The Surly Mountain Biking Thread

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

Check this insane shit:

https://dorba.clubexpress.com/content.aspx?page_id=4002&club_id=600794&item_id=1030869

Dorba's Judgment Day.  70 or 100 miles in 24 hours on 10 trails and a singlespeed category.  There's four hours of driving time, alone.

Last year, 225 maniacs started it, 145 finished.

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

Hooo boy.  Made yesterday a rest day cuz I wanted to watch WWC and it's too damn hot to ride after noon.  Went this morning to a trail that has some up down, but nothing sustained until the end.  Was 80+ when I started and 90+ when I finished and I'm not quite acclimated to that.  The last, quarter mile climb in the sun did me in (~7.5% grade?).  Even walking about half of it was a beating.  Just did 5.5 miles, which is kind of my minimum desired distance.

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

8.8 miles, 8 mph, full-time pedaling.  Happy with that considering the heat.  Probably could have made it 12, but doing laps more than twice still bores me most of the time.

 

Always thinking of Al when I hit tree gates, but my prescription does work.  Balance bike through them to get the real measure of how tight it is, then you'll go through slow, with maybe a foot down, then you go through faster, bingo-bango you're tooling through.

Edited July 13, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[Braff Zacklin 13,592]

It's finally gotten hot here in Idaho--mid 90s lately. But I'm not gonna compare it to Texas heat, cuz it doesn't.

And I'm OK with that.

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

48 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

It's finally gotten hot here in Idaho--mid 90s lately. But I'm not gonna compare it to Texas heat, cuz it doesn't.

And I'm OK with that.

Actually, we got a spit of rain this week (more than a spit, but confined to the western metro) and it kind of kept temps in check, but a little humid.  If you ride before noon, you avoid the 90s or mid-nineties and associated heat index.  I'm trying to put down some miles before it gets to the 100s so I can keep riding the rest of the summer without exploding.

[dingleberryswitzer 2,724]

It's was high 80s to low 90s and dry yesterday morning here in San Antonio.  Was very different than the normal high 80s and humid. Did over 10 miles at McAllister .

[Al_4_ISU 12,464]

We’re going to be in the 90’s and humid this week. Out road biking today and it’s been a sweaty mess.

Between rain, break downs, and travel, I only have one ride in in July. That was the morning of the 4th and I was hungover (first time I’ve rode MTB in said condition - not great). I plan on hitting it hard this week (no rain in forecast) and will just suck the heat up. If it’s good for the corn, I can grin and bear it.

[Wiler77 1,566]

Finally back on the bike today after taking a nasty fall beginning of June that required an overnight stay in the hospital due to a partially collapsed lung.  Felt good, but I am not in biking shape.

 

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

2 hours ago, Wiler77 said:

Finally back on the bike today after taking a nasty fall beginning of June that required an overnight stay in the hospital due to a partially collapsed lung.  Felt good, but I am not in biking shape.

 

Geezus.  Break a rib?  I can still feel my collarbone, but I think it's soft tissue adapting to the new shape of it.  My finger is still kinda fuct, but is slowly getting better.

[Wiler77 1,566]

3 cracked ribs, but those weren't really a problem.  It was the internal damage the resident did when putting in my chest tube.  My wife was watching the procedure and said it looked like he was stabbing my side trying to get the chest tube in.  Then he starting digging with his finger.  I think whatever bruising he caused internally was my biggest issue.

I also strained a muscle between my neck and shoulder that is slow to heal, but it wasn't a problem today.

It's a long story, but I ruined a trip my wife and I were supposed to take to Moscow because the doctors strongly advised me not to fly 6 days after my accident.

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

Yikes.  Glad you're better.

[Braff Zacklin 13,592]

Second that. Glad you're better, Wiler, and good to hear you are back in the saddle.

[wd40 1,976]

[NotActuallyALonghorn 4,976]

18 hours ago, dingleberryswitzer said:

It's was high 80s to low 90s and dry yesterday morning here in San Antonio.  Was very different than the normal high 80s and humid. Did over 10 miles at McAllister .

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

Welp, ride today spoiled by flat.  The rear tire would sporadically lose air, didn't really get why.  Added 3 oz of Stans last week because dry, which maybe explains why.  That caused it to ooze PG at the rim and various little apparent punctures in the tread.  It did that before but didn't seem as extreme, maybe the temp?  Seemed to hold air well after that, but was getting naturally lower.

Today, I think it kind of burped, not real sure, but it started going flat 3.5 miles into my ride.  So I walked it.  The Rekon 2.4 has gone on the rear, but I'm out of Stans.  Get some tonight, finish it up, ride tomorrow.  All but the most jacked up trails in Dallas are open now.

