Mountain biking, Cross, BMX, freestyle...

[Ziggy]

Note: This thread is originally from 2011. The 2021 bump is here: http://racketboy.com/forum/viewtopic.ph ... 0#p1168828

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Who else here rides bikes? Whether it be mountain, road, BMX, whatever... Let's talk about bikes!

This season I really got into mountain biking. I did BMX for a little when I was younger, and always rode BMX bikes, so getting on a mountain bike for the first time was a little weird. It still kinda is, I miss riding a BMX bike. I got on my brother's old jumping bike last week for a little bit. I did a jet hop and was thinking, "I'm flying!" Even after not riding one for years, I guess I still feel more comfortable on a BMX bike versus a mountain bike.

I got a cheapo Wal Mart Special (some kind of Next with supposedly "Shimano" parts) mountain bike a few years back but only took it out a few times. But like I said, this year I started to get into riding more. Today I just picked up my new bike! A Cannondale Trail 5. Might not be the best bike in the world, but it seriously feels like it after riding that shitty bike for a while. I took it out today on an approximate 5 mile trail loop (probably my favorite trail around here - so far) and it was amazing. Made the ride (especially up hill) a lot easier, not to mention more fun too.

So who else here rides? Post your stories, favorite trails, and pics of your rides! I'll post a pic later, but for now, I'll just link my bike on Cannondale's site...

http://www.cannondale.com/bikes/mountai ... il-5-16847

edit: Picture...

[D.D.D.]

Hell yeah! I love mountain biking. I ride SPECIALIZED though. I had a few RockHoppers and I love'm.

[Ziggy]

What's up, D.D.D.? I haven't seen you in a while!

Specialized are cool, I was looking at a few of them when I was bike shopping. I even test rode one. The primary bike shop I was looking in only had oversized 29" rim Specialized models though, and I just didn't like the feel of those.

I was also looking at a Trek 4300D. I was almost gonna get it too, it was a really cool bike. It was kinda a tough call, but I think the Cannondale was the better choice.

[D.D.D.]

Sup~ Yeah been busy for 3+ mos or so.

I don't recall the tire size on mine but I know it's not 29"s. I haven't bought a new one in about 5~6 years but I just love the balance on mine (I can bike surf standing on the bar between the seat & handlebar).

Last time I rode a friends' Trek on the same priceline, it felt a lot heavier than the rockhopper.

Never been mtn.biking on the east coast, where do you ride?

[Ziggy]

Yeah, the Trek definitely felt heavier over the Cannondale. It's actually what pushed me over the edge to get the Cannondale.

There's some great trails around here, though I haven't tackled them all yet. "West Side Loop" is a 5 mile loop off a main trail that I like to do, and it even has a few loops of its own. It's in the DEC state lands in Rocky Point, where the old RCA Central Transmitting Station use to be.

http://www.rockypointhistoricalsociety. ... 20text.htm

It's actually pretty cool, the West Side Loop takes you right along side a huge tower that's now lying on its side. I'll have to take a pic of it one day to post here, it's pretty neat. People nick named the trails the "RCA trails". But other than all that, it's pretty fun to ride as well. A good amount of jumps.

There's one trail that I guess is county owned that's decent. I've yet to do the entire trail though. There's another DEC trail that we call Bell Mead (because it's on Bell Mead Road) that's pretty wicked. I did that trail once with my shitty bike, both me and my bike got fucked up a little. It really is a pretty nasty trail though, definitely the most dangerous one I've been on. It's the first and only time I fell off a mountain bike, and it's the only time I saw my brother fall off his mountain bike. Really rough downhill, really steep uphill, tight turns, tight squeezes between trees (I actually clipped a tree and hurt my shoulder a little). Can't wait to take my new bike there though!

Looking on the DEC website, there's 2 or 3 other trails in my area that I wanna check out. Now that I got a capable bike, I don't mind tackling any new trail.

[boltfanSD]

I love mountain biking, finally got back on my bike today after replacing my rear derailleur which I destroyed on a jump on a flowy little downhill trail a few weeks back. I ride an Iron Horse sachem, I love it because I can use it for both trail riding and light downhill/freeride stuff (perfect for trails in the Ozarks where you have to earn your descents). I usually ride at Slaughter Pen which is a great trail system with something for everyone from north shore style stuff and dirt jumps to miles of singletrack.

[J T]

I love biking. I ride a Marin hybrid. I used to bike to and from campus every day, rain or shine, but moved farther away and now it's just too far of a ride. I still like to get out and ride whenever possible though. Seattle is great because there are several really beautiful bike trails. The Burke-Gilman trail runs alongside Lake Washington for many miles and the inter-urban trail alternates you between forested areas and urban environments. Those are the main trails I ride. Love it. I've gotten better at working on my bike over the years too, so I can handle most fix-it problems on my own without having to pay someone to fix my bike or tune it.

[Hobie-wan]

I'm probably one of the most noobish riders that will bother posting in this thread. No mountains around here, but too much up and down kills me anyway. I used to ride a fair amount when I was at school and got the bike I still have now. It was all flat, but I had 2 different routes I usually took to some beaches that were near school, being about 20 and 25 mile rides respectively. I'll try to take a picture of my bike tomorrow (so everyone can laugh at it ) and post again.

Also, this thread is useless without pictures.

[emwearz]

My girlfriends dad is a big time bike rider (goes for big ass group rides twice a week), I use to ride a really old shitty bike to uni, one day I went there there place for dinner and he had bought me a brand new Giant Mountain Bike, very nice of him, but as is his passion for Bikes.

While I am not by any means a big time rider, if I am going anywhere within 10km of my house I will happily ride there as apposed to driving or taking the public transport.

[D.D.D.]

Wait just a sec, isn't there a dude(?) with the screen name "gtmtnbiker" or something like that?? This thread should be of interest~