike because they were surprised with my endurance. I did tell them I commute to work every day though.

[indysteel]

Yeah I had a great time...... I will meet with them every tuesday if possible. There was another gal in the group and they say they have other females that are not able to make it every Tuesday.

I was the only Newbie yesterday and at the end of the ride they where calling me "Sandbagger Speedy Newbie".. LOL...I was surprised that I was able to keep up with all them big guys. They did ask me if I road bike because they were surprised with my endurance. I did tell them I commute to work every day though.

That's really great! I'm glad you're having so much fun. How's your bike working out for you?

On a related note, I'm seriously bummed that this weekend might be rained out. After how many weeks of drought, and we get the remnants of a tropical storm over a 3-day holiday weekend? That is just not right.

But I don't want to feel too sorry for myself. I realize this storm is affecting people in much more serious ways. Everybody be safe!

[Giulianna23]

That's really great! I'm glad you're having so much fun. How's your bike working out for you?

On a related note, I'm seriously bummed that this weekend might be rained out. After how many weeks of drought, and we get the remnants of a tropical storm over a 3-day holiday weekend? That is just not right.

But I don't want to feel too sorry for myself. I realize this storm is affecting people in much more serious ways. Everybody be safe!

I really like the bike...and I already know she is going to get a heck of a beat up with the way I ride.... lol.... Thanks for asking

And about the weather?... I know what you mean...But I still have hopes its not going to be that bad :)

[Artista]

It's hard to beat Labor Day weekend rides! Skills and strength honed from a summer of riding, beautiful weather, three days away from work - what more could we ask for?!

We rode a section of the Indian Creek trail yesterday. Started at a low point, did some tough climbing to the top of a mountain ridge, then turned around for a fun descent back to the car.

Today we rode Spruce Meadow to Spruce Mountain, up and over the mountain, around the base of the mountain, and back through the meadow to the car. I love seeing where other people ride so I decided to pay back by posting some pics from today's ride.

The 1st pic shows Spruce Mountain, our destination, in the background.

The 2nd pic is me playing around on the mountain top with one of the great views in the background.

The 3rd pic is the entrance to one of our favorite parts of this ride - the service road down the mountain. The sign makes me chuckle every time.

The 4th pic is my best friend, favorite riding buddy, and the greatest hubby a gal could ask for. This was taken at a flat-ish spot, part way down the road. Most of the grades on this road range from about 14% - 20%. There are no safe photo ops where it's really steep:D. The most challenging part of this service road is negotiating all of the deep, criss-crossing, water gulleys in the steepest sections.

The last pic was taken toward the end of the service road, after it smooths and flattens out into a gentle ride.

[ridebikeme]

We rode in Vermont yesterday at the Kingdom Trails, and definitely could NOT have asked for a more beautiful day. One of my customers and her family, Dad with his new Jekyll and two sons, and my new nephews. All of the boys were a bit tired from soccer practice/games over the weekend, but once we hit the trails everyone was ready to go. An INCREDIBLE day!:D

[limewave]

On a spur of the moment I snuck out of the house (hahaha) leaving the kids in DH's care and hit the dirt for a fun, relaxed ride this weekend. I wasn't planning on riding hard as DH and I had actually done a "tempo" ride the day before and my legs were still feeling it.

I rode easy, stopping to take pictures, enjoy the view (I'll post some tonight when I get a chance). I even stopped and walked a steep downhill section that had been badly washed out in a recent storm, a section I always ride. At this point two cyclists past me. I made a comment about the erosion. I get that look from them--'nother girl that can't ride. Seriously, I know that look. I let it slide because its a nice evening, it's my ride.

Shortly after that I caught both riders on a long, gradual climb. The "person" in back heard me coming, informed the rider in front that there's a rider back while this person starts to slow down and move to the right so I can pass. However, "person" in front turns back and sees my two long braids and decides to take off. Really???

Not a problem. I'd been riding easy all night and I had plenty of gas in the engine. lol. I rode on their wheel for about a mile then got bored so I smoked 'em. I've been laid back about my riding this season, but when someone asks for it, well, I don't want to be rude and NOT dish it out.

Other than that incident, it was a beautiful ride. The sky was cloudy and I even got rained on a bit between rays of sunshine. I found an 'abandoned' cabin near the trail that I never knew existed before. It kind of creeped me out. The wind was so strong that it was blowing the door open and closed. It made the hair on my neck stand up.

[indysteel]

That's awesome, Limewave! I love that you smoked him!

I haven't been mountain biking for a few weeks, but DH and I did several rides along Acadia's gravel carriage roads on our touring bikes this past week. They were a blast. I especially liked the climbs, most of which were long but not overly difficult. I just wish I had disc brakes on tourer (or at least better brakes). Some of the descents were a little unnerving in that the cantis on my touring bike just aren't to my liking. But otherwise, the rides were fun. Vehicular traffic isn't allowed on the carriage roads, so the biggest concern was the piles of horse poop!

[thekarens]

My partner and I went out and did about 13 miles on a beginner trail. I let her lead so she could call out all the upcoming problems :) As it turns out at one point she went flying over a hump and squished a snake. I was going much slower so I had plenty of time to stop. I felt sorry for the poor thing :(

I think spending more time on the easier trails is really helpful for me. Keep doing it enough and it helps build up confidence and my complete lack of skills.

[Catrin]

Sounds like fun, Indy and Thekarens! I've not been on the mtb trails for over 3 weeks now, but will do that this Saturday - weather permitting.

theKarens, I hope your partner is all right - did she fall off the bike or did the bike hit the snake after the flying over the hump?

[thekarens]

She hit the snake after flying over the hump and continued tearing down the trail. I came to a dead stop. She came back and moved it off the trail. I just knew it would cause someone an accident if it was left there.

