Yeah, it took her off the bike for a bit and honestly I think did more mental harm than physical. She’s been pretty cautious since then so I’m trying to work her back up to where she was. Trail trauma.
- Thread starter jbell
- Start date
Yeah, it took her off the bike for a bit and honestly I think did more mental harm than physical. She’s been pretty cautious since then so I’m trying to work her back up to where she was. Trail trauma.
Good to see she is physically ok. I can relate to the trail trauma. I didn't ride the rock garden trail I binned it on for 3 months. I wasn't anywhere near the same pace for 4 months. I just set a PR on it the other day, but riding it backwards and not the same direction where I crashed.
I saw that on vital yesterday. If it isn't magnesium, is it really a dogma?
It has been on my radar
. What is with the Dogma hardtail? That drive side seat stay situation makes my eye twitch. But I am honestly a little ashamed to admit that I keep rolling around the idea of the new Epic World Cup and using AXS with a 38t ring and connectamajig on the brake hoses so I can have a quick swap flat bar to drop bar endurance MTB / gravel bike.
I know, I know... I want to kick my own ass. But I am really enjoying stupid long rides and races where there is a LOT of long gravel sections where I could really use the aero of the drop bars.There are some races out my front door where I am building a house right now that would be perfect for the Epic World Cup with drop bars. The gravel is chunky enough to completely justify 2.2 MTB tires and the FS of the WC is tucked up enough for a full frame bag.
By the way, did y’all see the USA bring it last weekend in Brazil!?!? Super stoked for Chris & Riley bringing home the W. Plus the women had a killer day as well with Savilia getting the second spot, Haley in 3rd, and Kelsey and Kate in the top 10. What a day!
But my Trek Rail has TURBOThem trannies ain't even got cams or a power valve
Why not drop bars? Tomac on his Yeti back in the day flat got it done!!It has been on my radar
But I am honestly a little ashamed to admit that I keep rolling around the idea of the new Epic World Cup and using AXS with a 38t ring and connectamajig on the brake hoses so I can have a quick swap flat bar to drop bar endurance MTB / gravel bike.
There are some races out my front door where I am building a house right now that would be perfect for the Epic World Cup with drop bars. The gravel is chunky enough to completely justify 2.2 MTB tires and the FS of the WC is tucked up enough for a full frame bag.
That would be SICK on that new whip…..I say do it!
Ha, yeah John is the GOAT. He truly did it all. I recently listened to a great podcast with John Tomac and Ned Overend where Payson interviewed them together (Adventure Stache podcast).
A fun story;
My friends and I from high school, most of us graduating in 78 or 79, all moved to Phoenix and rented a apartment together. We were getting way out of hand in our partying and thus into legal trouble because of it, so I left for home because I foresaw bad times ahead, LOL! At the time a perfect decision! I barely escaped big trouble but I won't go into this.
Anyway we lost contact shortly afterwards because I abandoned that life style. Kinda mutual on both ends as they didn't like my decision to follow Christ shortly after I had moved back.
Fast forward 43 years later, which was last October, and one of these old friends shows up at my door step, Wow! He immediately told me that he and his wife were now serving Christ too which was totally awesome for my wife and I to find out!
He put me in contact with most of my other old friends. One of them is in some of these photos as well. This guy doesn't party anymore either and has a young wife half his age who bore him two youngsters of 6 and 9 years old now. This is of course funny to my other friends and I. That sly old dog, lol.
I invited them up to ride earlier this week on Monday and Tuesday, and it's nice we're all retired because weekdays are good times to avoid the crowds. We rode 32 miles in some fairly rough country, featuring tons of rocks and roots, during two rides in two days. At 8000 ft to 9000 ft in elevation we rode up the sides of the mountain fingers, then down into the bottoms of the draws, each of which had streams of snow melt off flowing in them, which we crossed over and over again! 8 miles in and then 8 back on this one trip. It's absolutely beautiful this time of year, also perfect temps in the 60's.
Man I rode my old Bakcou Storm for part of the ride, and its definitely not suited to rocky terrain, it beat me up pretty bad.
My new Orbea Wild, as well as my 2.5 year old Extreme Cross, were awesome in this terrain! All EMTB's.
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My friends and I from high school, most of us graduating in 78 or 79, all moved to Phoenix and rented a apartment together. We were getting way out of hand in our partying and thus into legal trouble because of it, so I left for home because I foresaw bad times ahead, LOL! At the time a perfect decision! I barely escaped big trouble but I won't go into this.
Anyway we lost contact shortly afterwards because I abandoned that life style. Kinda mutual on both ends as they didn't like my decision to follow Christ shortly after I had moved back.
Fast forward 43 years later, which was last October, and one of these old friends shows up at my door step, Wow! He immediately told me that he and his wife were now serving Christ too which was totally awesome for my wife and I to find out!
