The MTB Thread
On the weekend, a crew from around here went down to race the Superflow at Mt Stromlo, Canberra.
Second time at that event. Great enduro-style format with four nominated trails, each has to be ridden at least once, but no single trail can be ridden more than five times.
Uphill rides are neutral, only downhills are timed. Lowest time on each trail is counted, and the lowest combined time wins. Instant timing lets you know exactly where you sit in the pack.
Requires a bit of forethought as the ascents are tough work, and too many of them lead to sloppy (and dangerous) descents.
Great fun even if our results were ordinary. Coupla photos of myself and the boy.
sweet as
Love it Stu! The young fella stylin'
I see you're on a Polygon - great bike and and ride one myself. Was bashing about on a 2005 trek fuel for years before deciding to upgrade around start of covid, the modern geo has been a revelation. Had my first race the other week at the Silvan Superflow event...kicked the shit outta me as I was out with illness for a couple weeks prior and lost a lot of fitness. Pretty ordinary results also but wasn't there for placings and just stoked to get amongst it.
Superflow is a great format, eh?
XC "kicks the shit" outta me and downhill is just too risky - the margin for error is tiny, the potential for injury is huge - so Superflow is in the Goldilocks zone.
I bought the Polygon purely on price. For the dollars, they're the best-specced bikes on the market, though mine (2021 Siskiu N7) has cheaper wheels, hubs, and drivetrain - that's the trade-off.
Not too concerned, all those moving parts taking a beating anyway. Gimme good suspension, brakes, and a modern geo frame, and I'm ready to go.
I had time out from MTBing and couldn't believe the improvements when I came back. The cynic in me dismissed droppers, 1x drivetrains, and slack head tube angles with steep seat tubes as novelties...until I rode them. Functional improvements, one and all. You can add wide bars, lock on grips, hydraulic brakes as standard, same goes with through axles, boost sizing, clutch derailleurs, etc etc.
I haven't ridden my bike in over a year. I see it sitting there and feel so guilty. If the surfs crappy this weekend i think I'll go for a bash.
All the trails around Nowra are still really wet even though it feels like we've just had the odd shower for a month or so, I rode coondoo on the weekend and it was soft and muddy enough it wasn't really enjoyable - just hard work. More rain this week so forget about it for another month!
I headed out to Majura Pines near Canberra a few weeks back - good variety of trails but I wouldn't drive 2 hours each way for a ride too often.
stunet wrote:Superflow is a great format, eh?
Right up my alley - for pretty much the exact same reasons you described.
Polygons specs at the price point was the draw-card for me too. Ordered the T8 because it suited the trails I was riding when I was living round the Surf Coast but now having made the move up to the Ranges I reckon the N7 would be a better fit. I plan on ordering some volume spacers for the front fork to get some added cushion for the bigger hits. Besides mangling the derailleur on a grasstree stump the bikes been a tank - heavy but sturdy as hell. Dropper post has been life changing haha! Used to hang it on mates that were forking out half a grand for a seat elevator but I have well and truly seen the light.
Not that I'd ever wish shit surf on you Zen but if its 1ft howling onshore definitely get out and hit some trails, as scoop mentioned above winter is making conditions tough so get in while ya can. Yew!
Heres a 90second Brage edit to get ya pumped - he rides the thing like its a bmx
Small waves over tidally-dependent banks meant much of the weekend was spent on the end of a shovel.
New feature, a transition jump towards the end of my fave trail. Left-hand berm into a jump, landing on a right-hand berm. Good for riders who like to throw the bike around. Which isn't me, I can just clear it, but there's plenty of room for progression.
This is the view as you're coming down the trail:
And looking back up:
Then, twenty or so metres after the berm is an old creek bed which has long been used as a step down / step up to finish the trail. The recent rains have played havoc with the kicker of the step down so I reclaimed a metal-framed gate off a clean up pile and used that as the ramp to get the tyres off the sodden dirt.
