Any mountain-bikers here?

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  • boss66tcode

    a bit of an Eddie Haskle
    Sep 8, 2008
    2,024
    in 'da hills
    I was a mountain biker. Until I started deer hunting in MD. It is a true test of impulse control to maintain composure when some of those rejects decide to ride trails in designated hunting areas, DURING RIFLE season. One wisea$$ even said "oh, so should I be wearing hunter orange when I ride?". I'm all about biking, but I'm also into good judgment.

    Its a wonder no one has popped one of them yet.
     

    WSM

    Rugeritis
    Oct 8, 2009
    6,364
    Lancaster, PA
    I was a mountain biker. Until I started deer hunting in MD. It is a true test of impulse control to maintain composure when some of those rejects decide to ride trails in designated hunting areas, DURING RIFLE season. One wisea$$ even said "oh, so should I be wearing hunter orange when I ride?". I'm all about biking, but I'm also into good judgment.

    Its a wonder no one has popped one of them yet.

    Welcome to the Frederick Watershed.
     

    GeorgeSSR

    Active Member
    Jan 31, 2009
    196
    I was a mountain biker. Until I started deer hunting in MD. It is a true test of impulse control to maintain composure when some of those rejects decide to ride trails in designated hunting areas, DURING RIFLE season. One wisea$$ even said "oh, so should I be wearing hunter orange when I ride?". I'm all about biking, but I'm also into good judgment.

    Its a wonder no one has popped one of them yet.

    On the other hand, I was riding two weeks ago and spotted a tree stand off morning choice in Patapsco. Isn't that a big no-no?


    Also, for posterity, here's my ride (Shimanos dumped for Crank Bros.):
     

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    boss66tcode

    a bit of an Eddie Haskle
    Sep 8, 2008
    2,024
    in 'da hills
    The regs read that tree stands are supposed to be portable, and that they can't stay overnight - or something to that effect. Ultimately, I guess it's up to whomever is in charge of that particular park.
     

    Southern Cross

    Active Member
    Oct 2, 2007
    131
    Chase, MD
    Mountain biking was my life. I lived and breathed everything MTB for any years. I had the ultimate custom Cannondale rig...it was perfection. I rode everyday before work an again when I got home. I road Gunpowder it I felt like hopping, Seminary if I felt like a no hassle ride, a little treasure called Paradise Farm Trail that very few people know about is my personal favorite (and home trail)...but if I wanted a real ride I would hit Green Ridge on the weekend. If you don't live there or you don't have powerful lungs don't even bother...you'll be sucking air big time. Even in my prime that place floored me. You get used to it though. Some of my favorite rides where that area near Green Ridge that they turned into a golf resort...when they were building that there was some seriously nice riding there. And the Frostburg ladies teams would job there...very fun. I spent many a post-ride night with those ladies in that little pizza place people from Frostburg love so much!

    Of course all things come to and end. I was on the Verizon Cycling Team and on my very first ride...and easy on road hill took me down for good. I didn't wreck..didn't do anything...my back just didn't feel right...and never did again. I spent a ton of money trying to get my bike so I could stand to ride it and endure the pain...nothing worked. When my dealer said the "R" word...I figured i was time to move onto to other pursuits. I still love bike though...I'm still looking for a Killer V 3000, perfect GT Zaskar Rey clone, and an 88 Haro Master to add to bike museum...read basement!
     

    rrrrrrkevin

    Its comin right for me!
    Jul 18, 2008
    2,603
    North Beach
    I have no experience other than the average riding a bike as a kid (26 now) but I want to get into it. I just bought what I believe is a beginner bike and now I am kinda curious what is the best to wear (Shoes, jeans shorts or pants, what type of helmet?) I know it seems simple but I know I wear special cloths for hunting and shooting and I wear special cloths for running but I have never done any serious mountain biking and im sure there are certain types of clothing that are more fitting for it. I have rode the bike around in the mornings just for a workout in just regular cloths like I would wear to play basketball but I dont know if this would be different than if I were to go out to GRSF or somewhere else.

    The bike I bought is a 2010 Giant Boulder.
     

    Bikebreath

    R.I.P.
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 30, 2009
    14,836
    in the bowels of Baltimore
    rrrrrrkevin-> The seams of pants all come together right where the "twigs and berries" are and are not comfortable when in between the weight of you and the seat. Those bike shorts that you might think are ghey are designed with the seams out of the way of sensitive areas.

