Road rider goes mountain biking! Not Smart! [Archive]

lemondsteel

09-20-2006, 01:38 PM

Everyone please confirm how hard mountain biking is compared to road.
Or........ am I that bad of a single track rider? Would be great to hear other stories. I've been a road bike guy for 28 yrs.

On Sunday, September 16, David (my son) and I decided we were going to go mountain biking. We have a fabulous single track that Mammoth Cave National park let the local club develop. It's an expert trail. Lots of up and downs in the moonshine hills and lots of boulders and a trees in the path. My son called and said he couldn't make it. I decided to go by myself. You know the nice solitude and peace of mind kind of day. Being on coumadin, a blood thinner (had clots in the lungs in June) and tempting fate never crossed my mind.

I haven't been on the mtn bike in years. Have a great Paramount with Manitou 3 front end, hardtail. I'm thinking this shouldn't be too bad. BOY WAS I WRONG! I went down six times HARD. First three times I thinking "da*n this is hard but I'm getting the hang of fast downhills and slow uphills". 4th time down I hit a big rock that gashed my leg open below my knee cap, broke both cleats and pedals. So I've got sore shoulders and hips from the first three falls, tore the watch off my wrist and now I bleeding like a stuck pig, can't pedal very well, and wondering if I'm hemmoraging internally. Scary sh*t! 5th and 6th fall I'm praying I can find may way back and that I'll be OK. Didn't have a clue where I was. Didn't know if I had passed midpoint or not. It had rained the previous night so I looked like a swamp monster with blood all over me. Sounds FUN huh! I'm on these trails for almost 3 hours and it's starting to thunder and lightning. Geeeezz! I finally find a marker and get back to the parking lot. By now it starts pouring rain and I just throw the bike on the rack, try to stop the bleeding and head home. Neeedless to say it was a week before I could even think about riding again. You can bet I won't ride the mtn bike again until I'm off coumadin. Just wanted to let you know how increibily stupid I can be. Yes, Coumadin does thin the blood. LESSON LEARNED!

Fixed

09-20-2006, 01:41 PM

mt bikers can kill you road riders just drop you i.m.h.o.
cheers

saab2000

09-20-2006, 01:44 PM

Everyone please confirm how hard mountain biking is compared to road.

About 12 years ago I foolishly entered a mountain bike race in Switzerland. I will never do that again. It was the most insanely hard thing I have ever done and there is no hiding in the pack. My respect for mountain biking (at least as an athletic endeavor) went up that day.

In road biking a fairly mediocre rider (yours truly) can rise to surprising heights by using tactics and sitting in and knowing when to be in the right place in the field. Not in mountain biking. That s**t is hard.

slowgoing

09-20-2006, 01:48 PM

It's not a good idea for anyone to go mtn biking by themselves. I've done it, but it's a big risk. Find a buddy next time.

Sounds like you need to practice some basic mtn biking skills. See if your lbs can put you in touch with someone who can give you some moves to practice. It will make the next time that much more enjoyable.

Nothing more fun than mtn biking imho.

Too Tall

09-20-2006, 01:55 PM

Bragging aren't you? ;)
OK you lived. Now go back to basics. Practice curbs up/ down. Track stands and riding stairs. You'll get the hang of it. Also you can wear some protection for Pete sakes!
I raced mtn bikes for yrs. and quit about 15+ yrs. ago because my body could not take it anymore...those skills are not lost easily...just finished a strong 100+ mile offroad race. It was like old home week.

It's GOOD for you :) Within reason of course.

victoryfactory

09-20-2006, 02:07 PM

Mountain biking is harder than road riding.
That's why I'm in Moab with my road bike, dudes.
I plan to ride the Arches Nat'l park road tomorrow...

See ya

VF, on a "business trip"

Archibald

09-20-2006, 02:09 PM

Real mountain biking requires great skill, stamina, and courage and mountain bikers tend to be very intelligent, incredibly good looking, and spectacular in bed. Road biking is for people whose cycling prowess peaked with the removal of their training wheels ("Stay on the sidewalk, Timmy!). Cross bikes...well, that's the equivalent of someone who does all their shopping at Cabela's just to hang out at the local urban park. Posers.

