First time in ballinastoe.

kevvhayes

Got a mountain bike on the BTW scheme a good few months ago. since then ive used the bike for spinning around my local forest (which is small) and a few spins around the roads.
UNTIL TODAY!!!!!!!
A friend from work who has been into mountain biking for a while finally convinced me to join him and his for a run in the wicklow mountains.
now im by no means fit at the moment but i went anyway.
Good God!!!! What fun!!! it was muddy, wet, hilly, scary, everything!!!!
had to walk up some of the steeper bits, but who cares?
my arms are sore and my legs ache. my bike is covered in mud and my gear will probably never be completly clean again but im sitting at home having a coffee and i cant get the smile off my face. Loved it.:)

langdang

Looking forward to hitting ballinastoe sometime, have heard good things from new and experienced riders. You can't beat the buzz of a good off road spin

kevvhayes

Swear to God. im still buzzing. i really need to get much fitter and braver. some of the more tricky bits scared the bejebus out of me!

fenris

Come to the muddy side, you know you want to!!!

ray o

Sounds great...i'm sitting on the sidelines hoping someone will organise a group spin. One is being organised to Ballyhoura so hopefully Ballinstoe will be next.

Old Perry

Ahhh im mad to do something like this but have only been able to find pint sized trails around Waterford, a quarter of mile at the longest, theres nothing like racing between trees at top speed. :cool:

mtbireland

Ballinastoe is a good place to start but it doesn't really compare to proper point to point spins over mountains to get a real sense of satisfaction from a spin...... something to aim for... but well done on your first spin...

langdang

Old Perry wrote: »

Ahhh im mad to do something like this but have only been able to find pint sized trails around Waterford, a quarter of mile at the longest, theres nothing like racing between trees at top speed. :cool:

There is a trail somewhere near the Vee. Also White Horse forest. Haven't been to either tho.

kakee

First time in ballinastoe.
Got a mountain bike on the BTW scheme a good few months ago. since then ive used the bike for spinning around my local forest (which is small) and a few spins around the roads.
UNTIL TODAY!!!!!!!
A friend from work who has been into mountain biking for a while finally convinced me to join him and his for a run in the wicklow mountains.
now im by no means fit at the moment but i went anyway.
Good God!!!! What fun!!! it was muddy, wet, hilly, scary, everything!!!!
had to walk up some of the steeper bits, but who cares?
my arms are sore and my legs ache. my bike is covered in mud and my gear will probably never be completly clean again but im sitting at home having a coffee and i cant get the smile off my face. Loved it.

Welcome to our world. Now you know why we have a) bikes and b) mountains

Old Perry

langdang wrote: »

There is a trail somewhere near the Vee. Also White Horse forest. Haven't been to either tho.

Thanks for that will check em out out.

joeduke

I started mtbing 2 years ago and havent look back, I was 38 over weight and very unfit, I saw a few guys on mtb in the leadmines and remembered flying around there on a bmx when I was a kid, it was easy to get around then so how hard could it be now!! boy was I wrong. I bought a Dawes bike and headed up to the Leadmines for my first spin around the short track, it nearly killed me and to be honest it put me off from going back for a while but when I did go back it got a little easier every time. I did it once a week for a year and was getting much fitter and losing weight, I had heard about Ballinastoe and went for a walk up there one day to find my way around, I was hooked when I saw the lay out and decided to treat my self to a new bike. I bought A La Pierre X Control 710 and hit Ballinastoe early one morning when there would be no one around... all I can say is my God!! Not to sound like a ponce but mtbing has changed my life, so I would say to anyone thinking of starting just give it a go, and to any one who wants to spin around Ballinastoe just let me know and I will go with you,, I still a bit over weight and could be a bit fitter so it wont be a race around but a nice spin..

Tenzor07

mtbireland wrote: »

Ballinastoe is a good place to start but it doesn't really compare to proper point to point spins over mountains to get a real sense of satisfaction from a spin...... something to aim for... but well done on your first spin...

Ballinastoe is a good place to get your 1st feel of off road biking, but as per above a proper spin across the mountains is much more fun.

And a bit safer too as Ballinastoe is in need of a lot of trail maintenance due to overuse, its a bit dangerous, so knee and elbow pads are a must as well as a good helmet(yes i did see someone there without one!)

fenris

This Saturday is the last of the MAD MTB autumn introductory spins

http://www.madmtb.com/

These spins are a great way of getting to know the trails and the skills needed to enjoy them, there is usually a wide range of people, abilities and bikes on the intro spins so you will not be left behind or stranded as the lads are generally equipped to deal with most mechanical or first aid demands. (you still need to take some responsibility for yourself and your bike)

If you can get there your should, it will massively shorten the learning curve (both in terms of skill and skin) and get you in contact with the people that you will see every second time you venture out on your mountain bike!

langdang

I'll have to say I much prefer tracks that have been man-made (or at least had a bit of "shovel and elbow grease" enhancement) in a forest, whizzing around trees, rocks, roots, and berms is my kinda thing.
I've been on some "over the mountains" spins and they were a bit of a plod. Like a road spin off-road. Haven't been up Dublin/Whickla mountains tho, so maybe ye have better natural trails up there!

