So after much hesitation and self argument to accept that my beloved 26 inch wheels still rule...which they do in my opinion I have finally caved in and decided to build a 29er..now my thinking is I am going to build this with parts I already have except the fork and wheels..it will be a budget build compared to going out and buying a new bike...I want to give it a whirl and see what all the buss is..apparently they are hear to stay at least until the 27er becomes the new 29er..

After riding my cross bike on several trails I can understand the benefit of the larger wheels as it pertains to rolling over stuff and keeping speed up once it gets going..I have decided to by pass the LBS route on this one as it seems to me bike shops are getting less and less interested in helping a brother out unless you buy the bike there from them...I have approached several shops about 29ers and either the bikes are not what I like and every shop tells me how great their bikes are and how the other shops bikes suck.,

I have been doing this for over 25 years and bought a lot of bikes..I have used almost every shop around here and honestly there are only 2 I could recommend right now to someone with a good conscious..when a shop forgets to put parts back on your bike it is time to move on...I will assemble what I can and what I can not I will suck it up and go find a shop somewhere to complete the build..

Apparently I am not the only one who has started to notice this..from talking to several other riders we compared experiences and it seems we have run into the same problem..if you are new to the sport and looking to buy a bike or upgrade your current affair do your research and ask around and talk to people who ride...

www.mtbr.com and www.roadbikereviews.com are full of great information and reviews..Craigslist can be a great place to find a good bike on the cheap...but if you go that route know what you are looking at and know the signs of abuse and wear...

A bike shop is still a great place to start but go in with both ears open and never make a compulsive purchase...look..feel...ride....and then read before you buy..

Anyway I will post up stuff as this little build progresses from birth to dirt grinder!   

Lake Ray Roberts-Greenbelt Corridor

I never thought i would really be into riding a Greenbelt..but I love this place..it is basically a gravel service road that runs between 380 in Denton to Pilot Point..a round trip is roughly 20 miles..nothing technical about it..ride it on a cross bike, hybrid or mountain bike..there is a rest stop at either end and in the middle...if you want to ad miles you can leave it and ride over to Isle Du Bois State Park from the Elm Fork Branch...if you really want to push it head over and ride some of the mountain bike trail at Isle Du Bois before heading back towards the 380 access trail head..usually plenty of people about on the weekends and a few during the week...nice and flat and if you want you can push yourself for speed and get a good work out...if you plan on doing any of the Dorba trail at Isle Du Bois ride a mountain bike...

The Greenbelt is a great place to ride or hike..alone or with the family..if goes through some wooded areas and then through some open fields..even though you are beside Denton you get the feeling you are way out in the country..just make sure you pay at the self pay station if you do not have a annual pass...the rangers come though and right down LP numbers of non payers and they send tickets/fines out in the mail.

If you are getting into the sport then a state park pass more than pays for itself..I use mine several times a week and within a month it has paid for itself..plus with the pass whoever is in the car gets in free..

Isle Du Bois Dorba Trail

This is one of the more difficult trails in the area..not so much as the entire trail is hard but the back side of the D loop is a killer..pretty much abounds of rock gardens..when you leave the trail head you will on the A loop heading out...as most state park trails go when you come to a junction or intersection on the trail stay left to keep going or go right to head back to the trail head..

The front side of the A,B,C loop is fairly easy though new comers may disagree...at the end of the out going C loop you will cross a cement path to get to the D Loop..or you can bail there and head out out on the cement path and ride the road back to the TH or make an immediate right and jump back on the C Loop and finish out the trail..if you cross the cement path it pretty much starts getting harder from there as in more technical with rocks and short climbs with rock gardens..this starts the loop that goes out and heads back to the cement path..once you do the front side of the D Loop and E Loop you will cross a field to the back side of the D Loop..you can go left on the dirt road and that will bypass this part of the trail and take you back around to the cement path where you reconnect to the C Loop to finish the trail...if you decide to press on and do the back side D Loop you will find a challenging and difficult section of the trail..it will test your bike handling skills and the more you ride it the better rider you will be..

Back on the C Loop there are some good long climbs and some fun technical stuff that is not to bad..once you cross over to the B Loop back it is pretty much a climb then onto the A Loop and back at the trail head..

The good-there are enough cut outs so one can pretty much dictate how much of the trail they want to ride..it is a good place to start honing your mountain bike skills and has enough challenging sections to keep it interesting. 

The bad-no rain makes the trail start turning to sand in some sections and the more it is ridden the longer the sand traps get..if you go early in the morning and are the first to ride the trail and the spiders are out you will be eating spider webs through most of the trail..colder weather it is not a issue..as a week ago when I rode there there where a lot of soft and sandy sections on the trail..but it is still worth checking out if you have never rode there.

 

DurtNurds Mountain Bike Crew

https://www.facebook.com/durtnurds.mtbikecrew

This is the link to the Facebook page..if and when I get enough people interested we will start planning some rides around on some local trails.

I imagine the rides will be on the weekends and I can fit some in on Monday and Tuesdays.

If enough interest is generated then we can get decals or jerseys or whatever the general consensus is.

Look for an upcoming review of a 29er I am building up..finally decided to take the plunge and gt one to see what the hype is..pretty sure I am going to like it as I love riding my cross bike at Gateway.

Speaking of Gateway Park..this is a great trail for new people into the sport. It is smooth hard packed stuff with very little climbs..the climbs it does have are short and to the point...nothing technical like rock gardens and such to speak of especially all the older stuff..I like to go out there when I want to go fast..just watch out for some of the creepy people that hang out near the trail..it is a city park..for the most part it is not a issue but form time to time you may see come creepy characters out there..it is off of N Beach...I usually park by the dog park and ride my bike over to the trail head..the dog park has people around all the time so I feel comfortable leaving my car there..from there ride across the parking lot towards the ball field..take the little gravel road over to the next parking lot and cross it to the sidewalk...go down the sidewalk and you will see the trail on the left hand side across from the FWMBA sign.

It is a great trail to get your feet wet on or just go out and rail if you want..I ride my cross bike with 700x32 tires on it all the time so it is pretty much good for any skill level rider..

Make sure you always wear a helmet and just be aware of your surroundings if you go during the week..weekends are not a problem..tons of people out and about.  

Been Awhile

It has been awhile since I posted on here...honestly it seems there is not much traffic and I figured what the heck..but after this past year and my experiences on the trail I decided to give it a whirl again.

I also have a Facebook page for DurtNurds..anyone can ask to join by sending a friend request.

I am located in North Fort Worth so it is mainly for riders in this area that want to join..ride..and learn.

I have been a racer and this group is not or will not be about racing..been there done that..later on that issue.

The goal will be if I get enough people interested is forming group rides at local trails. Skill level will not matter. I know what it is like to want to get into a sport and be intimated by those that have done it for awhile. So a lot of people go out and learn trial by fire style. It does not need to be that way as there are more of us into the riding than the bragging.

My whole motivation for this is to give people a group to belong to that loves to ride. A group that has no egos. If you ride a Huffy or a S Works Stumpy it is of no matter. It is about the sport. I woul like to get a few seasoned members to help guide new members who want to ride. I have been riding bikes for over 20 years and am a bike patrol instructor so there is some knowledge I can share.

I would like to also provide some basic maintenance clinics or whatever so new riders can keep some of their money in their pockets and perform some of the basic work on their bikes..which may keep you from walking out of the woods.

I have toyed with the DurtNurds Mountain Bike Crew idea for awhile..it is now time to do it and see where it goes.