    Back when I got into mtb'ing everyone had the platform pedals. After a few years toe-clips came into mtbi'ing and I was told to get toe-clips so it will keep your feet from falling off the pedals and help in climbing. The learning curve was great, but I got used to it. Then 10 years later after clipless pedals came along I was told to get them. I didn't make the switch, even though I tried the learning curve from toe-clips to clipless was too great for me and I crashed a lot and gave up. The point...get clipless pedals now while your learning curve on everything mtb is new.
     

    rrrrrrkevin

    Its comin right for me!
    Jul 18, 2008
    2,603
    North Beach
    rrrrrrkevin-> The seams of pants all come together right where the "twigs and berries" are and are not comfortable when in between the weight of you and the seat. Those bike shorts that you might think are ghey are designed with the seams out of the way of sensitive areas.

    :lol2: Thanks for the tip, I will keep that in mind when picking out what to wear.
     

    JRoCc

    Active Member
    MDS Supporter
    Jun 2, 2010
    923
    Earth
    I have no experience other than the average riding a bike as a kid (26 now) but I want to get into it. I just bought what I believe is a beginner bike and now I am kinda curious what is the best to wear (Shoes, jeans shorts or pants, what type of helmet?) I know it seems simple but I know I wear special cloths for hunting and shooting and I wear special cloths for running but I have never done any serious mountain biking and im sure there are certain types of clothing that are more fitting for it. I have rode the bike around in the mornings just for a workout in just regular cloths like I would wear to play basketball but I dont know if this would be different than if I were to go out to GRSF or somewhere else.

    The bike I bought is a 2010 Giant Boulder.



    Jean pants to thwart off the sticker bushes on tight single track...cotton socks...tennis shoes are fine...long cotton T-shirt...black....no helmet. That's what I would recommend you wearing. :party29:
     

    wlc

    Ultimate Member
    Nov 13, 2006
    3,521
    J...tennis shoes ......no helmet

    Sneakers - aka tennis shoes -- are really not good at all for biking. They are fine for casual riding, but they rob you of power because the soles are just too flexible

    I used to ride in sneakers, but once you try a true pair of biking shoes you will never go back to sneakers - the best combo is biking shoes with clip in pedals.


    No helmet? I have taken too many spills on trails to venture out without a helmet. It only takes one good wack against a tree or rock to ruin your life. I would not risk it. Get a good fitting quality helmet and wear it all the time!
     

    axshon

    Ultimate Member
    May 23, 2010
    1,938
    Howard County
    Love to ride but haven't much this year. I know Patapsco inside and out. Trek 6700 Disk and a Cannondale comfort bike turned into a pseudo roadie/commuter because of the low standover. The Cannondale looks goofie with a skinny seat and tires but it works for my purposes. Someday when I'm rich and famous I'll buy a real roadie and a full suspension bike.

    I've been working on some mountain biking / hiking / mapping software in my spare time for a quite a while. Got out a beta late last year but it bombed because I had not considered how to mark a trail a foot-only and/or closed. Back to the drawing board. Site is down now but hopefully it will be back up and free by August. Too late for summer rides but hopefully good enough for the fall riding season. It is what it is I suppose.
     

    BlueFin

    Ultimate Member
    Dec 3, 2007
    1,175
    Montgomery Village
    A good helmet, any padded fingerless gloves and meshed , a Shimano M082 MTB shoes and a MTB shorts with padded bottom is what I use. I use to ride from Lock 6 to Whites Ferry and back and make a few casts along the way.
    This is arround 65 miles round trip and is usually a whole day affair for me.
     

    Coffee

    Active Member
    Jan 12, 2009
    894
    Odenton
    I have no experience other than the average riding a bike as a kid (26 now) but I want to get into it. I just bought what I believe is a beginner bike and now I am kinda curious what is the best to wear (Shoes, jeans shorts or pants, what type of helmet?) I know it seems simple but I know I wear special cloths for hunting and shooting and I wear special cloths for running but I have never done any serious mountain biking and im sure there are certain types of clothing that are more fitting for it. I have rode the bike around in the mornings just for a workout in just regular cloths like I would wear to play basketball but I dont know if this would be different than if I were to go out to GRSF or somewhere else.

    The bike I bought is a 2010 Giant Boulder.

    You definitely want a helmet. As wlc said, one tree or one bad fall is all it takes, and it isn't uncommon to take high speed falls in mountain biking.

    Padded shorts are good, and you don't even need to get the tight-fitting spandex look, if you want to avoid it. Fox and other companies make shorts that look normal.

    For shirts, I'd avoid cotton, and look into t shirts made of wicking fiber. Typically, they're made of polyester though certain companies have proprietary fibers. These fibers allow sweat to evaporate much more efficiently, and breeze/wind to penetrate and cool you down more easily. Under Armour, The North Face, and other outdoor brands specialize in this sort of stuff.

