If you actually read this thing, you may remember that a little over a year ago I had my first mt. biking experience at French creek. I hated it. What I didn't know is that French creek is one of the harder places in the area. A few weeks ago the shop had another Employee Appreciation Day and we went mt. biking at the Wissahickon (Valley Green or Forbidden Drvie for you locals)... in the rain. I didn't hate it as much. After everyone at the shop telling me to go to White Clay before I decided to give up on mt. bikes altogether, I agreed to head down there with Isaac.
White Clay is a park in Delaware, so it already has one strike against it. It has a ton of trails running through it, of varying difficulty, so it is supposed to be enjoyable for all skill levels. They even have a skills course for people that enjoy falling on their faces.
The steed for this excursion was to be Specialized Epic Comp (http://www.specialized.com/us/en/bc/SBCProduct.jsp?spid=52787&scid=1000&scname=Mountain). Ideally, I'm told, one would want to ride a hardtail in White Clay, but the only two test bikes we had in the shop were a FSR Stumpjumper and the Epic, which is also full suspension. What is cool about the Epic is that it has an adjustable Brain, so you can set it up so the rear is locked out until it encounters a sharp enough impact, and then it does all of its suspension goodness. While still not as stiff or responsive as a hardtail, it was much better than if I hadn't locked out the Brain. I didn't have any of the super annoying bouncing when climbing, or pedaling in general. The Epic is lighter than the Stumpjumper as well.
After stopping in Newark to fuel up on a breakfast burrito and an awful excuse for a pineapple smoothie, we headed to White Clay and parked. Then we realized that we were at the furthest point from the easy trails we could possibly be. So we re parked. We went out on the easiest trail first and I was terrified. Death gripping the handlebars the entire way, skidding on leaves because the brakes are just ridiculously strong, turning in too late because I was afraid to hit trees... then it was over. We were back at the car and I wasn't sure how I felt.
After discovering we were both over dressed, we changed, then headed back out into the park. I started to get more comfortable, and my speed picked up (I still wouldn't call it "fast") as I got used to how much grip the bike had. The trails were harder, but not impossible for me. Isaac would blast through and then wait for me to catch up.
After a slight detour (getting lost), we headed down one section and Isaac pulled over. He told me that for the next section, I didn't have to pedal and to maintain my speed (I.E. stop riding my brakes). It was just a bunch of bumps set up on a slight downhill, but they were different sizes, getting bigger as you went. I listened to Isaac and just kept my speed up. It was awesome. For the first time ever, I smiled on a mt. bike.
We went on for a while longer. There were some narrow, windy climbs that were a little tough, and I realized I was tired. Not "rode too hard and have no energy, but can recover" tired, but "physically exhausted" tired. I was getting sloppy.
On the downhill from the twisty, narrow hills, I was flying. Then came a section of bumps. I decided to just plow over them. What I didn't expect was that I was going fast enough that I caught air over all of them. I smiled again.
After a short uphill, we headed down again. This time it was slightly steeper (read "faster") and there were more bumps, only closer together. That was fine until the last bump, where I landed right where the next bump started to rise. I somehow managed to keep it together over the last bump, but then there was a sharp right turn and I had a death grip on the brakes and just slid until i fell over. It didn't hurt at all, but it reinforced the fact that I was spent. From that point on, I just made mistake after mistake. And it was all uphill to get back to the car. I made it, but barely.
So, here's what I learned:
1) I kind of like mt. biking... at White Clay.
2) Hitting a tree with your shoulder hurts. A lot.
3) I don't like wide handlebars. It freaks me out because I think I'm going to hit everything. Then, when I tell myself to turn earlier, it's just in my head, I hit everything.
4) If you relax your upper body, it's easier, but if you're terrified, you can't relax.
5) Specialized Epic Comp is an awesome bike.
6) White Clay is beautiful.
7) Riding mt. will make you a better road rider.
8) Make sure everything is bolted down properly before going for a ride.
9) Don't forget your water bottle because a DeerPark bottle will fly off the bike within two minutes (Isaac)
10) All bikes are fun.
