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HA! Me too. Not trying to go back down that rabbit hole with you. I was referring to the people that came out of the woodwork and bought a bike or started walking around the trails out of covid boredom and have no sense of muddy trails, how to know if/when they are dry, and/or don't give a crap.

Riding the couch with a roaring fire, gonna dip into the vodka right after we have Via 313 for dinner. Then settle in and watch something mindless until I fall asleep. Urban for the next couple days.

got some new tools so gonna dig a bit this weekend

For me it’s gap jumps. A table or ladder drop I’ll launch, but if there’s open space between the takeoff and landing I get timid which never ends well. Ramps with curved up lips/kickers I’m also sketchy at. I was never a bmxer so no air skillz. Trackstands were actually one of the better skills I brought over from my college roadie days. Riding in traffic with snug toe straps and riding rollers make you learn to trackstand or kiss the pavement a ton. I cringe when I hear all the push/pull counter balance stuff people like to preach. To me the key is learning to keep still. The more you bob the more you have to focus on fighting to keep the bike up and can’t look up at the obstacle. Learning to keep your head and upper body still and only moving your hips let’s you look ahead and doesn’t pull your focus. From that you can easily do a back pedal to get your dominant foot up. Then to go up, squeeze the brakes, drop your shoulders and yank back to get that front wheel up as you do that power stroke. On multi ledges you can tap the brakes and repeat the trackstand to power stroke if you aren’t doing at that bobbing. Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Not too long ago. Hoping we have more fun in 21. ✌️.

This weather seems like a fitting end to this dumpster fire of a year. 😟

Found this to be interesting IMG_0159.mov

So many choices

Even when the parking lot is full, that place can still keep you fairly isolated from everyone else. I've been there with the lot full and only ran into a couple of riders on the trail.

Thinking about starting out the year right with a ride out at RPR tomorrow. Will be wet and a bit cool, but the sun is supposed to be shining!

Looks like I hit Monster both directions but missed the other 2. I was just exploring solo with a paper map in hand. I will try to make it back up that way sometime, with the intention to end up in VT for a few days as well (some excellent riding up there of course).

Is this Andy Bernard?

I would like to be able to manual. In my eyes, a manual is a lot like juggling is to soccer. You may not juggle (with rare exceptions) in a soccer game, but it teaches you touch, balance, etc. I can’t manual, but would like to learn because the riders I have seen that can manual well have such fantastic balance and bike control. Not saying you have to be able to manual to have balance and control, just an observation. I personally would like to get more comfortable on wooden features. They freak me out. As previously mentioned, going in timid is when you get hurt. Safe & Happy New Years to All!

Manuals are good for maintaining or assisting increasing speed through dips/undulating terrain (watch a BMX race). Effectively rear suspension is increased by your legs, very cool. On flat it’s all for the steez

I dont know how ESI grips might be different, but with regular grips I use an air compressure and a needle inflator. Put compressed air into the grip and they slide right off. Also makes putting them on easy.

Are we talking aerobically or skill or both? If you can do a 3 hour or less GW loop, a 4 hour GW loop feels like torture. IMO slower feels worse when you ride chunk. If you can only master a 4hr GW loop as your best time, then it's going to be way harder than a loop at WC. Now a person that can only manage 4hrs at GW probably won't be doing a sub-hour loop at WC. For me, doing things at the maximum effort for that distance feel almost equally hard. A 24hr race may be the exception, but a 12 hour race at maximum pace to me feels just as hard as a Cat 2 XC race with my HR >170 for the whole race in which you feel like you're seconds from dying or blowing chunks or both.

I didn't notice the Pinthouse until I looked at Google maps. That place is doing well, it doesn't surprise me. It makes sense Meanwhile is from out of town, starting off with a top of the line facility like that. I am getting around a fair amount now but am very conscious of covid. They had some of the best protocols I have seen. No indoor seating, can order from an outside window, glass partitions, a foot operated hand sanitizer by the inside bar, foot opener for restroom door, plenty of distanced outside seating, 100% mask compliance from what I saw, and a new one, a giant coaster of sorts on each outside table that indicated if it had been sanitized. When you sat at a table you flipped it over so it could be cleaned after you left. Another extra step I saw was at Humble Pint Brewing in Leander (also nice with good pizza, but with fairly limited outdoor seating) was that they would put saran wrap over the credit card machine each time so you wouldn't have to actually touch it. I think some places are really making it about as safe as possible although we are creating a ton of extra waste in the process.