Tourers are the Lewis & Clark of the cycling world but they ususally end up going crazy before dying of syphilis. All those one-night stands and camping out in cemetaries must have an accumulative effect. Go figure.

:banana:

Archibald

09-20-2006, 02:27 PM

That's why I'm in Moab with my road bike.
That's just wrong!

gt6267a

09-20-2006, 02:28 PM

I moved to Montgomery a dedicated road biker. The only other person who acknowledged bicycles do not come from walmart was a hard core mtn biker. We become friends and he bought a road bike so that is what we did for a while. Finally, kicking and screaming, I was convinced to purchase a mtn bike!

For a long time, I felt like an elephant freezing and desperate to get off an ICEBERG. It was awful. Even the smallest root, grain of sand, rock, bump, leaf, molecule of wet dirt, or g-d forbid a tree twig made me reach for the brakes or roll over on my side.

I�ve had my moots smoothie al (bought used on ebay, yeah okay, I went a little overboard for a noob, but figured, if I hate it, I�ll break even on the resale) for about 3 months now. Two friends bought mtn bikes in the past month and now I am the one saying things like, �it�s just a little thing what�s the big deal?� or �the faster you go down hill, the less you have to pedal up hill, ride smart, pedal less� or �don�t worry about stopping crazily for no reason, I used to do that all the time, it just gives me an opportunity to learn how to track stand (though, in reality, this means I am about to fall off or at least put a foot down because I can�t track stand for sheot)� or �roots don�t bother a soul with a enough speed, just go faster�

Anyway, what I am getting at is a little practice and you will get it or get it back. Though, I might back off the black diamond trail until you have your sea legs. We have some green circle / family trail type stuff around here that I still love to ride even though I have graduated (to what I have no idea).

I will second the encouragement to not ride alone and also to ride with someone more experienced. My mtn bike friend turned roadie, didn�t actually happen, was a great cheerleader. Not only did he encourage me to get a bike, but also to not be such a pansy, which I was. He taught me the tips I am passing onto my friends and I also spent some time riding behind him and watching his lines and body position. Watching a good rider in the groove proved super valuable for me.

Don�t confuse things, I still suck at mtn biking, but less than I used to and now enjoy it, I am choking here, maybe more than my time on the road.

I hope you are healing well.

victoryfactory

09-20-2006, 02:30 PM

BoulderGeek

09-20-2006, 02:56 PM

I'll wish good weather for you, VF.

I love the Arches road. It's almost sacrilege for me to go to Moab and not ride trail, but the last time I was there, that's all I did (Arches pavement).

I ride offroad by myself all the time. I think the crazy ones are the folks who do Slickrock trail without lightson full moon nights. I'm freaking petrified of taking the long slow endo down 600 vertical to the river and railroad tracks below.

I have 100K of motorcycling under my belt. SO far, no injuries to speak of from sport and dual sport motos. Knock on wood.

However, I have tended to get really hurt mountain biking. Nearly all of my scars are from mountain and road cycling.

Mud

09-20-2006, 03:10 PM

We rode 98% mountain for many years. I will admit to nothing more than slow and competent but have ridden Moab many times, Fruita and other points east and west. Perhaps because I was not good maybe the risk factor is not as great, but I still find road far more dangerous.

Cars are the wild card and dealing with an unexpected log or drop off is far easier than a new pothole or some moron ignoring the fact that I am doing the speedlimit and it is OK to pull out in front of me at 10MPH.

For those that race I am sure the dangers are equal. Crashes get everyone although body armor is OK when you MB. The skills are a little different and my taste for jumping off stuff is gone south.

I have had my enounters with bears and find that a law maintenance company towing one of those home made trailers with crap hanging off is far more dangerous although you CA guys have large pussycats that I have never met-fortunately. :beer:

Ken Robb

09-20-2006, 03:16 PM

I thought my face-plant as a result of clearing 3.5 of the 4 steps at the UCSD Geisel Library was the dumbest performance by a mature rider who should have known better but your report takes the cake!

