NEW ENGLAND MOUNTAIN BIKE ASSOCIATION SSingleingleTTrackrackSS Summer 2018 #156 www.nemba.org SSingleingleTTrackS NEMBA, the New England Mountain Bike Summer 2018, Number 156 Association, is a non-profit 501 (c) (3) organi- zation dedicated to promoting trail access, maintaining trails open for mountain bicyclists, and educating mountain bicyclists to use these trails sensitively and responsibly. Views from this Side of a ©SingleTracks Mountain Biking Couple Editor & Publisher: Philip Keyes by Kara Gilman Contributing Writer: Bill Boles Executive Director: Philip Keyes [email protected] NEMBA How I Got My Wife to PO Box 2221 Acton MA 01720 Mountain Bike Board of Directors by Howard Karass Adam Glick, President Matt Schulde, Vice-President Anne Shepard, Treasurer Harold Green, Secretary Rob Adair, White Mountains NEMBA John Anders, Midcoast Maine NEMBA Destination Gorham NH Aaron Brasslett, Penobscot Region NEMBA David Burnham, Wachusett NEMBA by Elissa Gramling Paula Burton, FC NEMBA Matt Caron, Southern NH NEMBA Steve Cobble, SE MA NEMBA Grant Drew, Central NH NEMBA Perry Ermi, Cape Cod NEMBA Disa Fedorowicz, Central Maine NEMBA Brian Forestal, BV NEMBA Tim Friedman, SE MA NEMBA Chris Gaudet, Southern NH NEMBA Peter Gengler, RI NEMBA Jeremy Hillger, Pemi Valley NEMBA David Hughes, Carrabassett Region NEMBA Paper Trail SingleTracks Hey, get creative! We wel- Stacey Jimenez, Quiet Corner NEMBA come submissions, photos and artwork. This is John Joy, Central CT NEMBA your forum and your magazine. Be nice, and Hank Kells, North Shore NEMBA Features — 4 Morgan Laidlaw, Midcoast Maine NEMBA share! Frank Lane, North Shore NEMBA Basic Biking — 10 Rob Lavoie, Greater Portland NEMBA On the Cover: More smiles per hour! Big kids Alex Leich, White Mountains NEMBA Chapter News and little kids enjoying NEMBAfest 2018. Photo Bob Lesmerise, Franconia Area NEMBA by PK. Craig MacDonald, Penobscot Region NEMBA • Connecticut — 12 Fred Meyers, Wachusett NEMBA • Maine — 19 Do you have a photo that would make a good Barry Moore, Merrimack Valley NEMBA cover shot? Email it to [email protected] Chris Nicodemus, Franconia Area NEMBA • Massachusetts — 24 Peter Poanessa, BK NEMBA • New Hampshire — 33 Want to Underwrite in ST? Tim Post, Pioneer Valley NEMBA • Rhode Island — 39 Jon Regan, Northwest CT NEMBA SingleTracks offers inexpensive and targeted Steve Richardson, Merrimack Valley NEMBA NEMBA Rides — 40 underwriting which helps us defray the cost of Chris Riley, Central Maine NEMBA producing this cool ‘zine. Call 800-57-NEMBA Brett Russ, Wachusett NEMBA Support our Sponsors — 42 Pete Schrader, BK NEMBA or email [email protected] for our media kit. Maciej Sobieszek, Greater Boston NEMBA Cory Stiff, SE CT NEMBA Moving? Joshua Tauses, Carrabassett Valley NEMBA Shelly Temple, Central NH NEMBA Don’t miss an issue! Change your address online Glenn Tourtellot, Quiet Corner NEMBA at nemba.org or mail it into SingleTracks, PO Box Ryan Tucker, Fairfield County NEMBA 2221, Acton MA 01720 Glenn Vernes, Central CT NEMBA Brian Vibert, Northwest CT NEMBA 2 |SUMMER 2018 Ride the Trails Save the Trails SingleTrackS No. 156| 3 FEATURE Views from This Side of a Mountain Biking Couple by Kara Gilman ow and then a fellow rider tells me they'd like to get their Nspouse into mountain biking. But how do you go about getting your partner, friend, or family member to take up the sport, when you're probably a pretty good rider, and they are brand new with only a borderline "meh" inter- est level? I am one half of a mountain biking cou- ple, and if you can make this happen, it can be well worth the effort. We spend a lot of our time together exploring trails, exercising, and taking in the great outdoors. Our conversations often con- sist of talking about bikes, bike parts, bike gear, our bike friends, bike trails and trail obstacles, and we can regular- ly be found planning our next mountain bike adventure. Sounds good, right? So there is this approach: Buy or somehow obtain a bike for your "per- son," take them to a trail and say "just Taking a skills clinic or two goes a long way to help develop good technique and confidence. 