Mountain Bike Reviews Forum banner

lookout mtn ride

2K views 40 replies 24 participants last post by  miSSionary 
#1 ·
My good buddy Cole keeps asking me to go ride lookout with him. I'll pass.

 
#6 · (Edited)
There's a blast from the good 'ol days. I got out of it once they started requiring leathers to compete and once I got bumped out of the essentially the amateur class to pro (there were only two classes at the time). I didn't compete for very long but had a heck of a good time doing it.

Here's a picture of yours truly leading the pack in a qualifying run in the 2005 Vail DH. I ended up getting 1st in my class in that race.


If anyone wants to get into it, I'm selling a bunch of boards. One of the more relivent to this thread is a Kebbek JimZ Pro Flushcut downhill deck with 180mm Crail Speed trucks, blue Tracker Stimulator (rare) & Bones HardCore soft/blue bushings with Grade 8 kingpin upgrade, and ABEC 11 Flywheels - 90mm/78a. PM me if you're interested.


My quiver of 17 boards after they started going up for sale to finance the bike addiction. I used to have 34 at the end of last year.
 
#9 ·
I was riding up when they came down...

( a quick flash of me at about 7:08). I grew up on skateboards in So Cal in the early 70's - when the first urethane wheels came out. I had a great video of a friend of mine on a long board drifting across a double yellow line - in front of a school bus - going off the side of the road and sliding to a stop in a cloud of dust. No helmets, leathers, or pads back then.

When I saw these guys, I couldn't believe:

1) how stable those boards are - no hint of speed wobble.
2) that they were still stable on a rough road - I still remember how the smallest little pebbles would lock up the wheels.
3) the ability to carve tight turns without sliding out.
4) the conviction they had that they wouldn't come around a corner head on into a car/truck on its way up.

Maybe they'll re-direct some of the wrath off of cyclists for a while...
 
#10 ·
IMO pretty stupid **** on a road that's open to the public. I almost caught a couple oncoming longboarders right between the headlights on Hoosier pass a couple years ago. About 10" and evasive maneuvers by me saved both of us from a really bad day.

That photo from Vail Pass was on a section that is closed to motor vehicles and as long as it's a regulated activity IE: everyone else using the bike path knows what is going on and there's some system set upto ensure everyones safety and access, and I have no real issues with it in a place like that.
 
#11 ·
There are a few very obvious fast guys in that vid and they apparently are world class pro riders. I think they have the control and know where they can cross those lines, but it only takes one time. On the other hand I've seen A LOT of bicycles flying down that road in similar fashion (crossing the lines) which would be an equally ugly accident. The board guys would probably come out better with the safety equipment they have on.

I just need to keep Cole away from my kid, he's putting ideas in his head and trying to pave the pump track.
 
#12 ·
zrm said:
IMO pretty stupid **** on a road that's open to the public. [insert a story how it almost ended tragically here].
Hey, that's exactly what many drivers say about road bikers. Extrapolate it to multi-use trails, and that's what many hikers and equestrians say about mountain bikers. Go even further and it's exactly what some riders say about other riders who go faster than they do. See what I'm getting at?

So you may want to holster that finger and consider if there are four more pointed right back at you before speaking so passionately and of extremes. Because IMO, your statement is fueled by ignorance and is horribly hypocritical. Sure downhill skateboarding isn't the safest of hobbies and it's viewed as "in-effing-insane" by some, as this thread indicates, but our mountain bikes aren't exactly surrounded by a safety net of rose petals, and there are definitely folks out there that can't even fathom what we do on two wheels.

My point is, you may not understand it and you may think it's the stupidest thing a person could possibly do, but don't ostracize it based on your ignorance and the examples set by a few bad apples. The same lesson goes to anyone condemning any recreational sports because they find it dangerous and stupid. Well, if that opinion was shared by everyone, no one would do it, would they.
 
#14 ·
Bikes are safer than skateboards, brakes and things like that make them safer. I don't want to spoil anyone's fun, but chances of running head on into an oncoming car
are much greater on a skateboard than on a bike. Take your chances if you want, but don't involve innocent bystanders.
 
