Weekend MTB Rides

[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:

[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

[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!