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Mountain Biking?

heathpack

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Pictures? I got a few of em.

Took a quick fall trip to Tahoe with some girl friends:

F2VRGv0.jpg
 

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Spent a lot of time with some mountain biking friends in Big Bear Lake, California. They have a cabin up there. Great trails, this one is called Hanna Flats:

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Then there was Sedona over Thanksgiving:

1Y42BYy.jpg
 

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Multiple trips to Catalina Island:

vPI7QiA.jpg
 

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And even some great weekend riding right here at home:

KSkyhZa.jpg
 

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So... my husband (who does not ride bikes but is a huge enabler) stopped by our local bike shop the other day. It’s owned by a husband and wife, and they sponsor our race team. So we’re all teammates and friends. The wife is totally bad ass on a bike. She mentions to my husband that she’s selling her mountain bike. Full on cross country racing mountain bike, full suspension, super light, 22 pounds.

My husband comes home and tells me I should call her and see about taking it on a test ride. Really? Our anniversary is coming up and he tells me it would be easier for him than trying to come up with a gift.

The next day I take the bike out and it’s MAGIC. I wind up with 28 PRs just on a casual two hour ride with a friend. Uphill PRs and downhill PRs. Wow that’s a nice bike. Seven pounds lighter than my current mountain bike.

So I bought it of course. For those of you who know mountain bikes, it’s a Scott Contessa Spark 900RC, 29er. Sweet ride.

Upcoming mountain bike trips:
Catalina Island for Memorial Day weekend
Big Bear Lake, CA two weekends later
Panguitch UT/Park City in July
St George UT in September
And now (in light of the new bike) probably Sedona over Thanksgiving.

:)


I have been on my wife to replace her old one. 22 lbs on a full is as you say "sweet". She is only 5 ft 3 so has a little problem with the geometry on a lot of 29ers. If by chance you are near that height we may have to put this on the list. Big splurge as we are 62 and the next bike will probably be her last as she has been riding this one for almost 15 yrs. Plan is to go to 70 in pretty serious mode.
 

heathpack

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I have been on my wife to replace her old one. 22 lbs on a full is as you say "sweet". She is only 5 ft 3 so has a little problem with the geometry on a lot of 29ers. If by chance you are near that height we may have to put this on the list. Big splurge as we are 62 and the next bike will probably be her last as she has been riding this one for almost 15 yrs. Plan is to go to 70 in pretty serious mode.

I am 5' 5", so a little taller. The bike I got is a size small. It appears from the size chart that it would work down to a height of 160cm, which is 5' 3". Its probably worth taking a look at the bike.

Scott also makes a women's mtb with 27.5 wheels but not in a race version, so its heavier.

MTB is essentially the fountain of youth. In mountain biking, 70 is the new 50. :)
 

heathpack

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I have been on my wife to replace her old one. 22 lbs on a full is as you say "sweet". She is only 5 ft 3 so has a little problem with the geometry on a lot of 29ers. If by chance you are near that height we may have to put this on the list. Big splurge as we are 62 and the next bike will probably be her last as she has been riding this one for almost 15 yrs. Plan is to go to 70 in pretty serious mode.

Also: it has 1 x 12 shifting and remote levers to control front and rear suspension. For the suspension, you can fully lock it out (like for riding the road), partially lock it out (like for technical climbing) or have it unlocked (for descending). So it works out to be: right hand controls gearing, you shift up or down with the right hand, there's only a rear derailleur on this bike with it still being 12 speed. Left hand controls suspension, you can make it softer or firmer on the fly as you're riding.

Totally sweet technology, its very clean and simple.

No dropper post though, that would add weight.

And the wheels are not carbon, so you can actually make this bike a bit lighter with carbon wheels. I understand that Giant makes a good carbon mtb wheel that you can pick up sometimes as a pull-off of a new bike (you know, someone gets a new bike but already has wheels they like so they turn around and immediately sell the new wheels as "used").

The bike I bought is used but only 100 miles on it and its a 2018 model. So I got a little lucky to buy it for a used price when its essentially a new bike. :)
 

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Sweet bike.

once you go '29......

My wife is also small frame. Couldn't really find a 650B that made sense (or $$$$ cents).
I'll caution on the carbon wheels. Light yes. Durable, probably. The most attractive thing to be stolen since a $20 dollar bill lying in a parking lot? Absolutely.

