Any mountain bikers?

[ElleDubs]

I ride about 50:50 MTB and dirt bikes. On weekdays I can ride from my house on my MTB and get a good ride and workout in before dark. I have to load up my dirt bike on a trailer and drive it to the trailhead and only have time for that on the weekends. The MTB keeps me in shape for the dirt bike and the dirt bike pushes up my skills on the MTB. I think they are a great combo. I love them both.

 

So who else here rides mountain bikes? What’s your MTB? What kind of riding you like to do? Does it help your dirt biking? Why do you MTB?

 

I am a professional mountain bike coach and raced pro for 20 years. I’ve only been riding dirt bikes for 2 years and am having a blast with that learning curve. Just today I cleaned a steep loose hill on my CRF that I have fallen over on every single time I have ridden it before. I wanted to fist pump but couldn’t take my hands off the bars until I stopped! Ha.

 

I have been invited by Thumper Talk to be a contributor in their blogs section which is pretty cool. What types of topics about mountain biking would interest you guys? What MTB things do you want to know about, read about and chat about?

 

 

Q: What’s the difference between mountain biking and dirt biking?

A: The bugs fly around your head while MTBing and they get squished on your goggles while dirt biking. 

[DR.billZ]

I'd say my dirt biking helps my mtb riding more than the other way around but the conditioning helps a lot.

I have Cannondale Caffeine Lefty.

[OLHILLBILLY]

I ride a mountain bike (and a road bike, and a gravel/cyclocross bike), Salsa ElMariachi 29er. I was riding and racing bicycles before I started riding dirt bikes (got into dirt bikes late in life), got burned out on the rigors of trying to race train around an unpredictable job schedule, and quite riding for a few years. Started again last summer to bring my fitness on the dirt bikes up and try to slow the steady progress of time (I'm 56), and in the process remembered how much I love the bicycles in general. Being in the Missouri Ozarks we have several great trail systems to pick from, none form my doorway, but most within a short haul.

Few pictures from the hills and woods last fall..

 

 

 

 

[gofaster450]

I ride mtn bikes in North East Georgia and currently ride a Trek Rumblefish. I have found that my dirt bike riding has gotten more creative in regards to line selection because on my mtn bike riding. For me, when riding a bike on a trail, choosing lines that carry momentum is a big factor in my line selection (let it do the work for you when you can).  Besides the work out and leg strength benefit, I able to ride my bike 3-4 times a week which is much more that I ride my dirt bike.

 

 I enjoy the technology similarities between the suspension both types of machines and the tuning process are very similar and can make a similar difference in the way the bike or machine ride and handle. Love my time in the saddle of both of them.

[NoFiddyPilot]

I ride at least 3-4 days a week. Mostly b/c I hate the gym, but don't mind pedaling outside. Just a lot more interesting. I try to hit the trails when I can. We have lots in central Florida. Not much downhillin' and you have to pedal the whole time.

I ride an older hand built in the USA Trek 6700 hardtail. It really has been a great bike.

 

I'd like to learn how to get more out of my current use that will translate into better riding skills on the motorcycle. I'd also like to learn more about what's new in mountain biking technology, what's worth investing in and what's just fluff.

[nickbaldwin86]

I mnt bike during the week and moto the weekends. I enjoy both for the different reason.

 

really depends on the ride how I feel after, I can feel burnt out after either just depends on the terrain and conditions 

[bowhunter007]

Specialized Enduro

Kona Blast(SS convert, updated fork, BB7 disc up front)

Kona Race-light Lava Dome(old, but rides great)

Trek('90) rigid frame(commuter)

Other bikes...

Surly Disc Trucker(tour equipped)

Specialized Langster(fixed only)

Nishiki road bike(fixed gear toy)

I really enjoy my bicycles(I ride daily). Lately I've been trying to execute trials moves with a SS hardtail(some days are better than others).

[RideBlue3031]

I ride more moto then my bike lately, but still enjoy both. I really enjoy downhill MTB but there are no mountains in Texas so that sucks. I currently have a Rocky Mountain Flatline that doesn't get used much then I have a Specialized XC Comp for the uphill stuff.

[spaceboy]

I mtn bike at least 3 days a week and occasionally throw in some roadie time too. My current ride is a Santa Cruz Bronson Carbon which is a nice step up from my older first gen Santa Cruz Nomad. I like All mountain/Enduro type riding and prefer gravity over climbing but understand that some climbing is necessary to enjoy the downhill portion. I usually do a yearly trip to Mammoth for some lift assisted gravity riding. I do find that mtn bike and moto riding to compliment each other. The skills from one do help on the other and do make the learning curve a little easier. The hardest habits I find to break are those from years of street bikes/racing where you lean into the turn with your body instead of just leaning the bike. Also trusting the grip level on dirt as opposed to pavement.

[dirt1080]

I dont mountain bike to much physical work to do anything more than tool around the yard ?

[dirteta]

I've just started to get into DH riding. i got into it because of fitness levels and the sphincter pucker factor. 

