ountain biking is usually a misnomer, since most people ride them like glorified 10-speeds, just like the guys who buy a $50k SUV and then do nothing more challenging than easing over speed bumps on the way to pick up the twins from soccer practice.

I actually do mountain bike on my mountain bike. Perhaps not literally "mountain", but riding around Mission Trials Park, there are plenty of trails you'd find it difficult to walk up or down, and most of those have bike tire tracks all over them.  Some of them left by me.

My theory is to ride hard enough to get a good work out, both sweaty, breathing hard, and legs tired.  I have to ride for hours on flat or paved roads to get legs tired and can only get out of breath sprinting up a hill, and can't sweat much at all if it's not a hot day.

Comparing that to 30 minutes battling the steepest trails you've ever seen that didn't have goats on them, the steep trails win hands down.  And I usually do 30 minutes or more of riding on less steep trails, or even some pavement, just to get loosened up and build up some stamina.

My advice, find some good trails or wilds area if you want to bike, since it's so much more fun, and a better work out as well.

• All photos taken in early March, 2003.
• All of these photos are tiny thumbs of very large shots.  Click to see the full size ones.

 

Looking down a very steep hill, and a winding road that descends it. The trail is wide enough to drive a truck on here, but god is it steep. The road does go down to the left, out of sight, and after crossing a narrow river there is a trail back up a very steep gravel road. That's the little white curve you see in the middle of this image. The big hill to the right serves no purpose, and the only way up or down it is the trail you see.  The other sides are suicidally steep.

This is not a real good way to ride, since it's either straight down or straight up.  Not much variety or gentle slope pedaling; you will scream down and toil up.  There is no other option.

Hard to see the depth or distance on this one, but this is looking down a relatively steep, but not very long hill, and then back up the other side.  Neither way is very steep, but this trail is a killer on a bike, with at least a dozen such down and up little canyons, many of which are far steeper than this one.  When the dirt and gravel is dry and slippery, it's impossible to ride up them; your tire just skids out.

 

Looking back down the canyon, with a decent view of just how rough the trails are.  This one is nothing compared to some, but still enough to turn an ankle on. Or crash a bike.

I should be adding some more shots from here later this year, to see the area when it's not so green and vibrant from rain.  (Yes, it's about as green as it ever gets in these pictures.)

All site content copyright "Flux" (Eric Bruce), 2002-2007.