I'm an avid mountain biker and would like to chat with other REAL mountain
bikers.

37 responses total.

I'm mostly a roadie (that's where I do most of my riding and all of my
racing), but if I can be a real mountain biker without racing I would
probably qualify for that too.

Anybody who takes their mountain bike off teh pavement is a real mountain
bikWhere do you live and rideteve?

Well, by that definition I would certainly qualify as a "real mountain
biker."  I live in Ann Arbor, and do most of my riding in the Pinckney
about twenty miles away from here.  I don't mountain bike in Ann Arbor
because the City of Ann Arbor, bending over backwards to show their blind
faith in the Seirra Club, has banned mountain biking from all their parks
that were at all usable for it on the basis that mountain bikers are satan.

Mountain bikes are evil because they crush the natural flora and fauna. 
Why should the lives of dandelions and grass be sacrificed so you can 
enjoy the artificial pleasure of biking?

Actually, mountain bikes do no more damage than hikers.  Several studies
have showed that.  As for crushing the plants, they will also get crushed
if people walk on them, or let their dogs run over them.  Responsable
mountain bikers stay on trails to avoid that.

Those studies were by bikers. I have seen comparisons of the impact
of the two, and bikes are more damaging.

#5: Hiking is also evil. Any more questions?

<agora 79 is now linked as ing 45>

<sorry, that sohould have read: agora 179 is now linked as ing 45>

The problem is the number of irresponsible bikers out there and the problems
they cause.  There are plenty of irresponsible hikers, too, & I'm not about
to defend them - but they're a lot less prone to run over people.

I think we've hijacked this item away from bicyclists and peppered them
with attacks based on the actions of a few irresponsibles.

Thanks, srw.  The mountain bikers who run into hikers are indeed a very
small minority.  I'll admit I've had probably two or three close calls
with hikers in my 4+ years of mountain biking, but I've always stopped and
appologized and made sure the people weren't too freaked out, and the only
thing I've ever actually *hit* was a rather big tree, which caused a lot
of damage to the bike and some to me, but did almost nothing to the tree. 
There are significant erosion and overcrowding problems, but those are
legislated and are not the fault of the cyclists.  For example, the
problem in the Ann Arbor area is that there is only one significant trail
system (at Pinckney) that is still open to cyclists, and there is too much
use for the less than 30 miles of trails to support.  If more areas were
open it would spread out the  use much more, and make it a lot less
noticable.  Of course, the current system does give hikers who object to
sharing the trails with cyclists lots of other wonderful places to hike.

I gew up in this city.  I was here when Washtenaw was a 3 lane street and
cows romed what is now County Farm Park.  There was no Arborland, nor many
others.  I've also been riding the roads of Washtenaw county for the last
20 years.v:  The traffic has increased to the point where road riding is no
longer fun around Ann Arbor.  Too many Bozo's out in their four-wheelers
competing for the same, pot-holed, black top.
I have ridden the Poto many times and agree that the bikers are not to blame
for trail damage, etc.  It's simply a matter of over-use, as I've said before.
I find dirt-road riding very enjoyable around Ann Arbor.  *Much* less traffic
and a slower, more enjoyable pace.  I want to organize a few dirt road rides
this fall via the AABTS.  I have a 35 mile ride that I like to do in the 
winter.  Very pretty! ( And no one yells at you to get off the road or trail!)

)

I think the reason for all the damage created by mountain bikes is their
current popularity. If hiking was al popular, the hikers would cause even
more damage. Hikers can go anywhere, and damage alot more things, bikes are
restricted to the trail and the small area alongside. When mountaing biking
loses its status of a fad, and this has begun, there will be a lot less damage.

 I am a mountain bike rider and I am new to the area.  Could someone please
 tell me some good places to ride!!!  I want a good view when I ride and I need
 it  to be somewhere in the Ypsilanti and Ann Arbor area.  Thanks!!

