The Surly Mountain Biking Thread

[Al_4_ISU 12661]

14 hours ago, KuЯdt said:

Bummer dude.  One nice thing about living in Texas - while the summers are a fucking beating, the riding is year-round.  

I mean, I CAN ride year round.  Sort of.  It's just that riding in winter is such a pain in the ass.  Not so much because of the temps (you can dress for that surprisingly easy), but the snow has to be groomed a certain way to even be rideable on fatties and what not.  If we have a dry winter and little to no snow (happens 3-4 out of 10 years) I'll be able to ride through the winter pretty easily.  A buddy of mine logged a ride in every month of 2018 on the local system.

That said, Texas winter riding has to blow it out of the water.  A trip down to the Hill Country in January or February seems like a cheap way to get my MTB fix.  Easy drive, I have plenty of hotel points, etc.

[TwiceHorn 32104]

Holy hell.  Thoroughly humbled, although I suppose I should expect it after yesterday's 10 miler.

Went to Arbor Hills up in Plano where I haven't been in 3 or 4 years.  Short trail, 2.5 miles, with what I remembered as a good deal of climbing, especially at the end.  It's been closed a lot lately as it apparently is greatly affected by the rains.

Well, the first mile is uphill.  Slow, steady grade interspersed with extremely rooty climbs and some very short descents to keep you interested.  As with a lot of places in the metroplex, the roots really stick out after having the dirt washed away from them.  Not a lungbuster, but the kind of the that wears you down, bigtime.

Also, very deeply rutted in the grassy sections, like actual 2-3 foot deep chutes of dirt, but mostly wide enough to avoid pedal strikes  Must be something about Collin County dirt or grass that does that.

Anyway, I almost completely bonked about halfway through.  I had to keep walking, though, because I'm like an air-cooled VW engine:  I'm gonna blow a head gasket or throw a rod if I don't get some air flowing around me.  I did recover sufficiently to mostly do the climb out, which was a mildly rutted grassy section where all I had to do was pedal.  Then, out of shame, forced myself around the paved trail, with a lot of uphill itself to try to make a ride out of it.

Geez.

[TwiceHorn 32104]

Also, Kurdt, I have been kind of vague about my steering complaints.  The flop causes a sort of oversteer, especially if your front wheel is bouncing around.  Where it bugs me is when you have to turn sharply into a descent on a narrow track or line and your speed will rapidly pick up. It may be partly psychological, but seeing your front wheel pointing way the hell left or right is disconcerting. It's not a problem picking your way up a rooty or rocky hill, much.

Edited September 18, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[Al_4_ISU 12661]

It rained at the farm yesterday, which knocked us out of the field, but the radar made it look like storms were dying off by the time they got to Decorah.  So I went home, got the bike and headed out.

As I rolled into Decorah, it was obvious that there was a very recent rain.  It wasn't heavy, but it made everything completely greasy.  The roots and leaves were just slicker than all get out, and the limestone might as well have been fucking glare ice.  Still being new to the hard tail, and not having rode for 2 weeks, I was just sliding all over the place.  It was terrible.

I had put my post up a couple of inches to see how that affected things, and while it went good in climbs (for the most part), the down hill handling was shit.

As much as I like the hard tail, it will take some getting used to and playing with post position and things of that nature to really get comfortable.  I don't see myself riding it post rain anytime soon either.  I was definitely skittish on about anything rocky or rooty.

There were some good moments, as one part of the park seemed to have missed the rain and had good conditions, but the grease was something I hadn't really encountered and will be in no hurry to chase down again.

Still better than not riding.

[TwiceHorn 32104]

12 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

It rained at the farm yesterday, which knocked us out of the field, but the radar made it look like storms were dying off by the time they got to Decorah.  So I went home, got the bike and headed out.

As I rolled into Decorah, it was obvious that there was a very recent rain.  It wasn't heavy, but it made everything completely greasy.  The roots and leaves were just slicker than all get out, and the limestone might as well have been fucking glare ice.  Still being new to the hard tail, and not having rode for 2 weeks, I was just sliding all over the place.  It was terrible.

I had put my post up a couple of inches to see how that affected things, and while it went good in climbs (for the most part), the down hill handling was shit.

