Why should I wear a helmet?

Fact: Thousands of cyclists around the world die in crashes each year. Hundreds suffer permanent brain damage. Many of these are experienced, careful riders– riders like you. Most of these head injuries can be prevented if people just wore helmets. If you think that wearing a helmet is a hassle or just isn’t cool, think about how “cool” it will be to be in a wheelchair for the rest of your life. Today’s helmets are lightweight, fashionable, cool and inexpensive — especially compared to an emergency room visit.

Helmet types

There are two basic helmet types, hard shell and soft shell. Hard-shell helmets have a thin plastic surface, while soft-shell helmets have only a soft foam surface. Hard shells are preferable over soft shelled helmets ‘cuz when a hard shelled helmet hits rough ground it will skid rather than catch on the ground – which could possible break your neck.

If you have a crash and your helmet takes a significant hit, replace it right away. An impact can damage a helmet’s foam core, meaning that it may not protect you as well as a new helmet could.

What to look for in a helmet

Rating: Look on the inside of the helmet: It should have a green or blue Snell sticker meaning the helmet passed the Snell Foundation’s safety tests.

Fit:You must have a good fit. A snug fit means that if your head hits more than once, the helmet will stay in place. Most brands of adult helmets come in two or three sizes, and you can make them fit even better by adjusting the straps or putting the included foam pads around inside. Note: Do NOT wear your helmet tilted back on your head, it won’t protect your skull in a frontal impact.

How to Check For A Good Fit

1. The helmet sits level on your head.
2. If you move your head while the helmet is fastened, it does not move around on your head (side to side, front to back).
3. With the straps tight, you can’t possibly get the helmet off.

If the helmet fails any of these, either adjust the straps, put in bigger pads, or try another size.

Ventilation: A helmet’s ventilation depends on front-to-back flow. Good air flow comes from long, wide air vents, and air passages (otherwise known as troughs) between the vents.

Weight: Less expensive helmets are usually only ounces heavier than expensive ones– and most cyclists notice no difference. If you think you need an ultra-light helmet, test-ride a regular one to make sure.

Aerodynamics: Many cyclists worry that some features, such as sun visors, will increase wind resistance. Don’t worry; a helmet’s design won’t slow you down unless you’re going Mach 1.

Cost: You can get a good Snell-rated bike helmet for $30 to $80. Hard shells cost a little more than soft. More costly helmets usually aren’t much safer, but they look cool, have better ventilation, and weigh less. Note: Before you buy a helmet, always try it on or have your bicycle store’s staff fit you.

Fresh snow, blanketing harder – older snow below. The sun’s new found warmth turns it into the consistency of gravel. The need to ride has become oppressive. Just can’t seem to spend the time on the trainer like last year. Must be spooked by all the press on impotence. “You said that when the dog hit a year you would take him for his first ride.”

Trying not to listen he ties his riding shoes and searches intently for his helmet – the helmet directly below the feet that moments before he laid said helmet between. He is so looking forward to this ride; the conditions probably won’t be this good again for months. With spring fastly approaching there could be 2 – 3 months of mud and virtually unrideable trails.

“Here’s your water bottle, and your dog,” she says, handing him a bottle and a blue leash; attached to one very excited 1 year and 2 day old Chesepeak Bay Retriever.
MUCH, MUCH, MUCH MOPING AND DRAGGING OF FEET… “Come on Chester, were going for a ride,” muttered with less then obvious enthusiasm.
“Oh come on, who knows you both just might like it?” He can’t help but notice the calculation in her eyes when she says this – the house empty and to myself.

The parking lot is deserted. Thank god. Dog and Bike are unpacked. Chester digs the woods, and knows these trails. Every second day without fail Chester and Owner decend upon Randy’s Trails for much romping.

What a day. Traction is as good as it gets, with only a couple of icy bits. The dog preforms flawlessly. He picks ligns like a pro and has the endurance of Overand ( due to almost daily runs at Point Plessant with running-wife ). Until, apparently it becomes hunt for stick in middle of the trail time. Of course, right at a sketckthy downhill, off-camper, right-hander. Tic the dog and stack hard into a thankfully forgiving 10 foot alder. Chester is a bit freaked. As man, dog and machine shake it off a moment of ‘connection’ occurs. The dog and MTN Biker bond. This is wicked. Back at the car 1.5 hours later there’s nothing but good feelings. It was a blast. A great day, and another great ride.

