probably the lack of oxygen... But there is nothing like completely clearing your lunges of air. :)

lol... the bikers that like riding on highways scare me... daredevils I tell ya! The noise level, the close proximity to 110km/hr screaming semi trucks/cars/motorhomes/trucks/motorcycles, and inhaling loads of gas fumes all day is quite frankly terrifying to me!!

I did see that there is construction going on of a biking trail along the transcanada within Banff national park. Most of the paving is done, and they have a bit of bridgework to do.

Crosscountry is nice too. But my Kona definately says no way to going uphill.

And ya, there are some wicked riders out who kick ass on hardtails, I think they are good for getting air too. I'd personally, get bounced right off the bike though I am sure! haha I enjoy my cushy ride with BOTH shocks! :lol:

I have to admit that there is some sort of guitly pleasure in sitting on a lift to get you to the top of the mountain.

:mrgreen: AGREEEED!!!! Its a nice break, get to watch other riders, take in the scenery, and oh! we are at the top, time to go down again! tra la la! The only time it wasn't so nice was on a hot day in Whistler, I made the mistake of taking the gondola up with some stinky guy. I go up the chair there on hot days now. haha


Oh and I forgot to answer your question Tony, its a stock fork.

Ironically enough I think most of my uphill climbs could be describes as "lunges" as well. But I agree that the lunges clear the lungs out real nice.

I seem to be in an unusual category in that I enjoy both XC and DH. When I ride with an XC crew they tell me DH'ers are crazy and when I ride with a DH crew they tell me XC'ers are either crazy, or don't know what they're missing. They're probably both a little bit correct. And that's why I do both! :lol:

See I think ROAD bikers are crazy. :crazy: I can understand the thrill of the open road and an epic 60km or 80km ride, there was a time I yearned for it too :loco: ... but as I get older I trust people in cars less and less. The ground hurts when you fall off a mountain bike but it hurts in more or less predictable ways.

I loooooove riding at Whistler. Not a beginner friendly mountain though. I have seen so many people carted off that mountain with serious head, neck and back injuries. Or internal injuries. (I myself might once have been carted off the mountain in a meat wagon. Lucky for me the Whister Medical Centre is top notch!!) But I've been back there since and still love riding there, although a lot of those bigger drops still scare the H**L out me!!!!

For DH I've ridden Panorama, Fernie, Whistler and COP. A couple years ago a lot of the trail designers (from Whistler) reworked COP and it was awesome. The problem with COP is that it's run by a bunch of skiiers and snowboarders and not bikers. They run the lifts anyhow for the sightseers so they might as well let bikers pay them some money too. So the new trails were AWESOME until they started needing maintenance. Which they are doing better at this year, a little, but they've raised the prices of season's passes so much that I still get sticker shock. :(

Ya.. $200 for a season pass at COP seems a little steep to me as well, considering that is the going rate for a season pass at the mountains. The $25 / 4 hours seems decent though.

If you guys ever do put together a Canreef group ride let me know. I'd be interested in possibly coming down to join you. I'm always up for meeting and riding with new people.

If you guys are ever in N.Van, look up North Shore Bikes, ask to talk to Matt (Owner).

The yhave some kick ass XC and downhill trails that only the locals know about. With all the toys istalled, until the city finds them ant dismantles them.

Ken

Robb my invitation from last year still stands!! Come on down anytime bro. (Should I say "mang" or "bi" or does that only apply to tank threads? I'm never sure of the etiquette..:redface:)

BWA, yeah, that whole "North Shore" is pretty much the birthplace of the second wave of the sport. Some serious trails peppered all over the place around there. Heck even inland as far as Abbotsford/Chilliwack.. I remember visiting SuperFudge a few years ago to check out his wicked tank of the day and seeing kids come down the mountains and basically end up in their own backyards. Hard not to be a little jealous of them guys on the coast! (Just don't let them know, it all goes to their heads and stuff when they hear non-coastal types speaking this way. <Cough cough> Sorry what I meant to say was "Vancouver is yucky, too much traffic, too much smog, too many people and too much crime!" :lol:)

That's what the mountains are for.

If anyone's willing to venture to the coast for a "peddle"...I'm game. There is something for everybody here.