Back in the (New) Saddle

After a short “I hate this new saddle” hiatus, I headed back out to the dirt today.

For Christmas, I gave myself a new saddle. I bought what I thought was a Specialized Lithia, which had good padding. What I brought home (attached to the Lithia packaging) was a Specialized Jett, which is actually a higher end saddle. (For some reason, my bike store had Jett seats zip tied to Lithia packaging. Don’t ask me how.)

Well, the Jett looked awesome, and I really tried to like it, but apparently “higher end” means “lighter weight” and therefore “less padding.”

I’m not a wimp. I gave birth without drugs. Twice. But after that rock-hard saddle punched me in the nethers a couple times, it went right back to the store, in exchange for the lower end, more padded seat I originally wanted. 

Oh well.  I guess I’m not a fancy saddle kinda gal.

Relative to the Jett, the Lithia is a lot more comfortable.  But with my limited sample size (four) it’s hard to say if it’s a great seat.  I was saddle sore halfway through the ride, but then it’s been a few months since I rode regularly. 

I think it’s a keeper, but only time will tell.

The tires, on the other hand, felt great.  But that’s a post for another day!

Testing

This is a test post.

My second worst crash… and a lesson on road rash

I rode in the first ever Wahine Warrior women’s only mountain bike “event” this weekend, so named because it was a noncompetitive affair.  It was my first organized MTB affair, so noncompetitive was what really got me to go in the first place. 

There were probably about 80 or so women registered, plus kids and significant others.  I’ve never attended a real race, so I can’t really compare it, but it was a lot of fun.  Or it was until I biffed it big time on my second of three laps. 

It was on a straight, flat, sandy part, and I’m not really sure why I crashed.  All I know is that all of a sudden, my handlebars were pointed right and I was flying off to the left.  I remember a REALLY long skid on my elbow, then a hard landing involving my entire left side.  Especially my knee.  But to be honest,  it could have been so much worse.  In the interest of glass half full, here’s why I’m grateful: I didn’t break any bones, I didn’t bruise my ribs (which WAS my worst crash ever!), I didn’t mess up my neck, and I was able to ride out the rest of the loop.  See?  It was a good day! 

Of course, mountain bikers (and probably bikers in general) love to talk about war wounds.  Scars and the stories that accompany them are a favorite topic among those of us crazy enough to keep doing this after the first fall.  In honor of that tradition, here’s a picture of my souvenir:

This being the worst case of road rash I’ve personally ever experienced, I did a little research and found a helpful article on how to care for it.  It’s a good one, so I decided to share my story and the link to the road rash article. 

Here it is.  Check it out, then be sure to put together your own crash kit.  Here’s what’s in my own home made version:

Tweezers (for cactus removal; it’s a desert thing)
long comb (again, for cactus)
Band-aids in an assortment of sizes
Gauze pads of the non-stick variety
Cloth tape
Antibiotic ointment
Advil and/or Tylenol
and  Hold Tite Tubular Stretch Bandage

 

This last item (shown here) is my newest addition.  It’s THE best way to keep a bandage on an elbow or knee, especially for that last mile and a half you need to hike/ride to get back to the car.

Make sure you clean it out with something gentle (NOT hydrogen peroxide) as soon as possible, then keep it ointmented and covered to facilitate healing.  A friend recommended Tegaderm, which I’ll be shopping for tomorrow.   I’ll be sure to let you know how that goes.

I’ve been contemplating adding a pair of pliers in the form of a Leatherman to my Camelbak, but I couldn’t decide if (a) I wanted to carry the weight and (b) if I wanted to give up my universal kitchen tool.  But then I saw a women come into the first aid tent with a kiwi sized cactus ball stuck to the top of her shoe.  The first aid person asked for the pliers and had to pull hard to get that puppy to let go. 

I’m thinking the weight might be a fair tradeoff.  I don’t think my comb would have been up to the task.

Road rash is no fun, but it’s a fact of life for the two-wheeled set, so I guess I’ll deal with it.  Meanwhile, don’t be like me; keep your heads up and wheels down!

Celebrating Milestones

A couple of weeks ago, I went camping with my riding partner who had been out-of-town all summer.  Eventually, of course, the subject of riding came up.  I told her, “I’ve almost got the switchback on Desert Classic.  I just have one more obstacle to go and I’ll have it!” 

