Philadelphia Mountain Biking Association - Forums

Is there a certain place that this ride meets in the lot? This will be my first time on the group ride, just want to know who to look out for. 

I'll be in the Wises Mill lot down the trail from VG.  Look for a black Ford Escape with 2 bikes.  I'll be on a blue Santa Cruz.  Wheels out at 5:30 sharp.

As of now the group still plans to be there tonight, 5:30, though I will not. My yard is still looking pretty soppy, but I have no idea how the trails are holding up...

Hey guys, is anyone going to brave the fridgid temps and still ride tonight?

Anyone?

The trails will be frozen and hard and fast!

dz

5:30-6 from VG?

I'll be slower. Haven't been on the bike since Dec 20th...  >:(

see ya there!

Im there!

Is anyone still planning on riding tonight? 1/17

Who's in for Thursday night ride...?  Trails should be fast.

I might be able to make it. I'll know for sure by tomorrow evening.

dz

Fish....Im in

Dave

Great news! At least for me. I don't have to go to NYC tomorrow, so I'll be at VGI tomorrow (Thursday) night. Wheels out at 6!

dz

I'm in.. meet you at Valley Green at 6pm.  We may even have some snow on the ground if were lucky.

-Steve Harris

I can't make it yet again, so the regular ride will be with all of you at 6pm at VG. 5:30 is out; though there may be some other Philly Freeriders there if you are early.

I'm in for 6:00

I think I'm in too!  I'll be there 10 to 6 hopefully.

There may be snow! I'll might be in as well. If I can I'll be there at 6!

another good crew! Fun ride!

Yea.. good group..!   Man, the trails were fargin fast... and Tom's dog in his red superman suit was awesome.. !  that Dog can sure hang.                I'm in next week if conditions are good.. 

Also, nice workbench Clown..!   The wheels have already started turning in my head on how to re-configure my garage work area...hmmmmm.

Dude everytime one of us reconfigures our bike shops, the next guy gets inspired and....let's just say my shop is in construction mode right now thanks to Lou, inspired by Jamie, who was inspired by me, because I was inspired by Lou to begin with. It will never end. I can't wait to see these garages in like 10 years.

I plan on making the Thursday night ride again..

Let's get a good knucklehead crew like last week...!


(http://discoverycycle.com/fjqbtqb2[1].gif)

I'm not sure I can make it unfortunately.  I have a meeting with CHuck Wahn about my LLC in old city at 6 but its still kind of tentative.

Regrets, but  I can't make it out tonight, again... 

Based on Lou's ride report and the DEFCON RED ALERT on the PMBA home page.. I've decided not to ride and forgo the slop...  time for short spin on ye old road bike before it gets dark...    :(

-Steve

Looks like the conditions suck.  Damn.  It just might be a while before we can get back out with the weather that's predicted. 

I can't make it out tonight unfortunately. But I'll be back next week for sure, weather permitting.

Say 5:30-6 from VGI
Non-stop, full loop, decent pace to finish by 8
Anyone in?

dz

I have to wait for a delivery between 5 and 6:30, if it comes early I'll try to join you. However, I'll be going dead slow and riding an hour max anyway...

Last night I found out what being 'out of shape' is all about ! At least I'm back...

Anyone riding tonight?

I've got whatever dirtmerchant had, so wimping out tonight. It's so cold though looks like trails will be perfect.

I'm planning on riding tonight. Depending on whether I'm riding alone or someone is come out, I'll either just go directly into the trails or stop by VGI around 6 PM.
I'm hoping that this cold snap last night and today will freeze and harden the trails...

dz

Yo dudes.. Anyone riding Thursday 3/13 around 4:30 or 5 from  near Valley Green?   I plan on getting to Valley Green by like 4:30 and going for about an hour and half....   

Kman?  Paul?  Hunter?  Anyone?   Bueller?  Bueller?   

There's going to be our regular group heading out at 5:30 from VG; all are welcome. Slow intermediate pace, but we won't drop beginners either.

Fish, feel free to loop back and join us if you don't find anyone.

I'll be going with Jess at 5:30 - at a much slower pace than the freeride guys.  We usually have about 6-8 riders in our group and everyone is welcome.

Is the 5:30 ride gonna continue into a night ride?  I was planning on riding around 4-5 today, but I don't have lights.  Haven't rode since October, so the slow pace would be welcome.