He put me in contact with most of my other old friends. One of them is in some of these photos as well. This guy doesn't party anymore either and has a young wife half his age who bore him two youngsters of 6 and 9 years old now. This is of course funny to my other friends and I. That sly old dog, lol.
I invited them up to ride earlier this week on Monday and Tuesday, and it's nice we're all retired because weekdays are good times to avoid the crowds. We rode 32 miles in some fairly rough country, featuring tons of rocks and roots, during two rides in two days. At 8000 ft to 9000 ft in elevation we rode up the sides of the mountain fingers, then down into the bottoms of the draws, each of which had streams of snow melt off flowing in them, which we crossed over and over again! 8 miles in and then 8 back on this one trip. It's absolutely beautiful this time of year, also perfect temps in the 60's.
Man I rode my old Bakcou Storm for part of the ride, and its definitely not suited to rocky terrain, it beat me up pretty bad.
My new Orbea Wild, as well as my 2.5 year old Extreme Cross, were awesome in this terrain! All EMTB's.
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Very cool Steve!
Thanks jbell. It's hard to believe I already have over 100 miles on my Wild and also I'm getting in much better shape than I was a month ago.
Seems the aftermarket EXT Fork and shock were worth every penny because this bike is nutz how well it handles, climbs, descends, you name it. No complaints whatsoever.
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Mountain bike misadventure at Bryce Park, Virginia this past Saturday.
Fun until it wasn’t.
Broken shoulder blade, collar bone, six ribs in multiple places, cracked hip socket, and a punctured lung. Ooops.
Bike park rescue guys did up a temp sling to get me started.
Had surgery to put my collarbone back together in Winchester, VA yesterday. The shoulder blade, ribs, hip socket and punctured lung will heal back together on their own; they didn't think more surgeries were needed for those.
My hip is really painful, had actual tears flowing getting from my wife's pickup to my recliner a couple hours ago.
Should have logged more lycra clad miles on the roadie this weekend...LOL
Fun until it wasn’t.
Broken shoulder blade, collar bone, six ribs in multiple places, cracked hip socket, and a punctured lung. Ooops.
Bike park rescue guys did up a temp sling to get me started.
Had surgery to put my collarbone back together in Winchester, VA yesterday. The shoulder blade, ribs, hip socket and punctured lung will heal back together on their own; they didn't think more surgeries were needed for those.
My hip is really painful, had actual tears flowing getting from my wife's pickup to my recliner a couple hours ago.
Should have logged more lycra clad miles on the roadie this weekend...LOL
I hope that you heal quickly and get back on the mountain bike, albeit on the green trails...
You'll have to share how the tumble happened.
Was traversing across the side of the hill, under the ski lift, front tire went out from under me and I tried unsuccessfully to break the earth with the left side of my body. Wish there was a more fascinating story to go with it, but I still don't really understand why I went down.
Edit add: The bike didn't get a scratch on it.
Oh man that's a tough one, sorry to hear. Amazing how fast something like that can happen, it's the nature of the sport.
Heal up quick my friend!!
That is an odd way to go down and cause that much bodily damage. Might have been some loose ground that you hit.
Thanks friend.
I get one of my girls to pull on my arm, so I can stand up from my recliner. Then I can scoot myself to the bathroom to pee. So, I'm starting to get around. Yeehaw! 
Ouch, ouch, ouch.......
Man its like you fell off a cliff or similar!! Hoping the best for your recovery.
I've been trying to learn wheelies. Darn hard to find that balance point. I wiped out once but it was on the grass so nothing happened.
I'm also trying to conquer a steep cindery/marbley hill. I keep getting better each time but feathering my way through large cinder rocks and overcoming the step ups with said marbles everywhere is a tough one. I keep going back down the hill and trying again but fatigue sets in eventually which affects my balance then all bets are off.
Bought a used small sized YT EMTB for my daughter and vertically challenged friends. I took it on a few rides after setting the suspension up for my weight and it was pretty fun seeing the differences between my various EMTB's. Now all my adult kids have an ebike to ride along with me when they visit.
Having a blast on my Wild and been on some epic rides this month.
Man its like you fell off a cliff or similar!! Hoping the best for your recovery.
I've been trying to learn wheelies. Darn hard to find that balance point. I wiped out once but it was on the grass so nothing happened.
I'm also trying to conquer a steep cindery/marbley hill. I keep getting better each time but feathering my way through large cinder rocks and overcoming the step ups with said marbles everywhere is a tough one. I keep going back down the hill and trying again but fatigue sets in eventually which affects my balance then all bets are off.
Bought a used small sized YT EMTB for my daughter and vertically challenged friends. I took it on a few rides after setting the suspension up for my weight and it was pretty fun seeing the differences between my various EMTB's. Now all my adult kids have an ebike to ride along with me when they visit.
