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Downhill Mountain Biking in Park City!

Tommy R

Tommy R

I wanna be Dave
Joined
Aug 19, 2008
Messages
4,271
Location
Austin, TX, USA
Hey y'all,

I'm finally going downhill mountain biking later this month. We're flying up to Park City and will be spending two days riding down the slopes. We're renting the nicest bikes they have available (no idea what they are) and are renting all the proper protective gear. I'm a pretty capable mountain biker, but have never downhilled on a big, heavy, long travel suspension bike like this.

What I'm interested in are any tips/pointers for a first time downhiller from you more experienced folks. Also, any specific recommendations or thoughts on the trails in Park City would be much appreciated!

I've been wanting to do this since I started snow skiing in the early '80s and I'm SO stoked to finally have the chance! And to add to the "cool factor" of this trip, we're taking a friend's 4 passenger private plane from Austin to Salt Lake City. That'll be another first! Promises to be quite a trip. :mrgreen:
 
Downhill bikes vs. FS xc bikes will be a big difference for sure. As with anything new, I'd recommend trying out some tamer trails first before moving on to any expert trails. That, and make sure they have lifts to take you and the bike up to the top of runs!

Finally, have fun!
 
Never been to Park City but I do go to Whistler a few times a year. As far as tips go take it easy for the first couple runs and then let-r-rip! On a downhill bike (depending on what they rent) the faster you go the better it will be. They can handle a tremendous amount of abuse and will make going off drops like landing on a pillow. If the trail is pretty beat up with braking bumps try braking sooner and let off during the bumps. Keep a loose grip and try not to tense up to avoid arm pump and most important tip of all.... HAVE FUN!"thumbsup"
 
Thanks, y'all... We definitely plan on taking it easy (at least at the start) so we can get acclimated to the bike, trails, altitude, etc. I hear the black runs at Park City aren't really very difficult or crazy so I suspect we'll be on them sooner rather than later, but whatever....I'm in no rush to step up to the hardest stuff they offer. Thankfully, they do have lifts or I wouldn't even consider it!! :ror:
 
Those trails were built by Progressive Trail Design, and I'm sure they put some bypasses on the gnarly stuff.

Gear up, have fun.
 
my buddy's parents live in ParkCity and when he is on leave next summer he asked me to come out and go riding. SOOO give us a good repot on how it is and get some pics. "thumbsup"

have fun and remember When in doubt ride it out!
 
Let us know about all of it. I have wanted to get up there and do this but I just don't know where to go for a first time either.
 
53 willys said:
Make sure you ride at deer valley!!! They have the sickest DH runs!!"thumbsup"
Click to expand...

So as a newbie to downhilling does that mean I should avoid it or be sure I go there?! :ror:


I do have rather silly question for y'all. Would it be pointless to bring my own biking shorts/pants? Do you wear regular cycling shorts underneath the downhill-specific pants? The reason I ask is because with 4 guys in a small prop plane, we need to be very aware of packing lightly. If I don't need to bring them, I'll leave them at home. If I need them, I'll have to leave something else at home. :mrgreen:
 
my list.
feel free to copy and paste:

a full face helmet would be in short order for me.
yes shorts to hug the nuts under baggy shorts.
don't try and follow the locals.
keep an ear out for those riding behind you, what you might think is a roller might be a drop to another rider.
chicks bike too so wear clean shorts.
bring band aids and wrap.
shin guards really help.
buy the rental insurance.
look out for water bars on fire roads and access roads.
the closer you are to the top of the mountain the less front brakes you need.
don't be afraid to sit at a cool spot and watch others crash.
don't start at the middle and work your way up, go big or walk.
whatever you can't ride just throw your rental down.
remember the saying " ghost ride the whip "
practice the above saying a few times, it's a rental.
chicks make the coolest sounds when they are crashing so listen for that.
grab a cheap disposable camera.
gloves with wrist wraps are cool.
i liked wearing elbow pads.
did i say knee and shin guards ?
bring packets of GU and plenty of water.
don't carry any expensive items with you.
look for optional go around lines.
plan to take the next day off.

that's all for my list.

i used to ride XC and i did free riding for two years. me and my clan took a ride up to sunday river in bethel maine to hit the sea otter classics. two runs into the morning i took a header into a 15 ft. hole and tore myself up pretty fawkin nice.
here's my list of brokens i took home from my trip:

3 fingers.
3 ribs of which 2 were multiple
1 left collarbone
1 left scapula
1 lower jaw
1 concussion
1 bruised lung
1 bruised spleen
1 damaged pride
1 tweaked rig
1 prescription to cool pills

good luck and have fun.
like i said don't waste time starting in the middle and riding around. go straight to the top. whatever you are too scared or just uncomfortable trying simply huck the rental down and slide.
stay off the access roads. even though it's fun to go flying 55 mph down the dirt road, remember there are always big lawn darts coming out of side trails, and also maybe some water bars are placed to help prevent erosion. keep an ear open at all times. you could be someone's help.
"thumbsup"
 
Last edited:
Thanks, crunky! Definitely good info, there!