[Catrin]

Finally, after a month off the mountain bike I finally got in 2 hours on the trails today :) Guilliana23 and I hit the beginner trail at my favorite park so she could check it out for the first time and we had fun! I like the new rear tire, it is quite a lot more aggressive/knobbier than my front tire and I could tell the difference. No crashes, though I did skid on a small mud spot that I was trying to avoid but was able to control what happened next. Guilliana23 did great! We rode Pine Loop a couple of times and also hit part of the NT Connector.

My knee was a little cranky, but I could tell some good improvement, I think the ride was just what it needed. My next ride I will return to the intermediate trail that got me last time and kick it's azz ;) The dust is gone, and I am defiantly getting some traction now so there shouldn't be a repeat - or at least not for the same reason!

The trails had many, many hikers on them, far more than I've seen before. Some didn't seem to be aware they weren't just hiking trails, but they found that out pretty quickly. It will likely be like that for the next month as we reach the peak period for fall color.

[tzvia]

Been avoiding the mountain bike for about a month, just too hot for the local trails. Much easier to grab the road bike and head to where there are some ocean breezes.

But this weekend the temps actually dropped down into the 80s for the first time in several months. So I took down the MTB yesterday, replaced the worn rear tire, set it up tubeless and gave the chain a good clean and lube. And today I rode the local mountains (the trailhead is one mile from the house). Lots of hill climbs, with one that's 12% grade (ouch). It got warmer as I climbed, to the upper 90s but not bad. Once I turned south and started heading down, towards the ocean, it got cooler again and felt great. Lots of dust and sand over hardpack, from a long dry summer, it slowed me down on the way back as I climbed back up and into the valley. I could feel the temperature rise until my cycle computer read 100f. Didn't feel that hot...

Aaahhh, Fall. My favorite time of year. I can ride the local mountains again.

[thekarens]

Did 20 miles with the neighbors at the local state park, very easy, non technical trails. It proved how out of shape I am. My thighs and knee were pretty miserable by the time we were done.

[Irulan]

Bead Lake trail this weekend. It's a quick fix of non-urban. 11 miles up a very mellow logging road grade, then 6 miles of single track. The trail wends through dark cedar groves alternating with lakeside exposure. We got a cold, early start and were done by 2 PM. We were hoping for more fall color; that's next weekend I guess.
https://lh4.googleusercontent.com/-N1BLxHEc8aA/UHMUS5XpC5I/AAAAAAAADIU/6o-7gko7pik/s800/621216_3808457776049_15907626_o.jpg

[Artista]

Thanks for the pic, Irulan. I love seeing where other people ride.

I'm surprised that you don't have any color yet. Aren't you in the PNW? Our color in the high country is mostly exhausted. It's gotta be the elevation.

[Irulan]

It was kind of crazy: we were totally expecting the larch to have been starting to color, but they were still green. It must be micro-climates as it really varies from valley to valley right now. And yes, I'm in the interior PNW. This lake is actually on the WA/ID border about 70 miles south of Canada.

[phabad]

Hi everyone... Im new and wanna start riding with my partner and we are both doing research. As usual he wants something expensive and I just want something that will do the job at an affordable price. I am considering getting the 2011 Polygon Helios 400 bicyclesonline.com.au/road-bikes/ coz they did some price cuts. Would love to get an opinion or two so that I have an idea of what I am getting into. Thanks a lot and hope to hear from anyone soon

[indysteel]

How pretty, Irulan! Thanks for sharing the photo!

[thekarens]

Beautiful pic Irulan! Makes me wish I had been into cycling when I lived in Idaho.

[Irulan]

Here are some more pics from that trail:
https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-W9dWr6FTews/UHW6-I6xQmI/AAAAAAAADIk/jT1L_ZQq5Jk/s576/IMG_0444.JPG

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-NxgG9MdOcW0/UHW6-U-cYkI/AAAAAAAADIo/r58q-nrKAOE/s512/IMG_0446.JPGhttps://lh6.googleusercontent.com/-ghCl4oeBmgU/UHW7GtGqDjI/AAAAAAAADI0/1MvK2xmoNag/s576/IMG_0136.jpg

[tzvia]

I see plenty of color in Irulan's photo ;). Compared to our tan and brown desert it looks just beautiful. Out here we don't get fall. We go straight from the summer heat to gray winter. If we get enough rain, sometimes flowers bloom from the temporarily green foliage, only to dry up in a week. One spring we had butterflies. It was like a dream, riding and seeing butterflies take flight all around me. I was giddy, remembering when I was a kid and there were butterflies every spring. But tan and brown are the norm out here... It looks wonderful up there.

[indysteel]

DH and I did 14 miles today with two friends at Vesailles State Park in southern Indiana. We had the place to ourselves, probably because there's a big fee ride at another park this weekend. The colors still haven't peaked but it was quite scenic. The ride itself went well, but my legs felt dead at times.

[Artista]

Keep those ride reports and pics coming ladies! I'm living vicariously until my arm heals. Hope to be back on the bike on easy trails in another week or two.

[Giulianna23]

Went Mountain biking wednesday and Yesterday . tried some pretty fair drops succesfully! Going tomorrow morning to Fort Ben for the first time.

A few pics from Avon trails I ride
15478 15479 15480 15482

[Catrin]

Awesome riding on the mountain bike this weekend at my favorite park - it felt great to get out there! I will post more about the event in a separate thread but I could tell the difference with my new rear tire. There were a couple of places on the trail where I could feel my rear tire slipping on a root or two, but THIS time the tire caught and held rather than sliding out from beneath me. I love my new Mountain King on the rear! I still need to decide if I will put another on the front or go with a Kenda Nevegals which is supposed to be better for leaves and less stable surfaces albeit it is a heavier tire. It also has a lower cost than the Mountain King...at my riding level it might be best to go with the price but I still need to make my mind up.