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

Welp, got the Rekon set up, so far so good.  Had a five-miler at the previously mentioned Harry Moss Park, which is close to me.  Man, that place was devastated by the rain and flooding.  White Rock Creek runs through it, but moreso, when it overflows, it sends a river of water through the whole area.  Trees down, brush everywhere and pushed out of the way.  The trail stewards really earned their pay on that one, and it's only half open.

[Al_4_ISU 12,464]

It's going to rain right about exactly when I want to ride tonight.  God damn it.

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

Alright, this is kind of a fun video.  The Fort Worth MBA has an annual "Klunkytown Klassic" where only coaster brakes and really old skool suspensions/forks are permitted.  Coaster brakes.  And this is on Sansom Park, which is among the most brutal trails in DFW.

Coaster.  Brakes.

I have a friend from another hobby (shooting related, but also a lot of MTBers) who is a single speeder, Surly fanatic, internally geared hub dude.  He also has several klunkers and rides in this, although I can't spot him in this video.

There's also some guys railing on conventional MTB.  Note the predominance of full-face.

Edited July 18, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[Al_4_ISU 12,464]

Got a long ride in tonight. First hour was some of my strongest riding of the year. Nailed a few gates that have given me hell thus far, including one up thread that has a major root drop in the middle of it.

After that fatigue sunk in and I got a little sloppy. Still a good night. 13 days since my last ride. Way too big a gap for July.

[KuЯdt 248]

I rode today at 5. Our relatively cool early summer is definitely behind us, and it's the normal July anus-scorching heat out there now.
Felt pretty good during the ride though, but after showering and eating dinner I'm now pretty wiped out.

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

I had a fairly mediocre ride today.  Up early, so temp was manageable, but the trail evidently caught some of that rain that didn't hit everywhere, so it was a bit damper than hero dirt.  Sticky, slow riding stuff, and it was humid as hell in the woods.  Surprised the hell out of me when I saw dirt clods all around the grass at the trail head.  I was expecting burnt kitty litter like most of the rest of the trails.  And, I think I need a rest day.  

And I still haven't ridden that damned skinny yet.  I can ride curbs and painted lines just fine, but even getting a foot off the ground with trees and shit on either side starts to kind of freak me out.

Edited July 18, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

Back at it after three days off.  Needed some rest, I suppose, but that dang ol' life.  I'm starting to get my mojo back as far as attempting things, so that's nice.  I also rolled up on and eventually passed some other riders, which is never my aim.  I always tell them to take their time, but they always wind up yielding and I wind up blowing past.

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

Here are some pix from Harry Moss Park showing some of the destruction the last few months' wind and rain brought.

In the last one, you can see some of the leafy stuff piled up amongst the cut logs.  It's kind of withered now, but that crap is shoved off to the side all along about six miles of trail.  It's pretty unreal.

Also, had a recent ride at Rowlett Creek Preserve, which has a fair amount of the trail running by the creek, about 6-10 feet up and right on the edge.  Well, after the flooding, some of the trail got washed out and it continues to erode a little bit making things a little extra exciting.

In one part where the edge is close, the soil is very sandy.  I'm not sure if it's the month of drought or the 200 riders of judgment day, mentioned above, but that sandy dirt is flat out sugar sand right now.  Squirmy as FUCK.  I almost lost it a couple of times putting down just a little power.

Given that the dropoff into gar-snek-snapping turtle-fecal matter hell is just inches to the left, I made sure to head right anytime I did so.  Almost slammed my still sensitive shoulder into a couple of trees.  Should have taken some pix, but after a few rear-wheel washouts, I just wanted to GTFO that section and didn't repeat it.

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

Almost headed out to Northshore, on the shores of Lake Grapevine this morning.  It's a bit of a haul, so I have never been out there despite it being one of the most popular trails in the metroplex.

Glad I didn't go.  I went to Collarbone/Katie Jackson Park instead.  It's a little hotter today than it has been the past week and for whatever reason, I really crapped out after about 4 miles today and on a flat, mostly shady trail..  Slept well, felt strong, ate, all signs go except maybe the weather.

But after I got home, I think I figured it out.  About a mile into the ride, I had to take a leak.  Right as I'm finishing up, I notice some tickling on my left ankle, look down and there are a bunch of ants.  I managed to swipe most of them off pretty quick and didnt feel a bunch of bites.  But after I got my sock off, there's kind of a red line above the sock that looks like sunburn where the ants chowed down (I saw the ants, they had a good time).  So I guess I was having a bit of histamine reaction that wiped me out.

