(no subject)
Last Sunday I was invited by my friend Harrison and his roommate to go mountain biking at Willamette Pass. Willamette Pass is a 6800 ft peak that is open to skiing in the winter, and mountain biking in the summer. It has a gondola that runs to the top of the mountain, so you just pay $25 and you can take your bike up the hill all day like that.
It was really, really fun. Like, I think some of the most fun I've ever had. Harrison and his roommate Alex both have cross country bikes, very similar to mine. This is a picture of my model bike:
We were the only people there with cross country bikes. Everyone else was riding freeride bikes, which look something more like this:
They also had full face helmets, and body armor covering their shins, knees, chest, back, and arms.
But, even though our bikes were not really designed for the intense downhill, it was still really fun. The trails were really cool--lots of 2 and 3 foot drops, which though scary, were satisfying to land. We all wrecked a few times, but were OK. I did have my camera in my camelbak, and broke it with my worst crash, but I guess that's the price I pay for being an idiot and bringing a camera mountain biking.
I'm still a little undecided about clipless pedals as far as going downhill. I really like them on my commuter, and I definitely appreciate them on my mountain bike when I'm climbing. But I still don't quite feel comfortable with them going downhill. It's true that I do have a lot more lateral control clipped in, it's a lot easier to move the back wheel around, but I'm just scared of wrecking. I'd hate to get tangled up with my bike if I need to bail.
It was really, really fun. Like, I think some of the most fun I've ever had. Harrison and his roommate Alex both have cross country bikes, very similar to mine. This is a picture of my model bike:
We were the only people there with cross country bikes. Everyone else was riding freeride bikes, which look something more like this:
They also had full face helmets, and body armor covering their shins, knees, chest, back, and arms.
But, even though our bikes were not really designed for the intense downhill, it was still really fun. The trails were really cool--lots of 2 and 3 foot drops, which though scary, were satisfying to land. We all wrecked a few times, but were OK. I did have my camera in my camelbak, and broke it with my worst crash, but I guess that's the price I pay for being an idiot and bringing a camera mountain biking.
I'm still a little undecided about clipless pedals as far as going downhill. I really like them on my commuter, and I definitely appreciate them on my mountain bike when I'm climbing. But I still don't quite feel comfortable with them going downhill. It's true that I do have a lot more lateral control clipped in, it's a lot easier to move the back wheel around, but I'm just scared of wrecking. I'd hate to get tangled up with my bike if I need to bail.