[thekarens]

Went camping and mountain biking with our local club this weekend. It was great fun! We went night riding for the first time, which was exciting and a little unnerving.

[Giulianna23]

Went yesterday to a new to me trail with a couple of friends. Name of the trail "Town Run"...it has a lot of twists and turns ....a lot of technical / obstacle elements , drops, rocks, a few really steep climbs which killed me. Some of the trail tracks are sandy and in an open field which makes you really work hard on your cardio it also has some wood man made steep obstacles and a side inclined wood ramp that I really enjoyed riding... it was really fun. I had a blast and a heck of a work out yesterday . I had to stop several times to catch my breath though...we were flying through the woods and my Giant Revel's taking the beat up pretty well. No issues with her...so far so good...

[Catrin]

I am glad you enjoyed Town Run yesterday, sweet! I am curious, however, what you are calling "drops". I've not really heard that term from my other mtb friends and I've been having fun figuring out what you mean by this. Are you referring to downhill (the reward for climbing), the downhill side of rollers, ledges formed by roots or something else? A friend of mine in Texas uses that term to refer to going downhill in general.

[Irulan]

A "drop" is shorthand for drop off. You can can little drops that can be handled by just rolling or a lunge, or bigger ones that require more maneuvering like a manual, wheelie drop or air time to handle. A drop be natural such as a root crossing a trail, naturally formed by rocks, or a man made structure.

[Catrin]

A "drop" is shorthand for drop off. You can can little drops that can be handled by just rolling or a lunge, or bigger ones that require more maneuvering like a manual, wheelie drop or air time to handle. A drop be natural such as a root crossing a trail, naturally formed by rocks, or a man made structure.

I guess that I've never given those things a separate name (or heard it being used). I just think of it as mountain biking/riding. I know someone in Texas who uses that term for the down-hill side of things so I was wondering if this was the same usage. Thanks Irulan!

[Irulan]

You can find plenty of smaller drops on an technical XC trail too, depending on where you roll.

[Catrin]

You can find plenty of smaller drops on an technical XC trail too, depending on where you roll.

Yes, your description reminded me of plenty of places on the trails I've been riding - I just never gave them a different name :) Obviously they weren't extreme.

[indysteel]

I guess that I've never given those things a separate name (or heard it being used). I just think of it as mountain biking/riding. I know someone in Texas who uses that term for the down-hill side of things so I was wondering if this was the same usage. Thanks Irulan!

Catrin, I can't think of any true "drops" or "drop offs" on the trails you typically ride, i.e., Limekiln, Pine Loop or North Tower Loop. That's not saying there aren't any; just that none come to mind. The ones I can think of are on the the Connector heading toward the North Tower Loop trailhead that are from roots across the trail. They're small enough that you can generally just roll over them, making sure to keep your butt back as you do. They've gotten a bit more pronounced with the erosion we experienced this summer.

[limewave]

I did a short mtb ride yesterday on the demo bike with one of my friends. It was cold but sunny and beautiful out. Even so, we sold out after just 8 miles (planned on riding 24) and went to get coffee! We figured that no amount of training we did that day is going to improve our chances at the race this Saturday :p It was nice!

[Catrin]

Catrin, I can't think of any true "drops" or "drop offs" on the trails you typically ride, i.e., Limekiln, Pine Loop or North Tower Loop. That's not saying there aren't any; just that none come to mind. The ones I can think of are on the the Connector heading toward the North Tower Loop trailhead that are from roots across the trail. They're small enough that you can generally just roll over them, making sure to keep your butt back as you do. They've gotten a bit more pronounced with the erosion we experienced this summer.

I was thinking of a couple of rocks on Limekiln, and that section on the NT Loop where the combination of roots, ruts, and divots tend to have me walking. I remember that section of the Connector you mention. The rocks on Limekiln do have a way to get around them - but I always had fun rolling over them from the campground direction.

[Giulianna23]

I am glad you enjoyed Town Run yesterday, sweet! I am curious, however, what you are calling "drops". I've not really heard that term from my other mtb friends and I've been having fun figuring out what you mean by this. Are you referring to downhill (the reward for climbing), the downhill side of rollers, ledges formed by roots or something else? A friend of mine in Texas uses that term to refer to going downhill in general.

Yes Catrin....I loved it...its different...you get a good workout there even if you take it slow.

I also call drops to deep downhills ...thats how some of my friends call them so I don't know if I am using the right term. They have several at that park that I really enjoyed. ...I am looking sooo forward to mountain biking this weekend. I may go back to Town Run or may try Ft. Ben.

[thekarens]

Managed to finally get a couple good rides on my new Jamis Friday and today. 10 miles on Friday on a beginner's trail that rides a lot like a roller coaster. It was a lot of fun. Saturday it rained so took the road bike out. Today we went to a beginner's trail that while not technical is super twisty turny, with trees crowding in on both sides and as usual lots and lots of roots in the path. We only went 11 miles, but it took me 2.5 hours.

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[Giulianna23]

Went mountain biking today ...don't know how many miles I did but spent about 2 hours out there. I am just loving this and hope to continue through the winter at least the MTbiking if possible.

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[indysteel]

I'm lovin' all these pictures! I better get out there myself. It's been a few weeks.

[Artista]

I did two mountain bike rides this weekend after 6 weeks of being off the bike to heal my broken arm. I was thrilled to find that my hiking and fitness classes maintained most of my strength and endurance. It'll be at least a few more weeks before my shoulder can handle bigger drops and jumps again but just being back on the bike felt great.

I was reminded how nice it is to ride in November here. We have a lots of sunny days with mostly moderate temperatures and the rattle snakes are safely holed up until spring. I love Colorado!