As much as I like the hard tail, it will take some getting used to and playing with post position and things of that nature to really get comfortable.  I don't see myself riding it post rain anytime soon either.  I was definitely skittish on about anything rocky or rooty.

There were some good moments, as one part of the park seemed to have missed the rain and had good conditions, but the grease was something I hadn't really encountered and will be in no hurry to chase down again.

Still better than not riding.

What size tires does the bike have?  That's the other thing that will differ pretty hugely from the fatbike, fairly obviously.  Width and pressure can make a big difference in traction.

You can and should play around with the pressure on them, but know that they can't go as low as your fatbike tires or even the 2.4 to 2.8 inch tires that are de rigeur on trail bikes now.  If you are a decent-sized fella, probably not any lower than 20 psi.

I'm always wary of leaf-covered trails, wet or dry.  They can be slicker than owlshit.

Edited September 19, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[Al_4_ISU 12661]

2 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

What size tires does the bike have?  That's the other thing that will differ pretty hugely from the fatbike, fairly obviously.  Width and pressure can make a big difference in traction.

You can and should play around with the pressure on them, but know that they can't go as low as your fatbike tires or even the 2.4 to 2.8 inch tires that are de rigeur on trail bikes now.  If you are a decent-sized fella, probably not any lower than 20 psi.

I'm always wary of leaf-covered trails, wet or dry.  They can be slicker than owlshit.

I'll check the tire size when I get home.  They look less than 2" wide to me.  My buddy liked riding them around 30 (which is what I'm doing), and I found 7 was the optimal PSI for trail riding the fatty.  I'm decent sized, so wouldn't go that low on the hard tail.

[TwiceHorn 32104]

OCNP this morning.  Cooled off a bit here, but came with some rain and humidity. Cloudy this morning, stayed in the 70s-80s, as opposed to 80s-90s.  Started the trail with gusto and then kind of plonked again in the middle of it.  I did try to session that crazy rooty climb I posted back a page ago, which was part of my initial gusto.  Fail, but think I found a line that works if I can get the right gear.  It was pretty steamy deep in the woods. At one point, I checked the temp, 84, but heat index was 94.  Hasn't been like that in a couple of weeks.

Also, and this can be a problem for me, sweat was running in my eyes bigtime.  And sometimes it really stings.  I wear a wet bandanna under my helmet for cooling and to prevent that, but it wasn't good enough today.  That made me stop several times and I wound up having to take off my glasses.  And unplanned stops tend to be the kiss of death for me.

[KuЯdt 248]

On 9/18/2019 at 5:35 PM, TwiceHorn said:

Also, Kurdt, I have been kind of vague about my steering complaints.  The flop causes a sort of oversteer, especially if your front wheel is bouncing around.  Where it bugs me is when you have to turn sharply into a descent on a narrow track or line and your speed will rapidly pick up. It may be partly psychological, but seeing your front wheel pointing way the hell left or right is disconcerting. It's not a problem picking your way up a rooty or rocky hill, much.

I now know more of what you're talking about.  I stopped by the shop today and sat on the new Tallboy and the Yeti SB130.  While I was on the Tallboy, I was talking with the salesman and he started laughing at me because I kept looking down watching the wheel flop over every time I let go of the bars.  Both bikes are super nice.

[TwiceHorn 32104]

23 hours ago, KuЯdt said:

I now know more of what you're talking about.  I stopped by the shop today and sat on the new Tallboy and the Yeti SB130.  While I was on the Tallboy, I was talking with the salesman and he started laughing at me because I kept looking down watching the wheel flop over every time I let go of the bars.  Both bikes are super nice.

I have tried to be more mindful of the steering in an effort to force myself to get used to it since I have been bitching about it so much.  A good test to see how it unsettles you would be to climb up some stairs with a railing a couple of feet away and try turning around it.  Of course 180 and back down would be challenging on probably any bike, but just turn 90 degrees and imagine heading down a descent.  But, if you are kind of watching it, you'll be ok, but then you may be unsettled by watching the front of your wheel instead of the trail.  The faster you are able to go, the less it seems to be an issue.  The steering is great for carving turns at speed.

