RR: Mt. Wilson 9/16/07

[Dino Brown]

Rode Mt. Wilson on Sunday with Mottmcfly and Tedroy.... The greatest tour guides the San Gabriel's have EVER seen! I will let them tell you our exact route. Too many trails to list.

My opinions regarding the Mt. Wilson Trail: Not for beginners... not for those lacking control of their bikes.... not for those who fear rocks, ruts, drops, step-downs, cliffs, boulders, loose terrain, mini-hucks, switchbacks etc. Also not for those who are afraid of crashing, going over the bars, bleeding etc.

Who would enjoy Mt. Wilson? An upper intermediate to advanced rider who wants to challenge themselves. Nothing overly difficult....... no ladder drops... no monster hucks.... Simply put, it is a network of very technical singletrack that penalizes mistakes- in more ways than one!

My bike recommendations: I am quite certain the trail could be "ridden" on a hardtail... a singlespeed... a cross country bike... Tedroy rode it on his 4" Turner Burner. I rode it on my 5" MKIII. Mott decided to bring his Turner DHR. If asked for (MY) opinion, I would say a 5"-6" bike would be ideal. Smaller bikes- you will be "earning" each turn you make down the mountain. May get a bit tired. The DH bikes (on the other hand) are forced to contend with quite a few sections of.... pushing! If you don't mind pushing- whew! Good times!

Thanks (Mott, Tedroy) for showing me the trails. You are both exceptional riders! Can't wait to set-up the NEXT ride (in a few weeks).

The images that follow do not show how AMAZING the trail is. Couldn't stop.... didn't want to stop.... cliffs and drops around every corner.... nowhere to stand etc. Bottomline, I just wanted to ride!

First turn of the day

Mott- First Turner "push-of-the-day"

Mt. Wilson in the background

An "easy" section

Pushing a Turner: Part 2

Tedroy taking a break

More climbing...

Can you believe how freakin' FAST that Iron Horse is?

My Turner RFX will arrive in (2) days?

Tedroy. Exceptional rider. Great tour guide. Yeah, he crashed! Nose wheelie.. to endo... to head plant

Post crash- flat repair! We walked 200 feet to find a safe spot!

This one is for (YOU) Allison!

We rode down that?

Yes, I am bad-ass! Yes, I am a 5"DH bike! No, that Turner can't catch me! Iron Horse for life!

Thanks again Fellas! Until we ride again..

[Tedroy]

I was lucky enough to ride a Wilson shuttle on Sunday
w/ Dino Brown & MottMcfly...Great times! Nice to meet some STR'ers and get down & dirty in the San Gabe's. We did the upper Sam Merril trail down to middle Sam Merril over to Sunset trail and down to Millard. Then over to El Prieto and down to the JPL lot. (the full menu). Mott was on a Turner DHR (which probably is'nt the most effective tool for the job), but he ruled it. Mott also gets major points for being the stellar diplomat. We ran into exteme marathon runners who started at Wrightwood the night before! These guys were so worked they were mumbling to themselves. Mott was majorly scowled at by these support workers who were helping the marathoners. (He was in full Face & armor). But by the time He left he had them all in the palm of his hand. Way to go Mott!
Dino was on my tail the whole time with that frickin' IronHorse, but was nice enough to not blow by me (thanks). I had a wonderful OTB nosewheelie into forward summersault sort of move that was quickly diagnosed as intentional. Thanks to Giro helmets for the cranial support! All said, a great time was had by all. Let's do that again!

[mottmcfly]

Where's the picture of me doing that 38 foot drop???? Oh sorry I was watching the collective and though that was me. Great riding with both of you. Besides all the flats and the all too bitter DH guy, It could not have been a better day.

Looking forward to the next trip.

[Tedroy]

Word! See ya again!