Since then the dog and I have shared the trails another couple of times. Not always that perfect, usually always fun. The dog really pushes me in the technical sections and its a blast to pass him on the downhills. He’s a great training partner; a bonus when busy lives keeps my usual riding bud tied to a desk. But the largest bonus of all – get home and he’s destroyed – sleeps the rest of the day. Peace! Yes! Those of you with Retrievers know what I mean.

Steel is real, and may the Redsox win the pennant in my lifetime.

Brent “getting used to being a dog owner’ Nicholson

Not so much Road Trips: Porcupine Rim Trail Adventures

Not so much Road Trips; “Eight hours into the Porcupine Rim Trail and we decided to pick up the pace.” This sentence leads me to two conclusions; one they are aliens, and two, even given that weird kind of ability, I’ll never be allowed to have that kind of vacation. Think about it. “Honey, can I take all the vacation money and head across the continent and possibly kill myself in some remote MTN biking Mecca?” he asked from behind the fridge door cowaringly.

But this is the scene I am inundated with every time I pick up a magazine or watch alittle Fattrax. I am sure that there is epic quality riding in Moab, Crested Butte, etc., but that I’ll probably never see it. Does that mean that I should feel less then fulfilled as a MTN biker? Yeah probably.

The need to travel is endemic to all of us who MTN bike. If not the North Shore in Vancouver then where? News Flash! Maybe you can find adventure closer to home. In my own province of Nova Scotia, there are two rides I have heard lots about but had never found the time for. The first is less then two hours down the road in the Wentworth Valley, and the second on Cape Breton Island in a town called Mabou.

Man is not an Island unto himself. Plus I don’t carry any tools. Therefore an accomplise was called for. Every hero needs a sidekick. I the Calfless Wonder have, dun dun dun dah, Mango Man. After noticing the Ride Beacon was in the sky our two heros loaded the Yellow Submarine and hit the road. (The Yellow Submarine is a classic 91 Toyota Previa.) Apparently the marriages were going to surrive our little adventure for we had tacit approval from our ever understnding and tolerant Life Partners.

“Mango, did you remember the beer, the tools, the tent, the bags, the food, the pump, the map, the cell phone, the ball gloves, the Sega, the beer, the mud tires, the beer, and the lights?”
“Why yes Wonder I did.”
“Cool, I got my lucky hat, I guess we’re good to go.”
“Yes Wonder it appears so, but did you remember your Tony Kid Calf Shaper?” snickeringly jabbed Mango Man.
“Funny man! But who’ll be laughing when your broken down on the trail and you have to come crawling to…(it was that second that The Calfless Wonder realized he couldn’t even change a tire and relied completely on his sidekick for mechanical asssistance and stammered…)”Just drive.”
“Yes of fearful freak.”
“For the last time it’s fearless friend!”

Two pastry breaks and one hour and fourty minutes later our heros arrive in Wentworth at the Valley Inn. A weirdly tucked out of the way joint, reasonably priced and used to the antics of Sky-bums and Dirt-Heads. Unloading the Yellow Submarine our heros could not contain they’re glee and performed the little known, soon-to-be-mountain-biking-on-an-unknown-trail-staying-in-a-hotel-room-drinking dance.

Well that its it so far. I’m actually going to ride the trail. Stay tuned for the continuing road trip adventure of The Calfless Wonder and Mango Man.

Every bike needs to be cleaned and lubed every once in a while. Your bike should also be washed after especially dirty rides. Washing your bike is easy and does not take that much time, so there is no excuse to not have a clean bike! After you wash your bike, make sure to check all of the areas that require a lubricant and lube ‘em if needed.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
Soap
A dish washing brush
A toothbrush
lube – not WF40! use a high grade lube such as Pedros
Sponge
Towel

1. Mix the soap with half a bucket of warm water. Using a sponge wash down the entire bike.
2. Give the bike a once over. This will allow you to find any spots that you missed or didn’t come off in the first wash. Use the brush to get rid of any dirt from the tight places the sponge couldn’t fit.
3. Rinse off your bike with a light spray. Make sure that you don’t use full stream when rinsing your bike. A full stream can wash away grease from bearings.
4. Dry your bike and lube up the chain and any other area that needs grease.