Over on mtbr, there's quite a bit of bitching about Yeti's latest frames and stingy warranty/crash replacement.

Edited September 22, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[TwiceHorn 32104]

Went down to Boulder Park this morning.  It was crowded as hell, parking lot full, so I turned back to OCNP (both souf Dallas trails).  Nothing good or bad to speak of this morning except my alltrails has been fucking up and closing during rides.

I did, however, clear that Twin Towers tree gate with the two giant trees posted above.  It's not that narrow for a large frame, but it is tight at the bottom.  I put my pedals level and took my feet off entirely (thinking I could eject if my foot didn't get caught in a pedal strike) and sailed right through with a flick of the bars left and right.  Laughing and thinking of Al.

Still didn't clean that rooty climb.  I deviated from what I think is probably the best line and didn't grab a low enough gear to get over the roots where I did go.

Edited September 22, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[TwiceHorn 32104]

Ten miles at Rowlett Creek and @Knoxtnhorn, I did loops 5 and 6 entirely, skipping 5A this time.  There's a big ol log on 6 that has no ramp, just a mound of dirt on the far left, that's easy enough to get up and down, but you have to turn sharp to avoid a tree.  Exactly the kind of thing my steering makes me leery of.  The one I was thinking of before is no longer there, or it's the one I saw, but no ramps anymore.

And I did see that log on 5, past "Earl's Way" and it is just one log, but they usually have a couple of logs stacked on either side to make a ramp, so it is effectively a three log stack. However, now the ramp has fallen apart so it's mostly just an 18" high log.  I don't have that kind of hops.  It has a bypass, the one on 6 doesn't.  

Loop 6 was pretty mushy in spots and doesn't seem to have been ridden much lately, bumpy as hell.  Also pretty humid down in there,  Nasty.  Also close to the 💩 plant.

Most, but not all, of the big ass cracks had closed up with the recent rain.  Some nice hero dirt in the shade.

Edited September 24, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[Knoxtnhorn 6312]

 

41 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Ten miles at Rowlett Creek and @Knoxtnhorn, I did loops 5 and 6 entirely, skipping 5A this time.  There's a big ol log on 6 that has no ramp, just a mound of dirt on the far left, that's easy enough to get up and down, but you have to turn sharp to avoid a tree.  Exactly the kind of thing my steering makes me leery of.  The one I was thinking of before is no longer there, or it's the one I saw, but no ramps anymore.

And I did see that log on 5, past "Earl's Way" and it is just one log, but they usually have a couple of logs stacked on either side to make a ramp, so it is effectively a three log stack. However, now the ramp has fallen apart so it's mostly just an 18" high log.  I don't have that kind of hops.  It has a bypass, the one on 6 doesn't.  

Loop 6 was pretty mushy in spots and doesn't seem to have been ridden much lately, bumpy as hell.  Also pretty humid down in there,  Nasty.  Also close to the 💩 plant.

Most, but not all, of the big ass cracks had closed up with the recent rain.  Some nice hero dirt in the shade.

Yep.  I think we're finally on the same page re: the hazards and where they are.

I haven't been able to do anything - soccer or cycling - in awhile.  My chest finally healed, but now I'm having all kinds of back issues.  Very frustrating.

[TwiceHorn 32104]

4 minutes ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

 

Yep.  I think we're finally on the same page re: the hazards and where they are.

I haven't been able to do anything - soccer or cycling - in awhile.  My chest finally healed, but now I'm having all kinds of back issues.  Very frustrating.

Sucks.  I'm riding enough now that I can feel my core tightening and back getting stronger.  I'm not really doing any other specific exercises.  I play in an old folks volleyball league some, but that's been limited by my finger.  I'm doing some squatty things, no weights, for "hip hinging."

[TwiceHorn 32104]

Fuck Chris King, Hope and i9 hubs, I'm gettin one of these.

 

[AUinHsv 584]

Just put a baseball card in the spokes - old school sound

[TwiceHorn 32104]

Boulder Park this morning.  After I started bumping around, I realized I had the beginning of a headache that I hadn't noticed previously.  So, I did only the first loop and that nasty climb at the end, surprisingly.  I thought for sure I would be walking that sumbitch.  The only technical difficulty I had was that I was psychologically afraid of some of the tree gates and found myself stopping or nearly so for some of them.  Funny how some days that's an issue, others, it's not.