Why didn't you slow down or walk the tough parts after you proved your incompetence with the first fall? Why take big risks on blood thinners? I know I sound like your father but jeez----

zap

09-20-2006, 03:25 PM

Mountain biking should be mandatory for all roadies!

Sure it takes a bit of skill. If you go really fast, it's like a video game.

It will improve your road handling skills.

I try to go once a week. Great fun to bounce around the woods, jump a few logs, meet the wildlife and get really dirty. Big plus is no cars.

Ray

09-20-2006, 03:28 PM

I got back into cycling on mountain bikes. I was in my mid-30s and used to regularly come home covered in blood and mud and, for some reason it almost never hurt. Occasionally I'd have a really hard impact with something and that would hurt, but usually just lots of scrapes and abrasions. It was more fun than I'd had since I was a kid. But then, over time I got better, even halfway good, and I crashed a LOT less, went a lot faster, and, on the rare occasion I did crash, tended to crash friggin' HARD! Then I got a full suspension bike, which made me even faster and I crashed even less, but those crashes that did occur were total yard sales. As this pattern continued, I gradually lost my taste for real mountain biking. Somewhere in the first couple of years, I started getting into road riding also and now I'm about 95+ percent a road rider, with just the occasional excursions onto dirt. And I've turned into a pussy in my old age too. No desire to crash anymore. Hence, I ride slower and don't even try most of the difficult stuff I used to handle pretty easily. And, now, what used to seem relatively easy, seems almost impossibly hard. But it's not - its all about attitude and 'go for it' aggression. And when you're doing a lot of both, both types of riding really complement one another. Riding the road improves your fitness for mountain biking incredibly and riding technical terrain does great things for your bike handling on the road.

I sort of miss it, like many parts of my misspent youth, but OTOH I'm having too much fun to really worry about it.

Be careful out there :beer:

-Ray

Lincoln

09-20-2006, 03:29 PM

Speaking of touring,
I was driving up 191 to Moab this morning, the wind was howling,
the rain was sprinkling and the vast red rock panorama was before me
when all of a sudden... Wait can that be a guy on a bike?
Yup, about halfway up a 3 mile grade (maybe 6%)
was a lone tourer with full pans, big grey beard, pedaling about
100 cadence, must have been doing about 8mph.
man if I ever had a romantic vision of touring,
It took a serious hit today...

VF, If I ever come back from the store with panniers, please shoot me...

I swear, I always see those guys when it is NASTY out. Can't remember when I last saw one on a beautiful day.

VF, if it dries out it would be worth it to rent a bike and at least do one of the beginner loops at Slickrock. Really.

Hwy 128 is a nice ride, as is the road into Canyonlands.

Ginger

09-20-2006, 03:59 PM

Get yourself some armor and let some air out of your tires.

Seriously.

Roadies tend to mountain bike with lots of air in their tires...and crash a lot on technical stuff...when really a softer tire isn't going to slip off stuff as much. Sure, you'll be slower on the pavement. But that's not what it's about either, is it?

I'm about 145 and run 23-25lbs of air front and rear.

zap

09-20-2006, 04:19 PM

snipped

I'm about 145 and run 23-25lbs of air front and rear.

Tubeless?

lemondsteel

09-20-2006, 04:38 PM

In response....... I admit it was one of the most DF things I've done. You wouldn't believe how much I DID get off and walk. I've rode the mtn bike quiet a bit and am not a novice but not an expert either. I always tend to ride the MB like I do road..... ba*ls out all the time. It's the only way I know to ride..... until NOW!!!! I used to look at MB riders as those that just like to ride, take it easy...ride, take it easy. Now I am a semi-educated FOOL. As Aretha sings it R-E-S-P-E-C-T. Got a ton of it for the MB riders now. I do look forward to doing the single track again. As for the blood thinner..... even if someone is with me it really would not make a lot of difference, big cut or big hit my life is not going to be saved by a buddy! I vowed when they put me on coumadin I would not change my lifestyle. Life is too short and mine has been pretty good. NO death wish but no fear either.

