Lumberjack 100!!! Need some mountain bike knowledge.

[huskerdont]

@Judd 157679 wrote:

So, I found a mountain bike century called the Lumberjack 100 that is held every year in Michigan. It’s sold out this year, but I feel like I’m pretty much obligated to do this in 2018. I’ve never ridden a mountain bike. I think I’d probably like it.

What would a guy like me need to do to prepare for mountain biking this distance?

Nerd out on mountain bike selection on me…

Event site:
http://lumberjack100.com/

First you need to go mountain biking on a mountain bike. You ride a 58 on a road, right? If so, you’ll fit mine, which is a large hardtail 27.5. We need to get out sometime so you can try it. I’ll stumble about on the gravel bike.

Unless you’re rich, in case, buy me a full suspension 29er while you’re at the shop.

ETA you’ve been PM’d.

[huskerdont]

By the way, 100 miles of 90% single track with 9,000 feet of climbing is not Hains Point. For a normal person, I’d say you really need to build up to it, but you are Judd Lumberjack so I’m probably wrong.

[bentbike33]

You will need to consult a Michigander to confirm, but if this is during deer fly season you will also need to find a way to leatherize your butt as the deer flies will bite right through regular bike shorts.

Being from Illinois (a Flatlander as we used to call you all in Wisconsin) you may not be aware that in the woodsy parts of the midwest, there are no long extended climbs, meaning there are also no long drawn-out descents. The hills among the trees are short, steep, and relentless. You will have a blast.

[Judd]

@bentbike33 157688 wrote:

You will need to consult a Michigander to confirm, but if this is during deer fly season you will also need to find a way to leatherize your butt as the deer flies will bite right through regular bike shorts.

QUOTE]

If I could get a Michigander to hold up there hand and point to where the deer flys are, I would greatly appreciate it.

[Vicegrip]

@Judd 157692 wrote:

@bentbike33 157688 wrote:

You will need to consult a Michigander to confirm, but if this is during deer fly season you will also need to find a way to leatherize your butt as the deer flies will bite right through regular bike shorts.

QUOTE]

If I could get a Michigander to hold up there hand and point to where the deer flys are, I would greatly appreciate it.

He/she is too busy swatting them. Those buggers land ever so lightly and then lay in a hella bite.

[Birru]

First I see this in Power of 10:
@Judd 157591 wrote:

Come… join the roadie dark side…

And then I see this over here:
@Judd 157679 wrote:

Nerd out on mountain bike selection on me…

I think the people deserve an explanation.

[TwoWheelsDC]

Okay, so I also had a similar MTB bug bite me like 1.5 years ago…here’s my take:

I did the 50 mile version of the MoCo Epic and holy shit it was hard…not as hard as Mountains of Misery, but harder than the Civil War Century. Basically, figure out your MTB ride distance, compare that to a hard road ride of a similar distance you’ve done, then double it and factor in soreness in places you need two mirrors to see.

For “beginner” routes, I think the Muddy Branch trail and Seneca Ridge trail were the trails where I actually found the challenge of MTBing fun rather than scary. I didn’t particularly care for Wakefield or Shaeffer Farms. Difficult Run is decent too. I was too scared to try Fountainhead.

For me, I think I went in expecting it to be like Colorado or something, with lots of fun climbs and fast descents, but overall I just found the root-y trails around here to be kinda scary and frustrating rather than fun. I also didn’t like that most of the trails I wanted to ride required a car trip and all the loading/unloading unpleasantness that came with that. Ultimately, my life as a MTB’er was short lived…not because I didn’t like it, but because I lost bike storage space when we moved and my MTB was “expendable.”

[consularrider]

Come on over to Frankfurt and we can ride around the Taunus hills, you can improve your German beer drinking numbers at the same time, and you won’t even have to put the bike in the car once you are here. Of course, it won’t help you get ready for the deer flies.

[vvill]

@TwoWheelsDC 157701 wrote:

but overall I just found the root-y trails around here to be kinda scary and frustrating rather than fun. I also didn’t like that most of the trails I wanted to ride required a car trip and all the loading/unloading unpleasantness that came with that. Ultimately, my life as a MTB’er was short lived…not because I didn’t like it, but because I lost bike storage space when we moved and my MTB was “expendable.”

My take on my MTBing experiences is similar with the root-y trails. Rosaryville is awesome (although it still has roots and rocks), but I’m not particularly a fan of Wakefield and have never really wanted to try Fountainhead. Lake Fairfax was okay the one or two time(s?) I’ve done it. My MTB is not expendable though because it’s a titanium 29er that rides so much sweeter than any other MTB I ever owned and with CX/gravel tires it doubles as a spare gravel bike. I sort of imagined MTBing to have more open space and just dirt and smaller rocks I guess rather than slippery roots winding through woods.

