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How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 9:38 am
by Jean
Yesterday afternoon my usual Monday lunch MTB blast became a late afternoon solo ride after my usual partners pulled the pin for various reasons. So I went out to Mt Stromlo and hit the trail at about 3.30. I wanted to go 'over the back' but had to get the kids from day care and not get swallowed by the evening light, so I had to push it a bit.
That was just the best ride. Of the local options I've tried (yet to give Sparrow Hill a try) Stromlo is easily my favourite and my time limit meant I was (for me anyway) trying to blat my way around. Consequently I was really trying to
ride my bike and in the process got over/through things that sometimes get me. I had to back off a couple of times after nearly overcooking it. I got back to the car park with a good lap time, a pretty good average speed (all by my previous standards) and a huge grin.
My background is road and I still love it, but MTBing really can be the best fun. I've certainly had bad days when I wished I'd stayed home, but I'm still buzzing from that ride.
Sorry, just had to share that.
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 9:49 am
by MichaelB
Jean wrote: ....
My background is road and I still love it, but MTBing really can be the best fun. I've certainly had bad days when I wished I'd stayed home, but I'm still buzzing from that ride.
Sounds like your mates missed out.
My first off road journey was great too. Got there late so did a bit of exploring whilst trying to catch up with mates (the trail from the carpark to the middle was marked "easy", but had the eyeballs popping.
Caught up with my mates, did some easy and intermediate stuff, fell off a few times (cleats were a bit tight in the pedals) got dirty, and only covered 11km in an hour.
Back for more in a couple of weekend, so better get the ghetto tubeless conversion going !!!!
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 1:30 pm
by brendancg
This is just bragging
. After just a taste of Stromlo on the Capital Punishment the other month, I can't wait to get down there and have another go. You guys are blessed with that facility on the outskirts of town and easy to get to.
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 1:44 pm
by trailgumby
haven't done Stromlo yet myself, but I know that buzz well.
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 7:11 pm
by Mulger bill
You never get bored riding trails.
Goodonyer Jean.
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Tue Jul 13, 2010 7:59 pm
by ireland57
This sport/fun/exercise whatever you call it is far too much fun to be free.
It is so much fun it should be taxed at an enormously high level......first by local councils, then State Govt then Fed Govt....; then charged per kilometre, mile, minute, hour, day, gully, climb, drop (this of course will be decided by the various government officials who administer it - none of whom will be capable of riding a bike).
On top of that there should be random charges for everything involving the ride/bike/rider/weather.
It's a lot of fun eh. The wife can't understand why I'm still 18. It's 'cos of mtn biking I reckon.
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 1:10 pm
by frank2112
Having been out to Stromlo twice now I can't get enough. For me it is about the best thing in they have done in Canberra for many years (apart from more skateparks), and I've lived here for 44 of them. Can't wait to get back out there. Hopefully this weekend if the weather holds.
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Wed Aug 04, 2010 3:53 pm
by madrapper
Oh Frank! 44 years in Canberra and only just discovering mountain biking? Better late than never!
Truly a tragedy of the highest order! It's been Australia's centre of mountain biking for more than ten years now. I haven't ridden there for years (it's a bit far for me now) but the old Stromlo (before the fires) featured in many a great ride. Sparrows, Greenhills, Kowen, Majura and all the other locations right on your doorstep! (yes I know some of these aren't available anymore). And a great base for launching any number of epic rides.
I'm only a little a bit green - I'd love to revisit the trails there someday, and checkout what Stromlo has become now.
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Mon Aug 09, 2010 4:21 pm
by slammed
I have always been into bikes spending the last few years retro restoring,
my neighbor intruced me to off road, since, i have spent about 3k blinging up my beast and i ride atlest 60kl's of dirt every week, to add to this, i have lost 30 kilo's in 8 months and i owe it all to MTB'ing,
I have had a couple of falls, lost some skin but still get out every weekend and sometimes at night, now thats fun!
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 11:22 am
by WarrenH
trailgumby wrote:Haven't done Stromlo yet ...
Shock horror Mate. Here are a dozen reasons why you should ... a Baker's dozen.
There is lots of native vegetation.
Tricky tracks.
Clean air from the Australian Alps.
Lots of pacey bits.
Good opportunities for photography.
You can ride a world class track only metres from the parking.
Ride good features to impress your buddies.
Bring out your inner competitor.
Or just enjoy the spectacle.
Take on the impossible.
Get away from the hordes out on those western slopes.
Have a complete track to yourself ... so that you wished that you hadn't.
Half an hour by bike from the centre of your Nation's Capital ... or a few minutes by car.
Warren.
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 11:44 am
by madrapper
Thankx so much for that Warren
Highlight of my morning - awesome pics
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Fri Oct 01, 2010 12:05 pm
by WarrenH
Dave, thank you Mate. Your comment made my morning.
I do suggest that Trailgumby gets a move-on ... and hops-to-it.
Warren.
