Introduce Yourself

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ina
Posts
10
Joined
2/19/2017
Location
CA
2/19/2017 9:03pm
hi i ride downhill but i suck haha that was short

4/12/2017 4:45am
Servus, I'm Brad, and I just joined but I have been lurking for awhile now. Mountain biking and backcountry skiing are my passions in life. Although I have been downhill skiing most of my 43 years, I just relatively recently started mountain biking and backcountry skiing, and although my skills have progressed, I still have a long ways to go.

I bought my first mt. bike in 2010, a slightly used 2009 Trek 3900 hard-tail with v-brakes on Craigslist. It allowed me to get a taste of what the sport is all about, and I rode it until 2013, mainly on beginner xc trails.

I moved to Germany in 2012 and soon realized that the Trek wasn't going to cut it in the alps. So in 2013 I bought my first proper mt. bike, a new Cube Stereo Super HPC Race with 160mm of travel front and back. With it I was able to start exploring the surrounding mountains south of Munich and my riding slowly progressed, even visiting a bike park or 2 every year in Austria. The cube was a great bike, but then I read about the Capra...

Last fall I bought a new 2016 YT Capra CF Comp. I was able to get some rides in before snow started falling in the mountains, and thanks to global warming, most of the snow has already melted so I've already been out on the trails this spring. I have to say the Capra is an amazing machine, and it has already given me the confidence to try and take my riding skills to the next level. I'm not hucking 6 ft. drops or anything (yet), but I am now riding sections of trail faster and with more confidence than I ever did on the Cube.

I recently started filming my rides with a gopro hero 5 session, and started a Youtube channel, Alpine Flow . I enjoy filming and video editing, and hope to publish some high quality videos of my alpine adventures and gear reviews, documenting the beautiful scenery in the alps and (hopefully) the progression of my skills as time goes by.

If you would like to checkout some of my riding and skiing videos, here's the link to my most recent ride, Dirt Sandwich .

Thanks for taking the time to get to know me!





5/8/2017 5:30am
PEOPLE WANT RIDE
BOYS & GIRL , We're looking for 3 of you !!!
People Want Ride offers the opportunity to three of you to become Ambassador.
We offer a supply of sleeve 3/4 sleeves and Long sleeve for the 2017 season.
What do we ask for in return?
To best represent the brand, to run into enduro, downhill or bmx and send us images, videos and articles that you miss.
Think about being the right person ???
Write to peoplewantride@gmail.com
www.peoplewantride.com
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/peoplewantride
6/1/2017 5:50pm Edited Date/Time 6/1/2017 5:52pm
Hello Vital,

My name is Storm, yes just like the weather. I am the co-founder of a start up called VIPE.. We connect and strengthen the bond between pro and semipro athletes with motivated individuals looking to learn. In essence, this is making the mountain bike community (YOU ALL) to be stronger as a whole.

Check Out Our New Site HERE

For myself:
- Been riding anything 2 wheels since I was 9
- Raced Pro DH for San Diego State University for my junior and senior year
- Adrenaline junkie
- Love to push the limits on what I think i'm capable of speed wise






bmelz124
Posts
16
Joined
7/12/2017
Location
San Diego, CA US
7/13/2017 7:08am
Hey all, my name is Brian.

I'm 26 and I live in north San Diego. I was a firefighter/emt for most of my post high school career, then made a big switch last year and now I work in commercial real estate and absolutely love it. I am also a college student, I go to the University of San Diego and I am due to graduate by the end of next year.

I have been mountain biking for almost 2 years now so I am generally new to the sport, but prior to mtb i did motocross for about 10 years and I feel like that has really helped me out wth my mtb riding. I started out doing xc, and just recently realized that while xc is awesome, i'm more into the enduro side of mtb. I think my motocross background has something to do with that.

I love San Diego, but I have lived here almost my entire life (except for when I lived in Arizona for a couple years). It is definitely time for a change, and I have dreams of moving to an area in the Western US that has much more to offer in terms of mtb, camping, hiking, lakes, rivers, seasons, and general outdoor activities. The company that I work for has offices in Denver, Boise, Seattle, and Reno and I would love to relocate to one of those areas after I graduate.