[ridebikeme]

Ahh I also got out for a ride today... here in Maine you never know when your last day might be HA! We rode for about two hours or so, temps were 34 with a 30MPH wind and SNOW! But the snow ended quite early, so it was fun to be out! Hopefully we'll have plenty of days left to sneek out before snow arrives for good... then we move onto studded tires/chains.

[limewave]

I raced Iceman (http://momrunningon.blogspot.com/2012/11/iceman-2012-flat-tire-legs-edition.html) this weekend! It snowed. It was beautiful. I had a good time :-) I was getting a little burnt out and had lost interest in trail riding. But I had so much fun this weekend that all I want to do now is ride my bike in the woods!

[ridebikeme]

Limewave, glad that you had a good time! I know that you were stressed about your bike and its shifting problems earlier in the week...

[limewave]

The whole shifting thing was a DEBACLE. I picked up my bike from the LBS on Tuesday or Wednesday. It was not shifting properly. DH said he would recable it but did not get a chance to until Friday morning. We arrived at the race venue late afternoon and I went for my first ride on the bike. It would NOT SHIFT. At all!!! The back kind of shifted but the front would not budge. Then DH was mad at me and frustrated that he had to spend his afternoon fidgeting with my bike. He was trying to fix it and ended up ruining the cable. He stormed off to the car telling me he was going to get new cable. I kindly suggested we bring the bike along and that if they had a free mechanic maybe they could install the cable and fix the shifting. This brought on a whole new level of grumpiness in DH. But he finally complied. Thankfully the bike shop there could squeeze us in and were able to fix it while we waited. They did an awesome job! It was shifting perfectly after we left!!! Yay! There was a few hours through that mess that I thought I may not be able to race at all :(

[ridebikeme]

Oh! Great news!! Did you end up having to replace parts other than new cables? New cassette/derailleur? Just curious...

[limewave]

New cassette, new chain, new brake pads and new cables. Derailleurs seem to be working just fine for now, thankfully!

[Giulianna23]

I'm lovin' all these pictures! I better get out there myself. It's been a few weeks.

Hey Indy if you have time and if the weather permits. I am going to Ft. Ben with a few ladies from the Mountain Bike meetup group and maybe a few guys from the HMBA website next Sunday Nov 11 around 2:00 p.m. But time could change depending on the weather. If the weather holds up I believe it would be a great opportunity for you to ride again before the real cold kicks in. It looks like its going to be in between the mid 50 and lower 60's.

[indysteel]

Hey Indy if you have time and if the weather permits. I am going to Ft. Ben with a few ladies from the Mountain Bike meetup group and maybe a few guys from the HMBA website next Sunday Nov 11 around 2:00 p.m. But time could change depending on the weather. If the weather holds up I believe it would be a great opportunity for you to ride again before the real cold kicks in. It looks like its going to be in between the mid 50 and lower 60's.

Thanks for the invite. I've never ridden there. What are the trails like? Can my husband come, too?

[ridebikeme]

Glad to hear that the bike is shifting well Limewave!

[Giulianna23]

Thanks for the invite. I've never ridden there. What are the trails like? Can my husband come, too?
This will be my first time there as well ..so I can't give any real feedback . But there will be people that already know the trails. I checked out a few videos on you tube and they look ok not too technical. I believe they have 3 trails Beginners Interm and Advance. @1:45 is the meeting time ..wheels down at 2:00. I think we will be gathering at the begginers trail. And yes...you can bring your husband. :) let me know if you decide to go.

[Catrin]

This will be my first time there as well ..so I can't give any real feedback . But there will be people that already know the trails. I checked out a few videos on you tube and they look ok not too technical. I believe they have 3 trails Beginners Interm and Advance. @1:45 is the meeting time ..wheels down at 2:00. I think we will be gathering at the begginers trail. And yes...you can bring your husband. :) let me know if you decide to go.

They are beautiful trails. The original (advanced) trail has some very difficult portions with very sharp, steep/almost sheer exposures with a narrow trail. I don't even like to walk those portions without a bike. It is nice that it is now possible to ride from the Camp Glenn beginners loop, through the intermediate trail to the advanced trail. That only became possible this year - last year you had to drive your bike between the beginners and advanced trails as the intermediate loop/connector was still under construction.

Have fun and I look forward to hearing how things go!

[Anelia]

I raced Iceman (http://momrunningon.blogspot.com/2012/11/iceman-2012-flat-tire-legs-edition.html) this weekend! It snowed. It was beautiful. I had a good time :-) I was getting a little burnt out and had lost interest in trail riding. But I had so much fun this weekend that all I want to do now is ride my bike in the woods!
I enjoyed reading your adventure :)
It reminded me of my National Championship Marathon when I tried to fix a flat tire by air cartridge. Not successfully, of course :)

[thekarens]

Skills class on 11/10 and today we went out and practiced those new skills. Nice, easy trail.

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[Becky]

On Saturday, DH and I took a road trip with some teammates to Patapsco State Park and Rockburn Bike Skills Park near Baltimore, MD. We had a great time! Patapsco is considerably more technical than my local trails, so I walked a number of sections, but it also challenged me to ride stuff that I wouldn't normally try.

I'm looking forward to going back sometime soon.

[ridebikeme]

We held our annual 'Turkey Trot' on Saturday and had a great time. The original route was above the snow line this year, so we opted to change it a bit which included a bit more techincal terrain and some dirt roads, but a great group showed up and it was a blast!

[Catrin]

It sounds like there was some nice riding this weekend :) I look forward to reading about everyone's autumn trail adventures - if I can't actually hit the trails then I can live vicariously through you :)

[Giulianna23]

Went Yesterday to Ft Ben trails...had a blast with a few good people. We did the 3 trails...9 miles total I believe. Lots of long climbs,obstacles and garden rocks etc. Even though I wasn't feeling good at times I had a ball and didn't crashed once and I am surprised about that!!. Definitely will be returning soon. Everyone said that this trail is kind of like a mini Brown County.


