Non Beginner Rides, what's in it?

[JOx2]

what is the degree of difficulty when a ride is NOT beginner friendly? could you give specifics? like trail technicalities, duration, etc..
The ultimate answer is to give it a try but before i get my foot in the water, i wanna know what is out there?

Thank you.

[guero]

i'd say a non-noobie ride contains extended periods of climbing with very few bailout points (but not always), it can also contain very chunky and steep s/t that may make a noobie pucker....a few trails in lcwp comes to mind, as does aliso. yes, you can always walk the sections you dont feel comfortable riding. i see people who have bikes that are more than capable of handling 'rattlesnake' at el moro, or 't&a' in lcwp walking sections because they dont have the confidence to ride the sections. a lot of it is mental, but most of it is overall bike handling skills, EVERY aspect of it.

[tkblazer]

normally if a ride is a termed "suffer fest" or "training ride" i know right away i don't want any part of that... too much damn climbing for my taste

[2wheel_lee]

Tough call. Hopefully you know someone who is going who knows your skill level, and maybe they can advise.

Worst case scenerio, I tell my gf, is that you may have to walk a bunch of sections, or the group may have to wait for you a bit more on the climbs or at the bottom of the hill. If the group doesn't wait for you (either at the top or the bottom), then they weren't a cool group to ride with, anyway.

Find out if the trail has any bailout points where you can easily end the ride if you're not feeling up to go any further. I try to plan longer rides for my gf that have bailout points.

[schleppp]

Jox2 - glad to see you are still around. Based on that first ride we I took you on you just need to get out and ride and you will see a rapid increase in your ability. Don't be intimidated by how someone rates a ride, if you are interested ask the person who posted it for more details and go from there. Furthermore, as stated above, you might want to stay away from "training rides" etc. For two reasons, they can be really long with lots of climbing, and you don't want to slow someone that is training for a race. But for the most part you have to ride trails over and above your skill level to some degree to improve.

[mazer75]

I'd say if you can clean Lynx or Rock It at Aliso without crashing then you're an intermediate rider. Brown Mtn/El Prieto in the San Gabes is the equivalent there. Cleaning the Cholla climb at Aliso or the now burned-out Mustard at Whiting are good tests for intermediate climbing. I'm sure that there are tons of other examples at other trails, but these are the ones I know.

[CalEpic]

While all STR rides are "no-one gets left behind" The list below would usually put a ride into non-newbie category IMO (but it's still pretty subjective):

• 25+ miles
• 4000'+ of climbing
• quicker pace
• gnarly exposure
• steep descents
• technical sections - big rock gardens, etc.

If you aren't sure its probably best to work your up to bigger rides. As mentioned above, no-one will get left behind but I would feel bad if I had to make a group wait an overly long time for me. Waiting for regroups is all part of group rides and no-one minds if it's reasonable.

I don't think anyone will tell another rider not to go on a ride or not to ride a tech section so it's up to you to know your limits and take personal responsibility.

Challenging oneself by riding with better riders is a key element of improvement. Just don't bite off more than you can chew

[foofighter]

Originally Posted by tkblazer

normally if a ride is a termed "suffer fest" or "training ride" i know right away i don't want any part of that... too much damn climbing for my taste

listen to this man he speaks the truth...even when the likes of OMR or Gene goes to ride with you on your Saturday morning slacker ride, it's no longer a slacker ride it's an all out catch up with those two rides...good work out though

[JOx2]

Is there anything in between? if so, which trail?

[foofighter]

Locally:

it's hard to say because even at Aliso if you stay on wood canyon and ride coyote run it's not too difficult of a ride...you get a slight incline as you ride in from the church parking lot to the base of cholla (slight climb) and then when you come back out it's slightly down grade and riding coyote in that direction is hella fun singletrack.

our beloved whiting is somewhat easy to do as well, mustard is just a long climb but if you pace yourself it's not so bad. and the descent if you take the fireroad and avoid cactus it's usually not too challenging.

