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Mountain Biking Guys (1 Viewer)

Mad Cow

Mad Cow

Welshers and Dawdlers Beware!
So, I live in Utah as many know, pretty much a mecca to mountain bikers. I have not really done much, but have several good friends in my neighborhood that do quite a bit. I live at the foot of a mountain and am so close to amazing trails, so I figured what the heck? Would be a great way to mix in some cross training with the running.

One of my good friends is a competitive rider and helped me choose a new bike. Ended up with a 29er - Rocky Mountain Soul that I got from a bike shop a block away from my office. Seems to be a very nice bike. Should be good to start.

Headed up to the foothills of my mountain on Saturday morning with another friend (serious biker was doing a 35 mile ride with a 5000 foot elevation gain :eek: ) and enjoyed it a lot. Did 8 miles on the trails to start, had to bail a few times, but I will take it considering I have not really even ridden a bike in years. Our total climb was shy of 700 feet along the foothills of the mountain.

Went out and grabbed some baggy shorts with the padding for next time. Little sore that day. :(

So, there has to be a contingency of mountain biking FBG's, right? I searched and did not find a thread so figured I might just start one and see if I can really get into this.

 
I live in Utah as well and took up mountain biking a few years back at the urging of a couple of buddies who are much more hard core than I am. I bought a barely used Yeti 575 at a great price and love it.

I didn't ride much last year but am getting into it again full swing this year. I'm still not very technical and have gotten out of shape in the past year so I'm taking it slow. I usually ride the Bonneville Shoreline Trail above Layton and Ogden and the Mueller Park Trail in Bountiful.

 
The Dreaded Marco said:
I live in Utah as well and took up mountain biking a few years back at the urging of a couple of buddies who are much more hard core than I am. I bought a barely used Yeti 575 at a great price and love it.

I didn't ride much last year but am getting into it again full swing this year. I'm still not very technical and have gotten out of shape in the past year so I'm taking it slow. I usually ride the Bonneville Shoreline Trail above Layton and Ogden and the Mueller Park Trail in Bountiful.
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Nice. I am sure there are some great trails up that way. I know Corner Canyon is supposed to be amazing. I can be up there in Draper in about 30 minutes.

There are quite a few guys from my neighborhood that want to do a group in Saratoga/Eagle Mountain areas, so it should be fun to start.

 
I live in the Minneaplis/St.Paul suburbs and it's actually pretty surprising how much quality single-track we have in our metro area. This will only be my 3rd summer of riding, but I'm hooked. My starter bike was sold last summer to make way for a Jamis Dragon Race and a Salsa Mukluk (fattie) so I could ride through the winter.

We call it mountain biking here, but really that's just because we've got to build technical things to break up the flow of things...my trip out to Cali this winter was met with 7 miles of climbing...and a little puking :/

Spring is finally showing it's teeth here, anxiously awaiting the opening of our nicer/larger trails.

 
FYI - Stava.com is a crazy awesome resource if you've got a GPS going on your routes. It'll show you how you did on trails and segments of trails vs anyone else that's uploaded their activity. It's sweet to be able to see how you stack up against others and compare your most recent time against previous runs.

 
jason12vb said:
FYI - Stava.com is a crazy awesome resource if you've got a GPS going on your routes. It'll show you how you did on trails and segments of trails vs anyone else that's uploaded their activity. It's sweet to be able to see how you stack up against others and compare your most recent time against previous runs.
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Yeah, my competitive buddy has been telling me to get on Strava. To this point, I just look at my GPS watch (nice running Garmin) and can download, analyze, etc. but might have to cave and take a look.

