Mtb'ing at Schaeffer - 11/11

[Cataboo]

Is there an entrance fee?

Catriona, what time are you planning to get there? Regina wants to be riding by 10:15 and it's going to take a little time to get the bike set up for me.

I can get there at 9:30 or 9:45 - whichever's better for you.

Since I have no idea how to recognize you - I've got a moss green subaru outback that'll have 2 bikes hanging off the back, kayak racks on the roof.

I went mountain biking up in Patapsco on Saturday - nice wide trails, leaf cover made it a bit hard to see rocks, roots or other obstacles, but it was fun and for the most part doable for me. I did walk one really steep downhill section that was basically just large boulders and rocks.

However, I'd like to amend my previous statement that my cardio is fine - it's apparently road bike cardio fine, but really steep long uphills I am not so fine on.

[HillSlugger]

I can get there at 9:30 or 9:45 - whichever's better for you.

Since I have no idea how to recognize you - I've got a moss green subaru outback that'll have 2 bikes hanging off the back, kayak racks on the roof.

I went mountain biking up in Patapsco on Saturday - nice wide trails, leaf cover made it a bit hard to see rocks, roots or other obstacles, but it was fun and for the most part doable for me. I did walk one really steep downhill section that was basically just large boulders and rocks.

However, I'd like to amend my previous statement that my cardio is fine - it's apparently road bike cardio fine, but really steep long uphills I am not so fine on.

I've got Gold-ish Subaru Outback with lots of stickers on the back window.

9:45 would give us 1/2 an hour to get set up. I think that should work.

See ya tomorrow.

[divingbiker]

So how was the ride?????

[HillSlugger]

It was great, at least when I wasn't lying on my side trying to get untangled from the bike or branches. Yes, I fell several times, but they were not all my fault; the bike had shifting issues and dropped the chain several times without me even trying to shift. It's so different from road biking. I love the speed on the road; off road, not so much.

[Cataboo]

I sabotaged her!

[7rider]

I love the speed on the road; off road, not so much.

"Speed is your friend." At least, that's one of the two rules of mtb'ing that a friend once told me. The other is: "Pedal, pedal, pedal!"

I told Hill (geez, I just can't call you "Slug" any more! ) that she gave a new meaning to the term "triathlete" as she'll try anything! Big log? Check! Water crossing? Check! Uphill roots? Check! Sure, occasionally, she'd have to untangle the limbs from the bike, pick herself up, and dust herself off....but she'd put the chain back on the bike (), throw a leg over, and start all over again! Way cool!!

[HillSlugger]

I'm quite sore from yesterday, especially my wrist and my arms and shoulders. I do have a nice bruise on my hip. But it was fun!

Catriona, besides the problem with the chain jumping off the chain rings, the lever to bring the back derailleur to an easier gear has an excessively long travel before it actually wants to make a switch.

OK, if I were to drop the "HillSlug" name, what would I change to? "Tri_Anything"?

[Cataboo]

I'm quite sore from yesterday, especially my wrist and my arms and shoulders. I do have a nice bruise on my hip. But it was fun!

Catriona, besides the problem with the chain jumping off the chain rings, the lever to bring the back derailleur to an easier gear has an excessively long travel before it actually wants to make a switch.

OK, if I were to drop the "HillSlug" name, what would I change to? "Tri_Anything"?

I could take over the Hillslug name - I'm pretty slow on them. I've sort of gotten to the point where road hills I've got the gear strategy down and it usually works without me bonking before the top... Mountain biking I still either downshift too early and lose all momentum or stay geared high, which works till it gets really steep or I hit roots.

My wrists are really sore, I woke up in the middle of the night with both hands numb, so I think I aggravated them again - I need to learn to quit having a death grip on my handlebars and my brakes, but they're a security blanket for now.

I did a bruise check this morning - one bruise on each buttock, one on the hip, and one behind my knee. No idea if they're from mountain biking yesterday or on Saturday. Or from some other stuff.

I kept my poor bf up till 4 am tuning my bikes. I finished putting all the pieces onto the frame I was building up, then gave it to him to tune, and gave him the mountain bike to tune. Something was giving him fits, but I fell asleep and don't really know what. I did take the new road frame out for a test ride at 4 am...

He's typically pretty good at tuning the bikes - however, he's gentler on his gears than I am... I shift under load going up hills way too much and I mash - he usually shifts his gears before he gets on a hill, and just spins his way up and doesn't shift. So I'll tell him the bike's doing certain things, he'll take it out for a ride or put it on the trainer to look at the shifting, it'll act perfect for him and shift smoothly, and then he'll decide I'm nuts.