scrublover

Yep, but only a little. Of bigger concern to some of those other people would be that I'm doing it on a measly 5" travel bike that is clearly not AM certified.

The Toonie drop though is way bigger than anything I'm ever likely to go for on any bike.

Inside-ish joke. No worries.

scrublover

I wet myself a little just watching it.

ed 

I think I'd have to pass. I'm still working up the nerve to do an 8' box drop.

electrik

Yeah... Plus it is not cool(and expensive) when the fork goes one way, the frame goes another and your body goes in neither of those directions!

Any bigger and you can pack a parachute.

samburger

Perspective is a funny thing. When I saw the just-too-soon pic of that drop Scrub posted the other day, I knew instantly that it was well outside my skill level. After watching the Toonie Drop, it looks like a piece of cake. Realistically, the one Yami posted is right up my alley.

PS - That bike base jumping video would be a lot cooler if he was clipped in & landed the bike.

craigcraigcraig

Big balls.

dminor 

So far I've drawn the line at ones like Girthmore at Beacon in Spokane. My brain knows I can do it but my gut just can't get on board. Watching sscyco eat it one day didn't help. And he's gutsier than I am.



This was Britney (yea, a chick) hucking it in the pro race two years ago.

scrublover

Awesome. Yeah, the pics you've put up of it in the past look cool. It's for sure bigger than I'd go for, even on my bigger bike.

Largest I hit are maybe 8' at a generous stretch, and usually only on the big bike/all armoured up/stuff at the resorts.

The one here is about the largest thing I'll hit up on the trailbike/un-armoured/out solo. It's smooth, super easy to hit slow speed, and nothing really to hit if the landing goes awry. Also very close to getting out if things don't go right.

This thing:


is a good 5-8' depending on how fast you go/how far out you go, but it also gets flat really quickly. I usually go slowly and keep it short. usually anything this big is more than I'd do on the hardtail, but it's so damn smooth, it's a cakewalk.

The most ridiculously smooth and super easy to go of crazy slow drop every. You can barely roll and land butter smooth, but I've also seen some dudes really pop off and get some huge hang time. Love it!

lubes17319

A mix of snow, ice & even some dirt today!

scrublover

Pukemaster hard at work.





Me, on Irene. 60' long, roughly 8 tons of mean, slow moving teeter.

electrik

No ride reports, currently every piece of singletrack looks like chocolate ice-cream.

The only difference between 5 ft and 20ft or anything in between is how intimidating you want to make things. Some of the transitions and edges are more challenging some make it easier, but generally if you can drop from 5ft you can drop from 20ft! Just don't tell your mom/wife/kids I told you so, I take no responsibility for the consequences!

scrublover

Oh, I quite know that. It's a matter of having the headspace in the right place to hit the bigger stuff. Confidence, etc.

More than pure size, I get more kick out of a 2-3' drop with a funky/technical entry/exit than I do out of something larger that is just a strightforward drop.

pablosnazzy

sedona, arizona. it's warm, sunny, trails are dry and perfect. today we rode in short sleeves and shorts, and it was glorious. we rode waaaay longer than i had hoped/planned for/expected, but it was good. i was hoping to pace myself, we will be here for a month, today was the first day. perhaps it's all the vortices here in magical sedona, but riding the trails are akin to an mc escher painting, it seems like you are constantly going uphill. i honestly believed we climbed waaaay more than descended, i'm pretty sure we just came down the hills so fast you don't really notice. arizona is beautiful. it is also hostile. you are screaming along, thinking "oh yeah, i'm such a badass" and then nature decides to snag your skin and bit you, just to keep you in check. good times. here are some lame ass photos i took. there will be more ride reports and photots in the immediate future.

mechBgon

stevemtbr and I rode out at Riverside for over 2 hours and had a good time. We went all the way downriver to Carlson Road near the Nine-Mile Dam, which is an area I needed to get reaquainted with. I managed to fall on a frozen puddle, and almost bit it on another one. Ow ow, my pride is injured On the bright side, the frozen conditions meant clean bikes and great traction (other than on frozen puddles). We saw walkers, one runner, one cyclist and no equestrians.

https://connect.garmin.com/activity/139756908


The ride viewed from the 9-Mile end

lubes17319

Backyard ride today, let's rock!

Little of this...

...but mainly this.

mechBgon

Today I went on another >3hr ride at Riverside, there were 10 of us this time. There'd been just a touch of snow, enough to hide ice hazards. One rider went down pretty hard and hammered his shoulder. My energy levels felt good, I had a little juice left for the ride home.



On our way up the bluff from Riverside to the Joe Albi area, Alan and I took the wrong trail up, and ended up in the cemetery. It's fenced in, so we ended up climbing over the fence. Alan asked "so how do you get in here?" My answer was,

... wait for it ...

"Die"

craigcraigcraig

Great posts recently. Going for my first true ride tomorrow after work. Can't wait.

dminor 

Been dying to try that route myself .

Like that Nine Mile loop you guys did yesterday. Man, I gotta get out . . will be easier to justify now that the woodshed is finally full.

mechBgon

Is there any safe way to ride from your place to Riverside, or is the insanity of 291 the only way to get there? I'm never riding that part of 291 again unless they add shoulders to it.

dminor 

^^ Naw, just the 291 death trap. Every time I see roadies on that stretch, I get the shivers. Once saw a guy commuting out there every morning on a Wally world bike for a whole year - - and lived. You'd think either the bike or the highway would have done him in.

mechBgon

Tonight I hit the South Hill again with a buddy after dark, and we knocked out 2600ft of climbing, including some of the steepest stuff. It was frozen by the time we got out there, so traction was primo. Temps were down into the 25°F area but I was staying plenty warm in just a couple Value Village wool sweaters, a big T-shirt, and shorts & tights.

My bar light cut off at the end, I think it's due for a new battery pack. Good thing I had the helmet light for backup.

craigcraigcraig

couldn't stop on the "techy" stuff because I don't think bikes were supposed to be there. lines of jagged rocks perpendicular to the trail every 50 feet are better than a no bikes sign.

mechBgon

I went on another nighttime climb-fest over at the South Hill with a buddy, similar to the one from last night. Probably 2600-2700ft ascent on this one, I forgot to start the GPS until we'd gone quite a ways. The frozen conditions are great! Super traction (other than on frozen puddles), clean bikes, and we have I-dunno-how-many square miles of territory all to ourselves.

My bar light conked out again, it's getting worse. I ordered a new battery pack for it this morning, so hopefully that gets it handled.

mechBgon

Me and some buddies started with the South Hill bluff and then hit Palisades Park and on out to Riverside as far as Deep Creek gorge. Riverside is an ice rink right now, it was pretty frustrating to have to take it that slow. I guess we should be grateful the ice isn't covered with snow, at least you can see it coming.

Anyway, over 6 hours and 56 miles at a mostly slow-burn pace ought to put a small dent in my fat roll Oh, and I had a flat tire despite tubeless and two scoops of Stan's. Something went right through the tread area and the cut was too big for Stan's to handle, so I finished the ride with a tube.

electrik

How'd you manage that flat?

Trails are icerinks here as well. I was out yesterday and came over the rise of a hill that was pure ice - thought'd i'd have a go and it was me with both legs sticking out bouncing off each foot off the ice going way too fast, no brakes, straight down for 200ft praying not to slam into a tree or ground. Heheh.