Does everyone use cliplees on their mtn bike? I do, and I'm beginning to think I would do better (initially) with the pedals I took off that had the power strap that kind of cammed your foot in. Whats the verdict???

gt6267a

09-20-2006, 04:54 PM

Does everyone use cliplees on their mtn bike? I do, and I'm beginning to think I would do better (initially) with the pedals I took off that had the power strap that kind of cammed your foot in. Whats the verdict???

i am using the speedplay frogs and am enjoying them. i did need to grind down the sole of my shoe a bit to accept the cleat but since doing that they have been good.

keno

09-20-2006, 05:46 PM

are blood brothers. We trade emails about life, which started because we both have to deal with the same very real life issue - we are bleeders, each of us because we are on a blood thinning drug called Coumadin. If we crash, we are more likely to pay a price much, much higher than most because of our conditions.

I was at first a bit annoyed reading the various responses to lemondsteel's initial one in that no one wrote to the fact that ls was exposing himself to a life threatening danger way beyond that of only mountain biking on challenging terrain with spice thrown in by Mother Nature. But then I came to Ken Robb's post which picked up on it, and that's when I started thinking.

After my first few rides post-hospital stay and in what the docs call the "therapeutic range" with the Coumadin (congrats, you've become a bleeder), I can say that when I'm on the road, or off it for the most part, I never think about the risks of my condition. Maybe it comes down to a matter of personality as to what an individual will do when he has a condition that exposes him to unusual risks. Some may conclude that avoiding risks is who they are and they change their style of living by eliminating risky activity; others, such as ls and myself, have concluded that the risks of their former condition are worth taking in order for life to have its robust meaning to them. We continue to be who we were before the event, but with a footnote. BTW1, what constitutes a "risk" to an individual is, in itself, an interesting subject. BTW2, just because I or ls might get cut doesn't spell doom. I must confess that while on the rollers Saturday watching Michigan score against Notre Dame, yet again, I got a bit excited and went off the rollers and gashed myself pretty good. Cleaned the cut and taped a firm bandage on it and have ridden about 70 miles since then.

My friend, Steve Lehman, who holds the 55+ hour record (27.6 miles), has had two very serious pulmonary embolism episodes (ls and I are relative pikers, having had one each, but I had a DVT (deep vein thrombosis) so the docs want me on Coumadin for life). Steve, who any doc would recommend be on Coumadin for life, made an interesting choice, which was to stop taking Coumadin because he was concerned about a brain hemorraghe resulting from a crash. He continues to race, crits and road races, and plans to break his hour record as a 60+. Which risk is greater, life-threatening blood clots or death from bleeding? You've got two answers, one from Steve and one from ls and myself.

Ken Robb, you just simply don't know what your answer is until you have the question. You drive race cars, I believe. Can you say at this moment you would give that up if in ls's or my shoes? I raise this as a rhetorical matter and not as a challenge inasmuch as I don't believe that no matter how sincere and serious you or anyone else might be in considering this situation before the fact, you just don't know. And having gotten there, one might change his mind from time to time.

Which is a long way around the block to say that those of you who offered advice on riding a mountain bike were on the right track, at least as to the likes of ls and myself.

BTW3, if someone offered me the job of being on the rotating wheel for the knife thrower at the circus I would pass on the opportunity fer sure.

keno

Ginger

09-20-2006, 06:40 PM

snipped

Tubeless?
Nope. Regular old tires with tubes. No sealant either...And I don't have a problem with pinch flats at that level. It seems counterintuitive, but it works.

The only added danger is that if you hit a particular item at a particular angle with particular tires, the tire can fold over on you...then you endo. Tuck and roll...try not to hit a tree. :) Oh...and if you're a "heavy rider" who bulls through stuff with your rear planted on the hardtail without picking your line...maybe a little more air is a good idea.

LS's story reminded me of when I severed my ACL and MCL on the trail in the middle of nowhere. My knee balooned up instantly. Like someone had a hose on in there. I suppose if I had been on Coumadin, I wouldn't be typing right now.

