Hot damn!
Mountain bikes are so much fun.
Random tips:
- Run much lower tire pressures than your roadie instincts say. 40 psi or so.
- To avoid washing out the front tire in loose soil, shift your weight back.
- To avoid losing traction in climbs, climb seated and spin.
- To avoid going over the bars on a steep descent, shift your weight waay back, hang your butt behind the saddle even.
- Hop obstacles when you can, go all soft-legs and soft-arms if you can't avoid hitting the obstacle
- When, not if, you fall - tuck and roll.
- Getting off and walking is no shame. Especially when about to descend what looks like a staircase of boulders. Don't know about the rest of you, but I don't bounce as well as I did 20 years ago.
- Carry plenty of water. No refill opportunities in the woods.
You're going to have lots of fun. Maybe next summer we should do a C&V MTB ride?