It's either 4.x miles or 5, depending on who you believe.  My Alltrails has been fucking up with GPS, you wouldn't believe the recording I got.  6.6 miles at 14.2 mph I fucking wish.  Nonetheless, I only rode for a half hour, so a pretty decent clip and some mild, sustained climbing in addition to that beast at the end.

Edited September 26, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[TwiceHorn 32104]

Nice ride at collarbone park.  Still don't do any of those drops that I broke myself on.  I need to inspect the runouts and it's just not easily done.

I rode that friggin skinny!  First attempt.  It's just tall enough (12-18" and in the trees) to fuck you up if you have to go off it or you fall off it, so I dropped my seat a couple of inches to make it easier to bail without completely fucking up my pedaling.

Bush league psych out stuff, man.

Also, since putting more sealant in and re-seating my valves (thought that might have wallowed out the hole), my tubeless set up has been holding air really well, better than at first.  Odd, but pleasing.

[Al_4_ISU 12661]

Haven't gotten any rides due to harvest, but a conversation with my brother the other day made me think of something, and I figured I'd throw it at you guys.

The hard tail has a front suspension that can be locked (I assume pretty much all of them do?).  The day I demo'd it, I wasn't even thinking about it, and didn't unlock it until I started a significant descent later in the ride.  I was climbing like a banshee that day and didn't think twice about my lower seat height.

After that, I started unlocking the suspension as soon as I was on singletrack.  I notice climbs were getting tougher, and assumed it was mostly due to my post being set much lower than I had it on the fatty.

My brother was asking about the bike over the weekend, and he made a comment to the idea that I should be locking the front forks when I climb.  The light bulb went off in my head that I definitely climbed better the day I had it locked and wasn't thinking about it.  Is this a preference thing, or is this like MTB 101 shit and I'm an idiot?

[TwiceHorn 32104]

Hard to say, actually.

Suspension reduces pedaling efficiency as a general proposition.  Thus you have lockouts on suspension components.

Shocks (as opposed to forks) on full suspension bikes used to really rob pedaling efficiency, so a lockout was a must for climbing.  But they seem to have tweaked the kinematics such that lockouts are no longer needed or very effective on most bikes.

A lot of forks don't have lockouts anymore, either.  But the highest low-speed-compression setting is probably pretty close to locked out.  When you think about it, most people struggle to keep weight on their front wheel when climbing and probably aren't worried about fork compression stealing their stoke.

But, it's possible.  Did you adjust the pressure in the fork for your weight/liking?  If it's too soft, that would definitely be a problem.

One might thing your HT, by virtue of weight alone, would climb better than your fatbike.

How much lower is your seat?  I will say that on my hardtail, I had my seat maybe an inch, not quite, lower than optimum pedaling position.  That way, I could easily raise up just slightly off the seat to keep my ass from getting pounded without jacking up my pedaling too badly.

Edited September 30, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[Al_4_ISU 12661]

3 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Hard to say, actually.

Suspension reduces pedaling efficiency as a general proposition.  Thus you have lockouts on suspension components.

Shocks (as opposed to forks) on full suspension bikes used to really rob pedaling efficiency, so a lockout was a must for climbing.  But they seem to have tweaked the kinematics such that lockouts are no longer needed or very effective on most bikes.

A lot of forks don't have lockouts anymore, either.  When you think about it, most people struggle to keep weight on their front wheel when climbing and probably aren't worried about fork compression stealing their stoke.

But, it's possible.  Did you adjust the pressure in the fork for your weight/liking?  If it's too soft, that would definitely be a problem.

One might thing your HT, by virtue of weight alone, would climb better than your fatbike.

The bike was still climbing well, but it was taking more effort for me to do it.  The day I first rode it, I climbed like I've never climbed before.  When I climbed without a locked suspension, I wasn't doing much more than I could do with the fatty.