Next lot of free time will be spent rebuilding the step up on the other side of the ravine to its former glory.
Epic stuff Guys, Love the MTB froth. After 10 years out I got back into it four years ago on the goldie. lots of good trails here, mix of XC, and enduro, with a couple of jump parks now open. Nerang forest is a monster with over 200kms of trails -well maintained by the local MTB club... such a good alternative when the surf is crap or too crowded... got myself a Focus Jam 6.9 and in love.. soo good. although I cracked a rib a month back misjudging a new gap jump, and can only just bear lying on my board again.....!
$8000?????
freeride76 wrote:$8000?????
Crazy stuff!
You could have bought a second hand McTavish for that much.
My son is into it and I'm trying to resist.
All I see is injuries, expense and big fuel bills driving to MTB tracks.
Unless the surf and fishing improve, I'll probably get sucked into it.
Just looking at that first photo of the transition jump on Stu’s post and thinking about the options given if you don’t time it correctly : Headbutt an ironbark or flay yourself on the spikes of a cabbage palm.
Yeah,nah.
got it ex-demo, 2021 model $4,200.
and yes injuries, but sooo worth it
When you get a good track and get into a flow, on a good bike it is pretty epic.. and jumps are fricken awesome... definitely hit a state of flow similar to that of surfing..
You're right.
Me and two mates had a ball doing it in Canada 20+ years ago (mostly single track in Whistler-Blackcomb)
None of us ever gave it a second thought when we got back to the ocean though.
I'm a cheapskate: I can surf and fish for pretty much nothing.
Seems like the entry point for MTB'ing is in the thousands, and that puts me off as much as the injury potential.
Anyhoo, ask me again this time next year. I'll probably be into it.
Definite similarities plastic...locked in, eyes down the line reading the approaching terrain, variable wave/track surfaces (weather, wind, debris), body maneuvering (subtle and powerful) to allow for board/bike to adjust for balance (flow), powering through carves/turns/berms...adrenaline...I much prefer hitting water though!
Yes the entry point is steep Steve, made all the worse with covid supply chain issues. Everything everywhere was sold out before even hitting the store floors and prices that were already hefty went way north. Very envious of your Whistler adventures, did you know how good you had it?
Stu that transition looks sick...my favourite kind of jump. Huge respect for trailbuilders. Are they sanctioned in your area?
No, we had no idea.
I think MTB'ing was in relatively early days.
For us it was literally riding bikes around in the mountains.
Had no idea it was about to get so huge.
I wonder if lots of people experience surfing the way we experienced MTB'ing.
All 3 of us, kind of ticked the box, had a great time doing it, but we never got "into it", never gave it a moments thought since.
I turned back to MTBing after living on the GC for too long, was great during the flat or off season (Oct- Dec) or when I couldn't handle the crowds... One day surfing, the next day MTBing.. the back to surfing.... also the trails are generally always offshore..
and now, if is howling SE, and coolie is the only place and it's under 3 ft.. I will turn to the MTB every time now (over 40 now)..
to answer your other question FR on injuries - last month went like this:
day one epic 4-6 straddie
day two new XC trails at Nerang
Day three pumping coolie at 4ft
Day four, border trails (endur/jumps) at Currumbin
Day five Central GC beachies
Day 6 Nerang jump track - stack - broken rib,,,
Day 7-Day 21 no surfing...
haha, sounds like a damn good program leading up to it!
jwithay wrote:Are they sanctioned in your area?
Sorta.
Despite having some of the best gravity riding in Oz - sea level to 500m in a few kms - Wollongong has been slow on the mtb uptake. As it stands, it's not illegal to ride a mtb in the Illawarra Escarpment State Conservation Area, but it is illegal to build tracks.
It's a stand off arrived at because National Parks officially oversee the area yet they're rarely present, and council doesn't care cos it's not their land.
Things are moving forward with a legal network being built at Mt Kembla and an existing network at Possums (Tarrawanna) getting official status.
