[wr-ecks]

Hello all. My name is Jon and im pretty new to Mountain Biking. A few friends of mine have been into in for a while and managed to get me to give it a shot. I've ridden out at Mud Mountain Dam a few times but i have a lot more fun at the Collonade park in seattle.
I started out with a jeep cherokee dual suspension bike that has been sittin in a friend's garage since it was brand new in 98 or 99. Broke a few different things on that bike real quick before i realized that if i am gonna get any more serious with it i need a better bike. I now ride a Kona Stinky that i picked up used for a good deal. Ok.. sorry for the long read but i figured id introduce myself while im at it.

Now for my question, is there anywhere else either in the seattle area or elsewhere in the west side of WA that is similar to the collonade park?

 

[Certified Drunk]

Go try South Sea-tac!

 

[joelsman]

galbraith in bellingham

 

[wr-ecks]

I looked at pics of SST. It looks a little gnarly for me. I can clear the bigger jumps at Collonade no problem but thats knowing when i come up short it will be ok. Out of all the pics i saw it looked like there were no tabletops in view. Are their easier jumps for newbs like me there?

Ill look for pics of galbraith, if you've got any throw them up here pls.

 

[DBR X6 RIDER]

SST isn't too bad as long as you do a good walk-thru. There's some big jumps for sure, but there's also enough of the smaller variety sprinkled throughout. At least go out there on a Saturday or Sunday and there will surely be some rippers out there so you can see it in person...as well as find out about OTHER areas that we likely won't mention on the forum.

Been doing a lot of riding at Tokul (Fall City/Snoqualmie area) as of late. Kind of reminds me of Galbraith when it was just natural terrain. Speaking of Galby, that's the one place I've been able to take any rider for their first time and, no matter the level/discipline of that rider, they groove on it.

Good to see you got a rig that can keep up with you as you progress...as well as be able to replace components on as needed.

 

[Skookum]

Many of the same people who built Colonnade are now working on Duthie Hill. So it will be similar if not in many ways better.

http://evergreenmtb.org/wiki/index.php?title=Trail:Duthie_Hill

i know you asked for places to ride like Colonnade (built for ALL skill levels), but the deal is Skills Parks are a brand new thing. So if you want more goods, and got a day or two to spare this winter to help, that'd be great, and definately spread the word.

http://evergreenmtb.org/recreation/

 

[pnj]

Duthie looks cool.

 

[wr-ecks]

Many of the same people who built Colonnade are now working on Duthie Hill. So it will be similar if not in many ways better.

http://evergreenmtb.org/wiki/index.p...il:Duthie_Hill

i know you asked for places to ride like Colonnade (built for ALL skill levels), but the deal is Skills Parks are a brand new thing. So if you want more goods, and got a day or two to spare this winter to help, that'd be great, and definately spread the word.

http://evergreenmtb.org/recreation/

Cool. I most likely will jump in and help. Im sure i can get a few others to come with and help.

as well as find out about OTHER areas that we likely won't mention on the forum.

Yea... When i was younger we used to have this killer spot where we built a really fun bmx track. Less than 50 people probably knew about it. Over time more and more people found out about it until eventually people who had no interest in riding found ways to get there trucks back there. The jumps made good obstacles for wheelin on and before we knew it the jumps were gone and the place was filled with garbage. So i understand the idea of keeping places to ride somewhat secret.

Thanks for the replys guys, i look forward to riding with you on the trails. If you see me at Collonade say hi, i have a red/silver stinky and am usually very dusty from wrecking. :biggrin:

 

[DirtHurt]

I love to ride blackrock, post cayon, and syncline. You have to shuttle syncline so that the only bad thing about that. But with the others you can ride up the trails.

 

[wr-ecks]

I love to ride blackrock, post cayon, and syncline. You have to shuttle syncline so that the only bad thing about that. But with the others you can ride up the trails.

Never heard of those places either. I will look them up. Im gonna have more places to ride then im gonna have time to ride!

