Callin out the mountain bikers!

T

TMKDXER

Member
Sep 18, 2001
114
0
Who's out there mt. bikin' for cross training or just for fun? I just went out on a trail I used to ride(motorcycles) on. Aahhhhh meories.
BTW. What is everybody riding?
 

bbbom

~SPONSOR~
Aug 13, 1999
2,092
0
Karl & I rode today. Great conditions, 31 degrees, wet, muddy with some snow on some of the nice switchbacks. We found some new (to us) trails with a few rock drops (some a bit too big for my appetite).

I'm on a 2001 Giant Rainier that I got for Christmas (my poor Schwin was a bit too light for the trails we like so it got traded in after it's first year of service). I love the disc brakes (especially in the snow!!!).

The trails I ride are about 7 minutes from my office so that's where lunch happens most days. It's great way to get in shape and practice bike skills plus, it beats being stuck inside in the gym anyday!!!
 
Z

zilla

Member
Nov 4, 2001
217
0
MTB here..

I been ridin fer years. Currently ride a TurnerBurner, with a host of top drawer goodies..

zilla
 
D

dell30rb

Uhhh...
Dec 2, 2001
1,510
0
I havent been riding my MTB lately, but I have a specailized comp fs hardtail with manitou Sx-R forks, Great forks, I used em to replace my jett c's.
 

steve125

LIFETIME SPONSOR
Oct 19, 2000
1,252
0
It's one of the funnest ways to get in shape ive found. We have lots of good trails just for mt bikeing right outside DC and mid week racing on summer evenings. Racing mt bikes is very tough on the legs and cardio,if you go out to fast it's easy to blow up and you'll get passed. You have to be strong the whole way and pace yourself for a possible sprint to the finish. I ride a full suspension Cannondale,my girl friend rides and races a Proflex.
 
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MTRIDER

Member
Aug 20, 2000
376
0
I dont claim to be a MTBer but have ridden for years.DBR tech 8 ...uphills are much more fun to wheelie up
 
F

fatty_k

~SPONSOR~
Jul 3, 2001
1,274
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mgorman

Member
May 8, 2000
258
0
I try to ride a little bit of everything. This past year I raced downhill, dual slalom, cross country, bmx, road time trials and harescrambles. I used to be a norba expert cross country racer back when Overend and Tomac ruled the roost.

if you ever feel like you have the brass hardware, Try a mountain bike tandem. It is easy to hurt yourself on. We took it to a 3 day offroad tandem ralley in new york and rode the cross country ski trails. The wildest ride was a halfhour ride to the highest peak from camp and ride back in the woods at 10:00 at night. My wife was dubbed "queen of the white knuckles.

This year I will be competing on a bicycle road race team. I will continue to chase points in the harescamble series and some select gncc races. My wife and I also plan to compete on our road tandem in time trials.

I'll race anthing with or with out a motor.
 

bbbom

~SPONSOR~
Aug 13, 1999
2,092
0
TANDEM MOUNTAIN BIKING?!!:scream:

My friend and I rode many miles on an old single speed tandem. We found it in my aunt's garage, cleaned it up and started riding it on the roads when we were about 18 (a very looonnnggg time ago!).

We took it down a few places that were questionable but no way I would have gone down a real mountain bike trail on one! Guess it depends upon your partner - we used to try to knock each other off the bike (yes, we crashed ALOT). She was always the rear cyclist and would stop peddaling quite often - cars passing by would yell out "She's NOT pedaling!!!!". Then the fight was on again.

Good luck to you and your wife - sounds like fun!:cool:
 
L

LWilson250

Member
Jan 1, 2001
683
0
I ride 2000 Specialized FSR Expedition, yeah I know it’s a “dual sport” MTB but I got it on sale and am modifying it. I put new pedals on it and new bars, I still need to get a new steering stem and a new shock and stiffer fork springs. I might just buy new forks and get a disk brake system for it. Oh, back to the riding yeah... I try and ride around with my friends every day if I can, we are really getting into BMX now so I went out and got a 2001 Specialized Hemi MX and it’s great! If you have the knees to ride BMX there is nothing better, I think MTB’s get to easy, well around here they get to easy but a BMX bike is always hard. Go out for 30minutes and go jumping and wow, what a work out. I need to get out and start doing that again; over the holidays I got fat and lazy lol. It’s a great sport, I enjoy it a lot.