That's the larger conversation in the Illawarra, however where I build is a different story. It's a 35ha stand separating my suburb and the next, has 150m elevation, and borders the State Conservation Area so we can access the other networks. Over the years it's been owned by land speculators trying to develop it (knocked back three times), and it's also been a green bank for carbon offsetting.
Seems to be if we just lay low, don't build anything too hectic, and don't hog all the bush - i.e leave tracks for dog walkers, bush runners etc etc - then it's all good. Very lucky to have it as it's just five minutes from my door, and the same distance from the beach, we've got a BBQ set up halfway down and it's an unreal place to cook and drink after a ride on a Friday arvo.
Here's footage of a girl from Wollongong riding it. First trail is Screaming Trees - the one I work on - while the second trail she rides is called Fangs and is in the same bush but 100m north.
Awesome Stu, i bet those jumps appear a lot bigger in person than it makes out on the screen.
We have a similar relationship with Council/Rangers here at a few of the areas around Burleigh. As long as the trails are not too steep, and we don't take out trees etc, they are left alone. We also keep the trails off trailforks and Strava apps. which keeps the numbers down...
Yep, GoPro effect in full - they're bigger than they appear on screen.
Also, the guy riding in front is pretty smooth, no rushed pedal strokes or weird body positioning, so he makes it look damn easy. In fact, if you count the crank strokes, he only takes a half dozen or so from top to bottom - it's a flowy track and feels a lot like surfing in parts.
Speaking of, most of the crew I ride with are surfers, and even when I travel elsewhere I bump into surfers on the reg. Few weeks back I took the boy to Thredbo Interschools and while he was off doing his thing I jumped into Merrits Gondola for a few laps of Sidewinder - talk about dirt surfing! - and a fella sat down opposite me.
Instantly recognising the build, the demeanour, I pegged him as a surfer and I wasn't wrong. He worked at O&E, lived at Manyana, and like so many dads, his son was mad on MTB so he followed him into the bush and got himself hooked.
We cut a few laps and bid farewell, but it's a fairly regular scenario - surfer dad goes bush. Personally, I reckon there's a lot to be said about picking up a new skill set in your middle age. After four decades of surfing, my skills are going nowhere, I've plateaued, and even on the bigger days I'm largely dialling it in - relying on old skills, not acquiring new ones.
When I wonder why so many dads are mtbing I theorise that, among other reasons, there's an innate desire to acquire new knowledge. It feels like grommet days all over again and that satisfies something deep within us.
At first I made the mistake of taking a surfing mindset onto the mountain - it's a deeply-ingrained habit and hence hard to shake. I can hold my breath for a long time, I know how to starfish across a shallow ledge, and how to fall inside a tube without hitting the bottom. All these 'harm-minimisation' skills are applicable after the initial commitment, so the brain wiring tells me to go and deal with any consequences later, because I know I can.
That attitude cost me ten stitches, eleven ribs, a collarbone, a fractured tibia, and a torn meniscus, until I figured out what was happening.
As a weekend hacker new to the sport, I can't just 'go' and deal with the consequences later. Fact is, if you're not 100% sure of making a jump you just can't do it - full stop.
And while it doesn't sound like much, adopting that attitude, a new attitude, is mildly intoxicating. No more auto-pilot, I had to completely reconsider how I got my kicks. I guess a neurosurgeon would talk about rewiring the brain, neuro plasticity and all that, but it comes down to the simple thing of teaching an old dog new tricks, long after he thought it wasn't possible. The world just feels that bit more wonderful.
There's also a lot to be said about being a mtb kook among lifelong riders. Makes me a touch more sympathetic when I see real kooks fumbling and bumbling in the surf and I realise I'm the dirt equivalent. Again, there's a wisdom in being humbled if you're open to it.
You’re a good writer mate. Thanks for the read,
Love watching this stuff and gotta say Go Pros have probably made it what it is......how good are go pros...
