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“When you work on your roof or paint your house using a ladder – are you wearing a helmet then? How about descending the stairs in your house or apartment complex? All of the preceding are statistically fairly dangerous activities, yet we don’t wear any protective gear because we perceive the risks to be acceptable….and, to some extent, they are.”
I don’t wear a helmet when climbing/descending a ladder. However, I’m not wearing watches, rings, or shiny things (snag hazard) and I keep three points of contact at all times so yes, I am applying safety considerations while using ladders.
The bathroom is a dangerous place and CDC has the stats to back it up. – don’t even get me started on ladders.
You’re failing to take into consideration number of uses and the users themselves. I know plenty of able-bodied riders that have broken something, or at a minimum, crashed and yet none of them have fallen in the bathroom even through their number of trips to/time in the bathroom outweigh number of trips to/time on the trails. Age and corresponding physical ability, are huge factors when it comes to falling in the bathroom, however, biking crashes aren’t as “ageist” as falling in the bathroom…CDC has the stats to back it up 😉
When I lived in Montana, I religiously used a Dakine 30L pack. Tools, food, jacket, water and thankfully stuff that I never needed like poncho, emergency blanket, etc etc. I moved to Michigan in early 2016 and haven’t worn a pack since I got here. Nothing that I’ve ridden here is as really “out there” as the stuff out West and because I’m not gaining 1000s of feet in elevation the weather isn’t as unpredictable as it was in Montana.
I carry one bottle on the bike and 0-3 bottles in SWAT bibs. I have a multi tool and chain breaker on the bike and a pump, tube, and tire levels in the SWAT door.
I think hip packs would be enough if you could carry your water elsewhere because it seems like that is what causes most of the bouncing.
I’m a big fan of technical climbs (probably because you’re supposed to take them slow and I suck at going uphill fast!)
The biggest improvement I saw when attempting technical climbs happened when I was practicing track stands. Like Nick said, it usually comes down to bike handling skills. I had the front and rear wheel lifts down already, but once I was more comfortable with the bike at slow speeds, or no speed, the longer I was able to stay on my bike and make it farther up the hill.
Another option is to try flat pedals, but only if you’re worried about not getting unclipped before you fall over. Some people like the ability to “cheat” and pull up and over rocks to help them get up the techy climbs.
IOWA = Idiots Out Wandering Alone
LOL! That’s the first time I’ve heard it with “Alone,” it’s usually Idiots Out Wandering Around. Although, both would work in this case.
Regarding the story, I don’t know exactly where she entered the trail, but IIRC, it’s pretty obvious which ones are roads and which are trails. I grew up about 30 minutes away from there and the trails are pretty decent!
The second is actually two different trails, but essentially the same climb (and part of the Singletracks Brutal weekend).
Those climbs were just silly, Jeff! However, that Mountaintown Creek trail made the 13 miles of gravel climbing totally worth it! The Windy Gap descent was also fun, but the Mountaintown was my fave by far.
The longest climb I’ve done was at Sheep Mountain in Montana. Around 3700 ft of climbing in just under 10 miles. It was an absolute grid up that trail but it was a bit of fun as well. There are a few mandatory hike-a-bike sections (for us mere mortals) so it was fun to see who could get the farthest up the trail before having to hike. I’ve also done a few Forest Service roads that were pretty steep as well.
That said, I think the worst climbs I’ve done are those that are either long and not very techy or don’t really have a good payoff at the end. I’m not a fan of climbing, but if the trail is techy enough to keep my mind off of climbing OR the downhill erases the climb from my memory then I don’t mind at all.
I have done a handful of clinics, ranging from free/super inexpensive as part of a festival to a couple hundred dollars as part of a multi-day clinic.
All of them did a good job catering to each rider’s specific skill level. I had fun and learned something (or unlearned a bad habit) at each one.I would say every clinic was money well spent. It “forced” me to focus on the basics instead of going straight to the fun skills (wheelies, manuals, jumps, etc). The multi-day clinics focused on the basic skills for the first half of the first day to make sure everyone had the same baseline. In the afternoon some progressed to other areas while the newer riders continued to hone their basic skills. The second day was out on the trail.