There may be one or two with lights carrying on, but most will probably bail back to the parking lot within 90 minutes. It gets dark around 7pm.

Sorry we missed you Steve. Jamie and I were doing traill maintenance near the pavillion. We rode at 530 and the trails were mint.

I didnt get there until about 5:40.  Tried to get outta work a notch early, but inevitably I got caught in a discussion with my boss.

Anyone riding tonight? I have a meeting to attend and no bike! But let me know if you are going.

My one friend Mike would like to ride but he only 15. His parents will drop him and pick him and he has plenty of experience with the Wiss. But he can't be riding alone. So let me know if you are coming and can chaperon.

As of right now we've had some rain a few hours ago abut I don't think it was enough to cancel the ride. It's still looking 'rainy' but it's looked like that all day, and if it holds off it will be fine.

I am getting out tonight.  Not sure what time yet, hopefully between 6:00 PM and 6:30 PM.

regular ride is leaving at 5:30 from the Inn. Rico; play hooky

I am going to Manayunk brew pub with Jeff P at 5:30 to have a beverage and something to eat and sit in the sun.  Then around 6:30 or 7 we are riding.  If anyone wants to join call me 610.659.3989.  Brad

I am leaving early to get out by 6:15, jess.  I wish i could leave earlier.

I probably can't ride tonight, but I know Lisa and Jon will be there, if not Rob and a bunch more.

I'll be there! yeaaaooowwwwww

Hey guys,

First I want to say the Rally last week was great.  My fiance and I had a blast.  I met Jesse there (I believe it is the same Jesse who hosts tonights ride) and learned a lot about PMBA.  I haven't been riding too long, but I've been riding trails in the Wiss for the last couple of weeks since the weather has been awesome and now I want to meet some more riders.  You may have seen me on the trails, I'm the guy usually riding by myself but occasionally with my fiance.  I ride a forrest green K2. 

I'm posting because I know tonights ride is for all-levels, but I'm still a little weary about if I would consider myself a beginner or intermediate (I'm somewhere in-between there).  So I was just wondering if today's ride is typically for advanced riders or if a newbie like me can keep up.

Some riders on the trails smoke by me, so as you can imagine it can be intimidating. 

 - Dan

I remember you dude. come on out for the ride.

This is not a total-beginner-first-timers instructional ride, but compared to other PMBA rides it's slow. We are all familiar with the experience of not keeping up and feeling like we're slowing others down (well most of us are). But this is a 'no drop' ride so most of the group will be having a break at the top of each major climb waiting for the others to catch. If some speedsters get antsy they may break off into another group.

No matter what though someone will wait for you, and if you're super dooper slow I'll loop back every now and then to see how you're doing. You don't' have to try and kill yourself to keep up. My guess is though you'll do just fine, especially if you've seen the Wiss already and know what you're getting into.

Thanks man I really appreciate it.  I'm hoping I'll be able to hold my own. I've gotten use to many of the climbs on trails, the only ones that kill me are the climbs from Forbidden up into the trails. 

I'm really looking forward to riding today.  I'm eager to meet other riders who are addicted to this like I've become.   

Dan, although you're probably on the ride already w/Jesse.. it's a good ride to get in on! I'm hoping to be back out again for one of his rides next Thursday.

yeah rob, we missed you! Dan did well, specially as he's yet to try clipless pedals and such. And for many of the regulars the ride has become a much more solid 'intermediate' or should I say, 'advanced intermediate' level.

Dan, there wasn't one rider with us who didn't have less than 5 years experience. In fact, I was the least experienced of the lot. (Save Mike, but he's 15 and doesn't count as a real person).

We're going to make some changes(Especially in light of what happened in Neils group ride tonight) though because I know it must have been overwhelming as your first group ride.  My first rides were tough, but at least I had a couple others at my pace. If we can get more beginner/advanced-beginner types out I think that will help.

Rob, I saw the other Dan last week but what happened to that other dude who showed up? This Dan and he would be well matched.

If you like, and can make it out during other nights, let me know and we can just go out with one or two others, say, on Mon or Tues.

sOoon Jesse.. Sooon!!  ;)

The other rider I brought out before, John, hasn't been out much. Either work or base diving (yeah he's a jumper) is in his sites right now. That's awesome DannyC21 did great!

