So where were all these mountain bike experts
yesterday? The turnout for the ride was, well,limited.
I have to tell you autox in Marina followe by riding
over to Fort Ord is as good as gets. Next time...
I bought my bike by looking at everything between $500
and $1200 at a patient bike shop. I really didn't
know Deore from LX from XTR and couldn't grasp the
difference. So I ended up with a $500ish hardtail.
It's been a lot of fun (2500 miles since labor day).
It has done what I wanted, i.e. my basic fitness has
improved and despite one broken wheel, 3 broken
chains, numerous flats it's been reliable. I do spend
more time and money maintaining the bike than the
Miata.
I've only had one semi-bad fall, scraping one whole
side of my body and releasing lots of blood. It made
mefeel like a real mountain-biker.
If I buy another bike it'll probably be Lance's bike
(Lance Armstrong has now atop my hero list) - a really
fast road bike is closer to a sports car than an
SUV-like mountain bike.
Craig
--- Rob Weinstock <weinstro@hotmail.com> wrote:
> >I bought a Trek 850 a few years ago, for no other
> purpose than to ride
> >around town. Is this a decent frame worth
> "upgrading?"
>
> No. Easiest upgrade is to sell it and buy a better
> bike.
>
> >How do you go down rocky hills?
>
> Front brake just about at lock threshold, body
> weight way back and low, past
> the saddle, pedal when needed to maintain traction.
> If you lock the front,
> you're done. If you get too high, you're done.
>
> >How do you fall?
>
> Ride your way out of it, and don't fall, first.
> However, tuck and roll seems
> to minimize abrasions, and do what you can to
> prevent a face plant into
> solid obstacles. Putting your hand down while at
> speed is about as effective
> as sticking your arm out a window if you roll your
> car. Trick is to
> recognize the point at which you cannot avoid the
> fall, then protect
> yourself.
>
> >Well, I mostly walked this mountain bike through
> the trails. I'd never done
> >single track riding before, and these seemed to
> mostly be from rock to
> >rock.
> >And I have a theory about failure. For example, if
> you fail in an
> >autocross,
> >you'll probably hit a cone, spin out, DNF, or
> whatever. You risk very
> >little
> >injury to yourself, even others, so it's all right
> to make mistakes. If I
> >mess up mountain biking, though, I'm likely to
> break an arm, which would
> >most likely ruin the rest of my day.
>
> Well, skin a knee, or perhaps some cheek, anyway.
>
> >Anyway, on the way back to the shop that rented us
> the bikes, we went
> >through this "beginner's" single track. Compared to
> the rock jumping, this
> >was a breeze. Nothing too difficult, and by the
> end, my confidence had
> >soared. I was having too much fun. I practiced the
> "looking ahead"
> >technique
> >that comes at such a high dollar price for most
> autocrossers. This seemed
> >to
> >work, and after each little obstacle, I got better
> and better at it. I was
> >enjoying the challenge. I felt as if I learned
> something.
>
> I usually focus on what I'm about to go over.
>
> >Well, there was this straight section, we were
> almost home, we're flying
> >across the dirt, and I don't know what happened,
> but I must've hit a rock
> >or
> >something, because the next thing I knew, I made
> sudden turn to the right,
> >and flew airborne into this tree on a mound.
> >
> >It hurt really, really bad. My friends Brigitte and
> Dan only heard the
> >sounds I made, which went something like, "Huh? Uhh
> uh uh UHHHHHHHH."
> >
> >I was flat up against the tree. Thank God for
> helmets, I'll tell you that
> >much. Brigitte tried to help me stand up, but I was
> all tangled up. I'm
> >still bruised from this, and it this all happened
> over two weeks ago.
> >Before
> >I even tried to get out of my flat knot, I first
> had to check to make sure
> >all my parts worked. The fingers on my left hand
> were numb, and the area on
> >my hand just below my left pinky STILL is tender. I
> still can't run, nor
> >can
> >I even kick in swimming. I am just all messed up
> from this.
> >
> >Brigitte and Dan were really impressed, and said
> that when they saw me all
> >smashed up in the tree, that I looked "really
> cool."
>
> Did they say, "Do it again!"?
>
> >But then they said, "But we're just trying to
> understand HOW it happened,
> >Katie. We were going in a STRAIGHT LINE!"
> >
> >"Well, I think I hit a rock or something!"
> >
> >"But there are no rocks here, Katie!"
> >
> >All there was were just my tracks in the dirt as
> you can see that at first
> >I
> >was travelling straight, and then suddenly, I
> turned right, as if for
> >ABSOLUTELY NO REASON.
>
> I bet you hit a rut, or hooked a tree root. Knobby
> mountain bike tires can
> grab quickly like that. Sorry to hear you got hurt.
> Hope you get back in the
> saddle soon.
>
> Regards,
>
> Rob
>
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