I’d recommend going to at least one, and then deciding from there if you would like to attend more. And I’d definitely recommend getting comfortable on flats before the clinic. You’ll get the most out of the clinic that way.
Yes (sigh) I wear a helmet, but I do not feel compelled to do so and I believe their value is greatly overstated
How much is your life worth? How about your ability to walk? The capacity to speak/type in complete sentences? (pun intended)
Granted, I’m a bit biased in helmet wearing because I’m here today thanks to my “always were a helmet” rule. I had my worst crash on a fairly easy trail I had ridden 50 times before and was just out riding around. I still have no memory of the crash, but based on the condition of the helmet and the fact that I was knocked out cold for 15 minutes I think it’s safe to stay I would not have fully recovered, or possibly even survived, if I wasn’t wearing my helmet.
I found this table from Cycling Weekly during a quick Google search:
Rider type 5 mins 20 mins 1 hour Professional 7.0 6.1 6.0 Amateur 3.7 3.3 3.0 Recreational 2.5 2.1 1.8 Regardless of what one’s ratio is, I think the goal would be to always increase it. Sort of the power-to-weight ratio of N+1?
If you’re looking to get faster, another aspect is bike handling skills. If you can go through a section faster or exit a corner faster, that will increase your overall speed as well.
The bad news is, I have to do the work.
I would think that falls under the good news category!
“Brighton Recreation Area” in MI has got great trails and its the closest trail to me, 10 miles. 2 miles of green trail 9.5ish miles of blue and 7.5 miles of black. They were the trails that I first rode when I got into mountain biking, always my go to.
A fellow Michigander–I love me some Torn Shirt!
When I lived in Iowa and first started riding my home trail was Seven Oaks. After a few years I moved to NE Iowa and my home trail became Decorah HPTs. Both were very climby which is weird because, well, it’s Iowa.
After leaving Iowa I moved to Great Falls, MT and my home trail would have been the South Shore trails. After the addition of Chaos (to go with Mayhem) it was a great trail system. And during the summer months one could ride it all the way to Box Elder and not even know they were a few miles from a city.
Now that I live in mid-Michigan, there are a few trails that I love hitting but they’re 1+ hours away. Within 20-30 minutes I have quite a few trails that I hit regularly. If I had to narrow it down, I think it would have to be the Hunters Ridge South section of the West Lansing Trail. It’s only a 0.8 mile loop but it’s a fun 0.8 miles. As part of Fat Cyclist’s 100 Miles of Nowhere I did 50 laps out there one day and still love that little loop!
As for gearing, I actually slightly prefer 2×10 when riding hilly terrain because I can transition from downhill to climbing with a single click of the front deraileur as opposed to cycling through multiple gears on the rear.
That’s exactly what I missed those first few rides on the 1x!
Once I got it in my head that I needed to dump five gears on the cassette versus one “gear” on the chainring I started to miss my 2x less and less.I’m going to throw this disclaimer before my post: I’m assuming all things are equal like price, build quality, etc etc.
I would avoid a 26″ wheel because they’ve all but been replaced by 27.5″ wheels (unless you’re solely dirt jumping, then love live 26″!) 29 vs 27.5 is more personal preference if you’re looking at just general riding. Both get the job done well and both have their haters. Regardless as to which one you’ll get you’ll meet someone that will say, “Oh, you should have went with *insert other size here*!”
As for gearing, it looks like I’m the only one to say go 1x. If you don’t want to lose your climbing gear, get a smaller chainring. If you don’t want to lose your top-end gear, get a larger chainring. If you don’t want to lose both, evaluate how much you really use your climbing gear and your top-end gear and make a decision. A wide-range 10-speed cassette and a regular 11- or 12-speed cassette have plenty of range, IMO. You just need to choose the correct chainring. The ease of a 1x system is also pretty nice once you get used to it. I thought I would miss my 2×10 but after a few rides I didn’t miss it at all and that was 3-4 years ago.
