in my experience, first learn manual and bunny hop. (anywhere)
Jumps take a while; 360ies takes years to commit. Don’t feel frustrated; a good 360 is far more difficult then lets say… a backflip.[/quote]
I do wish there were other people going off the jumps so I could watch em’. I think it would make learning it faster and easier. As per 360s/backflips, I had no clue a BF was easier. didnt realize 360s were that difficult. all, well, time to practice practice practice! though i did land my first 180 yesterday (after about 50 tries =P )
I looked a bit on youtube, a few guys can do bunyhop 360s. I hear it’s all about commitment and looking where you’re going. I haven’t got the balls to try off a jump myself, but 180 bunnyhops are a piece of cake. I think I could 360 if I had bigger nuts. And that’s why I’ll never try a backflip. Technically easier than a 360 but much more dangerous if you get it wrong, broken neck anyone?
Anyway there’s a DH race at JFG in Taoyuan on Sunday the 28th of Aug. 9am start, probably $150 entry, free shuttles. I imagine it will be a similar setup to the one in January. I kind of get the idea that the young lad Chang Zheng Shan’s dad wants his son to have more competitive practice. He’s been away this summer to a bikepark somewhere, and Jamba the dad is bringing his big lorry to be the shuttle driver for the race. Why do that other than to see your son winning?
I had a look at a new bit of track yesterday and helped Mr. Liu (Da Ge’s real name) to build a berm for a couple of hours. It was hot as hell and I hope it rains before the race or it’s goning to be a pile of loose earth rather than a berm.
All welcome. I’m going to be riding the sex machine. A mini DH bike would be ideal, or even a 24" wheel jump bike will do. Two brakes a must though, I hear they’re using one section of track that’s too steep to walk up and a back brake only setup won’t be enough I don’t think.
By the way Niko, I still have my STP but I only have one set of wheels at the moment. As soon as I get another pair for my orgasmic new bike I’ll have two bikes running. I still like my STP but I’ll probably just keep it for winter/shops usage.
You should set up the STP man. I’d imagine 2 bikes is better than one BTW, I met Andrew and a few other guys while riding at the Neihu Skate Park. Real cool guys and that park is perfect for a beginner like me. I’m not scared shitless doing the jump now, its actually mad fun. The half pipe is still a little sketchy, but I’ll get the hang of it all with time.
180’s are difficult for me right now…so I can’t even imagine trying 360’s yet. I’d try a backflip if I had access to a foam pit…but obviously that ain’t happening. Superman is in my near future I’m hoping haha. Maybe I’m just dreaming. Anyway, I’ll be at the park most of the time. Just gotta practice practice practice!
The easiest tricks to learn and good starting points are the table, X-up, one footer, no footer. As you get better you can add more style to them, probably developing into turndowns in a short time. No footers naturally develop into supermans I would imagine (though I never got that far myself).
I’d love to have a big tabletop jump with grass on top to practice 360s because they look sick.
Roel, are you or any of your boys good for the race next week?
Are you there tomorrow? What time?
Might be able to come for few hours in the am.
Next week I can probably be there too. I’ll ask around if anyone else wants to join. Haven’t seen the others for a while since I went to EU and haven’t rode my bike after that.
I went today for the whole morning. We did some practice on the new DH track.
The top part is the same as before until you get to the electricity pylon. Instead of going right down the fast drop off jump, you go straight (actually back uphill) to the pylon on top of that bit of a hill. There’s a new old part called “the 3” that goes down the next 40m or so and has three chutes which are almost too steep to walk up. Put it this way, you can’t get your bike up without someone pulling it up from the top, and if you walk up you actually need to crawl, no shit. I almost bottled it. If I was there alone I wouldn’t have done it I don’t think. As it was I had to and it wasn’t actually too bad. I think after 10-20 runs down that section I could go through pretty fast.
After that you go down the walking trail past the big temple, turn right and there is a fast as fook bit down the walking trail to the small temple and carpark. I hit it flat stick this morning and clocked myself at 55km/h on my GPS but it might not be accurate. Whether or not, I was giving it full gas.
Close to the temple you veer back into the woods and go down a new bit of track, through the stadium area, over that road gap if you want to, through the trees and to the bottom.
Should be good next week.
Also I met another foreigner from Pacific, I think he’ll be there next week too. Get your lads involved if you can, the more the merrier.
PS. The young Taiwanese lad is looking smooth and fast. He’ll be hard to beat, although there are only two technical sections in the whole track really and I think we’ll both have the measure of him on the pedalling bits!
I went to Jung Fu Gong this morning for practice. We did a timed run. I was fastest with a 1:45. Mr. Fan didn’t ride, apparently he broke his arm last month and was just getting back on the bike. The two brothers from Taoyuan, one didn’t ride and the other rode but didn’t record a time for some reason. I followed him down the hill twice though and he was faster than me, still in sight at the end but a bit further ahead than he was at the start. I was taking it easy but I’m sure he was too.
Aparently there’s a chance the race might be cancelled because of the typhoon. There will be an announcement on the 中福宮MTB facebook page at 7pm tonight.
After I left a few more people recorded times. The brothers did 1:31 & 1:32 respectively so my 1:45 put me in 3rd.
Johnny just told me the registration is 8 and racing is 9 but I have no idea. I’ve heard so many different tales I don’t know what to think!
