How much fun is mountain biking?
- Jean
- Posts: 1750
- Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:26 am
- Location: Canberra
How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby Jean » Tue Jul 13, 2010 9:38 am
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.
- MichaelB
- Posts: 14781
- Joined: Tue Feb 20, 2007 9:29 am
- Location: Adelaide, South Australia
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby MichaelB » Tue Jul 13, 2010 9:49 am
Sounds like your mates missed out.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.
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 !!!!
-
- Posts: 524
- Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2008 3:35 pm
- Location: Penrith Australia
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby brendancg » Tue Jul 13, 2010 1:30 pm
- trailgumby
- Posts: 15469
- Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 5:30 pm
- Location: Northern Beaches, Sydney
- Contact:
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby trailgumby » Tue Jul 13, 2010 1:44 pm
- Mulger bill
- Super Mod
- Posts: 29060
- Joined: Sun Sep 24, 2006 2:41 pm
- Location: Sunbury Vic
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby Mulger bill » Tue Jul 13, 2010 7:11 pm
Goodonyer Jean.
London Boy 29/12/2011
-
- Posts: 283
- Joined: Thu Dec 17, 2009 9:54 pm
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby ireland57 » Tue Jul 13, 2010 7:59 pm
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.
-
- Posts: 21
- Joined: Tue Jun 01, 2010 1:08 pm
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby frank2112 » Wed Aug 04, 2010 1:10 pm
- madrapper
- Posts: 239
- Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 11:17 am
- Location: Adelaide
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby madrapper » Wed Aug 04, 2010 3:53 pm
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.
Dave
- slammed
- Posts: 294
- Joined: Tue Sep 29, 2009 8:58 pm
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby slammed » Mon Aug 09, 2010 4:21 pm
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!
Malvern Star Skidstar GT
- WarrenH
- Posts: 664
- Joined: Fri May 28, 2010 3:58 am
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby WarrenH » Fri Oct 01, 2010 11:22 am
Shock horror Mate. Here are a dozen reasons why you should ... a Baker's dozen.trailgumby wrote:Haven't done Stromlo yet ...
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.
"Paved roads ... another fine example of wasteful government spending." - a bumper sticker.
- madrapper
- Posts: 239
- Joined: Tue Apr 15, 2008 11:17 am
- Location: Adelaide
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby madrapper » Fri Oct 01, 2010 11:44 am
Dave
- WarrenH
- Posts: 664
- Joined: Fri May 28, 2010 3:58 am
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby WarrenH » Fri Oct 01, 2010 12:05 pm
I do suggest that Trailgumby gets a move-on ... and hops-to-it.
Warren.
"Paved roads ... another fine example of wasteful government spending." - a bumper sticker.
-
- Posts: 7
- Joined: Tue Jul 06, 2010 8:40 pm
- Location: Canberra
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby aussiefez » Sat Oct 02, 2010 8:37 am
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.
- Jean
- Posts: 1750
- Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:26 am
- Location: Canberra
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby Jean » Sun Oct 03, 2010 9:32 am
-
- Posts: 129
- Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2010 5:23 pm
- Location: Perth, WA
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby Shifter » Thu Oct 07, 2010 1:09 pm
2010 Malvern Star Oppy A4
- trailgumby
- Posts: 15469
- Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 5:30 pm
- Location: Northern Beaches, Sydney
- Contact:
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby trailgumby » Thu Oct 07, 2010 3:27 pm
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.
-
- Posts: 524
- Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2008 3:35 pm
- Location: Penrith Australia
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby brendancg » Thu Oct 07, 2010 8:31 pm
- trailgumby
- Posts: 15469
- Joined: Sat Jan 03, 2009 5:30 pm
- Location: Northern Beaches, Sydney
- Contact:
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby trailgumby » Thu Oct 07, 2010 9:50 pm
My thoughts: WarrenH, you are totally, totally evil!
- WarrenH
- Posts: 664
- Joined: Fri May 28, 2010 3:58 am
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby WarrenH » Fri Oct 08, 2010 6:03 am
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.brendancg wrote:Heading down to the scott myself tomorrow.
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.
"Paved roads ... another fine example of wasteful government spending." - a bumper sticker.
- Jean
- Posts: 1750
- Joined: Wed Feb 27, 2008 9:26 am
- Location: Canberra
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby Jean » Fri Oct 08, 2010 1:00 pm
+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.brendancg wrote:Heading down to the scott myself tomorrow. Should be interesting, not going solo just part of a four man team.
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.)
-
- Posts: 560
- Joined: Mon Aug 16, 2010 5:33 pm
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby LoveB » Sat Oct 09, 2010 11:19 pm
-
- Posts: 581
- Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 4:07 pm
- Location: Melbourne, Australia
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby .isaac. » Mon Oct 11, 2010 6:02 pm
-
- Posts: 524
- Joined: Fri Aug 22, 2008 3:35 pm
- Location: Penrith Australia
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby brendancg » Mon Oct 11, 2010 8:18 pm
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.
-
- Posts: 129
- Joined: Mon Aug 23, 2010 5:23 pm
- Location: Perth, WA
Re: How much fun is mountain biking?
Postby Shifter » Wed Oct 13, 2010 1:10 pm
Sesame Street was brought to you today by the letter 'u'...EvilGenius wrote:unridictustrotily
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
2010 Malvern Star Oppy A4
- General Australian Cycling Topics
- Info / announcements
- Buying a bike / parts
- General Cycling Discussion
- The Bike Shed
- Cycling Health
- Cycling Safety and Advocacy
- Women's Cycling
- Bike & Gear Reviews
- Cycling Trade
- Stolen Bikes
- Bicycle FAQs
- The Market Place
- Member to Member Bike and Gear Sales
- Want to Buy, Group Buy, Swap
- My Bikes or Gear Elsewhere
- Serious Biking
- Audax / Randonneuring
- Retro biking
- Commuting
- MTB
- Recumbents
- Fixed Gear/ Single Speed
- Track
- Electric Bicycles
- Cyclocross and Gravel Grinding
- Dragsters / Lowriders / Cruisers
- Children's Bikes
- Cargo Bikes and Utility Cycling
- Road Racing
- Road Biking
- Training
- Time Trial
- Triathlon
- International and National Tours and Events
- Cycle Touring
- Touring Australia
- Touring Overseas
- Touring Bikes and Equipment
- Australia
- Western Australia
- New South Wales
- Queensland
- South Australia
- Victoria
- ACT
- Tasmania
- Northern Territory
- Country & Regional
Who is online
Users browsing this forum: No registered users
- All times are UTC+11:00
- Top
- Delete cookies
About the Australian Cycling Forums
The Australian Cycling Forums is a welcoming community where you can ask questions and talk about the type of bikes and cycling topics you like.
Bicycles Network Australia
Forum Information
Connect with BNA
This website uses affiliate links to retail platforms including ebay, amazon, proviz and ribble.