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[Becky]

We went to a local park today and did 8 miles in 70-degree temps(!). The last time I was there was ~2008 and I had a horrible time, so today's fantastic ride was especially satisfying. I've gotten a lot better at logovers, rocks, and descents since then. It just feels good.

[Giulianna23]

Worked half day today and decided to go out to the trails as soon as I got out from work. Went for a quick 4-5 mile ride.

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[eofelis]

I don't get out on my mtb very much, but I did go today with a local hike-n-bike group. We went out to the 18 Road Trails in Fruita, CO. I hadn't been out there in a year or so. I wanted to do the slow easy trails. I'm not a very good mtn biker. I rode with a couple other people and did Vegetarian and Down Uppity. I got a flat (goatheads). Then we rode up the rest of 18 Rd and came down the Kessel Run, that was pretty fun! Now I'm pretty tired, even though I didn't feel like I rode a lot.

[Anelia]

Quite muddy autumn ride:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Q3KLL96aLE&feature=youtu.be.
Info on Sportstracker. (http://www.sports-tracker.com/#/workout/AneliyaKaragyozyan/73loje1k84el71up)
I was with my husband's bike. It's heavier than mine and with DH tires so it was hard for me to get to the trails: about 15 miles in one direction on the road.
I also fell because of traction on the mud and now I have bruises on the nose and under the eye. I can mask it with makeup. I broke a little piece of my helmet.

[thekarens]

I guess it can be considered holiday weekend. Yesterday I had an impromptu skills clinic with one of the guys from the club. We worked on downhill/uphill, log rollers and small drops. Today I practiced those skills.

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[thekarens]

This weekend was all about the cardio workout with distance and hills. 23 miles on Saturday and 8 today. Had a great time with our cycling club.

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And views like this is why I mountain bike
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[TrekDianna]

Out on my mountain bike geocaching and biking. I did 17 miles - found 7 geocaches. A bit cold at 37 degrees when I left the house. I warmed up on the .25 to the trailhead. The view from the top of the ridge was spectacular. I didn't see another person all day.

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[thekarens]

Ooohhh so pretty! Great shot.

[Irulan]

Out on my mountain bike geocaching and biking. I did 17 miles - found 7 geocaches. A bit cold at 37 degrees when I left the house. I warmed up on the .25 to the trailhead. The view from the top of the ridge was spectacular. I didn't see another person all day.

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Where is this?

[Irulan]

Been climbing to the top every weekend... it's fabulous and nice in the sunshine. I am so happy to be back on my mtb

https://lh3.googleusercontent.com/-9S0PxFqern4/UMPh-tidHeI/AAAAAAAADQo/WTpdbybB5Yw/s800/IMG_0837.JPG

[thekarens]

We took a little drive with the boys to try out a, new to us, trail.

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[Anelia]

Some pics from yesterday (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4056743017756.3540129.1257515807&type=1&l=fc1b4cf068)
and a video:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rmU-n74qTa0&feature=youtu.be

[thekarens]

Nice pics and video! I'm trying to imagine what it would be like riding in the snow.

[ridebikeme]

Got out yesterday and it was definitely an adventure! Although the temps have been warm here, there still was a fair amout of ice in the woods and not simply in the shaded areas. When I was able to find dirt, simply was very greasy... so traction was a challenge for the ride. HOWEVER, for 2012 it was a record year for me... I got out on the trails earlier(April) than ever and also was out the latest in the year without chains or studded tires. YIPEE!!

[Catrin]

Nice pics and video! I'm trying to imagine what it would be like riding in the snow.

I do enjoy watching those videos, but the one concern I've had with trying it is not being able to see where the rocks and roots are beneath all of that snow :eek: Granted it is moot for me this year as I am off the mountain bike for now, but it is interesting to me to listen to the wide range of opinions of my (much) more experienced mtb friends (almost all of them). Some dearly love getting out in the snow, others will wait for next season and hit the gravel roads of southern Indiana for the winter.

Yippee Ridebikeme, it sounds like you had a lot of fun making that personal record ;)

[ridebikeme]

Yes, I've had a great time Catrin, although I can't say that I had any control over the situation HA! But, it's that time of year, so will now have to mount the studded tires to do any ride or commute. How's your winter training going? Any fun classes at the gym?

[Catrin]

Yes, I've had a great time Catrin, although I can't say that I had any control over the situation HA! But, it's that time of year, so will now have to mount the studded tires to do any ride or commute. How's your winter training going? Any fun classes at the gym?

Lots of fun stuff at the gym lifting heavy things and doing a lot of metabolic conditioning work like always. Not much bike time recently though, which is quite sad :( With it being dark when I leave/arrive home every day now this only leaves the weekend for riding and we've been getting rain. I hope to get some gravel riding in soon - hopefully the current warmish winter weather will continue so I can!

[thekarens]

Today was what I call a "confidence building" ride. Last weekend was rough with several falls so today I did an easy trail.

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[Catrin]

Today was what I call a "confidence building" ride. Last weekend was rough with several falls so today I did an easy trail.



It looks like a fun little trail :) I've lined up a gravel/dirt ride with a friend in 2 weeks and can hardly wait! Really hoping the weather cooperates...

[thekarens]

It looks like a fun little trail :) I've lined up a gravel/dirt ride with a friend in 2 weeks and can hardly wait! Really hoping the weather cooperates...

Hope it works out for you. I get all kinds of antsy when I don't get at least one day a week on some kind of trail.

[Catrin]

Hope it works out for you. I get all kinds of antsy when I don't get at least one day a week on some kind of trail.

