Mountain Biking - Respect

I have a new respect for you hard-core mtn bikers.

After many miles as a wimpy road cyclist, got my first mt. bike, a BD Fly Ti and took it out yesterday. Rode the trails of Devil’s Den in Arkansas. That may have been a less than optimal place for a newbie.

I can barely limp around today.

Fell about a dozen times that I remember. Did an endo. I have never crashed or fallen off a bike before! Not in 10s of thousands of road miles. My right hip, where I cushioned the rocks on most falls, is a huge hematoma. Left blood on the trail.

In short, a great ride!

My first endo at 58; time to htfu.

The bike was great and so caked with mud, you couldn’t even see the derailleurs, but it kept on shifting and braking and rolling. Amazingly tough.

Ahhh another (young?) soul corrupted, welcome brother.

Congrats on falling off the bike multiple times, that takes some real commitment. You're gonna do just fine in this sport. :)

The obstacles on a MTB trail will tend to do that to you!
I always find it kinda funny when a pure roadie says he has GREAT bike handling skills...
Yeah...

Welcome to the dirty side!

You are so right! I would have said I had some handling skills too, before yesterday. Now, I'm damm sure I don't have.

Thanks for the encouragement. It does feel a little...wickedly sinful...after road riding for so long.






The obstacles on a MTB trail will tend to do that to you!
I always find it kinda funny when a pure roadie says he has GREAT bike handling skills...
Yeah...

Welcome to the dirty side!

Ha, I catch myself doing things on the road bike, like cutting down through the ditch and across a gravel parking lot, that the other road bikers just don't do.

Ha, I catch myself doing things on the road bike, like cutting down through the ditch and across a gravel parking lot, that the other road bikers just don't do.. . . and bunnyhopping small pets? :D

Welcome to the dirt, MacBeth!

Ha, I catch myself doing things on the road bike, like cutting down through the ditch and across a gravel parking lot, that the other road bikers just don't do.

I was on a club ride in a pace line when some guy in a car pulled out in front of us and caused a crash. I didn't want to hit the guy in front of me, nor did I want to slam on my brakes and get rear-ended so I simply took to the soft shoulder, rode through the sand, over some rocks, back on to pavement and behind the car. I didn't think twice about doing a little off-road excursion but the guys behind me who saw it were sure I was going to crash on that terrain. They were pretty impressed that I managed to keep the bike upright (and thankful because the hole I created in the line allowed them to stop in time and not crash) but to a mountain biker it really wasn't a big deal. Pretty non-technical basic stuff...

There is a lot I like about the Fly Ti, but how do those light wheels hold up over time?

It can help your road biking... like in moments like this: http://youtube.com/watch?v=RtZhG2kWVLY&feature=related (Lance Armstrong in the TDF)

Although he should have jumped the last ditch :)

You're making me miss Fayetteville. Arkansas is so beautiful this time of year. Hopefully you had a chance to enjoy it between falls.

Welcome to the dark side brother.

And yes, it is true, we are not snobs.

You're making me miss Fayetteville. Arkansas is so beautiful this time of year. Hopefully you had a chance to enjoy it between falls.


This area is absolutely beautiful and I love living here. Yes, there are issues in this part of the country, but there are everywhere.

Did you ever get to Devil's Den? It's only about 20 miles from Fayetteville. Great place to hike or bike.

Thanks for the warm welcome. I can tell I'm going to need to lean on some of you for help!

If you were here now, I'd lean on you so I could walk :twitchy:

Lol Welcome to the dark and dirty side!


Is Armstong a Mtn Biker as well?

All you road guys are getting on that Fly Ti. Glad you had a good time.

One of us, one of us, one of us...

Lol Welcome to the dark and dirty side!


Is Armstong a Mtn Biker as well?

I assume you refer to lance? Last time I checked he had a few xc races under his belt.

He raced a offroad marathon in Comfort,TX and bonked with a lap to go. He had a very nice Trek 9.5 hardtail.

He raced a offroad marathon in Comfort,TX and bonked with a lap to go. He had a very nice Trek 9.5 hardtail.

What a butt. Seven TDF's wins and he bonks on a MTB race?


J-Play, J-Play

All you road guys are getting on that Fly Ti. Glad you had a good time.

Yeah, I know they just hammer on Mike and BD in the road forum, but my experience with him and BD was spot on. He helped me with the order, shipped when he said he would, the bike took two days to get here, and I assembled it with no issues at all. Perfect service from BD.

I cannot believe it still works after the beating it got on the trail rocks. I pounded the piss out of it (except for the occasional cushioning provided by my body), covered it in mud, and the bike took it all without a whimper.

Had that been my road bike, it would be dumpster junk.

Here's to Mike and that seriously tough Fly Ti!

I never new lance mtb biked

Lance wouldn't make a wart on Wade Simmons' ass.

Lance wouldn't make a wart on Wade Simmons' ass.

Correct; Lance Armstrong is not bacteria.

I believe Lance was once a very good mtb racer in his youth prior to the cancer. Theres a quote around somewhere about the mtb teaching him real bike control...

What a butt. Seven TDF's wins and he bonks on a MTB race?


J-Play, J-Play

The course was extremely rock and he was on a hardtail using bottles. They kept bouncing out of the cages.

