yesterday the unthinkable happened. yup..cant believe it myself. i had to dismount and walk my bike.
hah.
i've been jogging a trail system. i kept seeing young kids ripping down a bootleg section of trail above me. i finally asked one guy what that trail was. he said a few of them cleared it along the ridge and it is very exciting. okay. i chalked it to memory. he wouldnt tell me where that section started, but i had a decent idea. a few weeks ago, my knees were sore, so i put away my trail shoes and did the bike ride. i found the head of this trail hidden in thick bushes..i rip down. "rip" is misleading..i ripped down for me. old 1999 mtn bike, marginal rim brakes, tired suspension, strong sense of self preservation, etc.
holy crap..i made it. there were some sketchy portions! sections i would have done differently if i was clearing that trail. one..was a steeeeeppp. maybe 55 degree drop off with a 90 degree hard right, off camber turn at the bottom. i dont know how i made it. the top there is a small boulder you have to drop off, that is straight up, before you even get to the relatively safety of the 55 deg slope!!
yesterday. having memory of that corner, i got to the top..screech..dismount! my body took over. i stopped without thinking. i was actually thinking..GOOO! i wish i was young and dumb. i watch a much younger kid get full air at the top, land..brake steered around the bottom corner and was off in a puff of dust.
i'm gonna try again today. maybe i gopro the crash, maybe i dont.
. bright side? i crushed that testosterone driven, pimply kid an a brutal uphill. he had to push his bike..punk! (he was riding a downhill bike, but whatever)
i am trying to parlay my mediocre performance into a new bike. my wife is 75% on board, but she hasnt seen the pricetag yet.
who MTN bikes regularly? you liking the new 27.5" bikes? hopefully this is a decent MTN bike thread..something to compliment that other roadie heavy thread.