The Mountain Bike Thread

[Josh]

Anyone else around here do any mountain biking? If so, I thought we might like to have a thread to post rides and whatnot. Even better if you can combine biking and fishing? I admit, I have yet to have a situation where that was possible, but I know a few buddies in OR who have done it.

 

[Evan B]

Do gravel bikes count? I use this to bike to bike in to my favorite bike/hike-in chinook salmon spot in the fall. Typically bike in there in the dark with a headlight, get my fish within the first hour or so, then bike out before most people have breakfast.

 

[Josh]

Weather and life have kept me from getting out on the trail, mostly just been boring hours on the indoor trainer and a few trips to the pumptrack. Here's a pumptrack shot from the other day with kid #2



But I got out for my first real trail ride of the year yesterday. Felt good to be out there, but the trails were kinda greasy in the clearcuts (our trail system is in a working forest) due to the freezing temps and then the morning sun. So you'd either find ice patches, or semi melted slick mud with ice hidden below. But the sun was out and it felt good to ride.

 

[Josh]

Do gravel bikes count? I use this to bike to bike in to my favorite bike/hike-in chinook salmon spot in the fall.

Totally down with gravel bikes.

Honestly, if enough non-MTB riders pipe up, we can just change the title to "the bike thread", I just figured there would be more dirt riders than roadies.

 

[DanielOcean]

I am very much into mountain biking. Got into it heavily in Idaho and still have yet to experience that great hero dirt here in Washington. I have my eye on a Transition Scout and then will be headed up to bellingham to finally experience Unemployment line. Been watching you tube vids for 3 years waiting lol

 

[Josh]

to finally experience Unemployment line.

U line is a great trail.

 

[DanielOcean]

U line is a great trail.

Have you ever ventured up to Whister?

 

[Josh]

Have you ever ventured up to Whister?

I have not. Well, not for MTB riding anyway. People seem to love it though. And my dadbro buddies say there are trails for all sorts of riding levels. Not just the badass crazy stuff that makes its way to youtube.

 

[DanielOcean]

I have not. Well, not for MTB riding anyway. People seem to love it though. And my dadbro buddies say there are trails for all sorts of riding levels. Not just the badass crazy stuff that makes its way to youtube.

Oh totally dude. Whistler is a bucket list for me. I got my 20 year old daughter into it as well. I am down here by Capital Forest. After my surgery I will go join that club/group also and introduce myself. I wont have a bike till I pay a few debts off but I figure it would still be fun to go out there and volunteer to help on the maintenance crew or something. Atleast they will know me before they see me on a bike ha ha

 

[SurfnFish]

ride a rigid on local paths pretty much every day when weather will let me...gave up downhill MTB's after hip replacement, could not afford any more crashes..and still managed to crash last year when I slid on some gravel right, costing me a rib

 

[Bob Rankin]

I’m looking forward to dusting off the Pivot next week. I think I’m going to be hitting Rocky Top to get back in shape.

 

[Big K1]

I do. Here is a pic from NBD in Dec. 2020. '21 Rocky Mountain Altitude A50.

 

[Gyrfalcon22]

I started a bike thread a couple years back on the other site where everyone gave me great advice on my pursuit of a cheap gravel/mt bike.

It has been a blast ! My vintage Rockhopper has been ideal. Had a couple of flats and such that had me learning the ropes of repair and maintenance and one very slow over the handles crash that was nothing. Cruising down hills has brought me back the joy of being a grade schooler again.

Have not fished with it but have used it to minimize time between little wild blackberry patches and for birding my local area.

Rockhopper on my beater fishing and trailhead car.

 

[Josh]

My vintage Rockhopper has been ideal.

I've got a couple buddies who have dug up older Rockhoppers for gravel/around-town bikes. They seem to love them.

 

[Flyfishnick]

I've been riding all winter on new bike. Lov'in it! Been hitting local areas- Tiger Mtn, Duthie and Swan Creek as regulars with Tapeworm in Renton and 360 (Gig Harbor) a few times. Only on Tiger once, but can't wait to hit the new trail at the top. A buddy says it's good for all levels of riders. I'm not a big jump fan, but like a little air, lol..

 

[brownheron]

Gravel and Road and a little bit of XC for me. I was signed up for the Steamboat Gravel race in 2020 (154mi) but covid killed that. After spending sooo many hours through the winter on Zwift, when the race got cancelled I lost motivation to train but not to eat and gained about 15lbs in a few months... Just started my comeback and it's going slow.

The wife and I have sorta matching titanium Seven Evergreen gravel bikes and my road rig is a ti Seven Axiom XX. Been thinking hard about getting a mountain bike to replace my retired Ibis Mojo Gen1. I'm thinking about the Specialized Epic Evo as I'm very much a spandex wearing XC/marathon nerd. Going downhill makes me run too many death scenarios in my head.

Dawn ride in the desert with the Axiom XX:

 

[Eastside]

I have a vintage Rockhopper that I need to clean up and start using. Sounds like a good spring project.

 

[DanielOcean]

Mountain bikes are so good right now.

 

[SurfnFish]

my last MTB was a Rockhopper FSR XC Comp...now one of my grandson's is riding on it alongside his sister and mother...my daughter is an absurdly fit uphill killer on an MTB

 

[krusty]

Road biking since 1973 (mostly touring) and mtb since the early 1980's. Did some of the AlCan on a Diamondback Axis TR (old hardtail) in 1999. Current mtb is a full suspension Ghost Kato.

When I started mtb riding the rangers at nearby Riverside State Park (largest state park in WA) would ticket and run you off...now they fully support mtb and even some patrol single track on mtb. Reminds me of the early days of snowboarding at ski resorts...not acceptable until managers started realizing popularity equals survival.

Not really interested in combining flyfishing with riding...like to climb and bomb dowhill. Carrying much crap on a bike makes 'em ride like cows. One sport at a time for me!