Never pressure wash your bike. The bearings will not be able to keep the water out.

Every once in a while, you should check your bike to ensure that it is in perfect working condition. It may also be a good idea to perform pre-ride checks. This may not matter if you are just going to the store, but if you are going for a long ride, it’s a good idea to make sure that your steed isn’t going to break down. The amount of time that it takes to check your bike is definately worth it. You don’t want to break down in the middle of nowhere.

Make sure to check these things prior to your ride:

1. Brake tension- check to see that you have sufficient tension in the brake cable by pulling on your brakes hard. Your brake pads should hit the rim of the wheel before your levers hit the handlebars.
2. Brake pads- look at the brake pads by releasing the straddle wire. Check to make sure they have some substance. This will depend on the type of pad you get – compare a new set to your current set.
3. Derailleurs- Check gear cable tension and also that your derailleurs are set up properly by running your bike through the all of the gears.
4. Chain- make sure your chain has no stiff or damaged links. Do this by spinning the cranks backwards. If the chain jumps, it means that a link may be damaged.
5. Handlebars- check to make sure the bolt that clamps the stem to the handlebars is tight.
6. Stem- make sure that your stem bolt is tight in the frame.
7. Seat and seat post- make sure that your seat is at the correct height and that the clamp is on tight.
8. Tire pressure- squeeze the sides of the tires to make sure that they are properly inflated. They should give just a little. Use a tire gauge if you have one for a more accurate reading.
9. Wheels- check that the wheels are straight by spinning the wheels and listening for a scuffing noise. This noise is the rim hitting the brake pads. And means your rim is untrue.

Now give your bike a quick ride to make sure everything is ok. After that you’re ready to role!

The best biking experience of this young year happened for me the other day. First let me provide some background info, the 411 as our friends at Bike Magazine like to term it. I’m nearly thirty and the only activity that I’ve ever partaken of even closely resembling aerobic is mountain biking. I’m an ex plate-head (weight lifter), with baseball leanings. My wife on the other hand runs incessantly, always has and always will. Second only to running as her favorite past-time is pestering me that I never run with her and Chester (our freak dog).

Just recently the weather here on the East Coast went truly wintery (I had ridden three times a week up until Christmas). Add to that the fact that the Breezer and the winter bike – my wife’s old Giant; an unsuccessful foray into mountain biking – were both on the verge of major mechanical repair and one arrives at the saddest of all phenomenoms, the ‘husband-cave-in’. I ran.

Sure I know, no better cardio fitness, weight bearing, but this is running – without being chased. I hate running. I’m not built to run. Most importantly, its not fun. Well here’s the thing, it hurt and all, but I had a ball – outdoors with my wife and dog. Our two separate passions are a good thing for our marriage. Healthy couples need interests outside of each other. But our busy lives coupled with my 3-5 bike rides a week and her daily runs had recently been making both of us feel a little isolated. I mean I married her because I love her company. It was great to be with her. And she was great. Just the right amount of encouragement mixed with competition. It was also really cool to reaquaint myself with my accomplished wife. I tend to forget sometimes that she’s incredibly good at things other than picking husbands.

I know, have I forgotten that this is a mountain biking site. No. Here’s the point. I hadn’t even realized it but the bikingwas getting stale. Ride to get better, to keep the beer-gut at bay, because everybody is fitter and more technically proficient. What about why we all fell in love with mountain biking – because it’s shit eating fun. I had a great time running with my amazing wife and our dog. As a matter of fact I have since ran for two weeks straight. I have never wanted to bike more in my entire life. Come on January Thaw!

Morals:

• Unless you’re training for the Olympics or are paid to ride don’t forget to enjoy other activities.
• The people you love might miss you – you freaking dirt head you… hell you probably miss them if you think about it.
• Mountain biking should always be fun.

Advanced riding requires advanced fitness to be sure. By incorporating a few simple techniques into your technical repertoire, you too can emerge from the gnarliest single track with a stupid smile instead of an open wound. In some ways, mountain biking is a game of momentum. But momentum sometimes yields loss of traction and wipeouts. The equalizer in this equation is balance. Balance is basically your butt, or more precisely, what you do with it.