She looked at me confused, “You already have it.  You posted it on Facebook that you made it all the way up that switchback.”

“I did??”

“Yeah, you don’t remember?”

“No.  Wait…   Oh, now I remember!  That must have been the day I fell and hurt my knee.  I was so fixated on the fall that I COMPLETELY forgot I made it!  Really?  I made it?  Crazy.  I remember writing the post, but I can’t remember making it up the hill.  How twisted is that?” 

How often do we do that?  Sell ourselves short on a big accomplishment just because of one little failure or setback? 

And worse, holding ourselves back by adopting beliefs about our abilities based on the remembered failure instead of the forgotten triumph? 

I’m sad to say that I didn’t ride that part of the trail last week because I was afraid to try it and fall.  It didn’t help that my loving daughter kept telling me on my way out the door, “Don’t fall, Mommy!  Don’t hurt yourself today!”  All I could think about was falling; but recognizing that particular mind trap, I gave myself permission to start the season off on the easier part of the trail.  I had a fabulous confidence building ride, and next time, I may feel good enough to take on that switchback again.

Just for fun, here’s my Facebook status from July 6th:

I DID IT I DID IT I DID IT! I rode up the switchback on DC without stopping or touching! The weather was FABULOUS, I saw TWO coyotes on the trail. Great ride! Up to the the halfway point when I wiped and smacked my knee, which now hurts like… well, let’s just focus on the positive. I DID IT I DID IT I DID IT!

Looks like I forgot to take my own advice, but better late than never.

How about you?  When have you held yourself back by focusing on your failures instead of your accomplishments?

Back-to-school saddle sore: A new riding season begins!

I know the rest of the country thinks of the summer as the season of “WAHOOOOOO!”  Prime time for hitting the trails.  But here in Hell, er, I mean Phoenix, summer is the time to get outta Dodge and search for cooler climes.   Besides, as a full time Mom, I need to wait for the kids to head back to school so I can take the time to go riding. 

But the planets have now finally come into full MTB alignment: cooler temps and back-to-school.  Hallelujah! 

I headed out to Warpaint, for a nice and easy first ride of the season.  It was PERFECT!  The temperature was just right, the trail was less crowded than I expected given the weather, and I was feeling GOOD! 

I put in an honest 11  mile ride before heading back home for a shower and then to work.  That day, work meant twelve hours in front of a computer screen, but I didn’t mind a bit!

Taking a break

MTB Mama’s bike is very sad and lonely these days. I haven’t been out in a month. And even worse, it’ll probably be another month before I can get out there because I just started physical therapy for a vocal strain problem I have. For the next three weeks for sure, no time for biking.

Now that you mention it, MTB Mama is pretty sad, too.

Cornering

Pop Quiz!  How do you steer your bike, with your handlebars or with you body?

You’ll find the answer at the bottom of this post.  Meanwhile, read along and learn something!  Or if you’re already a know-it-all smarty-pants, read along anyway and take petty pleasure in telling me all the things I forgot to include.  Either way, you’re welcome here!

This weekend, I conquered a tough obstacle: it was a rocky downhill combined with a sharp turn going over a drop-off.  I’m feeling rather proud of myself, which you already know if you read MTB Mama regularly, because I think this is the third time I’ve mentioned it! 

How you alter the course of your bike varies based on how fast you’re going.  If you’re going very slowly (e.g., trackstanding), you use more handlebar turning.  But the faster you go, the less you steer with the handlebars, and the more you steer by leaning.  Here are a few things to keep in mind as you learn how to turn your bike in increasingly tighter radii.