[TwiceHorn 32104]

2 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

The bike was still climbing well, but it was taking more effort for me to do it.  The day I first rode it, I climbed like I've never climbed before.  When I climbed without a locked suspension, I wasn't doing much more than I could do with the fatty.

Well, that seems like your solution.  Is your fork pressure adjusted for your weight?

[Al_4_ISU 12661]

Just now, TwiceHorn said:

Well, that seems like your solution.  Is your fork pressure adjusted for your weight?

I'm sure it's not.  My buddy I bought it from is 20 lbs lighter than me.  

I'll have to look into pressure adjustment.  I would imagine there's a standard PSI to weight ratio?

[TwiceHorn 32104]

Just now, Al_4_ISU said:

I'm sure it's not.  My buddy I bought it from is 20 lbs lighter than me.  

I'll have to look into pressure adjustment.  I would imagine there's a standard PSI to weight ratio?

Aha, yes that could be it.  Not quite standard, sometimes marked on the left fork leg.  Or you could look it up.  You are kind of shooting to have it sag 20-30% of its travel when you are seated still on the bike.

If it's way too soft, it's stealing pedaling efficiency all the time.  Could dive in a braking situation and be a little dangerous, too.

[TwiceHorn 32104]

Niiice ride this morning.  Little overcast, thought it might be humid, but it wasn't.  Nice breeze, stayed in lower 80s whole ride.  Actually felt a little like fall.  Rode Harry Moss.  I always do a light loop to start, a little over a mile and then decide if I want to tackle that loop that gets my goat every time.  I did not this time, I didn't want it to harsh my mellow.

Flowin n carvin, but it was a little too dry for good carving.  Had the first front wheel washout I've had in a while.

[Braff Zacklin 13676]

4 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

Haven't gotten any rides due to harvest, but a conversation with my brother the other day made me think of something, and I figured I'd throw it at you guys.

The hard tail has a front suspension that can be locked (I assume pretty much all of them do?).  The day I demo'd it, I wasn't even thinking about it, and didn't unlock it until I started a significant descent later in the ride.  I was climbing like a banshee that day and didn't think twice about my lower seat height.

After that, I started unlocking the suspension as soon as I was on singletrack.  I notice climbs were getting tougher, and assumed it was mostly due to my post being set much lower than I had it on the fatty.

My brother was asking about the bike over the weekend, and he made a comment to the idea that I should be locking the front forks when I climb.  The light bulb went off in my head that I definitely climbed better the day I had it locked and wasn't thinking about it.  Is this a preference thing, or is this like MTB 101 shit and I'm an idiot?

Twice addressed this pretty well, but I'll add my $0.02.

These days, I only lock out my front fork when I'm on pavement unless there's a sustained climb that I've decided I want to mash up instead of sit and grind. Hammering with the fork open definitely feels like running in sand.

When I first started using GPS apps on my phone to track rides, I timed hundreds of rides with the fork locked out for climbing and with it fully open. I was not able to observe any noticeable difference. The most significant factors were: weight, how I felt that day, how fresh my legs were, trail conditions, and ambient temperature.

Maybe that'd be different if I were lighter or a competitive racer, etc., but for the average joe, I don't think locking out the front fork is critical for an efficient climb.

I do lock out the rear shock, particularly for the first big climb of the day (there are rides here in which you can climb from the moment you leave your front door until 7 or 8 miles later), but I often don't bother.

FWIW, my hardtail and squishy weigh about the same (my hardtail has a steel frame and cheaper components), but my climb times aren't drastically different. I might be a few seconds faster climbing on a hardtail, but I'm usually a few seconds faster descending on the full suspension.

[TwiceHorn 32104]

Bottom line is, right now your fork is probably way too soft.  That's impeding your climbing some, probably along with some other stuff.  The lockout would probably help a lot.

Get your fork pressure closer to correct and the lockout is probably less necessary.  You're probably going to miss some of that squish, but in the long run will give you an overall better riding experience in a variety of conditions (no bottoming or diving on hard hits or things that put a lot of pressure on the fork).

[Braff Zacklin 13676]

Yeah, riding on a marshmallow is no bueno.

[TwiceHorn 32104]

Well, I finally picked up some Adidas Cross Trails that are kind of a hiking/trail runner version of 5.10s with a Stealth sole.

