Questions, comments and criticisms

Bike for Texas (and other) trails?

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Dear Lee:

Great to read that your recent clinic in Texas was a smashing success! I hope you will have time to head down to Austin again for an open clinic in the near future. I have no doubt that you would fill several.

I’m currently riding a Stumpjumper FSR Expert 29 am considering either the 2012 version of the same bike or else the Camber Carbon Expert 29. I ride almost exclusively on the rocky and technical side of the Greenbelt (since your report listed some of the trails, I typically ride: Ed’s Bowl, Ridge Trail, Hill of Life, Sweet 16, Pump House, and Travis Country).

At any rate, which of these bike do you think better suits our terrain down here? I never blow through all 130mm of my current travel, and I wouldn’t mine a more maneuverable bike in the trees. At the same time, I don’t want to be punished for my frequent sucking, and the Stumpy is a bit slacker and has a thru axel front rather than just oversized end caps. I’d be on a medium and my weight runs 185-200, depending on the season.

I’d love any advice you have, and please let me know if there is anything I can do to help get you down here again.

I hope all is well with you and your family.

Best,
Scott

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I wanna ride like a spring-loaded gazelle

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What’s up Lee!

Hope you’re having a good winter season and thanks for all the information you have been sharing.

I have been working on DH skills for some time now but I can’t figure out how the pros seem to bound over any obstacle like gazelles. My pump technique feels like it is improving but when I look at videos of myself I look like I’m glued to the ground instead of the spring-loaded/light-as-Gwin style I hope to achieve.

It was suggested by a friend that I work on learning bump jumps in addition to figuring out what’s going on with my pump technique. Since his technique looks just as crappy as mine I figured I’m better off asking you for advice. Any help is greatly appreciated.

Mahalo,

Keoni

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Enduro 29?

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Hi Lee

I’m thinking of selling my 2010 Enduro and getting a 2012 Spec FSR 29er as I feel overbiked for the majority of my riding. The problem is I can’t decide which – I rode an XL carbon camber and was blown away by how good it felt (really like a super stable 26 inch bike and the first bike really fit my 6ft6 body). However I’m really tempted by a Stumpjumper or SJ Evo 29er. Trails round here are a mix of rooty, twisty, muddy gnar and open moors – no rocks but plenty technical. What are your opinions on the different models?

Thanks
Matt

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DH riding style: Moto vs. MTB

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Hi Lee,

I’m lovin’ your new Teaching Mountain Bike Skills book. It goes over all the essentials in really thorough point by point detail. The section on the attack position is a thing of beauty.

I really like the points made about riding to always see and set yourself up for your next turn. I think this is an extremely effective way to use your vision on your bike and keep looking farther forward. I even have been implementing it while climbing, and it has improved my climbing and made me faster. By looking for the next corner you always have something in your mind to focus on, and forces you to keep your head up. My first few times doing this my eyes were literally sore by the end of the ride.

As a side note, when people refer to a style of dh riding as Moto-style, what exactly does that mean? How does it differ from mountain bike style?

Thanks,

MAX

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Intro BMX class for kids?

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Hi Lee,

I live in Santa Fe and we are thinking about having a clinic/intro for kids to BMX and pump track riding. What suggestions do you have for that we should cover?

Steve

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Striking pedals

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Hi Lee,

Do you have any tips on how to ride trails that go though areas with rocks, roots, walls, or really deep ruts that can hit your pedal and effectively stop you in your tracks, due to loss of balance and needing to ride a fairly precise line?

My bike has a fairly low BB (12.5″ for 110mm travel) and I ride platform pedals, but continuously riding this particular part of the trail has helped, simply by finding areas to build speed so I wouldn’t have to pedal through these areas. Any area I have to pedal through tends to get me though. There’s one area where I must weave through big boulders right and left and also make it up steps and have a gear to make it up a steep climb. Shifting doesn’t seem possible. Normally it’s not pedal strikes that get me, but simply me avoiding pedal strikes and tipping over too much and losing balance. I assume that’s the problem. I tried the look ahead and plow through approach, but pedal strikes really do throw you off to be a problem that can’t be ignored.