Until then, if anyone is in the San Diego area and wants to have a day long ride then grab some beers, I'm always down for that!
Paytonic15
Posts
1
Joined
7/19/2017
Location
Elkins, WV US
7/19/2017 10:02am
sspomer wrote:
The race season is over, the team rumors are flying and things in MTB are relatively slow before the new year. No better time than to...
The race season is over, the team rumors are flying and things in MTB are relatively slow before the new year. No better time than to introduce yourself in the Vital MTB forum.

Go as deep or as shallow as you'd like w/ your introduction. i'm gonna go big.

Shawn Spomer aka gordo (yes, it's me. it's not two different people...or is it?)
- Content Director at Vital MTB (which means a lot of TPS reports as well as working with some of the best dudes in our sport!)
- riding since 1996-ish
- freelance mtb video and photo dork from 2001-2005 (was lucky enough to be one of the photographers for the honda team w/ minnaar and cyril in 2004, that helped jumpstart things for me).
- was feature editor at decline in like 2005 or 2006 or 2007...i forget
- started littermag.com which eventually turned into vital in 2009
- get nervous and stoked when i see an email notification that "kidwoo has posted a comment"
- get nervous and stoked when i see an email notification that "TEAMROBOT has posted a comment"
- live in brocal, but north of "the shit"
- love editing Vital RAW vids and being one of the first to see what sven/duncan and crew send over for world cup slideshows.
- wish there could be a g-out project every day.
- prefer rides that are no more than 3 hours. never been a fan of "epics" for some reason. i think i'm gonna die usually.
- love surfing. i feel skateboarding helped define me growing up
- am finding less bike is more fun these days as i get older and slower.
- use age as an excuse that i'm getting slower when all i'd have to do is ride more.
- miss living at solvista and riding silky johnson nearly every day.
- would love to do a legit bunnyhop barspin before i die.
- if my brakes need to be bled, it must be time for a new bike.
- i still can't tell when to use effect vs affect and have to look it up.
- i'm not a conspiracy theorist, therefore i do not believe big, bad corpo execs at bike companies are out there wringing their hands trying to make something stupid just so we'll buy it. i've experienced the passion and ridiculously good riding skills of those developing product at the big, legit brands firsthand.
- is that enough?

self-portrait 2010 (i know, no helmet, sorry)


self-portrait 2015


now it's your turn! go big, go small. say hi.

I'm stoked that we have a quality group of forum participants (and lurkers) who keep things civil, but fun, too. Let's build on it!
ok well my name is Payton I'm probably the youngest here I'm 15 years old and I'm just now starting to get serious with biking. I'm located in west virginia where there are plenty of trails i just have to find them. I'm always open to suggestions and tips from the more experienced. thanks
captgravity
Posts
1
Joined
7/31/2017
Location
Renton, WA US
7/31/2017 10:43pm
Sup everyone! Its Sully at Rotec Cycles. re-introducing myself to the vital crew!

Stoked to be back and eager to talk bikes, design, culture and the industry in general.

We have some new products for 2018, now available and in stock for your riding pleasure is
the Revert 5.0, its is our newest whip for flow and slope, launched at Sea Otter and showcased here on Vital!


The NINE, our newest Lawwill inspired DH screamer.....we have finally made it real and is now being tested here in the US and UK/Europe. See it at Stevens Pass this weekend at the NWcup!

We'll also be at Interbike this year, booth #21275...come check us out!

Feel free to hit me up, ask questions or to even just talk bikes.....