I've been able to ride at least once a week on the road lately, but it is hard riding that little...however it IS almost January. I really miss single-track but there is also some relief about backing off. Hopefully I can get my neck in better shape and take care of a few weaknesses that will allow me to eventually return to at least easy trails :)

[ridebikeme]

Hope that you are able to get out on some gravel Catrin! It sounds as though we are going to get some snow over the next few days, so other than commuting... I may be back on my xc ski's :) And if the snow doesn't happen, well we'll definitely mount the studded tires.. it's very icely here right now.

[Sky King]

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Think I am ready to N+1 after our backroad ride. A surly troll or a salsa vaya would have worked a tad better than sky with her fenders in the unexpected mud patch

[Artista]

Wow Sky King. I think you would have been better off with a jet ski in that first pic.

I did a short "easy" loop on one of the trails close to me. About 50% of the trail was covered in packed snow. This was my first experience riding snow packed technical terrain. The snow turned my "easy" loop into more of a technical challenge. I was super cautious because I had the hardware removed from my ankle 1.5 weeks ago. My ankle bones will be weak for another 4.5 weeks. The ride was slow and methodical but I was happy just to be on two wheels. I'm looking forward to bombing over the snow in a couple of months.

[Anelia]

It's still snowing here...But Saturday and Sunday we rode about 3 hours each day So beautiful in the SNOW (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4191136937520.3542582.1257515807&type=1&l=1e1ab2135e) :)

[thekarens]

It's still snowing here...But Saturday and Sunday we rode about 3 hours each day So beautiful in the SNOW (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4191136937520.3542582.1257515807&type=1&l=1e1ab2135e) :)

Beautiful!

[Anelia]

Quite difficult to ride in the narrow car tracks.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dC_D1x9R_ag&feature=youtu.be

[Artista]

Now THAT'S some awesome straight line riding, Anelia. I'm not sure that many people could stay in that narrow track even in dry conditions.

I've been doing at least a couple of winter rides a week lately. The snow is mostly melted off of my favorite trails but we still have long sections with hard-packed snow and ice. Our weather has been very cold the last few days. I rode in 9F yesterday. Brrrrr.... We're looking at 50F temps next week. I hope to get out for some warmer rides while it lasts.

[Catrin]

VERY good job Anelia, it looks like you had fun! There would have been many outlines of me and my bike in the snow ;)

Oh yes, I also want to say that it is VERY cool that we can now embed videos in our posts!

[Owlie]

Wow, Anelia. I'm impressed!

[Artista]

So nice to ride today in the low 50's after riding last weekend at 9 degrees. I appreciated not having to pile on an additional 5# of clothes to keep warm. I'm trying to ride as much as possible in our nice weather knowing that we're still due for several more snow storms and cold and windy weather before early summer.

[Aggie_Ama]

I am finally able to ride after having insane amount of work due to converting accounting software, then crappy weather and finally a kidney infection that was pure hell. I finished my antibiotics Wednesday and had a great ride yesterday for the first time since December 1. It was gorgeous, I felt really sluggish and not very confident moving around the bike but I still loved every minute of it. Can't wait to get back out next weekend.

[Anelia]

I miss MTB riding a lot but still I'm glad that I was able to ride outside this weekend. Yesterday we did about 65 km of hilly terrain and today we rode over 80 km with very strong wind. Tomorrow should be rest day.

[Aggie_Ama]

Did a night ride on Friday and rode with my new race team today. I really feel lost technically, hoping to recover my fitness AND my mojo.

[tealtreak]

Did a night ride on Friday and rode with my new race team today. I really feel lost technically, hoping to recover my fitness AND my mojo.


Hugs and good vibes your way in that regard (:

[Anelia]

I rode on the trails for a second time this year. The first time I was alone and my energy was over in 1 hour. Today I had company and I had fueled a lot with carbs before that and my energy was stable for 3,5 hours withot even snacking!
The trail was muddy and I lost control a lot of times in the dirt. But at the wet rocks on the dowhills I felt very stable with my front Minion and rear Ardent. At the end of the ride: 16054

[Artista]

Wow, Anelia...3.5 hours in the mud! I've done up to 2 hours in the snow and mud but then I get burned out just trying to keep the bike upright and pointed in the right direction.

Our weather is just now clearing from near blizzard conditions today. More snow and mud riding next weekend.

[Irulan]

I take it mud riding is not frowned upon in your area because your soils are stable enough to not be damaged?

[Anelia]

The bikes don't damage the soil because the trails are covered with damp leaves. But when cars and trucks tramp on the paths, things get terrible :( And this is where we get muddy: on the vehicle tracks :(

[Artista]

I take it mud riding is not frowned upon in your area because your soils are stable enough to not be damaged?
I have no idea whether our soils are stable. What I do know is that tire ruts seem to level out with no permanent damage to the trails after the soil dries out each year. Also, mud riding does not seem to be frowned upon around here.

Maybe I'm missing something. Do you have more info on muddy, unstable, trail soils that you can share?

[Irulan]

It varies hugely from locale to locale on what is acceptable for minimizing trail damage. It really depends on soil type, percentage of clay, how much precipitation you get, how fast it drains and so on. Your local trails group will have information for you. In some areas it's a really big deal, so much as to posted closures. Soils that are high in clay can be some of the worst as they hold ruts for weeks.

In some places, one of the things that happens is that the single track is widened by everyone going around puddles. You get a trail that was 16" wide turning into a much wider path, and not so "single". In other places ruts will hold there shape and deform the trail. Sandy soils drain really fast and is generally not a problem. Like I said, check with your local trails group to see what is recommended for your area.

The city of Boise has a very active trail closure program, for example.
http://www.ridgetorivers.org/etiquette/muddy-trails/

[indysteel]

Our local mtb association maintains a website with color coded current conditions for riding at each of the trail systems, which include green (go ride), yellow (ride with some caution), red (trails are closed, usually due to wet conditions) and blue (trails are closed due to freeze/thaw cycle). Even when there's a yellow, those familiar with the trails now that some drain better than others and that the poorly draining trails should be avoided. We're also instructed to ride through, not around, puddles. Clay soil predominates in Indiana and riding the trails when they're wet causes lasting damage.