I read the 2nd edition of your MTB skills book cover to cover, but can’t find a section that particular covers this type of riding. Any advice would be appreciated. I think my bike would appreciate it too. I think the side to side play at the BB has become worse from all the pedal strikes.

Dan

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Learning how to ride gnarly uphill switchbacks

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Lee,

We’ve just completed another track here in Toowoomba — and it has heaps of steep switchbacks on loose material. Now, your book had a fair chunk of detail on descending these types of things, and I’m achieving moderate success.

Climbing them — I leave much to be desired. Can you give a few additional recommendations on how to be more successful climbing steep, loose (dare I say hastily constructed, with no turning platform) switchbacks?

This (Toowoomba) is Jared Grave’s home town — and he has been out there the last couple of months using the tracks we’ve just revamped and the new ones we’ve constructed since the flood damage we had at the beginning of the year. I don’t actually know him, but quite a few guys in the club do.

Anyway, hope all is well with you, and thanks for your advice.

Kind regards,

Matt

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Tires for all-mountain bike on the Front Range (again)

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Hi Lee,

First off thanks for keeping a killer blog! And for your books. I’ve got MMBS and have learned lots (even though I’ve been mountain biking for 16 years). I am hoping you can help me out with a tire question. I am a Front-ranger (live in Westminster) and mountain bike all along the front range. I got a Pivot Firebird this spring and love it. I find myself riding more aggressively on this bike. It came with Nevegals which I did not like.

I am having trouble finding a good balance of weight vs traction/cornering/braking in tires for this bike. I see you have some time on the Clutch and Butcher tires. Since these are offered in the control casing, they are pretty light. Would you recommend either (or some combination) of these tires for an all mountain/long travel trail bike on the front range? Or steer me in another direction?

Thanks, in advance, for any input you can provide.

Jason

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Bottoming out with a Fox DHX 5.0 shock

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Hello, I have a question for you.

I own an Ironhorse Sunday with a Fox DHX 5.0 shock. It feels right when I’m on the bike, but for example if I’m in the parking lot and I do a bunny hop and then when landing I push down applying some force I can reach the shock bottom out bumper.

I’m running it too soft, hard, or its normal? (My sag is correct.)

Sorry if my english isn’t very correct.

Thanks, Manuel

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How many calories do you burn on a pump track?

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Lee, I was wondering how many calories, on average, does some one burn riding a pump track for 5 minutes? figured you would be the man to ask..Let me know. Thanks, Alex

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Freeride hardtail for my wife?

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Lee,
I was thinking of building a long travel hardtail up for my wife. As I am generally full of bad gift ideas, I thought your opinion might be helpful on this….
Some back story here…my wife never got into mt. biking until I got her a 6″ travel AM bike. Then suddenly she could relax over the rough stuff, start getting some speed, and then was able to develop some riding skills (with the help of the Mastering Mt. Bike Skills book of course). Unfortunately she has really bad asthma and had a very tough time on her bike (an earlier AM model) that was heavy and didn’t pedal well. Ultimately we sold that and got her a used DH bike which she loves ragging on at Highland’s every weekend.

She wants to get back into doing some more trail riding. I thought a “free-ride” hardtail would be a good idea for three reasons: 1) having learned on plush big travel bike she doesn’t really get line choice and smoothness. A hartail might help her learn this. 2) A hardtail would be lighter and more efficient than most (non-XC race oriented) bikes. That might help her with the asthma. 3) A long travel hard tail would be fairly slack and handle more like the DH bike that she is used to. It would also let her do some fairly gnarly stuff occasionally, while taking the “sting” out of hardtailing. 3a) long travel hard tails are rad.

Of course I could think of many reasons why this is a dumb idea…but I would love to know your thoughts. Thanks for your time-Jake.

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Where do I get my crazy socks?

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Hi Lee,
I’ll be surprised if I get a response to this email but I’m going to try anyway…. I recently picked up a copy of mastering mountain bike skills vol.2. I noticed in some of your pictures you’re wearing what appears to be some nifty Sock Guy republican socks…..just wondering where I could find a pair of those for myself? Thanks for your time!
Michael S
West Virginia

PS. Come to the east coast, and make a stop in Snowshoe or Fayetteville.

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