Mountain Bike News

As the Third Annual Gravity East Mountain Bike Series continues on at the pristine Attitash Mountain Ski Resort, Ben Moody narrowly edges out Specialized Team American member Neko Mulally by less than second for his second consecutive downhill 1^st place finish in the Series. From the hometown of New Boston NH, Moody is a ski-team instructor and a soccer coach when he is not charging down on a bike. The white knuckle race ran down the runs of Kids will be Kids, Hornets Nest, and Grandma’s House as the course was set up for advance riders only.

If you’re reading this and you’re like me, than you are definitely in the market to learn more about mountain biking.  While the entry before mine gives a great description of the terms I have a clean slate and an open mind when it comes to the sport.  The first thing I need to do before I can hit the trails is to get some gear.  I decided to go to REI.com, which is one of the leading companies in outdoor gear and equipment.  

First and foremost, I need a ride! There are different categories of bikes, and I am opting for the hardtail mountain bike.  It has a front suspension that reduces the steering vibrations and is recommended for  casual trails (which I’ll start on) and a single track (check the glossary in the post before if you don’t know what that is).  Since I’m a beginner, I opted for the Novara Aspen Bike, which is on the less expensive end and is supposed to be great for the type of trails I’m going to tackle. Sizes of bikes range from extra small to large- I’m on the shorter side, so I’m going with an extra small. I also need a lock for my bike, and the recommended lock is on the same page as my bike.  REI’s website also has alot of other accessories to choose from like lights and racks. 

Now that I have a bike, I need the right gear! REI’s site has jerseys, shorts, jackets, footwear, and much more to choose from.  Safety is very important, so you might want to go with reflective clothing so you can always be seen! Speaking of safety, don’t forget to buy a helmet as well! 

Bike, check…gear, check…clothing, check…helmet, check…now it’s time to hit the trail! I live in Southern California so I found a great list of trails on www.SoCalMtB.com.  There’s a great index of trails in Southern California and is divided up by location.  I found one very close to where I live, so I’m off to hit the trail!!

I saw this great program on The Ski Channel hosted by legendary biker Hans Rey called “Alta Rezia“. Takes place mostly in italy as they tour on mtb’s from village to village thru the Alps. Not too hard core, although I know Hans is, but fun to watch. Love to see more mtb films on this network, goes right along with my skiing jones!!!

If you’re on this website, you know there’s nothing better than gliding down the single-track on auto-pilot, wasting no brain functions considering the best actions to get past the next obstacle in as fun a manner as possible.  You crave the near perfect merger of man, machine and nature that is magically captured on the most efficient of traveling machines, aka the bicycle.  I’ve had incredible days riding, especially in deer valley, but truth be told I haven’t ridden a bike with suspension in almost two years and my five day a week riding habit has been reduced to embarrassingly low levels.   With this much to be concerned about, it was a blessing when I recently had my best ride in years.  Embarrassingly short, filled with stops, I hope to have rides as good for years to come.  It was with my daughter, she’s four.  That’s right, I have kids, I hardly get to do anything I want to anymore.  But I loaded her in the rack seat and didn’t need to explain to her all the things that are perfect about daddy powered transport.  Again, I didn’t get far (daughter + rack = almost 45 pounds), in fact my riding friends still mock the total distance( and I somehow forgot to mention to them we stopped for ice cream at mile four).  But in that ride and the ones sure to follow, including when she breaks out of her seat and powers herself, are certain to teach her values, self reliance and responsibility that will stay with her a lifetime.  That’s my new single-track and I’m happy I can use my bike on that ride.

First Time National Mountain Bike Race Held in Colorado

GRANBY, Colo&hellipJune 25, 2009 – For the first time ever, Colorado will host the National Mountain Bike Championships July 16 – 19 at Granby Ranch. And for those planning to take in the country’s best mountain biking, you might want to give more than your bike a “tune up.” After all, mountain biking has its own lingo and if you’re not familiar, it could be difficult to keep up. For example:

Mountain Bike Lingo: An easy warm up on a fireroad can go bad when unexpected babyheads appear causing a pinchflat long before you reach the whoops and that can be a bigger hassle than an endo.”

Translation: A fireroad is a relatively easy dirt trail but if a pile of small rocks appear in the trail, you could get a flat caused by the tire compression on all the rocks which would make trying to ride through the dirt bumps really difficult and you might end up going over the handlebars in a visually spectacular fall.

The following glossary of mountain bike terms will help ensure a smooth ride at Granby Ranch. Event information and details are available at www.SolVistaNationals.com <http://www.solvistanationals.com/> .

Glossary of Mountain Bike Terms

Singletrack – A thin dirt trail one to two feet wide that winds through trees and
mountains.
Fireroad – Wide dirt road where passing can occur, not technically difficult.
Run – A ride down a course, usually referring to downhill.
Berm – A banked turn, which allows riders to change directions more easily.
Off Camber – A turn, which is cambered away from the rider, the opposite of a berm. Technically difficult to ride.
Whoops – A series of bumps, either man-made (as obstacles) or naturally developing in a course due to riding or braking.
Double – A jump with a take off and a separate landing, no dirt in the middle.
Tabletop – A jump with a take off and a landing joined by dirt in the middle, resembling a table.
Lip – The take off portion of a jump.
Hip – A jump that is incorporated into a turn. Riders should turn on the lip and land going in a different direction than they started.
Rock Garden – A section of trail that is filled with rocks, either man-made or natural.
Babyheads – Small rocks from a fist size to a bowling ball size that can move a bike unpredictably.
DH – A point-to-point downhill race emphasizing technical prowess and sprinting ability. One rider races a clock at a time.
XC – A cross-country mass start race with climbing and descending emphasizing aerobic fitness and endurance.
4X – A four-person race with jumps, whoops, off camber and berm corners emphasizing strategy, cornering and sprinting. The top two riders move closer to a final four race.
Short Track – A short (25-30 minutes) lap race with sprint climbs and short descents, which allow spectators to see entire races in a short span of time.
Super D – A downhill race with more of an emphasis on pedaling and fitness, with tamed down sections that are not as difficult as a regular downhill race.
Endo – A crash where a rider flips over the handlebars.
Kit – An outfit worn for riding, especially pertaining to downhill or 4X.
Clipless Pedals/Clips – Pedals that attach to a riders foot.
Flats – Pedals that do not mechanically attach to a rider’s foot.
Pinchflat – A flat tire caused by the tire compressing over rocks, logs, objects and
pinching a hole in the tube.

About Granby Ranch

Spanning 5,000 acres of sun-filled high alpine landscape, Granby Ranch is a ski and golf community offering an unparalleled combination of Mountain amenities, homes, and home sites where all owners are a member of The Connection at Granby Ranch, our all-inclusive homeowners association. The community is just 90 minutes from Denver and is a fully-amenitized, four-season community, including: SolVista Basin with, a completely remodeled Base Camp Lodge and new acclaimed Seven Trails Grille restaurant; the 18-hole Nicklaus Design Headwaters Golf; more than three miles of private fishing access on the Fraser River; and hundreds of acres of open space and trails for hiking, mountain biking and enjoying the high mountain summer vibe. www.granbyranch.com <http://www.granbyranch.com/>