Stu,
agree so much with what you said. whilst I do love blindsiding a new track and it's jumps, it's way better to check the jumps/track, walk/pace it, check the kick in the jumps, landing, speed requirement, even watch a few others first, before you try it... I note for all the downhill comps they always have a walk through first.... it is defineltly a bit of a different mind set in planning, especially for gab jumps and bigger drops/obstacles.. knee and elbow pads and full face helmet do provide some level of confidence / comfort though... never tried the body armour.. looked to bulky/uncomfortable...
coupla classics at Nerang (did my ribs on the GC2018 Loop 1 third gap...
https://www.trailforks.com/video/61358/
and this one I am still dancing with a couple of the features..
Plasticspastic wrote:coupla classics at Nerang (did my ribs on the GC2018 Loop 1 third gap...
https://www.trailforks.com/video/61358/
Same gap that old mate overshoots? (0:32 sec mark)
Dry dirt in that vid, looks loose, bet it's a bit stickier after all the rain.
Screaming Trees looks like a great trail Stu - good flow and plenty of features. A little slice of paradise you've got (made) there.
That second trail you posted plastic - gnar!
One of my local favs
Tough in the dry, tough in the wet. Light rain is the magic ticket.
I ride. Back up in Cairns for work. I learnt enough on a bmx growing up up here, trying to be like the Mudcows, went and watched the World Cups too.
A lot of mtb history up here but it's a pretty stagnant scene too. (below is a giant whinge so feel free to skip the negativity) We're surrounded by national parks so most people give up on trying to get legit trails let alone a legit network, and continue to ride the same walking tracks from the 90s regularly. There is an MTB park here with "world class trails" but in the grand scheme of things it's a pretty primitive mtb park, town and culture. No shuttle company, no trails alliance, a lot of why don't they do that but not much in real options let alone action, no council agreement to maintain trails, national parks have been a roadblock for decades like elsewhere. It kinda suits me cos I can dig and be ignored. Yeah, there's been a lot of proposals, studies, etc for everything except a good fucking trail network for the locals! Wouldn't be hard if council could kick NP in the arse and take back the land. Everyone knows it has the elevation, terrain, shuttle road, etc for a world cup downhill race. And yes I have tried to do my bit, but I'm not volunteering my energy to work with a bunch of burnt out dinosaurs who are holding on too tight to something that belongs to the members not themselves. We need to take a leaf out of the Lennox book and block these big contests coming to town. What benefit do they bring the local riders? The WC DH track is "illegal" to ride ffs! What are we going to get out of Crankworx? At this point what's confirmed is less trails as they're bulldozing some existing legal, safe, accessible, etc trails to make way for the pro level jump line! MTB is growing and the club has given up on organising shuttles on race day. Everyone just drive yourself up the range and park on the side of the road for an official event without traffic control. This place is fucking backwards. Alright I'm done.
Funny thing is though, after riding again I found "only a surfer knows the feeling" really rings true. The only time MTB comes close is when I've been on long missions on old logging tracks up over at least one ridge in the rainforest, and I'm forced to take a rest and take in my surroundings. That same feeling can come instantly in the water. Riding boards, bikes, whatever is fun and I'll keep doing it for the thrill and the challenge, but I have only recently realised it's really always just been an excuse to get some solitude.
Whinge below as well.
It's funny how through the prism of progression/skills I've come to the exact opposite conclusions to Stu.
I feel like I'm just getting started on progressing on my twin passions: surfing and rock fishing. Maybe not in performance but as far as knowledge and deeper immersion in the universe of factors surrounding each activity I'd like a few more lifetimes to dig into it.
The meteorology, oceanography, seasonal shifts in sand, migrations of organisms through the ecosystems I'm immersed in etc etc: feels like the more I dig, the more it opens up and I realise how much more there is to know.