Fi H

fenris wrote: »

This Saturday is the last of the MAD MTB autumn introductory spins

http://www.madmtb.com/

These spins are a great way of getting to know the trails and the skills needed to enjoy them, there is usually a wide range of people, abilities and bikes on the intro spins so you will not be left behind or stranded as the lads are generally equipped to deal with most mechanical or first aid demands. (you still need to take some responsibility for yourself and your bike)

If you can get there your should, it will massively shorten the learning curve (both in terms of skill and skin) and get you in contact with the people that you will see every second time you venture out on your mountain bike!

Would have loved to go to this but its the Wicklow Adventure Race on sat for me. Anyone recommend anyone who does intro MTB sessions? I would like to learn some skills as beginner.
Thanks

Tenzor07

Fi H wrote: »

Would have loved to go to this but its the Wicklow Adventure Race on sat for me. Anyone recommend anyone who does intro MTB sessions? I would like to learn some skills as beginner.
Thanks

Have a look at www.epicmtb.com, theres a dude there called Richie Byrne, who does individual coaching sessions...

sgriffin

id recommend Richie Byrne too

but Niall Davis is probably the best guide in the country

http://www.biking.ie/index.php

fenris

Both Richie and Nial do group sessions - might save some "recommend an orthopedic surgeon" threads!

Knee pads and full finger gloves will save you from the majority of consequences from a tumble

Check out the headcam footage from the Blast (turn volume down if in open plan area) to see what you will probably be doing this time next year if you stick with it

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/160975/

Enduro

Fi H wrote: »

Would have loved to go to this but its the Wicklow Adventure Race on sat for me. Anyone recommend anyone who does intro MTB sessions? I would like to learn some skills as beginner.
Thanks

That's a shame Fi. A session with MAD on a mountain bike would be a much better experience than the road based multisport event that the WAR is. Adventure races (real ones) always involve mountain biking, not road biking, and being a good mountain biker is one of the most important core skills that an adventure racer needs. Besides which, Mountain biking is way way way more fun than road biking. I swear I'll never do another one of these road-based so called adventure races (WAR, ROAR, GF etc) again.. they're so boring compared to the real thing.

Thomas_S_Hunterson

Had my first proper mountain bike session on the Yungas Road in Bolivia about a month ago and loved it...might be time to start saving for a new bike and hitting Wicklow.

Fi H

Thanks for the info - will check out the links

Enduro - dont be so down on the road based adventure races they help people to get into the sport! Next step mountain biking From what I can see a lot of the mountain biking ones are team races so not as easy to enter!

jeffontour

Enduro wrote: »

I swear I'll never do another one of these road-based so called adventure races (WAR, ROAR, GF etc) again.. they're so boring compared to the real thing.

Your b!tching and moaning about the bike after Roar was hilarious. That and your insistence the cycle would have been better had someone kango hammered the entire bike route was one of the highlights of the weekend for me!

Enduro

Fi H wrote: »

Thanks for the info - will check out the links

Enduro - dont be so down on the road based adventure races they help people to get into the sport! Next step mountain biking From what I can see a lot of the mountain biking ones are team races so not as easy to enter!

I hope to jaysus that the road based "AR"s do get people into real adventure racing, but there isn't too much sign of it yet. We live in hope! Most adventure races are team based. Its pretty much a fundamental of the sport, and one of the things that makes them way way more interesting than slogging around silently on the road bike. There are plenty of ways to find teammates, including this site! The one solo one I can think of in Ireland is the Ras Na Riochta. Looked like a super bike course.

If you do want to get into the team based events feel free to PM me with any questions!

nomadic

Enduro wrote: »

The one solo one I can think of in Ireland is the Ras Na Riochta. Looked like a super bike course.

There's the Kilbroney Challenge aswell. My first AR this year and loved it.

Fi H

Cheers for the tips guys - had a 2 hours session with Niall today and I LOVED it It was great crack. They are running a couple of sessions next sunday for free as part of national trail day so for those of you who maybe cant do a lesson that could be the thing to sign up for.

I am all signed up for it anyway.

Enduro - getting into the more difficult races is definitely on the cards but want to build up some skills first. After yesterdays cycle on my MTB theres no way in hell I am doing another road based race without getting a road bike My problem with the team stuff is i am last in pretty much all of the races I've entered so its hard to find someone else as crap as me to partner up with :D I need to get way faster at hill running first.

Ras Na Riochta is a plan for next year as is the ballyhoura blitz which is solo too. Also we did try and convince Johnny to run a beginner MTB option at the CLEC next year so fingers crossed he remembers

Enduro

Welcome to the dark side Fi! You'll never look back. If I was you I wouldn't rush into buying a road bike. If you enjoy MTBing as much as it sounds you'll soon want to upgade to a snazzier MTB, or even get a second one (I've got 5, all different, all used).

As for being last in the races... the likes of the WAR, ROAR, GF etc don't give you much indication of how you'll do in the longer ARs. I'm off to the world championships this week, and the girl on our team would be pretty slow in the likes of those races. But when it comes to the long ARs, she's super. Its a completely different thing. Being a fast hill walker would be more benificial than being a fast hill runner for all but the top teams, for example. (Not that I'd ever discourage anyone form doing the IMRA runs and trying to get faster and better!!)

Also, there are plenty of slower people who enter the likes of the CLEC in teams with people of similar abilty. Just look at the results to see for yourself. So really, there is nothing to stop you teaming up and giving them a go (an particularly since you're a good kayaker... that makes you valuable!!). The Causeway Coast races are also well worth giving a go.