Lee W.
 

mgorman

Member
May 8, 2000
258
0
BBBOOM, Yes the mountain bike tandem is fun. It will aslo enhance or ruin a marriage. If you are ever in NE Ohio I will be glad to scare you to death. Just promise you will help pedal home. One thing you have to remember that it turns like a u-haul. If you are not carefull you'll run the stoker into a tree by turning to tight. It also hi-centers easily so you have to learn to portage the bike over big logs or steep drop-offs. I tried to take her down the dual slalom course but she jumped off the back as we crested the hill. I will have tighten her clips down a little more next time. We have had both Tandems over 55 mph on the pavement. We also have a '70's schwinn 5 speed tandem that weighs about 50 lbs.

I also like to ride trials on both moto and pedal. That helps the skills alot.

We have a new track nearby called Beans Rd. They have both moto and cc mtb trails. I plan to spend some weekends down there this year.

Mr. Wilson, For the amount of money you are going to spend making that bike what you want you should go to www.supergo.com or www.chucksbikes.com and buy a left over bike at 1/2 price. Chuck has an aluminum Parkpre for $400 with shock and XT/LX mix.

I was just down at the local trails last night to jump but the dirt was to soft from the recent thaw. I have been racing BMX since 1987. If you practice at a sanctioned track and ride the full two hours, you will have a good leg work out. The spin I learned there has helped me in MTB racing and road racing. Once you learn to jump a bicycle, motorcycles are cake.
 

bbbom

~SPONSOR~
Aug 13, 1999
2,092
0
You sir are NUTS!!! ;) Your wife sounds like a very smart lady, I doubt she will let you adjust her clips! :scream:

The trails I ride here are on the Beacon Hill area and there are some great trails and some sections of drops that I just stop and look in awe then go around.

They also have a BMX jump section that I still have not witnessed in action. I know when I found the jump section I had to stop and wonder how bad it would hurt to make a mistake. I'm waiting for the day when someone will actually be using the jumps so I can see it in action. I know it won't be me.
 
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homey

Member
Aug 7, 2001
68
0
I currently ride a foes Zig-Zag (it's a slalom bike). I race the expert class in Dual Slalom...I actually beat Buddy Antunez last year at Big Bear, but I would recommend mountain biking or going out to the bmx track to brush up on your ballance, timing, and bike control. I sold my motorcycle a few years ago and started racing mountain bikes, when I finally got another dirt bike my skills were so much better only after a couple hours of riding the dirt bike. If you are into just playing around for little money, go for the BMX bike! $300 gets you a good bike to start with and track fee's are usually about $5...very cheap, and lot's of fun, they also have classes just like motocross (age groups and skill levels)! Mountain bike's are a lot more pricey. My bike is about $5,000, and most "entry-level" bikes start at about $1,000! I have a few pictures posted in my profile, check it out!
Good luck, and just have fun!
 

mgorman

Member
May 8, 2000
258
0
BMX is by far the cheapest two wheeled sport you can do. Unfortunately there are very few of us "old" bmx riders left. At 38, there are even fewer that will attempt a 15' double. Our track is $2 for practice, $6 to race and if you win you get back a $5 coupon for the next race or concesion.

For those with mtb's, they let them on also. I even did our state series on one to make it more of a challenge. If you are older than 25 or tall I would suggest getting a cruiser (24"). that is what I race. Our local track will let me run it in the pro open against the 20" bikes.

And yes BBB it does hurt when you fall on those jumps. I had a fork crack above the bearing race a few years back and it slammed me face first into the take off for the second double. It cracked my Shoei across the side of the mouth guard, bruised my kidneys, and left me with a bruise on my neck from ear to ear from the helmet strap. And on those drop offs, if you ever do try one, remember: Two fingers rear and one front or double those if your brakes suck. Keep your seat behind the bikes seat and squeeze it with your thighs. Start small, then get braver.

At 215 lbs., the down hills are my best friend so I learned along time ago to just let it all hang out.

The only kind of bicycle racing I havn't tried yet are velo and 24 hr races. I hope to add those to the list of done that.
 
T

TMKDXER

Member
Sep 18, 2001
114
0
NO offense but I hate all of you. Astually I'm just jealous b/c you all have nice bikes compared to mine(1998 GT Timberline FS). DAmn I need new cables and a chain. Where's the white guy with a fro that works at my favorite shop when I need him.?
 