Oh, on pedals: Get your armor, and pick up some BMX pedals...Every time I restart trail riding I go out on plain old flats the first few times so I can bail off the bike without thinking about it.
I think mine are Atomic Labs...There is no float. You will stick to the pedals, but you won't be able to pull up so well...The good ones have screws in them that dig into the sole of your shoe. Your foot really doesn't move once you've planted it on the pedal, only if you step off.
You'll need the shin armor (and the back of your leg too) because you will nail yourself more than once with the pedals...and they do draw blood.

Ginger. (Who has re-started mountain biking far too many times to ever be good at it...)

P.S. Keno...good to hear that you're back on the bike!

Oh...Frogs Suck. (They are the only mtb pedal that has ever kept my shoe when I went off the bike.)

gt6267a

09-20-2006, 07:11 PM

Oh...Frogs Suck. (They are the only mtb pedal that has ever kept my shoe when I went off the bike.)

hmmm. maybe i didn't grind enough? before grinding down my shoe, the frogs didn't even clip in. now they stay clipped in, but i come out super duper fast. notice i did not say fast, nor super fast, but my feet come off the pedals in such a way that i need the super and duper to describe it. i can't imagine crashing and remaining attached to the bike. there is a little adjustment and i will try it. maybe that will firm things up?

csm

09-20-2006, 07:16 PM

mountain bikes are just plain fun. although hikers get a little upset when you encounter them on the appalachian trail. just kidding. we were walking our bikes at that point.

BoulderGeek

09-20-2006, 07:18 PM

I concur with Ray.

Now that I am on a full suspension rig, my crashes are happening at speeds far faster than when I was picking my hardtail through the terrain trying not to break rim or axle.

My second ride on my new full suspension resulted in a momentary lapse of attention, my right patella slamming into a slab of granite from a high distance, and a complete somersault off the edge of the trail, dropping 12 feet down off the trailside on my back, only to have my nice new bike land on me a scant second later.

I wouldn't say I ahve turned into a pussy, per se. I prefer to call myself an invaginated American. :D No offense intended to any who might be offended. :D

Lifelover

09-20-2006, 07:25 PM

If the trails we have in Williamsburg count, than I will be going mountain biking tomorrow. Do it about 4 times a year. I have a plush FS rig and wouldn't change to hard tail if you paid me. It is amazing how different it is than road riding.

Like Ginger I'm a fan of platforms. Any advantage gained by being clipped in is easily lost with one fall. I plan on clipping in some day just not tomorrow.

coylifut

09-20-2006, 07:51 PM

one's initial propensity for mountain biking is in direct proportion to how much time you spent on a bmx bike in your youth. bmx chops transfer directly to the mountain bike. those of us in our early 40s caught the first wave of the west coast bmx wave. it was a time when redline, mongoose and others were launched. bmx riders look to use obstacles to gain speed. in experienced off road cyclists look to avoid these same obstacles.

regardless of one's background, mountain biking is darn fun.

Ken Robb

09-20-2006, 08:09 PM

I like mtn. biking too and when I ride alone I skip some more challenging trails that I'm happy to ride when I have company. I just don't want to lie helpless in the woods for who-knows-how-long if I crash and burn.

The older I get the longer I take recovering from injuries. After two knee surgeries I gave up tennis as I was told further deterioration and more surgeries would result if I contined playing on hard courts and that's all we have. I like to ski, ride my bikes, walk, etc. so I chose to give up tennis to extend my enjoyment of other activities.

As street cars have gotten so FAST I don't teach nearly as many driving schools as I used to. 500+ horsepower stock automobiles in the hands of a novice can be scary. I am instructing at California Speedway Oct. 6,7 but I resigned as Chief Instructor a few months ago. I don't want to be responsible for the the whole group of students and instructors.

I guess we all have our own way of judging risk/reward ratios and adjust our exposure accordingly.

davids

09-20-2006, 08:22 PM

Like Ray, I got back into cycling through mountain biking, five years back. I started out on a similar trajectory - I threw myself into it, and crashed a lot. I came to see scabby knees as a badge of honor.

