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I'm in a club with 100 bike riders, and very few mountain bikers. I'm trying to find ways to get more gals out on the trails, or to understand why they might not want to do it. So help me out here. ;-) I've posted many beginner and fun and all abilities welcome rides, to no avail.
IrulLAN
Had an ex that took me out in the woods once... on mountain bikes (get yer minds out of the gutter).
She had already attempted to teach me to roller blade: she very patient, me on the ground every time I stood up. She attempted to teach me to ski: she skiing backwards with grace and ease, me on the ground sliding down the bunny hill. It was then time to attempt the woods figuring I can ride a bike... no problem.
Off we go. Simple trail in trail terms. I hit every rock, snagged every tree. The only time I was simultaneously moving AND on the bike was on nice flat "running" path parts. I, quite frankly, was a accident looking for a place to happen.
Thus we come to my handle, Spazzdog. Girls, I'm a spazz, a klutz, a directionally impaired goofball. It has been suggested that I should wear a helmet fulltime, because if there's an object I'll hit my head on it. It's become a source of entertainment; a conversation starter (Hey Gena, hit your head lately?), and a lesson to me on what sports NOT to do.
But I'm a roadie, have always been a roadie... yeah, could be a mistake coming back to it after all this time and all the head injuries. Time will tell. But be forewarned; if you see a woman on a zebra bike wearing a neon orange Crash Test Dummy jersey, I weave like McEwen in a sprint (not at his speed, of course).
Trust me Irulan... y'all don't want me in your woods on a bike. Far too much blood and gore.
I love to mountain bike...I just hate to drive. Riding the road is a no-brainer; open the door and pedal out.
As far as getting roadies/triathletes to covert to dirt..I've had some luck by offering "Dirt Virgin" clinics. Usually these take place on nice simple jeep roads, double track and gravel paths. Really...the kind of stuff you probably don't even consider *real* mountain-biking. It's difficult to remember (after you've been doing this for awhile) how scary it can be to go off-road.
With 'cross season is looming, you might try promoting your mtb rides as a way to polish some of those technical skills for roadies hoping to race through the winter.
Better potential riding partners (in my experience): cross-country runners, climbers, soccer and/or rugby players. They seem to have more tolerance for adventure/dirt/risk than the strictly-road crowd.
I'd love to mountain bike but have a big problem - no bike! I nearly got one at the start of the year but didn't and now I'm unemployed so can't really justify spending £500 on a bike while I'm still sitting at home and BF is toiling away at work.:p
However... I have been offered the loan of one from a club mate. Must get myself off by backside and get out there.
PS. MTB in the UK usually involves mud, mud and more mud due to our lovely damp climate. I think the mud factor puts off some roadie girls, (and boys) especially the thought of all that bike scrubbing afterwards.
I say 'Bring it on' - just need a bike!:D
It just doesn't appeal to me.
- Jo.
... I have a problem disk way down low in my spine that precludes bouncing and bumping. As soon as disk replacement surgery is available in the US I'm having it done, then we'll see. The dirt does look like a lot of fun!
I have a mountain bike, just a bottom of the line GT hardtail. It gets used as a back up bike, round town, and on the cycleops since I don't want to mess up the lovely Record on the road bike.
I can see that any off road riding helps my bike handleing skills but I don't bike ride because I'm disgustingly practical. Besides pure pleasure of riding I ride to get from point a to point b, sometimes point a to a if it's a loop but as an alternate to driving.
Also I hate the sight of blood, especially my own, and while with my other sport (Aikido) I take falls for fun, no actual blood is ever involved with that. And like Spazz was saying while people (self included) can be surprisingly uncoordinated although we're athletes...I'm sure it'd be carnage if i went off road.:rolleyes:
I really enjoy mountain biking now.
When we first started ten years ago, I grew to hate because it I wasn't very strong, I was very nervous and had no faith in my skills.
I don't know if it was just maturity or what, but with some "freakishly strong" legs, that's a direct quote from Thom, I can make it up most hills and I no longer mind walking if I need to. I have a better understanding of my body position and that has really helped. AND hills up or down no longer scare me.
Veronica
I love riding on the road, especially quiet roads and it's a great sensation when you're all riding in group , following each others wheels and moving more like a body than a group of individuals. The flowing feeling is great.
