Mountain biking

Today was a fun ride! I must apologise for choosing the trails with climb-over obstacles all the way. There were some nice technical bits hidden in there though.

Pat, having 2 meeting points is cool.. in fact I think the 2 we used today were ideal, Seehaus and the Zoo.. both easy places to find and en-route. After chatting and a gentle ride there, it seems its closer to 45 mins away rather than the 30 I estimated. Just for future reference.

Lets do this again soon while the weather is still useable... Maybe next weds again? I am up for sooner if anyone else is going and I can make it.

Also really liking the sound of the bike parks where its the lift up the mountain with nice fast flowy techy trails going down.. I think that is for me. Anyone know when this is gonna happen? I could rig up the helmet cam again maybe..been dying to do that for a couple of years now. I thin that would be a great place for it.

As for the BKM... I dont think any of us that went today are at that level hehe. But I like to watch. Just looks too dangerous for me

Tom...

That film BTW seems to be called "Shaun of the Dead"

A romantic comedy. With zombies.
Gathered together at their local pub for a night of drinking and conversation, a group of friends

Sounds cool, I wonder if/when it will be available in Germany

The weather forecast looks pretty darn sweet for the next 5-6days so I’ll be on my bike a fair amount. I might even have to leave work early tomorrow since I got held up tonight. So if anyone is interested pm me and I’ll coordinate something.

As for bike parks I’m considering checking out a new one this weekend. Nothing decided yet but it’s hard to resist considering how much fun it is.

Tom, you got a helmet-cam? That’s awesome. Since I’m a sucker for expensive toys a DV + helmet cam is pretty high up on my wish list. I’ve been drooling over one of these …good for skiing, mountain biking and sports alike: just duct-tape onto your helmet and you’re set to go

My helmet cam thing is just like that really, except I did it the hard way and bought the camera module from Conrad (60 eur I think) and made up the lead myself. i see they have a sunshade on theirs.. defo needed as mine suffers from too much sun washing it out. Also the focus ring moves on its own but easily fixable. I need to get it out again and carry on where I left off, sort out those 2 probs. 1 more thing, no mic on it...

Wont be able to cycle tonight (german Stammtisch) and i'm not sure about the bike park this weekend.. but next weekend maybe. Defo up for evening cycling next week too.

I just have one comment about last night's ride: "Owww, my knee!"

Ill be doing that again. As for long technical downhill rides with a chairlift up tom17 you might consider Innsbruck more your cup of tea. theres a god-awful amount of rides around there and some even inter connect. (ride up one chairlift, down into another town, then up again, and back to somewhere else. ) I really need one of those Moser guides to Bavaria.

ow, your knee is right.

And I love the apple quicktime movie site. all the trailers WAY too early for us here in the MUC.

I have some of those moser guides but always get lost when I use them

kit, did you get your knee in that fall? Didnt see that, hope its ok!

@Kit

If only those fantasticc shoes where thigh length! Surely you can't get more protection than the good 'ol US flag...

Anyway, you REALLY need to get yourself a new bike. First the shoulder now the knee. God knows whats next in line could be painful...

P.

@Crotaline

Have you got any info or links regarding Lift Access Riding in Innsbruck?

no, sorry. I wish i did. I picked up a MTB magazine here last summer or so. (german) and in it , they had reviews of some of the trails in Innsbruck and pics and they looked real nice. Like 6-man lift to the top, with bikes inside, and then a good hour to the bottom, singletrack, or fireroads packed dirt with a bit of loose gravel over them. I wish I still had it, but im pretty sure its gone. Ill see what I can dig up.

Im fully booked this weekend, but Id be down sometime in the following for a rent-a-van and go session somewhere. Have to work back up to jackass/dirty sanchez riding levels.
c.

@P and T,

No, my knees not really hurt, just skinned up a little bit. Ask Christian the etymology of "Owww, my knee!"

The problem with my stars and stripes shoes is that their for road riding. The soles are carbon fiber and the cleat sticks out which makes it hard to get a grip on anything. My next week I'll have my offroad pedals on for sure!

Now I'm sure I need a new bike...so, if you see any used Cannondale Jekylls with a Lefty, let me know.

Also, my choice to set up weekly rides would be Tuesday and Thursday but I'll still go along any day.

Hmmm.. I heard one of you guys say "thats a lefty" or something yesterday. After not understanding the big ring thing the other day it is painfully apparent that my biking jargon is not up to scratch

What is a lefty?

Been meaning to get myself a new bike this past couple of seasons and it seems my kona has finally given up the ghost..

Anyway, are there any BIG bike shops in the munich area? Seems this is a good time of the year to pick up good bargains but I'm not really after a karstadt or sportcheck no-name brand.. Somewhere that sells Specialized, kona, cannondale, trek, giant etc..