But eventually, I wised up. I started riding with some guys who actually had some skills, and learned (1) that there is a technique to clearing obstacles and (2) the technique itself. I crashed less and less over time, and now when I do, it tends to be at low speeds, when I run out of momentum.

I'm cautious. So, I tend to keep inside my 'risk envelope', even as that envelope gets bigger. So, while I'm going faster, cleaning more technical sections, and generally riding with more 'flow', I still shy away from the ragged edge of my abilities. Maybe if I'd grown up on BMX I'd be different, but I spent my youth toodling around my neighborhood on a stylin' Raleigh Chopper...

And I like the road better, anyway.

Fixed

09-20-2006, 08:28 PM

or you could ride a single with a rigid f. and run a lot . cheers

shinomaster

09-20-2006, 09:28 PM

About 12 years ago I foolishly entered a mountain bike race in Switzerland. I will never do that again. It was the most insanely hard thing I have ever done and there is no hiding in the pack. My respect for mountain biking (at least as an athletic endeavor) went up that day.

In road biking a fairly mediocre rider (yours truly) can rise to surprising heights by using tactics and sitting in and knowing when to be in the right place in the field. Not in mountain biking. That s**t is hard.

SAAB...you should try Cross!

shanerpvt

09-20-2006, 10:41 PM

snipped

Tubeless?

w/ Stan's & the fatter the tire the better (2.35 min).

shanerpvt

09-20-2006, 10:46 PM

Archibald

09-20-2006, 11:09 PM

SAAB...you should try Cross!
Cross racing
Cross dressing

Coincidence?

I think not!

:banana:

Archibald

09-20-2006, 11:12 PM

w/ Stan's & the fatter the tire the better (2.35 min).
Stan's is good, ghetto is better. If you're going to use Stan's, stick to UST or wire beaded tires. Conventional folding (Kevlar bead, etc.) tires and Stan's will let you down.

I'm feeling you with the big tires! :beer:

shanerpvt

09-20-2006, 11:15 PM

Stan's is good, ghetto is better. If you're going to use Stan's, stick to UST or wire beaded tires. Conventional folding (Kevlar bead, etc.) tires and Stan's will let you down.

I'm feeling you with the big tires! :beer:

ya havta keep the stan's flow'in!

toaster

09-20-2006, 11:41 PM

Wow! A mountain bike thread that is more than one page. What's gotten into the roadies?

I started serious riding on mountain bike back when it was John Tomac and Ned Overend. The days when they rode an uphill TT, a cross-country, and a downhill on hardtails. I'm not a fan of anything mountain bike that looks like motocross, bike or rider. It's a generational thing.

Bicycles are just cool. A well-rounded rider should have skills both on-road and off. A roadie who can't negotiate the average single-track and a few obstacles on a mountain bike is a disappointment. I guess that means the rider doesn't even do 'cross.

A mountain bike gets me out of the world of automobiles and into nature. Without that break I might just go nuts. Fortunately, there's a lot of trails where you don't see anybody, or at least the contact is very rare and brief.

I find some mountain bikers who are completely without any road experience as well. Guys afraid to wear tight shorts or use a gear bigger than 22/28t on a small hill while carrying 2 gallons of water on their backs and a toolbox and a picnic lunch stored in their backpacks for a two hour ride certainly aren't doing pacelines at 30mph.

That's not a 'dis, it's a statement on keeping it essential. With experience everybody finds what works.

Too Tall

09-21-2006, 06:40 AM

Toaster, you are taking me back to days of use-ta-could...however I go even further back...it was: uphill tt, trials, cross country. We added DH a few yrs. later.

BumbleBeeDave

09-21-2006, 06:41 AM

. . . is different here in the northeast. There are way more obstacles on the trail . . . rocks, logs, sticks, mud holes, etc. The trails out west I rode were much nicer. Sure, there were rocks, but everything was more open on the whole.