Sully
cammtb-123
Posts
3
Joined
7/25/2017
Location
Norwalk, CT US
8/4/2017 7:38am
Hey all,
Cam's the name. Used to bike all the time in my college days, but then got into running and forgot about it. Recently injured my leg pretty badly (just one of many running injuries) and running has not been an option anymore. Picked up biking again and remembered how much I love it! Been riding lots of trails up and down New England and having tons of fun. Don't know why I ever stopped.
Any trail recommendations would in the northeast would be appreciated.
8/7/2017 12:14am Edited Date/Time 8/7/2017 12:16am
MY NAMES FREDRICK P TRAMPLER AND I RIDE EBIEKS FOR A LIVIN AND FUN AND IS U DONT LIKE IT TAKE A HIKE LOL. I CAN MAKE A LAME PUMPTRACK INTO A SICK SET OF WHOOPS ON MY DERESTRICTED EBIKE AND I THANK GOD FOR THAT AT LEAST TWICE A DAY.I THINK MTBRS ARE MOSTLY A BUNCH OF SAD WIMP SISSYS WITH BIG EGO OPINIONS ON HOW GREAT THERE LITTLE ELITIST CLUB IS AND I LAUGH DOING WHEELIES BY EM ON THE TRAIL BUT SOME I MET ARE ALRIGHT I GUESS. WONDER HOW MANY OTHER EBIKE ENTHUSIASTS OR SPONSERD PROFFESIONALS LIKE ME ARE HERE! ROLE CALL?
1
2
9/5/2017 2:17pm
Hi everyone, my name is Paul and I am from the UK, currently living in the Highlands of Scotland.

Been into cycling from my early teens, doing a mixture of road and MTB. I focused more on MTB as I got older, until I had quite a bad crash in Spain which really knocked my confidence. This led me back to the dark side of road cycling, until a hit and run in 2010 left me with a damaged shoulder (lucky really).

That prompted me to get back into MTB, and so built up a hardtail, and now a full susser, and am building my offroad confidence and ability again.

I ride a mixture of Trail Centres here in the UK, as well as some of the many natural trails Scotland is blessed with, and that can be accessed easily because of the Outdoor Access Code.

Really enjoying it, and am starting to get back up to speed and my confidence is growing. The sport has really helped me with depression which I have suffered from since redundancy a few years ago. Getting out on the bike allows me to to get away from everything, not mull things over in my mind, and think about nothing really (mostly because I am too busy gasping for air, and coping with my aching legs!)

Anyway, nice to be here and looking at other rider's bikes and reading their forum posts.

Pedal4life
Posts
298
Joined
6/19/2014
Location
San Diego, CA US
9/13/2017 8:26pm
Hi to all

My name is Geoff McMillan I'm bikoholic

As it turns out my father might have been a visionary the 1st bike he got me was Schwinn 26" wheeled bike or clunker as they are known now, that was 1965 I was 5 at the time didn't really realize that was the perfect bike for me as I'm tall & always was then came the Sting Rays & some road bikes raced road bikes for a while then stopped for a while as I was going thru a motorcycle phase and then came the boats then back to the bicycles, god I love to ride my bike even when I was riding to work everyday it is so great just to be able to ride, so this obsession has been going on now for 52yrs. & it's more complete than ever with a shiny new ride and me on
rebuild/mend has me working out harder & wanting to ride more albeit a bit more cautiously(having had a severely shattered left wrist)but enjoying it every bit as much as all those years ago.

I'm a mechanic by trade & a Inventor(think Doc Brown Back to the Future)specifically a boat mechanic but that doesn't really even scratch the surface of all the stuff I've wrenched on, won't wrench on anything that fly's as I can't take it for a test ride I've gotten to throw my leg over & ride more motorcycles than I ever dreamed possible I presently work for Bert's Mega Mall in Covina, CA(www.bertsmegamall.com)quite possibly the greatest adult toy store on earth as you'll see if you go to our website.

As of present not gonna be riding much on the streets anymore since the car vs bicycle incident but riding out in the hills has always been the main interest anyway.

So-Cal is where I call home but a continued focus has been to live the endless summer dream & when the 1st of the white stuff starts falling from the sky it's time to pack up the bike & head somewhere where it's warm and the suns shining for at least a few months explore & enjoy, so for now it's riding in the San Gabriel Mtn's & the San Bernardino Mtn's God only knows what the future holds.

Remember this, Obsession not Addiction & Engine not Motor


9/15/2017 10:54pm
Hi Everyone - Tam from South-West Queensland here. I've had an account for a bit, but never been social on the forums!

I got hooked onto the sport after the 2014 World Cup series, and have never looked back since. Ever since then, I've been becoming more and more hooked onto both riding and mountain biking photography too (face it, if I could give up my day job and do it full-time - I so totally would). Just came back from the World Championships in Cairns so I'm still on a massive high!



Dirty Shocks
Posts
10
Joined
9/23/2017
Location
Petaluma, CA US
9/23/2017 8:10am
Yo everyone!!
This is the Dirty Shocks crew from Northern California. Weve all been riding off and on since we were kids but have also dabbled in lots of other sports before becoming satisfied with MTB. Were currently riding hardtails and tearing up our local neighborhoods (SPOILER: You can find our videos on YouTube by searching "Dirty Shocks Urban Trail 4" for our newest video) and we want to connect more with other bikers out there. Its basically just us out here so WHATS UP WORLD from Dirty Shocks Smile
ps - Lets be friends
pps - dont forget to get wild today Smile :D
Alex1
Posts
26
Joined
9/5/2015
Location
Athens GR
10/28/2017 6:45am Edited Date/Time 8/25/2019 6:34am
Hello fellow members,
My name is Alex and I’m from Athens, Greece.
I got hooked into mountain biking around 1992 when my parents bought me my first mountain bike. It was a Peugeot hardtail with a rigid fork, mechanical v-brakes and a 3x transmission. I rode that bike constantly and everywhere.
Didn’t have access to media streams and magazines at that time but that didn’t stop me of becoming all that I could. I improved riding skills by figuring stuff out on my own. It was fun! I had found my sport!.
At heart, I will always be a stoked mountain biker (like a 5yr old)!
Not long ago I bought a TR Patrol. In Greece we can ride pretty much all year, so I'm going to enjoy the following months by getting to know my new bike on local trails. However, I frequently need to remind myself that it’s just a sport to enjoy and not be overwhelmed with excitement for going faster and bigger. Some serious older injuries help keep me in check.
So, I would like to remind everyone, please avoid injuries! Be safe! Ride collective within your stoke levels! ...or you can always turn it to 11! haha>true story. Smile
10/31/2017 7:04am
Hi all!
I'm a french man. Rider first and also creator of the Skean Bike protections.
Maybe some of you already know them (toptube and bashguard protections)


I hope you'll join me in the dedicated post I'll create for them.Woohoo

1
IHardTail
Posts
3
Joined
11/24/2017
Location
Prattville, AL US
11/26/2017 4:52am
Hello. I’m Bob from Alabama. 45, besides always being on a bike as a kid I’ve been mountain biking since 1999. My first “real” mtb was a rigid 99 Rockhopper. I’m pretty much a recreational rider. I just love to ride. I primarily ride in Bama and NW Georgia, but my favorite to date is Colorado.

I currently have a 2017 Stumpjumper FSR and my baby, a 2017 Guerrilla Gravity Pedalhead.
Tim507
Posts
1
Joined
1/3/2018
Location
Salem, OR US
1/3/2018 8:30pm
Tim here from Salem Oregon. Life long addiction to two wheels. Road Bicycles, MTB, MX, Offroad....two wheels rule. Hang a lot over at Vital MX.

I've been making trips to the lumberyard in Portland Or. and riding their dirt jumpers. I'm ready to purchase one, so I'm canvassing Vital MTB for some input.

5' 8" tall, 160#'s in the kings cloths, 65 years young, skilled as an old man can be who has ridden two wheels his whole lifeWhistling Cool Silly
1
bturman
Posts
2104
Joined
8/1/2009
Location
Durango, CO US
1/3/2018 10:24pm
Tim507 wrote:
Tim here from Salem Oregon. Life long addiction to two wheels. Road Bicycles, MTB, MX, Offroad....two wheels rule. Hang a lot over at Vital MX. I've...
Tim here from Salem Oregon. Life long addiction to two wheels. Road Bicycles, MTB, MX, Offroad....two wheels rule. Hang a lot over at Vital MX.

