"OPPOsaurus WRX" (opposaurus)
07/16/2020 at 09:05 • Filed to: None
2
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"OPPOsaurus WRX" (opposaurus)
07/16/2020 at 09:05 • Filed to: None | 2
| 9 |
!!! UNKNOWN CONTENT TYPE !!!
SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
> OPPOsaurus WRX
07/16/2020 at 09:14 |
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Looks like a nice smooth xc trail...not much pedaling though?
Highlander-Datsuns are Forever
> OPPOsaurus WRX
07/16/2020 at 09:39 |
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That looks like fun, I like it when you get a train going on the flow line.
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OPPOsaurus WRX
> SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
07/16/2020 at 09:51 |
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its all down hill, with a lift at the bottom.
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SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
> OPPOsaurus WRX
07/16/2020 at 09:53 |
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Enjoy! And don't go hard too early. Stitches are a bitch....
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OPPOsaurus WRX
> SilentButNotReallyDeadly...killed by G/O Media
07/16/2020 at 09:59 |
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yea i’m going to take it easy. i have no desire to get fucked up
Nom De Plume
> OPPOsaurus WRX
07/16/2020 at 10:27 |
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If the trails you’ll be riding are like this I might drop down to an Enduro or lower yet level rental for low speed maneuverability and decreased weight.
Match the bike to your terrain and skills, not fashion.
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OPPOsaurus WRX
> Nom De Plume
07/16/2020 at 13:19 |
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100% with you on matching the bike. whats the difference between enduro and downhill
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Nom De Plume
> OPPOsaurus WRX
07/16/2020 at 15:04 |
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DH is risking life and limb on steep terrain that requires walking the course, planning the run and contingencies, doing a few pre-runs with minimal risks taken, then finally trying single sections with increasingly more focus on linking them together. Referring to DH obstacles as big hits is no joke.
Enduro is a mix of speed and rhythm on highly technical terrain with short intensely steep sections. There will be jumps larger and higher than many would be comfortable with, drop offs with consequences, chutes, places stopping or braking is impossible, highly dangerous exposure, blind approaches to obstacles that require advance knowledge and visual inspection of, and as many oddball off balance never-know-what’s-next stuff as the course designer can implement.
Below that is a lower frequency of blind obstacles or easily mistaken direction. Jumps can still be substantial or include good sized gaps (usually with a chicken route alternative). The above two categories are more like a permanent fixture on a ski hill such as the bowl of a halfpipe. These lower broader categories are just creative use of natural terrain that gets covered in snow. It probably comprises the funnest and highest mileage of lift accessed terrain. Anyone not used to handling this much descending and constant mental assessment of onrushing terrain can easily become overwhelmed. These trails allow stopping to take a breather and recompose yourself for more fun.
Highlander -Datsuns made a very good point about taking a trail bike or even enduro down a number of runs consecutively. If you or the terrain demand constantly braking that functionality is going to drop off and parts may wear out quickly. Expect a rental bike to have been prepped with brakes lacking stopping power that allows them to keep working all day without much degradation under inexperienced riders. This is the type of real world imperfections you need to feel out beforehand. Longer mushier suspension weighed against larger more fade resistant brakes - with both probably set up sub-optimally. Their job in rental is to make sure everyone can have fun and steer them towards one of many bikes across a few categories that can happen on. How they accomplish that sucks a lot of the potential fun out of those bikes and removes a lot that sucks the fun out of bringing your own bike.
Don’t sit down and do a lengthy bike
comparison that loses all relevance. Pick a few bikes that excite you and take a few minutes to look at their geo numbers. Eliminate anything unsuitable on that count
and let your sense of adventure or favorite color, or gut instinct inform you what looks best. If it doesn’t work out they can probably substitute it for another bike after assessing what didn’t work. No stress, ride safe and push your limits a little.
Rust and Dust - Oppositelock Forever
> OPPOsaurus WRX
07/16/2020 at 19:20 |
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I meant to reply to your post yesterday, and this one earlier today, but work has been an absolute motherfucker, so I haven’t been able to. I’m home and drinking now, so let’s have at it!
I’m far from an expert, I only started riding park last year, but quickly fell in love with it. Started spending in-season weekends at a park after about three trips. I bought an enduro to ride after my first trip last year, and just pulled the trigger on a DH bike last week (please deliver tomorrow FedEx gods).
I’ve never ridden Highland, but I’ve heard nothing but great things about it. They’re MTB only, it’s not just an offseason venture for them, so they do shit right. Either an enduro or DH bike should do you fine, and the bike shop there will probably have it well sorted (not some clapped out three year old shitbox with bad tires and weak brakes). If you’re used to a more XC/Trail oriented bike, either option will feel like a monster truck . The enduro will be more responsive to inputs/direction changes (pumping/leaning/weight shifts), the DH bike won’t really give a shit about anything you put in front of it, as long as it’s smaller than a Volkswagen and you’re going fast as fuck. I’d almost recommend the enduro bike, as I doubt you’ll get going fast enough, and on gnarly enough shit, to really see the benefits of a big rig on your first day.
Definitely, definitely, absolutely wear a full-face helmet and goggles. I usually rock a trail helmet even for pretty steep jump lines in town, but never at a lift access park. I’d usually recommend knee/shin pads too (especially shins if you’re riding flats).
Pre-ride, re-ride, freeride. A lot of park trails have multiple lines built in, for varying difficulty . Give yourself a chance to see what you want to do before hitting it at speed.
Yield to faster riders. You might get rolled up on by riders that know the trails. F ind a decent place (wide-ish) to stay to one side of the trail, and they’ll probably thank you and roll by without anyone having to stop.
Bring water (Camelback or a small waistpack and bottle, etc) ! One of the things I love most about riding parks is not riding with a pack/tube/tools/food/etc. Parks usually have coolers and paper cups at top and/or bottom of the lifts, but that hasn’t been the case at either park I’ve ridden in the age of Covid.
Have fun! Bike parks are amazing places full of awesome (for the most part) people . It’s like an amusement park for mountain biking. God, I wish these had existed when I was a kid.
Bonus: here’s an ex World Cup racer/New England local annihilating the big stuff at Highland on a single crown: