Bicycling

Kuriin_sl said:

I've had "oh shit" moments where I was stopped and couldn't unclip

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Yeah, I think that's what we all mean. Everyone tends to go through it when new to clipless where you come to a stop and your muscle memory isn't fully ingrained yet and you fail to unclip and fall right over. Never happens to me anymore but when I first made the jump to clipless it was definitely a thing.

I fell my first week of spd riding, came up to a stop light and was focused on something and bike started dropping to the left but couldn't get my left foot out in time, hit the ground right as my foot came out.

Clipless riding is amazing if you do any sort of climbing though, even from riding cages.to spd it was night and day.

Looking to ride my bike from San Francisco and Sacramento in a day. Finding bike paths is a PITA, though. =\ Anyone done it here? It looks to be about 132 miles.

Those dudes are super ultra mega fucking lucky they landed where they did.

That's pretty funny. They're like lemmings following the first idiot who jumped off.

That's the scary part about downhill biking when you're doing your first run down a line, though. They're designed to be done at a certain speed, and if you hesitate at the wrong place right before a big jump/drop, you can really fucking hurt yourself. Dude going first should have known where the fuck he was going. Generally when I go biking I like to do it with a group of people, preferably ones that have done the run before that I can follow.

Cad_sl said:

So one of my buddies is dragging me into this cycling nonsense, so I'm picking up a Specialized Allez on craigslist thats like 2 months old. Half price, not bad. Figure I can always resell it for minimal loss later on when I figure out if I want to continue or not and what I really like.

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Just make sure it fits you, an ill fitting bike causes cycling to become a chore. Once you get a good solid fit, you can practically live on a bike.

Eomer_sl said:

That's the scary part about downhill biking when you're doing your first run down a line, though. They're designed to be done at a certain speed, and if you hesitate at the wrong place right before a big jump/drop, you can really fucking hurt yourself. Dude going first should have known where the fuck he was going. Generally when I go biking I like to do it with a group of people, preferably ones that have done the run before that I can follow.

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I've wondered about the etiquette for these kinds of tracks. Since getting my bike a few months ago I've done a few very, very easy/simple tracks in my area. Nothing fancy, but slightly downhill, some small jumps, bumps, rocks, bridges, turns, etc. Anyway, like you said, they're designed to be done at a certain speed so I feel like a dick the first time I do them cause I tend to go slower than I probably should. I'm always worried that someone's going to come speeding up behind me. Obviously it's not a big deal on this easy stuff, but it might be an issue once I start graduating to steeper, faster ones. Is it generally expected that you'll go behind someone who knows the layout so you won't be a slow ass?

McCheese_sl said:

I've wondered about the etiquette for these kinds of tracks. Since getting my bike a few months ago I've done a few very, very easy/simple tracks in my area. Nothing fancy, but slightly downhill, some small jumps, bumps, rocks, bridges, turns, etc. Anyway, like you said, they're designed to be done at a certain speed so I feel like a dick the first time I do them cause I tend to go slower than I probably should. I'm always worried that someone's going to come speeding up behind me. Obviously it's not a big deal on this easy stuff, but it might be an issue once I start graduating to steeper, faster ones. Is it generally expected that you'll go behind someone who knows the layout so you won't be a slow ass?

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Where you been riding? You live around NoVa/DC right?

Yeah Cad downhilling is pretty fucking dangerous there's no doubt. Still, props to Eomer or whoever else, its fun as fuck but I'll stick with cross country single track.

Famm_sl said:

Where you been riding? You live around NoVa/DC right?

Yeah Cad downhilling is pretty fucking dangerous there's no doubt. Still, props to Eomer or whoever else, its fun as fuck but I'll stick with cross country single track.

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I've been going toFairland Recreational Park Mountain Bike Trail in Burtonsville, Maryland || SINGLETRACKS.COM.

I guess it's technically a collection of cross country single tracks, but it has several downhill sections with log jumps, raised bridges, ramps, sharp turns, etc. I really like it and it seems like a great place to get my feet wet before tackling any real tracks (downhill or otherwise).

McCheese_sl said:

I've wondered about the etiquette for these kinds of tracks. Since getting my bike a few months ago I've done a few very, very easy/simple tracks in my area. Nothing fancy, but slightly downhill, some small jumps, bumps, rocks, bridges, turns, etc. Anyway, like you said, they're designed to be done at a certain speed so I feel like a dick the first time I do them cause I tend to go slower than I probably should. I'm always worried that someone's going to come speeding up behind me. Obviously it's not a big deal on this easy stuff, but it might be an issue once I start graduating to steeper, faster ones. Is it generally expected that you'll go behind someone who knows the layout so you won't be a slow ass?