Whereas with MTB'ing: I've realised after walking a few trails with my son the other day and thinking "no way I will ever want anything to do with that" that my only destiny with MTB'ing is to be a plonker doddering down the bunny slopes.
I will not be riding anything remotely as radical as what I rode in Canada more than 20 years ago.
I simply don't have the tolerance for risk anymore.
To me the thrill of MTB'ing was going hard in the steep and deep.
I ain't going back there because I'm not prepared to wear the injury toll.
Zero interest in competing or racing or comparing in any way.
So for me, picking up MTB'ing again will be like starting fishing and knowing my upper limit is catching and undersized bream on a mouldy prawn.
The impetus for me will be strictly paternal: hanging out with the son while he does it.
Yes, I will be dragged into it by my fingernails.
Basically, ignore this whinge: I'm incredibly pissed of with MTB'ing right now.
Put my sons bike in for a service on the weekend and the bike mechanic texted me and said it would be $440 to repair!
Goddamn, this sport is a money pit.
I'm going to have to sell boards just to afford maintenance for one bike, let alone afford one for me.
How do people afford this?
Haha. Jobkeeper's probably why.
stunet wrote:Plasticspastic wrote:coupla classics at Nerang (did my ribs on the GC2018 Loop 1 third gap...
https://www.trailforks.com/video/61358/Same gap that old mate overshoots? (0:32 sec mark)
Dry dirt in that vid, looks loose, bet it's a bit stickier after all the rain.
Yep, I didn't check it, did the first drop, wore of too much speed, and muffed the landing..... actually rides well in wet - not clay, more sandy......
very unforgiving...
The Mud Cows!
Back in my first foray into mtb they were legendary, and I've still got a few of their VHS tapes in the shed. I heard the recent Crankworx announcement and thought it was all good news for Cairns, but clearly not.
This morning I received two messages asking about the state of our trails. Are they ridable? Is it cool to go up and hit them? Under these conditions - hideous La Nina rain - mtbing can be as secret squirrel as surfing. It doesn't have, and probably never will have, the animosity baked into surfing (a large group sharing a limited resource) but there's enough subterfuge to make it feel like you're onto something special.
Steve, you've got a few choices: Become good mates with the local bike mechanic, learn to fix everything yourself, or watch FB Marketplace religiously.
TBH I do a bit of each and don't find it too expensive - recent new bike purchase notwithstanding.
This post was written from the Wollongong Hospital waiting area. Busted finger. Take one guess...
hahaha, that was my other thought after walking those trails: going to be spending a lot of time in emergency.
Hope the heal up time is quick.
After dealing with my first ever chronic injury (knee - done surfing - which for a while seemed not to be getting better - 6 weeks of fragility and worry before thankfully another 6 weeks progress and healing), my view of going hard on MTBs, huge waves, martial arts or mutant slabs is that consequences can be very annoying and given the stories I read, potentially even permanent.
Surfing in the middle ground of risk can still provide many thrills, genuine fear and adventure whilst mostly being so forgiving a sport in terms of injuries. Water is soft. Errors mostly mean nothing but a tumble.
My MTB is fun for simple trails around home but I have shelved plans to step up to anything beyond that.
By the way, the knee injury was avoidable, if I had known what lateral forces can do so ligaments. High volume boards don't punch through the back of the wave so well in last second pull outs. Wont do it that way that again. Not all trees are avoidable once the error is made.
Thats pretty much it.
Shelved my skateboarding comeback for the same reason.
Of all the gravity sports I did snowboarding provided the best "surf" rush feeling.
Dropping steep chutes and coloirs in the Canadian backcountry to come out at top speeds into wide open powder bowls was an insane rush.
Blew my knee apart trying a 40ft drop off a kicker to a cornice.
That was the end of that.
Yeah Glen Jacobs has been the Saviour to many, Derby for example, so people in Cairns are awaiting His second coming. But they forget that God and Jesus are different people with different jobs. In Cairns, He is the creator, not the only son.
