I just got back from my first day on a serious trail (more than a simple rut through a couple acres' of land)! Sweet!! I got my butt handed to me, and I loved it.

I think I fell about twelve or thirteen times; I guess I'm not fast enough with my new clipless pedals. I found out, for the second time, that my knee/shin guards protect my shins very well but my knees only hardly. I'm just glad I didn't have to go to the ER like I did last time I wiped out and hurt my knees. (Today was the first time I've gone riding since that incident.) I'll need to buy better knee/shin guards, and a Camelbak would be nice for when I get really lost like I did today. I encountered some people on the trail and they were nice enough to talk when I tried to strike up conversation, but for some reason I never thought about asking for directions on how to get out of there. Bumped into one guy I met at the LBS, I remembered his face and said hey and used his name, and he gave me one of those "Who the heck are you?" looks, but he let me ride around with him and his buddy.

So, I am officially addicted. Today is my official MTB birthday! Hooray!!!!
PS - Is it common for shoes and/or clipless pedals to accumulate so much dirt that you can scarcely clip back in? I was having trouble with that, but just pedaled on, and they eventually clipped back in without me realizing it.

EDIT: Want to send a big thank-you to zoeglassjd, from whom I purchased my bike. Held up great, had a very promising inaugural ride, and will have many many more in the future. Thanks again!

This was definitely taken the night I got it, right after assembling it. It looks very different right now, with all the dirt and grime everywhere. Time to go clean her up!

Congrats, welcome and so forth. It only gets worse. Get out while you still can...

That's true. It seems the Gary Fisher will just be the gateway drug...

Welcome to the insanity.

Very cool.
My name is Darin,
and I'm a bike-oh-holic....

Welcome to the addiction

Some clipless pedals work better than others in the mud. Commonly suggested types for messier rides are Crank Brothers Eggbeaters or Time Atacs. I use a set of Times that work quite well in the nasty stuff.

I had the Trek equivalent of that bike. Great bike to start on. Even raced it twice in very legit XC events. Ride that beast for 6 months or a year, sell it for good money and throw that cash into a $1000+ full suspension rig. Then you will truly fall in love.

You have passed the test. You got your ass handed too you and you loved it. You are a true MTBer.

I'll echo the comment on Egg Beaters and Time pedals. They do well in mud, I run Egg Beater mallets as I like to be able to ride the bike without MTB shoes occasionally.

I do have one caution for you though. If things are THAT muddy it's a telling sign that you should not be on the trail. This is another test to see if you are a trail steward and whether you can control your addiction long enough so you can ride without doing damage. I like the fact that my Egg Beaters can still clip in through the mud, but that capability is only targeted at "swampy" areas in trails that practically never dry.

Sorry if I made the wrong impression, because it wasn't muddy. (Then again, I didn't say it was muddy, I said it was dirty, but oh well)

I took a picture of my shoes before I cleaned them off, because I found the whole mess rather entertaining. This is what happened (no mud, just loads of dirt). The problem was that I was encountering serious difficulties getting back into my pedals:


I was wondering if it's just part of the fine text in being a MTBer, or if there are any tricks to avoid the caking-up of dirt. (It's probably one of those things that just comes with experience, but, uh, I don't have any!) Or, even, if I should maybe revert back to platforms until I learn the trail better, and THEN go back to employing clipless pedals.

Not to mention, its a freaking temperate rain forest. We would never ride. Its always a little muddy except July and august. As Pete stated, the composition helps, trail maint is amongst the best in NA. Its possible under the right conditions.

Don't stand in the dirt?

Congrats on completing your first ride and welcome to the addiction. One thing I would do immediately is switch your bottle cage over to your down tube. It is much easier to grab and put back this way while you are riding.

Or, after standing in the dirt/mud, tap your shoes on a rock (or whatever else that's available) to knock out the dirt/mud. It doesn't completely solve the problem, but it helps.

Glad to hear that you are pleased with the Fisher! It was nice to make a smooth transaction online.

Looking at the pics of the bike I am reminded that it didn't have end caps on the bars (right?). You should ask for some from the LBS- they may just hand some to you. This will keep you from taking a core sample from your abdomen.
Or you could do what I did on my old fixie- I first used wine bottle corks and then JB welded some Samuel Smith Oatmeal stout bottle caps on. Added charm to the beater.

Continue to enjoy!

I said it was a sign, not that you shouldn't 100% be on the trails.

I do agree with you. But please agree that if your cleats are caked with mud you should ask the local trail guys whether it is damaging.

the left (my right, wearer's left) one looks like it has poo

lol, thanks, I'll remember that one. I just kept taking small tumbles, because I'm not as fast as I thought I was in regard to clipping in & out ... so I'd go down, unclip, and get back on, but the dirt was building up pretty bad.

KayGee: Tapping a nearby rock is good advice, I'll remember that. Thanks

zoeglassjd: I've no idea how I didn't already think of that. I'll do that soon, because I need to go pick up some more stuff anyways.

LowCel: I did that this afternoon.


Thanks to everybody for the encouraging words.

Tip #2: Don't fall.