Sunday on the Enduro, Monday on the Stumpy.

How can any bike feel better than this?

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(But you already know that.)

When I imagine riding trails, this is what I look like.

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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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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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Last weekend, as part of coach training for the Texas high school mountain bike league, I got to ride new trails on a new bike. This is a quick-hit review of the trails and the bike, plus riding a 29er and other stuff.

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I’m offering six public clinics at Valmont Bike Park in August. This is an awesome, cost effective way to dial in your skills.

Classes are limited to six riders each. Cost is $90 and includes the opportunity to purchase the book Mastering Mountain Bike Skills or Pro BMX Skills for a discounted $20.

We will cover the core skills, then we’ll focus on whatever the group wants (and is ready for). Expect to dial in position, braking, cornering and pumping. If all goes well, we’ll do some dropping and jumping too.

Valmont is an amazing place to ride and learn. Come on out. Let’s rip it!

ALL CLASSES ARE SOLD OUT.

I’ll post when September dates are set. Email me to get on the mailing list.

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I’m showing this singletrack.competitor.com photo from last week’s test race on the Olympic XC course because it is so rad.

Let’s discuss:

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I will update this post as I explore the incredible Valmont Bike Park in Boulder, CO. Expect photos and videos.

June 14, 2011: Today, my first day at Valmont, I rode the park for six (6!) glorious hours. Features reviewed: Medium Slopestyle Line, Dual Slalom, Mesa Top Pump Park, Mesa Flow, Corkscrew, Rivet, The 5280’ Run-Up, Creekside Pump Park, Small Dirt Jumps, Dirt 101

June 15, 2011: Update on the big pump track. Added bike suggestions.

June 16, 2011: Added video of Jerad Fischer rolling the Large Slopestyle line. This man is ripping with one leg. Medium dirt jump line.

June 19, 2011: Updated pump track descriptions, added Large dirt jump line.

June 30: Updated Large dirt jump line.

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Lee,

Dunno who else to ask this question, if you’ve got a second, that’d be awesome.

I’m in Santa Barbara, CA on a family trip for the next week. I searched for the Tunnel Trail, since it’s the only one I’ve heard of and your site came up, like, 3rd on the search. Only got a 29er hard tail here (it lives at my parent’s house in Newport Beach). Was thinking of riding up Gibraltar road (since I guess that’s a pretty well known climb) and then down the trail. Will I die if I do this? I figure I can just be slow on the down. For comparison’s sake, I wouldn’t ride, say Keystone or Sol Vista with anything less than 6” of travel (and DH tires for that matter), but I can’t think of anything on the Front Range that I couldn’t ride with a hardtail (including Left Hand OHV area—at least last time I rode it like 7 or 8 years ago)

Thanks,

Scott

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Brandan Fairclough, Curtis Keene and Brad Benedict rock S-Works Enduros in the loamy lovenest that is Santa Cruz.

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