I'm actually toying with the idea of scheduling a beginners type ride between PMBA beginners & the meet-up group beginners on the Wiss some weekend morning. Although I generally don't like hitting the Wiss at 10-11am on a Saturday/Sunday with the crowds, I think it'll help grab more bikers out to the weekly rides once they feel comfortable. Besides, I can always arrive earlier & do my loop(s) before starting the beginners out.
Once I figure out what's happening with babywatch'08 I'll try to get something together.
 

I had a great time yesterday Jesse.  Thanks for staying with me and giving me some really helpful advice.  I really appreciate it. 

It would be great to meet up with a couple of riders at my level.  I don't want hold other riders up on the weekly rides because of my inexperience.  I'm going to make it a point to come out every Thursday night.  I plan to come into work early on Thursdays in order to leave early enough to make it (like I did yesterday).  Even though it was a tough ride I learned and gained a lot from it.  I'm definitely going to look into learning clipless pedals.  That has been my biggest problem on some hills is losing my grip on my feet. 

Once my grad classes end next week, I'll be able to ride every Tuesday night as well if a small group of beginners wants to get together.  My normal rides the last few weeks have been on Tuesday, Wednesday, Thursday, Friday and the weekend.  I've been trying to ride as much as I can to get better at this (and because I love the rush).  Other than Tuesday and Thursday I can't get to the park until after 6, thats why I usually ride by myself.

Thanks again for the support guys.  I look forward to joining more rides.   

Yeah, I definitely be up for a beginner ride, as I have only been MTBing for a year and still consider myself a beginner.

My problem is that I work in the city and commute by train.  I have a hard time getting out to the rides by the specified times.  Hopefully there may be some later rides as the sun stays out longer.

Rob, if you do any weekend rides and don't want to do a morning ride at the Wiss, there is always other places.  Middle Run is always fun and Penny Pack is no where near as crowded as the Wiss.

Hey Danny, as you can see from my previous post, I am probably the same experience level as you.  I would definitely be up for riding with you.

Hey Rico that sounds great.  Yea, I have only been riding for a few months and I am still pretty new to trail riding.  I normally ride Demo 1 to Gorgas when I'm by myself, so last nights ride with Jesse was the longest I have done on the trails since starting.  I would definitely like to meet up and ride with you.

Fortunatly for me, I live on Henry Ave and I ride to the park (this is how I became interested in the sport).  My schedule is pretty tight for the next few days because my grad classes end this coming week and I have a lot of stuff due, but let me know whats best for your schedule and we can meet up.  It is easy for me to get to the park so just let me know when you can get out of the city to ride. 

A friend and I are going to Neshaminy on Sunday of you want to join us.

For the weekday rides, maybe I'll throw the bike and a change of clothes in the back of my SUV and take the train from Chestnut Hill, which means I could make it to one of those rides easier.

I'd love to join you guys on Sunday, but with a final paper due Monday night and a final paper and presentation due Tuesday night, Sunday becomes crunch time (biking has seriously made me procrastinate these last couple of weeks). 

I'm good to ride Wednesday and Thursday this week.  Next weekend I'll be away, but after that I will have nights and weekends to ride as I please. 

Okay.  I'll see if I can get out next Wednesday or Thursday night.

Yes- I do weekend rides as well. I'll be setting up a few beginner/advanced beginner rides, one prob at Pennypark soon too.

Sounds great.  I will definitely be riding Wednesday night and hopefully Thursday if the weather holds up.

I look forward to riding Pennypack.  I haven't ridden there yet. 

Danny- to my knowledge I'll be out there on Wednesday night on Pine Road entrance. I either will have my green & black Jeep or a tan Nissan Altima w/me. The ride starts at 6pm so if you have lights that maybe a good thing to bring w/you.

Actually I'll be riding at the Wiss. on Wednesday, and hopefully be joining the group ride there again on Thursday.  In my last post I meant that I'm excited to try out Pennypack for a weekend beginners ride. 

I work out in Wayne and getting to my place, getting my stuff, and then driving out to Pennypack during traffic hour would be rough.  So I won't be at Pennypack on Wed. 

Danny, if you're working in Wayne I think you get to Marsh Creek pretty quickly. That's some decent riding out that ways. 

Let me know if any of you are coming tonight. We'll have the regular crew and hopefully Neil's HRC team will join us, so we should end up with a couple of groups going a couple of different paces.

