Mt biking at Greenbriar State Park
Hey all,
Dan and I are going to go some mt biking in over in Greenbrier State Park Saturday Sept. 5th. We are leaving Harpers Ferry at 7:00 am.
The trails at Greenbriar are for beginners to intermediate with some climbing but a lot of fun!
So I hope some of you will join us for a couple hours of fun!
Shane
Finally got to Greenbriar today...
Finally got to Greenbriar S.P. today with the new bike. I parked on the back side, looked at the somewhat steep uphill trail with no warmup and thought "Uh-oh," LOL. (Remember, I'm an MTB noob.)
Thankfully, those MTB lower gears are so "spinny" that I made it to the top without falling over. From there, I did a short loop on the "moderate singletrack" trails (carefully avoiding any red/difficult trails!). I set my tire pressures to about 25 front/35 rear---that seemed okay (I weigh 220lbs), but I probably could've gone lower with both.
Didn't really have any trouble for the rest of the ride, though I was definitely in "full alert" mode. Here are a few observations and things I learned:
1. You have to get good at clipping that 2nd foot in REALLY fast, depending on where you're starting!
1a. You can actually pedal a few strokes on the arch of your MTB shoe if you fail to get clipped in right away. (LOL)
2. You always hear about relaxing, and it's really true. Always be on guard against "death grip" on the bars and tense arms (which I found myself doing once or twice).
3. Practice hopping over stuff at home in the soft grassy backyard before tackling small trails. I didn't have any trouble, but I recall being a little surprised when I rolled up to my first small log: "Huh??? A LOG???" LOL (Made a mental note to practice bunny hops!)
4. Look ahead---you hear this one all the time too, and it really helps. Fortunately, I'm already in the habit of doing this from motorcycling. The gnarlier stuff is actually easier if you're not looking down at it (kind of like looking away when you get a shot at the doctor's, LOL).
...and last but probably THE most important lesson---one I've already learned on my motorcycle but discovered applies equally to mountain biking is...
MOMENTUM IS EVERYTHING! :-)
It's amazing how much smoother the trail is when you're going faster. You just cruise over stuff that will really throw you around at slower speeds. Just like a boat planing out on top of the waves at high speeds---a mountain bike works the same way on a rocky trail!
Though I also discovered that it's still probably good to practice rocky sections going slower, since sometimes that's what you have to do going up steep hills---negotiate rough terrain while not going very fast.
---
I'm looking forward to going back...but I'm also going to spend some time working on my skillz in the backyard (slow-speed riding, track stands, bunny hops, etc.)
Scott
PS - The "moderate" singletrack was plenty for me right now...I don't think I'd be very comfortable or happy on the "difficult" red trails until I can fly around the "moderate" ones...
Longer Greenbriar ride tonight...
Instead of doing the Bakerton ride tonight, I was jonesing to get back over to Greenbriar S.P. again. This time I went in the front entrance of the park and parked by the boat ramp. I geared up and rode across the dam and entered the woods straight ahead on the "Big Red" trail.
I did the whole Big Red loop, and ended up on at least one (maybe more?) stretch of "difficult" rated trail. One short "difficult" stretch was nuts---though I'm sure there are people who can do it, it was hard for me to imagine anyone riding that stuff---the trail in places was literally nothing but 6-8" high rock pyramids jutting up from the trail (with no room to roll between them). It was a mess! Needless to say I dismounted and walked those sections.
Otherwise, there were two pretty short but steep climbs that I wimped out on---I'd make it halfway up and then just sputter out and walk the rest of the hill, LOL. (I do have a partial excuse---I'd forgotten to lockout my rear shock, so standing and pedaling was impossible from all the bobbing.)
As a sidebar...I'm learning one important thing about rear suspension on climbs. It's often said that it's no good for climbs, but the reality is that it's GREAT for climbs IF YOU STAY SEATED. What I've been finding is that if you stay in the saddle, the rear shock actually improves rear tire traction---I never slipped once, even in loose rock.
The flip side of that, though, is that sometimes (as I discovered today) you just have to stand or you won't make it (at least I won't make it!)...and the drag is that you can't exactly stop in the middle of a steep slope, lockout the rear shock, then keep going, LOL. It's one or the other.
Though I made it over all the logs, I definitely need to work on my bunny hops. I'm pretty crappy at them now, and I really want to be able to "fly" over logs instead of riding over them.
Overall, I'm honestly not sure if the MTB trail loop was as much of a workout as a 20-mile road ride? At my level, mountain biking is a LOT more "on/off" in terms of effort than road biking...sometimes I'm just cruising along easily...and at other times, my heart rate is FAR higher than it ever gets on the road. (It would be interesting to compare calories burned, somehow...)
Scott
PS - Something in my left pedal (or possibly the left crank) was making a really annoying "tick-click, tick-click, tick-click" for the whole ride. Really irritating. (Yes, this kind of stuff clearly happens even on ridiculously high-end bikes too!) Gonna take it to the shop tomorrow and see if they can help me figure out what's causing it...