For example, a sketchy left-hand corner may secretly desire to defeat your side knobs and bring you to a crashing halt. You can foil this insidious plot by leaning the bike sharply to the left while hanging your butt out to the right, keeping your center of mass over your bottom bracket and driving those side knobs directly down into the ground. The smaller the frame, the more sloping the top tube, the easier it is to slap your bike from side to side. (They’re also lighter and more rigid.) This is why most au courant frame designers have gravitated to the overgrown BMX look.

Good balance will also help you climb steep pitches. You need to apply enough pressure on the rear tire to keep it hooked up and you moving forward, but enough pressure on the front tire to prevent you from looping out over the back and hooking up your head with the soil.

Conversely, descending extreme slopes obliges you to keep enough weight on the front wheel for maximum braking power and enough weight on the rear to prevent the bike from catapulting you down slope like a bean bag when you stub your front wheel into a rock.

Rule of thumb:
Going up? Move forward on the saddle.
Going down? Move back.

For the steepest climbs, you need to be on intimate terms with the extreme nose of your saddle. Slide all the way forward, grab those bar ends and concentrate on pedaling smooth circles up the smoothest line. Gut-busting climbs are where clipless pedals really shine. The ability to haul back on one pedal with your hamstring while mashing the other pedal with the opposing leg’s quads radically increases your torque and the range of slopes you can climb. Clipless pedals are worth their weight in gold.

On technical, free-fall drops, you butt has to be over the rear axle. Here, unrestrained momentum is your enemy. The key to keeping things under control is your front brake, which is incomparably more efficient than the rear brake. Put your waistline behind the rear of the seat and maintain just enough speed to keep moving by “feathering” the levers. I like to get so far back that I actually place my chest in the seat itself.

Sometimes the only way to clean a section is to come to a complete halt, balance for an instant and then move off on a new line. Called a track stand, this is the second most important skill besides a wheelie. It’s also a breeze to practice. Find a grassy area, pedal forward, bring the bike to a stop with your feet in the 9 o’clock and 3 o’clock positions and see how long you can balance. When you start to fall over, pedal just enough to regain your balance and try again.

An even more basic skill is the wheelie. No, you don’t need to be able to ride a figure eight on your rear wheel. However, you do need to be able to confidently loft your front wheel over rock, log and slippery root at speed. A simple yank on the bars timed to coincide with a pedal stroke is often sufficient to get things started. If you have front suspension, a sharp push on the bars can facilitate a rebound that lifts the wheel. Again, practice on a lawn and do not remain clipped into your spuds while you learn. Your butt will thank you, trust me.

A very cool (and very handy) variation on the wheelie is the nose wheelie. This advanced move often immediately precedes the endo, short for “(rear-) end-o(ver-the bars)” for most riders. Unanticipated nose wheelies have a tremendously high pucker factor, but the angle required to launch you into a low orbit is much greater than you think, especially if your butt is all the way back like it should be.

Nose wheelies are essential for those special occasions (like a downhill switchback) when your bike is too long to fit through a turn. Roll past the apex of the corner, loft the rear wheel, swing it to the outside, set it down, reorient the front and off you go. Mastering this move will also give you the confidence to reassert control of the bike when the trail gods throw that unannounced “Nose Wheelie Pop Quiz” at you.

Between the wheelie and the nose wheelie, in terms of difficulty, is the bunny hop, of which there are also two basic species. The simplest involves a two-wheel takeoff and landing. Ride up to the obstacle, leap into the sky (take your bike with you) and use your momentum to carry you forward and beyond the problem with your wheels level throughout the jump. This move, however, has its limitations, chiefly in the height of the obstacle you can clear.

There’s a slightly more advanced derivation that I call the “porpoise” (for lack of a better term) because your bike describes a swooping arc like a dolphin leaping from the water. On this move, ride up to the problem and loft the front wheel first (you are now rolling on the rear wheel). Then, as the front begins to pass over the obstacle, lift the rear by jumping. Push forward on the bars as you jump (your butt goes back). This helps the rear wheel gain elevation. The front wheel will continue to describe a downward arc and contact the ground first. The rear will describe the same arc as you roll forward. The porpoise allows you to save energy because you don’t have to jump as far to clear something. With the basic hop, the bike maintains a level attitude in the air, so the rear tire has to clear the problem before the front wheel can descend. With the porpoise, you adjust the attitude of the bike in the air so that you only have to clear one wheel at a time. The energy you would be using to get distance can now be directed towards gaining maximum elevation or better yet, accelerating down the trail.