#15 · (Edited)
"Bikes are safer than skateboards" Please cite the data supporting your statement.

"Brakes and things like that make them safer." Define "and things like that". Skateboarders use their feet to brake.

"I don't want to spoil anyone's fun, but chances of running head on into an oncoming car
are much greater on a skateboard than on a bike." Please cite data supporting your conclusion.
 
#16 ·
I see this thread becoming derailed by the "safety police" ...
Nickle raises a good point ... living in glass houses and throwing stones ... yada yada yada. I have many friends who think I'm insane for riding a bike around rocks/trees/snakes and such. The "but it's fun" argument is simply lost on them.

My take - the guys with the stones to ride those boards are out of my league, and I'm fine with that. It's fun watching them do it, and I can only immagine the rush they feel blowing past bikes, and even cars, on those downhills. I was impressed to see the level of control at those speeds (how fast do they go BTW??) and how they brake with their feet and use the hand-mounted skid plates when cornering ... much respect.

Cool vid, Mateo - thanks.
 
#21 ·
jake7 said:
...how fast do they go BTW....
At the Vail DH, the officer on site pulled out the radar gun and clocked the pro class guys hitting low to mid 40's across the finish line. That may or may not sound like a lot, but when all you have to fight wind resistance with is gravity and a 6% grade, that's cooking.
 
#22 ·
zrm said:
It's right with the data that shows the stopping distance using the Fred Flintstone method and turning radius of a skateboarder from 10-20-30-40-50 mph.
There's also sliding, or putting a hand down and whipping the board sideways similar to how you stop on a snowboard. That's one reason why the gloves have UHMW polyurethane pucks on them. That method stops you very quickly, much much faster than foot braking. If you see guys serious enough to be charging down the hill in full leathers, chances are they have mastered that skill.
 
#23 ·
That does look like a good time - although I bet the crashs are pretty nasty!
Leathers and Moto Helmets sound like a pretty good idea, I'd def try it if I had a set! If I could find some's gear to borrow and a little coaching...... (hint hint)

brokefork said:
Bikes are safer than skateboards, brakes and things like that make them safer. I don't want to spoil anyone's fun, but chances of running head on into an oncoming car
are much greater on a skateboard than on a bike. Take your chances if you want, but don't involve innocent bystanders.
apparently this person has never done "city sprints", ridden with messengers, or been an "urban" cyclist in a big city. Nothing like a left turn drift through 4 lanes of traffic in downtown Chicago with no helmet or pads to inspire death. It's not the tool, but the person using it.
Do a quick "messenger race NYC" search on youtube
 
#26 ·
I noticed that in the video-

Nickle said:
There's also sliding, or putting a hand down and whipping the board sideways similar to how you stop on a snowboard. That's one reason why the gloves have UHMW polyurethane pucks on them. That method stops you very quickly, much much faster than foot braking. If you see guys serious enough to be charging down the hill in full leathers, chances are they have mastered that skill.
- the quick side slip to scrub speed. Also, could hear the chattering of the gloves. Don't get me wrong - I'm VERY impressed by their skill, the control and stability that is so far beyond what I dreamed of in my crazier younger daze.

I certainly have a soft spot for skateboarders having grown up during the sport's early days (and the faceplants that went with them)... and don't mean to be an old fogey safety police type of guy. I know these guys can get a bad rap and generally are just out having fun. We certainly got rousted by the cops quite a few times.

But, having descended Lookout numerous times (on a bike) I have come to expect that at least everyother ride there will be an on-coming car crossing the yellow line as I go around a blind corner. There just is little room for error and I think these guys have more youthful sense of immortality than grey haired common sense. Not trying to be judgemental at all, but just thinking about the reality of speed, small wheels, and big cars on a narrow winding road. (I loved the video by the way!). Oh - and don't forget that the road seems to be popular route for the local drving school!

I also agree about the slippery slope of what's deemed to be "safe and acceptable".

As an "almost" Grandpa, I have to admit I look at things differently than when I was only a Grandson!
 
This is an older thread, you may not receive a response, and could be reviving an old thread. Please consider creating a new thread.
Top