Mountain Biking

Autsch!!

Can't believe how they're knocking the guy around after the crash. What if he broke his back?!? :eek:
 
It is amazing fun. Had the kids on the back of tandems since they were about 4, (before that we had a Burley trailer) I fashioned a frame using two drop handlebars facing each other with broom handles pushed into the bars to create a loop around them at waist/chest height. The kids felt secure and I obviously went steady. Graduated from rigid cheapo one to a front suspended one that just my wife and I could ride, kids went on a fortnight holiday with gramdparents and we went to watch the Tour de France. Great holiday, amazing listening to 'real' cyclists on their flash road bikes going up a 8-10% gradient with us sat on their wheel until we got bored and went past them, then raised our beer glass 10 miles up the valley as we sat outside a bar. :biggrin: We were somewhat fitter then.
This latest one is amazing offroad. We were the National Tandem orienteering champions some years ago......there was only our team competing but we still got the lead crystal glasses....;)
You can hammer it everywhere and it always stops people in their tracks so you end up chatting with all sorts of people. A lot of older folk had tandems decades ago and love to chat....call in and give it a try if ever you're passing....:lol:
 
I'm really getting into the MTB now. I bought myself this at the start of January.

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It's a 2009 Specialized Pitch. It's a fantastic bike. I'm losing weight which is great, and I'm really enjoying it!!
 
well I'm a sucker for MTB's & the Giant brand just added a Giant STP1 to my collection:
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Been getting back out in the woods on my bike again!!!:cool:

WOW!!! It's really been years since I've done any real mountain biking, sure does make a huge difference in the 'ol attitude. Feels great and after only a few rides my skills have sharpened right back up. Our most local place has a great downhill trail that was certainly built with bikes in mind as the primary user, super fun/fast/technical.:)

The habit is being re-formed, maybe I'll even take some pics someday.:iconwink:
 
Not my video, but one of the trails I have been frequenting.:cool: Well worth the climbing.

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=crjtoetQu2I"]YouTube- ‪Greens Lick Downhill Trail ---Bent Creek, Asheville, NC‬‎[/ame]
 
Nice trail carljwnc!!

Here's an updated photo of my 2 toys together!!

P1000085 by warealexander, on Flickr
 
Nice pic.:cool:

And a question; notice your running your front brake to your right hand, is this common practice in countries with right hand drive cars???
 
carljwnc said:
Nice pic.:cool:

And a question; notice your running your front brake to your right hand, is this common practice in countries with right hand drive cars???
Click to expand...

Cheers mate.

The answer to your question, I never actually thought it was different around the world. I thought it was a common thing to have right to the front, left to the rear. All the bikes that I have ridden have been in that config. So I'd assume for you it would be left hand for front brake?

Here's what happens when you get a bit overzealous with the brakes on the bike (and thanks to Matt ('Knight022' as you'd know him on here) for the creation of this video)

[ame="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pqcGtgLh63g"]YouTube - The Aftermath[/ame]
 
Love the 'imprint'.:lol: I've left a few of those on various trails.

Yup, we run front brakes on the left, but a lot of cyclo-crossers and motorcycle folks run them the other way around.
 
Odd about the crossed up brakes.

Have any of you tried switching your rear derailuer's to a "Low Normal"? I made that switch this summer and it was crazy getting used to, but what an improvement if you are of the type who climbs. Shifting to a lower gear while climbing is effortless and you barely feel it changing.

Top Normal - with no cable tension, the spring in the dreailuer will pull the chain to the smallest cog.
Low Normal - with no cable tension, the spring in the derailuer will pull the chain to the largest cog.

Essentially you end up with your shifters being opposite. The indexed shifting you were used to using for shifting up, now snaps the chain to a lower gear. The friction shifting now pushes the chain to the higher gears.

Just another way to make you think backwards. ;)
 
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