i have a specalized epic evo i picked up last year. i live in an area that is not mnt bike friendly at all. the couple of times ive been able to take it out and get some time on it away from home its been the most fun on two wheels ive had.

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80/20 Endurance Ambassador

Nice! The Xterra races in the northeast have pretty much dried up so I don't have any on the calendar for next season. The ones I've done were a total blast and super cool vibe. Hopefully the Motus series that has popped up in the south will make it's way up here. My long-term plan is to enter the BC Bike Race with a couple buddies in 2021, so my goal over the next year and a half is to build some serious saddle time to be ready for a 7-day stage race next July.

I'm by no means an expert but here are my pointers:

- Momentum is key. When in doubt, keep pedaling.
- At least where I ride, braking is important and more of a skill than in road/tri riding.
- Go tubeless.
- That is pretty much a straight-up XC race rig but if you plan to do any more aggressive trail riding, especially involving big downhills, consider adding a dropper post.

Have fun!

re: XC Racing

Be prepared for your HR to reach heights you've not seen before.

Yeah you gotta know that the start is very, very hard

Very hard

You’re going to love it. Every now and again there’s an mtb thread on here but this is as good as any thread to talk dirt.

I started going off road about two years ago and people told me that I would probably never go back to the road. As time has gone on I think they’re more and more right. I friggin love it.

A lot of people are intimidated by stuff when they first ride: roots, rocks, rolls, drops, skinnies... wait until you see your progression in the first year. It’s awesome.

Great bike! Welcome to the addiction.

I took up MTB late in life. Here's what has helped.

• Skills course. After a dozen years on the road and 3 on the trail I still didn't really understand cornering on dirt. And leaving the ground terrified me. The course helped.
• I became a NICA coach when my son joined a team. Even if you're a badass on the road some skinny middle schooler will tear you a new one on the trail when it gets technical.
• Once I got a dropper post I suddenly loved the decent.
• Session it. After years of triathlon the idea of sessioning a section seemed weird. But now if I fail to make a turn, hit the drop chunky, or fail the technical climb, I'll hike back and practice that section. Some times all it takes is one more try. Other times it's a project for years.
• I've never regretted wearing knee pads, but I've often regretted leaving them in the car.

In case you don't know about it, Mountain Bike Review has good forums for racing. Plus a ton of other great forums too.


https://forums.mtbr.com/endurance-xc-racing/
https://forums.mtbr.com/xc-racing-training/

The road is my main gig but I always jump into 3-4 XC races a year, I love the dirt unfortunately it takes me 45minutes t an hour to get to the nearest trail, otherwise I'd be on the trails at least once a week.
Just go out and have fun, yes for sure get a dropper if you didn't already.
As for the races, don't over think it, just go out and do a a few and you will get the hang of it, also check with some local shops, usually many shops will have a weekly group ride, those are great ways to get out and learn to ride and meet other riders, what I have found is that most MTB'rs are super friendly and will be more then happy to help you with technique and seasoning things.
Its FUN, enjoy the ride.

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http://www.instagram.com/cyclewise

I try to squeeze in as much MTB as I can amidst my training. I picked up a Santa Cruz Blur a few months ago, which is their XC model. It weighs 23 lbs in size medium, which is crazy light for a MTB. I have an aluminum frame Specialized Stumpjumper also, and that one weights 32 lbs.

I did one XTerra type race last year and loved it, so I'm looking for more this year, as well as pure XC MTB races. Texas has a decent number of marathon MTB races, including nationals at Palo Duro Canyon State Park.

Good stuff everyone, thanks for the tips!

Dropper post is definitely first upgrade on the list. And skills course is a great idea, I’ll have to see if I can find one around me soon.

Also I’m lucky that a guy in my cycling club is a cat 1 MTB racer and he’s been trying to get me on the trails for awhile now. So should be able to learn a lot from him.

When I moved to the mountains the first thing I did was buy a mtb. It has done wonders for my bike handling skills! I would agree that riding dirt can make road riding seem a bit blah if I'm being honest, but I still love both. I've only done one mtb race and I thought I was going to die haha. You're basically anaerobic the entire time and its freaking hard! I cannot believe how strong some people are. Enjoy the ride and get ready for some great adventures!!

One thing about the XC racing is, you get a different type of mindset than triathlon. Rather than grinding out max sustainable power for hour after hour, you need to continuously go way deep into what is not sustainable, try to recover, and than do it again. You burn your matches in spurts rather than one by one.

It’s a mental adjustment as much as a physical one.

My A race is in Durango Memorial Weekend. The course goes through Steamworks bar and per You Tube videos, there are beer handups :-)
If you're in the Austin area, check out Enchilada Buffet which is in October. 85ish miles. It's a lot of fun in a group torturefest sort of way.

There is a very good book on mountain biking called Mountain Bike Skills by Brian Lopes. He strongly recommends two upgrades everybody should make: a dropper seatpost and a short stem. The short stem makes a huge difference in control.

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Andrew Inkpen

Awesome. That’s another thing that appeals to me after focusing on IM distance the past two years. Would really like to raise my ceiling by working shorter efforts

Goes through a bar?!?!! 😂

thanks for that tip! im in texas. always looking for good cycling events i didnt know about.

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80/20 Endurance Ambassador

Thanks for the recco, I’ll pick it up. Trying to learn as much as possible.

I also joined our local off-road bike riders association. Looks like a great way to get hooked up with riders in the area and help out on trail workdays etc. They also hold skills clinics so I’ll get into at least one of those.

Yep! They have double doors in back where you enter and they take out a window in the front and put in a ramp there for the exit. Plus beer handups! I've been warned the floor might be slippery from spilled beer. I think beer spills should be at least a 30 second penalty!

I've gotten more into mountain biking & gravel after being hit by a car on the road in 2017.

I'll be doing the 6 race mountain bike series (CCORS) in North & South Carolina from now until March. Then I plan to do 4 of the new MOTUS races starting with the old Xterra Myrtle Beach in April.

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Pink? Maybe. Maybe not. You decide.

Sounds like a great year of events!



So what are peoples thoughts on carbon rims? I get a great discount on ENVE and wondering if it's worth it to pick up some M525s.

Another question for y’all, should I just ride flat pedals for awhile?


Also, going to jump right off into the deep end and sign up for the Rocky Hill roundup XC race Feb 8.

I think yes on flats. The ability to easily dab or bail really helps. You'll experience a few flying over the handlebar moments when starting out and if you're fearing flats you just might land on your feet and carry on.

But be warned, a good pair of flats with studs will turn your shins into hamburger. Shin pads are completely worth it. When you can navigate your local trail at speed without dabbing your ready to go back to clips.

Texas has a great mtb series. The fall series is the marathon series. The spring is XCO style racing. Don't know what part of Texas you are in, but there is a lot of great riding across the state.

https://www.tmbra.org/

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Pactimo brand ambassador, ask me about promo codes