Posted by: Hepcat
As for features, watching a friend fall off the pinnacle of the Gangler and very successfully break a bone till it folded over is the only one that lives rent free.
This one time, at mtn bike camp...
North shore features that live rent-free in your head
Boogieman canoe teeter-totter is back in action! Thanks to Dan and Dave for working with me and pushing to get it done.
Posted by: Ride.DMC
Posted by: Polymath
All the micro features on all the trails that get removed and dumbed down. Seventh, for example. 25 years ago it had this abound.
25 years ago you were probably on a hardtail with a 2.5" travel fork, Vee brakes, 2.1" tires on 26 inch wheels, and a seat post that was pressed against your diaphragm as soon as the trail pointed down.
Take the bikes of last century on 7th Secret today and I expect you will quickly get reacquainted with all those micro-features our modern bikes just float over now.
I saw a kid riding up to 7th last year on an old Rocky with Vee Brakes. Said it was his dads old bike. It had a fork, but I don't think it was doing much after a decade+ of sitting in a garage.
I'm sure he found some hard tech that I've just been floating over.
It's funny how some people complain about the "new" trails but did nothing to maintain or lobby for them (except after the fact). When "new" Expresso was being built, "old" Expresso had the ability to be kept open if anyone wanted to take it on... guess what? Lots of talk and no action from the moochers. North Shore is the worst for people not helping to maintaining the trails... giving to trail associations that don't work on the trails you ride doesn't count. Simply clearing drains and removing loose rocks on rainy days would help immensely.
Last edited by: LoamtoHome on July 8, 2024, 2:47 p.m., edited 1 time in total.
Anyways, back to the topic at hand...
I've never even ridden 5th Horseman. When I first moved here all my buddies talked it up as this totally insane trail and I was always too anxious to ride it when I lived in Van. Maybe some day :)
Posted by: switch
Severed is way harder than 30 years ago - it was a breeze on a fully rigid bike as it was just a smooth trail with no stunts. And it was good when covered with snow. Now it's a meter lower in spots (because of the erosion) and has added drops and stunts. Still a fun trail.
Seventh is fun too. Peter did a lot of great work on that trail.
I don't get why people are complaining. These trails were fun in their original state but that wasn't sustainable and they turned to shit. I enjoyed them before and I enjoy their new versions too. I'm a big guy on a big bike so I like it when they run a little faster. Anyone complaining that all the challenge is gone really ought to take a rip down any of these trails on a 25 year old bike and tell me what's up (or a modern bike with 25 year old geometry and suspension).
Last edited by: craw on Aug. 30, 2024, 9:05 a.m., edited 1 time in total.
Severed is a great example of a natural blue trail with a couple black lines that lends itself well to bring ridden with decent speed on a modern bike.
If it seems too easy, ride faster.
I'm so glad I can just periodically read all the complaining and whinging when I feel like it these days, instead of it all showing up in my email inbox.
Shoutout to everyone putting in sweat equity, and especially those who have been doing it for decades. 'New' Expresso and the fate of 'old' Expresso is perfectly emblematic of how things work out in the real world.
I still ride the old entrance every time I ride that trail.
Which is about once every 2 or 3 years lol.
Posted by: cooperquinn
I'm so glad I can just periodically read all the complaining and whinging when I feel like it these days, instead of it all showing up in my email inbox.
Shoutout to everyone putting in sweat equity, and especially those who have been doing it for decades. 'New' Expresso and the fate of 'old' Expresso is perfectly emblematic of how things work out in the real world.
When I moved here 8 years ago, I had been mountain biking for one year in Alberta. I was humbled pretty quickly by the shore; I vividly remember riding Baden Powell back to the parking lot, walking like 10 sections, and thinking "this isn't mountain biking, this is effing dumb". One thing I found really frustrating was that the old expresso was a pretty big step up from any of the lower easier trails, and it just made finding ways to progress so difficult. The jump from Bobsled to old Expresso felt like a giant leap to me. I am so glad that this trail has been made into a better progressive step into the black trails of the shore; yes its easier, but its an easier step up. And once you are confident on espresso, there are tons of other options that are in turn smaller steps as well.
I think that's true about espresso. I find that part of Baden hilarious. Gnarliest blue traverse anywhere, has to be.
Posted by: Kenny
I find that part of Baden hilarious. Gnarliest blue traverse anywhere, has to be.
Hah too true, especially if you'd ridden Baden on Seymour.
That said, I love it. The punchy climb is so satisfying on the rare occasions I get it.
Last edited by: Squint on Sept. 6, 2024, 2:29 p.m., edited 1 time in total.
The best part of my day for about 5yrs or so was giving out Cooper's email address to anyone who wanted to complain about Expresso. Sad those days are over.
/s
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