Having a blast on my Wild and been on some epic rides this month.
Wheelies are tough. I can wheely a motorcycle for days, the MTBs not so much.
I am thinking of upgrading my FS bike to something newer. What would SH members suggest in the $3-5,000 range? Where I ride, it is relatively technical and fairly rocky. I ride mostly on Mt. Tamalpais in California, where mountain biking began. I no longer a high speed downhiller, trying to stay healthy by avoiding more injuries. Looking for a bike that is excellent for climbing, and good for downhill.
The Epic Evo last years model are on sale, but I am not sold on 29" wheels. Due to the rocky trails around here, I am not sure that 29" wheels are ideal. Current bike is a 20 year old Ellsworth Truth.
-Steve
The Epic Evo last years model are on sale, but I am not sold on 29" wheels. Due to the rocky trails around here, I am not sure that 29" wheels are ideal. Current bike is a 20 year old Ellsworth Truth.
-Steve
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My understanding is larger diameter wheels roll over obstacles more easily than the smaller. My personal choice is 29" vs 27" but YMMV as always...
I haven't ridden tam in over 10 years, but I don't recall it being east coast tight, so a 29 is probably the right choice. If I were looking for a 140mm bike, and I had at least a 30" inseam, it's the right call IMHO. The only time I'd steer you away from 29, is for the short kings/queens, or if you just really want the playfulness of a 650b.
"Excellent for climbing" would push me towards a 140 bike like an occam sl. The evo and occam LT type models tend to favor the downhill a lot more, so kinda depends on what feel you really want from a trailbike. Sharper handling, or a little more confidence and travel on the downhill.
"Excellent for climbing" would push me towards a 140 bike like an occam sl. The evo and occam LT type models tend to favor the downhill a lot more, so kinda depends on what feel you really want from a trailbike. Sharper handling, or a little more confidence and travel on the downhill.
Since there aren't crash pics, you must've crashed really hard.
Heal fast and get back on the horse that threw ya
M
I own both. IMO 650b wheels are 26ers that roll a bit better
They're more playful, and also require more input than 29ers so that you make it over obstacles when compared to 29ers
M
My advice would be to visit your local bike shop and find out when they will be hosting a demo event. You can even search the major brands web sites and they will typically have a calendar of demo events posted. Best thing in they are typically free! Go ride a few bikes and see what you like as things have changed a bunch over the years. Almost everything is a 29er these days, I don't think you'll be dissappointed.
A short or mid travel 29er is what I'd recommend based on the description of your riding area.
Without question get a 29er! After that I agree with what Trophy Care said, develop a relationship with your local shop and see what they can offer you first. Most shops have a demo program and some even allow the cost of the demo to go towards the purchase of a new bike. Look for demo events, borrow friends bikes, etc. Ride as many modern bikes as you can before you make a decision.
Don’t get caught up in the highest end build as far as drivetrain and cockpit goes, upgrade those as you have the money or they wear. Buy a frame that fits well and has the suspension kinematics you want for how you ride. Don’t buy a bike with a budget fork / shock, IMO it is worth the extra for good suspension.
Dr appointment went well. I don’t have to do anything until my follow up appointment in two weeks out in Virginia with the Doc that did my surgery. 
Thanks for all the replies and advice on a new bike. Interested in a mountain bike crash story?
I was riding a lot, probably 15 hours a week year round. My Fat Chance had been stolen, and temporarily I was on a used $200 bike that handled well but had terrible brakes. However I was strong and planned on using high grip pressure to get the brakes to work.
Went for a ride up Mt. Tam on a sunny Sunday, got up to the top and there was fog drifting over from the ocean, which is common. Rode down Deer Park trail, which parallels the Dipsea trail, down towards Muir Woods. Came around a corner doing about 25 mph, and rangers had dug a drainage ditch across the trail.
I should have jumped the ditch, but to be safe I pulled hard on the brake levers and expected I would do a slow speed crash when I hit the ditch. The last thing I remembered was that I was not slowing down at all. Moisture from the fog kept the rims wet, and the rim brakes were almost worthless.
I woke up 20 minutes later and some hikers had found me. They had already sent for an ambulance. Mentally I was totally out of it, took me a while to realize what year it was, etc. The Mt. Tam fire crew put me on a back board to drove me Marin General. I passed out on the way, due to the pain.
I had broken my L1 vertebrae into 53 pieces. Ended up having a three vertebrae fusion, and was off of work for nearly a year. The moral of the story is do not cut corners by riding a bike with unsafe mechanicals, and also to expect the unexpected.
I learned a lot, and that experience helped me to be more aware of what can go wrong. Also the accident could have been worse. My spinal cord was almost cut by broken bone fragments, but it was not. If it was a Monday instead of Sunday I would have been out there all night, just me and the coyotes.