[Greenbelt]

@vvill 157706 wrote:

My take on my MTBing experiences is similar with the root-y trails. Rosaryville is awesome (although it still has roots and rocks), but I’m not particularly a fan of Wakefield and have never really wanted to try Fountainhead. Lake Fairfax was okay the one or two time(s?) I’ve done it. My MTB is not expendable though because it’s a titanium 29er that rides so much sweeter than any other MTB I ever owned and with CX/gravel tires it doubles as a spare gravel bike. I sort of imagined MTBing to have more open space and just dirt and smaller rocks I guess rather than slippery roots winding through woods.

The trick to to enjoying this area’s rooty single track is…… single speed, zero suspension. Seriously. You will go slower, work harder and choose your lines very carefully, or risk being unhorsed!

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[anomad]

Something else to do a little research on about that course is “occasional sandy sections”. I’m not familiar with that particular course, but I do know from experience some of the fine wind blown sand up in Michigan is a total bitch to ride or even walk through. Find out if normal people are having to walk through those sections on lap two and three. It looks like a fast course from the top finishers in last years results, but there’s also a ton of dnf’s.

Mountain biking is great if you can hit trails that you like right from the house. I lived in NE New Mexico for 5 years and the safe road riding was very limited. I had 2 or 3 routes that were mostly ok. However, I could ride all kinds of dirt right out the back door. I put very few miles on my road bikes there, but completely wore out a hardtail. I also developed a love for motorized mountain bikes there. When I lived in Denver I was amazed at how many people there were that only rode on trails. So every ride meant a trip in the car with all their junk.

As the great Phil Bolger said, “choose a boat for your waters”. Unless you want to haul all your junk to the trailhead, the same holds true for bicycling for me. If I am driving to a trailhead I’ll probably be hiking in a Wilderness area.

[anomad]

I love you single speed aficionados! I tried it one summer in the late 90’s, my knees are still sore.

My solution to rooty tight single track is a sturdy pair of shoes. I’m faster and more comfortable walking.

@Greenbelt 157714 wrote:

The trick to to enjoying this area’s rooty single track is…… single speed, zero suspension. Seriously. You will go slower, work harder and choose your lines very carefully, or risk being unhorsed!

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[hozn]

First of all, mountain biking is wonderful. I feel resigned to the road or “multi-surface” bike for the convenience factor, but the most smiles on two wheels head always been MTB for me.

I don’t know anything about the course, but mountain biking 100 miles is certainly a lot more work than a [road] century. It’s hard to quantify it since it is hard in different ways. It is less about roadie fitness and more about the jarring pain and trying to stay focused despite exhaustion. And a full-body workout. Mountain biking for 9 hours hurts, potentially a lot. Depends on the course. I don’t ride my MTB enough to keep my hands calloused, so I taped my hands up with pink medical tape before SM100 to keep them from bleeding; that mostly worked. but I still dreaded the jackhammering downhills at the SM100, as I could hardly move my hands by the end. I can’t imagine doing that ride rigid! That was not, honestly, the fun I alluded to above. . The course is a huge factor, as is the bike. Full suspension made those trails a lot more fun in the past, but I can’t really justify a FS bike for the MTB riding I do around here. I went rigid SS for awhile, which was great, but now have a 1×10 hardtail since I can’t have more than one MTB and it is the most versatile. Eventually I will probably go back to a rigid fork.

So get a mountain bike and get comfortable on it. I ride a 58 road bike and an XL MTB. But Large is probably more typical. 29er (or 27.5+?) is the way to go IMO, though I haven’t tried a 27.5. if it is a fast course, then hardtail is probably perfect.

There are lots of local races. It is such a happier scene than road racing.

[Sunyata]

I think if you are going to dabble in endurance MTB racing, Lumberjack is actually a good course to start on (versus… say SM100).

That being said, endurance MTB racing (or even riding) is hard and not for the faint of heart (but… you did just ride 40-something laps at Hains Point by choice). But it is so SO much fun and incredibly rewarding.

We should definitely go for a bike ride.

And I know a few folks who have done this race and can give you a good run down of how technical the course is. And if you twist my arm enough, you might actually convince me to do it with you.

[vvill]

@Greenbelt 157714 wrote:

The trick to to enjoying this area’s rooty single track is…… single speed, zero suspension. Seriously. You will go slower, work harder and choose your lines very carefully, or risk being unhorsed!

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Ha, I go plenty slow enough, and not particularly interested in being unhorsed any more than I already am! As the owner of a rigid 26″ bike as well I can’t imagine wanting to ever go back to that on rooty trails. I do like SS riding in general but I really do need all my gears on a MTB

[Author]

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