Items on your 'to do' list that mess with your head...

[JD]

Thanks for the tips, I'm definitely going to work on that!

I used to ride around Stowe for hours practicing this stuff when the trails were wet. Also riding along curbs for log ride practice. You can find some nice long curbs to roll. People would drive by and look at me like I was crazy. Going up curbs smooth and slow is also great practice for getting over logs...front wheel.....back wheel.

 

[JD]

Rode the Maple run loop today...and the climb I've never made up past laurens loop. Dabbed once early on Tamarack....then made it to litterally the last pedal stroke on the climb up on peek-a-view...dabbed again. Next time I feel like it's in the bag.

 

[MR. evil]

Mine are riding that ladder drop at the beggining of the sessions area and eventually riding Red's Rock (That is what Greg and I have dubbed the spot my buddie broke his ribs). I was really happe that I rode every bridge on the ride today with out hesitation. The stuff I have built in my back yard has really helped with the bridges. I have my own little ladder drop in the back yard at just under 3 feet now and it is no big deal. I should have it up to 4 feet in a few weeks. Then all I will need is a full face helmet and I will attempt that sassions ladder drop.

Both these are corssed of my list. Nailed Red's Rock last month and finally man'd up and hit the sessions ladder drop this past Friday. The sessions ladder drop is actually easier than the one on Jug-A-Lug IMO.

I also hit the steep roller after the FKC. Its actually not that steep, the only tricky part is getting the line to it right, lots of rocks up the the approach that kept knocking my off the line. I will add that Trev did spot me as we were both kind of worried that I might ride head first into the large tree about 10 feet from the bottom of the rock face. He stood in front of the tree to help deflect me if need be. But it wasn't even an issue. Thanks for having my back there Trev!

The only nagging things left on my list are to clear the FKC top to bottom and get back to the stunt trail at Case to redeem myself. So many things at Case I wussed out on last year that will probably seem very easy when I finnally hit them. The funny thing is the ride last year at Case where I wussed out on all those stunts lit a fire under my ass to get better at drops and rollers especially. So far its paid off, just need to get back to where it all started and finish it.

Next up will be a trip to Vietnam or Lynn Woods with Austin so I can wuss out on a bunch a bigger and dumber stunts / rollers and create a new list:-D

 

[Greg]

I haven't had many items lately that I feel I have to do lately. I've just been riding, and riding faster. One thing that's bugging me is even the little drops I've been trying are horrible (nose heavy, erratic landings, etc.). I am getting quicker on the DHs though so that's good.

 

[Trev]

Next up will be a trip to Vietnam or Lynn Woods with Austin so I can wuss out on a bunch a bigger and dumber stunts / rollers and create a new list:-D

Yea, adding to my 'To Do List' is on my 'To Do List'... lol...

 

[Marc]

Haven't been mountain biking much this year... but on my road to do list that is currently messing with my head is the Petersburg 300 km brevet. 190 miles in one day, with a climb over Petersburg pass on the NY/MA border about 110 miles in, a serious pass that gains 1500 feet in about 6 miles of climbing. God help me. I just have to finish within the 20 hour time limit which should be no problem, providing I can actually drag my carcass up the Petersburg pass with 110 miles, plus Searsburg pass already in my legs.

 

[Trev]

Haven't been mountain biking much this year... but on my road to do list that is currently messing with my head is the Petersburg 300 km brevet. 190 miles in one day, with a climb over Petersburg pass on the NY/MA border about 110 miles in, a serious pass that gains 1500 feet in about 6 miles of climbing. God help me. I just have to finish within the 20 hour time limit which should be no problem, providing I can actually drag my carcass up the Petersburg pass with 110 miles, plus Searsburg pass already in my legs.

That's the kind of stuff I like to watch from a couch, working up a sweat on my beer bottle

GL and Enjoy !

 

[bvibert]

Haven't been mountain biking much this year... but on my road to do list that is currently messing with my head is the Petersburg 300 km brevet. 190 miles in one day, with a climb over Petersburg pass on the NY/MA border about 110 miles in, a serious pass that gains 1500 feet in about 6 miles of climbing. God help me. I just have to finish within the 20 hour time limit which should be no problem, providing I can actually drag my carcass up the Petersburg pass with 110 miles, plus Searsburg pass already in my legs.

Damn dude, you're sick...

Sounds like fun!

 

[Trekchick]

Marc, you're nuts!

My to do list is waaaaay too long.
I want to do a rollercoaster bridge. I'll be damned if I'm going to walk that sucker again!

 

[big oz]

FYI, the semi a-framed downhill Scoville drop across from the jug handle is called Ruel's Jewels.....that is home to many a Polish wheelie. You guys are welcome to ride the ultra top secret "Biggie Smalls" trails when it's finished in a few weeks. Multiple 3-5 footers with all sorts of bridges, chutes, ladders and stuff to get hurt on.

 

[MR. evil]

FYI, the semi a-framed downhill Scoville drop across from the jug handle is called Ruel's Jewels.....that is home to many a Polish wheelie. You guys are welcome to ride the ultra top secret "Biggie Smalls" trails when it's finished in a few weeks. Multiple 3-5 footers with all sorts of bridges, chutes, ladders and stuff to get hurt on.

