Originally Posted by
Panza
Yes it's a tubeless set-up. I haven't had the chance to meet Brian yet, but I've met Adam who's a pretty nice fella. : ) I might be afraid to embarrass myself in a groupride but I also want to improve...
Find a beginner friendly group ride.
Since you're already biking regularly, you'll have no trouble keeping up from a fitness perspective. You need to work on technique, which improves rapidly. But since you'll be able to keep up on the uphills, you won't slow anyone down.
As for trees, probably just a combination of minor mistakes.
Weight a hair too far forward. A tiny bit too much brake. Over-correcting in response.
And lastly, LOOK WHERE YOU WANT TO GO! If you stare a tree down, you're going to hit it. Don't see the trees, see the gaps.