Carbon wheels, bar, stem/seat means always secured inside....IMHO

Sad, but true. Hard to keep a bike fully secured in a timeshare. (although we sneak ours into the rooms!)
 

bluehende

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Sweet bike.

once you go '29......

My wife is also small frame. Couldn't really find a 650B that made sense (or $$$$ cents).
I'll caution on the carbon wheels. Light yes. Durable, probably. The most attractive thing to be stolen since a $20 dollar bill lying in a parking lot? Absolutely.

Carbon wheels, bar, stem/seat means always secured inside....IMHO

Sad, but true. Hard to keep a bike fully secured in a timeshare. (although we sneak ours into the rooms!)

Mountain bikes and biking are our worst vice. I have been that stereotype that has had bikes worth much more than the car on the racks. My wife's problem is she has a hard time making up her mind. Paralyzed by indecision. In the meantime she rides well on some beasts of trails with a 15 year old rockhopper hardtail. And worst the bike has been ridden hard and put away wet.
 

heathpack

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Sweet bike.

once you go '29......

My wife is also small frame. Couldn't really find a 650B that made sense (or $$$$ cents).
I'll caution on the carbon wheels. Light yes. Durable, probably. The most attractive thing to be stolen since a $20 dollar bill lying in a parking lot? Absolutely.

Carbon wheels, bar, stem/seat means always secured inside....IMHO

Sad, but true. Hard to keep a bike fully secured in a timeshare. (although we sneak ours into the rooms!)

Confusing to me. Do you keep your mountain bikes outside? I keep mine in my house and its not like there's any stores to stop at while mountain biking. So the bike is either in my house or with me because I'm riding it.

I have some pretty expensive road bikes. Sometimes we travel with them. We prefer timeshares because we don't have daily housekeeping, although with the Las Vegas shootings that positive may be going away, we all may get daily room checks. We typically put out a "do not disturb" sign and my husband is paranoid about the bikes being stolen- they are locked to something (sometimes to each other) secure in a timeshare, in the car, on the bike rack.

In the grand scheme of things, if I add $500 Giant carbon mtb wheels (very realistic pricing), the wheels will be one of the least expensive components of my new mtb. The whole bike being stolen is a real concern but not more of concern IMO because I add carbon wheels to it.

Moot point because I'm not going to do that immediately anyway. But its the only thing that you would really consider upgrading on this bike.
 

heathpack

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Mountain bikes and biking are our worst vice. I have been that stereotype that has had bikes worth much more than the car on the racks. My wife's problem is she has a hard time making up her mind. Paralyzed by indecision. In the meantime she rides well on some beasts of trails with a 15 year old rockhopper hardtail. And worst the bike has been ridden hard and put away wet.

I am addicted to bikes, I have fallen hard. I wasn't even considering a new bike of any kind. Until my husband suggested it.

I took up cycling around 5 years ago. I have bought a total of 6 bikes in that time:
1. Entry level aluminum road bike that cost $600 new
2. Endurance carbon frame road bike, the bike that was a game changer for me and I used to use to ride long (100-200 mile) events
3. Race geometry carbon frame road bike, the 1st time I bought a used bike. I don't race it, but it is a quick, responsive bike. Fun on group rides or for interval workouts.
4. Time trial bike. This one is my tricked out race bike, the one with multiple wheelsets for different wind conditions. :)
5. Original full suspension aluminum mtb. 27.5 inch wheels, 2x shifting, a bit heavy for me at 29 pounds
6. And now the carbon full suspension mtb with the 29 inch wheels and 1x shifting. 22 pounds.

Its time for me to start thinking about selling one of my bikes. It might be the aluminum mtb.
 

taterhed

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Confusing to me. Do you keep your mountain bikes outside? I keep mine in my house and its not like there's any stores to stop at while mountain biking. So the bike is either in my house or with me because I'm riding it.

I have some pretty expensive road bikes. Sometimes we travel with them. We prefer timeshares because we don't have daily housekeeping, although with the Las Vegas shootings that positive may be going away, we all may get daily room checks. We typically put out a "do not disturb" sign and my husband is paranoid about the bikes being stolen- they are locked to something (sometimes to each other) secure in a timeshare, in the car, on the bike rack.