I'll be riding gears!

Damn, no SS for Jess!!!!!

I wanted to come out tonight, but I totally forgot that I have a meeting at 6:00 for LaSalle's Young Alumni. 

Hopefully next week.

Yea I'm up in the air for tonight.  My last paper is due tomorrow and I probably should take it seriously so I can ride with some peace-of-mind this summer. 

The weather is awesome today and I hope it holds up.  If it does I will be very tempted to come out.  I'd like to join the group since I'll be getting my first set of clipless this weekend and will be spending all of next week getting use to them. 

If I don't make it out have a great ride.

Dude, you live right here! You can ride down the hill and ride back up again for a great mini workout, and be back for papers in 20 minutes!  ;D

Remind me too, I can show you a great 1.6 mile loop covering most of Demo 1 where you don't even have to hit any hills and you can just do some laps with logs and everything. I have been known to do that when I only have a few minutes and don't have time for a long ride with all the gear.

I'm envious! Being a slacker with no car means I have to allow at least 30 minutes to ride to Wisssahickon from Center City (and 30 mins return trip too). I guess it's still riding, just not very interesting riding ;) Jess, was it you that had the apartment for rent, a stone's throw from the trails???  ;D

yes, you can move in tomorrow!

I just re-listed it for two people instead of three. so you'd essentially get a half a house to yourself, including utilities...

http://philadelphia.craigslist.org/roo/663142642.html

You are twisting my arm Jess.  Ok I'll come out for a little while and bail after an hour or so. 

Thanks for making me feel ashamed for almost backing out when I live only a 5 minute ride from the VG parklot.  Honestly, I really appreciate that, ha ha. 

Hope the weather holds! 

"Come to the dark side.. hhhoooopaaaahh.."   ;D

OHHH man.. did I see new clipless in your future? nnnnnniiice.. ok, just get accept it in your head now.. "you HAVE to crash".. once you accept it, everything will be A-ok!   

Yes clipless is in my future.  I plan on picking them up tomorrow with a good pair of shoes.  Riding today in the rain officially sealed the deal for me.  It is such a pain to ride with sneakers and flat pedals. 

After I get back from my fiance's mom's bday and supporting my friend in the NJ marathon on Sunday, I plan to spend all day, and then everyday after work for rest of the week, getting used to those things.  Hopefully by Thursday I'll have some hang of them - or riding with you guys will be my trail practice..haha..should be fun. 

I have already faced the fact that I will fall and probably often.

Regarding clipless, we all fail in the beginning. Depending on what style/type of pedals you buy you're going to want to practice in a nice grassy field. It softens the landings. Practice clipping in/out one pedal at a time. Find a log or object that sits a few inches off the groung, pull up parallel to it & rest your unclipped foot on it. With the other foot practice clipping in and out. Reverse your direction along side the object and practice with the other foot.

It takes time but you'll get the hang of it and never look back. A nice little saying to remember, "when in doubt, clip out."

I apologize for the thread hijack...............

going along with Mtrostle's posting.. don't forget WHICH foot you unclip too..  :)

It amazes me how many times I've come across new roadies attempting to learn clipless systems on the road :o!!! That is the last place you want to be. I've come across 2 instances where the rider fell because they got hung up, lost their ballance or just got plain confused and fell. The results were either a broken elbow or a nice case of road rash.

IMHO, I think shops should take a few minutes to educate new riders on clipless systems, but what do I know  ???

Thanks for the advice guys.  I will definitely take it easy learning this system, and I can assure you I will stay off roads and trails for a few days, haha.  I'll probably use mtrostle's advice and stick to grass to soften the landing.  I'll also take my time and ride in circles until I get the feel of getting in an out of them, I figure you can't fall too much if you don't stop pedaling.

A couple of new cuts and bruises won't kill me.   

It also depends upon what type of pedals you get.  I remember reading tons of posts on mtbr.com about the best "beginner" clipless pedals and there probably isn't a best out there.  It all depends on what you end up liking.  Tons of people will recommend a Crank Bros. pedal and others Shimano, Time, Speedplay, etc.

I just got clipless last summer and went with Shimano MT 520's.  I did this mainly because you can adjust the tension on the pedal to make it easier or harder to clip out of.  The better you get at clipping in and out, you can tighten the tension. 

