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Questions
about the MTB Club? Ask JF at JF@Gords.com, he'll be happy
to reply to your query. |
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Gord's Ski & Bike
2 Locations to serve you better!
[L1]
2 Donald St
Winnipeg, Manitoba
CANADA | 204.284.2952
[L2]
1765 Kenaston Blvd
Winnipeg, Manitoba
CANADA | 204.269.2952
info@Gords.com
1.877.GORDS.61 |
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Carmen,
weight forward, making a climb look easy
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RIDE BETTER
Gord's Bike Club holds a few ride clinics through the season... Thrsdays once a month and certain Saturdays. Until you get to one, here are a few things to start thinking about if you plan on becoming a better MTB rider.
1. Riding position uphill:
keep your weight forward, keep your chin low over the
bars, and try to keep your head forward. The nose of your
seat should be poking you in the butt as you are in the
"crouch" position!! Use bar extenders or "cowhorns"
to make climbing easier, as these will enable better weight
distribution for the steeps and help you to move forward
on the bike. If the rear wheel loses traction, you may
be too far forward. You may want to raise your seat up
on long uphills for a better pedaling stroke.
2. Riding position downhill:
you want to keep your weight back, and your seat lower
than normal. I ride with my butt behind my seat on the
real steeps, with my weight over the rear wheel. If you
go too far back, however, you will lose traction with
your front wheel and have a hard time steering your bike.
Keep your wrists low on the bars, and ride on your pedals
with them even to the ground. This lowers your center
of gravity.
 3.
Shifting:
The left shifter controls the front derailleur which moves
your chain on the three sprockets near your pedal. You
basically have three gears here. The small ring ( #1 position
) is for low gear to go slow and climb. The middle gear
( #2 ) position is for medium speed and slightly harder
to pedal. This can be used for level ground. The larger
gear ( #3 ) is for high speed cruising or going downhill.
It is the hardest to pedal. The right shifter controls
the gears on the back wheel, and you have 7,8,or 9 sprockets.
Use these to fine tune whatever front gear you are in.
The lower numbers are easier to pedal, then gradually
shift up as your speed increase to the higher numbers.
As you speed up and go to the highest on the right, you
can then go to the next largest gear using the left shifter
and then go back down to the lower numbers on the right.
Select the proper gear in advance in changing terrain,
and if a climb is coming up, then get in your lower gears
well in advance.
4. Braking:
 Know
which brake controls the front wheel. Usually it is the
left on U.S. bikes. The rear brake should be used mostly
when going downhill, and the front brake gently (or else
you may go over the bars and do an endo). When your brakes
are wet, they will not stop as good unless you have disc
brakes. Don't brake before going over obstacles, SPEED
UP. If the section is too steep WALK. Check your brake
pads for wear and position, and keep your rims clean.
Adjust braking lever action at the handlebar cable tensioner,
and check before riding.
 5.
Your line:
Look ahead and pick out your line where you will ride.
Plan ahead and look for roots, stumps, logs, streams,
holes, water bars, loose gravel, etc... Pick a good line
and use momentum in your favor. Watch out for branches,
changing terrain, and other riders. Stay in total control.
If unsure about a creek crossing or log pile, dismount
and check it out before riding it. Planning your line,
your entire ride, even, looking far ahead of your wheel
will ensure that you are prepared for what's coming up.
It's like sound financial planning.
6. Standing:
Sometimes it is good to pedal while standing up on the
bike, although requires more effort. Grip the bar end
extenders to keep proper weight distribution. When you
stand, you lower your center of gravity and the bike handles
differently. Most downhills require standing on the pedals
equally but keeping your weight back and arms extended.
Standing can also stretch out your back, and give you
a change of pace and feel when riding.
7. Bunny hop:
This technique allows you to completely unweight the bike
and get both wheels off the ground. Can be done with and
without "clipless" pedals. Basically, you compress
your bike and push your weight down, and then spring up.
Both wheels should come off of the ground for a time.
You can use this to go over logs, obstacles, or to unweight
the bike.
8. Gear:
Carry liquids and food when you ride, unless you go for
a real short ride. Put about 40 lbs. air pressure in your
tires. Lube your chain. Wear hand protection (gloves)
and eye protection (glasses) if needed. Use common sense,
if a section looks tough WALK IT first. Wear comfortable
clothes and make sure your shoelaces do not dangle and
get caught in the gears. Test your bike before you ride.
Don't let your "expert" friends force you to
do stuff over your head. Think smart and follow your own
instincts. It's a fact Jack: Ride the very best gear you
can afford, and for pete's sake, maintain your bike.
9. Join a club:
Having people around to ask for help, for advice, to compare
against and to encourage you is a luxury that you CAN
afford. If you can find a club that you feel fits your
style of riding JOIN IT... May we suggest Gord's Bike Club perhaps?
10. Attitude:
Have a positive attitude and good mental outlook. Push
yourself within your limits but avoid risk taking. Know
when to stop riding and take a break. Look ahead and always
anticipate the next section. Visualize what you ride.
Keep focused, feel your balance points, and have fun!
