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So the other day I borrowed a mountain bike and headed down this trail near my house. It's not a mountain biking trail, just an old hiking trail.
But I found the experience rather jarring, and I'm trying to figure out what was wrong.
Parts of the trail were rocky, muddy, downed trees, water, etc.
But it still seemed like I was getting off the bike and/or nearly wiping out every 15 seconds or so.
Going over small trees or branches only an inch or two in diameter seemed to send my front and back wheels flying in different directions.
Going through muddy patches stopped me dead in my tracks - there was no way to pedal through them.
It was really frustrating and not very smooth at all.
I rode bikes a lot in my youth, but haven't mountain biked much at all in my current years.
So is my main question:
Was this experience like it was because I wasn't on an actual mountain biking trail, but rather a rough and unmaintained hiking trail? Was it because I had a cheapo low-quality bike I was borrowing? Was it because of my lack of experience and/or me not knowing how to handle the obstacles? Some combination?
I'd love to hear what insights you might have. Thanks so much!
So the other day I borrowed a mountain bike and headed down this trail near my house. It's not a mountain biking trail, just an old hiking trail.
But I found the experience rather jarring, and I'm trying to figure out what was wrong.
Parts of the trail were rocky, muddy, downed trees, water, etc.
But it still seemed like I was getting off the bike and/or nearly wiping out every 15 seconds or so.
Going over small trees or branches only an inch or two in diameter seemed to send my front and back wheels flying in different directions.
Going through muddy patches stopped me dead in my tracks - there was no way to pedal through them.
It was really frustrating and not very smooth at all.
I rode bikes a lot in my youth, but haven't mountain biked much at all in my current years.
So is my main question:
Was this experience like it was because I wasn't on an actual mountain biking trail, but rather a rough and unmaintained hiking trail? Was it because I had a cheapo low-quality bike I was borrowing? Was it because of my lack of experience and/or me not knowing how to handle the obstacles? Some combination?
I'd love to hear what insights you might have. Thanks so much!
Yeah most mtb trails are maintained by clubs, at least where I live, so that you dont have those types of problems. Most trails will have some logs or tree roots you have to navigate over and other obstacles, like sharp turns and dips, but thats the point of mountain biking. Its kinda pointless to try riding though mud though if its real bad. Here is a website where you can try finding actual mtb trails The BEST Mountain Bike Trails in Florida || SINGLETRACKS.COM thats set to Fl but use the dropdown thing on the right for your state.
Please register to participate in our discussions with 2 million other members - it's free and quick! Some forums can only be seen by registered members. After you create your account, you'll be able to customize options and access all our 15,000 new posts/day with fewer ads.