I know other people who started out on Crank Bros. Candies or Mallets and had no problem either.  It all depends on your own personal preference, but I like the fact that you can adjust the tension on the Shimanos....plus they are not too expensive.

My 2 cents.

I always recommend either Time ATAC or Crank Bro eggbeaters or other such pedals to the new clipless riders.

Here's my reasoning. With "regular" clipless there is a mechanical interface where cleat engages into some sort of "grabbing" mechanism, and it will release under certain angles and such.

In Times and Crank Bro it's a very simple cleat squeezed by a spring. They do release under sufficient tension, even if you do not turn the foot just right. So in the case of a crash, your foot will come out and disengage from the bike long before your ankle or other body parts will get twisted or hurt. Very much like ski bindings, letting go off the skies when you fall.

And they also do have "adjustment", you can swap the cleats left to right to get a quicker easier release vs. more secure harder release.

The only catch with Crank Bro, do not go for the cheapest (there are models as cheap as $30-40) ones, with the body is made out of rough stamped steel. Those are not easy to get in and out of, but any mid-level and up ones, with cast bodys, are butter smooth engagement and release.

dz

Thanks for all the advice guys I really appreciate it.

I am looking into the eggbeaters.  I work up the street from High Roads Cycles and I was talking to someone there about switching to clipless the other day, and the eggbeaters do sound great.  The only problem for me is the price.  I'm on a little tight budget, and since I have to get shoes I can't go too crazy.  I want to make sure I get a really good pair of shoes.

I'm highly considering the Shimano M520's because of the price and because I have heard a lot of good things about them.  They have great reviews on MTBR and even the person at High Roads said she's been using them for 3 years and likes them.  I also figure with all Shimano shoes and pedals on sale at REI starting today, I could probably find some nice stuff there. 

We'll see.

Go for the 520s.   They are a great pedal and will last a LONG time, as will the steel cleats.   Plus they offer a wide range of release tension adjustment that is very easy to play with to find your comfort zone.   And some different cleat options, although I think 99% of users use the stock ones.  The newer design (last 5 years or so) clears mud just as well or better than others, so don't listen to the older reviews on MTBR, because the design is much improved for that.

I have mine tight and always come out of them when I fall off my bike.

IMO, I've seen way too many eggbeaters break....

I've had mine for 3+ years and they still work well. You can mash them into the ground, slam them into rocks or logs and they still work. Sort of like th Energizer Bunny................

I seem to have worn out my pair of 540s, but have a bunch of 520s on various bikes...some old and they are all still working perfect.

Less is more?

Gotta agree with Chuck on that one. I've seen many eggbeaters break.

All pedals are the same really. A cleat with a spring holding it. I also like shimano cause they have the tension screw that lets you set the force it takes to release them. They make two types of cleats. One is multiple release angles good for beginners, and the other is just one release angle which you will want once you get used to them and the action becomes more intuitive. I've never broken them despite many hard hits against rocks.

I heard of eggbeaters break. I rode my smartys (cheap version of candys) for over a year now, with all the rock/ground strikes and extra torque from SSing, still no break.  ;)

I thought Times were indistractable, and then heard of someone break theirs...  ::)

Pick any. Whichever works. Times are heavier but cheaper. I'm not familiar with shimano pedals to be honest.

dz

Dmitri, can you tell me which models of eggbeates are stamped out and which one are better?

I've broken about 5 pairs; 1 a year, but I've always bought the cheapest and abused them plenty. The latest pair of smarties I bought don't have a grease access port, which I see as a good thing because the old versions you were meant to flush them every few months. I never did and I reckon that is why a couple pairs failed. Without the port means they've cut down on wearable parts and sealed the movement bearing inside.

I've broken two tongs over the years, (the most recent because of Chuck's jinx), but surprised really I haven't broken more. The last pair was relatively new so I wonder if they'll warrenty...

But all that being said, I do like them. They shed everything, they are easy to get into and easy to get out of, they have great clearance, the four sided entry means they are always in the right position, and yes, they are cheap. (at least the cheap ones are cheap).

Just look at the larger pictures of the pedals, and look at the body (the "hoops" or "wings") if they are smooth and round, that's cast, if they look like the are more rectangular in the cross-section, that's stamped.
Smarties might not have grease points, but I think it's bad thing, cos now there is more wear, since the moving parts are not lubricated.