I'm sure both styles of riding will compliment each other. The hardest thing to get use to is the fact you cant pull the front wheel up easy like a moto can. I mainly ride on my own block which is 6 acres of rock downhill. Love going down but find pushing the bike back up a PITA, but that is the part that will make fitter.

I ride a Team Norco DH. 

Welcome to the site ElleDubs.

[shagger]

I ride MTB in Europe and dirt bikes in Minnesota. I have a Carver O'Beast (Ti fatbike) and a Motobécane Fly Team 29 (Ti 29er). I recently moved from the Netherlands (Breda) to France (Paris). NL is a bicycle paradise for any sort of biking, save downhill for most of the country because it really flat. France is significantly less so. There are some cool trails near Paris that I have found. But they have a sort of random made by riders riding nature. The NL trails are sweet, Nicely maintained and designed and built by Dutch drainage wizards.

 

Here is a vid, for anyone interested, of a section of a trail that is near Breda, NL. I filmed it about a year and a half ago after a rare lite snow storm. That trail was about 9.4km. Since then, another section of about the same length has been added and it already drains so well that you can ride it right after an inch of rain and find no mud. The Dutch are wizards with water. The trail system will be 60km of sweetness inside of the next three years. 

 

You have to ride up a considerable hill, at least once, to get out of Paris to some decent trail. Then you have to link together a bunch of sections that you enjoy to make a decent loop. In NL they are marked and for MTB riders only. You aren't even supposed too walk on them. Nice! I'd move back to NL in a heartbeat, unless I could move back to Minnesota.

 

[k.g]

I have a Specialized Rockhopper, but looking to sell it and move to something more downhill related. Full suspension would be great for where I ride. I just wish I could go more often. Started really riding mtb this year and love how much fun it is.

[Colorado^]

MTBing used to be my life.  The wife and I would ride four, 2-3 hour rides a week on CO's front range & mountains.  We used to ride fair amount of DH in Winter Park and Keystone etc.

 

Now I live where I can moto from my garage, so I don't really ride my MTB anymore.  And when I do it just feels slow and bumpy.

 

I think the only way I'll get back into it, is for fitness to get faster on the moto.  But then again, I feel like I get a great work out on the moto already. 

 

My 300 is the two wheeled experience I've been searching for all my life.  

 

 

 

 

[Arctic Pride]

I cycle more than I ride moto now. I'm on the road bike at least a few times a week and cyclocross other times. No good MTB trails anymore within reasonable ride distance

 

Started riding MTB when I was younger, always loved good technical trails. Used to have a great group too, we would take road trips to ride different places. Hardest riding I experienced was at Mt Saint Anne in Quebec

 

The roadie:

 

 

 

The Cyclocross:

 

 

Rocky Mtn which i just sold this spring as it had a layer of dust on it:

 

 

And my old but still awesome enduro/xc hard tail Azonic

 

[Arctic Pride]

oh and i built up an around town bike that i sold to my friend to commute to work!

 

[kan3]

Kona Honzo and Transition TR250

Trail riding on the Honzo during the week. Downhill on the tr250 can replace dirt bike riding some of the season. Thrill level is about the same.

[Mixed_Gas]

I absolutely love mountain biking. I enjoy some flat singletrack but mostly like the all mountain kinda riding. Pedal up for a good workout and enjoy the downhill singletrack reward. 

 

I use to have a Trek Fuel Ex 9 that I really like but it recently got stolen. For now my dad lent me his old rocky mountain element which he doesn't use anymore.

 

I use to ride quite a bit but recently moved to Saskatchewan and have yet to find some decent mounting biking in these flatlands. I have seen some places with plenty of potential but couldn't find any trails. What gives?

 

I'd mostly like to learn about good places to ride but I guess I'm on the wrong forum for that. I did do a bit of lurking on mtn biking forums but have yet to join one and do more extensive research.

[stone881]

I ride a TM 300 MX and use it mostly for moto tracks, dunes and bandlands riding.  In the mountains I much prefer MTB so that I can, sort of, enjoy the scenery.  I just bought a Pivot MACH 6 which is badass!  Also have a FUJI cyclecross and a Rocky Mountain XC that I spend a fair amount of time on.  My main focus has always been moto, but I am getting more and more into the pedaled variety.  Initially I was just using the bike to train for moto but the new bikes are so good and fun to ride that its hard not to choose the MACH 6.

 

BTW I am just beginning a 2 wheeled resort in Chile.  We will have about 50 acres  to ride on and there will be intermediate-expert level MX tracks, enduro/dh trail, a little bit of Xc and BMX.  Plus there are 1000's of mile of killer roads and trails to ride in the mountains, along the Pacific Coast and in the coastal mountain range.  Plus sand dunes to be had all along the coastline, tons of off-road riding and immense desert in the northern parts.

 

If you are a fanatic when it comes to riding, 2 wheels, water, snow, you name it....come to Chile!

 

Here is a little preview of the terrain to come 

 

https://www.facebook.com/TheRidersCollective

[DirtSmoker250]

I mountain bike but live in Southeast Georgia so it's more like small hill biking.