I prefer Mountain biking too. We have a good mix of trails near here. One is west of us about 20 minutes by car. It is really tight, tough singletrack. Lots of roots, rocks, marshland, hills....it is fantastic! A true unheard of gem. Another is a lot of sandy loam, sand, mud and woodlands that is about 20 minutes north of us. Another favorite is near Green Bay WI. It is also under 40 minutes from here and is a fantastic trail system! Well maintained and a mix of technical singletrack, sandy double track and stuff favoring the XC crowd. WORS holds a race there.

My issue with mountain biking is the theory that many hold that you have to go at warp speed! We ride as a group and go from marker to marker to allow all levels to ride at their speed and otherwise stay as a group. Less chance of wiping out and less chance that someone will get hurt.

That being said, I LOVE riding my road bike! A 20 mile ride is barely more than a warm up and anything less feels like you had to leave the party early!

My goals this year are 500 miles on my mountain bike, 2,000 miles on my road bike and whatever I can put on my commuter of which I pledge to commute by bike 3 times a week. As soon as the ice and road salt go away that is...

I asm getting professionally fitted to my road bike this month or early next month. Last year I put a lot of strain on and injured my knee and I took the whole month of January off to let it heal. I do not want that issue again!

I also tore my left rotator cuff again(original injury related to car crash and insurance doctor saying I was healed and signing off on it before I was really healed). So that is healing nicely now and I want that top shape before I go bouncing off of trees again...road biking and commuting will not be an issue for me with the shoulder so as soon as weather allows I will be out riding again...

How's the wrist coming along? Still riding to stay in shape?

come on! let's hear some biking stories.

i just bought a new mountain bike last weekend and did a 21 mile ride on one of the local trails. got a 29er in carbon fiber. wow, what a great bike. probably have to do a road ride this weekend due to trails will probably be washed out from this week's rain. thats ok, road riding is good too.

keep this thread alive. post some bike stories.
gw

I just got a roa bike off of craigslist. I have been riding a Giant sedona for about 3 years, (week ends). I want to go further and faster.

My last ride on my new fat bike was out the backyard dog mushing trail, across a frozen river and up a frozen creek. I wanted to go further, but the wind was blowing my tracks in quickly and I didn't want to have to walk the bike back home in too soft of conditions. I can't wait for the long, sunny days of spring when all the trails are packed hard like pavement.

When I bought my first road bike I was amazed at how much faster and easier it was to ride after my mountain bike.
I'm on my second road bike and looking at number 3 (Trek Domaine)

perfect day for mtn biking. me and a bud hit our favorite trails and logged a total of 22.2 miles. man, i am tired but it was an excellent ride. cleared a few more obstacles for the first time today. some of the difficult sections are actually easier to ride than they look. sometimes you just gotta commit.

so, anyone do any riding this weekend? it was about 68 degrees here today (north dallas tx area).

2 more weeks till daylight savings time!!!

gw

I rode yesterday, and it proved the old adage. It is always uphill with a headwind.
I rode due East, headwind
I turned due North, headwind.
I turned West, you got it, headwind.

yea, i've had days like that. reminds me when i was a kid and had to walk 2 miles up hill to school - both ways! (through 2 feet of snow carrying 20 pounds of books).

anyway glad you got a ride in. this is the windy season; that is one of the advantages of riding mtn bike trails - the trees and hills knock out most of the wind so you don't really get hit so hard with headwinds.

12 days till daylight savings time!

gw

ok, weekends coming up. what biking plans you got?
sunday is forecasted to be ok here so will hit the trails. then 1 week till daylight savings time.
saturday will be a maintenance day with a few buds to go through the bikes and make sure all is in tip top shape.
gw

Woke up this AM with a back so stiff I could barely move.
Hopefully tomorrow AM I can get in 30-40 miles with some hills.

Just rode 5 miles on my Salsa Mukluk, took me over an hour. Soft trail, had to get off and walk some. I would compare the energy expenditure to road biking about 12-15 miles. Instead of being mindful of the highway traffic, I was on the look out for renegade moose. This time of year they start getting ornery. They don't want to walk through the deep snow, so they follow the trails. Beautiful sunny warm day, no wind.

The Sedona is a GREAT bike! I have well over 1500 miles on mine and it is still going strong. It is my around town/commuter/trailer puller that I take shopping when there is not 9 feet of snow.

My road bike is about to be torn apart to get a complete tune up, new rubber and new handlebar wraps. Then I am getting professionally fitted to the thing at the end of March or early April.

My mountain bike is still in my van, and I take it for a spin at lunch when there is not a ton of ice or salt...

Also, anyone here, who is in the area, we have a page of FB. The Menominee River Silent Sports Group. We do a lot of riding in the riding season plus some...anyone is welcome to come along. Also, we ride the River Cities Century Ride and the Tour De Dickinson each year...all are welcome along too!




"..had to get off and walk some..."
Hike a bike is a lot of fun!

We don't have the Moose problem here, though a lot of animals do use the trails this time of the year. Most bike trails are not passable right now unless one has a fat bike, and even then you need to find the ones(trails) being used by others.

We have a fun comparison here as well. We try to explain that 10 miles on a mountain bike, on single track is like 50 on a road bike. And since we all ride road bike the lions share of the distance each year, we know what a 50 mile ride is like. And for us, 20 miles ~ 15 mph average is pretty much just getting out for a spin!

Mountain biking is a favorite of several of us and we'd rather be riding the trails than the roads! I'll take my chances with a bear or other wildlife vs being mowed down by a car!

We tend to ride a lot of really sandy, root and rock strewn technical trails that are a real blast. Apparently when we got started mountain biking the trails we primarily ride are very tough. We didn't know any better and just road them!

BTW, here is the link to our informal little group...
https://www.facebook.com/groups/125...?ref=ts&fref=ts

beautiful sunday here in north texas (although a bit windy). bud and i did 21.2 miles. also added one of the more advanced loops to the ride (RCP loop 13 if anyone in the area). getting more and more in shape riding these trails and can clear most obstacles, climbs, rocks, etc..

i ate a protein bar about midway through the ride. i believe for these types of high intensity rides a bit of a carb boost won't hurt. the bar had 6 grams of sugar so most of the carbs came from sources other than sugar - mostly nuts. made a very noticeable difference in energy level; also added a airborne tablet to my water to keep the electrolytes coming. even though the ride ended nearly 2 hours ago, i still feel like i am flying high. love the mtn bike.

one more week till daylight savings time.
gw

I love biking especially together with friends, quite an adventure.

I am hoping I can have someday a folding bike so that I can bring it anywhere I want especially when I am out of town.