My first proper proper trail

jamLCFC
jamLCFC Posts: 197
edited June 2009 in MTB beginners
I had the oppurtunity last week to stop in Eire and do the Mountrussell loop on the Ballyhoura MTB trails and boy oh boy was it fun.

Its an unmanned center and has showers, drinks machines and ebven a cyclle wash. I was very impressed overall. Here is alink http://www.ballyhouracountry.com/bhsect ... c=&rrn=847

As a complete beginner i thought i would share some of my thoughts in this area:

Fitness

Okay i am a 43 year old bloke that has the pleasure of being both overweight and Asthmatic. Having said that i can (and do) manage road riding 2 or 3 times a week covering 15-20 miles at a time. To me that is pretty good.

With all this in mind i was still walking after only 1 mile or so :shock: . The off road cycling just demands so much more than ordinary roadwork. All in all i walked probably 20% of the overall trail. This was mostly the uphill fire road stuff and even some of the more vertical trail riding. The conclusion i have drawn is that there is no corealation between road fitness and trail riding.

The complete trail was 8 or 9 miles took me 2 1/2 hours and completely knackered me out. I remember feeling elated when i saw the car park come into view on the last section.

The Bike

The bikes a Spec Hardrock Disc. Before even seeing a trail i had upgraded the groupset, upgraded to hyd discs and had the complete thing serviced. I was advised that the forks were knackered but left them unchanged due to cost.

The bike performed really well but i understand that some things play a very small part in this type of riding. The groupset was good and gear changing was crisp and sweet. The hyd discs were a godsend on some the the route and indded the money spen there was done so very wisely. The thing that i need to address are pedals.....the simplest and cheapest thing really but its a pain in the balls (quite literally at one point :oops: ) when your foot slips of that pedal. Oh and the most amazing thing for me was the tyres (specialised captains). Loads of really good grip on even the stone and rocks. That really did surpried me and save me a few times as well.

The Route

WOWWWW it was firking fantastic :D . A taste of everything you can want. It made me feel like a riding god at times and at others scared the crap out of me. The down hill stuff was flowing and technical ,the flat stuff was quick and easy and the uphill stuff was a real challenge. I learnt that after the hardwork riding and pushing came the fun of the downhill trail.

Its well worth a day or so of your time to ride it . I am so glad that i did and cant wait to have the oppurtunity to do it again....mmm now wheres my customer list i can feel a few appointments in Ireland coming on.

What did i learn
    Your fitness levels fully depend on what your doing but you dont need to cycle a full trail to enjoy it . Get some good pedals as a must. Follow that with good brakes and then do the work. Make sure you can snack and drink whilst riding to keep energy levels replenished That pain you feel in your face muscles is caused by the silly grin you have been wearing for the last 2 hours Get some proper padded cycling shorts they will be a blessing. Part of the fun of BIG trails is being scared. Remember you control how fast or slow you go A helmet and gloves are a must Dont forget your mobile just in case. ...and dont forget the more vertical the climb the more fun the downhill is gonna be :D:D


Well thanks for reading ...i just wanted to give a little back to the board as it has offered so much to me in advice and bargains.
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Compulsive tinkerer....my ideas far far outway my ability and that makes things costly !!

Comments

  • Jonesy.
    Jonesy. Posts: 94
    jamLCFC wrote:
    The off road cycling just demands so much more than ordinary roadwork. All in all i walked probably 20% of the overall trail. This was mostly the uphill fire road stuff and even some of the more vertical trail riding. The conclusion i have drawn is that there is no corealation between road fitness and trail riding.

    Welcome to mountain biking :wink:

    Off-road riding is a more bone-jangling experience and thus puts different stresses on your muscles, bones and body in general. In time you'll ease into it.

    The hills will also get easier as you become fitter and improve your hill climbing technique. A bike's geometry can also make a big difference to hills (I believe the Hardrock is more of a generalist than a hill specialist).

    Anyway, you played it right the first time. Ride within your limits to keep yourself on the track. As you get a feel for the bike and improve your skills, you will be riding the entire course without pushing - hills included.

    Oh and wearing the right shoes can help with pedal slip.
    3638691414_5b54d86f20.jpg
  • Wacky Racer
    Wacky Racer Posts: 638
    I remember my first trail, Follow the Dog at Cannock. I am 5 years older than you and when I first did the trail I considered myself reasonably fit, having been doing 20 mile road and bridle path stints close to home, it's bloody hilly where I live, but the trail was a whole different ball game.

    The first thing I did when I got home was buy a new set of pedals, I wasn't into SPD's so bought Sanderson flats to help keep my feet on the pedals. This was fine, and my feet stayed glued to the pins, but they were so damn big that I ground out a few times the next time I went and went home with enough cuts and bruises to fill an entire series of casualty. A valuable lesson learned from wasted money spent on the wrong product.

    A year on and I can do all the hills at FtD, It does get easier the more you ride a trail, as you gain knowledge of the route and you are more prepared for the climb because you know it's coming. There is nothing worse than dawdling through a technical bit, turn a corner to be faced with a one in four hill and wish you had got a bit of speed up to gain momentum, as you watch your more experienced mates fly past you as you climb off to push your lump of metal up the hill.

    All in all I would say improvement comes from added fitness, but more-so from technical ability and the confidence to go faster. It also helped me when I'd scratched my bike a few times, it saved me from riding like Miss Daisy because I was scared of damaging my new bike!

    I now ride a mix of XC and trails, and realise that you don't need a fully bouncing, ridiculous travel, ton of a bike to enjoy yourself. I now ride Hardtail everywhere I go which I reckon gives me the edge on climbs, I can cope with being slightly slower on the descents knowing I will claw it back on the climbs.

    You're dead right about the lid and gloves, add a nice pair of proper padded cycling shorts to take up some of the arse-ache, a spare inner tube and repair kit (found out the hard way) and you are ready for anything the trail can throw at you.
    Ridley Orion
  • joshtp
    joshtp Posts: 3,966
    well done mate! you are now a mtb'er! my parents used to live in Fermoy not far from ballyhourah, and i was suposed to go and ride there when we went over in the spring. un fortunately, on a warm up ride on Corrin hill i trashed my rear mech! anyway, glad you liked it!
    I like bikes and stuff
  • jamLCFC
    jamLCFC Posts: 197
    All in all I would say improvement comes from added fitness, but more-so from technical ability and the confidence to go faster. It also helped me when I'd scratched my bike a few times, it saved me from riding like Miss Daisy because I was scared of damaging my new bike!

    I have managed to book SWMBO and I on a Chasing Trails skills course early next month so hopefuly that will give us a boost on the skills side of things. As for the fitness side i think the rude awakening that your not as fit as you thought you were sees me more set in my roadwork and pushing things a bit harder. We are also getting the kids out with us doing the likes of Sherwood Pines and Rutland water. I appreciate they are not major trails but they are a way of experiencing the off road side of things.

    Looking forward to August bank holiday week when i get some solo time in Scotland to see how things have improved.....or maybe the lakes :D

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    Compulsive tinkerer....my ideas far far outway my ability and that makes things costly !!