Riding Lesson

Picture this scenario;
You're making fast tracks down your favorite single track and you come up on the root or rock garden that always kicks your ass and slows you down. What do you do?

A) get off and walk
B) try to pick the smoothest line
C) plow straight over the top

Chances are, if you picked A or B that explains why you're constantly getting your ass kicked on this section and your ride times and energy levels will probably reflect this. The truth is, unless you're riding a big box store brand bike you're sporting at least 3 inches of travel which is more than enough to handle most root or rock gardens packed with baby heads.

The problem with trying to pick the smoothest line is that you invariably need to slow down, scan for the smooth route and then wind your way through it. This slower speed reduces the momentum required to easily traverse all but the smallest obstacles while at the same time reducing your stability. Tihs reduced momentum and stability makes it more difficult to hold any kind of line and will require a lot of standing pedaling effort to balance and push your way through.

On the other hand, assuming that you're up on your riding skills most modern valid bikes have the suspension to easily handle roots and rocks 6-8 inches above the trail as well as being able to negotiate 2 foot vertical drop-offs without having to "huck" your way off of them.

Your best bet is to approach the garden with a good speed that will carry you over most of the obstacles without pedaling, stand up and loosen your body and allow your bike to float under you. Pick a relatively straight path through the garden and let er rip! You paid big bucks for that 5" travel trail bike so quit being a sissy and put that suspension to work.

(Alays be aware of trail conditions and your own abilites and never attempt to ride above your abilities except under controlled conditions. It's always better to walk around than be carried out)
-Mike "kerbouchaud" Sullivan

Trail work....

Somehow, 7:30 yesterday morning found me unloading the chainsaw, weedeater, gas cans and a machete out of the back of my Kia. I had been asked to help out with a bit of trail work at our local bike park and figured why not, the kids are with the grandparents and I've got a little free time.
For some of you this may not seem like a big deal but for me it's huge. The reaon being is that I HATE that bike park and everyone in the club knows this. The park itself is the crowning acheivement of our club in that we even have a legal trail. But it's flat, and tiresome and poorly marked and full of mud.

Anyway, I headed out and put in 2 hours of weedeater time and screwed around on a few other projects for a few minutes and figured I'd done my good deed for the day. After I got back to the parking lot and changed uniforms I headed out on the bike. I was amazed by what I found. I was actually able to link the trails together and get in a 7 mile ride. I only got turned around once and didn't have to wade through any mud. It seems that while I've been sitting around hating, or heading out of town to ride, there have been a handfull of people that have been working their asses of to make Halpat a decent trail. The trails were pretty well marked, most of the overgrowth had been beaten back (I helped on that one) the trails had been re-routed around the mud where possible, and in other places literally tons of shellrock had been loaded in or really well made ladder bridges were installed. Color me impressed.

Halpat still isn't much of a destination for me because I have this strange addiction to hills and stuff. But it is turning into a really nice XC trail that can be ridden by amateurs and pro's alike.

Congrats to the Halpat crew, you've done a great job