[SenorSensi]

Hey, this is my first post on this forum.

Im new to Downhill. Im not new to Biking, and defiantly not new to dirt. But i really want to get into it. I have no friends that do anything like it. so i dont really know were to start. i live about 2 hours away from Downieville Downhill. and when i get a job im going to buy gear, full face, chest guard, shin guards, ect. The bike i have is a Cannondale SL3 26" Hardtail. it says its "race ready" donno what that means though. what ive been doing is a short 1.5 mile single track near my house. but thats about it.

How should I get started? Like should i join a club or something? to build skills and stuff like that.
i want to be able to enter races and keep up. and now that im an adult (20) i can do stuff like that. never able to as a kid cause mom moved around alot and never had money for me to do anything like that.

 

[ianjenn]

I would suggest checking local bike shops, many have group rides scheduled. Many colleges also now have cycling clubs also!

 

[William42]

What to expect:

RM is a hateful place for an entry level rider. If you don't have the coolest bike around, people will make fun of you. You will probably start doing more recreational trail riding that happens to be pointed downhill, and get a big adrenalin rush. Eventually, you will start getting less and less of a rush from doing what at first seemed to be a nutty decent, and now seems to be a mellow dirt road. You will start going faster. You will start getting rattled on your bike. You will feel like you can't go faster on your bike, that its holding you back. You will find you can go faster on your bike. You will start breaking parts on your bike. You will realize that 90% of the parts on your bike are "clapped out" and on the verge of breaking. You will start saving for a full suspension DH bike. Buy something cheap. You will discover jumps and drops, that previously seemed inconceivable on your hardtail. They will seem huge. You will grow what feels like the most massive pair of testes ever, and step it up and hit them. You will later realize they were small, and that you are super man, and nothing can stop you. You will start going big. You will get majorly injured going big, and reconsider. You will end up riding a trail bike as fast as you road your DH bike when you first got it, while steering clear of the big stuff.

Thats the life of a DH'er. Its a good one. I recommend finding the nearest mountain bike trails, and exploring. Auburn is good

 

[SenorSensi]

What to expect:

RM is a hateful place for an entry level rider.

Lol every sport is like that. When i started skateboarding at 14, everyone already knew how to do kickflips, so of course they were gonna be haters. I just ignored there sheit and skated with the few people that were cool and actually wanted to see me get better. and it only took a year to catch up and start beating them in games of skate. i quit when i turned 18 because i really wasnt advancing anymore and just got boring after that. Been looking for a new sport and wanted to get back into biking. since i was able to walk till i was 14 i was on a bike, and downhill just seems so exciting and challenging more than other forms of biking. Well except for freeride but thats a little to crazy for me lol. Downhill just looks like the rush im looking for. I want to crash into a tree going full speed, then get up shake it off and finish the trail. Well, i dont WANT to crash into a tree, but it happens, might aswell look forward to it.

 

[bdamschen]

 

[SenorSensi]

lol...

 

[Mulestar]

You will end up riding a trail bike as fast as you road your DH bike when you first got it, while steering clear of the big stuff.

...Then you'll get hurt "taking it easy" and realize that it really doesn't matter what you're doing. Big or small, fast or slow, you can get hurt on anything. It pretty much always happens when you're least expecting it.

Buy as much safety gear as you're comfortable wearing. You'll crash a lot if you wanna get good.

Ride a lot. Don't be afraid to pedal or ride cross country. It will make you better.

 

[Biffff]

convince a friend to get into it with you. He will drag you ass out of the woods when you hit the tree, and push you to go faster/get better.

 

[Da Peach]

make sure your helmet fits. I bought my first too big. Waste of cash.

 

[stoney]

- look where you want to go, not at what you want to avoid.
- look ahead, chin up through corners
- brake in straight lines. It's better to go in slow to come out fast, than the opposite.
- Have fun.
- have fun.