I've had great success buying bike stuff on Ebay. Just scored these 5-10 Trail Cross LTs for $85 via bid as I was the only bidder. Interestingly they shipped out of Spicewood, TX. If you're out there - THANK YOU! Even with tax and shipping they were around $40 under retail.

Like @mack_turtle said,they're useful for a few feet but after that they're only used for showing off--or for fun, both of which are acceptable. But as a skill for quick drop-offs they are essential to technical trail riding because you don't always have time for a bunny hop or a pedal assist wheelie. Sometimes the drop-off is bigger than you think and you only have a moment for a quick manual. It is an essential tool for not breaking my "never go OTBs" rule.

Yeah I may not make it on the trainer today. Just enjoyed a cup of coffee while eating a beef pot pie from Tiny Pies (OMG so good!) and reading Texas Monthly from a few months back. It may be a late ride for me, needed since I haven't ridden much this week.

Currently watching endless Youtube videos about places I want to visit some day. Barcelona looks pretty interesting. Accompanied the viewing with a coffee donut from Wheatsville and some cheap whiskey.

Geeze. While going down those steps isn't really too much of a challenge in a technical sense, I always get off my bike and walk down simply because of the rebar sticking out of the logs. Growing up dirt biking, I saw a guy get his leg impaled by rebar out on a trail and that really put the fear in me of pointy metal objects. While I don't think I could clean the steps going up, I don't even try for the same reason.

🙂 The words by themselves sure don't, but as an experienced rider doing similar things, I get it. Thanks! I'm looking forward to normality and hanging out more and picking your brain over drinks at some point in 2021.

City park tomorrow morning and maybe flat rock later if not Saturday. Sent from my moto g(7) supra using Tapatalk

That depends. My fastest single lap was my 2:15ish effort in 2019. I was trying to pin the whole thing and I distinctly recall not cleaning bits that I had cleaned previously. But on that lap I ran anything I didn't clean. I didn't intentionally push anything on that lap. But I did intentionally push sections on my 3 formal DragonSlayer rides. But then funny enough, I didn't intentionally push anything during my 4 lapper last November! I can and have cleaned every feature out there except for the stair steps (going CW) immediately after Crockett Garden Falls. I think the moral is that if you're looking to do one lap as fast as possible then you don't intentionally push. If you're looking to do multiple laps as fast as possible, you better push to conserve energy. But if you're looking to do multiple laps outside of competition then you can take it easier...confusingly meaning you don't have to intentionally push. I can't tell if that makes sense.

Nice! Very ballsy. I was just happy to get in a walk around the 'hood. I had ridden 9 days in a row, so I am fine chilling a couple days.

Interesting. My best time is around 3 hours but I've never tried to do 1 fast lap. I don't think could do a 2:30 but I should be able to go under 3hrs. My last 3 hour lap felt easier than my 3:30 - 4 hr laps. I imagine for 2:30 you're at maximal effort everywhere: chunk/technical and the flat stuff. For me the difference between a 3:30 and a 3hr lap is maximal effort everywhere vs taking it easy on the flats. I attack the chunk because it's more fun but also it's definitely easier. Do you ride up the steps or do you have to walk those? I'm just trying to get an idea of what it takes to go as fast as you. I suppose I could do segment compare in Strava to see if it's overall speed or if there are sections where you gain a lot of time. I geek out on this stuff as a way to improve my riding.

Trainerroad today I think. Though I did a 27 mile sock ride yesterday. Started dry and cloudy upper 60's. I thought we'd get drizzle. I didn't expect a downpour. I was not wearing the right glove and needed a base layer. Was supposed to be 60+ miles ride. It was an interesting ride home, riding down Adirondack amid white waters, taking shelter at First Honda, annoyed at how noisy these Shimano brakes are when wet. It was an adventure and that was awesome for me.

My dad used to always tell me a story about when he was in high school and they rigged his buddy's VW Bug to shoot bottle rockets out of the front. Since the motor was in the back, it was as simple as pulling the radio and running a pipe through the front hood.

.... Sent from my SM-A115AZ using Tapatalk

LOL. I use to laugh pretty hard at his Cornell stuff. Cornell is sort of the poor step child of the Ivy League. So his bluster about it was just funny. Ed Helms gave the commencement speech one year.