The body (or the hoops) into which you clip in, rotate around the spindle ever revolution, and thus without lube create a lot of friction and wear off on the spindle. On my pedals the body wobbles about 1/4"+ on the spindle due to that wear.

here are examples of stamped vs. cast:

http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/large_image.php?id=10907 (http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/large_image.php?id=10907)

http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/large_image.php?id=10869 (http://www.universalcycles.com/shopping/large_image.php?id=10869)

That is true, that was my fault completely.    :D

A friend of mine manage to break both of his egg beaters at the same time landing off a 2ft log.  And both broken tongs scratched/stuck in his shins.    :o

Wow that's sounds like it hurt Chuck. I now know that I will never buy a pair of eggbeaters. I just got a new pair of Shimano,  the PD-M647   

http://bike.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/products/pedals/mountain/product.-code-PD-M647.-type-pd_mountain.html (http://bike.shimano.com/publish/content/global_cycle/en/us/index/products/pedals/mountain/product.-code-PD-M647.-type-pd_mountain.html)

So far they are great.

And I just bought another "stamped" pair; great...

thanks for the explanation. I don't think I've ever had the cast ones

I think you will like these pedals Tom. I've had mine for over a year and they have been great. Prior to that, I had the older M646 (metal cage) which held up pretty well for about 5 years. Granted, I am not too hard on my stuff, more clumsy with smashing into rocks and such. The resin cage seems to take the abuse in stride.

That's good to know, since I was a little skeptical on the resin cage. I too ran the metal ones for years. Amazing how long they held up.

It could very well dry up, nevertheless I'm canning tonight's ride.

It never rained last night. The rocks were damp and slippery (fun) but there was no water or mud on the trails anywhere! Glad we got out, since today and probably tomorrow are a wash.

dz

Yea Kman and I went out for a ride last night and the trails were good. Not soft at all, just a little slick on the rocks. Good times.

I was out with newbie, DannyC as well, and ran into Dmitri, Tom, and Rob.  I think I saw two small puddles the entire ride. 

Fun ride last night.

Will there be a ride this Thursday night (5/15)? Any room for a novice?

Hey, I'm a noob here too.

Danny and/or Rico; are you guys still planning on riding this week?

we'll be having our normal ride as usual at 5:30 at VG and hopefully have a few newbies out.

ok, this is a TOTALLY tentative maybe but I MAYBE coming out for Thursday's ride at 5:30p. Not sure how I'll be since the last time I was out I was out w/Luke (LC) about 2 weeks ago. I'll be at VGI hopefully before 5:30. As usual, don't wait in case I get caught on parental duties. 

Great, thanks. Another question is about lighting. I thought I read somewhere that there is lighting available for rent for the evening rides?

I may be, I have to check.  I have had a lot of stuff going on this week.  I'll get back to you.

I will be out of town for work tomorrow and probably won't be back in the area until after 8 so I can't make it. 

I went out riding yesterday and I'm looking to hit the trails again today if anyone is interested.  Any beginners looking to go riding late this afternoon?

Unless you plan to be out for 3 hours or you start late you probably don't need lights. This past winter though Princeton Tec (http://www.princetontec.com/index.php) was coming to VG and letting you try out their systems at either a 6:30 or 7:30 ride, but I'm not sure if they are still doing that now...

        Sunset                     8:09 p.m.                 
        End civil twilight         8:39 p.m

Hey LC, unfortunately I am out for tonight.  Totally forgot that we (me and the future Mrs.) have wedding planning stuff to do tonight.

People, I have to ride now and can't wait for 5:30. there should be a few out though so hopefully you all can work out a ride.

I know Neil's High Road crew is going to be out and would like to see some of the Thursday night riders. So look out for them too. Mike S will be out on a downhill bike, so if anyone can deliver him back to his folks that would be great.

Dan and Luke,

Weather permitting I will probably be able to get out this Thursday.  Let me know if you guys want to ride.

Rico,

A close friend of mine is graduating Thursday and I'm going out to dinner with them and their family at 7, BUT I really want to ride.  Since the restaurant is not far, and I live by the park I can ride until about 6:30 and then I have to bail.

What time are you going to be at the park?

I should be there ready to ride by 5:30 along with some of the pre-PMBA Thursday night ride group.