Today’s race was a very relaxed affair, with a mates’ race feel. The sun was shining, the wind was blowing, the clouds stayed away.
Young brother won with a 1:34, middle brother did a 1:35, I did a 1:41. Third place not too bad, but I don’t know where I could make up 8 seconds. Clipless pedals might be worth 5 I suppose. If Mr. Fan didn’t bin it I would have been 4th too I suppose.
I think the full results table may be visible here:
Mr. Liu made a short video of me here (no sniggering please!).
Word on the grapevine is another informal mates’ race on the long weekend which I think is this coming weekend. Not sure if it’s Sat or Sun or Mon. Sat or Sun I can do, but Mon probably not.
In other news, they told me there’s another urban downhill race at Jioufen on the 9th of October (I think, Sunday). Same deal as last time minus the rain I would expect. You need a 6+ bike to enter. I don’t know if that’s the minimum or the average. Mine has 5 at the back and 7 at the front so hopefully I’ll be OK. Still, I don’t know why you need a 6+ bike to ride down a couple of steps.
I think if it works out ok with my wife’s schedule and I enter, I’m going to get clipless pedals. Pinning it down steps on flats is a recipe for disaster a mon avis.
If anyone hears about how to enter, please post it up.
Correction, the urban DH at Jiou Fen is on Saturday the 8th of October, if such a day exists. If not, it’s the 9th or 10th, whichever is the Saturday.
I handled a Transition TR250 frame in the flesh this morning. I’m glad I didn’t drop $70,000 on one. I think they have the best design, the best looks, but sadly only average execution. I can see what you mean about the quality of engineering Pommes. Comparing tube profiles, smoothness of welds and finish quality to a Giant, Specialized, Trek or Lapierre frame, there’s no way I’d drop the same amount on a frame that looks like it’s made with five years older tech. Transition are asking you to pay a lot for cool, they really are. Economies of scale I understand, they have to cover their R&D I understand. I’d pay, just not that much!
Word on the street is that a new riding area is in the works. Mr Liu (the coach/Da Ge) has been scouting the hills between Taoyuan and Linkou for ages and he’s found a suitable area of hillside just near the coast, off the 106 (I think) road. He’s already liaised with the landowner who says the land has not been used for anything for years and she’s perfectly happy about us turning it into a bike park. Obvously it’s not as convenient as Jung Fu Gong, but if we have permission to use it then I forsee Bobcats being rented and some seriously good shit being built out of dirt.
The key is planning. No one who is likely to be doing any of the building has ever been to a bike park or “proper” DH course.
So Pommes, if you, Ryan or Kain or anyone else is free on Saturday morning at 8:30, I think some guys are going up there to scout it out. Metting place is JFG. Roel, you’re invited too if you haven’t been invited yet and anyone else you know who knopws anything about trails.
I’m going for sure. I think I could help plan a good course but I might miss some things that I’ve never seen before.
Seriously though, what is the point in riding 220 miles in one day on a bicycle?
About that new spot. It used to be a playground for kids. There’s a carpark, a few camping meadows and woodland on a hill. Total elevation difference is about 100 vertical metres. Total area is pretty small, maybe a square km +/- 1. There are a couple of tarmac loops all over the hillside. It’s not too overgrown, it could be cleared quickly (preferably by someone who doesn’t find those massive black and yellow spiders with the yellow knees revolting). Ryan suggests ripping up the tarmac track on one side and using that as the main DH trail.
Pros:
Could be turned into a permanent bike park.
Car park.
Friendly owner.
In north Taiwan.
Cons:
Only 100m vertical drop.
Small overall area roughly half as long as Jung Fu Gong top to bottom (although obviously intelligent trail design could maximise the potential)
Tarmac roadways all over it - not sure if the person who paid for them will want them to be removed.
It will take a lot of cash to make it awesome - who’s going to pay?
About an hour from my house, too far to go with the bike on the scooter.
I just can’t see it happening.
My opinion is that it’s too small to make a pimp DH course. The owner probably won’t let us remove the tarmac roads. We’d be better served planning a more winding track through the woods at JFG where no locals go, building all jumps and berms with dirt and just leave the top section alone. With proper planning I’m certain the DH track could be made 30-45 seconds longer, more fun, flowy and permanent. I don’t want to piss off the locals/landowners but there is a good bit of woodland there with a lot of elevation difference that no one ever hikes through. I think come the rains, that’s the place to put the effort into. Linkou/Bali is too far out of the way, not a 7-11 or crappy noodle shop for miles. It doesn’t mater to me but it matters to everyone with a green passport who might ride there…
[quote=“jaame”]Taipei to Tainan, is that on the motorbike?
Could be turned into a permanent bike park.
Car park.
Friendly owner.
In north Taiwan.
100m vertical drop.
intelligent trail design could maximise the potential
Tarmac roadways all over it [/quote]
sounds EXCELLENT for a 4X-Slopestyle-Dirtjump place!!!
Why would you remove the tarmac?!? Just build it into the track - any way to shuttle?
The fact that it’s private and close to TPE does make it interesting - could you show me next time? Then I could take some pictures and put together a proposal. As I said, I might find companies to support it.
BTW, I met Andrew and a few other guys while riding at the Neihu Skate Park. Real cool guys and that park is perfect for a beginner like me. I’m not scared shitless doing the jump now, its actually mad fun. The half pipe is still a little sketchy, but I’ll get the hang of it all with time.