I went to the local bike club's MTB fest back in June and did a two hour ride at a local state park that re-affirmed my dislike for riding through/over/around all these things. I finished the ride with the other guys and didn't end or hip dab or otherwise lose skin/momentum. But two hours of sweat dripping in my face profusely at 5mph while simultaneously looking A) two feet in front of my front wheel to see small crap and B) looking 10 feet ahead to pick a line that won't get me killed and C) not getting to see any of the spectacular woodland scenery at all and D) getting covered in mud and mosquitoes (they can fly at 7 mph) is not my idea of a pleasant ride.

COULD I do it regularly with more practice? Yeah. DOES it teach incredible bike-handling skills? Yeah. DO I have an appreciation and great respect for folks who do it regularly? Yeah. But it just ain't my preferred cup o' tea. I like the wide open road, the speed, and the changing scenery of road riding. so my MTB has slicks on it now for bike path and rain riding, and I've got that extra set of wheels with knobbies in the basement for next time I need to be reminded why I love the road so much! :rolleyes:

BBD

Too Tall

09-21-2006, 06:54 AM

Dave, I'm 110% sure you'd like mtn bike riding EVEN more on a road bike...try it!!! :cool:

ols

09-21-2006, 06:55 AM

Does everyone use cliplees on their mtn bike? I do, and I'm beginning to think I would do better (initially) with the pedals I took off that had the power strap that kind of cammed your foot in. Whats the verdict???

Did you have trouble at all unclipping your foot out of the pedals? If yes, then there are large platform pedals with removable pins that stick out of them which work well (I have azonic a-frames when I want to use platforms), but you really ought to use shin guards when you have the pins in (one of these pedal models is called the "shin burger" ...) For clipless, if you use Time mtn pedals (which I think are great on the mtb) then Speedgoat.com sells a "shaved" version of the Time cleats that reduce the amount of foot angle you need to clip out (nb: you can also file down your cleats yourself)- these were a real help for me when I was crashing left and right early on because I couldnt clip out fast enough.

d_douglas

09-21-2006, 06:57 AM

I got into cycling when the MTB craze hit. I moved to Vancouver shortly thereafter and was a dirt crazed maniac (or so I thought). Over time i realized that I was in up to my knees compared to what riders on the North Shore of Vancouver do - twenty foot drops are common. You have likely seen the videos, etc. of the crazy stunts that people pull of there, but what you don't see are the 22 year old bike shop employees walking with canes around the shop as their broken backs heal (I've known of two of them). Scary.

I simply got more interested in road riding, but I am sure that something had to do with the fact that I was a chicken**** MTB rider who ended up walking down most of the REALLY tricky stuff. At some point, I just thought it was better to ride road bikes and the occasional XC ride on TRAILS, not CLIFFS.

If you are really into trying something scary and challenging, try out any of the three North Shore mountains. Bulk up on your health insurance before coming!

Tom

09-21-2006, 07:40 AM

and that was all it took to make me realize I'd kill myself if I kept doing it.

The first time I did this cool flip over the front where I found myself standing, looking around going "Where did the bike go?" My buddies thought I did it on purpose and was some kind of god, but I had to admit it was a complete accident and that I wound up on my feet was even more of an accident.

The second time I hooked a tree with my bar and did a 90 degree right turn at about 15 miles an hour. The ground was soft, so no problems. Then I wedged a wheel between two rocks in a brook and took a bath. After that I hit a wet root and wound up on my side.

That was it.

It sure made me appreciate the guys I saw riding the Vermont 50-miler in West Windsor where they came down a washed-out class 4 road on wet leaves over moss covered round rocks in a stream bed at about 30 miles an hour. One guy was on a fixie. Them's handling skills.

spiderlake

09-21-2006, 08:02 AM

Clipless for me. I used to have Frogs but couldn't stand them. I switched over to Crank Brothers Candies this year and LOVE them!! I ride with a group from work and skills range from total newbie to years of experience. Over time, nearly the entire group has switched over to clipless pedals. Our trails are comprised of hills, roots, rocks and a ton of SAND. Some technical sections but people from "real" mountain biking states would probably laugh.