[mottmcfly]

[quote=Tedroy;106245]I was lucky enough to ride a Wilson shuttle on Sunday
w/ Dino Brown & MottMcfly...Great times! Nice to meet some STR'ers and get down & dirty in the San Gabe's. We did the upper Sam Merril trail down to middle Sam Merril over to Sunset trail and down to Millard. Then over to El Prieto and down to the JPL lot. (the full menu). Mott was on a Turner DHR (which probably is'nt the most effective tool for the job), but he ruled it. Mott also gets major points for being the stellar diplomat. We ran into exteme marathon runners who started at Wrightwood the night before! These guys were so worked they were mumbling to themselves. Mott was majorly scowled at by these support workers who were helping the marathoners. (He was in full Face & armor). But by the time He left he had them all in the palm of his hand. Way to go Mott!
Dino was on my tail the whole time with that frickin' IronHorse, but was nice enough to not blow by me (thanks). I had a wonderful OTB nosewheelie into forward summersault sort of move that was quickly diagnosed as intentional. Thanks to Giro helmets for the cranial support! All said, a great time was had by all. Let's do that again![/quote

Thanks Ted,

It went like this....showed up at the runner/hiker base camp, yelled good morning, and you could hear the crickets. Took the gloves and helmet off and walked right up after that and said "Hi I'm Marty", after that everyone became human again and I think we made some friends today.

these people are actually human. I didn't think so at first either but they really are.

After that Dino and Ted kept it going by "high fiving" just about anyone who would run or walk by. We did this a lot as we had multiple flats. Mostly mine because it took almost 40 minutes to get my DH tire back on the RIM.

what a great ride today!

[Tedroy]

Originally Posted by mottmcfly

Where's the picture of me doing that 38 foot drop???? Oh sorry I was watching the collective and though that was me. Great riding with both of you. Besides all the flats and the all too bitter DH guy, It could not have been a better day.

Looking forward to the next trip.

The way you landed that 38ft drop was amazing!
Next time I'm sure you could do 50ft!

[Dino Brown]

Originally Posted by mottmcfly

Great riding with both of you. Besides all the flats and the all too bitter DH guy, It could not have been a better day.
Looking forward to the next trip.

Flats? You are not kidding! We assisted (2) riders with their DH tire flats.... Tedroy's 10 mile per hour "swan-dive" was more than Stan's could handle. Those (3) flats paled-in-comparison to Mott's flat!

First off, the thru-axle rear did not want to come off. No biggie.

His NOKIAN GAZZALODDI'S (on the other hand).... We must have *BROKEN* (5) tire levers trying to put that tire on. It was truly unbelievable! After 30 minutes of struggling, Tedroy asked if the handle of a plier would work. Hell yeah, it will work! Like a charm!

Where to ride next Fellas?

[dstepper]

Yep a classic downhill and yes I have done that route on a rigid singlespeed...but much more fun with some suspension. I do feel safer riding my rigid bike on those types of trails, I go slower and I feel like I have more control on a rigid bike. The longer I ride, the more I like to climb and usually start that ride climbing Lower Merrill up across Echo then the Toll Road to Upper Merrill.

My favorite Trail out there now is Kenton Devore.

[mtb_prodigy]

so when r u guys doin it again?

[allison]

Originally Posted by Dino Brown

My opinions regarding the Mt. Wilson Trail: Not for beginners... not for those lacking control of their bikes.... not for those who fear rocks, ruts, drops, step-downs, cliffs, boulders, loose terrain, mini-hucks, switchbacks etc. Also not for those who are afraid of crashing, going over the bars, bleeding etc.

So how did you get through it??


Just kidding, Dino! Great photos and RR.

[Dino Brown]

SO HOW DID I GET THROUGH IT??

Mechmann? Is that you? Did you log on using Allsion's screen name?
Mechmann?

[allison]

Originally Posted by Dino Brown

SO HOW DID I GET THROUGH IT??

Mechmann? Is that you? Did you log on using Allsion's screen name?
Mechmann?

No, believe it or not I'm extremely sarcastic all on my own

See you this weekend!

[Dino Brown]

Originally Posted by allison

No, believe it or not I'm extremely sarcastic all on my own
See you this weekend!

Trrrust me- (I) know!

Mechmann "ain't got nuthin" on you!

See you this weekend!