It's not all "internet talk"... Enoch really is 55 and will push you until you think about selling your bike (and I'm 28 lol).... give it time, and ride harder stuff and the stuff that seemed difficult will get way easier.

3 years ago was my first MTBing experience and I couldn't finish the lake loop climb without stopping at WWC.  While I'm far from an expert now, I have cut about 40 lbs, can ride 30-40+ miles without stopping, and am surprisingly quick uphill for still being 200lb+.   

We've all been there, I still find myself saying "this trail seems easier than I remember".  The key is riding your bike and pushing yourself, riding 10 miles 2-3 times a week should be a minimum goal at this point, and will go up as your fitness increases.

Man, I wish I had a 20 lb. single speed, like some of my world class Super heroes here.  

Enoch builds a great trail as well.   

Me? I'm world class in other areas. I'm just trying to get a little exercise and have a little fun, my bros.

Elk, take a trip to Sherman Branch, Lake Norman State park or Cane Creek if you like better flow..

There are others closer by to the WWC area, but you'll just have to try them to see what's most convenient and suited to your style, your bike budget, etc..

I can't think of any trail I've ridden anywhere that didn't have some kind of "flow" aspect to it.  How is "flow" defined anyway?  Is flow associated with the ability to maintain a certain speed throughout the trail with minimal pedaling?  That sounds more like coasting to me.  At the risk of waxing philosophical , it seems to me that flow is achieved from within & not without.  Consider the Back Yard, for example.  90% of it requires quite a bit of pedaling & effort just to maintain a state of uprightness & forward momentum.  The rider must find the flow and, if fitness allows, maintain it without the need for the trail to provide it.  Don't get me wrong, I love being able to effortlessly coast at high speed for long periods of time but that's only a small fraction of what mountain biking is all about.  Consider what happened at ASG.  Sugar Island was awesome & had an excellent mix of flow & hard effort sections, i.e. climbing.  The new Paradise Loop, on the other hand, is super fast & flowy throughout & is very easy to navigate.  ASG is now the easiest trail around.  I like it for what it is but the reward is easily won & I really miss the difficulty of Sugar in relation to the rest of the trail.  For me Academy & East Main are among my most favorite loops at WWC, including Carpet, Goat, Wedge & the Tower Loops due to their difficulty.  Another example would have been Poplar Tent.  Super tight, twisty, rocky-n-rooty with minimal flow yet it was most everyone's favorite trail.  I guess it's all a matter of perspective & personal preference.  In either case, RAMFB!

DavidM wrote on 07/19/17 at 12:02pm:


Flow is generally the absence of technical trail obstacles.

If one's goal in mountain biking is jumping fences, boulders, ridiculous elevation changes, rock climbing, risking a coronary event in the 100 degree heat, meeting search and rescue crews in the back country, destroying their $3000 bicycle in record time, or being a legend among mere mortals, etc.. More power to them. They have plenty of options without insinuating everybody else lacks skill.

Other riders simply have a little more finesse about the sport. 

In the context of mountain biking..

This is flow;

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This is a lack of flow;

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Most certainly the 2nd trail could be considered to have flow on a downhill specific mountain bike, with a rider accustom to riding such terrain, with an ambulance and support crew close by, and with someone else paying for their bikes. But generally speaking, in these parts and with the bikes most suited to the terrain in this area, the 2nd trail is lacking flow.

Talley, where you at? I need help here blaming it on 29'ers at fish stix. 

This is getting good...

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Don't let ITB bull&^&^ you........he can ride.

What did we all do before the internet, how would we ride them trails! Crazy how we have so much information at out finger tips now!     

And yes fish stix farms was horrible on my 29er yesterday! 

Sorry Jerry............I should of read it all before posting, but Robert C is still cute.

what Pearl said.

Hey Elk..

If you were a tough guy like me, Jerry and Scott T.  You wouldn't have any trouble at East Main.

You come down to Cane Creek in the morning some time, I'll ride with you. Just send me a pm and let me know.