I have two Mt Bike fundamentals DVDs
I have the Fundamentals Mountain Bike Technique DVD. I split it out into two DVDs, one is Mt bike technique, one is bike maintenance. You (or anyone) are welcome to borrow them if you want. They are pretty cool, but nothing can help more than practice. Pretty soon you'll be bunny hoping up on to picnic tables and riding off the other end ;-).
Josh Hughes
Level: B
Treasurer
Panhandle Pedalers Cycling Club
This is funny...
I discovered after I got home that I did the whole trail ride at Greenbriar with my front fork locked! LOL (The bike still felt great to me!)
Scott
Going to go to Greenbrier again this weekend!
Dan and I are going to be making another trip to Greenbrier for some great Mt. biking. I hope some others may join us. We are leaving Harpers Ferry at 7:00 am Sunday the 20th and should be returning by noon.
It is a lot of fun.
Shane W. Rauch
Vice President
Panhandle Pedalers
I wanna go!
But I have to cut some wood Saturday morning :(. If yalls plans happen to be flexible, I could go Saturday (the 19th) afternoon after sawin logs, or Sunday in the morning before Octoberfest...
.
kraeg
sunday the 20th it is.7am at
sunday the 20th it is.7am at the gas station between the bridges.
I'd love to go with you
I'd love to go with you guys---alas, I won't have my bike!
I ordered the $600 Motobecane Fantom Trail from Bikesdirect.com after reading countless rave reviews of it...2 days later, I received an apologetic email from Bikesdirect.com saying they had oversold it and had none left! (GRRR.) They did offer $50 off another bike though, which I'm ordering today.
So as soon as it arrives, I'm all over Greenbriar rides (and other places too).
Scott
FINALLY!!
I may finally be able to go this time! As long as we are home relatively close to noon so I don't leave Ellen alone all day. I'll also need to look at tuning up my bike a little before we head out.
Josh Hughes
Level: B
Treasurer
Panhandle Pedalers Cycling Club
hey shane i got some info
hey shane i got some info from that mechanic over at Black bar of places to ride in our area, or close as possible.. I will be getting the info tomorrow when i got there to pick up the bike.
I'd be interested in going...
but i need another pedal...
Do you guys know you can park back on Swope Rd so ya don't have to pay the $6 park fee? Check it out on Google Maps.
kraeg
Swope Road...
I found it on Google Earth. Is it pretty self-explanatory once I'm there where the best place to park? Going to ride the red trail Saturday late morning. Should I go clockwise or counter? Thanks!
yep, thats where we park.i
yep, thats where we park.i put spd pedals on my bike so i have 2 extra pedals
If they're platforms (not that 70's crap) ...
bring 'em with you! I'll bring my hiking boots, since I'll probably be hiking more than biking;)
I just bought pair of mtn bike shoes, but I don't know if they'll show up by Sat. I'll have to get some cleats, but I think I have some old (heavy) SPD Mtn pedals I can use.
so whatever happend to that other pedal of mine??
kraeg
I have no clue what the good
I have no clue what the good MTBers use...but I'm thinking the dual-purpose pedals (SPD on one side and platform on the other) are the way to go.
I've never even looked at MTB shoes...but they make 'em where the hardware for clipping in is recessed into the sole, right? (So you can still walk/hike normally in them for short distances or use 'em with platforms.)
Scott
Mountain bike shoes
Mountain bike shoes have a flexible sole as opposed to the stiff soles on road shoes. The flex is so you can push/pull/carry/lug your bike up muddy or loose terrain. They have lugs for traction that make the cleat seem more recessed than a road shoe.
I'm kinda thiking about getting some Candy pedals made by Crank Brothers. They are built around the 4-way entry Egg-Beater pedal, but also have a platform so you can ride them with street shoes. Or if your cleat breaks miles from no-where, you still have a pedaling surface to get yourself out. I have heard of this happening many times, with guys that had to pedal with one leg(Josh).
Thanks for double checking shane. Hopefully my shoes will be in soon, so I can jsut ride w/ cleats...
geark
Ugh...more technology to
Ugh...more technology to figure out! So...I wonder which are easier to get out of in a split-second (as you're falling over!)...the "egg beater" style? Or SPDs?
And I wonder which is better? The Crank Brothers Candy pedals (which have a much smaller platform)...or something like the Wellgo SPD/platform combo pedals, like the ones here:
http://www.pricepoint.com/detail/14235-240_WELD95-43-Brands-242-Wellgo-Pedals/Wellgo-WPD-95B-Pedals.htm
The Wellgo pedals have a much larger platform that seems like it would be a lot more comfortable if you're just horsing around without cleats...
Scott
Mountain biking at Greenbriar this afternoon...
Hi All:
Sorry for the short notice, but I'm planning to hit Greenbriar State Park this afternoon after work for some MTBing.
If anyone wants to join me, just post up. I'll probably get there around 5pm (give or take a few minutes).
I like going in the front gate and parking by the dam...but given that (I think) you're expected to pay even if nobody is around...I'll probably go to the parking area on the west side of the park, off Mountain Laurel Road:
http://maps.google.com/maps?hl=en&tab=wl
Scott