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Miscellaneous
-> Whether Sprague sucks or not
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Whether Sprague sucks or not |
jroden
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 Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 3:48 pm
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Some of you guys are awful picky about where you ride around on a bike. I have had some wonderful rides on quiet country roads, gravel truck trails in forestland, XC ski trails and even on grass parkland with a cross bike. I had a great time today tooling around sprague brook with my pals on MTB's. I've enjoyed riding velodromes, criteriums, cross races, mtb and road races. I'd race a damn wheelbarrow if the prize list was decent.
Riding a bike is one of life's great pleasures, no matter where it happens to take you.
If you are having complaints about flow, whatever that is, perhaps a fatter tampon is needed.
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| Posts: 631 | From: west falls | Registered: 24 Jun 2003
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TSWOLF21
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| Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 4:18 pm
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| jroden wrote: |
Riding a bike is one of life's great pleasures, no matter where it happens to take you.
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Deserves a double-post
_________________
Singletrack Solitude
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| Posts: 263 | From: East Aurora | Registered: 09 Jul 2009
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velociped jones
WNYMBA member
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| Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 4:28 pm
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| boogenman wrote: | | I dislike most of you |
i like you.
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*bleep* it, dude. let's go riding.
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| Posts: 979 | From: the sweet hereafter | Registered: 20 Mar 2003
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boogenman
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| Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 4:58 pm
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| velociped jones wrote: | | boogenman wrote: | | I dislike most of you |
i like you. |
Fellow Alpaca owners unite!
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| Posts: 1480 | From: East Aurora | Registered: 26 Apr 2005
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dmarsh15
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| Posted: Wed Jul 28, 2010 11:32 pm
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| The Todd-ler wrote: | | Moto Mike wrote: | It's funny to watch how some of you get so defensive when someone says anything ill about the holy grail Sprague Brook  |
I am not being defensive-I could care less about one guys online opinion- I don't even really ride the Brook that often. I ride Eville.
But calling somebody out for being a whiny girl is ALSO FUNNY!
It's an online forum, full of complainers, some days I feel the need to respond, most days I just ignore it. |
Sounds like someone is a little defensive... 
Pretty funny that one little comment got three pages of responses in two days...lol
I rode the brook a lot last summer. This summer I rode it once and it just wasnt as fun for me as Hunters, EV, golden hill, or letchworth is. Maybe its the repetition of it, or just isnt enough of a challenge.
If you want to change it up and try something new and challenging in mountain biking, ride DH. Swain and Ski Denton are good starts. I cant wait to go to plattekill and diablo at the end of august and then go watch the World Cup at Windham. If you want to watch some crazy mountain bikers, go there and you will be blown away.
Heres a pic of part of the 4x course there:
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| Posts: 324 | From: Amherst | Registered: 27 Apr 2009
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jroden
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| Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 6:39 am
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| uhhh dude there's no flow to that
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| Posts: 631 | From: west falls | Registered: 24 Jun 2003
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El_Marko
WNYMBA member
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| Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 2:30 pm
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Sure there is - blood flow from your face, that is.
I don't want to wear hockey equipment while biking. Others can have fun doing downhill and trials riding. It's all good - just not for me and almost all of my riding friends.
I recently had a conversation with a "racer/aggressive rider type" at the Raccoon Rally. He stated emphatically that MTB is in bad shape because most people don't stay with it long enough to get good. But then he complained that SpragueBrook was an EASY BEGINNER trail. He couldn't even fathom the fact that he was contradicting himself within 30 seconds of pontification.
Almost all beginners DO NOT think the Brook is an easy beginner trail and when "racer/aggressive rider types" try to convince people that is it - this only scares people into thinking how hard expert trails must be.
Just some random thoughts when thinking about the worst thing about Spragubrook... the awful damage being done to it due to over riding in bad conditions.
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| Posts: 697 | From: Buffalo, NY USA | Registered: 07 May 2001
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jroden
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| Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 2:49 pm
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| El_Marko wrote: | Sure there is - blood flow from your face, that is.
I don't want to wear hockey equipment while biking. Others can have fun doing downhill and trials riding. It's all good - just not for me and almost all of my riding friends.
I recently had a conversation with a "racer/aggressive rider type" at the Raccoon Rally. He stated emphatically that MTB is in bad shape because most people don't stay with it long enough to get good. But then he complained that SpragueBrook was an EASY BEGINNER trail. He couldn't even fathom the fact that he was contradicting himself within 30 seconds of pontification.
Almost all beginners DO NOT think the Brook is an easy beginner trail and when "racer/aggressive rider types" try to convince people that is it - this only scares people into thinking how hard expert trails must be.