I have been wearing trail runners chosen for flat(tish) soles and thus get pretty good traction, so that hasn't been an issue for me, especially considering the mild chunk I encounter around here.  I'm sure the Stealth sole will be better, but I understand the formulation used in these is not quite as sticky as some of the 5.10s.

What surprised me with these is how stout they are, very stiff in a "hiking boot" sort of way.  THAT may be something of a revelation, both from a pedaling efficiency standpoint and a protection and durability standpoint. 

I have never been able to try a pair of 5.10 anythings because everyone is always sold out of 10.5-11.  I have read varying reports on their stiffness, but are they really stout like these things?

They're also all black, so they look to me like orthopedic shoes.

Incidentally, if anyone is in the market for flat pedal shoes, amazon has these for 77, which is cheaper than most others.

 

Edited October 2, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[Dbeasy 15613]

Well, after getting purchase advise on a mountain bike in the other thread and buying one, I started riding this week to get used to it. I’ve been riding just on pavement and the packed graphite trails, building up stamina and getting used to riding again. Next step is to try the simplest trail I can find in North Austin. If I incur a flat I’m hosed because I have no idea how to work on this bike at all. But I’m looking forward to finally trying some trails. My beach cruiser was not suitable for that.

[TwiceHorn 32104]

1 hour ago, Dbeasy said:

Well, after getting purchase advise on a mountain bike in the other thread and buying one, I started riding this week to get used to it. I’ve been riding just on pavement and the packed graphite trails, building up stamina and getting used to riding again. Next step is to try the simplest trail I can find in North Austin. If I incur a flat I’m hosed because I have no idea how to work on this bike at all. But I’m looking forward to finally trying some trails. My beach cruiser was not suitable for that.

Welcome.  As I suspect that there's no shortage of hills on your paved-ish trails, put in some hill work if you can.  There are lots of youtube videos on bike maintenance, one of the biggest hangups is having the right tools.  Changing a tube shouldn't require any special tools, but good tire levers can help.  But it's not much different from how it was the last time you did it, even if you were 12.

You might want to get some Slime and put it in your tubes until you get your feet under you.

Edited October 3, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[Braff Zacklin 13676]

2 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

I have never been able to try a pair of 5.10 anythings because everyone is always sold out of 10.5-11.  I have read varying reports on their stiffness, but are they really stout like these things?

My brudda from anudda mudda ...

Five Tens are legit. I've been riding a pair of Impacts that I bought on the cheap from Jenson back in 2013.They are overkill for me. I'd recommend a pair of Freeriders--lighter, less rigid, and more casual but still super grippy.

The Stealth rubber soles are so effective that, when combined with sharp grub screws, you have to lift your foot straight up off the pedal if you wish to adjust your position. It won't move otherwise because it won't slide around.

Regarding grub screws: if your pedals come with dull or rounded pins, consider replacing them with these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012T9E4C4/

 

[Braff Zacklin 13676]

2 hours ago, Dbeasy said:

Well, after getting purchase advise on a mountain bike in the other thread and buying one, I started riding this week to get used to it. I’ve been riding just on pavement and the packed graphite trails, building up stamina and getting used to riding again. Next step is to try the simplest trail I can find in North Austin. If I incur a flat I’m hosed because I have no idea how to work on this bike at all. But I’m looking forward to finally trying some trails. My beach cruiser was not suitable for that.

Feel free to post pics of your ride and of your trails. Have fun and be safe!

[Zepol87 9345]

I spent the weekend in Denver and went hiking around golden. I was running out of gas walking and saw some dudes riding a damn bike by me. Mad props to you guys. It's something I've started researching

[TwiceHorn 32104]

3 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

My brudda from anudda mudda ...

Five Tens are legit. I've been riding a pair of Impacts that I bought on the cheap from Jenson back in 2013.They are overkill for me. I'd recommend a pair of Freeriders--lighter, less rigid, and more casual but still super grippy.

The Stealth rubber soles are so effective that, when combined with sharp grub screws, you have to lift your foot straight up off the pedal if you wish to adjust your position. It won't move otherwise because it won't slide around.