1. Wag your tail.  The idea here is to lean, not steer.  Practice this in safe, flat, smooth places.  Stand on the pedals, pinch the seat between your thighs, and wag your butt from side to side.  You should notice that your bike veers slightly from side to side as you wag. Very useful on curvy single track.
2. Hang a knee.  If you’ve ever watched motocross, you’ve seen the racers going around a curve hang their inner knee down until it almost touches the track.  What they’re doing – and what you need to do – is using the body creatively to shift weight in a controlled manner.  Sure, you can lean you’re whole body to the side, but that’s a gross (as in large) movement.  No subtlety.  By hanging a knee, you control how much weight you shift.
3. Hang an elbow.  OK, I admit I haven’t tried this one, but it makes sense.  The same way you swing out your knee to subtly shift weight, swinging out an elbow does the same thing on an even more minute increment.  And so you know I’m not crazy, I found this method in a mountain biking book I found at a thrift store for one dollah.
4. Look where you want to go.  If you look at the big rock on the left side of the trail, you’re going to hit the big rock on the left side of the trail.  So look at the nice wide clear spot on the right side of the trail and that’s where you’ll go.  This holds true even if where you want to go is 180 degrees from the direction you’re going.  If you look over your shoulder, your weight will naturally shift in that direction, and your bike will follow.
5. Focus 10 feet in front of you.  This goes hand-in-hand with#3.   When you keep your gaze 10 feet out, your mind will automatically process the obstacles and chart the best path (which you chose by looking at it),  now you need to trust your peripheral vision to maneuver around them, while you keep focusing on choosing that line 10 feet out.  If you let your gaze ride in by fixating on the tombstone in the trail, your mind will stop charting the best route and say “Oh, that must be our final destination.”  And then BAM!  ouch.  That’s gonna leave a mark. 
6. Practice in a safe environment.  Like on grass for example, using cones as obstacles.  If you have a grassy hill to practice on, even better!  At the Luna Chix bike clinic I attended, they laid ribbons and cones out on a hill in a switchback pattern.  GREAT practice! 

All right.  If you’ve been paying one iota of attention, you should know the answer to the pop quiz question: How do you steer your bike, with your handlebars or your body?

If you don’t know, go back and re-read this post again until you do.  (I’ll give you a hint:  It’s in paragraph four.)

Now enough talk!  Go ride!

Going Up! Tips for successful climbing

This is the first of what I hope to be many helpful tips and tidbits on how to handle various obstacles on the trail. Of course this isn’t meant to be some far-reaching, mega-organized curriculum on how to mountain bike, (at least not yet!) but it is a place for me to share the good stuff I’ve learned from my many mentors.  If you’re already an advanced rider, you won’t need my advice, but read on anyway, and let me know if I’ve left something out!  If you’re a relative newbie, you might find that one little nugget that helps you conquer that one obstacle you keep missing.

OK!  Today I’m talking about hill climbing.  Granted, the only climbing I know is desert related, and maybe it’s different in greener pastures, but since this is all about me, we’ll take it as a given and move on.

I admit, I’m not the best climber in the world.  I blame it on my asthma.  When I reach a long steep uphill, I’m going to end up pushing my bike.  That being said, every hill that I DO successfully climb is well-earned.  And here are the techniques that get me there:

1. Downshift.  This seems kind of like a no brainer, but in teaching my kids to ride I realized that learning how and when to shift is an important part of mountain biking.  When you go up, you want to shift down.  This makes it easier to pedal.  You always want to be able to pedal.  No pedal, no go.  Fall over.  Ouch.  You don’t always have to go to 1-1 (aka “granny gear”), because every hill is different. 1-2 or even 2-1 might work for you.  You’ll figure out eventually what gears you need for each hill.
2. Scoot your weight forward.  In general, you want to sit so that the nose of your seat is, how shall I say it?  Well, there’s just no delicate way to put this.  Somewhere between smashing your girl parts, and stuck up your butt.  Going uphill is a balancing act.  If your weight is too far back, you pop a wheelie, spaz out as you try to get your feet back on the ground, then often get off your bike and walk it.  If you’re too far forward, your back tire loses traction.  Slipping tire=no forward movement=tip over+feel stupid+get off your bike and walk it.  Scoot up, get up. 
3. Tighten your core and pull back on the handlebars.  Here’s where you finally get a chance to take advantage of all that ab work you’ve been doing at the gym.  By pulling back toward your stomach, you have better control over the handlebars.  With loosey-goosey arms, you have a tendency to “flail” the handlebars back and forth, which does nothing.  Well, nothing useful anyway.
4. Keep your elbows tucked in.  This helps when doing number 3.   
5. Stand UP (if you have to).  This my newest nugget, freshly mined this past weekend.  (Thanks, Sara!)  In my case, I was faced with a bumpy, bouldery uphill.  It was doable, but I couldn’t quite get up and over.  I knew I needed to stand up and pedal through it, but I couldn’t seem to coordinate the movements.  Sara told me the trick to standing up is to stand straight up.  I was trying to stand on the pedals while maintaining a biking-like posture, e.g., bent over the handlebars.  But where is your weight in that position?  Over the front tire.  And what’s going to happen if your front wheel encounters an obstacle, like the large boulder your trying to ride over?   That’s right!  The bike stops and you do your best Superman imitation.  Sara told me that yes, she has endo-ed going uphill.  By standing upright, you can shift your weight back and forth between the rear wheel for traction and the front wheel to prevent wheelies.  That’s the theory anyway.  I need to practice to make sure I’m doing/describing it correctly.
6. Shift up to stand up.  If you know going into a hill that you’re going to stand up at the end, go ahead and shift up a couple gears.  Trying to stand up and pedal while in your granny gear is like flooring it in a Yugo.  No power.   (Did I just date myself?  Do you even know what a Yugo is?)
7. Long uphills.  I can’t help you here.  I told you in the beginning that I usually walk those.  Still reading?  OK, here’s my advice: Ride more, go fast, breathe hard. 

