Official mountain biking thread

13164828:division.bell said:
Nice man! How did the cleat installation go? Were you able to dial it in the first time, or did it take a few spins around the block and minor adjustments to get it all settled?

Hearing the "not too locked-in" part makes me think you went the right direction with SPD's rather than Times/Crank Brothers.

With experience the motion will be instinctual. If you're feeling pretty good about the effort it takes to unclip and you have experienced some "pre-release" turn it up a bit. You can always turn it right back down. There are two tension adjustment screws on each pedal. I run mine set equally on each side.

Many years ago, back in the days of V-brakes, I was following a friend of mine on some private homebrew trails and he bailed in front of me so I veered out of the way. When I realized I should be paying attention to where I am going, rather than my friend still tumbling down the trail, I came face to face with a 4 foot diameter tree. The only thing I remember is my front tire hitting the tree dead center and my bike launching me forward. Somehow I was able to unclip with both feet and turn sideways in the air allowing me to literally fly past the tree and end up in the brush below.

With 2015's on the way, or already in shops, I'd look around to see what kind of deals are still around on past model years before spending any money on a bike that I couldn't personally inspect before payment. Again, there are damn good deals out there on used bikes though. Just be careful if you do go that route.

Haha, don't read into my post too much though. I'm about as incoherent I could possibly be post ride. It was a good day, but I hit the wall way too early. My rear brake had a sticky piston and I was apparently riding with unwanted resistance until I noticed being way more exhausted on the climb than I should be. Enjoyed a much needed breather and fixed the brake to satisfaction. It definitely took it's toll on the rest of my day though.

Enduro...riding uphill at a leisurely pace, enjoying the scenery, chatting with your friends or fellow riders and/or passerbys on the trail. Getting to the top or start to ride as fast as you can, push the limitations of your self and your equipment. All while trying to out-do the competition and bragging rights among your slow friends.

...yeah, that sounds like normal mountain biking to me. Call it what you will, but the "enduro" specific products these days are too much. Specialized not included in this opinion, as their Enduro model was around before this nonsense really caught on.

Agreed, 140-160mm of travel with your choice of 26"/27.5" wheels (depending on preference) is perfect in my opinion for most peoples' general mountain biking. Trail/All Mountain; however people can actually distinguish between the two. Whatever, it's biking. Marketing and fads sell shit. End of story.

What aren't you liking about your Scratch?
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theres nothing wrong with the scratch but its honestly more bike than I need (it's also hefty at 36 pounds). Even when I go to trestle and do the downhill rocky stuff my buddy on a nomad carbon does just fine or even better, just need to be more aware of the line choice really. I'll admit though the scratch can take a beating with its full coil suspension. I just ride to much trail (and I plan to do a lot more longer alpine rides next season) to justify having such a beefy all mountain bike as much as I like it.

13165106:Dustin. said:
"Enduro" seems to be the only way I know how to search for the kind of bike I'm interested in right now. I've demoed a bunch of nice downhill bikes and I'd love to have a dedicated Session or something, but I ride a lot of trail outside of the bike park too. Going home and meeting up with Chris and Drew on Rainmaker is the kind of treat I look forward too and a lot of the good DH riding in Europe is a decent drive from me. Can an "Enduro" kind of bike really rip like a DH bike? Could I feasibly climb and cruise through the rolling hills at home and take something like that on a full up DH course in the Alps on the weekends?

I'd 100% go for a DH bike, but 80% of my riding would be on trail out in the woods and those bitches are heavy.
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yeah I probably lapped rainmaker with those boys a million times this season (although I still can't keep up with Dvg whatsoever, he pedals in the air between jumps for God sakes haha)

But even when I did the gnarlier stuff like trestle downhill or bear arms, space ape, etc... I knew I could handle it on a "enduro" specific bike with around 160mm travel instead of my tank scratch with 180mm. Especially once start learning clips as they always tell me it's nice to be able to lift wih your feet to keep you light over the rockiest sections.
 
13164828:division.bell said:
Nice man! How did the cleat installation go? Were you able to dial it in the first time, or did it take a few spins around the block and minor adjustments to get it all settled?

Hearing the "not too locked-in" part makes me think you went the right direction with SPD's rather than Times/Crank Brothers.