[Braff Zacklin 13,592]

Have you been riding a lot, i.e., several days in a row?

When I have a bad (slow) day, most of the time, it's because my skinny legs are just wore out and need some recovery time. Even lots of sleep isn't enough, but a couple days of rest usually is.

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

29 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

Have you been riding a lot, i.e., several days in a row?

When I have a bad (slow) day, most of the time, it's because my skinny legs are just wore out and need some recovery time. Even lots of sleep isn't enough, but a couple days of rest usually is.

Skipped yesterday, mostly every other day recently.  But I have been fairly relentless this month, since it's been the first all dry month this year.  I had completely forgotten what it's like to ride when the trails are really dry and pulverized.  Slippin n slidin all over the damned place.  I'm over 100 miles this month and I rarely ride longer than an hour.  Pretty sure the ant bites/stings kinda jacked me up.  I felt off enough to take a benadryl this afternoon.  Zzzzzz.

[Braff Zacklin 13,592]

Buddy and I were just talking about this and both independently came to the same estimation--that we only feel "strong" one out of five rides. Just something to consider.

My guess is your legs are probably not used to the workload and are rioting. Keep at it, weather the storm, rack up the miles and lose weight, and 100-trail-mile months will soon be a pittance.

[Al_4_ISU 12,464]

Really weak ride today. I’ve been on RAGBRAI the past couple days and put 150+ miles on the road bike in 95 degree heat since Friday AM. Just sore I guess.

 

Oddly enough had some really good descents. Seemed dialed in on that front, I guess.

 

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

5 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

Buddy and I were just talking about this and both independently came to the same estimation--that we only feel "strong" one out of five rides. Just something to consider.

My guess is your legs are probably not used to the workload and are rioting. Keep at it, weather the storm, rack up the miles and lose weight, and 100-trail-mile months will soon be a pittance.

Maybe so. I guess there's a spectrum from strong to bonked.  I feel on the strong half more than 50 percent of the time if not scrong strong.  At the end of most of my rides I am at least considering another lap, subject to time, boredom, and fear of bonk. Today I was just trying to get back to the car.

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

Blah.  Took a couple days off on Braff's reco.  Did a flat trail ride specifically to pound out some miles at kind of speed.  I went kerplooey at about 5 miles, made 6.  Another one where I had zero desire to do another lap, just wanted to finish. In fairness, I didn't sleep well or particularly long and may not have eaten enough.  Or it may just be the 90 plus and humid before noon.

Or maybe it's just that if I ride 4-5 days a week instead of 2-3, I'm not gonna feel strong  most of the time.  I may have gotten spoiled by that couple week stretch where it didn't hit 90 until the afternoon.

Also, all of the trails are getting beyond "loose over hard" to just "loose."  I don't remember the trails being quite like this, but new tires and feeling them out may be contributing to my uncertainty.

[Braff Zacklin 13,592]

If it's any consolation, I rode hard yesterday because I felt good. That left me with dead legs today, of course, and then I flatted the rear tire on the final decent coming home.

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

7 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

If it's any consolation, I rode hard yesterday because I felt good. That left me with dead legs today, of course, and then I flatted the rear tire on the final decent coming home.

What's your remedy for flats?  Bacon? Tube?  Walking?

Also, funny thing.  I have had the desire, that I usually don't have, to "session" things that I don't clean.  A lot of the time, these are sharp, steep climbs. sometimes a descent with a funky runout or something, sometimes a combo deal.  I have realized that on a lot of the trails I ride, there is no real good way to "go back" to session something, particularly if there's a climb or descent involved.  Most of our trails are one way and pretty narrow, so you have to go in the weeds to get out of people's way.  And you probably don't want to ride down a sharp climb "into traffic," or muddle your way down or up it off the bike.  Of course, there isn't all that much traffic, but most of our trails are dense enough that you don't know that until they're about on you.

The other day I decided to muddle down a climb that I didn't finish and slipped and sat on my ass, which was fine, but my bike hit me in the tricep and back and made a couple of uncannily sore spots.  I was wiling to risk "going back" because there didn't SEEM to be many riders, which is a famous last word or thought.  No one came along, though.  Still didn't clean the damn thing, either.

Edited August 1, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[Braff Zacklin 13,592]

Sealant had dried apparently, and my hand pump was in my commuter backpack, so I walked to a secondary (higher) trailhead and waited for my buddy to pick me up. Saved me about two miles of walking.