In the grand scheme of things, if I add $500 Giant carbon mtb wheels (very realistic pricing), the wheels will be one of the least expensive components of my new mtb. The whole bike being stolen is a real concern but not more of concern IMO because I add carbon wheels to it.

Moot point because I'm not going to do that immediately anyway. But its the only thing that you would really consider upgrading on this bike.

Yes, at home they live in the house on a vert-rack in a sitting room. Nice art!
We like to travel with them also...they stay inside when we do, but we have issues at some locations (no bikes in room!) As we get older, we ride less, but hope to resume riding more in retirement. I'm trying to get DW to do Spain one of these years...but we'd need some training first...

My point wasn't the value (the road Campy would be painful to replace), it's just that carbon wheels/seat/bars seem to be prime bait for attracting thieves.
Of course, YMMV. Our bikes don't get used continuously, so more exposure to theft. I have a funny picture of our bikes (and a friends) on the back of our car: we were paranoid we'd be rear-ended, and the bikes were worth more than the car by a good bit.

Love your pics!
 

bluehende

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Confusing to me. Do you keep your mountain bikes outside? I keep mine in my house and its not like there's any stores to stop at while mountain biking. So the bike is either in my house or with me because I'm riding it.

I have some pretty expensive road bikes. Sometimes we travel with them. We prefer timeshares because we don't have daily housekeeping, although with the Las Vegas shootings that positive may be going away, we all may get daily room checks. We typically put out a "do not disturb" sign and my husband is paranoid about the bikes being stolen- they are locked to something (sometimes to each other) secure in a timeshare, in the car, on the bike rack.

In the grand scheme of things, if I add $500 Giant carbon mtb wheels (very realistic pricing), the wheels will be one of the least expensive components of my new mtb. The whole bike being stolen is a real concern but not more of concern IMO because I add carbon wheels to it.

Moot point because I'm not going to do that immediately anyway. But its the only thing that you would really consider upgrading on this bike.

We take care of them just not well. I do most of the maintenance which keeps them functioning, but no one would mistake me for a bike mechanic. I want to get a nice tune up but every time I call our bike shops they say 2 to 3 weeks. No way I will leave my bike that long. Mostly we ride them hard. 50 to 80 days a year on some nasty singletrack. We enjoy challenge more than distance. We ride what we can and walk what we cann't (pissing me off how much more I seem to walk at 62). I think my wife feels guilty as I replaced mine a few years ago by buying from an endurance racer that was getting sponsored. I got a good deal as he did not need it anymore and I had cash. I also think she is nervous because she actually rides her old one very well.
 

heathpack

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Finally got the new bike out onto some single track up in the mountains. Wow. So confidence inspiring, I love it.

Can’t wait to hit up Utah on that bike next month!

fIx86bG.jpg
 

heathpack

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I just booked Embarc Whistler for Labor Day week 2019.

Who else has been mountain biking there?
 

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I live in Park City, UT and we have about 400 miles of trail in the area, ranging from beginner/gentle to hardcore downhill. Much of the riding though is in the middle, fun and flowy, not requiring pads/armor or 8-10" of travel!

In Park City, a standard full-suspension trail bike is plenty and you can ride for a week without repeating. Plus it's mountain desert so lots of bluebird days, with not much rain.

We also love LOVE LOVE Moab as it's full of amazing rides and only a 4 hour drive, but as your friend said, it's best to wait until you have some technical skills. Yes there are plenty of beginner trails in Moab, but they are usually dirt roads and flat and either boring or non-scenic, while the fun and beautiful trails are more advanced.

It is a rabbit hole...welcome!

(PS. I used to race downhill and can attest to the reason people do it even though bleeding: a good downhill day is like a powder day on skis, and you can have it every single run instead of waiting for a snowstorm. But after breaking myself over the years, I'm happy with simple and flowy these days.)

So.... we’re going to Park City in a few weeks, staying at Marriott Mountainside. What trails should I ride? Intermediate rider, prefer flow to gnarly. But I have feet and can walk sections of trail that intimidate me.
 

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upload_2018-6-18_22-48-54.jpeg



Here is a picture from today riding in West Virginia. Not the best picture but we have so many pictures from this trail that we didn't take many. 3 1/2 hrs in the saddle kicked my butt. I definitely need to get in better shape.
 