 
Mad Cow said:
jason12vb said:
FYI - Stava.com is a crazy awesome resource if you've got a GPS going on your routes. It'll show you how you did on trails and segments of trails vs anyone else that's uploaded their activity. It's sweet to be able to see how you stack up against others and compare your most recent time against previous runs.
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Yeah, my competitive buddy has been telling me to get on Strava. To this point, I just look at my GPS watch (nice running Garmin) and can download, analyze, etc. but might have to cave and take a look.
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Not really caving...it's a free site. You can pay for premium content, but if you're competitive or like to push yourself at all even the free stuff is awesome. (I'm not a paying member)

 
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Apple Jack said:
What do you mean by competitive?
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He races and tries to win the state title, or some such. Goes by points like NASCAR or similar racing leagues. You compete regularly, earn points on finishing, get a fancy top if you are the champ for the year. There are money awards for placing, etc. Not pro, but statewide does very well.

 
Apple Jack said:
What do you mean by competitive?
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It tracks everyone who rides the same routes or segments you do and has a leaderboard for everything. If 106 people have uploaded GPS content for the same segment, it will show you where you rank in those 106 people. So it allows you to race against other people without being there at the same time. It gives you something to strive for, be it trying to beat your best time or trying to move up a leaderboad for a whole trail or a specific segment.

 
Gotcha. So on that website, everybody who posts times are posting times where they rode whatever loop or segment like a time trial stage. It's not just a place where a bunch of times are dumped in there for people who were riding casually with friends or family and/or stopped along the way.

 
Clipless pedals will help a ton when going through the technical stuff. You'll fall over on your side a few times before you get used to them, but they are worth it.

 
Apple Jack said:
Gotcha. So on that website, everybody who posts times are posting times where they rode whatever loop or segment like a time trial stage. It's not just a place where a bunch of times are dumped in there for people who were riding casually with friends or family and/or stopped along the way.
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It can be for used either way. It also tracks your stats as to how far you've ridden in the week/month/year and your friends/followers can see your activity. So even if you're not using it to motivate yourself and beat your or other people's times, it's still useful to track mileage goals or share what you're accomplishing with friends.

 
That's cool. I have no use for anything like that, as for me it's all about being out there. I couldn't care less about times or turning it into a competition. My bil, on the other hand, is a gadget dweeb and would be all about this.

 
Steel Dillo said:
Clipless pedals will help a ton when going through the technical stuff. You'll fall over on your side a few times before you get used to them, but they are worth it.
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They scare me. I fell over 3 times on Saturday when rocks shifted or the tires went down into a groove unexpectedly. I jettisoned quick enough to land on my feet, but being latched on, a little scary. I know you just kick out your foot, but they say it takes time and practice to get in that habit. My competitive buddy has an older pair of very nice shoes that are about a size too big for me that he said I could have, but then before you know it, I am buying pedals to clip in to, then shoes. :bag:

 
Start with clipswhich are cheap and attach to most pedals. Just make sure the strap is snug. If you get comfortable with those and ride often enough, you can upgrade to "clipless" later.

 
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Idahoan here, and I've been riding for 20+ years. After falling face first and breaking my nose a few years ago, I came to the realization that I don't need to be fast on the downhill anymore, but being too slow can also make you fall. Sometimes you just have to let it roll. Clipless pedals are great, but it does take some getting used to - start by setting them loosely, riding on easy trails, and practicing until it is habit.

I ride for the exercise, the outdoors, and the companionship. Nothing like getting into a cooler of ice cold beer at the trailhead after a 20 miler and making fun of the guy who fell in the creek. Have fun with it.

 
I hate the toe baskets. And I really hate the pedals with those saw tooth edges. All they are good for is shredding your shins.

Once you get used to the clipless, you'll love them. Just set the tension loose to start with. It will become second nature.

 
ive done slickrock and a few dessert rides out of moab before. there is incredible riding and views, but you must keep a close eye on the weather.

i got my first mountain bike in college in the 80's. ive done a hanful of races and hundreds of substantial trail rides. im more of a road biker/commuter.

a good buddy used to race intermediate class for norba and ended up hanging out with hans rey quite a bit.

http://www.zapiks.com/hans-rey-collection-mtb-vide.html

 
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I enjoy trail-riding, but worked too much the last year so never got out to ride. Need to get my bike conditioned and going for this year, already starting to get pretty warm. I just use toe-clips, definitely not at any level of proficiency where I want to be clipped in yet.