He also used to race 'cross. There's that video on youtube of him needing to take a high speed offroad shortcut to avoid the rider in front of him that had crashed. Pretty amazing handling skills, to do what he did at that speed on a road bike. He also does a 'cross style dismount and remount to get back onto the road because of a drainage ditch.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=CQuGdQ6PkmI&feature=related

lance is amazing lol...

How do they keep their balence on those small tires man?
I guess I should TRY to ride a rode bike lol

Correct; Lance Armstrong is not bacteria.

It could be because I'm pretty baked right now, but that was pretty damned funny.

I guess I should TRY to ride a rode bike lol

It's worth a try just for the experience. VERY different from a MTB. It's a lot twitchier (I wonder how the 'cross guys do it) and (more importantly) a lot faster. The combo of stiff frame, no suspension, and high pressure tires will make most (all?) mountain bikes feel like a wet noodle. But you feel EVERY little bump. The speed however is intoxicating and after a day of road biking you'll get on the mountain bike and wonder where the speed went.

But there's really no bike handling challenge. You just point the bike in a direction and spin the pedals.

I believe Lance was once a very good mtb racer in his youth prior to the cancer. Theres a quote around somewhere about the mtb teaching him real bike control...

Ya it was when he went off road on the TDF and the announcer said something along those lines. Made sense too, damn good control on a wee little road bike in deep grass. He definitely has some "bike handling skills" haha

Wow, I can watch those Lance vids for hours. Amazing stuff. He was a beast.

Wow, I can watch those Lance vids for hours. Amazing stuff. He was a beast.

Absolutley, I forget what the roadies call me. a 99er or something. I didn't give two licks about road biking until Lance started getting popular. I have been watching the tour ever since (as long as I get coverage anyways)...

The speed however is intoxicating and after a day of road biking you'll get on the mountain bike and wonder where the speed went.

I kinda understand what you're saying...but when I'm smoking a fast section of singletrack at MTB speeds, it feels much faster and more exciting than the wide open road at roadie speeds. The trees and terrain bring everything in closer and give you the illusion that you're flying.

I would venture to say that if there was a 1-2ft wide paved trail in the woods that I could smoke on a road bike...it would be a blast. I know that I could never become a roadie due to the fact that I still catch air on my old road bike just out of pure reflex. I don't stay on the road...I move over to sidewalks and tweak it out on the lip. I can't help it. It just happens. I'd be returing my nice road bike with a "JRA" story.

I kinda understand what you're saying...but when I'm smoking a fast section of singletrack at MTB speeds, it feels much faster and more exciting than the wide open road at roadie speeds. The trees and terrain bring everything in closer and give you the illusion that you're flying.


Oh yeah, I'm right there with ya. The MTB brings a much greater sensation of speed. But when you've been riding road bikes a while and you get back on a MTB and plod down a road on your way to the trailhead you can't help but wonder "where did the speed go? Am I really that out of shape today?" Road bikes are faster, but they don't feel nearly as fast. Even the fastest ripping decent on a road bike is nothing compared to bombing down singletrack with trees whistling by inches from your face.

Road bike skillz:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HWOVRHVZFjk

Amazing video, but funny looking bike. Looks like it has reinforcing on the main triangle, and the fork is sort of bumped out. Maybe because it's a cross fork on a road bike.

Anyways...what a show-off. :p

Correct; Lance Armstrong is not bacteria.

Actually, warts are caused by viruses, not bacteria. And as Mr. Smith told us all in the Matrix, human beings are viruses. :rolleyes:

I grew up in Little Rock and went to the U of A for my undergrad and I used to go and do stuff in the Ozarks occasionally. Unfortunately, I got into mountain biking after I left Arkansas. Now I desperately want to take my bike home over some break (still in school <sigh>) to ride Syllamo (http://www.fs.fed.us/oonf/ozark/recreation/syllamo_bike.html). You should do it for me and let me live vicariously through you.

It could be because I'm pretty baked right now, but that was pretty damned funny.

Well theeeeeeeere's your problem.

Problem is I'm not baked right now...

I grew up in Little Rock and went to the U of A for my undergrad and I used to go and do stuff in the Ozarks occasionally. Unfortunately, I got into mountain biking after I left Arkansas. Now I desperately want to take my bike home over some break (still in school <sigh>) to ride Syllamo (http://www.fs.fed.us/oonf/ozark/recreation/syllamo_bike.html). You should do it for me and let me live vicariously through you.

Well, if you grew up in Little Rock, you're tough anyways; natural for a mt biker.

The area around Fayetteville has grown amazingly, probably doubled in size, maybe more. Mostly because of Wal-Mart but other industries like Tyson as well. Oddly, Fayetteville has not grown that much, probably because Fayetteville has discouraged growth in order to keep the feel of the city relatively small. I really like Fayetteville and its atmosphere of reckless college life and culture.

Grad school. Live it, love it, work your ass off! But SoCal is great for biking, too, so enjoy.

Syllamo looks like a great place with the usual beauty of the Ozarks. Bring your bike back and give it a workout. I'm afraid if you experienced it through me, you'd spend most of the time looking up at the treetops.

Yea, downhill is fun. Till you rip your knee open and you might ruin your soccer career...

I kinda understand what you're saying...but when I'm smoking a fast section of singletrack at MTB speeds, it feels much faster and more exciting than the wide open road at roadie speeds.

You need to move somewhere with mountains...hitting 100+ km/h on a road bike on a mountain road descent (and passing cars) is rather exhilarating. I'd much rather crash on any DH trail than crash at the speed on the road.