All Things Bikes and Tacos! (...and every vehicle imaginable)

I watched a lot of videos before going. I spent most of my time on Blue Steel after trying the easier grade runs. Didn't try the blacks there since I wasn't comfortable attempting them yet on my hardtail. So I wouldn't say I was fully ready but I kinda expected it. Blue Steel gave me some relief knowing the jumps were table tops so I could practice without too much consequence. I will say though... I was 100% ready for the lift ride up LOL

Ah, you're quite a ways from me. I'm in the OC, just south of Irvine. If you're ever in the area, we should ride!

 

Appreciate the insight. I started on flats, went clipless for a season and got very comfortable on them and noticed the benefits - but for the snow and ice on the fatbike, put the flats back on. Running the PNW Range composites and its amazing how well they stick with a good set of 5.10's. @Pugga and I have run some pretty gnarly enduro trails on the fatbikes with flat pedals and I have never run into any issues with my feet bouncing off or not feeling in control of the bike (fully rigid bikes on some gnarly trails - no pedal kicks or slipping of the feet).

One of the major benefits I found with flat pedals is when you stop to check a feature out, you don't have to scramble to try and clip in before hitting a rock roller or drop. More than once I have rode down a feature unclipped on one foot because I didn't have time to click back in. I have even found that while I can't actively pull up when pedaling on a climb or flat XC section when using flats, I can still focus on running a full circle pedal stroke and keep a lighter foot when hitting the 10 o'clock and 2 o'clock position.

A few of the guys I am riding in Utah with are animals with their fitness and the ability to squeeze out every extra watt with clipless would come in handy to keep up. Have watched too many videos and read too many forums lately to figure out if clipless gives an edge when riding, and the general consensus is that any gains are minimal in the grand scheme of things.

 

Wettest winter I’ve ever seen!

 

my first time at a bike park was keystone colorado. i didn't even have a full suspension, i had to rent a bike. i only rode a full sus a couple times on some kinda flatter, more punchier trails (palmer park in colorado springs if youre familiar).

the bike park was a lot, but also so much fun. i got a full sus later that year in december. rode through the spring, then got like 10-15 days in at trestles that summer.

so my first time i wasn't ready at all, but it planted the seed for me to want to go a lot

 

Yeah, table tops would be a must for me. I'm hoping the weight removed on the front of my bike will help with the whole... dead sailor thing.

What Trail would you recommend near the OC? Noobish freindly.

So just do it is the vibe huh? Did you buy your full sus because of the rental, or where you already in the martket to switch? Assuming you were riding HT?

 

I'm not a great jumper, however for dead sailer type stuff just start pulling and pushing on your bars, maybe give them a turn, anything to keep you active and aware in the air. Got to get comfortable first.
Again, I'm still not good at jumping, but I had the biggest deal with almost bunny hopping on the face of jumps instead of keeping weight on pedals and pulling the front.

I still refer back to Ben Cathro jumping video every now and then.

 

Agreed on the table tops especially for us learning. Safer to progress ourselves. I would say ready or not, at least the bike park is in a more controlled environment as well, so that's a plus. It helped give me some confidence to practice the small stuff local to me. But I also ought to practice bunny hopping more...

We have quite a bit of options here for trails...
Fullerton Loop is mix of trails and neighborhood steets that a lot of people begin at around here...beginner friendly for sure but I wouldn't drive out of my way to do it personally. I use to live a bit closer so I went here often to build my stamina and climbing legs.
Whiting Ranch, I've gone here a couple times, don't know too much about it but it seemed noob friendly to me. Just the initial climb beat me up at first. I stopped going ever since my friend and I saw a mountain lion stalking behind us during a break on the climb. Then you got the fun ones... Aliso and Woods Canyons, Santiago Oaks, San Clemente (popular for its jump lines), Laguna Coast, Crystal Cove. These get more technical, all with various trails for beginners to intermediate and advance. I go to Aliso and Santiago Oaks mostly. Plenty of vids of riders on trails at these locations you can watch! I'm probably missing some places, but I haven't rode for a long time so I'm still a noob hehe

 

I remember doing small jumps on fullerton loop like back in the late 2000s. On a hardtail. and almost eating it on a small gap jump. good times.

