Mountain Biking - What's your biggest mtb challenge right now?

I've got a few things that come to mind but I think it's this section of downhill chute. It's around 200 feet long, the top half is around a 55 degree angle and then it changes half way down to around 45 degrees. It's got an especially challenging approach at the top where I have to start at speed and then swing 90 degrees into the chute. It's got a rain rut right down the center that will grab the tire (front or back or both) and throw you off if you can't bust out. A few babyheads and roots but the real danger is a one foot high by one foot wide tree trunk right at the bottom, just off-center (by the time I get to the tree trunk I'm just hangin' on!). It's a definate do-or-die run; you either make it down upright or it would be a spectacular cartwheel.

My challenge to myself was to ride it (or at least try and ride it) before winter sets in. I've done it twice and I've seen a lot of people look at it and I've seen some tracks but I've never actually seen anyone else ride it, yet. It's a blast! :D

At the moment there isnt any particular section, just making everything a bit smoother. You wouldnt have any pics of that section would you? Sounds interesting :)

Right now it is the snow! :D

But my other passion is skiing, so I am not complaining.

Learning to jump! after doing xc for a year, learning to dirt jump is hard lol....

Also, trying to get basic skills better, manual, trackstand, bunnyhops

My biggest personal challenge is still elluding me and is very specific. It's to make it to the top of the hardest climb I've ever encountered around here. The top of the Mt. Muller loop without dismounting once. I've been chasing this one for over 4 years now. The hardest part is the 3-mile long singletrack climb with switchbacks that takes you up 2,000 feet at the very beginning. The total elevation gain once done is around 3,000 feet. The loop is around 15 miles in length. It's actually not very technically challenging but it's strenuous.

Finding good hills in South/western Ontario.

Jumping properly and moving fast over DH singletrack.

I seem to have a tendency to let the front end of the bike hit first on jumps, and I'm also a little too brake happy on DH sections. Obviously, thats a no-no.

From being a runner and a roadie before I picked up MTB'ing I can smoke my riding buddies bags on flatland and uphills, but when it comes to drops and DH I get left - bad.

At the moment there isnt any particular section, just making everything a bit smoother. You wouldnt have any pics of that section would you? Sounds interesting :)

I was thinking this morning I might go up there again today. My main riding buddy said he'd do it if I did it so maybe I'll talk him into going up (he wasn't with me last time). That way I could get a pic from the bottom of him coming down it.

My biggest personal challenge is still elluding me and is very specific. It's to make it to the top of the hardest climb I've ever encountered around here. The top of the Mt. Muller loop without dismounting once. I've been chasing this one for over 4 years now. The hardest part is the 3-mile long singletrack climb with switchbacks that takes you up 2,000 feet at the very beginning. The total elevation gain once done is around 3,000 feet. The loop is around 15 miles in length. It's actually not very technically challenging but it's strenuous.

Man, that's sounds like a b**ch! I wish we had a section like that around here. Good luck!

I need to gain confidence in myself. There are so many things I second guess, and end up eating it on. When I just do it, I tend to land it...it will come with time though.
Another thing is getting good at steep technical stuff, but I have a great place around here to practice that :D

Distances...I suck at distances. I am like a track racer, can explode for short distances but get me going on over 2 hour rides and I am pretty much useless.

My other challenge is my weight. I need to get down to 250 which will put me in a good range for sports. This will also aid number 1.

Confidence. Basically read djrider's post. Technically, almost all the same concerns. Especially when it involves jumping or drops.

Im so funny when it comes to XC racing. The only race I did was on my 42+lb Bullit, and wasnt too bad. I really just need to find a groove, and then im set. Of course the 7 1/2 mile uphill was a bit hard with a 67* HA, and the weight.

Yeah 67 degrees doesn't really work well for uphills :D...

I am actually rebuilding my roast with skinny tires and into a cx/xc kind of bike. Mostly for road work. should help with my 2 main issues

I have given up on the manual, but I am really working on getting onto tall platforms and heights (things that my bb WONT clear) and balance on thin traks

Not stalling out on technical climbs. There are a few technical climbs on the trails that I usually ride that I pretty much have no problem with, expect for a few parts. I stall out, have to walk my bike about 6 feet, then start again. Those six feet sections were 12 feet a month ago, so I'm slowly eating away at parts of those hills that beat me down. I hope to ride all 5 or 6 miles of those trails without every dismounting. That's been my goal ever since I began riding there.

Doing a road gap that all my riding buddies have done but I haven't. I always feel like i wanna do it but when i actually get around to lining it up, I dont feel like doing it anymore!

building a weather machine so i can make it warm out and thus bike more often....

I need to gain confidence in myself. There are so many things I second guess, and end up eating it on.
Don't feel bad I still have that problem on certain sections. I don't let it bother me too much; after all I'm out there having fun and that's what matters.


How "Afterschool Special" of me, but it's true

homework interfering with riding

yeah...hw does that to my snowboard, thats why I have 3 hours of study hall :D

Im sure armor will help the confidence thing, it sure helped at my last race. I beat my old time by 5 minutes, and the course conditions were similar, and it was the same course. Doing stuff like that helps my confidence, but man I wanna ride so bad right now!

I would really like to learn how to ride a bike to start with.
just kidding. I recently had a huge bail so i need to get my confidence up again. i also want to ride more ladders.

doing rythim sections right now on my freeride bike is proving difficult..almost got it down though, but thats my prob right now.. once i get these down ooohh man its on.. just going bigger from there is the only prob i have right now...


AN6

My challenge at the moment is to do a big six packon my DH bike at the local jump track. The one I want to do is in Disorder 5. I am alos lining up a 15-6ft double with a lippy take off, launches you about 2.5m up and the landing is small, big enough to kill you if you case it, but barely bigenough to smooth out the landing.