Tubeless doesn't work so well without sealant.

 

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

Today knocked out 6 miles, but it took an hour.  Although the temp was 90 or less, I finally paid attention to the heat index and it was 97.  And probably a bit more humid in the woods.  I was sweatin like a whore in church.

http://i64.tinypic.com/205uw6v.jpg

This was Harry Moss, and, surprisingly to me, all loops are now open.  Above you can see some of the debris that the trail stewards have had to clear.  It's almost everywhere on seven miles of trail.

Edited August 2, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[Braff Zacklin 13,592]

Always thought hairy Moss was Kate in her "wild" years ...

[Knoxtnhorn 5,990]

Had my first hard core wreck in awhile.  I think my pedal must have hit a tree.  Over the handlebars.  Tore rib cartilage and bruised my lung.  Pain meds with my beer currently making it all good.

[Braff Zacklin 13,592]

Ouch, Knoxie. Pedal strikes are my greatest fear most rides, even more so than washouts. Glad it wasn't too serious and get well soon.

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

35 minutes ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

Had my first hard core wreck in awhile.  I think my pedal must have hit a tree.  Over the handlebars.  Tore rib cartilage and bruised my lung.  Pain meds with my beer currently making it all good.

You're in the Big D now, where were you riding?  Currently, bar strikes are a bigger potential issue for me, but some tree gates are narrow at the bottom and pose the threat for those kind of pedal strikes, which are pretty fearsome.

This is kind of the mother of all tree gates in DFW.  The photo must be old, because the trees are considerably thicker and closer together now.  And it is not pedal width at the bottom.  I don't know what sorcery one has to use to get through it.

[Knoxtnhorn 5,990]

Rowlett Creek Preserve but would be more than willing to make a drive to wherever you are -- after recovery.

1 minute ago, TwiceHorn said:

You're in the Big D now, where were you riding?  Currently, bar strikes are a bigger potential issue for me, but some tree gates are narrow at the bottom and pose the threat for those kind of pedal strikes, which are pretty fearsome.

This is kind of the mother of all tree gates in DFW.  The photo must be old, because the trees are considerably thicker and closer together now.  And it is not pedal width at the bottom.  I don't know what sorcery one has to use to get through it.

 

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

Oh sweet, I ride Rowlett pretty often.  Where were you when you went down?  I've never ridden out past 7 or 9, but I hear it is pretty rough out there.

Squabble Creek used to be kind of fun, but I haven't been there in years and understand it's all jacked up by construction.  I never knew it well enough to figure out which parts are messed up.

I don't normally wash out very often, probably because I don't push that hard in corners because your pushing is defined by your pedaling around here, not your descent.  Washouts are startling by their nature, but for the most part don't seem to have a lot of potential for injury (not like OTB events anyway).  But man, this loose over loose the last couple of weeks has me really cautious.  Might get some rain this weekend and I might be grateful for it and a little more tack.

Edited August 3, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[Al_4_ISU 12,464]

You're in the Big D now, where were you riding?  Currently, bar strikes are a bigger potential issue for me, but some tree gates are narrow at the bottom and pose the threat for those kind of pedal strikes, which are pretty fearsome.
This is kind of the mother of all tree gates in DFW.  The photo must be old, because the trees are considerably thicker and closer together now.  And it is not pedal width at the bottom.  I don't know what sorcery one has to use to get through it.

Fuck this.

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

Oh, I have been making it through this one without stopping or putting a foot down the last couple of times, going reeeeaaal slow though.  

 

Edited August 3, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[Knoxtnhorn 5,990]

9 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Oh sweet, I ride Rowlett pretty often.  Where were you when you went down?  I've never ridden out past 7 or 9, but I hear it is pretty rough out there.

Squabble Creek used to be kind of fun, but I haven't been there in years and understand it's all jacked up by construction.  I never knew it well enough to figure out which parts are messed up.

I don't normally wash out very often, probably because I don't push that hard in corners because your pushing is defined by your pedaling around here, not your descent.  Washouts are startling by their nature, but for the most part don't seem to have a lot of potential for injury (not like OTB events anyway).  But man, this loose over loose the last couple of weeks has me really cautious.  Might get some rain this weekend and I might be grateful for it and a little more tack.

I teach about 2 miles from Rowlett Creek Preserve; I live in Rowlett, so it's pretty convenient for me.  I generally start at Castle (parking lot) and do the entire south loop. 

I wrecked just above the black dot (below) - basically on one of the least technical parts of the entire map.  I think my pedal must have hit a stump or something because the only thing I remember was going over the handlebars.