[Pain Freak]

CalEpic, pretty much nailed it, but for some even a 2500' day could be a little to much. If you have somePay attention to the trail descriptions. MTBill'shas got about the best info for the local trails. Start with the easier trails, Chino Hills, Marshall Canyon, Most of Aliso (not all) and Turnbull once you get comfortable with these step it up some and look at maybe climbing Holy Jim and descending Trabuco or Strawberry Peak, there are tons of rides to do, just try not to get in over your head. Ask first, usually more then one person as anyone will tell you, Mountain bikers lie!

[OTHRIDER]

Joe, you & I rode together on Sunday @ Pugz' ride. I've only been riding since February and I have the same questions as you.

I heard you cleaned Big Red and I saw you easily make the extra credit climb @ the dam on the Loop. I'd say you're definitely ready for the next step. Here are the options as I see them:

1. Climb/miles - I seem to be too tuckered out to have any confidence when things get sketchy. So I tried to improve my 46 y/o endurance. Black Star to Beeks was tougher than Mustard for me (Climb). Brewmasters' Chino Hills ride was 24 miles of relatively easy climbs but the miles added up and I was pooped at the end (miles). Saturday I got a little brave and took on the Chino Hills Northridge - Four Corners - Southridge loop. Northridge beat me up but I made it. The rest of the ride was cake. 14 miles and I wasn't breathing hard at the end (but my legs were singing on Sunday's Loop).

2. Technical (to me) - I thought I handled Whiting well but a few of the switchbacks on Cactus got me. The chute towards the end also got me. So did the big root ball bump (no skills or confidence). Big Bear was a blast but several of the speedy & loose downhills got me. Heck, even Bovinian @ Chino gave me the willies when I saw rocks and a 30' drop.

As an older dad with two kids in private school and a company to run, I have chosen #1 as a safer & more reasonable (damn, I sound old ) option. But when I see the RR's on Noble and Utah and Sedona, I want to get to option #2 as quick as possible. My reality, I can't ride if I'm hurt and I love to ride (even if I'm JRA).

Good luck on your progress

[DISCO]

Pain, then Glory.

[BrewMaster]

I think it is best to get out and ride with different groups as much as possible and get to know the folks you are riding with. As others have said, people can tell you if you are up for a ride they are leading if they know your skill level. Also, you'll know the people you can hang with as far as skills and speed, so you can gauge a ride based on who is leading or attending.

If Jose (ShinKen) is leading a ride, you can't keep up. No one can keep up, so forget about it.

[LBmtb]

Originally Posted by tkblazer

normally if a ride is a termed "suffer fest" or "training ride" i know right away i don't want any part of that... too much damn climbing for my taste

Then why did you do the pushakona?

[genusmtbkr5]

Originally Posted by mazer75

I'd say if you can clean Lynx or Rock It at Aliso without crashing then you're an intermediate rider.

I don't agree with that. Like some have already pointed out, aside from some of the lack of re-groups, bailouts, and more technical sections, the pace and distance, not always the amount of climbs can determine if it's a ride you should attempt.

Anyone can post up an INTERMEDIATE/ADVANCE ride on the FULLY LOOP and it would not be good for a newb to go on, because of the fast pace that might be set. At the same instance, I can take relatively "new" riders on a much more difficult trail like Tejeras Creek/Arroyo Trabuco and they'll be fine as long as the pace is ok and there are plenty of re-groups.

[KonaDupee]

I agree with pretty much all of the aforementioned advice; it can all be used as good measuring sticks to decide if a ride is for you or not.

But, let me play devil's advocate for a sec: You shouldn't be afraid to test your boundaries, either--within reason. On any STR ride, you're surrounded by good riders who will always be willing to lend a helping hand.

Not that I'm an advanced rider or anything, but I'd be more inclined to give newbies advice about which trails to ride or which lines to choose rather than rush them & tell them to hurry their butts up.

Maybe it's the teacher in me...

[2wheel_lee]

I also like to take the teacher role, offering information on what little I do know.

However, always be cautious if I suggest doing something you're not comfortable with, saying how easy it is. Because this has resulted in more than a few hospital visits over the years, I try not to push people into doing something they're not comfortable with. But it still happens. In other words, don't let anyone - especially me - talk you into doing something you don't want to do on your own, regardless of how easy someone else makes it look.