Any Mountain Bikers on Here?
- Thread starter jbmccul
- Start date
MONTYMTB
New member
You suck. :mmph:
1engineer
Moderator
So I have been riding steadily for the past week or so now that the snow has melted and the mud has dried up to passable levels. I am in "March" shape. Can't wait to get to "June" shape lol. Climbing out up a trail last night, sucking wind like a Hoover, heart rate well above 500 bpm, legs feeling like they had the mass of oak logs made me think back to just six months before, climbing that same bastard section of trail. My buddy and I just pedaling up, laughing, cracking jokes, breathing fine, heart rate around 140, legs GTG and all was right in the world.
Basically what I am saying is you get way out of shape during the winter and it's a bear to get back in shape! Oh well, I'm riding which is more that 98% of the other 52 year olds.
Basically what I am saying is you get way out of shape during the winter and it's a bear to get back in shape! Oh well, I'm riding which is more that 98% of the other 52 year olds.
GrossMan
New member
HA!...had to laugh when I read this 'cause it's the painful truth. I'm not 52 but I'm <ahem> very close behind you.
The sad thing is every year I tell myself "Gonna take spinning classes this winter stay in shape for cycling "(there's a local tri-athlete in my town that offers balls to the wall spinning in the off season) and every winter I wuss out.
...oh well, here's to March, April, May and the "Agony of da feet...and da legs ..and da lungs."
1engineer
Moderator
I only had three small heart attacks during last night's ride so I must be getting better right?
Seriously, for the older mountain biker there are three things that have to cooperate to have an epic ride. They are:
1. Heart
2. Lungs
3. Legs
The problem is that very seldom do all three perform adequately at the same time. It's mostly two out of the three and they alternate! One night the heart and legs are fine but you can't breathe. Next night it's the legs and lungs but the heart is sitting out. Then the heart and lungs work fine but the legs stayed home.
Every now and then all three are working together and you have that epic ride.
Now, nothing works for the first 5-10 minutes of the ride right? Your legs hurt, you can't breathe and your heart is doing flips. Once I get through that first few minutes things start working OK. After I go through that initial few minutes and TWO things aren't working? I turn around, ride back to the 4Runner and drive away lol. Thank goodness that only happens a few times a season.
MONTYMTB
New member
More like 30-45 minutes for me. For whatever reason, I need a long warmup when I ride. If I go too fast out of the gate, I'm toast. Some of the guys I ride with like to take off like rabbits at the first of the ride, and I just stay back for a while until all my body parts grasp the concept that they're going to be doing some hard work that day.
GrossMan
New member
I'm the same way, I'm sucking wind and hurting for the first 5-7 miles usually
1engineer
Moderator
lol 5-7 miles on our trails is about in hour ride!
KTMRIDER
New member
I just realized this thread was here, I've been riding since I was 12.
If anyone wants to ride XC, DH or dirt scooter send me a PM.
I'll ride xc anywhere in the middle/east tn area and of course NC
i ride DH at Windrock, TN and Trials Training Center in Sequatchie, TN
We can do some offroading at windrock of course and Sequatchie is where Coppinger cove is which is awesome too.
My current bikes
Dh-Trek Session
Xc- GT Force
If anyone wants to ride XC, DH or dirt scooter send me a PM.
I'll ride xc anywhere in the middle/east tn area and of course NC
i ride DH at Windrock, TN and Trials Training Center in Sequatchie, TN
We can do some offroading at windrock of course and Sequatchie is where Coppinger cove is which is awesome too.
My current bikes
Dh-Trek Session
Xc- GT Force
Attachments
Fishpilot
New member
Complete with coconut cup holder.
Sold an Ibis to get this, DW suspension is supreme.
Bovines love single speeds
TRD Pro if you get the chance, try to hit the Raccoon Mountain trails in Chattanooga. Great trails and post ride beers.
KTM Rider how do you like that fat bike, I'm moving to Alaska in June and "need" another bike.
Attachments
It's not much different here. Back in the midwest it seemed like 7 miles was the magic number which was about 30 minutes of riding. Out here I think it's exaggerated because we always park at the bottom of things and climb first.
Of my most common rides, one starts with 7 miles of climbing from 5400 feet up to 6800 feet before you get to do anything fun and the another starts with 8 miles of climbing from 6700 feet up to 8100 feet.
MONTYMTB
New member
This one is a road ride but check this one out https://connect.garmin.com/activity/322034523
This was a lung busting mountain bike ride. From 9,275 feet up to 11,500 over 6.25 miles, I was literally climbing up ski slopes at Keystone. Mind you I ride a 1x10 hardtail with an 11-36 cassette and a 32t chain ring up front, I don't have a granny gear (which is why early season is so brutal lol)
https://connect.garmin.com/activity/375719715
I think I want to bike up Mt Evans this summer. From the entrance station at 10,750 ft you climb to 14,127 feet over about 15 miles. It's not even that steep, there's just not enough oxygen. It's not mountain biking, but if I can do it, it will make trails around 10,000 feel easy in comparison. My goal is to do more high alpine rides this summer because the scenery is so awesome!
I posted one of my mountain bikes up for sale in the non-T4R items classified section. Hopefully it's OK to add a little shameless self promotion in this thread.
I posted one of my mountain bikes up for sale in the non-T4R items classified section. Hopefully it's OK to add a little shameless self promotion in this thread.
USKTog
New member
Build starts in about an hour!
Oh sure...just TEASE us why don't ya??
The nicer weather is certainly getting me in the mode of wanting to get back out on the MTB and re-introduce my legs to riding (lol). Taking the last few months off has been necessary (this whole getting older thing ain't for sissies) though last week I did get in a nice 12.2 mile photo trek down at Big Bend NP that rejuvenated my spirits!
What components are you going with for the new build??