Re. the skill, risk, reward and cost. I can occasionally enjoy the challenge of riding an average trail on a sub average bike. And I can enjoy being out with mates in the bush. And I set my expectations accordingly. Same as enjoying the "babyfood" surf. And if you can figure out how to rock off at 10ft Lennox, I'm sure you can figure out descending safely, without the $4000 bike. That will be good for your son too. Keep him off a dual suspension for as long as possible, will do him favours in the long run.
I actually think people just spend more money on themselves these days. How do people afford new land cruisers, etc. What are the rates of both parents working full time these days too? Pretty high I reckon
Too late he already got the dual-y.
Nah the Dualy is the go - also if you have a bike built for carnage it will be cheaper in the long run. Definitely agree with Stu, learn some simple bike maintenance - youtube is awesome. And just go to the shop when you can't do it yourself...
- Mitchvg I have ridden Cairns and tend to agree with you, I was abused in the carpark riding the areas behind the Uni at Smithfield - but then have had epic experiences around atherton and Davies creek. Like another world..
Haha I'm the total opposite. I hand it all over, I have a good mechanic who looks after me. And I usually buy new and don't upgrade. But damn! I'm going to try lead by example, which will mean I don't own a dualie for a bit too. It is going to be hard giving them up altogether though.
The MTB parks up here are just an appetizer, the real fun is all the unsanctioned trails. Some are more roots and rocks than dirt! No berms. And usually 300m descent over a couple kms.
Dualies all the way. I went through my hardtail purist stage, and it lasted as long as my single fin purist stage. Thought I was going to be learning new lines, eyes down the trail etc., but the simple fact - for me at least - is that they're slower and more dangerous (I ride flats and was getting bounced off the pedals).
Better off accepting that modern mtb trails are built around full squish and then using all that travel to hit the features at the speed intended.
I bought the eldest's bike for $700 - an eight-year old Specialised Camber in small size. Despite its age it still had the original tyres on it with most of the tread intact - a great sign - and in the two year's we've had it I've upgraded the forks (20mm more travel), rear shock (15mm more travel and the frame handles the increased travel), a dropper post (drilled a hole in the frame for internal routing), put a short stem on it, plus rims and hubs, and a Prime 9 drive train (9 gears with 12 gear ratio).
All the upgrades were second hand or clearance price with old parts swapped or sold off, and I installed them myself. Reckon I've paid $1,400 and now it's a sweet little pre-teen enduro rig.
BTW he copped a local, then a bit of manipulation, but thankfully no surgery.
I got back into MTB mid way through last year and I’m into it more than surfing now. The worst summer of waves in memory in Vic had meant being on the bike so much I’m back racing again (gravity enduro in vets) and probably faster than I was 10 years ago.
Most of my time is spent at the local red hill trails but have ridden bright, beauty, falls, lake mountain and done a tour of Tassie. Glad I spent a bit more on my bike (160mm Marin Alpine XR) than I was planning, it can handle anything I can throw at it without breaking too much stuff. I’ve drawn the line on dbl black gap jumps and the pro line trails at Maydena but pretty comfortable on everything else now. It’s a great community too, much more friendly and inviting than surfers (I can’t say I am in the surf either though ha!)
How much did that bike cost Geek?
freeride76 wrote:How much did that bike cost Geek?
$5k mark and around another $1k on upgrades/replacements so far (rear rim and hub, brakes, tyres). The frame and suspension are top notch and should last years
https://www.facebook.com/marketplace/item/321132136813625/?ref=search&re...
There you go, Steve. Looks like the veritable one lady owner too.
Putting chivalry aside for the moment, a hustler like you could talk about the rust on the chain and the stem bolts to push the price south. Medium size but there's a spacer on the stem to lift the bars higher. Ten speed isn't great but it'll help put some meat on those chicken legs of yours.
I've been meaning to start a mountain biking thread for a while and now is as good a time as any.