Just some random thoughts when thinking about the worst thing about Spragubrook... the awful damage being done to it due to over riding in bad conditions. |
I think it's a delightful trail and can be a handful when ridden fast, especially if the roots and rocks have some moisture on them. I like that you can do a few laps there and get a good endurance workout in due to the rolling terrain and design of the trails. When I want to put the boots to it, I'll usually use the road bike or take to the grass on the cross bike. I have ridden some pretty hard stuff and while I enjoy it in a race, it's hard to picture pounding down rocky trails like they have in state college or WV every day, just the toll in equipment damage would get old in a hurry, not to mention wear and tear on the crotch.
The other thing about sprague brook is the number (and increasing number) of serious fall off the edge hazards. My wife rode the trail after 10 years off and found that aspect to be a little scary. I never really noticed before but you could really rack your self up in some spots.
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| Posts: 631 | From: west falls | Registered: 24 Jun 2003
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El_Marko
WNYMBA member
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| Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 4:50 pm
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Last edited by El_Marko on Thu Jul 29, 2010 4:55 pm; edited 1 time in total
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| Posts: 697 | From: Buffalo, NY USA | Registered: 07 May 2001
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El_Marko
WNYMBA member
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| Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 4:54 pm
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| jroden wrote: | | The other thing about sprague brook is the number (and increasing number) of serious fall off the edge hazards. My wife rode the trail after 10 years off and found that aspect to be a little scary. I never really noticed before but you could really rack your self up in some spots. |
Agreed...
Yes - and this is kinda how they rate whitewater as well (i.e. class II, IV, etc.) - its not just the rock hazards and churn, but just how hard is it to get out of the water if you capsize based on bank angle and tree coverage. There are 2 or 3 steep places where a beginner could lose it and be in some serious trouble, fast.
I witnessed an intermediate rider go down in one of these areas and luckily was able to grab a tree as they we're headed to certain ambulance territory.
I think expert riders underestimate how difficult some MTBing can be for beginners.
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| Posts: 697 | From: Buffalo, NY USA | Registered: 07 May 2001
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jroden
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| Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 4:58 pm
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| El_Marko wrote: | | jroden wrote: | | The other thing about sprague brook is the number (and increasing number) of serious fall off the edge hazards. My wife rode the trail after 10 years off and found that aspect to be a little scary. I never really noticed before but you could really rack your self up in some spots. |
Agreed...
Yes - and this is kinda how they rate whitewater as well (i.e. class II, IV, etc.) - its not just the rock hazards and churn, but just how hard is it to get out of the water if you capsize based on bank angle and tree coverage. There are 2 or 3 steep places where a beginner could lose it and be in some serious trouble, fast.
I witnessed an intermediate rider go down in one of these areas and luckily was able to grab a tree as they we're headed to certain ambulance territory.
I think expert riders underestimate how difficult some MTBing can be for beginners. |
my spring race at SB produced a broken collarbone and a nasty gash requiring stitches and at least 4 others who crashed out hard enough to quit. This was on a pretty simple course, but people lose their heads especially when riding with others.
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| Posts: 631 | From: west falls | Registered: 24 Jun 2003
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boogenman
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| Posted: Thu Jul 29, 2010 5:17 pm
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Trips to the ER are part of mountain biking, or is that just something that happens to me?
Knock on wood I have not been to the ER in 8 years from biking.
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| Posts: 1480 | From: East Aurora | Registered: 26 Apr 2005
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Jim Barker
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| Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2010 8:01 am
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| Most, if not all of the people who complain that the trails aren`t difficult enough aren`t that good anyway.
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| Posts: 687 | From: The bottom of the hill | Registered: 09 Jan 2003
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El_Marko
WNYMBA member
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| Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2010 11:03 am
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I was riding behind someone in Eville on the Rim trail and we were talking about how much I love that particular ribbon, while he was saying how easy it was.
60 seconds later he was picking twigs out of his teeth after a nasty endo faceplant.
He was OK. I laughed to myself.
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| Posts: 697 | From: Buffalo, NY USA | Registered: 07 May 2001
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jroden
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| Posted: Fri Jul 30, 2010 4:20 pm
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| boogenman wrote: | Trips to the ER are part of mountain biking, or is that just something that happens to me?
Knock on wood I have not been to the ER in 8 years from biking. |
It's just no fun when you are a promoter and responsible for those trips and the ensuing paperwork. I just want everyone to finish in one piece and go home somewhat happy
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| Posts: 631 | From: west falls | Registered: 24 Jun 2003
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