The best place (and one of the only legal ones) to ride around here is the
Pinckney Recreation Area, about twenty miles away from Ann Arbor.  Take US
23 to North Territorial Road and go west for about ten miles to Dexter
Town Hall Road.  Turn right there and within the next mile or two there
will be a big sign on the left, which says something like "Pinckney
Recreation Area, Silver Lake Beach."  Turn left at that sign and take the
road all the way to the parking lot.  There are three trails there that
are open to bikes.  The 17 mile Potowatomi Trail is the longest and most
crowded.  There are also the Silver Lake Trail and the Crooked Lake Trail,
both of which are shorter.

WOW! Thanks for using this conference. It is great that now we can talk
current biking issues here in grex. Mountain bikers and roadies alike are
welcome here. Did any one go to the NORBA NATIONALS last weekend in Bellaire?
Risaacs and I did, cool experience. We may race next year. If any one has any
tips for beginner racers, I would love to hear them.

I don't have any tips for mountain bike races, since I've never done one,
but if you need any for the road let me know.

I also understand that Island Lake Recreation Area has some decent, less 
used, trails.

I've heard about that too, but I've never been there.  Is that farther
away than Pinckney?

I bought my first mountain bike this spring and have been having a
blast with it.  LIke Klaus, I've been riding the dirt roads around
here.  

A month or so ago, I rode the Kal-Haven Trail between Kalamazoo
and South Haven.  The trail was quit nice, but it's a state park and
you have to pay to ride it.

I just busted up my rear wheel (soIcan'tspellsowhat) and had to take my bike
into the shop to get it replaced. That sucks, $60.00 bucks (at least) gone.

How'd you do that?  (I build/repair my own wheels.)

I am just getting into mountain biking.
(steve, you might be interested to know that Jeff Conrad went with me to
test out bikes. I finally settled on a Jamis.)

Great, shaymu, that sounds like a good bike.  Welcome to the sport!

Thanks.
Where are some good places to ride (other than Pontiac trail)?
If i was to get a front suspention fork, what kind would you recommend?

If you want to do off road riding, the Potowatomi Trail in the Pinckney
Recreation Area is a nice trail, although quite overcrowded. 
Unfortunately, that's about it for places where it's legal to mountain
bike around here (which leads to the overcrowding).  If you go out there
thins time of year be aware that hunters are out on the trail, but I
haven' t had any problems with them so far this year.

The small game fall hunting season began on September 15, for rabbit,
squirrel, woodcock, and grouse.  Pheasant season, in the lower peninsula,
begins October 20.  Firearm deer season is Nov 15-30, with a winter
muzzleloading season from Dec. 9-18.

(There's a early September goose season which has passed by already; but
these are only huntable in specific waterfowl management units that are
nowhere near the Pinckney rec. area.)

If you are concerned about traveling through hunting areas during the season,
wear blaze orange -- a hat, a pair of gloves, etc.  Public lands open to 
hunting are usually posted as such -- look for little signs with maps of
Michigan on them.  If the maps are red, there's no hunting.  If the maps are
green, hunting is allowed.

Elastomer or Air/Oil?
That is the question.

Air/oil if you can afford it, elastomer if you can't.

BUT what about the Manitou 4, a full elastomer fork that got higher ratings tha
others in Bicycling Magazine?
In general, you are right, tho. I will probably get a Rock Shox Mag 21.
BTW wanna go riding sometime?

Sure.

Normally elastomer works very well.  The problem is that it is temperature
sensative, and will perform very differently on a 20 degree day than it
will on an 80 degree day, so I'm told.  That's not to say that air/oil
setups are immune from temperature.

Rock Shox Judy. That's what I want!

Nobody ever came back and really mentioned Island Lake, which is closer
to A2 than the Poto.  Go north on 23, east on 96 to the Kensington 
Metro Park exit, then turn south to the Island Lake rec area.  It's
a little tricky to find the trails sometimes, but they are quite nice
(not as scary as the Poto) and much less crowded.  There are LOTS of water
pumps along the way, something you Poto veterans should appreciate. :-)

Hi from Australia.  A word about the Mani-4, they work very nicely indeed,
plusher than Judys, though perhaps not quite as good on the big hits.
Anyone going to Cairns this year?

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