I do like the "black diamond" part of the trail that extends to the west; however, I always get turned around, end up going against traffic, and/or get lost.

 

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

Lotta roots, some close-in trees at that point.  I don't even attempt anything past blue (difficulty) on any trail and a lot of the blues give me about all I want and then some.

Example on that trail, there's a creek crossing drop where 1A branches off 1.  I won't ride it.  I don't like the looks of it, never have, and post-collarbone it looks even worse to me.

Edited August 3, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[yoshi 137]

Planed on hitting all kinds of spots in here Oklahoma this summer, but we went from too wet and rainy to very hot, humid, dry.   I've just been mostly riding around my neighborhood and the college campus across the street which in all I can get an easy 6 mile loop.   I do all that after the sun goes down.    Hopefully we only have about 4 weeks of this left.    Bring on fall. 

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

Don't know if this will work, but this is interesting:

 

Never seen anything quite like it.  

[Knoxtnhorn 5,990]

23 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Lotta roots, some close-in trees at that point.  I don't even attempt anything past blue (difficulty) on any trail and a lot of the blues give me about all I want and then some.

Example on that trail, there's a creek crossing drop where 1A branches off 1.  I won't ride it.  I don't like the looks of it, never have, and post-collarbone it looks even worse to me.

I rode that area the first time I hit the track 2 summers ago.  I don't recall this spot so I'll have to check it out next time.   I do recall one spot in that area that I did walk my bike down.  It was an extremely steep hill that I knew I'd go over the handlebars if I tried.  I got into MBing in East TN, so most hills don't bother me.

FWIW, I wrecked on a perfectly straight, flat section of the trail on Fri.  Like I said, I think my pedal just hit a tree or something.  I feel like my left lung has been put through a wringer.  

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

59 minutes ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

I rode that area the first time I hit the track 2 summers ago.  I don't recall this spot so I'll have to check it out next time.   I do recall one spot in that area that I did walk my bike down.  It was an extremely steep hill that I knew I'd go over the handlebars if I tried.  I got into MBing in East TN, so most hills don't bother me.

FWIW, I wrecked on a perfectly straight, flat section of the trail on Fri.  Like I said, I think my pedal just hit a tree or something.  I feel like my left lung has been put through a wringer.  

It’s not the steep that bothers me its the stuff along the way and at the bottom and on the way up and out that I don't like the look of. 

I broke my collarbone essentially because I wasn't sufficiently familiar with the runout, so I am super conscious of that now. I was basically on level ground when it happened although hauling ass. 

There is another steep drop on 1A that really is a drop not a descent that's labeled black. It's pretty evil and it's bypass is too, but it is doable. 

Edited August 4, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[Al_4_ISU 12,464]

Rode some new trails today, in La Crosse WI. About an hour drive from home. I came up here last year and rode one set of their trail system, but that part had been overtaken for a race today.

I found another part of their trail system, however. You started at the base of the bluff, then climbed a phenomenal trail for about 2.5 miles to the top of the bluff. 700’ of gain. From there I rode a flowy trail along the ridge top for a ways, until I ran into the race area. Retraced my steps for a killer downhill. About 6.5 miles and 900’ when it was all said and done. Washing it down with a world famous Del’s Bloody Mary. Will definitely be back.

[TwiceHorn 31,488]

8.5 miles at Rowlett Creek today.  Heat index 100 when I finished, dry bulb temp 92.  I was really cruising at first, most of the beginning of the trail is in the woods and has hero dirt thanks to the rain this weekend.  Then I came upon this:

Well, obviously, I stopped.  And you're thinking, my God Twice, you are a total weeping vag.  The A line (or B depending on your perspective) is obvious and even the other lines probably aren't that bad.  But here's the rest of the story:

This isn't that spot I was grousing about upthread, but there is a steep dropoff to the left into a filthy creek.  This part of the trail also edges up to the creek and is a bit off camber in spots prior to this, so I had been tooling along "edging right" if you will.  This isn't the sandy part either, but gets enough sun that it was dry and powdery and I had spent the last couple hundred yards having my back end slide on off-camber bits.

So yeah, this kind of caught me short and I stopped to eyeball it.  Well, for whatever reason, I just lost all my flow.   I walked this, and at the top of it starts a rooty descent that isn't bad, but I loathe starting descents from a stop.  I was hot, my glasses were fogging up, sweat was dripping in my eyes, I walked some other shameful stuff until I got back to the trailhead.  I rested for a bit then forced myself to flog another 2 miles at speed on a flat part of the trail.  That actually felt pretty good.