For really big logs, gauge the required elevation by lofting the front wheel so that it just kisses the top of the log. That’s your mark. Now jump so you put your rear wheel on that mark. Your muscles will remember how high the front wheel had to go. (You now have rear wheel on log, front wheel on ground. If your butt is not way back, you are also flying over the bars.)

A crude variation of this move drives the big ring into the wood of the log for traction. While it lacks a certain elegance (and is hard on your big ring), it’s an effective way to claw over the biggest logs.

These are obviously dynamic moves that require trial and error to master. To survive the error part, you first have to master the single most important skill of all, crashing softly. The worst wrecks happen when the front wheel suddenly begins to move much slower than the rest of the bike and the attached rider like a dead stop), driving that rider up, over and into the ground.

Endos stink. And they happen. When the light bulb of recognition flashes on in your oxygen-starved brain and that little voice says, “Hey man, I think you’re screwed!” you have to eject. Get away from the bike. Number one, it can take care of itself. Number two, it’s going to be pretty ticked off at you for getting into this unseemly mess. It will add insult to injury by landing on you. Getting free may not be easy if cranked down the retention spring on your clipless pedals.

Whether or not your bike is on your tail, release the bars and bring your arms up to help absorb the impending blow from the ground. (This is why we wear gloves.) If you’re in a slow-speed, pile-driver sort of affair, absorb the impact with bent arms. It beats catching yourself with your face. (This is why we wear helmets.) If you’re in a Wide World of Sports-type endo, dissipate the energy by tucking a shoulder and rolling. This assumes your trajectory isn’t taking you into a large, immovable obstacle, like a tree or rock. And if you are silly enough to get yourself launched in a boulder field, you’re going to have to pay for your foolishness.

Finally, remember that discretion is the better part of valor. This means that you don’t go for the big move on top of a group of hikers. All it takes is a couple of chuckleheads to close a trail. Then where are you going to practice?

Every bike needs to be cleaned and lubed every once in a while. Your bike should also be washed after especially dirty rides. Washing your bike is easy and does not take that much time, so there is no excuse to not have a clean bike! After you wash your bike, make sure to check all of the areas that require a lubricant and lube ‘em if needed.

WHAT YOU’LL NEED:
Soap
A dish washing brush
A toothbrush
lube – not WF40! use a high grade lube such as Pedros
Sponge
Towel

1. Mix the soap with half a bucket of warm water. Using a sponge wash down the entire bike.
2. Give the bike a once over. This will allow you to find any spots that you missed or didn’t come off in the first wash. Use the brush to get rid of any dirt from the tight places the sponge couldn’t fit.
3. Rinse off your bike with a light spray. Make sure that you don’t use full stream when rinsing your bike. A full stream can wash away grease from bearings.
4. Dry your bike and lube up the chain and any other area that needs grease.

Never pressure wash your bike. The bearings will not be able to keep the water out.

There will come a time for all of us when we are fully responsible for a beginner rider (at least we think we’re responsible). With this comes the tension of watching every mistake that rider makes. I recently was blessed with this responsibility and here’s the story.

As the weekend rolled around, anticipation grew because I had friends from out of town who were visiting. They live about four hours away and don’t get to ride with them often. They arrived with another of my old friends whom I hadn’t seen in years. This guy is like a 70’s ghetto stud if you can imagine that. Anyway, I let him ride my old Paramount RS3.0 since that’s the whole reason the others were coming down to visit. We arrived at the trailhead which is in some old farmers pasture and believe me, old farmers like to talk. He said my VooDoo Canzo was “pretty salty”. Cool.

We are ready to ride. We aren’t ready to ride. Beginners shoe comes untied, oh well, it happens. A slightly technical section comes upon us and I let the rest of the pack go ahead and ride behind the newbie. He did great through the whole thing. Using body English, low speed manuvering, good bike handling skills all around. So maybe I don’t really need to watch him that close after all!