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View attachment 7117


Here is a picture from today riding in West Virginia. Not the best picture but we have so many pictures from this trail that we didn't take many. 3 1/2 hrs in the saddle kicked my butt. I definitely need to get in better shape.

Wow... green. Definitely not SoCal, lol.

What? West Virginia? Is that where you live?
 

bluehende

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Wow... green. Definitely not SoCal, lol.

What? West Virginia? Is that where you live?

Live in DE. One of our timeshares is this week in WV. It is in the Canaan Valley. A very high valley(well 3200 ft not high for you west coast guys) that kept it 15 degrees cooler here than in the cities. Lots of great riding and one of the top destinations in the East Coast. When we started riding here over 20 yrs ago it was the destination. Our week is a bit later this year, but is usually at the height of the mountain laurel bloom. Here is my wife from last year.

upload_2018-6-19_10-13-41.jpeg


and me

upload_2018-6-19_10-20-49.jpeg


We love this little resort in the middle of nowhere. We could ride this area for 2 to 3 weeks and not have to hit the same trail twice. On this terrain we usually only have the energy to ride 4 to 5 miles. When we were young in our 50's.... lol .....we used to go a bit farther and do it quicker than we do now. We also walk a bit more on the more intense rides.
 

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So.... we’re going to Park City in a few weeks, staying at Marriott Mountainside. What trails should I ride? Intermediate rider, prefer flow to gnarly. But I have feet and can walk sections of trail that intimidate me.

Hey, PM me, my bike may or may not be back in service by then, but we can at least grab some coffee or something while you're here and do some ride planning!

Hit up the Mid Mountain Trail - it's also called the 8000' trail since it kind of hugs the 8000' contour line. Not techy, just smooth and some nice cruiser sections. You can access it from Deer Valley Silver Lake Lodge (free bus!) and ride to the Canyons, take the Gondola down or ride down, and then bus back for a fun 3+ hour loop.

From the Park City base, the Sweeney Switchbacks are technical, but can be a lot of fun. Same with John's Trail - it's a bit tight but again very cool. Most of the trails there are solid, and vary from open ski run to tree-enclosed. Depending on the group, Lost Prospector is another easy cruiser in the area that's got some flow to it.

Avoid the Rail Trail, it's a paved then gravel trail on an old rail bed, really meant for jogging and cruiser bikes.

Riding the lift-served trails at Deer Valley can also be fun, watch out for the Black trails though as they are hard to even walk down, let alone ride on a cross-country bike!

You really can't go wrong...drive out to the Glenwild area and ride Bob's Basin, Flying Dog Loop, Cobblestone. Those are very flowy, not much in terms of technical. More of a grass / scrub brush environment. Try Round Valley for some fun loops.

Some maps below:

http://mountaintrails.org/parkcity-trails/
 

heathpack

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Live in DE. One of our timeshares is this week in WV. It is in the Canaan Valley. A very high valley(well 3200 ft not high for you west coast guys) that kept it 15 degrees cooler here than in the cities. Lots of great riding and one of the top destinations in the East Coast. When we started riding here over 20 yrs ago it was the destination. Our week is a bit later this year, but is usually at the height of the mountain laurel bloom. Here is my wife from last year.

View attachment 7118

and me

View attachment 7119

We love this little resort in the middle of nowhere. We could ride this area for 2 to 3 weeks and not have to hit the same trail twice. On this terrain we usually only have the energy to ride 4 to 5 miles. When we were young in our 50's.... lol .....we used to go a bit farther and do it quicker than we do now. We also walk a bit more on the more intense rides.

Sweet. What’s the resort?

Lol on the terrain thing. When I was in Sedona riding, I’d get back to the timeshare completely exhausted, gone for hours, and then I’d look at my bike computer and see that it was only a 7 mile ride! Felt like 40 miles. Someone in Sedona said to me that most of the time mtb miles tax your body 2x road miles but in Sedona it’s more like 4x, I’d believe it.
 

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Hey, PM me, my bike may or may not be back in service by then, but we can at least grab some coffee or something while you're here and do some ride planning!