Regarding grub screws: if your pedals come with dull or rounded pins, consider replacing them with these:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B012T9E4C4/

 

Adidas owns 5.10 and has for a while, and apparently is consolidating the line with their Adidas Outdoor line of hiking shoes and bootthings.  These Cross Trails are a product of that. https://www.adidas.com/us/terrex-trail-cross-sl-shoes/CM7562.html

I haven't been too worried about traction once I got these pedals (RF Chesters) and learned to drop my heels.  I don't shred enough gnar to get bounced too badly.  But it seems mountain biking is really hard on shoes and having some really stout ones can only be a good thing.  I have stumped the fuck out of my toes a couple of times.

 

[TwiceHorn 32104]

3 minutes ago, Zepol87 said:

I spent the weekend in Denver and went hiking around golden. I was running out of gas walking and saw some dudes riding a damn bike by me. Mad props to you guys. It's something I've started researching

Its a lot of fun.  If you BMX'ed when you were a kid, it's similar in a lot of ways and you'll have a leg up on bike handling skills.

[Zepol87 9345]

Looked like a blast. I'm definitely going to be in the market for a low priced bike soon. I'm in Addison so looking up spots to try out

[Braff Zacklin 13676]

4 minutes ago, Zepol87 said:

Looked like a blast. I'm definitely going to be in the market for a low priced bike soon. I'm in Addison so looking up spots to try out

I've been in a couple of Addisons, myself ... but what does that have to do with mountain biking?

[TwiceHorn 32104]

39 minutes ago, Zepol87 said:

Looked like a blast. I'm definitely going to be in the market for a low priced bike soon. I'm in Addison so looking up spots to try out

Dorba.org

Katie Jackson Park on Haverwood has a fun trail.  Mostly flat, but enough up and down to  . . . . break your collarbone.

[TwiceHorn 32104]

So, I'm gearing up to add a loop to my River Legacy ride.  Someone said River Legacy is a paved trail painted to look like dirt, and, that's mostly true.  I use it to grind out miles.

But. 

There is also a loop called EKG (eek!).  There's an additional sub loop called EKG OMG.  I'm gonna skip that.  I'm not afraid of the climbing, but I think it's a combo of climb and drop, climb and drop and I think it can get pretty fast.  But, I don't think there's any off-camber or exposure, and I think the trails are mostly open, no close in trees, that combo tends to freak me out.

I've looked at some videos, but we know about those.  Read some descriptions.  Hard to tell how hard it is.  Trailforks has the climbs rated black diamond. Pray for me.

[TwiceHorn 32104]

Did ride River Legacy.  DId not ride EKG.  Got a late start, so getting pretty warm, couldn't feature any lungbusting.

Next week, though, highs in the 70s and 80s.  So I should be able to challenge myself cardiowise a little more.

[Dbeasy 15613]

Got out for my first trail ride this morning. Rode the North Walnut Creek Trail which is paved and then dropped off onto my first non-paved trails, parts of the Walnut Creek Metro Loop.

Fortunately it was all pretty easy so it was a great first trail to do. I still had a little trouble navigating thru tight trees.

[TwiceHorn 32104]

Good deal. Couple of tips.  Look way far down the trail. Helps anticipate things and if you stare at an obstacle you are nearly guaranteed to hit it. Look between trees rather than at one or the other. 

Also when things get hairy or downhill or are about to, get up out of your seat. Not standing, but crouching with knees and elbows bent to absorb shock.  Keep your pedals level at 9 and 3. Can google "attack position" for photos and videos. 

Also be mindful to keep your butt over or behind your saddle.  Much danger in mtb occurs because there is too much weight on the front wheel, which makes a handy pivot to flip you over the bars. You counter this by shifting your weight to the rear, which usually takes the form of moving your butt back. 

Also beware of your front brake. It can flip ya like Benicio del Toro. 

Edited October 6, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[KuЯdt 248]

Got out for my first trail ride this morning. Rode the North Walnut Creek Trail which is paved and then dropped off onto my first non-paved trails, parts of the Walnut Creek Metro Loop.

Fortunately it was all pretty easy so it was a great first trail to do. I still had a little trouble navigating thru tight trees.

