PSUfan09

today me and my buddy went on a ride becasue we actually had a day with no classes and no big papers to right, plus it was gorgeous out. So we dont know any trails around here, but we somehow found this side of the road short trail that looks like kids jump dirtbikes and it might be some kind of access road....short, but nonethelss had some good hills and a few nice trail sections. Now, i never really got to do alot of trail riding with my bike since if bought since ive been biusy with school and all, so this got to give me a feel of what it can do. i came to a few conclusions...

1. tektro disk brakes live up to every negative comment said about them. i was going down a huge steep hill and the brakes felt like....well heres an analogy for you- that feeling when u r trying to stop a rope and you are squeezing with all yourr mite but the damn thing just keeps going through ur hands. yea, those brakes are getting replaced with bb7's as soon as summer starts.

2. hills off road are much different than hills on road...im not sure why, but it seems to me that hills off road are alot easier to take than hillson the road. im not sure why but i think it thas something to do with even though you are (or at least i am) going slow as hell up hills off road, its still exciting. on the road it just seems like you are slothing along and dying to get up the hill.

3. i cant jump. we found a jump in this lkarge open space...i attempted it at low speeds to see how it felt. well besides my chain popping off and me not being able to keep both feet on the peddles it went well. its still exciting though, i wanna learn how to do this more gracefully. it was funny nonetheless.

4. i like my bike. my bike is by no means the best thing in the world, but i am quite satisifed with it for what i paid. its an ironhorse warrior sport (its really a maverick) and it feels pretty damn solid. WIth the brakes aside, the rest of it has a good feel. the wheels are junk, theres s omething about them that just doesnt feel right to me. the geometry of the bike is very comfortable, i rode for a good few hours and had no pains anywhere.

5. road riding sucks- alot. the whole time i was riding on the trail it felt real good. as soon as i decided to venture on the road for a few miles i hated it and went home. idk theres something about the road thats just not as fun. who knows.

all-in-all it was a pretty good day and i got a real good feel for the bike. my upgrades, will go brakes, pedals, wheels or fork (money rules here), then ill move on to the finer details like handlebar and stem maybe even some deraileur upgrading. Money is my god here, us broke college kids got it hard this summer i really wanna do a lot more trail riding, this is definately a fun thing.

Maelstrom 

1 - live and learn
2 - I think its a mental game. I can climb better offroad. Not the skill but the brain. I get deadly bored on a road so everything "seems" to take longer
3 - Takes time, also bike fit is important here. If the bike is two big and you can't get good compression with your legs, you will stiff ride the face and your feet will pop off the pedals.
4 - Good to hear. As stated in number 3. Bike fit is the most important part of the ride
5 - Agreed. It isn't my thing either.

Congrats on the ride and finding dirt

swifferman

2. hills off road are much different than hills on road...im not sure why, but it seems to me that hills off road are alot easier to take than hillson the road. im not sure why but i think it thas something to do with even th
Soooooooo true.



What kind of bike do you have?

BoSoxYacht

Glad to hear that you enjoy your new ride .I don't share your disdain for road riding , but whatever floats your boat . If you save up your beer money , you'll have those bb-7's in no time .

valbowski1980

You definatley got the part about tektro disks sucking right. In fact, they were (Along with the SIX fork) what made me walk away from a Haro V4.

PSUfan09

Its an 05 IronHorse Warrior Sport...they made it for Dicks sporting goods...its a maverick frame.

PSUfan09

ahhh beer is for bums...liquor is quicker
it willbe nice to get the new brakes, added confidence indeed.

PSUfan09

another thing, i was really impressed with my legs. ive been training them pretty hard in the gym over the winter to build strength and endurance and man did it pay off. the only hills i could get up where ones that i had to walk up due to steepness, and my legs never cramped up nor did they feel like jello at the end of the afternoon. it was a good day