MTB clinic

[Kalidurga]

I bagged the Rosaryville beginner ride this morning, because I didn't want to get muddy, which I guess means I'm not really a mountain biker.

I'm still trying to figure out how to ride through mud and have it all stick to me, not the bike.

[LBTC]

I'm still trying to figure out how to ride through mud and have it all stick to me, not the bike.

I wonder if the armor all wipes worked to shed mud easier....

H&B
~T~

[LBTC]

Climbing steeps on a mtb is a balancing act. In many cases you need to keep your butt off the saddle, hovering, or barely touching it, so that you can easily shift your weight forward to keep the front wheel stable, or backward to keep traction on the back wheel, depending on where it is needed.

Of course, buy the right tires and you'll need a lot less finesse in the weight distribution department!

Hugs & butterflies,
~T~

[divingbiker]

Of course, buy the right tires and you'll need a lot less finesse in the weight distribution department!

LBTC, what are the "right tires"? Got any examples? I'm all for anything that lessens my need for "finesse", not that I've got any of that going on right now...

[LBTC]

My absolutely all time favourite mtb tire for all around riding

front: Continental Vertical Pro 2.3
rear: Continental Explorer Pro 2.1

DH does all the research, but boy oh boy can I ever tell the difference!

For racing, he gets me geared up with

front & rear: Continental Explorer Super Sonic 2.1 with Stans no-tubes.

The weight saving is about 200g, and the traction is very similar.

Better traction helps in lots of scenarios: climbing, obstacles, cornering, sketchy conditions.

I don't "read" the bike well, but I sure love the right rubber!

H&B
~T~

[divingbiker]

Tonight didn't go very well. I wasn't really in the mood to begin with, and we didn't ride very far to warm up before the hard stuff started. I didn't make it up the steep muddy hill after a creek crossing, and I fell a couple of times for no good reason. We had a bigger crowd tonight, and did a lot of stopping to discuss various obstacles etc, and so I just never got going very well.

We spent a lot of time working on popping the front wheel to get over a log, and jumped a small log repeatedly. Altogether we rode less than 3 miles.

Overall I really enjoyed the MTB clinic, but now it's time to just get out on the trail and ride.