[Artista]

Thanks, Irulan and Indy. We do have some of the conditions you describe in the low areas. Fortunately, the terrain pretty much forces everyone to stay on the trails and ruts don't last long after the trails dry out. Besides, riding THROUGH the mud and snow is part of the fun of winter riding. I'll see if I can find some local resources for recommendations.

[Sky King]

Irulan, yes we in Boise tend to frown on anyone who rides, runs or walks on muddy trails. Living in the high desert we have pretty fragile soil, despair greatly over those who widen trails by "hopping off to the side" to avoid mud and puddles. We stick to two track roads, gravel and pave until the trails dry out. I expect to start to see daily posting now reminding people to stay off the trails until the weather warms up.

[maiforpeace]

Saturday we rode the fire trail up Gazos Creek Road, from Gazos Creek Beach (http://trails.mtbr.com/cat/united-states-trails/california-trails/california-bayarea/trail/gazos-creek-butano-fire-road/prd_165261_4519crx.aspx).

It was so beautiful - walls of ferns along the way, blooming flora and fauna everywhere. It was a little messy from the rain and from four wheelers messing up the road - I was slipping and sliding everywhere, but it was much more fun than scary. The pea soup thick fog lifted just as we reached the top, and the view of the coast was spectacular. The most exciting and edgy part of the ride was the huge population of banana slugs out in force. I have a strong distaste for anything spineless, and banana slugs are pretty high up on the list. So, the ride down was a banana slugfest slalom! I feel confident I finished the race - because I did not smush one slug. For that, I was awarded a huge bunch of the most luscious watercress, along with a bunch of calla lilies, all wild, and picked on the side of the road back to the truck. What an amazing ride, I can't wait to do it again next weekend when the endless wild iris shoots I saw should be blooming.

[thekarens]

Saturday our bike club rode with the Huntsville High School mountain bike race team at Huntsville State Park. Let's see....43 versus fifteen 15-18 year olds, both boys and girls. I learned that A) I'm old and B) not a fan of sandy hills. There was one section where it was uphill in sand climbing roots. I decided a sadist had made that section of the trail. After about 12 miles I had had all the fun I could stand.

On the flip side it's probably a good place for me to hill train. I need that...don't like it, but I need it!

[Anelia]

Great ride today! We did some wine tasting in a village near my home town. The weather was perfect! Pictures :) (http://www.facebook.com/media/set/?set=a.4735590268513.1073741827.1257515807&type=1&l=42c62e5460)

[Artista]

Great pics, Anelia. Were some of them of your backyard? And what was up with the steep stairs? It looks like there was quite a discussion about them but I don't read a bit of Bulgarian. In fact, I don't even recognize some of the alphabet characters!

[Anelia]

Hi, Artistta,
This is the house of a friend of mine in a village near my home town. They offer wine tasting and also people can rent the whole house or sleep overnight as in a hotel. The wine is specific for the region because it contains many herbs but the most important is the wormwood. In fact, the wine is called wormwood (pelin in Bulgarian). The steep stairs lead to a rock monastery and the discussion was that there used to be old wooden stairs before they constructed the metal ones. I said that the wooden was in deed more romantic but it rotted and it became dangerous for the visitors of the rock phenomenom so the new metal stairs are safer.

[indysteel]

Thanks for the pics, Anelia!

I'm eager to get out for an MTB ride, but between some scheduling conflicts (we had an out of town wedding this past weekend) adn the weather, we haven't gotten out. Plus, we have a "big" vacation coming up (9 nights on the Big Island) and I'm afraid of jinxing myself. While I've never crashed on my MTB (knock on wood), I'd sure hate for my first one to be in advance of the trip. So, it looks like I won't hit the trails until sometime in May.

[Giulianna23]

Great experience. Best mountain bike weekend Ever!!.... Had a Blast!...so much fun!...learned a lot and made new friends !..what else could I asked for?.


My Coach and the group I was placed in, were Awesome!!...can't wait for 2014 clinic.

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[Catrin]

It IS a great clinic, isn't it? I had heard your group was headed to ride a portion of Hesitation Point :) It was good to see you and being around all of those mountain bikes and women having fun on them made me REALLY want to get out there :) I had a good time volunteering and just hanging out. I should have taken my Gunnar to get in some road riding in the park - there are miles of roads with some he**acious hills but as I left home at 4:45 in the morning that was just too much stuff to grab. I had some nice hikes instead.

[Giulianna23]

It IS a great clinic, isn't it? I had heard your group was headed to ride a portion of Hesitation Point :) It was good to see you and being around all of those mountain bikes and women having fun on them made me REALLY want to get out there :) I had a good time volunteering and just hanging out. I should have taken my Gunnar to get in some road riding in the park - there are miles of roads with some he**acious hills but as I left home at 4:45 in the morning that was just too much stuff to grab. I had some nice hikes instead.

Yeah...those pics are at Hesitation Point. That trail has a lot rock gardens and roots and technical stuff. I didn't realize until I got home that it has a 1.65 mile CAT5 elevation climb :eek: and we did that!...Wow...no wonder why I had to stop a couple of times to rest my legs for a minute. I really enjoyed it to the fullest though!...My mapmyride app named me QOM ...too darn funny!...lol.

I am definitely going back next year and will be camping for sure. It was nice seeing you as well. I was kind of nervous at first because it was my first time ever in this type of events and knowing that I knew at least one person that knew everything about the clinic made me feel better. Thanks for volunteering. Maybe next year, take your Gunnar and I will also take my road bike and we can hit the paved roads...those hills look very tempting and atractive to me.:)

[Catrin]

I was told your group was going to the rock garden and back, not the entire trail. They may have changed their mind :) Aynes Loop has the steepest climb in the park, currently. My heart rate broke 150 WALKING that portion of Aynes - and I wasn't even pushing a bike!