 

[jumping_jesus]

I love to ride blackrock, post cayon, and syncline. You have to shuttle syncline so that the only bad thing about that. But with the others you can ride up the trails.

Since when is shuttling a bad thing??? It involves a few friends and lots and lots of descending (sorry this I just woke up when I posted this). To me those are all good things. But thats me. And if your on a kona stinky you probably would rather shuttle that beast. post canyon a great place for shuttle riding and from what I hear Black Rock is some great riding too.

 

[bockner]

It involves a few friends and lots and lots of just going down....

uummmm please re-phrase Ted..

 

[Skookum]

uummmm please re-phrase Ted..

He must have been influenced with all the Prop 8 threads in the Lounge.

 

[DBR X6 RIDER]

It involves a few friends and lots and lots of just going down.

Wait...that last shuttle up, you told me you dropped a glove and were just picking it up, BRO.

 

[DirtHurt]

shuttling only works when you got a group. who ever has that kinda luck must not work.

 

[jumping_jesus]

you only really need 2 people and 2 cars min. but yeah you do need more then 1 to shuttle.

 

[wr-ecks]

you only really need 2 people and 2 cars min. but yeah you do need more then 1 to shuttle.

By shuttle you mean one person driving them up the hill right?

 

[Skookum]

By shuttle you mean one person driving them up the hill right?

Are you volunteering?

No most younger people today mistake the definition of "Freeride" to meaning a "free" ride up the hill via gas powered vehicle.

But yah many times you'll have a chase vehicle so it can be a big waste of time to shuttle. But if you have no cardio, you generally have little choice. Even with that said, i do a couple big epics in the mountains as a shuttle. But it's a little different in that you're not trying to avoid climbing, you're just trying to keep the ride elevation/mileage down to a "sane" level, but still take a funner route. Since some XC folk are purists they don't call this a shuttle, and i've recently heard it called a "Point to Point". Which is funny, but kinda makes sense....

 

[DirtHurt]

If your shuttling a XC rider then they are not a XC rider. And by the way endurance doesnt matter when its a 50 pound DH bike

 

[pnj]

big epics in the mountains .... blah blah....
take a funner route. ....

I'm looking forward to doing this come spring/summer.... On my fifty pound beast.

 

[Skookum]

If your shuttling a XC rider then they are not a XC rider. And by the way endurance doesnt matter when its a 50 pound DH bike

Haha... Tell that to some people toting around 45 plus pound rigs on epic cross country rides. Yes they do exist and they do rip. And by epic i mean riding over 30 miles on singletrack and over 5000' of vert.

i would define myself as an XC rider and i've done those kinds of rides. If there was a helicoptor or dimensional transporter to get me to the top, i'd have no problem using it.

Some trails are so far out in the backcountry there is no shuttle possible, and yes there are quite a few people that like riding for aerobic exercise. However shocking that might seem....

I'm looking forward to doing this come spring/summer.... On my fifty pound beast.

Yah same here, i was picking my bike over logs on Grand Ridge like a little girl it was awesome.:biggrin:

 

[jumping_jesus]

see im one of those fat people with no endurance well not really im just plain lazy although i enjoy a good aerobic ride with a shuttle to the top. mmmmmm capital forest is good for that kind of ride lift to the top and then some climbing and descending those are good rides. thats another good place to ride is in capital forest good variety of trails but its the knd of place you want to ride with someone that knows the trail system.

 

[Skookum]

see im one of those fat people with no endurance well not really im just plain lazy

haha let's see if we can find the only word that really matters...

Actually riding does keep me from getting super fat. But the aerobic part of riding helps with your well being.