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Sat Oct 02, 2010 8:37 am
by aussiefez
I live in Canberra and I have only been into mountain bikes for almost a year now. I took it up to get fit and lose some of the 'Guinness belly', I am now totally hooked. There is nothing better than that feeling when you get to the top of Stromlo and are faced with the decision... do I do Skyline and the Luge or Slick Rock......maybe Pork belly.. too many fun decisions!
The people I work with say I'm crazy, your coming up to 40 years of age...you shouldn't be doing that sort of thing. So what if I have ended up in a shrub or two when I overcooked it....bruises heal
I think all doubters should give it a go.
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Sun Oct 03, 2010 9:32 am
by Jean
Great photos. I had crash (at Stromlo) last week and my enthusiasm was a bit flat this week (assisted by a virus), but that's helped cure it
Just as well, the 24hr is next weekend
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 1:09 pm
by Shifter
Holy crap! I wanna go to Stromlo!
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 3:27 pm
by trailgumby
So how did I miss the rest of this thread?
Can't see the pix from work, but will have a look when I get back from the NPWS trail advocacy meeting later this evening.
My new boss is heading down to the Scott tomorrow morning to be part of a fours team. I'm expecting a report some time Tuesday.
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 8:31 pm
by brendancg
Heading down to the scott myself tomorrow. Should be interesting, not going solo just part of a four man team.
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Thu Oct 07, 2010 9:50 pm
by trailgumby
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 6:03 am
by WarrenH
brendancg wrote:Heading down to the scott myself tomorrow.
Brendan, Good luck. The Scott course looks better than the World Solo course. The tracks on the NW slopes are magic. The Solo course has lots of fire trails, I guess that is to allow much passing and good access for the lazy spectators and MTB cripples.
The Scott course includes, the lower section of Blackberry Crime (bad luck) Spin Doctor (when ridden at night how evil is that?) Party Line (a truly magnificent section of track) the bottom of Western Wedgetail (nearly as good), Double Dissolution (the cliff) and Joey's Return. Stromlo at her finest ... if the track isn't simplified to a night course.
Last year, the night course was different to the day course, it took in part of the DH track. The stacks just after the bridge were full-on during the night and were great entertainment. I only go to the races to see the crashes.
Trailgumby, you are right, I am evil.
I might go and have a look at the World Solo course today, where it is behind the Observatory. I haven't walked those tracks yet ... I doubt that I can ride them. I'll take my bike. It is a push bike.
The World course, includes Holden's Creek, Cockatoo Switchbacks, Bobby Pins, Emu's Run, Pit of Despair, Pork Barrell, lots of fire trails behind the observatory, Skyline and The Luge amongst other.
Be there or be square!
I hope the TV cameras are there again. Getting dusted several times by the World's most obnoxious chopper pilot was excellent fun ... but now having Silicosis after my last visit is no fun at all,
.
Warren.
PS, The World Solo course ... should have gone through Black Snake Gully. That's is where the start/finish line should have been, for we hard-core spectators. A total oversight by the race organizers I feel, to not include BSG. Out that way a snake bite is for real and a spare inner tube is best used as a tourniquet, don't waste it on the bike. BSG would impress the foreign visitors ... no worries. It is the Brown Snakes not the Black Snakes you have to bunny hop on BSG. Black Snakes are generally timid. Eastern Brown Snake fangs will puncture a bike frame. It took me only one visit to BSG to learn how to ride with my feet up on the handle bars. BSG is a double black diamond track thanks to the Brown Snakes.
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Fri Oct 08, 2010 1:00 pm
by Jean
brendancg wrote:Heading down to the scott myself tomorrow. Should be interesting, not going solo just part of a four man team.
+1. Just been out setting up camp. In the last four weeks I've had two viruses and one crash which kept me off for a few days, so the my prep has been great
Looking forward to it though - it's a show for sure.
With several thousand MTBers thumping, grinding and swearing their way around I think the snakes will be finding quiet digs for the weekend. But a first aid kit with compression bandages is part of my usual Stromlo equipment. A decision made one day as I rode over the fourth or fifth snake trail across the track (within just a few hundred metres of each other.)
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Sat Oct 09, 2010 11:19 pm
by LoveB
I'll be up in the volunteers tent tmrw at stromlo!
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 6:02 pm
by .isaac.
If you get into Mountain biking I think that you will never give up. It is just so unridictustrotily fun!
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Mon Oct 11, 2010 8:18 pm
by brendancg
Well the Scott has been run and won. Jason English what a freak!!! Anyhow we came 5th in the Male 40+. Was a pretty technical course at places and was really difficult in the dark. Had a number of offs but what doesn't kill you makes you stronger.
My problem now is I have to decide if I am going to concentrate on mountain or road. I have to decide as any upgrade money can't be divided otherwise I wont get what I want.
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Posted: Wed Oct 13, 2010 1:10 pm
by Shifter
EvilGenius wrote:unridictustrotily
Sesame Street was brought to you today by the letter 'u'...
With all this talk about Stromlo I went and bashed around Mt Lennard (near Bunbury) the past weekend and had a blast. Didn't see too many folks on the trails, and the pea gravel out there is a killer. I've also decided I want to toss the hardtail for a duallie... now I just need to save up the dollars