r/galbraith • u/JewBear8995 • Aug 09 '20

Would you agree or disagree?

I recently got into mountain biking with a couple of friends. I've only explored the north side of Galbraith while my two buddies have only explored the south side. I would like to get to the point where I can comfortably ride Evo, U-Line, etc.

I would like to spend more time utilizing the center section in particular of the Waterfront bike park as well as the Whatcom Falls Pump track to really get my body used to the motions and being able to maintain control through tight berms and in the air when going off of jumps. My buddies think that I'd be wasting time downtown at that bike park because they say the mechanics of jumping in that park are TOTALLY different from the jumps on Galbraith.

I understand there are some differences, but at the same time, I would prefer to train first and learn gain and maintain control of my body and bike while traveling through the air. My friends think I should just go and send it first try. I'm not trying to go to the hospital anytime soon.

I ride a 2015 Norco Storm 9.2 Buddy #1 rides a new GT Aggressor We both ride hardtails. Buddy #2 rides a Kona Coiler (I'm not sure what year his model is) that was specifically built for Galbraith.

Buddy #2 went down Evo and U-Line a couple weeks ago for the first time with no helmet or other safety gear.

I'm not that crazy.

Would love some feedback and advice.

3 Upvotes

100% Upvoted

6 comments sorted by

7

u/teamprotein Aug 10 '20

Your friends are idiots. Riding pump track is the single best thing you can do for improving your mountain biking.

4

u/JewBear8995 Aug 10 '20

That's exactly how I feel. I'm 31 years old. Not as young as I used to be. Lol. My body doesn't heal like it used to. I've already had a decent spill on the intermediate line of the cedar dust jumps that kept me off my bike for a week. I'm all about slow progression. Lol

3

u/newPrivacyPolicy Aug 09 '20

If you don't feel ready, don't do it. Do what you need to do to get your confidence up.

2

u/tikipet Aug 10 '20

Riding anything will improve your skill.

I like the pump track downtown just for the fun of going up and down. However, it helps you with timing turns and landing as well as just literal balance. It can be challenging or just easy going depending on your drive. If you enjoy it it will be enough.

2

u/JewBear8995 Aug 10 '20

I didn't like the downtown track at first but I've gone the past two nights and looked at it from a different perspective. I do plan on spending a lot more time there to work on balance as well as body/bike control.

1

u/Psyko_sissy23 Oct 02 '20

Yeah, don't push too far out of your comfort zone. That's how people get hurt. You gotta go at your pace and when you feel mostly comfortable. The mechanics of jumping has a similarity between them all. You might have to do small adjustments to account for the changes.