Read books or watch videos to learn new techniques. Ride
with your friends who are in your own league. Then, ride
with someone better and push yourself a little. Practice
courteous trail etiquette and don't forget to look around
and smell the roses. Check out the wildlife... Look at
the views... Enjoy being a kid again...
Check back soon as we add more tips, resources and some Gord's Ride Clinic dates..
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JOIN US!
Whatever the reason we ride, we do it together, we make friends, we encourage and laugh with each other and we make every day better by doing something unique and FUN. If this sounds appealing to you, please take a moment to read more about our little club on these pages starting perhaps with our "rides" page here: 
MEMBERSHIP REQUIRED
All riders must be paid members. We hold bring-a-buddy events three times a summer for those suffering from commitment phobia and wishing to try out a ride before joining. Each "buddy" must be sponsored by a member.
FEE
The membership fee for 2008 is $49 for a non-racing member, $25 if you are a Kid's of Mud kid... and it comes with a healthy list of perks and shwag... Not the least is a free massage from our good friends at Symmetry Massage Therapy symmetrymassage.com
$10 TEST RIDE
So you have commitment issues that prohibit you from jumping into anything without first dipping your toes in to test the temperature? It’s OK, we’ve finally given into your type and we’re now offering a one-time only Test Ride for a non-refundable fee of $10 (plus tax).
Available only on Wednesday Night Rides, this Test Ride must be arranged at least 30 minutes before the start of any WNR (there’s some paperwork involved). and allows you to join in on our most popular ride for one evening. We hope you’ll take advantage of this great offer and join us! Remember: “Test Rides” are only available on WNR’s.
RULES
Rides are organized by volunteers and all are governed by our Rules of engagement and our Ride Etiquette.
WHEN DO WE RIDE
We currently hold rides on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays Saturdays and Sundays. more might be added as demand dictates. Click on the hyperlinked days above to see what we're doing ride-wise on what day or simply check out the following link for our complete ride listing on our ride page:
HOW LONG DO WE RIDE
Great question. Depends on the ride... But we rarely ride for less that 2 hours... and then again, it depends on what ride we're on... Some rides are punctuated with many breaks, some, like the road rides, just go. We're very rider-driven so it depends on who's along. Remember, we happily ride for the slowest rider.
SKILL REQUIRED
 Depends on the ride. Our recommendation, if you're not sure, is to start off with our tame Tuesday Night Family Rides or one of our Thursday Night Learn-to-Ride-Better Rides... Then work up to our Wednesday Night Rides and then just follow your nose. The biggest mistake potential riders make is the perennial "I'll get started on my own and join in when I've done a few rides by myself" it unfortunately doesn't work too well that way. The 'herd' starts off at the start of the season at a very slow pace and then as the season get's rolling it naturally inches its way to a faster pace... So if you want to hop on the train, get on when we're all rusty... the last thing you want to do is hop on a Wednesday Night Ride in October... the train, while still no bullet train, is nonetheless moving along at quicker pace at that point.
PICTURES
On certain rides we take pictures. Many pictures. It provides people with memories (with your membership you have access to our entire library of pics... from 2002 until now), ride pictures provides us a tool to promote riding and a healthy lifestyle... And it keeps those rides from becoming races. We've been doing it since day one and we're not intending on changing that just yet... so deal with it and for Pete's sake, SMILE!
REQUIRED HEAD-GEAR
All rides are helmet, patience and sense-of-humor mandatory. If you are a die hard curmudgeon hammerhead who dislikes the company of others and derives satisfaction from incessant complaining and/or the practice of cutting other riders off and showing no respect for your fellow ride participant... If that's you, may we humbly suggest another club's ride instead? For while we profess that "everyone's welcome" we do unfortunately have a distaste for crotchety or impatient folk that make rides unpleasant. We're all in it for the fun of it. No one is forcing those people to ride with us. Come in with the right frame of mind and everyone has a blast. Simple.
GEAR
 Right after the helmet, you'll need the following: [1] a bike that is trail-worthy (if it says "Supercycle" or "CCM" or "Infinity" or "Jeep" or "Sears" on the side of it, that's not a good sign). Your bike must have functioning brakes, tires and gears and it must pass a summary inspection showing it's in good working order. [2] you'll next need some sort of hydration (most of us use Camelbacks) and some type of food (our rides last a few hours so food and water is recommended). [3] we suggest (these are not mandatory) Bike shorts and gloves (for comfort's sake).
Should you have any questions, please contact JF@Gords.com or click on the links above for more information Gord's Bike Club and its unique culture. |
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WE'RE GOING
RACING
We're looking to add some riders to our ranks. If you feel the need for speed, have a healthy sense of humor about it all and let's not kid ourselves, we're mostly doing this for fun of it all. Simply drop us a line at Racing@Gords.com and introduce yourself to our team manager, Ryan Loiselle. He'll let you know what's involved with joining our racing team.
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YES,
RIDE
ETIQUETTE
Formulated
by IMBA, the International Mountain Bicycling Association.
These common-sense rules are recognized around the world
as the standard code of conduct for mountain bikers. If you wish to ride with Gord's Bike Club, it's the law of the ride. For the IMBA rules of the trail with our slight spin on them, please click on the link below.
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Attention all bike lovers! Gord's is very proud to announce that we'll be offering