Off-season hill climbing training tip

[Jesper]

   

Sorry, no offense to ebikers out there, but kind of funny since I have not seen an ebike indoor trainer yet.

[Painkiller]

oh mercy, lol

[Dusan]

This can also be true for mountain bikers, practicing for taking the shuttle by riding an escalator. A nice way to ease into off-season training lol

[Jesper]

(07-11-2024, 08:31 AM)Dusan Wrote:  This can also be true for mountain bikers, practicing for taking the shuttle by riding an escalator. A nice way to ease into off-season training lol

I asked a mountain bike park if I could climb the slopes and not pay for lift tickets. I figured it was an obvious option for anyone who rides mountain bikes. They would not respond after several queries. I ride uphill and down; or carry my bike on my shoulder or back if I cannot ride uphill. They must think I'm insane, but I get much more exhilaration going down after having gotten to the top on my own. I guess that park wanted to make more money from me, but it ends up I will not go there at all, so their loss not mine!

[GirishH]

Do mountain bike parks really have lifts? What's the fun in riding downhill?

That's like taking a lift up the mountain and then hiking down. :-(

I’m with you, @Jesper. I love riding or running uphill. My friends hated it, and I’d tell them I got "high" when I reached the top of the slope or hill. I tried skydiving once and swore I'd never do it again because it didn't give me any adrenaline high. Running or riding up a mountain gives me a better "high," plus those activities are free and come with the side effect of good health.

On a related note, in Colombia and Ecuador, I saw e-mountain bikes and always wondered what they would do in case of a mechanical issue. It would be great weight training to bring the heavy bike back down. Non e-bikes can either be carried on shoulder or such...

(07-11-2024, 12:20 PM)Jesper Wrote:  

(07-11-2024, 08:31 AM)Dusan Wrote:  This can also be true for mountain bikers, practicing for taking the shuttle by riding an escalator. A nice way to ease into off-season training lol

I asked a mountain bike park if I could climb the slopes and not pay for lift tickets. I figured it was an obvious option for anyone who rides mountain bikes. They would not respond after several queries. I ride uphill and down; or carry my bike on my shoulder or back if I cannot ride uphill. They must think I'm insane, but I get much more exhilaration going down after having gotten to the top on my own. I guess that park wanted to make more money from me, but it ends up I will not go there at all, so their loss not mine!

[Jesper]

(07-21-2024, 03:55 AM)GirishH Wrote:  Do mountain bike parks really have lifts? What's the fun in riding downhill?

That's like taking a lift up the mountain and then hiking down. :-(

It is a big thing to just do descents in mtb biking. It's rather hilarious, more like downhill skiing is; lift uphill, ski downhill. Although I have cross country skied up a mountain to descend on the same XC skis.
I can imagine road cyclists waiting in line for taxis to drive them up Col du Tourmalet, Alpe d'Huez, Mont Ventoux, Stelvio Pass, et al. just to descend. It appears now to be a great sense of accomplishment just to coast downhill after getting a ride up by another means.

Even more depressing is the fact that you have to pay this park extra to climb and only at night and only one day out of the week (they close one "downhill" trail out of dozens to allow climbing on for a couple hours [time unspecified: ? to 8pm] on that ONE day.) Odd because they specify that climbing is only allowed when the lift is not running so I guess that means anyone wanting to descend on that one night must climb also. Also odd is that the "climbing" trail (same one used every climb night (never changes) is nowhere near the lift so there would be no interference regardless of whether the lift operated or not. I assume this is done on their slowest and most sparsely staffed night and they save money while stiffing those more hardy mtb'ers.

Just a note: their "pub" prices for food are outrageous (about 1.5 times higher or more than average), and their beer/drink prices are conveniently not listed at all.

Their (HIGHLAND MOUNTAIN BIKE PARK) statement:
"UPHILL ACCESS: Highland offers uphill access on Wednesday evenings throughout the season. These nights are referred to as “Wednesduro". How does it work? During the specified hours (CONVENIENTLY YNSPECIFIED ON THEIR WEBPAGE), Freedom Trail is opened to uphill traffic only. Pedal up and then descend on any of our downhill trails. (You can check out our trail map here.) It’s the perfect way to earn (PAY FOR!) your turns! Uphill access is only permitted during designated hours. You may not pedal up the mountain when the lift is running. Riders please note: There is no artificial lighting on any of our trails. Please come prepared with appropriate personal lights (headlamps, bike lights, etc.) so that you don’t find yourself caught in the dark."

Hilarious how they state you "earn your turns" during "specified times" which they never specify, when in fact you pay for the privilege of climbing. What they meant to say was "we earn profits off of your extra effort"!

Mtb has grown into a big business. In Florida and elsewhere training classes that cost nearly $600 a day are offered. I will be buying an excellent bike for that cost!

[GirishH]

$600 a day for mountain bike training? That's on top of what you spent to outfit the mountain bike with fancy gadgets. Wow, I'll stick to my simple bicycle. Because my bike doesn't have fancy things on it, I don't need training...:-)

Haha. I'm happy that my former manager, who introduced me to these extreme sports, wasn't the type to take the lift. Instead, she would cross-country ski up Mount Washington rather than take a lift up a ski slope in New England. And she didn't laugh at my idea of packing my bicycle with all my backpacking gear to go backpacking in NH after biking from Boston.

On a serious note, mtb has become a big business here in India as well. People spend so much without realizing fun can be had even if one didn't spend so much on fancy accessories..:-(

(07-23-2024, 02:48 PM)Jesper Wrote:  

(07-21-2024, 03:55 AM)GirishH Wrote:  Do mountain bike parks really have lifts? What's the fun in riding downhill?

