Soldato
I'm the same. Once the weather improves i'm gonna start messing about on the jumps/mini trails in my local woods again. Really need to learn to manual
Mountain Biking
- Thread starter Zefan
- Start date
Am exactly the same as well;
Small jumps I'm ok with
Small'ish (up to around 3') drops I'm ok with as well
Really need to brush up on my bike skills though, as I can't really wheelie and definitely can't manual. Have no issues with track stands, or stoppies and can bunny hop nicely though.
Am sure most of it is just in my head mentally though, I just don't seem to have that "off" switch. But there again as the main breadwinner in the family I can't afford to be doing anything to big or stupid that's going to result in me ending up in hospital with something broken.
Small jumps I'm ok with
Small'ish (up to around 3') drops I'm ok with as well
Really need to brush up on my bike skills though, as I can't really wheelie and definitely can't manual. Have no issues with track stands, or stoppies and can bunny hop nicely though.
Am sure most of it is just in my head mentally though, I just don't seem to have that "off" switch. But there again as the main breadwinner in the family I can't afford to be doing anything to big or stupid that's going to result in me ending up in hospital with something broken.
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Soldato
- Joined
- 3 Mar 2008
- Posts
- 2,566
I'm in the same boat. It's a confidence thing, speed is your friend when doing big stuff. Yet you haven't got the confidence to go fast enough, so you can't do it. I've been doing incremental challenges and find that works and can now clear a 8ft gap. Not huge but for me it's amazing.
Like you I have in the back of my head, 'got work on Monday'
Soldato
+1 on the confidence / mental thing
Plus being a bit more brittle now and taking longer to get over spills
Oh and being fat and crap
On the subject of spills, update on my mate who came off last week, not good news ........
They couldn't "pop" his shoulder back in, as there was no socket to pop it back into - smashed it
Another week to asses any possible nerve damage
6 months of physio to get his arm upto shoulder height (may never go higher)
9-12 months before ant proper riding
He sent me the scan they took of his socket / shoulder blade and it is horrific
Upside is, he didn't hit the tree with his head .......
How he managed to freewheel out the Forrest, ride back to the visitors centre, get changed and drive (a manual) back is beyond me.
As he said "adrenaline is a powerful drug"
Plus being a bit more brittle now and taking longer to get over spills
Oh and being fat and crap
On the subject of spills, update on my mate who came off last week, not good news ........
They couldn't "pop" his shoulder back in, as there was no socket to pop it back into - smashed it
Another week to asses any possible nerve damage
6 months of physio to get his arm upto shoulder height (may never go higher)
9-12 months before ant proper riding
He sent me the scan they took of his socket / shoulder blade and it is horrific
Upside is, he didn't hit the tree with his head .......
How he managed to freewheel out the Forrest, ride back to the visitors centre, get changed and drive (a manual) back is beyond me.
As he said "adrenaline is a powerful drug"
Soldato
Damn, that sounds bad. Hope he mends ok! He's right about adrenaline though, when I broke my rib at BPW I did another 3-4 runs and drove home before really starting to notice how much it hurt!
Aims for this year = manuals and more jumping!
Aims for this year = manuals and more jumping!
+1 on the confidence / mental thing
Plus being a bit more brittle now and taking longer to get over spills
Oh and being fat and crap
On the subject of spills, update on my mate who came off last week, not good news ........
They couldn't "pop" his shoulder back in, as there was no socket to pop it back into - smashed it
Another week to asses any possible nerve damage
6 months of physio to get his arm upto shoulder height (may never go higher)
9-12 months before ant proper riding
He sent me the scan they took of his socket / shoulder blade and it is horrific
Upside is, he didn't hit the tree with his head .......
How he managed to freewheel out the Forrest, ride back to the visitors centre, get changed and drive (a manual) back is beyond me.
As he said "adrenaline is a powerful drug"
Hope your buddy gets well soon!
Soldato
Thanks chaps, I hope he make a full recovery soon too - cheers 
Shame we are all so spread out around the Country, would be good to get out and ride with like minded bikers who all have the same kind of limits and mental blocks etc.