This weekend I would have avoided the two hills from the north gate - I've not ridden enough this year to tackle larger and smaller witch hills (they have other names). There IS a good amount of road to ride between the campground and west entrance - that is likely what I would have done. That steeper/longer one coming from the North Gate my last CAR didn't like to climb :eek:

[Giulianna23]

I was told your group was going to the rock garden and back, not the entire trail. They may have changed their mind :) Aynes Loop has the steepest climb in the park, currently. My heart rate broke 150 WALKING that portion of Aynes - and I wasn't even pushing a bike!

This weekend I would have avoided the two hills from the north gate - I've not ridden enough this year to tackle larger and smaller witch hills (they have other names). There IS a good amount of road to ride between the campground and west entrance - that is likely what I would have done. That steeper/longer one coming from the North Gate my last CAR didn't like to climb :eek:

We didn't do the whole trail but we did go farther than the rock gardens on the pictures above. We went down to a small brick building where it was a flat terrain..it looked like a check point or a place to rest or something. Then we turned back from that point and started our way back up . Suzanne , our coach thought that if we continue we werent goig to be back on time for lunch. But everyone wanted to keep going.

Yeah ..I wouldn't make you do those hills with me :) I dont even think I am able to do em. lol but they are beautiful.

[Irulan]

Did any of you have Natasha Lockey for your coach? She's one of my pals.

We did a little backcountry ride this weekend. A friend of mine is the local anonymous trail gnome for some forest service trails and does a lot of the clearing and maintenance for them as a volunteer. He took DH and I on a tour that was the backside of where most people ususally ride. He had just cleared it last weekend. We started from the saddle where we parked the car, and then did a very long descent on singletrack through cedar forest. We climbed out on an old logging road. When Al said there was a fire road climb out I initially cringed, but this was an amazing fireroad.... it hadn't been driven on in year as it's blocked to any sort of traffic, it's a railroad grade of 2-3%, and it was all grassy! So it was a super easy spin out to the top. I saw a little bear, and DH saw two newborn fawns. DH also had numerous mechanical but nothing so major as to totally ruin the ride. He did crack his middle chain ring so he could only use his small ring.
Our friend took his rig down to the bottom where we'd left our rig, and we rode another singletrack descent from the saddle down the front side, what fun.

[Giulianna23]

MOuntain biked in Texas past weekend with my Son whle visiting family members. Really loved the trail we rode but had a bunch of flats and a dangerous encounter. :(

[indysteel]

I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that DH and I went on our first MTB ride of the season yesterday. Between a wet spring and summer, some schedule conflicts, and some anticipatory anxiety on my part, we hadn't found a chance to hit the trails since last fall. Shameful, although we have been road riding. The ride went about as well as could be expected given that the trails have taken a beating this year from all the rain and humidity, after a brutally hot and dry summer last year. And by well, I mean I didn't fall or crash. We'd gotten a fair amount of rain on Saturday, so we headed out mid-afternoon. I don't know when I'm going to learn that that's not a great idea. It was hot, and I don't do well in the heat.

The good news is that I still love to MTB. The intense focus and hard effort it takes is always a pleasant experience for me. Road biking is fun and easy, but there's plenty of room for thinking. MTBing, in contrast, takes total focus. I like that. It gives me a break from my otherwise cluttered head. It's the same reason I like hot, vinyasa yoga. I rarely have time to think about anything but the current pose and wiping my sweaty face.

So, we'll hit the trails again soon I hope!

[Becky]

The intense focus and hard effort it takes is always a pleasant experience for me. Road biking is fun and easy, but there's plenty of room for thinking. MTBing, in contrast, takes total focus. I like that. It gives me a break from my otherwise cluttered head. It's the same reason I like hot, vinyasa yoga. I rarely have time to think about anything but the current pose and wiping my sweaty face.

I like this sentiment. I've often thought that mountain biking is like playing video games: I have to fully concentrate on the task at hand and react to a myriad of situations in order to stay upright. No room for dwelling... (Even moreso in night MTBing!)

[Catrin]

This is exactly why I loved it so much! I really like that focus...which is also why I like my GT training group. It requires the sam basic focus.

[Artista]

I totally agree with the total focus on mtb'ing not leaving room for dwelling on anything else. That's also why I don't road bike much anymore - too much time to think about stuff that I need a break from. I think of mtb'ing as a reset button for my brain.

[indysteel]

DH, some friends and I rode about 17 miles today at Versailles State Park in southeastern Indiana. I love riding there. For one, it doesn't get crowded. For another, I can ride all of it, which is nice. It's technical in a lot of spots, but it's not super hilly. Plus, there are some super twisty parts that are a blast. I really want to camp out there next time so that we can get a bit more familiar with the trails. I managed to ride nearly all of a trail that has freaked me out in the past. It's called Cliffside if that tells you anything. I handled the exposure pretty well. No major anxiety attack! The park also has a trail called Creakside that I really live. It's nothing but rocks for about a half mile with some elevation changes. My husband hates it, but I think it's fun!

[tealtreak]

I totally agree with the total focus on mtb'ing not leaving room for dwelling on anything else. That's also why I don't road bike much anymore - too much time to think about stuff that I need a break from. I think of mtb'ing as a reset button for my brain.

10x on that sentiment! Bring on the rocks and roots! Plus, it is something CONTROLLABLE! If I wreck, my bad, if I clean the skinny- yay...kept my focus...... very rejuvenating (; Though there are times that a mind drifting 50 mile road ride is just what the doc ordered...