Hi, just wondering if anyone else did?

great to see i'm not alone... for some reason i cant help but do it, but i'm a little scared for my fingers... lol.

The last time I went mountain biking was about 8 years ago.  We went up Slick Rock in Moab, Utah.  That was a fun trail.  Another time we were heading down the gravel roads of one of the Four Peaks in AZ.  I was cruising one part at about 30-40 miles/hour an hit a rut in the road.  Felt like Superman flying over the handlebars.  Felt like crap hitting and sliding across the gravel road.  Didn't break anything but my bike was messed up and both elbows and knees were scraped up real bad.

Pohsoonteng,

One thing I've just noticed (just got back from a great ride in my local park (the Queen's back garden  ) is that my wrists actually do take quite a pumelling doing some of the more bumpy downhill stuff.  I got a bit fearful that it may be of detriment to my playing in some way but there was no pain and no difference in my playing (sensitivity etc) so I'm guessing it's all cool.

Personally I think its one of the best forms of exercise.  Fairly intense bursts of cardio (keeps the stamina up behind the kit) and the exhileration of being in the great outdoors.  I love it!

The Road Ride is much safer and also a good cardio vascular work out.  Just not as fun!!  In my 30's, I road a lot of trails.  When I went to have my bike tuned up, I would talk to the guy at the bike shop about Mountain Biking and he told me he sticks to the road now.  Got tierd of beating his body up and now I am in my 40's. I am feeling it too.  I have already torn one knee up and the cartilage never grows back.
It acts as the shock absorber for your joints.  Bone against bone will really hurt.
As you get older the cartilage is less plyable.  Think of a sponge.  That sponge absorbs
fluid.  As you get older the sponge looses it's ability to hold fluid and dries and cracks.
There are some products out there that fight against this.  You can read up on Glucosamine and Chondroitin products like Osteo Bi-Flex.  I have been taking it since my surgury. It is supposed to keep that cartilage more like a sponge.  Hope this helps?
                                Nutty
                                 
 

Hi chillman4130,
Everything you talk about on your BMX ride can happen on a mountain bike trail.  You may straddle a Log or hit a fence or run into a branch or hit something and fly over your handle bars.  Not much different.
                             Nutty

Yea, Good point, Rattle Snakes, Spiders, Bears, Ticks, Chiggers, Poison Ivy and so on and so forth.
                         Nutty

What was your old dogs name? Conga? XD

I have a shiny new 1998 Schwinn mountain bike hanging upside down in my basement right next to the shiny new treadmill that serves as a coat rack. Still has the nibs on the tires. Rode it 3 times, then got annoyed by the increased heart rate, sweating, and heavy breathing that seemed to accompany the activity.

I had a similar experience surfing; I found it way too wet and sandy.
Also I think I'm the only person who ever got seasick on a surf board.

Wow... i havent been here for a while... but my other love (mountain biking) had been keeping me busy... hehehehe. Just built my FS bike. Bought the frame off ebay, got a used Manitou Black from Trips For Kids in San Rafael, CA... felt like sharing... Will be joining my first Dual Slalom race in 2 weeks...

i ride some mountain bikes, I'm not sure as to what level you guys all ride at or if you'll understand half the crap i say but:

I ride a surly instigator with 2.5" High roller tires (maxxis) on rhino lite XL's with a sun ringle hub. my fork is a marzocchi Z.1 and my cranks as of now are (is..?) a race face diablous, i use a single ring with a bash gaurd. I use this bike for freeriding and some DH riding. It works for XC but doesnt function very well. I'm getting into some gravity riding (as in racing) hopefully soon. i want to learn to play drums (the reason i joined the site) but i'm still going to ride. Just today me and my body were out doing some stair gaps\hucks. it's fun stuff. 

BTW, pohsoonteng are you planning on racing a DS event using an XC helmet? those things really dont take a hit off of a DS \ 4X course to well, I've shattered one falling down a 7 stair huck. Theyre not really built to take that kind of hit, thats more of a DJ helmet thing. (sorry if i sound like a jerk)

Okay Poh, yasha has a very good point. If you are riding downhill, you need a downhill full face helmet, to protect that handsome mug of yours!
 When my nephew crashed (actually that was jumping over a 45' ravine) he was wearing someone else's full face helmet, which didn't quite fit him properly, and he came away w/ only a concussion that put him in the hospital overnite. Without the FF helmet, he probably would have busted up his face too, and after watching pix of his crash, he definitely would have been severely head injured w/o any helmet whatsoever.

robyn (always the mom)

They're well worth it, mine is DOT approved so it'll take a beating. So far i've slid out twice on a DH run and flipped over my bars with no head injuries! Invest in a good one and you'll be happy, theyre good for multiple crashes, some even have a replacement plan if you plan on breaking them on a brick wall or a tree.