New guy here!

[gigantic]

Hey everyone!
I've just moved back to town after a long time living elsewhere. I'm stoked to see so much Mtb activity here! When I last lived in Iowa, there was just Sugarbottom in Iowa City, so to have 4 trails within riding distance from where I live is great! I've been back for a week and have managed to ride Sylvan- (it's like a giant pump track; fun) and Sunderbruch. I've moved back from the Philadelphia area, where I was active with PIMBA & JORBA (South Jersey). My home trails were at Valley Forge & Wissahickon Park inside the city, but we were fortunate to have well over 20 trails available within 60 minutes of Philly.

I'm impressed with the level of maintenance on the trails- y'all have put a lot of work into them! If I had one complaint it's that they might be a little too well maintained, but I can get over that.

I'm curious are there regular group rides? Are night rides allowed at any of the parks? What is the bike shop scene in the Qc's? when I was a bmx-riding teen in the early 80's, there was pretty much just Jerry & Sparky's and Bike & Hike. What else is out there? Who gives the best support to the mtb community? how long does the riding season usually last? In Philly & South Jersey they'd pretty much ride all year round as long as the snows weren't too deep. last question: what tires are best for the area soils? I'm used to riding in sandy, loamy, rocky soil (think sylvan, with more tree roots and rock gardens) and I've found that the tires that were great there, aren't so good in the sticky midwest mud...

I look forward to meeting people out on the trails,

Lance

[jimithng23]

That's a whole lot to digest at once....so, first welcome back!

The smooth trails are more of a function of sustainability than the desire for smooth trails. Our soil doesn't have much in the way of rock, loam, or other organic material that either sheds or absorbs water so we have to build and maintain the trails to shed water as quickly as possible. If we want technical stuff, we're usually stuck building it ourselves. No biggie, as we're becoming quite good at it if I must say so myself. ;-)

Subscribe to the "Let's Ride" forum so you get an email each time someone posts up a ride. Especially this time of the season, we won't have regular group rides but when someone posts up a ride there's usually a good group that ends up riding together.

Night riding is allowed at all parks except Scott County. At Sunderbruch, make sure you park *outside* the gates as the Park Ambassador will lock the main gate after sundown.

We are blessed with great shops in the area. You mentioned 2 already so to add to your list there's: Healthy Habits in Bettendorf, B & B Cyclery in Geneseo, Bike One in Moline, Trek Store in Davenport...so as you see, plenty of choices. I've dealt with most of 'em and I've got nothing but good to say about the one's I've dealt with. Whatever your flavor of MTB is will determine which shop you'll favor the most. Sorry for the ambiguity; there's seriously good people at all the shops so you can't go wrong.

Big-time riding season lasts usually until snowfall. If you have a fatbike, you never stop riding. Heck, some of us keep riding regardless. We're really sensitive to trail damage incurred during wet periods so, after a good rainfall or when the snow begins to melt and the freeze/thaw process begins, it can be painful because we all want to ride but we've gotta stay off the trails while they dry out and harden back up.

Tires. So much goes into tire choice that one person can't simply give you what's "best" for our local trails, they can only give you their best preference. My preference, when things are dry, is a micro-knob tire similar to a Schwalbe Racing Ralph, Specialized Fast Trak, Maxxis Ikon, etc. I prefer a high volume, wider casing like a 2.25" or above, mid-20's for pressure, setup tubeless, and 29" wheels. I've found my favorite tires for our trails - the Maxxis Ikon EXO 2.25" for dry conditions and the Maxxis Ardent EXO 2.4" for when things get a bit softer, like this time of year and through the spring. This is what works for me...and, what works for me may not work for someone or anyone else. Over the years, I've acquired quite a number of tires and I can say I've finally found 2 sets I am confident in and can trust.

Glad to hear you were active with your local clubs. I look forward to meeting up with you on the trails. In fact, if you'd like to introduce yourself in person, we have the next FORC membership meeting (which is open to the public) next Monday at 6:30pm. It's held at Sippis in downtown Davenport, upper floor banquet room.

oh, and learn HFDB. infinite wisdom.

[mtnbkn1]

Somebody dig out that tire debate that was on the forum a while back...

[dgw2jr]

+1 Fast Traks during the dry, dusty time of year. Any other time it's a Specialized Purgatory 2.3 on front and Specialized The Captain 2.2 on the rear, 29" wheels.

If the ground is sticky/muddy then you shouldn't be riding really. Sylvan is USUALLY open just a few hours after a rain event and is awesome to ride in the snow. The riding season lasts as long as you want it to, just be considerate of trail closures.

Also, if you would like to see what happens when trails aren't "too maintained", go check out Loud Thunder Forest Preserve near Illinois City, IL...

[Russhole]

Welcome, your first reply sums it up pretty well. We got some sweet riding close and a lot of good peeps to help keep the trails in good shape.

The tire debate happens all the time. I have found several good tires and only a couple I didn't like. I just bought a bike that came with Shwalbe Rocket Rons and I like those a lot.

Hope to see you on the trails. If you see a dark blue Durango that's me.

[Bexter]

Somebody dig out that tire debate that was on the forum a while back...

NOT the tire debate again!

Welcome! The guys have hit all the high points, so I guess my input is to say hello, thanks for reaching out, and see you on the trails!!

FYI, FORC is riding in tonight's Davenport Halloween Parade. Grab your bike, throw on a costume, bring other costumed riders if you'd like, and say Hi. Meeting between 5:45 and 6:45, parade starts at 7 PM. The details:

http://www.qcforc.org/showthread.php...7284#post17284

[badfish41]

I have found the Surly Nates to be a big help with that little extra "push" you need in treacherous conditions.

