The Granny Gear - Mountain Biking @thegrannygear-blog - Tumblr Blog

Since the trail I rode today had a lot of ruts here is a good video on tips for dealing.

Spoiler alert!! Literally. The approved rack for the exact model of my car after all the research saying it was safe for spoilers. Umm nope. If you attach it even with the straps set for the spoiler it dents them. I first tried pool noddles which kinda worked. Then when I was out noticed it was bending even with the noodles. So a stop at CVS and voila a mini styrofoam kickboard - has worked wonders. Adding it to Heather’s Hacks!!😂👍 .

#mountainbikelife #mountainbiketrails #mtnbike #mtb4her #mountainbike #bikegear #bikerack #bikers #biking #girls on bikes #thule #trunkrack #bikecarrier

Mountain bike trails are filled with obstacles to get over, giving riders the opportunity to show off their skills. Experienced mountain bikers have a collection of tricks to use at their disposal. When faced with an obstacle, riders must think of a trick on the spot to get through. To the novice rider, tricks can be overwhelming. While most think that you need to spend hours on the trails to master a trick, many can be practiced and perfected anywhere. Instead of braving the unknown, new riders can improve their skills in the comfort of their own backyard with just a few minutes of experimentation.

Too pretty not to share - from this morning ride. And so far new cranks are awesome. Need a few more weeks to see what happens to the knee pain, but it felt better during the ride - so fingers crossed!!

#mountainbiketrails #mountainbikelife #mtnbike #mtb4her #mountainbike #specializedmountainbike #specialized6fattie #stumpjumper #specialized #trees #trail #lakecrabtree #lovemyride #forest

Gorgeous XO1 Eagle Crankset - Thanks guys at The Bicycle Chain - can't wait to try them out on the trail tmo and see if they make a difference in the knee pain. If not then I am just old and these look prettier and lighter anyway! 👍🚵🏻😀 - UPDATE - a quick spin tonight b/c I couldn’t wait and they felt awesome.

#mountainbiking #mountainbikelife #mtnbike #mountainbiketrails #mtb4her #mountainbike #cranks #cranklength #sram #srammtb #sramxo #eaglexo1 #canfieldbrothers #crampons

A good friend’s first trail ride - at the beginner jump line!!

#mountainbiketrails #mountainbikelife #mtnbike #mtb4her #mountainbike #firstride #pinkbike #womensmountainbiking #mountainbikes #mountainbikegirl

Watch: Is this the scariest trail in the world?. Singletracks Mountain Bike News.

This is crazy and awesome all at once.

#scariesttrail #mountainbike #mountainbiketrails

Never too old to start!!!

indianpeaksjoe

thegrannygear-blog

So I started with a trail bike then got a midfat or plus because we really don't get that much snow and thought the 4-5" tires were overkill but I can't help but still look at this and want one. Fatbikes are just cool!!

So this is what happens when you take the hubby out for his first trail ride on a difficult trail 🙈 “pedalshin” sucks. After this I noticed I had to restock the emergency first aid kit I always pack along. I don’t know if it is me, but I have had to open and pull out the kit a lot for people with me and even people on the trails that I have helped out. So, I highly recommend a few things. Gauze pad, tape in addition to bandaids bc often the size and shape of the cut require a pad. I have cleaning wipes, a mutilpurpose ointment, sting relief pads (that I have had to use myself more than I’d care to recount), butterfly closures. That is what I would carry as a minimum. It is all super light and I throw it in a ziplock and add it to my water pack. The cold packs and a bigger first aid kit is always in the car.

#mountainbiking #mountainbiketrails #mountainbike #mountainbikelife #pedalshin

Crabtree craziness!!

#lakecrabtree #lakecrabtreejumps #lakecrabtreetrails #mountainbiketrails #mountainbiking #mountainbikelife #mountainbike #trailriding #trail

More trail fun! 8-29-16

#mountainbiking #womensmountainbiking #mountainbiketrails #mountainbikelife #mountainbike #biking

8-27-16 Crank length??? New bike, new knee pain - not sure if it is a coincidence or not, but something I never considered was the length of my cranks. I really started to think about them after I started pedal striking roots and rocks like I never had ever done before on trails I have been riding habitually. I started reading about pedal strike and then actually measured the bike cranks I was using prior to this one and they were shorter. This is something I would have never even thought about, or actually did not even think about when ordering my new bike. Another hindsight situation as a newbie!!

Apparently, this is a huge thing of debate amongst riders and I found numerous blogs and actual inseam measurement related calculations. It was confusing. So after reading and calculating it looks like the 170mm cranks I was using prior were probably a better fit than the 175mm ones that came on my new bike (calculation explained here http://bikedynamics.co.uk/FitGuidecranks.htm).

Here is a simple formula: L(mm) = 5.48 x I(in)) - I - is inseam to the floor. Mine comes out to 169.88 - I am 5′8 and measured inseam 31″.

This was also a two articles explaining what I felt I was going through - http://www.bicycling.com/bikes-gear/components/what-you-need-to-know-about-crankarm-length

http://bikedynamics.co.uk/FitGuidecranks.htm

SO NOW WHAT

Ordering new cranks is expensive!!!

And lots of other sites I went to said that there was a reason for 175mm cranks becoming standard on medium frame bikes. The small frame actually had 170mm cranks on it but my height fit more a medium even though it might seem my inseam might not. The reason for this is supposedly increased torque and that was why many standard mtn cranks were on average 5mm more than what your inseam measurement calculates it to be. So now I was hesitating again bc I was committed to changing the cranks after a few articles then worried that the performance I was seeing improvements in strength over rock gardens (despite pedal strike) would be decreased if I changed the current cranks!

Then I found this https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vUygkHlcVMQ

Which made me feel more confident that reducing my cranks are a good idea - according to the measurements in that video I would be better suited with 165 and so then if you take that mtn idea of adding 5 170s should be the happy spot. Plus 165mm mtn bike cranks are really hard to find save on downhill sets. This is also where female riders benefit from a more custom fit because women do tend to have longer legs and shorter torso so frame choice becomes a little harder with stock components maybe not being ideal. Also something I wish I had known.

Cranks are on order and I will post more about the results, performance and feel when they are on the bike!

BTW KT recovery tape, which is what I am wearing in that picture, actually weirdly works to help with pain and swelling.

#kneepain #mountainbikelife #crank #cranklentgth #mountainbiking #womensmountainbiking #mountainbikingproblems