I was riding a lot, probably 15 hours a week year round. My Fat Chance had been stolen, and temporarily I was on a used $200 bike that handled well but had terrible brakes. However I was strong and planned on using high grip pressure to get the brakes to work.
Went for a ride up Mt. Tam on a sunny Sunday, got up to the top and there was fog drifting over from the ocean, which is common. Rode down Deer Park trail, which parallels the Dipsea trail, down towards Muir Woods. Came around a corner doing about 25 mph, and rangers had dug a drainage ditch across the trail.
I should have jumped the ditch, but to be safe I pulled hard on the brake levers and expected I would do a slow speed crash when I hit the ditch. The last thing I remembered was that I was not slowing down at all. Moisture from the fog kept the rims wet, and the rim brakes were almost worthless.
I woke up 20 minutes later and some hikers had found me. They had already sent for an ambulance. Mentally I was totally out of it, took me a while to realize what year it was, etc. The Mt. Tam fire crew put me on a back board to drove me Marin General. I passed out on the way, due to the pain.
I had broken my L1 vertebrae into 53 pieces. Ended up having a three vertebrae fusion, and was off of work for nearly a year. The moral of the story is do not cut corners by riding a bike with unsafe mechanicals, and also to expect the unexpected.
I learned a lot, and that experience helped me to be more aware of what can go wrong. Also the accident could have been worse. My spinal cord was almost cut by broken bone fragments, but it was not. If it was a Monday instead of Sunday I would have been out there all night, just me and the coyotes.
Demo day is for sure the right answer. I went to a demo day just knowing I'd come home and order a Remedy. While the Remedy was great pointed downhill, anywhere else it felt kind of dead. Jumped on a Fuel EX and instantly knew what I was buying. 7 years in, still love that bike.
I used to ride 26" and made the switch to 29". The geometry on the 29" MTBs are different than the 26" and I find them to be better in every way. My LBS carries Pivot bikes so I went that route for my bike and my wife's bike. Drop over $14,000 with taxes on the 2 bikes. So, when my son wanted a FS I went DTC route. If you know how to work on bikes, I do, this cuts down the price of the bike for sure. He got a YT Ind Izzo core 4. I'll add the link so you can check out the components that come with the bike. I would put these on the top of my list of components to have.
Demo days are great. That’s how I landed on my YT.
Any of you guys coming to BikeFest in Bentonville next week? Demos by most the major brands plus tons of other cool stuff.
I got signed up for a clinic with one of the RedBull riders. Goal = have fun, don’t die…
Many of the manufacturers list the demo locations and dates on their website. Here's Ibis:
https://www.ibiscycles.com/test-ride/ibis-demo-tour
They are going to be in Montana and Oregon. Might be worth the drive.
Back in late 2014 when Ibis released the HD3, I complained on the mtbr forum about not having a local dealer that sold Ibis and that I'd have to drive to New Mexico to demo one. Shortly after that I received a message from Ibis. They agreed to send an HD3 with all the components that I wanted to a local shop for me to ride. If I didn't like it, they would let me return it. I liked the bike...
It's still in good shape. But I have replaced the Cane Creek shock with a 2020 Fox Float X2 Factory. I also replaced the original Fox 36 damper with the 2021 Fox 36 Grip2 damper and added a Vorsprung Luftkappe air piston.
I'm not that great of a rider. But I have ridden the bike on the easier downhill trails at Angel Fire and Crested Butte. It performed well on those trails as I rolled the jumps. The mechanics at the park bike shop laughed when they picked up the bike since it was so light. They mentioned that someone destroyed a carbon fiber rim on a jump just the week before.
I had not heard of DTC. I can do anything on a bike, so that is an option. Never heard of YT before either. So many brands out now.I used to ride 26" and made the switch to 29". The geometry on the 29" MTBs are different than the 26" and I find them to be better in every way. My LBS carries Pivot bikes so I went that route for my bike and my wife's bike. Drop over $14,000 with taxes on the 2 bikes. So, when my son wanted a FS I went DTC route. If you know how to work on bikes, I do, this cuts down the price of the bike for sure. He got a YT Ind Izzo core 4. I'll add the link so you can check out the components that come with the bike. I would put these on the top of my list of components to have.
Awesome! I've got to make the trip out Bentonville, I've heard nothing but great things about the riding there.
My son and I just signed up for Outerbike - Moab in October. It's going to be a blast riding all the latest and greatest whips out there. Looking to replace the Yeti SB130 with the new SB140 or maybe a Trasition Smuggler or Specialized EVO or Revel Rascal or Pivot Switchblade or???? Bikes are Soooo good these days!
Meanwhile, last night was perfect riding weather.....