So I found out we'll be riding Deer Valley. My friend has been before and he said we're not even going to mess around with the green trails. We'll go to the blues to start and see how the day goes from there. Definitely stoked about this trip and I'll be sure to document the whole thing.... My buddy also picked up a new GoPro with a helmet cam. Awesome! 8)

One more question... Shoes. I assume the bike will have platforms instead of clipless pedals? I have some SPD equipped shoes I usually ride in, but figured I'd need something different for the downhill bikes. Should I pick up some Vans? What should I look for in a shoe? Keep in mind I'd like to use these shoes for other purposes, too, not just downhill specific. ;-)
 
don't mess around with low top skate shoes, plenty of stuff out there to skin your ankle bone on. i'm not saying pick up ride icon boots or anything crazy. a decent set of mid to high top skate shoes or bmx shoes. your gonna need something with traction too for the steep stuff when you end up chucking that rental like a boomerang.
"thumbsup"
 
Thanks, y'all. I typically wear a set of Van's "style" shoes for bumming around town and they're worn out which is why I don't mind buying a new pair now. But I'm not sure about shoes with ankle protection. It's just too hot down here to wear mid or high top shoes too often so they would likely only see use on this trip. :cry: Although, I do have a pair of high top Chuck Taylors! :mrgreen: So I may sacrifice my ankles and go with a more conventional sneaker (i.e. low top). I do appreciate the suggestion, though. :)

I found out there's a Van's retail store really close to work. I may swing by there soon and see what they've got.

Do most of you ride in regular shirts and (baggy) cycling shorts plus all the regular safety gear?
 
Wear a shirt that will breathe. Not necessarily a cycling specific jersey, but the same material, plus the baggy cycling shorts. You'll be sweating like a pig as it is with a full helmet and armour, you'll want a base layer that breathes and wicks some of that moisture away.

Personally, you DH guys are nuts :mrgreen:
 
are your chucks the double high, fold over type ?
if so, you go to the top of the lift. "thumbsup"
2d8jd48.jpg


i meant stay away from the Mr. Rogers style flat skate shoe and get something with beef.

this:
2jeteew.jpg


or this:
v3iwl0.jpg


as opposed to this:
15h1hkw.jpg

:twisted:
 
ecoli said:
Wear a shirt that will breathe. Not necessarily a cycling specific jersey, but the same material, plus the baggy cycling shorts. You'll be sweating like a pig as it is with a full helmet and armour, you'll want a base layer that breathes and wicks some of that moisture away.

Personally, you DH guys are nuts :mrgreen:
Click to expand...

Done and done! And you can't lump me in with the insane DH guys since I haven't done it yet and I may end up being a total pansy! But you can label me nuts for any number of other reasons. :lmao:

crunky said:
are your chucks the double high, fold over type ?
if so, you go to the top of the lift. "thumbsup"

i meant stay away from the Mr. Rogers style flat skate shoe and get something with beef.

:twisted:
Click to expand...

Ah, I got ya! Yeah, I was planning a low-top version of the beefier style. I do a fair bit of hiking (also when crawling) so maybe I should consider a mid-height high top. Hmm...
 
justinart24 said:
Cool Tommy, I mountain bike too. I just sold my downhill(Kona Stinky Primo) bike last year. I got a trek remedy 7 now.

Here what my Trek looks like, I can't find a current pic of it.
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3507/3263083714_38722f1060.jpg

I was going to Whistler BC for a couple years straight for a while, trails kick butt!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pTqh0ju5Z2o


Here was my DH bike, fuN!
Click to expand...

Dang, dude! Looks like some pretty serious equipment there! Wanna come out to Park City in 2 weeks and ride with us?? :mrgreen:

Love that video! One of my biggest fears (when I had a mx bike, too) was/is jumping. I've just never got the hang of it. To some degree, I'm hoping to finally face that demon head on with this trip. I'm not looking to jump big stuff by any means. But I'd like to hone my jumping skills a bit more and get more comfortable with air time. :)
 
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