Hit up the Mid Mountain Trail - it's also called the 8000' trail since it kind of hugs the 8000' contour line. Not techy, just smooth and some nice cruiser sections. You can access it from Deer Valley Silver Lake Lodge (free bus!) and ride to the Canyons, take the Gondola down or ride down, and then bus back for a fun 3+ hour loop.

From the Park City base, the Sweeney Switchbacks are technical, but can be a lot of fun. Same with John's Trail - it's a bit tight but again very cool. Most of the trails there are solid, and vary from open ski run to tree-enclosed. Depending on the group, Lost Prospector is another easy cruiser in the area that's got some flow to it.

Avoid the Rail Trail, it's a paved then gravel trail on an old rail bed, really meant for jogging and cruiser bikes.

Riding the lift-served trails at Deer Valley can also be fun, watch out for the Black trails though as they are hard to even walk down, let alone ride on a cross-country bike!

You really can't go wrong...drive out to the Glenwild area and ride Bob's Basin, Flying Dog Loop, Cobblestone. Those are very flowy, not much in terms of technical. More of a grass / scrub brush environment. Try Round Valley for some fun loops.

Some maps below:

http://mountaintrails.org/parkcity-trails/

Thanks I’ll pop you a pm soon.

A friend of mine used to write a mtb blog and went up to Park City on a press junket. He had limited time to ride on his own, so he grabbed a gondola ride and started off on Mid Mountain Trail. He said it was sweet, flowy, just really nice.

He was riding along for awhile and then started to wonder when he should turn back. Around about then, he comes upon a moose on the trail.

Question answered: Ride until a moose obstructs your progress, then it’s time to turn around. :)
 

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Hey, PM me, my bike may or may not be back in service by then, but we can at least grab some coffee or something while you're here and do some ride planning!

Hit up the Mid Mountain Trail - it's also called the 8000' trail since it kind of hugs the 8000' contour line. Not techy, just smooth and some nice cruiser sections. You can access it from Deer Valley Silver Lake Lodge (free bus!) and ride to the Canyons, take the Gondola down or ride down, and then bus back for a fun 3+ hour loop.

From the Park City base, the Sweeney Switchbacks are technical, but can be a lot of fun. Same with John's Trail - it's a bit tight but again very cool. Most of the trails there are solid, and vary from open ski run to tree-enclosed. Depending on the group, Lost Prospector is another easy cruiser in the area that's got some flow to it.

Avoid the Rail Trail, it's a paved then gravel trail on an old rail bed, really meant for jogging and cruiser bikes.

Riding the lift-served trails at Deer Valley can also be fun, watch out for the Black trails though as they are hard to even walk down, let alone ride on a cross-country bike!

You really can't go wrong...drive out to the Glenwild area and ride Bob's Basin, Flying Dog Loop, Cobblestone. Those are very flowy, not much in terms of technical. More of a grass / scrub brush environment. Try Round Valley for some fun loops.

Some maps below:

http://mountaintrails.org/parkcity-trails/
I'm at Summit Watch in Park City right now. I second the Mid-Mountain trail recommendation. Was hiking up there near Iron Canyon yesterday (between Park City and the Canyons). A lot of bikes passed me, and the trail is pretty narrow up there where I was. I moved aside for most of the bikes, but several stopped well ahead of me to give me the right of way. Also a few benches along the trail there to stop to rest and take in the views. This trail also winds through the entire Park City area from north of Canyons south and around east to Deer Valley for many miles.

There are a lot of nice views mixed in with forays into forests of aspen and mountain evergreens. The wild flowers are blooming pretty well right now. I'll post a few photos later if I get some time to upload them from my phone camera. There are so many trails in and around Park City that it will help to have a trail map if you're off on your own. There is a good detailed Park City vicinity one for $5 that they showed me at the concierge desk at the Summit (they weren't selling it there, but it was a useful overview to get me oriented). The main trails up higher seemed well signed, but the Iron Canyon/Iron Mountain trail that I used to access the Mid Mountain was not even marked from the residential area - although that access trail seemed not so good for bikes, just hiking.

I also have hiked the Round Valley area, saw a moose there once too. It is scrubbier, but has some nice views of the distant peaks. Might be good to try for a day.

Sounds like Gaozhen has been around Park City much more than I have, and has some good trail recommendations there.
 
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