That's like taking a lift up the mountain and then hiking down. :-(

It is a big thing to just do descents in mtb biking. It's rather hilarious, more like downhill skiing is; lift uphill, ski downhill. Although I have cross country skied up a mountain to descend on the same XC skis.
I can imagine road cyclists waiting in line for taxis to drive them up Col du Tourmalet, Alpe d'Huez, Mont Ventoux, Stelvio Pass, et al. just to descend. It appears now to be a great sense of accomplishment just to coast downhill after getting a ride up by another means.

Even more depressing is the fact that you have to pay this park extra to climb and only at night and only one day out of the week (they close one "downhill" trail out of dozens to allow climbing on for a couple hours [time unspecified: ? to 8pm] on that ONE day.) Odd because they specify that climbing is only allowed when the lift is not running so I guess that means anyone wanting to descend on that one night must climb also. Also odd is that the "climbing" trail (same one used every climb night (never changes) is nowhere near the lift so there would be no interference regardless of whether the lift operated or not. I assume this is done on their slowest and most sparsely staffed night and they save money while stiffing those more hardy mtb'ers.

Just a note: their "pub" prices for food are outrageous (about 1.5 times higher or more than average), and their beer/drink prices are conveniently not listed at all.

Their (HIGHLAND MOUNTAIN BIKE PARK) statement:
"UPHILL ACCESS: Highland offers uphill access on Wednesday evenings throughout the season. These nights are referred to as “Wednesduro". How does it work? During the specified hours (CONVENIENTLY YNSPECIFIED ON THEIR WEBPAGE), Freedom Trail is opened to uphill traffic only. Pedal up and then descend on any of our downhill trails. (You can check out our trail map here.) It’s the perfect way to earn (PAY FOR!) your turns! Uphill access is only permitted during designated hours. You may not pedal up the mountain when the lift is running. Riders please note: There is no artificial lighting on any of our trails. Please come prepared with appropriate personal lights (headlamps, bike lights, etc.) so that you don’t find yourself caught in the dark."

Hilarious how they state you "earn your turns" during "specified times" which they never specify, when in fact you pay for the privilege of climbing. What they meant to say was "we earn profits off of your extra effort"!

Mtb has grown into a big business. In Florida and elsewhere training classes that cost nearly $600 a day are offered. I will be buying an excellent bike for that cost!

[Jesper]

(07-24-2024, 06:32 AM)GirishH Wrote:  $600 a day for mountain bike training? That's on top of what you spent to outfit the mountain bike with fancy gadgets. Wow, I'll stick to my simple bicycle. Because my bike doesn't have fancy things on it, I don't need training...:-)

Haha. I'm happy that my former manager, who introduced me to these extreme sports, wasn't the type to take the lift. Instead, she would cross-country ski up Mount Washington rather than take a lift up a ski slope in New England. And she didn't laugh at my idea of packing my bicycle with all my backpacking gear to go backpacking in NH after biking from Boston.

On a serious note, mtb has become a big business here in India as well. People spend so much without realizing fun can be had even if one didn't spend so much on fancy accessories..:-(

My mtb is from the mid '80s, is a rigid frame, and cost $50 (the barely touched Vetta leather saddle was worth $50). It works just fine, I did upgrade the mediocre shifting even though it was functional due to personal preferences.
My training is based on experience and caution, plus I do not concern myself with meaningless "tricks" that do not provide increased efficiency in my riding. All my formal training costs equal $0.

[GirishH]

I'm with you, @Jesper, on that $0 formal training. Improved health and exercise are why I ride. Why would I pay money to make it less "healthy"? I'm sure my gut will teach me how to handle a trench or when to use gears. For example, I still can't teach a newbie when to shift gears on a bicycle even though I've watched a lot of videos. But my hand knows when to change gears, and my body knows how to handle that trench.

Interestingly, tutorials don't help me but practical experiences do..:-)

(07-24-2024, 09:44 AM)Jesper Wrote:  

(07-24-2024, 06:32 AM)GirishH Wrote:  $600 a day for mountain bike training? That's on top of what you spent to outfit the mountain bike with fancy gadgets. Wow, I'll stick to my simple bicycle. Because my bike doesn't have fancy things on it, I don't need training...:-)

Haha. I'm happy that my former manager, who introduced me to these extreme sports, wasn't the type to take the lift. Instead, she would cross-country ski up Mount Washington rather than take a lift up a ski slope in New England. And she didn't laugh at my idea of packing my bicycle with all my backpacking gear to go backpacking in NH after biking from Boston.

On a serious note, mtb has become a big business here in India as well. People spend so much without realizing fun can be had even if one didn't spend so much on fancy accessories..:-(

My mtb is from the mid '80s, is a rigid frame, and cost $50 (the barely touched Vetta leather saddle was worth $50). It works just fine, I did upgrade the mediocre shifting even though it was functional due to personal preferences.
My training is based on experience and caution, plus I do not concern myself with meaningless "tricks" that do not provide increased efficiency in my riding. All my formal training costs equal $0.

[Dusan]

I can see the benefits of taking a lift as it allows you to focus more on riding the downhill section, taking different lines, and working on your skills. But pedaling up should definitely be an option if anyone wishes to do so imo

[GirishH]

@Jesper, When I saw this news yesterday, I immediately thought of this thread. These are hiking pants with an exoskeleton that supposedly makes the hiker feel like they're 30 pounds lighter. Now, I'm starting to wonder why we hike—or even why we bike—in the first place!

https://www.theverge.com/2024/7/29/24208615/arcteryx-skip-google-x-labs-mogo-hiking-exoskeleton

Oh, these pants only cost $4500..

[Talha]

HAHAHHAHA Funniest thing I have seen on this forum LOMAOOAA