in Quarry Ridge (Moderator: Schrader)

Also, don't forget to log your volunteer hours in the worklog!

http://www.madcitydirt.com/?page_id=497

I stopped in to Quarry Ridge to ride the new trails and put in some signs. Attaching a few pics of the new TTF feature, jumps on the 3 Sisters trail, and the new trailhead. I didn't pause to take a picture of the rebooted Ambulance trail, but I will say that it's going to be a tough climb (even after the trail gets packed down).

Thanks again to everyone who turned out and especially the TTF crew for putting in a long day to get the ladder in. The rollers can be tricky if you've got a long wheelbase but I really like the challenge that it adds.

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A couple more pics...

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That sign in the last pic, on the left?  We need to get a ton of those to put all over our network.

bmmullen, I must have seen you out there yesterday afternoon taking pictures.  My friend and I rode by as you were stopped by the new wooden ladder.  We chatted for a few seconds.  I was the chick who waited while my friend rode the new feature.

The rollers can be tricky if you've got a long wheelbase but I really like the challenge that it adds.

After we had the decking on we debated reworking the dip. We might change it if it doesn't meet a beginner's expectations.

I would like some people to ride it and give us some feed back before we rework it.

I rode it today.  First - thanks guys for adding some of this cool stuff on the straightaway - nicely built and I would love to see more of it.

As far as the ride goes - took me three tries to clean it using the longer path (right hand side) on a rigid 29er SS with relatively high gear ratio.   With that kind of setup, the two humps are pretty tight together - at that wheel base the bike settles into the "valley" and then you have to torque the cranks kinda hard to get up over the hump - which then means you suddenly have to control the burst of speed as you pop over the second hump before you ride the skinny.  I enjoyed the challenge - I think it's probably much more rideable with the option of a lower gear and on a 26er that won't wedge itself between the humps, if that makes any sense.  It's going to be  tough but a good learner for a beginner.

So bottom line, my bike setup made it tougher than it probably has to be, and I enjoyed riding it nonetheless.  FWIW, this is my preferred bike at camrock including over everything in Outback.  Light and nimble (for a 29er).  Might frustrate some folks for a while but that's the point.  I'd say leave it for a while and see what people think.  I'd rather see any re-build effort going into more of those.

Thanks again.

The new wood feature is great.  I rode it tonight and brought a beginner along.  I am kind of concerned about how much the bottom of the dip grabs the front wheel.  It almost matches the radius of a 29er wheel exactly.  Dropping into the bottom will flip you over the bars unless you come to almost a stop and then pedal out of it.

With that in mind, I like the challenge and didn't have a problem clearing it on the first shot.  If we are targeting beginners, though, it is possibly a major challenge for a new rider.  Maybe we need another TTF more focused on beginners, such as starting out wide and then offering two difficulties of a narrowing path 8-12 inches off the ground.  Give the beginners something to learn the basics before tackling the new one.

The wall ride in the woods is great!

I figured that it would be kinda deep at the valley, Keep riding it and keep me posted so I can make a disssion on any fix.
JM

I took a digger on it last night.  Didn't evaluate it first, like Blackbike - on the singlespeed/29er, didn't react quick enough to the stop and power forward.  Coming up to it I thought it was a smoother flowing feature, guessed wrong :P  I suck on that stuff anyways, so not sure if it helps at all.

Thanks

I think jeffb stated a little more clearly what I was trying to describe as a wheelbase problem and what Dave experienced - as the back wheel is coming up the first hump, the front gets "stuffed" into the valley.  As I said I think a 26er probably will work better for those who have little kids bikes 

As I said I think a 26er probably will work better for those who have little kids bikes 

Hey, whatever you need to make riding easier...go for it. I'm up for the challenge of a 26" wheeled kids bike! 

I'm thinking of going even easier...this will roll right over both humps at one time.



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