Mountain Biking - (long) Ever had a really bad ride that went so bad...

it made you hate mountain biking?

I'm not talking about mechanical failure or severe injury/fatality, just a ride that screws with your head and completely destroys your confidence. last night I took my Stumpjumper HT to this local place affectionately known as "The Boneyard." I figured by now it would be pretty dry and most of thr trails would be cleaned of obstacles by the local off-roader and dirt bikers. The ride starts out on a muddy jeep trail that has plenty of drier bypasses so I avoided the mud more or less. Then I had to climb a short but very steep gas line corridor with a loose traprock descent at the other side I would not even attempt so I walked it and still slipped and fell on my ass :o Then I followed another jeep trail that I like to refer to as the "Stairway to Heaven," about a 1 mile constant steep ascent full of more loose traprock and mud. Spun out about 10 times on that and simply ran out of breath several times (and I thought I was in good shape). At the top is a nice view so I collect myself for a few minutes and get ready for an equally rocky (or so I thought) descent.

The descent begins with a couple steep roll-offs. My front end washes out on the 2nd and the bike slides out from under me and I do a nice split with one foot still clipped in and the other digging into the loose dirt. At this point I'm ready to throw my bike off the 500-foot overlook I was sitting at to give me an excuse to get a road bike :crash: But I keep going. Can't blame the trail for a bad ride. But the trail ahead is basically a streambed with loose traprock pieces no smaller than a softball, and plenty of huge logs that are impossible to ride over because of the huge loose rocks on either side. I see another steep roll-off but by now I'm so tired and bruised I just walk it. Any attempts at trying anything less steep result in more clumsy wipeouts. By now I'm numb from frustration and anger so I keep going (have to get back to the car anyway).

Now the trails turn into rutted and eroded dirt bike trails with tons of mud holes and slightly smaller but sharper rocks. I take a wrong turn and end up in a swamp. A quart low on blood from all the mosquito bites, I make it out of the swamp and finally make it back to the car after a few zigzags and backtracks.

I get home and shower off the sweat and mud and clean all my scrapes and cuts to show off to my co-workers the next day. I also wonder what kind of road bike I can get for a grand. But then I realize that the solution to my dilemma is simple. Stay away from the Boneyard! And get some new tires!

Ever have one of those rides?:rolleyes:

I mostly have had mental lapses. I go out for a ride stoked and just suck beyond belief. Stuff I normally clear gives me trouble. This happened yesderday it so happens. This seems to happen periodically and I just assume it is the bike gods telling me to rest.

Sorry bout your ride but it sounds like the gods are trying to tell you something :D

Yeah, I guess it was a mental thing, mostly. That happens on average about once every 3 weeks for me. But I asked for it. This was not my first time at The Boneyard. :D Since this coming weekend is supposed to be a washout here, I'll go for one more ride this week then take the next few days off.

I've spent over 20 years on a bike. all of it on a bmx doing stunts.
in order to learn a new trick you have to re-try and re-try the same thing over and over.
after a while you might get a new trick down and pretty soon it's yours. you can do it anytime, anyplace.

even with that, there are still days that I can not do something that I've been doing for years. I fall down and get hurt (hurt in my vocabulary meens you can't ride, bleeding, bruising and sprains don't allways stop me from riding) from a trick that I can do in my sleep.
I learned this years ago. it can be frustrating if you let it, I've seen people break stuff, throw their bikes, piss and moan because of it. All that does is ruin the rest of your day and maybe your bike, if you threw it.

my way of dealing with this is to relax. do something else or slow down.
in your case of being on trails you don't have much of a choice.

I would have gotten off my bike, put a smile on my face (I am on/near my bike and not at work after all) and walked the trail.

you can learn alot my walking.

My nightmare rides are with people who don't take care of their bikes. You find yourself at the far end of a 15 mile ride and your friend's friend's friend who just got himself a trusty new full suspension bike from walmart breaks his deraileur in half, or loses a spoke, or 3, or bends his crank, or cracks his pedal. And of course its your responsibility to walk this yuppy back to town 15 miles away. It makes me wish I could keep a spare bike in my pack so we could give his a propper burial and ride home.