I've been making trips to the lumberyard in Portland Or. and riding their dirt jumpers. I'm ready to purchase one, so I'm canvassing Vital MTB for some input.

5' 8" tall, 160#'s in the kings cloths, 65 years young, skilled as an old man can be who has ridden two wheels his whole lifeWhistling Cool Silly
Welcome!

There are many good dirt jump bikes in the MTB world. I suggest choosing a frame material and narrowing in from there. I prefer steel dirt jumpers for the little bit of give they offer to smooth things out, as well as the aesthetic. Others prefer aluminum for the more precise/poppy feel.

Deity and Spank both make steel dirt jump frames and several components that could help bring together a cohesive build. Direct to consumer brands like Canyon, Commencal, and YT typically offer great values.

You can find several dirt jump bikes/frames in the Vital Product Guide, many of which have reviews to check out.
JMXer1981
Posts
1
Joined
1/5/2018
Location
Greenfield, IN US
1/6/2018 9:05am

Hi, Joe Bullard here.

Got my first MTB in 93'. Was a GT Outpost. Horribly spartan but was a Christmas present so I couldn't argue. We had freezing rain that year so the field behind was like a vast sheet of frozen ice pellets. I was so excited I went full on riding for hours. Can't say the condensation on the bike haf to be good for it. Ha.
For the next decade I rode more and more eventully getting a GT Karakorum new in 97'. I had traded for my friends Karakorum then sold it and bought a new one that was an overstock item from three years prior. I got to where I could lauch off 4 foot drops at speed. Not much here in central Indiana for trails.
Had a kid, got old and fat, then sold the GT for 200(that was stupid!!!) In 2012. Fast forward I saved this old beauty from the trash. New chain and tube in rear with some rim truing it was good to go. I have always had a hard tail. The GT RTS and LTS was unobtanium as a teen. So yeah... gonna up the mtb trails in Anderson, IN this spring or late winter. I hear they are awesome. Get back to my form again. At 36 I got plenty of riding left in me.







Stixxs
Posts
3
Joined
3/21/2018
Location
Old Orchard Beach, ME US
3/23/2018 2:53am
Name is Jay. New to this forum and MTB. Been a bmx'r my whole life, still am, but decided another money pit hobby wouldn't hurt Wink I live in Maine and when not on one of my bikes I am beating drums or beating up people on the ice. I am a die hard hockey fan/player. I am into cars too although not like I was when I actually had money. Anyway....HI!
3/27/2018 1:52pm
Simon from Oxfordshire UK, current steeds are a Trek Superfly FS-Pro 29er & just bought a Scott Genius 940 29er for using at trail centres etc...
Mainly ride xc locally: Ridgeway, Chilterns etc... with regular trips to Forest of Dean, Bike Park Wales, Afan, Cwm Carn etc
Also ride trail bikes (green laning, enduro etc... ktm250excf), mtb'ing for 10 years now, originally started to help with the MX/Enduro training and enjoyed it so much that i ended up flogging my Honda CR250 and buying a 'proper' mtb (whyte 46).
SharpieMTB
Posts
230
Joined
11/10/2010
Location
Boiling Springs, PA US
3/27/2018 2:29pm
Nathan Parrish
29
A Dad.
Born and raised in West Virginia. LETS GO MOUNTAINEERS!
DH, Freeduro
Ride a 2015 Scott Gambler (BOD), 2017 Yeti SB 5.5, and a 2016 Santa Cruz Jackal.
Been racing DH since 2006, do 1 local enduro a year, and I'm very active in trail building.
I've been fortunate to ride everyone on the east coast from Pisgah to Highland and looking forward to visiting a few new places.