There you go!  Now you know everything I know about climbing.  If you’re just learning, try adding one or two of these at a time.  Once you’re consistently doing them, add a couple more.  If you try to do too much at once, you’ll freak out and forget everything.  Trust me.  Been there, done that!

If any of you have any additional advice, please share!  We’d all love to hear it!

Life at the Back of the Pack

My first ride of the new decade, and there I was at the back of the intermediate pack, again…  

But the more I thought about it – and I had plenty of time to think about it - it’s actually not a bad place to be.  Sure I end up breathing everyone else’s dust.  And yes, the other riders are tearin’ it up, making me wonder whether I should have gone with the beginners group.  And so what if every time we hit a long hill, I end up pushing my bike instead of riding it.  Who cares?  I’m out there, on my bike, enjoying the fabulous Phoenix winter weather.   

Being a glass half full kinda gal, let’s take a quick look at the positives of being at the back of the pack:  

1. When you’re in front, you worry that you’re going too slow for the person behind you, so you keep the afterburners on the entire time, and end up bonking halfway through the ride. In the back, you can go your own pace knowing that you’re not slowing down anyone, except the Luna Chik whose job it is to play caboose in case you biff it bad enough to require first aid.  And let’s face it, she probably had a long ride the day before and is looking forward to the R&R of riding behind a slowpoke like you. 
2. You get to watch everyone else go first, giving you an opportunity to study the lay of the land before trying it yourself.  I actually managed to successfully tackle a gnarly rocky downhill switchback this way.  (Yay me!)
3. There’s no one behind you to see when you screw up.
4. There’s usually a Luna Chik bringing up the rear, so if you hit an obstacle you’re that close to making, you can usually do a little sessioning with one-on-one instruction from a uber-helpful expert rider!  (Shhh!  Don’t tell anyone, this is my special secret!)
5. And the best part?  Riding with women means there’s lots of encouragement, and no trash talking allowed!

You know, come to think of it, I LIKE being at the back of the pack!  

And just for fun, here was our route that day: 

Javalina to the golf course, finshing up on West Loop

 

  

Luna Chix: First ride of the new decade!

There was a great turnout for the first ride of the year!

We had relatively warm weather for the first Luna Chix ride of the year.  A baker’s dozen (13) showed up at the South Mountain Ramadas and after the obligatory photo op, we broke up into two groups, intermediate, and soon-to-be-intermediate riders.   Two Luna Chix and three groupies took off for Javalina in the intermediate group, which if I counted correctly left three Luna Chix and five riders in the soon-to-be group. 

Although it was my first actual ride with Luna Chix, it was clear that there were some repeat offenders as well as some other first timers.  Rachel from Northern California was getting used to Desert riding.  Becky was enjoying some time off without the kids.  Melanie’s mom even showed up for her first ever ride, and I hear she was game for anything!  (Way to go, Mom!)

Afterwards, we all met back up at the ramadas for Luna treats and talk story time about the ride.  Everyone had a fabulous time, and there was some talk of tackling National.  I’m not sure if that led anywhere because I took that as my cue to leave.

I can’t wait for the next ride!