I am guessing the same time as before....around 6:00PM so I am not sure it that'll work for you.  That is depending upon what time I get back from my golf outing. 

I was going to try and get out after work on Friday, probably bolt outta work a few hours early.

Yea I'm not sure if that will work for tomorrow.  Maybe I'll see you on the trail for a couple of minutes.

I am riding Friday, but not at the Wiss.  A few of my friends rented a beach house in Belmar for the summer, and this weekend is kick off weekend.  I am riding though on Friday and Sunday at Allaire State Park (just outside of Belmar).  There is a Jersey mountain bike group called JORBA and a few of there members are going to show me around the park. 

If you have no plans this weekend your more than welcome to join me. 

I can't do today, but I might be able to do tomorrow. What time were you thinking? It takes me a while to get in to the Wiss from Villanova.

regular ride tonight, 5:30, and dinner at the Adobe at 8-9 ish. let's get a table back by the bar like we had last time. May rain a bit but I don't think it will be enough to affect the ride.

Dan and Luke...you guys wanna ride on Thursday? 

If anyone is interested in a Beginner Ride, DannyC21 and I will probably be going out around 6:30 starting from Summit Ave.

I'm going to try to be there. I'll give you a ring Rico.

Luke and Dan, great ride last night, until I went endo on our way back to the car.   :o

Elbow wasn't as bad I thought and my right love handle is killing me!   :D

Yea, definitely a great ride last night.  Thanks for meeting up with me after you guys got started.

Good to hear that the wounds aren't to bad Rico.  That endo looked and sounded a hell of a lot worse than the minor injuries you walked away with.

Luke how is the car?

Nothing like a good OTB endo to get the juices flowing! Glad you're ok Rico. And it's a bonus someone got to witness it!!!

Yeah, we came down Demo 1, crossed Wises Mill heading back towards Summit.  I went OTB on the downhill before the creek.  Got trail rash on my shoulder and the right side of my lower back.  Slammed my forearm above the elbow pretty good and got a nice gash.  It hurt more right after it happened than it does now. 

I think I'll buy elbow pads for next time....LOL.   ;D

Damn - I missed getting the video on that one. 

Just remember Rico- "chicks dig scars"  LOL  ;D

I endo'd on a ride w/LC his first time out on the Wiss. Last section before we got to Lincoln Drive. We were crusing along & my front tire hit a rock that moved. AAAAHH the dreaded "death cookie".. It was 25ft from the end of the trail! Of course at the bottom of that trail I saw something I NEVER saw before.. the "no bike" sign posted. D'OH!

Unfortunatley, MY CHICK doesn't.  I was able to hide my bruised and scraped back until last night.  Luckily, a few Captain and Cokes later, the topic was forgotten.   ;D

Whoops, its been a busy week. The truck is fixed. Damn sensors....

Big thanks to Rico for giving me a ride home that night! I owe ya!

It was a great ride though, can't wait till this rain stops and I get a chance to get out again.

Luke...you're welcome!

What was wrong with the sensors?

A coolant temp sensor went bad, so the computer was trying to dump to much fuel.

Its always something...  ::)

Thurs-Night ride: FOW's New Bio-composting Bog

Hey people, we have the regular Thursday night ride leaving 5:30 from VG but we’re heading on the opposite side toward Kitchen’s Lane and briefly stopping there where at 6pm FOW is having an opening ceremony for the new Wiss bio-composting commode. Perhaps those of you who make a run before the ride may want to hold it in order to christen the new throne?

Wow an opening ceremony for a toilet, sounds exciting!

:)

I hear it's a  "BYOTP"

Make sure it's biodegradable TP...  ;)

http://www.fow.org/upcoming.php

I was actually wondering what they were doing with that structure, I saw the new windows a while back but always appeared to be locked -- looked nice. Wonder how long it takes for the first piece of trash to scribble on the walls...

-p

 Jesse,

I'm down for riding tonight, however concerning the...


I'm not very excited about following anyone who's taken your suggestion to heart .

biothrone, could that be a good marketing term for it? might want to trademark that...

Da-da-da-Da! "BioThrone: Not the same old crap."

 :D :D :D

Funny!

Ride report: we had a big crew turn out though sorry if we missed some of you.