However, the biggest reason I’m a fan of the 1x system is it makes installing and using a dropper post SO EASY. I’m a huge fan of the dropper post (#bestupgradeever) and having the dropper post lever where the front derailleur shifter used to be makes it second nature to use. Even if the bike doesn’t come with a dropper, having the 1x will make it easier to install and use in the future.If you’re going for a visit, definitely hit up the MegaCavern like rajflyboy mentioned. It seemed more dirt jump oriented when I was there but they did have some trails throughout the cavern. Granted, I mostly stayed in the dirt jump area so that may be why I found it to be more “dirt jumpy.” The reason I said to go there though was there are quite a few activities for the whole family so you could make a day of it. We did the ropes course as well and it was a blast!
Aside from KyMBA’s facebook, you can also check for the Louisville mtb group of meetup.com. They had weekly rides posted there when I passed through about a year ago, but the ride I had hoped to hit was rained out.
Gas prices are going up. Skip the car ride and airline to Phoenix. Catch a ride to Prescott or Sedona and enjoy a fantastic mountain bike Trip.
Bentonville and Michigan are good places for the locals but not good enough to spend time or money traveling there in my opinion.
Thats my two cents.
Have you ridden all four areas? That’s a fairly bold claim considering all the accolades Bentonville and CH have received. Based on trail type/quality only, I actually like Harlow Lake better than Copper Harbor, but I wouldn’t say CH isn’t worth the drive.
And for what it’s worth, I would consider AR and MI “local” to someone living in the Twin Cities because it’s a one-day drive for both locations.
Wait, this is really interesting. So why did you join Singletracks before even knowing what you were getting into?
Jeff, I had a pretty good idea mountain biking was something I was going to love. My two previous hobbies/obsessions (Jeeping and paintball) involved the outdoors and adrenaline.
I could no longer afford Jeeping and was now living in the midwest compared to the southwest so the offroad areas were farther away and not quite the same. Mudding was fun, but I really enjoyed rockcrawling/driving in the desert. The Jeep was also my daily driver so I kind of needed that to stay healthy while I was in college.
Paintball was something I needed to do with other people and since I was at college all my of team when home for the summer breaks. I still played paintball during the school year but needed something to decompress after my summer Spanish classes (6-8 hours, 5 days a week of nothing but Spanish, ugh.)
I did some Googling, found Singletracks, joined, and then went out for my first ride a few days later. I’ve loved it ever since!
I have not ridden Bentonville (yet) but the Copper Harbor trails and community are pretty unique. There are a bunch of other trail systems in that general area as well that you may want to check out around the Houghton Area.
Another area that’s a bit farther south is the Marquette and Ishmeping areas. I haven’t ridden near Ishmeping but I hear it’s impressive from riders that I trust. If you make it to the Marquette area, do not miss the chance to ride Harlow Lake just north of the city. That is probably my favorite trail in the entire state. HUGE rock faces that you can session for hours and some pretty amazing trails as well. Make sure you bring food, water, and tools as it’s a bit remote with little to no cell coverage.
Seven years ago today.
I actually joined Singletracks before I went out for my first ride.
Headed this way in a few, see ya around 9 AM!
Is there a guesstimate on how long each ride will take? I’m in Montgomery, AL for work but I’m looking at making the trip for the ride.
And will there be water sources available to refill water bottles? (Sources that don’t require filtering.)
1x – If you ride a lot of roads/paved trails I could see wanting the larger range of a 2x system. If you’re almost all dedicated trails I think you’ll be fine with a 1x. You can get a smaller chainring if you’re struggling with the hills or give it a few weeks and you’ll get stronger/acclimated to not having the granny chainring and start making the climbs. I think the biggest benefit to running a 1x is the ability to have your dropper lever where the front derailleur shifter was. It is such a natural movement that using the dropper becomes second nature!
Tubeless – If you have a lot of thorns where you ride it’s a life saver. I’ve ran over prickly pear cacti before and it sealed right up. Aside from that, I like tubeless because of the increased traction/less worry about getting pinch flats (square rocks suck).