But at the same time the idea of going 'off-road', getting to ride along side nature, rather than kerbs and getting muddy really appeals to me. Must be the kid in me but any excuse to go out and get dirty. It's the perfect anti-dote to having to wear office clothes 9-5 all week.
On another note, where we live the mbt trails have loads of loops and twists, so if you can't keep up / want to take it easy you can simple take the shorter loop while others do a longer and all meet up again pretty easily. If we road ride this isn't as easy to do round here, where the road routes have less opportunity for taking short cuts.
why I don't mountain bike . . .
1) just took up biking last year . . . one obsession at a time
2) more long term answer: I live in NYC and it's enough of a challenge to road bike. I wouldn't even want to think about trying to get to mountain bike trails. I know folks in NYC do it, but not for me
3) having read spazzdog's response and knowing my own klutziness quotient, I suspect I would be right behind her, hitting every rock and branch
PS Spazzdog, I want (no, need) a Crash Test Dummy jersey. Where did you get it???
Maryellen, checking in from vacation in Provincetown, where unfortunately the pavement is wet
I have a moutain bike, but most of it's use is on road (commuting to work).
I definitely want to spend more time on the trails, but I have a few lame excuses that are currently my mental block:
1 - not enough time on the weekends
2 - i have to bike through 15 miles of idiots to get to the trails (seriously - most of it is following a recreational path along a river that attracts half the city - and all the people that don't know how to share the path - it gets dangerous with the kids running out into the path - I've seen some nasty collisions)
3 - I need to get a trail pass (easy to get, but annoying to do)
4 - I don't have the skills I'd like to have
5 - fear of the sharp rocks causing flat tires (sure, I'll have people with me that can deal with the flat... but it still worries me as I bike on the trails)
6 - the last time I fell on a trail was directly into a very healthy patch of poision ivy - I don't get along well with that plant, and I'm not too interested in having that happen again.
So really, #4 is the only serious reason. From my bike commuting this summer, I feel more comfortable handling my bike, so I'd be more willing to go play on the trails now than I was at the begining of the summer.
First one being that I don't have a mountain bike! But there are others. I love, love, love road riding and just don't have time to give to another time-consuming sport. I have always been more of a "specialist" than a generalist anyway; would rather get really good at one thing than dink around at many. Also, the thought of falling doesn't appeal to me at all, nor all the bouncing around on rocks and roots. Not sure this 43-year old bod is up for that!
I do ride my Bike Friday (which has slick 1.35" tires and is my touring/travel bike) up and down our 1 mile long gravel road, and it's not a lot of fun. Bouncy bouncy, rocks flying everywhere, tough stabilizing my narrow drop bars (know a mtb would be different and work better, though!), and feeling that unpleasant loss of traction close-to-falling sensation around the rocky curves. Also, I live in an area where there are miles of low-traffic rural roads to ride, but I don't even know of any trails near me, so I'd have to drive to any rides.
So, for all those reasons, mtb is just not something I can see ever doing - unless maybe I moved to a part of the country where there were more trails than roads and mtb was much bigger than road riding (clubs, etc.) The only local bike club near enough where I live and ride is a roadie club.
Emily
I don't remember where I got mine, but the following link will take you to a place that sells them.
http://www.branfordbike.com/smmrwear/summer3.html
They are VERY bright orange, with bright yellow and black detailing.
They are made by Aussie. Men's sizes. I bought a medium back in 2000. It's a bit baggier now, but not uncomfortably so.
Back when I had a work schedule that allowed me a day off during the work week, I would mountain bike during the work week when the trails were relatively empty. Once I started working M-F/9-5 I realized I just couldn't deal with the weekend and after work crowds on the local trails. It's much easier to extend my commute home on the road to get some good bike time in.
I actually bought a used mountain bike this year and took it on the trails about three times. I've used it communte to work also. I'm am so no confident in my skills off-road, especially my reaction time. Maybe I would enjoy it more if I could find other new riders to ride with but I usually have a lot bigger learning curve than most. So those are my weak excuses.
I do love running on the trails and riding my road bike though.......some day I'll be more of a mountain biker.
Kelly