With experience the motion will be instinctual. If you're feeling pretty good about the effort it takes to unclip and you have experienced some "pre-release" turn it up a bit. You can always turn it right back down. There are two tension adjustment screws on each pedal. I run mine set equally on each side.
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I set them up for the ball of my foot over the pedal axle then sat on the bike at home but my feet felt way too far forward, so slammed them all the way back which felt good on my ride. I think I need to angle them a little more though.

I turned them up 3 clicks on my way home from that ride so pretty much in the middle now but I can see myself increasing the tension more as I get more confident on them.

13164865:no_steeze said:
When riding clipless it's better to master the track stand as opposed to taking a foot out and planting it. Generally once you're clipped in you want to stay clipped in.
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If commuting on a fixed gear for 2 years taught me anything it's track stands, I've got them down ;).
 
Anyone run crankbrother pedals? I run a set on my XC bike and Cyclocross bike and my feet always slip out while climbing and it kills speed. Does anyone else have this problem? Any way to fix it?
 
hei_hei_supreme.jpg


just picked up this sexy beast at cost and I'm stoked!
 
since selling my bike iv been drooling over what to get next. part of me is such a gear whore i love buying and selling shit. it's bad.
 
13165861:Bakerpow said:
since selling my bike iv been drooling over what to get next. part of me is such a gear whore i love buying and selling shit. it's bad.
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You know how many bikes is enough?

Exactly what you have plus one more.

Same goes for skis.
 
13165771:Boax said:
I turned them up 3 clicks on my way home from that ride so pretty much in the middle now but I can see myself increasing the tension more as I get more confident on them.
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You'll also start to loosen the springs a bit after a lot of use so it's never a good idea to crank them up to the tightest setting right away. Always leave yourself a couple quarter turns to adjust as the springs get softer (I'm assuming you're using SPD's)
 
I'm new to this thread so I am not sure if this has been asked recently but I am planning on taking a trip for fall break to Fruita and Moab this weekend. One day biking in Fruita, one day hiking in Moab, and 2 days biking in Moab. The only trail we are for sure going to do is Porcupine Rim on one of the days. I am thinking about doing Amasa Back or Slickrock on the other day but what is NS's opinion on a must-do trail for someone going to Moab for the first time? Any opinions on trails in Fruita would be great as well.
 
yeah I probably lapped rainmaker with those boys a million times this season (although I still can't keep up with Dvg whatsoever, he pedals in the air between jumps for God sakes haha)

But even when I did the gnarlier stuff like trestle downhill or bear arms, space ape, etc... I knew I could handle it on a "enduro" specific bike with around 160mm travel instead of my tank scratch with 180mm. Especially once start learning clips as they always tell me it's nice to be able to lift wih your feet to keep you light over the rockiest sections.[/QUOTE]

Thanks for the tips. My big question was what style of bike to go with and then to go clipless or not. I love Trestle, even with some of the stuff I haven't gotten to do out here yet....I still think of going back to Trestle haha.
 
13166387:Dustin. said:
yeah I probably lapped rainmaker with those boys a million times this season (although I still can't keep up with Dvg whatsoever, he pedals in the air between jumps for God sakes haha)

But even when I did the gnarlier stuff like trestle downhill or bear arms, space ape, etc... I knew I could handle it on a "enduro" specific bike with around 160mm travel instead of my tank scratch with 180mm. Especially once start learning clips as they always tell me it's nice to be able to lift wih your feet to keep you light over the rockiest sections.

Thanks for the tips. My big question was what style of bike to go with and then to go clipless or not. I love Trestle, even with some of the stuff I haven't gotten to do out here yet....I still think of going back to Trestle haha.
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Why do my quotes show up so fucked now?
 
13166387:Dustin. said:
yeah I probably lapped rainmaker with those boys a million times this season (although I still can't keep up with Dvg whatsoever, he pedals in the air between jumps for God sakes haha)

But even when I did the gnarlier stuff like trestle downhill or bear arms, space ape, etc... I knew I could handle it on a "enduro" specific bike with around 160mm travel instead of my tank scratch with 180mm. Especially once start learning clips as they always tell me it's nice to be able to lift wih your feet to keep you light over the rockiest sections.