Does everyone use cliplees on their mtn bike? I do, and I'm beginning to think I would do better (initially) with the pedals I took off that had the power strap that kind of cammed your foot in. Whats the verdict???

stevep

09-21-2006, 08:08 AM

lemond.
ride a little easier until you know what you are doing...
175 crashes on one ride seems a little excessive to me.
mt bike is really fun. kicking the shiite out of yourself less so... especially when it lays you off until you heal.
relax, just go for a ride.

Ginger

09-21-2006, 08:27 AM

Toaster, you are taking me back to days of use-ta-could...however I go even further back...it was: uphill tt, trials, cross country. We added DH a few yrs. later.

I remember watching Dave Kirk do trials-style stuff on his road bike in the parking lot while waiting for a ride start at TDFL...he talked about mtb racing "back in the day" when that was part of it...

Skills man...

aLexis

09-21-2006, 08:40 AM

...A mountain bike gets me out of the world of automobiles and into nature. Without that break I might just go nuts...

Agreed. There is something really satisfying about going for a four hour ride with no cars, no stoplights, and no pavement. Actually, I was going to go for a road ride this morning, but all this talk about mountain biking has changed my mind - it's off to the trail I go!

Ti hardtail + 29" wheels + Tubeless tires (w/ Stans) = Perfect Ride!

lemondsteel

09-21-2006, 08:40 AM

Thanks Keno for the thoughts. I can now look back on the ride and think about how much of a blast I did have. Pain is not a factor in my life. Pain is everyday for me and I ignore it. Naturally, after the ride your first thoughts are never again. But, if I could leave the office right now and be on that trail....... I would. Lessons learned.

Keno knows my medical history and it reads like a who's who of accidents and illness. But I have had a life I wouldn't trade for anything.

I'll try the platform pedals, temper my enthusiasim and get better. FUN!

Too Tall

09-21-2006, 08:46 AM

LeSteel' - I quit Mtn. bikes entirely because my hands just could not take the beating...it was a sad day. However I can still do the odd off trail excusion. Something that really motivates me is riding my Vanilla (fat tubulars, long reach brakes) on rough dirt roads, fire roads etc. You can find tons of not so crazy stuff that is marginal or impossible for a road bike however is perfect for a fat tyre road bike or a mtn. bike with hard pack tyres. OK, so you won't have a near death experience to brag about ;)

Archibald

09-21-2006, 09:01 AM

I'll try the platform pedals, temper my enthusiasim and get better. FUN!I wouldn't go with platforms unless you absolutely have to. Stick to trails you know you can ride at first until unclipping becomes instictive. Clipless pedals will help make you a better rider and after you've ridden for a while, you won't know how to ride without them. Platforms have their place, but unless you're well accustomed to them they can expose you to new challenges, like toe overlap and your foot slipping off at inopportune times. If you use modern pinned platforms make sure you wear leg armor.

The best clipless pedals for MTB'ing are Times. If you want more of a platform so you can ride unclipped if you have to, get the Time Z's. They are excellent pedals and very reasonably priced.

http://www.pricepoint.com/images/styleImages/D_240%20TIMZP2.jpg

Too Tall

09-21-2006, 09:08 AM

Good advice.
I am trying a set of old time pedals...haha initially installed the cleats reversed...still worked nice :rolleyes: They might be better than my old Shimano M747s.

PBWrench

09-21-2006, 10:10 AM

VF -- Enjoy Arches. Make sure to score lots of Poison Spider swag and have breakfast at the Jailhouse.

davids

09-21-2006, 11:30 AM

Road biking is about movement. At its best, there's a oneness with the bike, and you move over the landscape in synch with the world, an arrow in flight.

http://images.amazon.com/images/P/0804832463.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg
Mountain biking is about attention. At each moment, there are choices to be made, and you must inhabit the moment in order to engage the world.

http://ec1.images-amazon.com/images/P/0517543052.01._SS500_SCLZZZZZZZ_V1122546824_.jpg
How's that for some pop philosophy? :rolleyes:

In any event, I recommend clipless pedals for mountiain biking. Being clipped in is a major help both for bike handling and for quick bursts of power. Keep the tension relatively loose so you can get a foot down fast when necessary.

zeroking17

09-25-2006, 10:52 AM