The only people I go out riding with are unfortunately at opposite ends of the scale to where I am. One group are full on downhillers & dirt jumpers who's skillsets and abilities are far beyond mine, the other group are the complete opposite and are more into the crosscountry side of things who's abilities are a lot less than mine.
Having said that though, there's pro's and con's to riding with each different group I guess.
The only people I go out riding with are unfortunately at opposite ends of the scale to where I am. One group are full on downhillers & dirt jumpers who's skillsets and abilities are far beyond mine, the other group are the complete opposite and are more into the crosscountry side of things who's abilities are a lot less than mine.
Having said that though, there's pro's and con's to riding with each different group I guess.
Soldato
- Joined
- 6 Sep 2016
- Posts
- 9,504
Not happy with shifting on the MTB. I've set H end stop first. Then pulled cable tight. Shifts ok on the stand. But in use it slips in a few gears, bloody dangerous. It's a 2x10 setup. Brand new <50 miles.
None of my other bikes slip like that.
None of my other bikes slip like that.
I've found the Global Mountain Bike Network YouTube video's very helpful for stuff like this. Try this one and see if it helps at all;
Soldato
Went for a ride out up the Dales today, up Gunnerside way.
It was freezing, foggy and miserable, 2 and a half hours of trudging round looking at a grey nothingness, couldn't see where we were going, accidentally lucked upon a nice technical rocky gully descent down into Gunnerside, but that was the highlight...
I've literally spent the last half hour in the shower trying to return some of warmth to my freezing limbs, my feet still feel like blocks of ice.
Should have listened to my aching weary body when i woke up this morning and just stayed in bed!
It was freezing, foggy and miserable, 2 and a half hours of trudging round looking at a grey nothingness, couldn't see where we were going, accidentally lucked upon a nice technical rocky gully descent down into Gunnerside, but that was the highlight...
I've literally spent the last half hour in the shower trying to return some of warmth to my freezing limbs, my feet still feel like blocks of ice.
Should have listened to my aching weary body when i woke up this morning and just stayed in bed!
tell me about it, i really want to get out and ride but i know its going to be a freezing slop fest.
Soldato
Only the 2nd ride out this year, really really want to ride, but as you said freezing slopfest really kills the enjoyment factor.
Our only short fleeting moment of clarity on the whole ride, this was the most colour we saw all ride...
Screw it, off out to binge on pizza and beer!
Soldato
Tough ride today but conditions were fantastic (until the journey home into a brutal headwind all the way 
). Had been freezing overnight so the ground was still a bit hard but that meant it wasn't the mud fest I was expecting. Few bits of ice to dodge but nothing crazy.
Had been out Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night and as soon as I set off I could feel the legs weren't there but wanted to do 30 miles Had absolutely no power on the hills but got up them in record slow times nonetheless.
https://www.strava.com/activities/839396337
). Had been freezing overnight so the ground was still a bit hard but that meant it wasn't the mud fest I was expecting. Few bits of ice to dodge but nothing crazy. Had been out Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday night and as soon as I set off I could feel the legs weren't there but wanted to do 30 miles
Had absolutely no power on the hills but got up them in record slow times nonetheless. https://www.strava.com/activities/839396337
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Soldato
Get yourself on local MTB Facebook groups. I've been on a few rides with people off them now and there's all sorts of skill abilities so not felt out of my depth. Went round the Marin with about 8 of them, some were proper downhillers others were almost novices, was a great chilled ride and I'll be going out with a few of them regularly.
Soldato
Went and visited the pump track I had spotted near my house yesterday, turns out they're actually much bigger than I realised and space really awkwardly, don't know how you are supposed to get up enough speed to clear any of them! However did bump into some guys who pointed me towards a BMX jump track a little further away that looks much better from pictures online that I'll go investigate at some point.
Road around some of the other tracks nearbye and had moderate fun though, like others I was expecting it to be quite muddy in places but with the frost over everything it turned out to be quite good fun. I'm completely unfit though
Road around some of the other tracks nearbye and had moderate fun though, like others I was expecting it to be quite muddy in places but with the frost over everything it turned out to be quite good fun. I'm completely unfit though