Thanks for the tips. My big question was what style of bike to go with and then to go clipless or not. I love Trestle, even with some of the stuff I haven't gotten to do out here yet....I still think of going back to Trestle haha.
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honestly I see no point in having a full dual crown DH bike unless you're riding 100% downhill like if you lived in whistler village and hit the bike park every day. Although in the alps there's tons of connected lift served riding, so it wouldn't be a wasted investment. Maybe you should look at something like the trek scratch I have now, it's 180mm coil suspension handles even the roughest downhill riding but isn't as much of a tank as say the trek session.

I was looking at the 2012 specialized SX Trail when I got my scratch, it's a great option. Only weighs like 34 pounds but has the beefy 180mm coil suspension like the scratch. you can get em for around 1700-2000
 
13166261:tbusath8 said:
I'm new to this thread so I am not sure if this has been asked recently but I am planning on taking a trip for fall break to Fruita and Moab this weekend. One day biking in Fruita, one day hiking in Moab, and 2 days biking in Moab. The only trail we are for sure going to do is Porcupine Rim on one of the days. I am thinking about doing Amasa Back or Slickrock on the other day but what is NS's opinion on a must-do trail for someone going to Moab for the first time? Any opinions on trails in Fruita would be great as well.
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Moab must do bike trails: porcupine rim (park in town and find a shuttle to the top and you'll only have 2 miles up and 12 miles down), spiders (more rugged xc), or slick rock (also rugged xc). Really depends on your riding style.

Moab hiking:fiery furnace (you have to reserve it but it's fucking worth it. Don't get lost), or fisher towers (near my favorite campsites in the region but much easier hike)

Camping near moab: my absolute favorite campsite is lower onion creek. DO NOT TELL EVERYONE YOU KNOW about it because it's one of the few in the area you can almost always find a site without reservations (yaya i know this is a public forum, just tryna spread the love). It's got amazing views and some of the best sunset amd sunrises ive ever seen. Amd its right on the colora9 river.

Fruita bike trails: theonly onesi road were kokapelli and horsethief bench. Both were awesome and both are interconnected (i believe)! There's a a few places to camp but the only one ive stayed at was the state park near town.

Feel free to hit me up via PM if you want more specific info.
 
First MTB ECCC races of the season for me tomorrow on the last weekend. Anybody gonna be at Highlands to see me kill myself racing?
 
13165826:ProfPolymath said:
Anyone run crankbrother pedals? I run a set on my XC bike and Cyclocross bike and my feet always slip out while climbing and it kills speed. Does anyone else have this problem? Any way to fix it?
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I run candies on my trail bike and I've never come unclipped while climbing. anyway I don't believe you can change the tension but the cleats themselves are actually two different cleats. one has a dot on it and the other doesnt have a dot. so depending on which side you put that dotted cleat it changes your release angle. I believe on side gives you 15 degrees and the other side will give you 20 degrees. so maybe you need a wider release angle. either look it up or just try swapping cleats.
 
13167123:*CUMMINGS* said:
First MTB ECCC races of the season for me tomorrow on the last weekend. Anybody gonna be at Highlands to see me kill myself racing?
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I'll be hanging out at the UVM trailer, probably won't be riding much so look for someone with a sick mullet and stitches in their shin.
 
13167222:CheddarJack said:
Yeeeee! Who are you racing with?
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13167256:TheWeaz said:
I'll be hanging out at the UVM trailer, probably won't be riding much so look for someone with a sick mullet and stitches in their shin.
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I'm the entire Colby team haha. Everybody else only does road races. I might just hang with y'all and Bemery. Find the mohawk?
 
13167275:*CUMMINGS* said:
I'm the entire Colby team haha. Everybody else only does road races. I might just hang with y'all and Bemery. Find the mohawk?
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hell yeah. Find the fleet of vans, big green trailer, and large crew of obnoxious people - a lot of which have mullets.

Still rocking your long hair?
 
13167330:CheddarJack said:
hell yeah. Find the fleet of vans, big green trailer, and large crew of obnoxious people - a lot of which have mullets.

Still rocking your long hair?
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Damn straight, and a KHS 29er. What class do you ride?
 
13167742:CheddarJack said:
Wordd. My first weekend as A's actually! What about you?
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Registered as C, but realistically should be a B. I won D for road this spring when I showed up to half the events. I might switch day of. Is b competitive?
 
