I got into a routine- I had my uni the way I like it and I found the trail I loved that didn’t get old for me.
In other words I was in a rut, and didn’t know it.
Over the holidays, I agreed to get back on the ol’ mountain bike and ride with my brother and uncle. “How hard could it be? I ride MUni, for heaven’s sake! I can get back on the old two-wheeler and rock!”
At first I couldn’t even remember the proper use of the gearshifters. I rode the brake, banged my shoulders on passing trees, kept my arms stiff and generally worked myself near a heart attack on unfamiliar trails.
Anyone else have these problems? Anyone else decide that maybe a little crosstraining isn’t out of line? Share!
LOL!
I get hurt on bicycles everytime I go out! I try to stick to my uni. I am starting Tai Chi for cross training. It’s not much of a workout, but it’s good for focus and balance.
I am thinking of doing something more physically intense in the martial arts for strength and endurance. Aikido was recommended by many.
It will be neat to hear what other folks say in this thread. Mikefule suggested that fencing was good cross training because of the leg strength required and the bursts of energy and effort the sport demands.
To me mountain biking is exhausting. Especially if I try to keep up with the young lads who ride every week. Standing on the pedals for long periods and manoeuvring the (comparatively) heavy bike over stony paths and up muddy slopes … it beats the shit out of this old man. Worst thing is that these fellows don’t know about taking things easy - it’s full throttle through the woods. I prefer muni thank you. When tracks get technical I also find muni more challenging and enjoyable than on mtb. However, since the bike is much faster I think it is a great tool to scout for new muni tracks in your neighbourhood.
I’ve occasionally made the point that a mountain bike is to a trail as a canoe is to a whitewater river- you blast along and enjoy the ride.
A unicycle is more of a kayak- you pick your line and work the technical stuff more accurately and more enjoyably. You ‘stop and surf’, to borrow the language.
On the other hand, having my 46 year old uncle’s bike riding leave me gasping and in fear of infarction makes me think I need to work on my stamina. I’ve started running in the mornings again.
Just to add another element to the thread- how many folks here have a balance board? It’s like a skateboard deck with a runner down the middle. The runner fits into a slot in a tapered cylinder. Good for balance and leg strength.
I’ve been wondering this since watching one of my xmas pressies yesterday - Into the Thunder Dragon and since it has come up in the last two posts of this thread I am going to ask it here: What does ‘technical’ mean in this respect? Is it man speak for difficult or does it mean something specific that I’m not getting.
Sorry for the threadjack but I’d love an answer. Thanks.
Seems to me I remember playing with the hydraulics with my Grumman 17’, even going back upstream to play some more, If I wasn’t accurate I’d get a lotmore water in. Kayaks are for people that are afraid to get their feet wet.
Okay, Brian… you know how these canoe/kayak talks get. Don’t start nothin’, won’t be nothin’. Anyhow, I got both kinda boats, so I’m a fence straddler anyway.
As for Cath’s question about ‘technical’- I’ve always taken it to mean areas where you pick your lines and change your technique to fit the individual features of the trail - as opposed to riding, say, a fairly flat paved path or something. An obstacle course more than a sidewalk.
I have one, although without the runner/slot feature. They’re pretty easy to make, although the one I have is store-bought, received as a gift. It’s the standard rola bola from Dube, shown below. I use mine to help lessen the guilt from watching television. Instead of sitting on the couch burning no calories, I’ll watch while balancing on the rola bola, trying to go the full span between commercials without touching down.
Hardly cross-training, but every little bit helps.
Technical means that people who do the same sport would be impressed, but others might not be as impressed. It’s the difference between getting huge air, and getting little air with tricks. At least that’s what it is for every other extreme sport.
ach, it’s fun to invert the attitude and throw the feeling of it as an uncharted, impressive activity back at the bicyclists. even if it is a bit exaggerated. i have a friend who plans to learn unicycling without knowing how to ride a bike in the first place. call me a show-off, but it’d be great to say to people that you hadn’t yet moved up to the two-wheelers.
Sort of a Luke’s Shuffle then. Ok, I think I understand now. The fiddley manouvers that may not look particularly impressive to non-unicyclists but that unicyclists know are damn hard. Is that it?
exactly. normal people just look for big stuff. grinding big rails, doing big drops, hopping really high. We on the other hand know that it can be harder to do some little things.
I’ve thought of technical (re: MTBs anyway) to mean where you have little chance of cleaning* the whole trail, because of rocks, roots, sharp turns, difficult inclines and declines, that type of thing.
One reason I like Muni so much is it makes mellow trails difficult (for me), rendering them “technical”. It’s so much more interesting!
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cleaning - riding the entire trail without putting a foot on the ground.
going back upstream to play some more, If I wasn’t accurate I’d get 