4 |SUMMER 2018 Ride the Trails FEATURE go like this" and then proceed to ride off. If they do manage to "just go like this," consider yourself very lucky. Your per- son is fearless, a natural talent and cer- tainly a rock star. Go ride and have a blast. However, if your person is a mere mortal like the rest of us, you may need to put some thought into a strategy to get them started safely. You want your person to have a good experience, so they will live to tell about it and ride with you again another day. So here are a few thoughts on how to introduce your "person" to mountain biking. Early season: The beginning of the sea- son is a great time to introduce a new rider to the sport. A lot of people are dusting off their riding skills and easing back into the game. If you take your person to an intermediate paced group ride in August for their first time out, they likely won't enjoy the experience (and will be mad at you). Spring is a great season to start bringing your new rider along to appropriate group rides and trails. Sometimes it’s great to ride with your significant other. Other times it can be even more fun to ride with the Local chapter: Check-in with your ladies! Many NEMBA chapters, such as North Shore NEMBA featured here, offer women specific rides. Photo by Karen Whittier Save the Trails SingleTrackS No. 156| 5 FEATURE local NEMBA chapter for beginner rides, skills sessions, and mellow skill and enjoyment levels. paced rides. If you don't see any rides posted that will work for you Ride with other people: Sure, ride with your person a lot, that's the and your person, reach out and ask. Your local chapter leadership and point, right? But sometimes ride apart. You ride with your regular members will most certainly be a group of friendly volunteers who group, and they can join some group rides or team up with some rid- would be more than happy to help you get started, or hook you up ers they are comfortable with. Encourage your person to ride behind with the right people. The mountain bike community is a welcoming and follow other people. Hearing tips from other people can be really group, so feel free to utilize the network. helpful, and something may click that didn't make sense before. Bike: This is a dilemma, do you spend money on a bike if you or your Instead of telling your partner to do something, let someone else tell person are not sure they'll like mountain biking? Keep an eye out for them. It may sound better to them coming from someone else! Riding demo days in your area or come to NEMBAfest. A lot of your fellow a variety of locations and with different riders will help improve skill riders practice the N+1 concept and may be willing to lend you a level and confidence. spare bike to trial. Some bike shops rent bikes so that could be worth I almost wasn't part of a mountain biking couple. I found the sport the investment. very challenging to learn, and in the beginning I was terrified all the Flat pedals: Please don't have your person clipped into their bike the time. We made some early mistakes (see above). My partner is fond first time out. If your person is a professional road rider who is very of the saying "There is no crying in mountain biking." I beg to differ comfortable in clipless pedals, please don't have them clip in the first however; there is crying, tantrum throwing, and cursing, sometimes time out on a mountain bike. Mountain biking is a different sport all at once and sometimes directed squarely at my beloved. So you altogether, so let them try first on flat pedals. True flat pedals and the can see not every ride is going to be smooth and flowy; as in life, right shoes are best, but use whatever you have available, as long as there will be obstacles to conquer. But conquering new obstacles is they are not clipped in! Please trust my advice on this, they can quite an adrenaline rush. Because my partner is a mountain bike switch later, but start off on flat pedals. enthusiast, I decided to keep trying. Now I'm pleased to report I'm out there having a ball, and am hardly terrified anymore. My person and I Clinics / lessons: Sign your person up for a clinic or lesson. We take hope to see you and your person out on the trails with us this sea- lessons for other stuff, why not mountain biking? I am an experienced son. equestrian and I still take horse riding lessons. Would you start rid- ing a horse without any help or clue? Especially for women, there are lots of options for clinics throughout the season where she can learn correct position and technique, and it will be sure to improve both 6 |SUMMER 2018 Ride the Trails Save the Trails SingleTrackS No. 156| 7 FEATURE How I Got my Wife to Mountain Bike By Howard Karass et me start by saying my wife, Anita, is not your average fifty- were in the middle of a loop that we do regularly at Adams Farm. We year- old. She is an avid CrossFit junkie and a former Spartan came up on a lengthy but fairly flat rock garden.