Conference noted::bicycle

    Chip! CHIP!  Tell me it ain't so!
    
    :-)
    
    ed

     I'm afraid so, Ed... But just until March! My first love is still the
    road, always will be as far as I can see. I fall down too much out in
    the woods... :-)

    
    
     Aw Chip...you didn't fall THAT much...anyways it was your clipless
    pedals that were to tight...burned and bruised, a measure of a good 
    MTB ride %^}
    
    pm 

    
    
    
    Above all else: keep loose, pick your line, and ride out whatever
    nasty bumps you might get yourself into. Don't let your mind drift. 
    Don't hang on the brakes all of the time, and  don't panic
    when the whole bike seems to be bouncing out of control or sliding
    out from under you.  Don't avoid obstacles that you should be learning
    how to jump/skim/bounce through. A mountain bike is not fragile...
    you will constantly being doing things with/to it that would break your
    road bike. Smile when you blow by the 18 and 20 year olds. 
    Keep everything on your bike properly lubed and torqued. 
    A lot of mountain biking is finesse and controlled chaos... and these
    are things that can only be learned by doing.  On the average, I do
    about two road rides and two MTB rides per week.  I would equate 
    MTB'ing to "involuntary interval training"... you do what is necessary 
    at the speed necessary to do it.
    
    
    
    doug
    
    p.s. NEVER become complacent with any path you cycle regularly. The woods
    are constantly changing and will surprise you with a downed tree
    when you least expect it... A stick will jam your derailleur when you 
    least expect it. The path will become dry and sandy and dump you on
    your a** when you least expect it. 
                                                    

    Psst, Chip, if you're not ingrained by Shimano SPD marketing...
    check out the Sakae titanium pedals on sale now for $79 at Performance...
    they're really nice... even with toebars/straps they're a lot lighter
    than ANY set of clipless pedals (mtb or road)...  Kratz

     Thanks for the input... Too late, I already sprang for the M737's...
    
     I'll probably go on a MB Ti binge next year though... After all,
    you're never really cured and always recovering :-)
    

    I goofed... those (re .4) Ti pedals are on sale for $79 at Nashbar,
    not Performance.  265g/pr (vs., for example, M737 SPDs at 515g/pr).

    
    
    
    
    .... and one last thing.... if you have a really good trail that
    you can do all the time ( by really good I mean all types of
    obstacles), do it again and again to gain confidence on the various 
    obstacles. When you see these sames types of obstacles on new trails, 
    you will be able to tackle them with full confidence in your 
    MTB abilities. 
    
    
    doug
    

    
    Not to dampen your enthusiasm, but please be careful especially if you 
    ride alone in the woods. The leaves in fall can hide many holes/rocks
    and obstacles. My riding partner was riding alone last weekend  and had
    a mishap (I still don't know what happened); He was disabled in the
    woods until 9 p.m. and it took 2 more hours to get him out and to the
    hospital after that. He was hypothermic and partialy paralyzed (hope 
    it's just temporary) [and yes, he was wearing a helmet] and is still 
    hospitalized. He's not a "gonzo" rider either- sometimes accidents just 
    happen. Anyway, don't try anything you're not really confident about- 
    you can always try it again after you've had some practice.
    
    Mike

     Tell me about it... I don't consider myself psycho, but got a branch
    stuck in my side last year. I prefer to ride with someone in the
    woods. When I'm alone I try to restrain myself. I've gone down a
    lot, but nothing more than scratches and a few black & blues...
    
      Chip

    And I also hear that, after the deer hunters shoot you and find that
    you are not a 12 point buck, they won't bother to drag you out of the
    woods, either.  So don't wear 14 point antlers and your helmet, and
    don't wear anything white (which might look like a deer's butt)...
    
    It's that time of year again...
    
    mudman mark
                                             

    Chip,
    
    If you haven't already, invest in some suspension.  I used to crash
    weekly before the suspension.  I bought a pair of Manitou's and I've
    only crashed a handfull of times since.  One drawback though.  When you
    have suspension you can go faster on a given section so when you fall
    you fall hard.
    
    As far as technique goes, their are 2 points I'd like to make.
    
    	1.  Look where you want to go...not at what you are trying to
            avoid.  If you look at the obstacle it will act like a magnet.
            Make a note of the obstacle,  look for the smooth line and then
    	    look for the next obstacle.  The faster you go the farther
            ahead you have to look down the trail.  This is a key to going
            fast in the woods.
    
    	2.  The road less traveled is sometimes safer, smoother and faster.
    	    I've attended and rode a few races and the fastest riders take 
            alternative lines.  For example, where there is a tight squeeze
            between a tree and a rock, most people try to squeeze through
            the gap, catch their handlebar on the tree and fall.   But it may 
            be easier to go right at the rock, absorb the hit and continue
            by using your arms and legs as active suspension components.  
            By doing this I have been able to complete sections with only a few
            dabs (putting your foot down), if any,  where before I would have 
            to stop and restart several times.
    
    	
            I, too, try to restrain myself (on downhills) when alone.  I've
    seen stars too many times to risk it.  Luckily, I've been a radical all
    my life and I know how to fall.  Lotsa heart stopping crashes without a
    serious injury (knock on wood).
    
    Look out for those idiotic hunters this time of year,
    
    Mike