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Yeah, it's such a new sport that a lot of that shit is still being established I find. Skiing has the Alpine Responsibility Code which is basically a rules of the road for a ski hill:Alpine Responsibility Code

As far as I'm aware, there isn't really an equivalent for DH biking yet. So I guess you have to use common sense. For the slower riders, ride within your ability, move out of the way of faster riders when it's safe to do so, and so on. If you have to walk around half of the run, you probably shouldn't be there in the first place. Go back to an easier run and work on your skills and confidence more before going back. For faster riders, you should be aware that there will be slower riders on the run, don't be a fucking asshole and tailgate the shit out of them or make unsafe passes.

Honestly, I prefer riding at smaller resorts as compared to Whistler, because when I go to Whistler I just feel like a slow poke pussy when I'm on the black diamond runs (single black only, double black "flow" runs have like 15-20 foot step ups, FUCK THAT). There are just so many good riders there, and they are aggressive as fuck when it comes to getting past you if you're going slow. I really, really don't like having someone riding my ass unless it's a buddy that I know isn't trying to pass me.

Cad_sl said:

That downhill mountain biking looks fucking stupid. Hope you have your orthopedic surgeon on speed dial. Fucking wolverine would probably say that shit looks unsafe.

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I would agree that compared to most other sports people participate in that it's one of the most dangerous in terms of physical injury. But if you wear the proper equipment, ride within your ability, and know the trails it is still quite safe. I haven't had any significant injuries, nor have any of the dozen or so people that I ride with. I know a shit load more people who have blown knees and the like skiing/snowboarding and destroyed shoulders playing hockey. But I know a lot more people who do those sports than downhill. I'm sure the rate of injury is significantly higher.

Well, I find with downhilling that stamina isn't really an issue. It's mostly core and grip/arm strength, not necessarily legs or cardio. But it certainly can't hurt to be in good shape. I've never taken a "skills" course for downhilling, and truth be told other than downhilling in the past 5 years I've maybe ridden my cross country bike 5-10 times. So my skills mostly suck. But somehow I've managed not to kill myself yet. I probably should take a skills course, because the stuff I have the most trouble with are things like skinnies, fast cornering on banked turns, and technical lines. All of which relate to technical ability/skill.

I'm really skilled at going off a table top, losing both pedals mid air, and crushing my balls on my seat when I land.

Ao-_sl said:

Hrm, you think skills courses would be pretty valuable? Local IMBA chapter (MORC) has them on all the time. I'm really just doing urban trail (and I mean that literally, bike trails in town) to build up stamina so when I do eventually go MTB ridding I don't run out of gas 1/2 through.

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What kind of riding are you trying to build up to doing? The vast majority of mountain biking is more cross country than downhill or free ride.

Yeah, downhilling is a whole different animal. The type of riding I do the most I would classify as 'Enduro' riding, the trails are downhill-ish but you pedal up instead of taking a lift. So in the area I ride most of the trails are built to be ridden both ways (although there are some downhill only trails) but have a downhill flare to them usually. I consider myself pretty good, I am the best rider in my group of family/friends and when I do group rides with the local club I am among the top riders. I can go very fast even down tight technical sections, ride most the stunts, have no problem taking drops and even get a decent amount of air off jumps (although admittedly my jumping skills have deteriorated with age).

So I expected to be pretty good a downhilling, but I went this summer and was severely humbled. I was regulated to the green runs and even then I struggled at times. Part of it was my bike (I was riding my normal ride which is just a 5"/5") but really I just wasn't good enough. I think with the right bike and more practice I could get good at it, the base skills are there just not the experience, but it was a major step up in difficulty for me. And as Eomer pointed out, it requires a different kind of strength/fitness. Once I get into the swing of riding season my normal day covers 15 miles and 5000' of vertical feet. I can easily double that for an epic day. But after just a couple of runs downhilling I was tired, and was struggling with my grip.

As far as downhilling safety, most downhillers dress like a storm-trooper and all that gear really does help. I've had several crashes that looked very gnarly but I walked away with barely a scratch thanks to my protective gear. Is there an injury risk, sure, but I don't think it is much more than any other sort of adrenaline sport. I get hurt more often playing beer-league softball than I ever have mountain biking.