Awesome. Walnut Creek is a great place to start. One of the few smooth flowy trails around Austin, not littered with rocks and ledges. There are a few challenging spots out there (Endo Valley comes to mind).
If you find yourself on the south side of town Slaughter Creek Trail is an easy 5 mile loop and there are probably about 80 miles of trail on the South Austin Trail Network (SATN).

[TwiceHorn 32104]

I envy your 80 miles of trail, but I'm not sure I envy all the rocks.  Some of the stuff wd40 rides looks to me to cross the line from challenging to just not that fun to ride (meaning the non-stop chunk), for me, anyway.

Saw this the other day, not my idea of fun tbh. (at a couple minutes in).

Closest thing we have is an extremely rooty area at collarbone park (Katie Jackson), that after the rainy rainy spring/summer is really washed out, so the roots are really sticking out, like 4-6-8 inches instead of the usual 2-3.  It is kind of fun in a masochistic way, but is maybe a half mile or so, so it comes in a small dose.

I've noticed something about myself that's odd.  I like flowy, so I guess I like speed a little bit.  But as soon as I start coasting at speed, i.e. downhill, I get uncomfortable.  I feel sort of disconnected from the bike.  I notice that spinning the cranks a little while downhilling is comforting, so is braking, but I think its more "just doing something" than slowing down.  I'm also a giant chickenshit, so there's that, too.

Edited October 7, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[Buck Strickland 380]

Got into this almost a year a go when I quit drinking and got a Trek ex fuel 5. It was the entry level fs and I've already replaced everything but the fork and drivetrain. I've definitely been bitten by the mtb bug. It's been even more fun than I thought it would be. Already researching which carbon frame to get, like someone else mentioned, narrowed down to yeti sb130 or sc tallboy.

Picked up some carbon rims with i9 hubs from Dirt components in austin. Cool young company that does great work. It was a noticeable upgrade.

Edited October 7, 2019 by Buck Strickland
spelling

[KuЯdt 248]

7 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

I envy your 80 miles of trail, but I'm not sure I envy all the rocks.  Some of the stuff wd40 rides looks to me to cross the line from challenging to just not that fun to ride (meaning the non-stop chunk), for me, anyway.

The nice thing about that 80 miles of SATN is that it is pretty varied, and leans more toward intermediate than advanced terrain.  So you can put together easier or harder loops based on what you feel like riding that day.  I can hit that network straight out of my front door, and will choose my course based on whether I want to maximize climbing, hit some of the rougher chunky terrain, or if I just want a leisurely spin.

 

[KuЯdt 248]

5 hours ago, Buck Strickland said:

Got into this almost a year a go when I quit drinking and got a Trek ex fuel 5. It was the entry level fs and I've already replaced everything but the fork and drivetrain. I've definitely been bitten by the mtb bug. It's been even more fun than I thought it would be. Already researching which carbon frame to get, like someone else mentioned, narrowed down to yeti sb130 or sc tallboy.

Picked up some carbon rims with i9 hubs from Dirt components in austin. Cool young company that does great work. It was a noticeable upgrade.

Yep you caught the bug alright.  If you pull the trigger on a new frame, I'd be interested in hearing about it as it sounds like you and I are looking at similar models.

[TwiceHorn 32104]

First ride today with the new sneaks.  Also first in months with reasonable temperatures!  67 when I started. Woohoo!

The stiffness of the shoes did seem to make a difference, particularly accelerating up those short steep climbs.

[Buck Strickland 380]

Been looking hard at Yeti for the advertised benefits in climbing.  That yeti switch infinity suspension sounds good in theory and feels good in the parking lot test but I haven't tested it out for real.  Bicycle Sport shop has that deal where you can try out 2 high end bikes on the trail for $250 and they deduct that when you order it from them.  

Check out Gorilla Gravity.  They have a different process for how they do carbon that is making it cheaper but they are a real young company in the carbon game.  They have some real interesting ideas like a kit that changes the bike from downhill to XC, think you need a different shock too but it's pretty cool. 

[TwiceHorn 32104]

I've just read and heard too many horror stories about carbon fiber frames to ever want one.