Rock gardens provide an incredible rush and a challenge during a ride. There is something about blasting over a section of trail that you never thought you would be able to ride. The feel of the suspension soaking up every bump as you wonder if that next rock is going to throw you OTB or off your line is exhilarating.
Everyone has their local trail that they have grown to love and know like the back of their hand. Here in lies the major flaw with becoming a better rider on your local trails…YOU KNOW IT LIKE THE BACK OF YOUR HAND! This is great when you are looking for a quick ride or one where you don’t have to think.
Congratulations on choosing mountain biking from a wide variety of summer sports! It is among the fastest-paced, fun-filled, and rewarding of athletic challenges. You might be so excited about digging those new treads into dirt that reading up on a lot of guidelines doesn’t seem important.
Lucky you. After years of agonizing bachelordom you finally found a great girl. She understands your need to control the universe of the remote. She doesn’t nag you about the toilet seat. She’s a gourmet cook. Maybe she even enjoys SportsCenter. She’s athletic and beautiful and sexy and she loves you.
I have been mountain biking for almost 13 years and seriously for the last 5 years. I began leading a beginners mountain bike group from work, and knowing that I was them a few years back which really put things in perspective for me. I wouldn’t even attempt a creek crossing, and if I did, my heart would be in my throat just waiting on my front wheel to buckle.
At lower pressures, you are going to notice more grip and a softer ride. You want to run the pressures low enough that you get these benefits but not so low that you get experience pinch flats. Pinch flats occur when the tire bottoms out on the rim pinching the tube between the ground and the rim. This punctures the tube and causes a flat.
During a discussion about our ride over the weekend at Rich Mountain, Joe wrote a post that will inspire beginner riders. He gave me the permission to publish his post word for word here. Post by epoJoe (you have seen his photography work several times on this site).
The following list contains items that you must have with you during every ride. Many riders find it unnecessary to carry all of these items on their local rides, but I have found that it is these rides where I end up needing most of the items on this list the most.
With every ride, you need to challenge yourself in at least one aspect of your riding. This does not always have to be some huge accomplishment and actually it is better if they are not. As you start to ride more (or are an experienced rider) achieving these accomplishments does several things.
As you can see, there are serious side affects to not properly hydrating before, during and after your ride. This is why I see hydrating as the most important thing to keep in mind while on the trail. Most times, when you feel like you are dehydrated, your body is telling you that you are already behind the eight ball.