This is a lefty!
[img]http://home.comcast.net/~ledrocnoc/BikeParts/full/PICT02.JPG[/img]

"Lefty" is a left-side shock designed by Cannondale. Instead of having a right and left side (as do all others) it only has a left side. Check out Cannondale.com to see.

As for non-karstadt bikes, just go to Karstadt Sport next to Teresienwiese (Oktoberfest) and check them out. they have Trek, Scott and uh... other makers.

Radsport Rosch near Poccistr (u3 or u6 south past Marienplatz) has Cannondale and Rocky Mountain.

Pro Rad near Donnersbergerbrucke has LOTS os Specialized bikes to choose from.

and those are just the three in the city. there are others depending on what you really want. Radsport Rosch i like. They speak english (some do anyway) and they are nice, and they have a better selection of longer-travel bikes. (aka rolling sofas)

If youre looking more toward XC then stick with the other two. Sport Scheck right next to Marienplatz has/had some Kona bikes, but I have not been there in a while.

@tench

There is a really nice 2nd hand shop on Nymphenburger str. Just next to the cinema. They have some interesting stuff, and the dude that runs it is a super nice American (At least he sounds American to me!)

They also build up bikes and seem to have a nice looking German frame in the window of the second shop around the corner. Can't remember the brand

Paul.

Ahhh.. those cannondale ones.. Seen them before. I worry about how much rotation & flex there must be in them. Wouldnt mind seeing one in bits to see how sturdy they make the "non-rotating" bit.. is it just a big fat spline?

Also, there is "extreme bikes" between Hauptbahnhof and Der RadlBauer. They seem to do some swanky stuff. Not much in stock though.

Extreme bikes a rubish! It took them two weeks to re-lace my wheel. When I got it back they only replaced the one broken spoke! Argh. I now have my own jig (yay!)

That said they are pretty good for bits! I vould even find a grease gun to fit my Manitou micro-lube thingy!

those guys are all right, but i never had anything replaced or fixed there. they also dont have much stock. Radsport Rosch is MUCH better.

The 'other shop around the corner' is still the same used bike shop, they just needed more space for their stock.

I forgot to tel the "Ow My Knee" story. Kit and I we out drinking with our ladies and another visitor from the states. I had like 4 mass at the Augustiner biergarten, with no food all day, so I was quite ripped. I slid down a long handrail, that ended up being much faster than my drunken body had estimated, or could handle. I slammed REALLY hard on my knee. Then the rest of the night i spent hobbling around saying "Owwww... My knee..." in a drunken stupor.

The wife is away for the week, so I have more time that usual this weekend I was thinking about going for a cruse around Tegernsee or Garmish. Any of you guy been riding around there?

Also has anyone cycled around Starnbergersee? Do you know how long/far it is?

Not sure on my saturday plans yet, Going hiking on Sunday so thats off..

Garmisch: I have done a couple of the MTB marathons there, killer uphills, hate that. But nice fun stuff on the downs. I also rode from the town up to Alpspitze on me own once.. again a long hard slog up, but worth it for the 30 min downhil ride There is an extra steep extra techy stretch for a few hundered metres which I love. That stretch was melting my friends front inner tube a few years back from excessive heat on the rim brakes!

Tegernsee: Did a marathon there too (these marathons were all 2 years ago now) There is a *lovely* steep rocky bit by the side of a stream, you are part riding in the stream Also some nice windy (thats twisty, not blowy) passes that you can hammer down.. good stuff.

Starnberg is about 55km around, no really big hills but a few ups & downs. If you cyle from here, through the forest (perlacher?) to starnberg, go round anticlockwise and come back up along the Isar its about 110km from memory. Did that once...

Been toying with the idea of finding the route up to the top of Zugspitze, or at least up to the glacier. I dunno how the trails will be, I am guessing that they could well be more tricky than the stuff yesterday, and certainly very steep. I think one of my moser guides goes up that way but not too sure.

@tom17: get a moserguide and do the Reintal tour, it's often referred to as one of the best in Germany. It's as far up as you can get with a bike in direction of Zugspitze.

@tench: other shops to check out are alpha bikes (Specialized, rocky mountain, votec...) and karstadt sport (scott). I usually get bike parts from cosmo bikesport even though the guy in the shop is quite a troll. They stock gazza 3.0s and shivers, not too bad for a shop. I've been told these guys can get you sweet stuff at reasonable prices, might want to give them a call if you know what parts you want.

Anyone up for some single trails later on today, or is it just me thinking that I need to get out of the office and actually enjoy the day?

Not tonight i'm afraid, broke a spoke on my way into work. Will be going for some gentle rides this eve

Hopefully the weather will hold for next week!

