Fifty Plus (50+) - First Long MTB Ride

Man, am I pooped. just got back from a trip throught the Upton State Forest and then rode the power lines back to Milford for a total of about 15 miles. I have a new found respect for Stapham, wow! The trails were pretty typical New England forest terrain. A lot of hills, many to steep to ride up, a lot of wet lands, rocks, tree roots, and steep descents.

We got totally soaked mostly because what used to be a stream is now a huge wet land thanks to a family of beavers. Which of course is the area were I took my only fall. Sore left wrist now. Overall the trip was fun although probably had a few spots beyond my rookie capabilities. We probably walked a quarter of the time.

The Gary Fisher Wahoo however, did just fine. It handled very well and generally went were I pointed it. The brakes were great, I had very good control on the steep descents. My riding partner rides a Schwinn Mesa and often had to bail out on the descents because his brakes were terrible.

OK here are some pics. I am probably just as tired from this 15 miles as I am from a 50 mile road ride but more bone weary.

Boy, does a crank in the shin ever hurt:eek:

My riding partner rides a Schwinn Mesa and often had to bail out on the descents because his brakes were terrible.

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I have two early 90 model Schwinn Mesa GSX's from the with Shimano cantilever brakes. One of them is one of my favorite rides with 1.6" tires. No issues with the brakes. Were they adjusted correctly?

I think it was an issue with the pads, they seemed to be either full on or full off. Plus they made a ton of noise.

Thanks for the post and the pics!! Sounded like a real workout. BTW I think power lines are works of art....

The Gary Fisher Wahoo however, did just fine. It handled very well and generally went were I pointed it. The brakes were great, I had very good control on the steep descents. My riding partner rides a Schwinn Mesa and often had to bail out on the descents because his brakes were terrible.

OK here are some pics. I am probably just as tired from this 15 miles as I am from a 50 mile road ride but more bone weary.

Boy, does a crank in the shin ever hurt:eek:

Yet another nutter out on the trails- fantastic and Yet another reason for clipless. You are right though,These offroads trails do take it out of you. Believe it or not- they do get easier. Only thing on the post ride for the bike. All that mud will have got everywhere. Wash the bike with a hose and buy a chain cleaner. That chain will need cleaning after every ride like this. Then the water dispellant oil. (WD 40 or the like.) I buy it in 5 litre cans and use a hand spray to cover every part of the bike except for the wheels- brake blocks and and anything not metal (Grips, saddle,etc don't get sprayed.) then you can leave the bike for a couple of days if necessary before wiping clean.

Let mesa know- the way to go downhills is to forget the brakes. Especially if they squeal, but the WD40 helps both on squeal and the speed.

Glad to see you enjoyed it, and now you have found out why offroading is the lighter side of cycling- Its fantastic fun.

No doubt, a ride in single track is a workout. When I am on pavement (rare) it feels so efficient that it is scary. Makes me want to ride 100 miles because it feels so good. I am sure after 50 though that feeling will go away.

Correct on the descents - too much brake is bad - very bad. Of course, loosing control is pretty bad too... With clipless, you can stay on the bike better and have better control. Of course, if you don't know how to get out of them well - you and the bike can end up in a knot...

That's a happy looking bike! As Stapfam said, the chain and bike need to be cleaned after those kinds of outings. I like to remove my chain (SRAM with reuseable master link) to clean it. After gently rinsing the worst of the mud off the bike with a hose or sponge (no high pressure spray!) I spray on Bike Lust and wipe every nook and cranny of the bike with a cloth until its all nice and shiny.