Among the recognized benefits of doing regular aerobic exercise are:

(from Wikipedia)

* Strengthening the muscles involved in respiration, to facilitate the flow of air in and out of the lungs
* Strengthening and enlarging the heart muscle, to improve its pumping efficiency and reduce the resting heart rate
* Toning muscles throughout the body
* Improving circulation efficiency and reducing blood pressure
* Increasing the total number of red blood cells in the body, facilitating transport of oxygen
* Improved mental health, including reducing stress and lowering the incidence of depression

As a result, aerobic exercise can reduce the risk of death due to cardiovascular problems. In addition, high-impact aerobic activities (such as jogging or jumping rope) can stimulate bone growth, as well as reducing the risk of osteoporosis for both men and women. In addition to the health benefits of aerobic exercise, there are numerous performance benefits:

* Increased storage of energy molecules such as fats and carbohydrates within the muscles, allowing for increased endurance
* Neovascularization of the muscle sarcomeres to increase blood flow through the muscles
* Increasing speed at which aerobic metabolism is activated within muscles, allowing a greater portion of energy for intense exercise to be generated aerobically
* Improving the ability of muscles to use fats during exercise, preserving intramuscular glycogen
* Enhancing the speed at which muscles recover from high intensity exercise

That basically means you're probably less likely to be a fat depressed cardiac case by the age of 40. And if you read the last one, it helps you get back on the bike sooner without totally dying. As you age, that's more important.

But i don't ride trails just for cardio, if i did, i'd be a roadie...

 

[wr-ecks]

haha. I get the feeling this is a much debated topic amongst Mt. Bikers. Im working on my endurance. I started riding my 50 lb DH bike to work. I honestly think i don't stop pedaling the entire time. Its not the same as riding up some big hills (it takes about 15 min. to get to work) but im working on it.

Its pretty crazy when i see a guy at Collonade not even breathe hard and talk normally to another person while riding from the bottom to the top of the place. I can do it too, but im usually breathing pretty hard when i get to the top.

Well i need to fine more time away from work so i can check out some of these places. Darn job......

 

[Skookum]

haha. I get the feeling this is a much debated topic amongst Mt. Bikers. Im working on my endurance. I started riding my 50 lb DH bike to work. I honestly think i don't stop pedaling the entire time. Its not the same as riding up some big hills (it takes about 15 min. to get to work) but im working on it.

Its pretty crazy when i see a guy at Collonade not even breathe hard and talk normally to another person while riding from the bottom to the top of the place. I can do it too, but im usually breathing pretty hard when i get to the top.

Well i need to fine more time away from work so i can check out some of these places. Darn job......

Actually riders who are doing the jumps are doing a more anaerobic workout, and are stronger in that regard.

It's not really a debate. It's just what people have preference on. You can use a mountain bike to do different things and get different workouts tailored to what you do most with it. That's all it should be, but yah little differences make for alot of misguided perception about other riders....

 

[wr-ecks]

OK I've been riding SST tons lately. Im getting to the point where I can clear some of the bigger jumps and am getting enough skill I want to try some more places. SO other than the last few any where else I should go? South of Seattle would be best. Thanks.

-Jon

 

[fuzzycatnuts]

Wr-eacks, start making the right friends and they will show you what your looking for. I ride monday-wed and build at Duthie, shoot me a pm if you want to ride/build.

 

[wr-ecks]

I guess Ill just start asking some of the regulars I see at SST.

Next time i have a day off early in the week Ill pm you, I keep meaning to make a trip out there, I guess i just spend too much time working.

 

[Spahman]

sst isn't bad at all.. I cased the CRAP out of one of the largest step downs and my DHR still managed to ride through it

 

[wr-ecks]

sst isn't bad at all.. I cased the CRAP out of one of the largest step downs and my DHR still managed to ride through it

Nice... Last sunday I managed to smash my "jewels" into the stem so hard that when I pushed off I did a complete front flip into some sticker bushes. I actually managed to cut myself good enough to bleed from said jewels.

 

[Makana425]

Nice... Last sunday I managed to smash my "jewels" into the stem so hard that when I pushed off I did a complete front flip into some sticker bushes. I actually managed to cut myself good enough to bleed from said jewels.

Damn dude, hope your feeling better.

 

[wr-ecks]

Yea Im doin OK. Pretty funny now. No serious damage as far as I can tell.