Now the ride has come to the middle of a priarie with a four foot creek that the group must cross. We ride all along the legnth to find the most attractive place to cross. The whole pack splashes across the creek except for the newbie. No, he’s speeding full throttle toward the creek at a uncrossable section. An attempted bunnyhop fails and turns to catastrophy in an instant. Here is the new rider, laying on the ground and bleeding from the mouth. We circle around him to make sure he will be alright like vultures around a dead coon. Tooth through the lip and a bloody lower lip were luckily the only injuries he sustained.

On the other hand, cracked frame. I celebrate and rejoice for him. First ride and he has a major equipment failure, or was it Mountian Dew commercial syndrome? Yes, you can get really hurt at this sport. Yes, it can be dangerous at times. No, we don’t need to be exploited as mindless idiots with really nice insurance companies. I really believe this is becomming a problem. My friend, as groovy as he may be, thought of us like that. All we did was go down hills as horrific speeds because we were addicted to adrenalin. We have jumps the size of houses built all over cause we need to get mass amounts of air and get bikes stuck in trees. Am I crazy for being slightly pissed at some select large companies who portray mountian bikers as morons?

This Halloween, a friend of mine had a trick or treater come to his house with a bike helmet on, torn oversize clothing all stained in red, and a fake cast on his arm. When asked what he was supposed to be he replied, “I’m a mountian biker”.

Watch for this. Think about it. Don’t support those who give us this mindless image. Join I.M.B.A. Walk a trail and see how aggrivated a hiker can become an bikers. Just think about how wonderful our sport is, how much better it could be. Remember, being a consumer, you vote every day.

When you realize that you’re lost in the woods, especially an unfamiliar woods far away from home, you learn something important about yourself. One of two particular personae emerge under these conditions: Bushwhacker or Backtracker.
Last autumn under cover of a mass carpet of red, gold, and orange, my friends and I lost our way on the trail. Still perched on the saddle of our bikes, we found ourselves scratching our heads, looking around for the lost blaze. The leaves covered most everything so completely, there was little to help us find our way. Instead of agonizing about the structure of staying on the trail, we decided to press forward and carve our own path. The reward was a ride filled with more challenging topography and a wilder sense of place.
Backtrackers are from more sensible, logical stock. They stop pedaling. Examine the landscape. Determine the position of the sun. Pinpoint where it was exactly they rolled off the predestined path, so they may rejoin the trail. These are all good qualities. Having a Backtracker in the pack is a great asset to any group ride. They are like a personal insurance policy in case you get lost. The Backtracker will get you back on the trail.
Then there are the Bushwhackers. Pushing forward, Bushwhackers are excited by the unknown that lies ahead. They go wherever their bike may take them. Challenged by obstacles like thick vegetation, random trees, unexpected terrain changes, bushwhacking via bicycle takes every bit of your focus and attention. Plus, that thrill of being a little lost places you smack into the middle of an adventure. Bushwhackers embody the spirit of mountain biking.
If you’re interested in doing a little bushwhacking during your next excursion, here are some tips to make that risky ride a bit more fun and worry free.
Be kind to the woods. Common trail courtesy still applies in the back country. Leave no trace and avoid delicate vegetation. Destroying the woods is not cool so if you get into a really dense area, choose to reroute. Many state forests and reservations allow mountain biking on designated trails, but prohibit off trail riding or hiking. Respect the rules of where you ride. Ride free and wild! You choose your own direction. Bushwhacking puts you in touch with your inner explorer. Bring a friend. If you’re going to get lost for a while, at least you won’t be lonely. A compass and a topographical map are not fun killers. Eventually, you’ll need to find your way out of the bush. Always pack a first aid kit. This should be standard operating procedure. First aid, tire tube repair kit, and hell, throw the cell phone in the pack in case you really get off trail and into a bind. Bushwhacking is great riding but getting stuck in the woods overnight is just not fun. Having a sense of adventure is one thing, but having no sense at all is quite another. Many mountain biking trail guides have “Rescue Indexes.” This tells you how far away, in miles, you are from assistance should you need help. This information can be useful when your tired of being lost and want to be found.
So the next time you hit the trail, consider falling off the map for a while. Your sense of adventure will thank you for it.
We remind you that you should always respect your environment. Do not ride in protected or sensitive areas.

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