Mountain Biking - newbie just ate it

Ok, I am a newbie. I'm your typical weekend warrior rider only. I bought a brand new 05 Gary Fisher Marlin, helmet, bike shorts, camelbak this past Labor day weekend. This is my first non-dept. store/kmart bike. This is also my first time really riding any trails or unpaved road.

Well i go to the local park today, and start riding. Im new to the Austin area so I really dont know the trails in this park. So Im going real slow (coasting mainly). A little exciting then "oh boy!", the trail drops suddenly, I go to fast for me to control, I skid and eat it. End up with one scraped palm (need to buy gloves next time in LBS), scraped elbow, three scratches on calf(from pedal?). I get up, nothing broken, or seriously injured(except my ego!). check the bike, it looks ok. I get on the bike, and start to ride, and now there is a noise. my rear wheel is semi-wobbly/bent, rubbing occaisionally with the front derailluer.

The park has supposed many trails of all skill levels. This drop is not very kid or beginner mtber friendly. i think I must have gone on a trail more advanced than me. I didnt notice any sign that had levels before entering. How much do you think the damage to the back is going to cost me? I know it is hard without looking at it, but can a wheel be bent back to original or will i have to buy a new one? Any words of encouragement or advice for me?

Have i gone through the first rite of passage of being a true mtber?

If you are riding where I'm pretty sure you are, all the trails are considered Intermediate/Advanced and the trail is not signed all that well. What you need to do is ride with someone who is a better rider than you and knows the trail system. They will show you a good route and you will learn how to ride much faster than just going out by yourself.

The only way to tell if the wheel is toast or not is to go to the bike shop you bought the bike from and ask them. It should be under warranty, and if it can be fixed, the shop should true it for free as part of the service agreement I presume they have. If your wheel is rubbing the front derailleur though my instinct says you a) bent the front derailleur or b) there is no hope for the wheel.

Crashing is just part of mountain biking. Right now my collarbone is in two pieces for the second time so be glad you can still get back on the bike! And welcome to the forums and a great sport :)

Thanks for the quick reply. I was riding in Walnut Creek. It's pretty close to where I live. I'm going to join the local Austin MTB club, I just wanted a little experience before I showed up to one of their meetings/events.

Thanks for the advice about the wheel. Looks like Bicycle Sport Shop is going to get more money from me this month. Or not, BSS did say the bike had a warranty and I had two free shop visits(for tuneups but maybe i can bargain).

wc is supposed to be beginner trail... with a few surprise drops... other than that its just fireroads... if you want to improve your skills fast hit the greenbelt

Welcome to bikeforums and the great sport of Mountain Biking! Don't worry, the first fall is tough. I can't say its the worst because there is always the possibility of a much worse crash. Not to scare you or anything. Just keep riding. You learn from your mistakes. My advice would be go back to the trail. Find that drop, inspect it and then hit it a few times. Soon you'll be like "Wow, why did I crash off this?" I ate it pretty bad off of a table top jump. I was afraid of it for a while then one day my friend was ragging on my because I wouldn't hit it. So I did. Landed perfect. Now its my favorite jump.

All I'm saying is get out and ride again. Good to hear you didn't hurt anything to bad.

I'm sure the bike shop will help you out. If you need a new wheel I'm sure they'll give you a discount. Good luck and Keep riding.

yeah good advide. Ive been riding about 2 years now and still havnt crashed properly. I've had the old 'try to ride up too steep, stop, then roll down and end up under the bike', but i dont consider that to be a proper crash. Ive seen my brother crash a couple of times and im starting to get a little bit wary of what i do. After the first one itll be alright, but the first one just refuses to happen!

I am glad to hear you do not sound discouraged by your first crash. It is a part of the sport for sure. You will eventually learn how to crash, and that will save you some bodily injury in the future.

Do you have someone more experienced to ride with. I find that I learn the most by watching the long time riders ride, and emulating their techniques. I have carried over a lot of techniques from enduro motorcycle riding, but there are definitely some MTB specific moves.

I am not sure about your specific crash, but it sounds like you should have been on your brakes at the top of the hill, instead of braking to scrub speed once you felt out of control. Were you standing on your pedals as you descended? This too will give you more control. Sorry for the unsolicited advice.

Walnut Creek is fun. But I always get lost. What side were you on? The park side is pretty nice and fast rolling but once you cross over the creek, it gets pretty technical. It really opens up after you cross over the creek. Also, when you do cross over the creek if you keep riding and dont get lost (its very trickey and twisty back there) the park connects to about 3 or 4 other parks and goes from Walnut Creek all the way over to off of Duval, not sure you know where thats at but its huge! for being in the city.

Well, for an update, the rear wheel did end up being a "potato chip" and talked to the LBS, and they did cut me a deal for a better upgraded wheel than what the Marlin currently has. So it will be stronger. And I'm not quitting, either. I am going to join the local MTB club, and get some sort of mentor and go on rides where I can learn from. Im also going to go to a really basic trail(McKinney Falls SP for those Austin folks) and really become one with the bike and practice controlling my speed and falls (I totally have the scrapes on my palm to show I Superman'ed). Then I'll go back to the regular park and have a few more stabs at it.

What is the fee for joining a MTB club? To tell you the truth I did not know they had them. Makes sense, seeing that there are a hell of a lot of MTB junkies out there.

www.bikemojo.com
ride with locals for free

...talked to the LBS, and they did cut me a deal for a better upgraded wheel than what the Marlin currently has. So it will be stronger.

Aha, your trip down the slippery slope begins! Welcome. :)