Welcome back. Hope to see you around on the trail. Or a brewery.

[SweetSVT99]

I have found the Surly Nates to be a big help with that little extra "push" you need in treacherous conditions.

Welcome back. Hope to see you around on the trail. Or a brewery.

Such as in the river?

[Chief Illiniwek]

Welcome!

JB

I have found the Surly Nates to be a big help with that little extra "push" you need in treacherous conditions.

Welcome back. Hope to see you around on the trail. Or a brewery.

[gigantic]

thanks for all the replies! you can't miss me on the trails, I'm a super-clyde at a healthy 6'8" on a white & black Specialized 29er...
I've been riding with a WTB Bronson up front and a specialized fast trak in the rear. The bronson's grab really well in soft loamy soil and resist the tendency to wash out in corners as I reach the limits of my fork... I like the fast trak for climbing; both tires roll relatively fast, but I guess I'll have to get used to the local dirt. we were blessed with loamy soil in pa & jersey; we could usually ride the day after it rained in most places. I guess I was surprised to see all the logs cut away across the trails; we usually just ride over 'em unless they're too big and what's up with the orange paint at Sylvan? it almost seems like cheating. ;-)
I look forward to meeting you out on the trails and I'll try to make it to Sippi's on Monday!
Thanks!
Lance

[gigantic]

another question: does QCFORC offer regular skills clinics?

JORBA, in south jersey, offered a free clinic every month. There would usually be anywhere from 10-20 riders in attendance along the spectrum of skill levels. they'd spend 45 min-1 hour covering bike setup and basic maintenance as well as skills needed for the trail, e.g. track standing/slow riding, how to negotiate log-overs, shifting technique, braking, where to look when riding, how to negotiate various turns, etc.

After the clinic, there'd be a guided, multi-levels ride with coaches circulating to help less experienced riders. then after the group ride, more experienced riders would have another ride on the more technical trails, with malt & hop refreshments shared afterwards. It was a good experience and brought in many new people to the sport, as well as the club. I attended with my then gf, who was skittish on her bike and kept coming back for the clinics, group rides and camaraderie, even though is was a bit of a drive from my house in the northwest philly suburbs.

do y'all do anything like that?

[jimithng23]

yep. we put on a MTB 101 every year.

the orange paint at Sylvan is there for cautionary measures for events held on the island throughout the year - some of it is done by us, some done by other organizations like the Augustana Cross Country team.

understand that when you ride Sylvan Island you are only one front-wheel washout away from a trip to the hospital. make sure your tetanus shot is up to date!

[dgw2jr]

understand that when you ride Sylvan Island you are only one front-wheel washout away from a trip to the hospital. make sure your tetanus shot is up to date!

He's not kidding!

One of the few if any trails in the world that consists mainly of bricks, glass, and hypodermic needles...

[gigantic]

honestly, it seemed pretty mild and the orange paint, not that necessary, but maybe that was the leaves covering everything else up.
This is one of the local trails back in philly: it doesn't really show the rock gardens so much, but it does give a view of some of the more technical sections.
here's another view of Wissahickon:

and yet another:

a loop of the park is abut 9-12 miles depending on the route and can feature well over 1000 ft in climbs. It's all intermediate or expert level, with some wicked drops, a few pipes integrated into the trail and lots of loose, jagged rock gardens. while I haven't seen any discarded syringes there, I have seen quite a few discarded 40 bottles and I know a lot of guys who carry when they ride there, as the park borders on some sketchy neighborhoods, ie Germantown, Roxboro & parts of Mt Airy; solitary riders have been attacked, beaten & had their bikes, wallets & phones stolen by either gangstas or crackheads.

still, a night ride at the wiss is a lot of fun, but injuries aren't uncommon.


Don't get me wrong, I think I liked the paint- it allows you to focus more brain power on what's ahead, rather than looking out for "oh f@¢£" obstacles. The trails I've ridden here so far have really good flow, even for the first time out. I'm diggin it!

[Bexter]

Our MTB101 classes came about from two factors: my exhusband and I being exasperated watching people ride paved bike paths with mtn bikes / gear, and riding the trails and seeing newer people struggling and us ending up working with them during rides. Because I was a newer rider at the time the MTB101 concept came up, we documented my progress (or lack thereof) and things that challenged me or caused me to crash, and from that came the topics/skills in our MTB101 -- most all that you describe. We built obstacles to teach riders the basics, and then found similar natural features on the trail that we'd hit on the group ride to show rider's real-life examples. From that, quite a few really good riders from FORC kicked in to help add complexity. You should see some of the amazing obstacles they built!! Super fun stuff! The MTB101 is dynamic and any input/contribution you can offer, we'd gladly accept!

And, then guys started asking me to take their women riding in hopes that they'd catch the mtn biking bug. That evolved into "No Chicks Left Behind" sessions the last couple years. We've got a few more women riding now but in my opinion, not nealy enough! There are several of us now who have attended paid mtn bike skills classes to improve our skills and to learn teaching techniques that we can bring back and share with our newer riders. It is pretty exciting to see more and more women empassioned about mtn biking!

Most recently, one of our guys put together a "Take A Kid Mtn Biking" session where after securing donations, each participant received a new helmet, water bottle, etc. and one of our local bike shops (Bike One) did bike maintenance/repairs on participant's bike at no cost to the participant. There was a team of FORCers working with these kids, and the smiles on the kids' faces said it all! Good stuff!!