    Lastly, second the vote for clipless pedals and mountain bike shoes.
     

    hogarth

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 13, 2009
    2,504
    Hi all, OP here again:

    To rrrKevin, here's my advice:

    1. GET A HELMET. A halfway decent one is like $45 from a bike shop. I work in Special Ed and have seen the results of TBI (Traumatic Brain Injury). Get the helmet and wear it. A fall off your bike to just the pavement of your street will be about 5 ft or more for your head, enough to do mega damage. Do it at speed, and you are f-ed for life.

    2. Get yourself some padded shorts. I prefer the baggy type that don't look like biking shorts. They will probably run about $50 but will be worth it due to the padding in the important areas.

    3. I switched to Shimano clipless pedals and the associated footwear in the fall. I fell a lot, usually just stupid slow falls where I unclipped on one side but leaned the other way. I'm quite certain I've looked ridiculous each time, but now, this year, I've only had a couple of these incidents, but the power you get with the clipless pedals is worth a couple of slow sideways falls. There are hills I get up now that I never used to be able to with platform pedals. Also, if you go through a lot small streams, as I do, then your platform pedals get wet, and then you'll always be slipping off and whacking yourself in the shins. I'd recommend the clipless pedals.

    4. I like long sleeve shirts for biking, even if it's warm out...they provide some slight protection from thorns or other such things. I'd recommend the type made of "wicking" fabric like Underarmor, but even Target has such shirts made by Champion that are about $15. I recommend brighter colors so others see you coming, and also in case you ever bike somewhere where hunters might be around.

    5. Padded gloves are good. I usually just grab the ones from Performance with the terry cloth backing and the padded palm. They're always on sale, pretty much, for about $10-15. They'll protect your hands from the jarring through the handlebars and also if you fall.

    That's about it. If you're going to do fancy trick riding, hard downhill stuff, whatever, then elbow, knee, shin pads, etc., are all good investments. Otherwise, the above stuff should do you fine for a while. I also like a Camelbak for water and other essentials like tools, spare tubes, cell phone, etc.
     

    rrrrrrkevin

    Its comin right for me!
    Jul 18, 2008
    2,603
    North Beach
    Whats do you look for in a good biking helmet? I asked at the store but I am leary because sometimes I know they can push the goods they have on hand and I really dont know what the better brands of helmets are and what are the cheesy ones.
     

    axshon

    Ultimate Member
    May 23, 2010
    1,938
    Howard County
    Trek, Bell and Giro are all good helmets. Others too but I can't think of them off hand. They are all subtly different though so you want to try them on. I know a few guys from the Race Pace shops in the area. They usually have a good selection. The people at Princeton Sports in Columbia have been friendlier but not as good a selection the last time I was there. You need it to be super comfortable and if you're not doing stunts you want good ventilation. If you are doing crazy stuff get a BMX style solid one but it will be hot as hell on the trail.
     

    Cannon

    Active Member
    Dec 10, 2009
    412
    Baltimore
    Yup, make sure you get a helmet that fits, and is adjusted properly. It feels odd to wear a helmet at first, but you will forget about if after 2 minutes of riding I promise. Try a bunch on, remember a $30 helmet will protect as much as a $100 helmet.

    As for riding clothes I used to wear alot of cycling specific gear, but now I mainly wear cut off dickies and a t-shirt, or a thin tank top if it's really hot. Most of my riding is too and from work, so I wear what I work in.


    If I'm on a 40mile or so ride I'll wear padded shorts.


    I've been riding clipless for about 12 years, but have recently fallen in love with metal toeclips and leather straps, still love the clipless though.
     

    hogarth

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 13, 2009
    2,504
    Whats do you look for in a good biking helmet? I asked at the store but I am leary because sometimes I know they can push the goods they have on hand and I really dont know what the better brands of helmets are and what are the cheesy ones.

    You're in Baltimore? Go to Joe's Bike Shop, either the one on Falls Rd in Mt. Washington or the one in Fells Point. They'll hook you up with a nice helmet. Basically, as someone else said, a $30 one is as good as a $100 one in terms of protection. The greater expense might mean more aerodynamics, funky paint schemes, or possibly lighter weight, none of which will matter to you. I got a low end Trek one that has a sort of dial in the back which tightens it around your head. Light years ahead of my helmet from 1998.
     

    boule

    Ultimate Member
    Oct 16, 2008
    1,948
    Galt's Gulch
    Whats do you look for in a good biking helmet? I asked at the store but I am leary because sometimes I know they can push the goods they have on hand and I really dont know what the better brands of helmets are and what are the cheesy ones.

    Fit and comfort. A helmet must fit your head with the strap being a little bit tight like a hat but not so that your head connects with the helmet. You've got to wear it all day and get shaken around while doing so - so the helmet has to be lightweight. Then you have to understand that cycling is work - and you definately want a good air circulation.
    Add Cratoni, Alpina and Specialized to the list of trusted manufacturers.
     

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