Y

yzguy15

Sprayin tha game
N. Texas SP
Oct 27, 2000
1,271
0
Roadie Here

Specialized Allez, bought new last July. Me and the old man spend all winter chasing each other on the dirt and all summer chasing each other on the road. He's got me in the dirt, but he can't touch me on the road (rather odd eh?). Of course we still ride and race some in the summer, but that's primarily bicycling time.
 
J

Jimmy!

Member
Jan 7, 2001
136
0
My pushbikes are a Santa Cruz Tazmon w/Judy SL/RaceFace/XTR/Chris King for CC & a Cheeta Prowler w/Stratos S7/RaceFace/Hope Enduro4/XTR/Hugi for the DH/Freeride bits. Although I've done BMX racing and freestyle(flatland) and I've been a CC rider for years & have done some CC racing as well, I'm hooked on Freeriding now! It's some work pedaling a 39lb 7"-8" travel bike up any kind of a hill, but it makes hammering the descent that much sweeter!

Pushbike & Motorbike skills compliment each other nicely! :)
 

Rich Rohrich

Moderator / BioHazard
LIFETIME SPONSOR
Jul 27, 1999
22,839
16,904
Chicago
Lets do a quick survey of my dining room :)

Ibis Szazbo (SWEEEEEEEEETTTTTTT single track runner)
The slightly rusty but always trusty Fisher HoKooEeko (about 14 years old)
Pinerallo Pista (track bike)
Fuji Track (fixed gear training bike)
Basso Tretubi (road bike)
Cannondale Criterium (crit bike)
Hoffman Sugar Baby (for practicing balance in the living room during the winter)
Basso Viper frame (need to finish building the bike)

Yep, I like bikes :eek:
 

mgorman

Member
May 8, 2000
258
0
TMKDXER,

You don't need the latest in machinery to train, have fun or race. I drove the same truck for 10 years so I could afford what I have. I am still racing my '93 Raleigh Tomac Ti and my '95 Proflex Animal. I also won quite a few club time trials on an similarly old Trek road bike. All you have to do is keep up on the maintenance and replace better than origional when it wears out. PLus learning to do the owrk your self saves you a wallet full of $. I finaly bought a new road bike this past fall and peiced together a new mountian bike for jumping.

Ohio has had a miserable winter for offroading. It keeps raining and the ground won' t freeze up or dry out. Supposed to be pretty cold and snowy this weekend. Maybe I can get in some good riding then. It is hard to jump a double when you can't get through the mud.

You don't want to see our garage, Last count we had 15 bicycles between the two of us. People who visit think I run a shop.
 
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S

SpeedyManiac

Member
Aug 8, 2000
2,374
0
I ride a mountain bike a bit, but I definitely prefer dirtbiking. Mountain biking is great for training and goofing around but some of the things that people ride down is nuts. Hopefully I'll get a new mountain bike so I can get a bit more serious about it.
 

mgorman

Member
May 8, 2000
258
0
All you need are good brakes, forks,insurance...
 
J

Jimmy!

Member
Jan 7, 2001
136
0
Hey Speedy, I vaguely resemble that! While I'm no Legend of the North Shore, I do like a challange. The nice thing about pushbikes is that you don't have 200+ lbs of motorbike pile-driving down on you if manage to set yourself up to get punished for being a little too brave :debil:. Either style(push or motor) though, the spirit of it is the same, adventure, challange & excitement! Pushing your own limits! :cool:

Now I'm all hopped up to go on a urban pushbike mission at lunch! :p

BTW: couple of nice shots fatty_k.
 
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homey

Member
Aug 7, 2001
68
0
Hey, all you guy's got it good! I have been going out to my garage every weekend just to look at my motorcycle and my two bikes (now 3)! I tore my ACL 2 months ago riding my mountain bike so now I just get to think about riding. Trust me, you can only watch so many moto and mountain bike video's before you go out of your mind!:(
 

mgorman

Member
May 8, 2000
258
0
My doc told me after my acl replacement that cycling was good for my knee after about 6 weeks. I don't think he meant doing doubles and such but at least you should be aloud to cruise around a little or did he bann you from that? You didn't say whether you had it replaced or fixed.

I was told to stay off the dirtbikes for up to a year (early '90s) so I sold both KTM's and bought a street bike till I fully recovered

I had mine done around august and did the BMX Halloween Chilli Classic. It hurt like the devil so I parked it till the Christmas Classic and just rode the road.


There has to be more peddlers around here?
 
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