Ha, no, sorry. Just a joke about derailing the thread 😄. 30 miles is a spectacular ride at Blie! Blue is a bicycle playground the type of which I haven't seen equaled outside of Hartman Rocks. We'll see if I change my mind when I make it to Sedona. Blue's standout trails are My Favorite Trail, Monster, and the rarely ridden by anyone, (because hard) Debacle. Blue has nice knee to hip level doable tech, punctuated by huge and optional steep rock rollers. I just love the place.

Glad to hear this! I have only ridden 1 trail in NY and it was Blue Mountain/Depew back in 2016. Looks like I missed quite a bit of trail even in 30 miles but remember it being awesome. Is Derail a trail in that park?

Greek Peak opened to lift serve MTB well after I moved out of Ithaca, and a few years before I left NY altogether. I never made it out there, but lots of my NY buddies love it.

I lived in Ithaca from 1999 to 2009. I then spent a regrettable 1.5 year in Oswego (which is slightly preferable to be lit on fire) and finally moved to Rochester until 2017. Central NY has very little in terms of real technical trails. Although there are 1000 roots for every rock. Things get more interesting near Albany and really good near 'The City.' Blue Mountain Reservation (in Peekskill) is one of my favorite places anywhere to ride a bicycle. Derail is my favorite kind of rail.

I'm largely talking effort--so aerobically. But yeah, that can be done anywhere including GW or the road. And really I think you'd have to put out 2 hard or one easy and one hard WC loops to equal an easy GW loop. And while GW's rocks are easier at speed, like sub 2:30, they're also easy at a stop and go crawl pace like 4:30+. For me It's the non-stop in-between pace of 3ish hours that I think is a little harder on the rocks. All just the opinions of a guy who spent well over 2000 miles at WC this year, and has completed 30 GW loops in 3.5 years.

Of course, a thread asking people to share skills they want to learn has to turn into an argument.

Yes to both. Although I prefer and have revisited Dana Peak more often. I think @GFisher gave a fair description of Cameron Park, although I do enjoy many other places more. But I would add that a visit to Balconies Distillery afterwards is a big bonus. I have about a 3 hour pain point for day trips. Nearly all my FRR trips are day trips. I've even been known to do San Angelo as a day trip at a little more than 3 hours...although that's pushing it a bit far. I also enjoy overnights to Dallas (Northshore + something else) or Houston.

another trick for ebay is to use a bidnapping service (I use bidnapper.com). They use bots to place a bid on your behalf in the last few seconds to prevent bidding wars. You can also chain auctions together so if you dont get one, it will bid on the next one. I have a high win rate with no bidding war.

Death to 2020 was great. Thanks!

I need to get back to Cameron, I go about once a year and always think why don’t I come here more often. Post vaccine I’ll schedule another group road trip up there.

I've never done Cameron or Dana Peak. I actually stopped at Cameron Park on the way back from Dallas once in 2010 and I took my bike with me just for this purpose, but I had some sort mechanical which I hadn't noticed until I was parked at Cameron Park.

I place 4 zip ties inside the grip and then slide the grip on to the bar using the zip ties as a sort of “slider”. Once the grip is in place I yank the zip ties out. No spray to dry up and they stay put. It’s my weird way but it works. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

That’s a great idea. I’m assuming you’re using a rubber tipped air chuck like this? Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Most of my worst crashes have been at timid speed (slow). Carrying momentum through sections of trail that intimidate you is usually the better choice.

WT Kentucky Spirit is generally very good. And that's to be expected considering that it's effectively a single barrel version of WT101. But for about the same money, I always reach for Rare Breed instead.

This is very true. There's a spot on 1/4 Notch at Brushy Creek where there's a small log inserted across the trail on a fast, flat section. While you can simply roll over it at virtually any speed, I like to come in hot and either bunny hop over it or use it as a bump jump. Yesterday I decided to manual over it and then tried to hold the manual coming off. Miraculously I managed to hold it for around 10ft or so but in the process lost my side to side balance. I dabbed my left foot to keep from falling, and quickly realized I hadn't dropped my saddle all the way down. Took a mild blow to the nads but it was worth it for that moment of exhilaration. Probably something I could get much better at if I practiced consistently, but I prefer riding over practicing. Haha I thought 20ft was looking farther down the trail.

Video is too long. Didn't watch to the end. What happens?

For those with kids... Sent from my SM-A115AZ using Tapatalk