13167801:*CUMMINGS* said:
Registered as C, but realistically should be a B. I won D for road this spring when I showed up to half the events. I might switch day of. Is b competitive?
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C's are pretty much all beginners. But honestly it doesn't matter what class you do unless you think you could win A's. And you can always just say you're racing B's even if you're registered for C's. Are you just doing DH?
 
13167896:CheddarJack said:
C's are pretty much all beginners. But honestly it doesn't matter what class you do unless you think you could win A's. And you can always just say you're racing B's even if you're registered for C's. Are you just doing DH?
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Hell no. I'm an XC rider; I've only done two days of DH the past three years because of my knee, but I'll be doing all four events on my hardtail. If I did B it'd just be for XC.
 
So I might be headed down to the Smith Rock & Bend area next weekend. What's good down there?
 
13168151:Sklar said:
So I might be headed down to the Smith Rock & Bend area next weekend. What's good down there?
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You'd need a few weeks to cover it all down there. I've been going down to ride for a few years now and I've barely scratched the surface.

Phil's is a good place to start with tons of possibilities from xc to jump lines and tech rock sections.

Some of the Enduro stages are worth checking out too. Tyler's traverse, funner, tiddlywinks are some solid options.

I rode Tyler's traverse a week or so after the race and it was pretty blown out with inches of moon dust in some berms but still so damn fun. Super gnarly rock sections up top and then it's basically a flowy pump track all downhill through the forest. Rollers, berms, rock options and air time possibilities.

Park at Edison sno park and hit Dinah Moe Humm to Tyler's traverse and link up to the Deschutes river trail and you can do 26 miles from the mountains back to town.

Mackenzie river trail is a big draw, I've yet to ride it myself as I get distracted by the hundreds of miles of trails. But you can hire local shuttle rides up and ride back.

Shevlin park to the mrazek trail is a good ride too as an out and back.

Look up COTA and look at their maps for Bend. So much to see and ride.
 
13168151:Sklar said:
So I might be headed down to the Smith Rock & Bend area next weekend. What's good down there?
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Haha holy shit division bell, I'm from Bend and I probably couldnt have given as good as a response. There's honestly so much though, tell me what you're looking to ride and i can give you as detailed as a response as possible. PM if you want, I can give Bend as a nutshell too.
 
13168190:division.bell said:
You'd need a few weeks to cover it all down there. I've been going down to ride for a few years now and I've barely scratched the surface.

Phil's is a good place to start with tons of possibilities from xc to jump lines and tech rock sections.

Some of the Enduro stages are worth checking out too. Tyler's traverse, funner, tiddlywinks are some solid options.

I rode Tyler's traverse a week or so after the race and it was pretty blown out with inches of moon dust in some berms but still so damn fun. Super gnarly rock sections up top and then it's basically a flowy pump track all downhill through the forest. Rollers, berms, rock options and air time possibilities.

Park at Edison sno park and hit Dinah Moe Humm to Tyler's traverse and link up to the Deschutes river trail and you can do 26 miles from the mountains back to town.

Mackenzie river trail is a big draw, I've yet to ride it myself as I get distracted by the hundreds of miles of trails. But you can hire local shuttle rides up and ride back.

Shevlin park to the mrazek trail is a good ride too as an out and back.

Look up COTA and look at their maps for Bend. So much to see and ride.
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Awesome! Thanks for all the info.

I'm heading down for my fall break (I think) with mostly non-bikers (climbers). I'm trying to bring my bike and escape for a ride or 2.

I'm kind of a pussy on a bike (AKA I like to stay on the ground haha). I really just started riding a lot this summer. Most of the riding I did this summer was riding up ski areas then down sweet singletrack or flow trails (but rolling the jumps).
 
13168408:Sklar said:
Awesome! Thanks for all the info.

I'm heading down for my fall break (I think) with mostly non-bikers (climbers). I'm trying to bring my bike and escape for a ride or 2.

I'm kind of a pussy on a bike (AKA I like to stay on the ground haha). I really just started riding a lot this summer. Most of the riding I did this summer was riding up ski areas then down sweet singletrack or flow trails (but rolling the jumps).
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I'd go check out Phil's or the Shevlin park to Mrazek trail then.

Lots of options at Phil's. The lower elevation trails closest to the main trailhead are super mellow but fast rolling trails. Once you get higher up there will be more options for tech or flow trails. Trails like Grand Slam and COD have some tricky rock sections mixed in with the flow. Phil's is a perfect place to sample what Bend has to offer.