We ended up late at the BioThrone but turned out to be just in time for the opening. They had about 6 people there including the usual suspects: Ed, Godfather, Maura, Kevin....     So when 12 MTB riders showed up, including DZ and others, it worked out great; I think they were chuffed. 

Obviously ED and other FOW volunteers spent a lot of effort putting the project together and I hope it works out. And thanks to all the riders who took some time out to honor them with your presence!  ;D

good call to swing by there... 8)

Where is this thing?  I had guessed it gonna replace the portapotty at the Kitchen's Lane parking lot, but there was nothing new there when we rode by last night. 

down over the bridge on the FT side. It's along the FT on the creek side

People of the Dirt, Due to the huge turnout we'll split this ride into three groups:

1. Racer Crew:  go race, knock yourselves out, don't wait for anyone.

2. Speed Crew: go race, but STOP on the top of every other major hill and wait for all to catch up. Give the last rider in the Speed crew a breather too, then go when ALL are ready. If a rider has a mechanical, at least one of you stop with them and join them on the rest of the ride. This is a social ride. Don't want social? Join the racer crew.

3. Slomo Crew: We'll stop at the top of each major Hill. We'll wait for all to catch up and get a breather. SloMo riders, I will wait for you, but you must let me know if you're going bail out. If you bail and don't let me know you're going to be regulated to the Forbidden Trail until you take me to dinner to apologize. 

Wheels out 5:30 from the parking lots. Helmets mandatory, rain cancels.

Couple of change ups here. First, last week was a lot better. No one dropped without communication, and generally we all stuck together or in groups. I think what really works out best is a buddy system; pick a rider your level and stick together so no one ends up on their own.

Also, never leave anyone alone with a mechanical, (even if they say it's OK, they are lying); stick with them!

This week is a bit different. We are starting off as normal, but  some of us are going to be sneaking off with the IMBA crew to check out Belmont. I know many of you won't have time for that, so please I want the regular ride to go ahead as planned, but if some of the more experienced riders want to join us please feel welcome.

Because of the change-up this week there might not be  anyone sweeping at the back, so slow folks or first timers, you'll want to bring a buddy or check us out next week.

Anyway, what follows is the normal spiel:
[divider]

Beginners are welcome but the Wiss Trails may be intimidating for 'first timers'.

If you are a first timer please feel free to contact me and we can schedule a separate ride to get you in the game. Or better yet, check out the Beginner clinics upcoming.

Don't forget hydration, and if you need any MTB 101 type advice please let me know.

Keep in mind too that the Wiss trails are demanding, so that $200 Wal-Mart bike won't cut it.

90% of the time we head up to Summit Ave and then take the upper trail out toward Lincoln Drive. Do a whole loop if you like or bail back the Forbidden Drive at any time. If you're late you can scoot up Wises Mill Rd or other sections from the Forbidden Trail and try to catch us.

I want to get out and hit the Wiss today, but I can't make the group ride because of the time I get out of work.  Anyone interested in getting out sometime between 6 and 6:30?

Either post up, email me (dcowls07@gmail.com), or give me a call 201-458-2955.

You know I would usually join you, Dan, but I gots to work and need my chiseled body to be scar free for next Friday!   ;D

Did anyone ever tell you that having ten stitches coming down your forehead on the day of your wedding would make for a really cool story ten years from now?? ;D

Be sure to hit me up when you gte back from the honeymoon.

Chics dig scars   ;D  Early congratulations and good luck. As a fellow married man, I've got to play the role of Vince Vaughn from "Old School" and tell you don't do it, but in reality, do it, it's worth the ride. Have fun on the honeymoon. It all goes fast!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I was originally surprised at your response.....considering you are usually the voice of reason!   :D

Yeah, I know.  I can't wait for the day to get here and to enjoy the honeymoon.  St. Lucia here I come!!!!!   ;D

Now that we got that inspirational marriage talk out of the way, does anyone want to ride later today? 

I'm very flexible since I live real close to the park (actually only a few feet from it).  I just won't be home until 5:30-5:45ish.

Hey everyone!  Just signed up for a membership and it's going to be my first time riding with PMBA tonight.  Can someone post info about the ride - meeting place, rollout time, groups, etc.  Thanks, Dan

We are meeting at VGI (Valley Green Inn) at 5:30-ish and one group will be heading over to Belmont for Thursday night "races" and another or two will ride in Wiss.

Welcome to the club! Good to have you join!

dz