We don't have the same kinds of trails you have in Utah, but SE Mich isn't a bad place for riding.

 
Mad Cow said:
Picked up this pair to try. If I stick with it and get serious, will move on to clipless.
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Not sure if this applies to every type of MTB riding, but a lot of people think it's best to learn to bike with flats (no clip or cleats) until you get comfortable on a bike. Rock gardens and technical things are freaky clipped in if you're just learning...it's nice to be able to give it a go and know you can put your foot down if you get stuck. I think I made the switch to clip-less too soon...I wasn't comfortable on the technical things yet and I think it set my development back.

After riding with clip-less pedals the first time, I hated it! Went back to flats the next day and hated not been connected to the pedals on the screaming fast downhills (of Minnesota keep in mind), and now I can't imagine going back to flats. Going clip-less isn't mandatory, there are a lot of great bikers out there that ride flats all the time, just gotta find a bike that really fits you and spend the time connecting with it until you feel like it's part of you.

Plus, as you started suggesting...this is a very expensive hobby/sport to get into: Bike(s), shoes, pedals, padded diapers, helmet, gloves, glasses, hydration, tools, tuneups if you don't have the tools...

 
Oh, and I just switched over to Time pedals (from a cheaper Shimano SPD) and I love them! Unbelievable how easy they are for me to get out of.

 
Ran 5 miles this morning, but heading out on a ride now. Something easy, around 6-8 miles, not very technical.

 
Ended up doing 9 miles in a fairly hilly trail. Did not fall off or get off unless I was getting water, so that is an improvement. :) At one point, as I was circling back to the trail, it ended. Instead of going back around a field, I went through it - about a half mile through dirt/weeds/heavy brush. I attribute a lot to this bike. I cannot imagine doing that on my older one. Good investment. There were a few times I was sure I was going to bite it hard, but man this thing stayed up.

Good day of exercise. Legs are a little tired now.

Went to a shop to get my son's ordered (13 yrs old, getting him the GT Aggressor 3.0). The owner asked where I worked, I told him, he asked if I did trade. :excited: Yeah, bike taken care of.

 
Love my mountain bikes. I've got a hardtail 29er and a 6" travel 26" bike. I've been riding the hardtail to work and back, some trails and some pavement. I've been playing around on my big bike on my days off - I'm trying to get a little better at some more aggressive riding, and there's some lift access MTB about 90 minutes away I'll take advantage of as soon as the snow melts.

Doing a 15-20 mile trail loop with some friends on the hardtail later today that will end at a brewery. :thumbup :

Also, clipless pedals are way better. There's a reason just about every serious cyclist uses them. If you're just too scared to try them though, five ten makes some good cycling shoes that mate well with a platform pedal. I've got them on my big bike right now and am trying them just because I like to try everything so I know from personal experience. Still vastly prefer clipless though.

 
There are a few of the ski resorts that have the lifts running now where you take the lift up with your bike and ride down. I will have to do that sometime soon - there are some freaking huge mountains here.

 
proninja said:
Love my mountain bikes. I've got a hardtail 29er and a 6" travel
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Got to take my new hardtail out for the first time the other day...I cannot believe how big of a difference a fork makes! Going from whatever was on my $800 retail bike to the $450 fork on my new one makes going over logs and rocks feel like riding over soft butter!

 
So how often do you guys go? I can see going twice a week - Tuesday morning and Saturdays, but I still love my running and want to have both. Might figure out an evening time, as well.

 
Once a week mountain and another two on the road. I started out as a mountain biker, but the road is just so convenient and peaceful.

 
The unpredictable weather in Minnesota means I ride when I can and take advantage of my opportunities There are weeks the rain doesn't allow for trails to be open and there are weeks when I get out 3 or 4 times because I wasn't able to get out the week before. At some point I'll give the road a shot just so I can get out and pedal...this will be my first spring/summer with a fat bike though, so I'm hoping even when the MTB trails are drying I'll be able to get out and do some exploring on non-mtb trails.

 
Live in Idaho and mountain bike pretty regularly. One of my friends is a cardiologist, and he told that probably the best thing I could do for my long term health was to buy a new mountain bike and ride it often.

I ride a Gary Fisher 29er hard-tail carbon Superfly. Pretty sweet bike for an old guy like me. Boise has a very nice Ridge to Rivers trail system, and I can ride out my door and be on 3 different single track trail systems within 1 mile. Typically ride 3x per week. I don't do anything extreme- no jumps off cliffs. Typical ride is about 10 miles- 1000ft of elevation gain.

My personal suggestion would be to go ahead and get the clipless pedals. There are a number of reasons for this:

1) You will be much more efficient- especially climbing hills.

2) You are much more centered over your bike and therefore have more control when you encounter obstacles on the trail. More control going downhill too. Control=safer

3) There is really no learning curve. 3 minutes in a parking lot max.

Yes you will crash. Yes you will sometimes look like a ####### as your bike comes to a standstill and you fall over.

The basket cages are not any safer either. My wife broke her tibial plateau a couple of years because her foot got trapped in a basket- and she did that on a bike path.

 
proninja said:
The Z Machine said:
I'm not a mountain biker, but the Yeti SB66 looks so badass that if I could find one for a decent price, I'd be hooked. See here: http://www.yeticycles.com/#/video/switch-overview
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That is a pretty slick looking bike. And a really badass video. I'm riding my Enduro tomorrow. :excited:
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Beautiful and badass all in one...if the day ever comes I can throw away 5K on a bike without having to plan where the money comes from, I'll definitely be taking a closer look.

In MN though I've avoided the full suspension craze...just not sure we need anything like that in the mounds of Minnesota that make up our trails.

 
I need to find a connect at Yeti to get a hookup. If any of them have kids that play lacrosse or field hockey, I can work out a quid pro quo on some demos.

 
So I took my youngest two for a bike ride last night, seeing as how I am getting into this. We just rode 1.5 miles to the youngest's school. They have this little retention pond there with 2 small, fairly steep hills that lead into each other, like this:

/

/

- -

Not that steep, but you get the idea. My daughter was chasing me, and I decide to get away going down, then back up. Being an adventurous 8 yr old girl, she followed. For the next 45 minutes, my son, daughter and I went back and forth on that hill. They had a blast, and I hope to see if we can kindle something there, as well.

 
All the trails in the Minneapolis/St Paul finally opened this weekend!

Oh what a difference a bike makes!

Saturday I got out for the first time on a trail I did 5 or 6 times last year, and of the 4 segments Strava.com said I had done previously, I set two Personal Records, and got two 2nd bests... Even though I'm probably in the worst spring shape I've ever been in. Normally I play volleyball twice a week in the winter and hit the gym at least twice, but I worked between 55 and 95 hours per week for 3 months and with planning a wedding, I havn't touched a volleyball for 6 months and might as well have cancelled my membership at the gym. My heart-rate over the 10 miles averaged 160 and the max was 182...it hurt....but the bike made up for my shape. Looking forward to breaking PRs after PRs and moving up those leaderboards!

 
I ran 8 miles Saturday AM, got home, changed, got the bike ready, and received a text from the guy I was going riding with - he got vetoed on the ride by his wife. :mellow:

I went ahead and headed up to the hills and just just an exploratory 6 miles, easy and enjoyable. That night, we went on a family bike ride with another family we are really close with - 4 adults, 4 kids riding around. It is fun to be back on a bike. It has been years.

 
Wife and I went for a ride this morning after we got the kids off to school. I rode my new one, she rode my old mission bike. Did 15 miles on a bike/running path. Beautiful morning. Not mountain biking, but getting the butt used to the seat, nonetheless.

Son's bike will be ready tomorrow.

 
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