Loose Chain

Did your mommy waste her money sending you to college?

vsopking

Darn, I consider myself a very, very mediocre road biker - and was talked into MTB a few weeks ago - In a week or two my Cannondale bike will be delivered - Guess I need to make a few more spins than usual the upcoming week. Thank you for bringing this to my attention ;-)

Al Slick

Hahah yeah that was my poorly communicated point. I was mentally recalling a moment when four dudes in some 80's Corolla yelled at me to get a car. Then I caught up to them at a red light and (Insert cool thing that I would have done if I actually had any guts.)

Al Slick

Wow seriously?? I was trying to defend knobby tires considering that they cannot speak for themselves.

I pay for my own school. I saved up 11 grand throughout high school and then received a full ride to a state university.

You're a jerk, man. I was only joking.

Covalent Jello

lawlz
anyways i have found these things to work for climbing hills and dealing with mtnbiking

keeping it real
keeping it very real
keeping it all too real
weight on the back tire
manhandling your handles and transferring weight/upper body power into the rear wheel via your feet

when all else fails go into extreme mode like your life depends on it
its surprising what you can push through that would seem otherwise impossible

junkyard

You had it correct with these three points. The rest of the stuff you posted was just horse shiit.

Covalent Jello

Im having a hard time putting it into words but it all really seems to help & focus/mind-body/rigidity of your body is a big part of it, I've found. Take this noob's learnings with a grain of salt but yea

thenomad

I'm getting more into MTB now after years of road riding.
I know its different and demands a higher level of mental concentration as opposed to "just' powering up the climbs.
Something you said reminded me of a tip I gave my bro when i took him out for the first time.

When he hit the hill he dropped to the absolute lowest gear and spun like mad to get to the top. He felt like he was going to puke and was wasted real early.
I told him to use a higher gear to put the effort back on the muscles and not just the cardio. He did way better after that. If yo saw the big hill and dropped down to "spin" like you figured you should then maybe you went too low and blew up your cardio. If you can stay at 75-90 rpm up the hills then you may feel better. Keep it just under lactic threshold on the legs while still relying on a high level of cardio. It's essentially "finding your rhythm" just like on the road. You just may not have anything to compare it to so you went balls out.

I've been doing purely Cross rides on the flowing single track and rough fire roads and I'm loving it. Much more technical than fat tire bombing runs but cool in its own way.

NCMTBIKER

My first time did too...i borrwed a friend of mine's bike which wasnt sized for me.We rode on fisher river trail in dobson,nc.I wrecked about 4 times and flipped over the handle bars!!I said id never go again.But now im lookin to buy a great deal in a MB!!

TwoHeadsBrewing

MTB'ing is more about sprinting and recovery than about long distance endurance, at least for me. There are more opportunities on my local MTB trails for the "me vs. the Hill" battle, than on the road bike. Road climbs around here tend to be more of a steady incline so I just find a pace I can maintain while going as fast as I can and grind it out. On the trail the terrain is more variable, steeper, unpredictable, rougher, and more technical. You expend a lot of energy on the trails just staying upright and navigating obstacles while only going 2-3mph. And not only do you work your lower body just as much, you're also working the upper body on the trail, going uphill or down.

I think of my road riding as a long distance run, and my trail riding as a series of sprints. My lungs agree this comparison is accurate.

PS- it also helps if you buy this shirt:

craigcraigcraig

waa waa waa. just ride.

Daspydyr 

My cigars are worth more than my bike. But my bike is lots more fun, I keep getting new scars to prove it.

mcoine

don't blame the bike.

And last time I drove through grand rapids, mi. it was flat a pancake.

Greyryder

Knobby tires are awesome, and should be revered. Without them, we'd all be stuck on smooth, boring, soul sucking asphalt.

Al Slick

Amen

Daspydyr 

Preach it Greyryder, this is profound truth you're speaking!

HEY OP! I want to hear a followup report, when are you riding again, where and how did you do? Pictures are required! You didn't give up kissing girls after the first lousy kiss did you?

BurnNotice

I too love a fine cigar! What is your favorite smoke? I like a Perdomo Estate 2 in maduro or cameroon wrapper.

Also love the St. Luis Rey lineup.

mystolenbikes

Hey, no thread hijacking.

Yeah op, where are you? we want updates.

Cyclist30907654

Specialized sucks...

mystolenbikes

Yeah I know and she is great at it. It's crazy how much pleasure she gives me.

bh357

Luton Park???

Daspydyr 

AH cigars, much love for the sticks. St. Luis REY +1, Ashton +1, Greycliffe and Cohibas+2. I smoked a Bahia Bleu over the weekend and want to try a few more.

I like torpedos and robustos, cameroon wrappers are a good touch as well.

Daspydyr 

Would someone in MI go find kmulder and drag him in here and force a report outta him!

gp88

I feel like this daily OP,daily.

Bring enough water,eat right before you hit the trail.Gettin tired? Find some shade for a bit,then,pedal on.

95 degress on my ride yesterday and when the water ran out, I bailed.

Back into the dirt after many years off. I am sick of traffic,dodging cars and the typical asphalt mayhem that comes with commuting by bike daily.

Daspydyr 

Welcome back to the promised land GP88. I quit riding for 10 years saying that the worst bet in Vegas was biking these streets. Much improved now and have found decent dirt a few miles from the house. Its a kick! I get dusty so I dont get rusty.