Why mountain bikes have suspension

[Kalidurga]

I came back from vacation and forgot to post some photos from my aborted mtb adventure. While I was out in western MD, I headed down to Herrington Manor/Swallow Falls state parks in Garrett County. There's a 5.5 mile trail that connects the two that's rated "beginner" (HA!), so I thought I'd check it out.

A guy working in the park office also confirmed that there was "one short rocky section", but that the rest was pretty easy. That "one short rocky section" that he pointed out on the map apparently grew significantly before I hit the trail. It was rocky from the freaking get-go, and I'm talking rocks ranging in size from dinner rolls to full loaves of bread. I bucked and bounced on my rigid cyclocross bike for two miles before deciding I was risking busting either my fork or my head, then turned around and hike-a-biked it through the worst sections on the way back. But I wasn't ready to give up just yet, so I loaded the bike back on top of the car and headed to the other end of the trail at Swallow Falls to see if perhaps that was the easy part.

It started out being fairly lovely, much smoother, swooping through hardwood forest and then descending quickly into hemlock groves. But then, more rocks. And not only rocks. Big, freaking, tangled hemlock roots. This ride was nothing if not a lesson in why bicycle suspension was invented. If I'd had a bike properly designed for this type of trail, with full-on double suspension, I could have had a major blast. As it was, when I saw the C&O ladies that evening, I told them I thought my cervical and thoracic vertebrae had ended up fused into one great big hunk of bone, the thoravical.







The trail heads to the left of the tree, up the hill through the roots:


This was one of the prettiest sections, with the trail to the left and the stream to the right:


After another roughly two miles of torture I gave it up for good, again walking the bike through the most stone-choked sections. It was frustrating to quit with so few miles under my wheels, but I have to admit I'm fairly proud that I handled the bike so well on the portions I did ride. I was able to remain relaxed enough to let the wheels bounce over the rocks without bucking me off, and I picked up some decent speed on the smooth sections. Certainly a worthwhile experience, despite the discomfort. By the time I head out there next year, we'll see if I've talked myself into getting an actual mtb

Here are some more photos from my vacation, including a few along the C&O.

[Zen]

That last one reminds me of the area around Cunningham Falls and the others look like the Shed.

Dang. If you get a mtn.bike then I'll be wanting one (like i'm not already)

[Kalidurga]

I'm sure you've noticed that pretty much all of Md from Fredneck County over looks similar. It just gets taller as you go farther west. But it's all gorgeous.

Ummm... How many bikes do you own already?

[Zen]

ummm....six but I'm donating the Haro next opportunity

[Cataboo]

I've been looking for some "baby" trails to practice with my mountain bike (to perfect my technique of either stopping, dismounting, carrying my bike over log, getting back on or of attempting to get over log, falling, getting hurt and dirty).

It's not full suspension, but it is titanium with a suspension fork...

Do you think this could be a baby trail? Mostly I seem to just go too slow with tight windy single track or going downhills and then I never really get the momentum up to clear obstacles. Which of course is a mental thing or a complete lack of bike handling skills...

But something relatively flat (hill wise) and wide that I could practice and gain confidence with higher speeds & obstacles would be great. If you wouldn't recommend this, is there something that you do recommend?

I live near Gambrills... but I'm fairly certain I'd kill myself there currently

[Zen]

There might be some areas in Gambrill (aka "The Shed") you could do.
are you at all familiar with the trails there?

Check out this park guide or the website for Bicycle Escape
Look at the "Where To Ride" page.

You must live near me

[7rider]

I live near Gambrills... but I'm fairly certain I'd kill myself there currently

Good grief. I don't even like riding a road bike around there. STEEP!

Check out the "Where to Ride" forum on the MORE site: http://www.more-mtb.org/forum/forumdisplay.php?f=25

For you, perhaps Little Bennett Regional Park or Black Hills or Seneca Greenway. Maybe Greenbriar. I'm only going from the descriptions on the MORE site. I myself have ridden only at Little Bennett, and thought it was fine.