South Florida Mountain Bike Video

(Tom Purvis) wrote:

But your point is well-taken. "Technical" is a matter of experience
and perspective. My advice for the world of internet chest-thumpers:

Keep your bragging to yourself until *you've* *travelled* *personally*
to places that are supposedly technical. You can't see it in a picture
or an MPEG running in a 300 pixel x 400 pixel window, you can't really
understand it by hearing from somebody else in a usenet post. Gotta
see if with your own eyes and feel it with your own butt.

A great example of this was the 2000 Olympics XC course. The general
consensus of those watching it on TV was that it was "flat and easy".
Having walked the entire course, I can assure you that there were
places that were NOT either. Sure it wasn't the kind of course that
you'd push the limits of a full-on DH bike, but most of the women's
field ended up walking (up) at least one or two of the hills (and
they're a lot stronger than 99.9% of us). There were some nasty
off-camber switchbacks that were a LOT tougher than they came across
on TV as well.

Mark Hickey
Habanero Cycles
http://www.habcycles.com
Home of the $695 ti frame

(Tom Purvis) wrote in message . com...
(Paladin) wrote:
...this section, I think it's called Jacob's Ladder,
was a challenge and a feast for us.

http://gallery.consumerreview.com/we...ckMoab2000.jpg

Actually, I don't think that's Jacob's Ladder. This is a picture of
the real Jacob's Ladder from near the top:

http://www.arkansasvalley.net/images/WalkDown.jpg

Will the real Jacob's Ladder please stand up? I was going down near
this section, earlier in the day, trying to ride it, did an endo,
vaulted the bars and landed on my feet. A local was coming up, and
said we were on the "Jacob's Ladder" section of Amasaback. 4yrs ago,
only rode it once, so we all could have been mistaken.

But that wasn't my point. Just that I define technical different from
"challenging at high speed." Free country, so call it what you want.

My new definition of technical: if you have to open your eyes to ride
it, it must be "technical."


Keep your bragging to yourself until *you've* *travelled* *personally*
to places that are supposedly technical.

I don't take orders from my own wife, let alone from words typed on
usenet, so your command or whatever it is falls on deaf ears (if this
is levelled at me) I reserve the right to brag about anything,
anytime, although I wasn't bragging about anything to Mr. V.

When you first see something that re-sets your own definition of the
word technical, you won't be able to ride it. Your mind will be blown.

Perhaps I'll call this a "Horsethief Epiphany" (in paladin's honor),
where you follow tire tracks up to something, look at it, and whisper
to yourself "omigod! people actually RIDE this!"

Wholeheartedly agree.

If you spend some time and work your way into it, you can amaze yourself
with what can be ridden. But not when you first see it. Unless you're 19.

Or in a nano-second you realize as the sole breadwinner of the family,
it's not worth it without spotters and body armor. So you yield your
place of potential fame to the 19yr olds.

And live to ride another day.

paladin

"Dan Volker" wrote in message ...
snip more sadness

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA...technical.

JD

"p e t e f a g e r l i n" wrote in message .com...
"Tom Purvis" wrote in message
om...
(Paladin) wrote:

Keep your bragging to yourself until *you've* *travelled* *personally*
to places that are supposedly technical. You can't see it in a picture
or an MPEG running in a 300 pixel x 400 pixel window, you can't really
understand it by hearing from somebody else in a usenet post. Gotta
see if with your own eyes and feel it with your own butt.

Sure you can.

If you have experience riding and photographing/filming technical terrain
you can appreciate it when you see other's examples.

Word.

JD