The Shevlin park trail starts out as a wide multiuse trail with hikers and trail runners but once you leave the actual park it's just mountain bikers. This trail is really mellow too, with just a few sections of tech rock gardens. Tech enough to throw you off your game unless you're expecting them, but it's just in one area. The rest of the trail is buffed out and super fast. Especially once you start heading back to the park. You can open it up and haul ass back downhill.
 
13168408:Sklar said:
Awesome! Thanks for all the info.

I'm heading down for my fall break (I think) with mostly non-bikers (climbers). I'm trying to bring my bike and escape for a ride or 2.

I'm kind of a pussy on a bike (AKA I like to stay on the ground haha). I really just started riding a lot this summer. Most of the riding I did this summer was riding up ski areas then down sweet singletrack or flow trails (but rolling the jumps).
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Forgot to mention; if you just want to ride some dirt on a mellow ride while taking in the scenery, the Deschutes river trail is perfect. Lots of places to take in the mountains and river views. We sat and watched some whitewater rafting groups float right past the trail for a while.

It's not the most exciting trail there, but it's hardly dull. Perfect for packing a few beers from town and getting out for a pedal. Something to consider.
 
13168573:ThaLorax said:
Is that one of the trails off Tiger Rd?
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nah, baker's tank. too that up to broken wheel trail off boreas. nobody rides that trail cuz it looks like a drainage with no sign from the road so it's pure loam hahah SO LOAM BRO!!
 
13168646:.nyles said:
nah, baker's tank. too that up to broken wheel trail off boreas. nobody rides that trail cuz it looks like a drainage with no sign from the road so it's pure loam hahah SO LOAM BRO!!
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That was my second guess
 
Huge mt bike film fest going on in Bellingham right now. Probably 400 people here. Awesome seeing so many people show up and support local films.
 
13168882:.nyles said:
Yeah after this storm tomorrow we got a lot of sunshine comin so I'm hopin I can get one or two more alpine rides.
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Have you ridden Spruce Creek yet from Lower Mohawk lake? That was my favorite Alpine ride when I was still in Summit.
 
Just back from my first technical ride clipped-in. Excellent, I'm so glad I put them on now instead of next spring. I had one stationary sideways fall while climbing but otherwise good! A little easier on the way up, not scary at all on the way down, and nice in the air. Then a little mushroom picking on the way home :).

Thanks for the help guys!

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13169101:ThaLorax said:
Have you ridden Spruce Creek yet from Lower Mohawk lake? That was my favorite Alpine ride when I was still in Summit.
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The spruce creek trail itself? Or do you mean wheeler trail? Wheeler trail is dope coming from copper, 3 miles up then decend all the way until spruce creek then take burro trail back to town. Super fun ride
 
13169235:Boax said:
Just back from my first technical ride clipped-in. Excellent, I'm so glad I put them on now instead of next spring. I had one stationary sideways fall while climbing but otherwise good! A little easier on the way up, not scary at all on the way down, and nice in the air. Then a little mushroom picking on the way home :).

Thanks for the help guys!

10700744_10153412437134657_6675352150486476896_o.jpg
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haha youll probably have another really stupid fall with clipless. My worst fall was after I had raced an enduro in the morning I was to lead a group ride at a local trail. During the race I had gone over the bars twice, received a nasty gash from my chain ring on my leg so I was bandaged up on my leg, big old raspberry on my forehead and just overall roughed up. So I pedaled over to the group I was supposed to lead and just couldnt clip out and fell over sideways right in front of everyone. Pretty embarrassing.
 
13169266:.nyles said:
The spruce creek trail itself? Or do you mean wheeler trail? Wheeler trail is dope coming from copper, 3 miles up then decend all the way until spruce creek then take burro trail back to town. Super fun ride
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Naw, I meant Spruce Creek itself. I never got a chance to ride Burro or Wheeler. I didn't have many riding buddies when I lived there. All my exploration was solo.
 
13169352:ThaLorax said:
Naw, I meant Spruce Creek itself. I never got a chance to ride Burro or Wheeler. I didn't have many riding buddies when I lived there. All my exploration was solo.
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I thought the trail up to Mohawk was hike only once you get to that little dam thing up the road?
 
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