Wow, check out those gearboxes and the Frog?

Singletrackworld

Kit and I were there. When I get the flm back Ill post the fre pics I have.

I have seen the Frog bike at Karstadt Sport before. Its a trip to ride around on.

C.

I might have to duck out of work early today due to the superb weather, would anyone be interested in riding isartrails this afternoon?

Look for a guy in baggies going too slow. Thats probably me.

As for Bischofmais, Id love to go before the season ends, but the last-second invite kills me. If not this weekend, then next for sure.

C.

it's not the last-second invites that kill you, it's the missus that will if you go How about getting your lady involved in your hobbies and she'll appreciate day trips to riding spots? To be honest (and out of own experience) I guess it can be sort of hard to get a gal interested in DH biking, it's not like a day of shop-til-you-drop at IKEA.

What you need to do is get all the ladies involved so that they can hang out and talk about you while you rip the dirty trails...we can discuss 'How to Get Mud Out of White Shorts' or something like that

I am interested myself...not in riding...but checking out the stunts (by other people of course and not my own husband) I can't believe there are such crazy bastards out there

P.S. When we go to IKEA we go with a plan...same as Walmart...you don't stray from the plan...it will get you into all sorts of trouble. Get in, get what you need, get out and run away...as fast as you can...save your wallet...save yourselves!!!

We could meet the ladies back in the English Garden or Seehaus after the trails!!

Anyway, as for tonight, I would love to, but I leave work at 6 so wouldnt make it to Seehaus until 6:45 at a push... Please someone tell me this isnt too late

Hello everyone!

I live in the States but I come to Germany every couple months. When I'm there I stay in Ulm. I've been thinking about bringing a bike over or buying one and leaving it there so I can ride on weekends. I'll be there from 28 September to 12 October. Anybody plan rides that far in advance?

I'd like to know what kind of riding everyone is doing so I know what to bring. I do everything from XC to DH. I usually DH in Whistler, BC a dozen times or so each summer and the rest is XC around the Seattle area.

I was thinking about bringing my DH bike and leaving it there as I'm getting a new one in the spring and if I decide I need a XC bike there I may just buy one there.

Any and all feedback would be appreciated.

Hey Loopie,

Where do you live in Seattle? We just moved to Munich from Seattle back in February.

Anyway, look forward to meeting you on a ride next time you're here.

kit

I'm in Issaquah. Did you ride much when you were here? Where did you ride? How does riding there compare?

The only riding and racing I did in the Northwest was on the road. I bought back my old mountain bike right before I came over here.

I've only done very flat road rides since I've been here except for a disastrous trip with the bike down to the mountains in Italy to watch the Tour of Italy. Big hills + too much German bier = trouble! I'm anxious to get my fitness back and do some more riding in the mountains next year though.

I've mountain biked a bit with the boys here and have had enough fun to seriously think about upgrading to a newer, more modern full suspension bike. With the Alps, Austria, Italy, and Switzerland so close by there is sure to be tons of great riding!

Anyone up for some riding tomorrow? preferably something local...

Seen a bargain of a bike and need an excuse to buy it

What time and where? Down to Bombenkrater and back in the morning maybe?

So, what are you buying? I'm trying to motivate myself for a purchase as well

Sounds good to me.. no real idea where the bombkrater is though so will have to be guided..

@Pat, Crotaline: Up for heading out there (or somewhere else) tomorrow?

@Kit, I thought I pm'd you the other day about it.. anyway, it looks a like this (http://www.evanscycles.com/product.jsp?style=4191) and is on sale at Karstadt sport for €1700.. Probably won't get a whole lot of time to use it, but I've been after a new mtb for the last couple of years..

@tench: did you see any 04 high octanes on sale? Crotaline mentioned seeing one for ~€2500 including a boxxer in the front.

Probably up for some riding, define "somewhere else"?

Definition "somewhere else": Another area suitable for riding. Not done any mountain biking around munich so would welcome suggestions...

With regards to the high octaines.. nice bike.. but I do like to ride UP hills as well as down them A bit out of my planned spending range too...

Hi there,

I've just arrived in Munich, and (after living in Holland for a couple of years) cannot wait to get out and ride some real mountains! I thought I'd take the train to Garmisch this weekend and check out some of the trails around there. I hear mention of a "Moser Guide" book ... Sorry if it's a stupid question ... where is best to get a copy?

Also, if any of you folks out for a ride next weekend, any chance that I could tag allow???

Cheers.

btw, can anyone recommend a bike shop for Specialized bit and pieces as I've somehow managed to bend the rear hanger ...

@guattang: Think that should answer your last question..

I'll not be out on the bike next weekend due to oktoberfest duties.. Probably the weekend after though..