JackRice
Posts
27
Joined
6/7/2017
Location
Boothbay Harbor, ME US
4/7/2018 5:42pm
What's up Mi Amigos! My name is Jack Rice, I'm 30 years old. I'm originally from a small country called Brooklyn, N.Y. and after living all up and down the east coast have made the mid-coast of Maine my home for the last 3 years. I grew up skateboarding (heavily) and also rode a lot of bmx and dabbled with racing when I was 13 and 14. Since I was about 20 I had problems with partying too much and am happy to say that since moving to Maine, have become sober and in the process rediscovered mountain biking. I definitely attribute a lot of my success to mountain biking and really can't get enough of it; riding as much as possible, going to races, bike parks, and checking out new trails. First thing I do when I wake up is check Vital and Insta to see what's going on in the MTB world. This year I'll be riding some ESC races up here in the northeast for my local bike shop and am super stoked for it. Im also involved with developing trails up here and we have a possible bike park in the works in Camden, M.E. I'll keep ya'll posted on that ( the town is being difficult as usual). I hate people that bitch online about bikes. BE GRATEFUL.
1
ksucrow
Posts
1
Joined
5/7/2018
Location
Olathe, KS US
5/7/2018 3:19pm
Hi, I'm Chris,

I'm from Kansas City, KS.

I'm brand new to the mountain bike scene, but have ridden road bikes and gravel bikes for some time. This year I will be partaking in the Dirty Kanza gravel race right here in Kansas for the third straight year.

Two weeks ago I had some time off from work and made the 13 hour trek to Fruita, CO to try my hand at mountain biking. The LBS there hooked me up with a Trek Fuel 8 29er. Needless to say, I'm hooked and now I have to find a good bike so that I can get better. I'm hoping that I can learn the ropes here on the site and maybe get some suggestions as to the direction I should go.

Chris
bramlett321
Posts
8
Joined
3/22/2018
Location
Texarkana, TX US
6/11/2018 1:01pm
Same here!! Brand new to the mtb world. Motocross injuries have somewhat pushed me this direction but I've absolutely fallen in love with the sport. Just purchased a Giant Stance, love the bike but we're in Texarkana, TX. and it's hot and humid as all hell.

nancykind
Posts
4
Joined
6/13/2018
Location
Glens Falls, NY US
6/13/2018 5:37am
Hi i’m nancykind! I just turned 57 and have had a very low end mtb for a while now, looking to upgrade and be able to really get into the sport. I live in upstate NY and love to snowboard in the winter, paddle board and bike in the summer. We bring our bikes everywhere. Looking forward to reading more of your posts
Aksel_Lfft
Posts
115
Joined
4/21/2016
Location
Plaisance-du-Touch FR
6/14/2018 1:35am Edited Date/Time 6/14/2018 1:38am
Hello all!!

I am Axel, aka Aksel_lfft!! I am 24 years old from Toulouse, south of France. I am an engineer for 2 years now, in aeronautics and space fields.
I really went Mountain Biking late 2004 after I saw the trainings of the world champs in Les Gets. It was mental as a kid to see those pros going mach 10 on trails that I could hardly walk on.
So I slowly started to ride, first XC of course then I went for more aggressive riding, a bit of freeride bikepark etc... My beauty, my love, was a Rocky Mountain Slayer SS350. I bought the frame and built it entirely and little by little (as a young student, my parents were supporting me but refused to give me the "easy way" bying me a 4k€ bike, I can't thank them enough for that). I have ridden it mainly in Les Gets, but also in the Pyrenees and in Metabief. It was a really fun bike, so solid, but now it is mainly outdated.
Unfortunately, I have just sold it as my goal now is to focus on Enduro and trail riding. I will soon open a topic regarding this next bike choice.
I really like the content of VITAL for both forum trends and other articles like Racing related ones, or reviews.

See ya!
Bike078
Posts
3
Joined
7/26/2018
Location
PH
7/27/2018 3:42am
Hi all, I've browsed the forums from time to time for several years now and just decided to sign up.
oskimtb
Posts
6
Joined
12/20/2018
Location
ES
12/20/2018 10:20am
hi all..long time browser , joint today, merry Christmas and happy rides everyone

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