I just maned up and hit Ruel's Jewels which is 3 feet at the most, I am still quite aways off from even thinking about hitting a 4 or 5 footer. But the rest of the stuff you describe sounds sweet!

Whats a polish wheelie?

 

[Marc]

I just maned up and hit Ruel's Jewels which is 3 feet at the most, I am still quite aways off from even thinking about hitting a 4 or 5 footer. But the rest of the stuff you describe sounds sweet!

Whats a polish wheelie?

endo

 

[MR. evil]

endo

Thats what I thought it meant.

 

[Trev]

FYI, the semi a-framed downhill Scoville drop across from the jug handle is called Ruel's Jewels.....that is home to many a Polish wheelie. You guys are welcome to ride the ultra top secret "Biggie Smalls" trails when it's finished in a few weeks. Multiple 3-5 footers with all sorts of bridges, chutes, ladders and stuff to get hurt on.

Ruel's Jewels... any meaning or cause behind the name?? hrmm??

Biggie Smalls sounds like fun..

 

[big oz]

We wanted to build a little warm up drop thing close to where you park.....Ruel suggested that little hill and i built it. More people have gotten tossed on that thing thatn any feature in Nass. People either pull up to hard and loop out backwards or mistime the drop and land in an OTB nose wheelie. The key to landing that smooth is speed....which you have none of cuz I built it with a 90 degree corner and no room to pedal.

 

[MR. evil]

We wanted to build a little warm up drop thing close to where you park.....Ruel suggested that little hill and i built it. More people have gotten tossed on that thing thatn any feature in Nass. People either pull up to hard and loop out backwards or mistime the drop and land in an OTB nose wheelie. The key to landing that smooth is speed....which you have none of cuz I built it with a 90 degree corner and no room to pedal.

Thanks for the awsome approach to that drop! :-D It took me 5 tries to get the make that corner with the combination of enough speed and the right line to feel comfortable going for it. When I finally did I was going slower than I wanted but still landed a little too far back. I think I gave one last pedal kick right before the edge just to be safe. The next time I hit that drop I may lightly tap my brakes in the air to get my front end down a little if need be. Will that even work on a MTB bike, I know it does for an Mx.

 

[Greg]

FYI, the semi a-framed downhill Scoville drop across from the jug handle is called Ruel's Jewels.....that is home to many a Polish wheelie.

Whats a polish wheelie?

endo

Check! That's was my result, the one time I tried it. Not a full OTB, but way nose heavy and enough to throw me off the bike.

Will that even work on a MTB bike, I know it does for an Mx.

I think so. I think someone's slo-mo vid at Nepaug showed guys doing that. Marc - care to explain the physics behind that one?

 

[bvibert]

I think so. I think someone's slo-mo vid at Nepaug showed guys doing that. Marc - care to explain the physics behind that one?

I have to imagine it has to do with using the inertia of the rotating mass of the wheel to rotate the bike down. In other words; the rear wheel is spinning while you're flying through the air, if you apply the brake that energy is transferred into rotating the frame down.

That's my theory anyway, I may be way off base. Hopefully one of the uber nerds will set me straight. Or at least use the proper terminology if I'm on the right track, but sound like an idiot.

 

[Marc]

Check! That's was my result, the one time I tried it. Not a full OTB, but way nose heavy and enough to throw me off the bike.



I think so. I think someone's slo-mo vid at Nepaug showed guys doing that. Marc - care to explain the physics behind that one?

Well I could take a whack at it- it's the result of the conservation of the angular momentum of the spinning wheel.

Here's a simpler explanation, with a more linear perspective. Think of rim brakes- when you squeeze the brakes the pads exert a dragging force on the wheel opposite the wheel rotation. The wheel, acting accordingly with Newton's second law, produces a reaction force opposite this on the brake pads. So theres a force acting on the brake pads, transferred through the brake posts to the frame, in the direction that the wheel spins. On solid ground, the rigidty of the frame transfers this force through the front wheel into the ground; this is part of the reason why on bikes with suspension forks, you get suspension compression when you brake (the other component is the reduction of velocity leads the bike and rider's inertia to act on the frame with a similar result).

When you're in the air, the front wheel as no means by which to resist this force attempting to push it downward, so when you hit the rear brake, the angular momentum of the back wheel spinning forward transfers to the frame and begins a rotation in the same direction, pitching the rider/bike forward. You'd get a similar result, but less effective, with the front brake.

But don't try it because it's a really bad idea to land with your front brake locked.

 

[Marc]

I have to imagine it has to do with using the inertia of the rotating mass of the wheel to rotate the bike down. In other words; the rear wheel is spinning while you're flying through the air, if you apply the brake that energy is transferred into rotating the frame down.

That's my theory anyway, I may be way off base. Hopefully one of the uber nerds will set me straight. Or at least use the proper terminology if I'm on the right track, but sound like an idiot.

Yeah, you got it.