 

Dang, you got experience over me for sure if you've been riding since then! I like to say that easier trails can definitely be made more adrenaline inducing when you crank up the speed haha especially on a hardtail! I actually did my first drop a year ago or so in Fullerton on my hardtail... A little wooden mini feature at the top of the hill before the dam... Almost OTB my first attempt cause of my heavy right finger but did it my 2nd attempt and was stoked.

 

HAH! I rode it back then and didn't didn't ride a mountain bike for like 7 years after that year. so.....not as much experience as you think.



here's a screenshot taken of the jump...back in the day with a potato quality camera.

 

This HT is my first suspension, so it's a learning curve. However, the weight & pogo effect on rebound from the Suntour XCM is hard to predict on jumps. I know I'm fighting the bike's Geo (XC), but I hoping the air fork & raised stack height will help.

I use Trailfork, and narrow my option based on climbing elevations. Lol. I hate climbing. If I find somthin local to ya, I'l reach out.

 

Santa Cruz is having a sale rn. Don’t have any money, otherwise I might get me a FS bike.

 

i wouldn't say it was a just do it vibe since i really wanted to give it a shot. i was on a hard tail for a few years and did the colorado trail on it before going to a bike park. so i had some riding experience on a pretty big variety of trails, just not a lot on jumps besides some hacked together ones on trails around the city.

i wanted a full sus for awhile, but the price was steep. my carbon ht that i build that summer got stolen in like november, got a big insurance check since i was working part time at a bike shop and got deals on parts, and a work bonus around the same time so i took the plunge on a mid range full sus with longer travel.

honestly the rentals felt so clapped and not setup for me. it wasnt very confidence inspiring but enough for me to want to go back. i did a jump trail once that day but mostly other flow trails since i was kinda new. got tired fast and left. it was a lot of slow riding and taking time to really see what a bike park was.

if you do go, ride at your own pace. the pre-ride, re-ride, free-ride guide is great to follow. you dont need to blast down every trail the first time. check it out then progressively get faster. ride what you like until youre too comfortable and bored. then branch out

 

Dead sailors aren’t a bike weight distribution problem, it’s a takeoff problem.
learning to bunny hop first really helps a ton. Then transferring that skill to small jumps will help.
90% of the time you’ll get that dead sailor when you forget to pump the takeoff, or pump it too early/late.
Best piece of advice I got, and still run through it in my head whenever I hit a jump line, is to pump the “belly” of the jump. Pushing into that middle part allows you to control how the bike takes off the lip. Then it’s the same motion as a bunny hop; slight tug in the bars, pull the bike up a little, hang on.

 

Exactly. And I still mis-time it or get lazy during the pump.

 

I need a tutorial on jumping. I actively avoid them, or scrub speed to minimize by dead flight haha. My 40 y/o body doesn’t recover like it once did so my ambition to push my skills and comfort level has decreased over the years.

It seems I suffer from a condition the psychology field refers to as fear…

 

True to a point…

I learned while skiing the park that some people fly like cats, i.e. graceful in the air and land on their feet. But I fly like a dog, awkward and spastic, and it’s anyones guess how and where I’m going to land.

 

That’s not fear, it’s a strong sense of self preservation.

 

Gonna be up at blankets tomorrow AM if you’re in GA and wanna link up.

 

Same here, I need someone to show me the correct way to jump. I finally got comfortable with drops, at least to the height I’m personally comfortable taking off of. I know the form is the same for taller drops but the risk of crashing at taller heights obviously grows so I stay with the smaller ones.
I didn’t grow up jump so I’m not comfortable in the air. I hate jumps with a kicker or lip at the takeoff, of gaps. I like high speed, low altitude jumps with a smooth roll out. Damn near 40 myself, not trying out for Hardline so no need to push beyond my comfort zone.