I went mountain biking today and introduced myself to a friendly couple I saw in the parking lot. This was fortuitous because I would have had no idea where I was going once on the trail. I also managed to make two new friends – friends that like mountain biking.

The first trail was at Cedar Hill State Park. It was twelve miles of tight switchbacks and narrow passes; not the ideal environment for my extra-huge 29”-wheeled bike. This bike likes wide open spaces. Navigating through the switchbacks was a chore; the trail took a sharp turn just as soon as a straight-away presented itself. I missed my smaller 26” bike. Score Dallas trails: 1.

Then I ran over a prickly pear and got a flat tire. Score Dallas trails: 2.

Then, angling for revenge, I suggest to my new friends that we ride another trail they mentioned. This one – Boulder Park – was a few exits down the highway and much more fun. There was more space to maneuver, more downhills to speed through, and more climbs to grind up. Good times.

But the Dallas trails were not through with my first day of mountain biking here. While attempting to negotiate a particularly gnarly rooty section of trail, my front wheel got stuck and I nearly endo’d. I thankfully managed to avoid the endo but the bike did come down and hit something, maybe a tree stump. Either way, when I came to and looked at the bike, I noticed that my brakes looked funny. Keep in mind this was only minutes after we started riding and I was anxious to see the rest of the trail.

Before I go further, I have to explain something about this bike. You know how cars and motorcycles have disc brakes? A metal rotor attaches to the center of the wheel and hydraulic fluid forces pads in a caliper to squeeze on the rotor, thus slowing the wheel. Some mountain biking yahoos several years ago decided mountain bikes needed disc brakes too. In my opinion they only add cost, complexity, and weight to the bike. The original brakes that squeeze pads against the outer rim of the wheel work just fine for my taste. But as it turns out, more and more mountain bikes are coming stock from the factory with disc brakes. Mine is one such bike. I don’t like the disc brakes, but I’ll live with them since they’re already there. Or maybe I won’t…

So, I looked at my brakes and noticed that the rotor on the rear brake looked bent to hell. I spun the wheel and – lo and behold – the rotor was so bent that it wouldn’t spin through the caliper. I now had a non-functional rear brake.

Option A: call off the ride and walk back to the car. Option B: render the rear brake superfluous and ride with only a front brake. Which did I choose?

Option B. I removed the disc rotor and stuck it my Camelbak. Viola. No more bent rotor getting stuck in the caliper. This also means I rode the rest of the trail with only a front brake. So I guess it’s Dallas: 3, me, 0. But I did manage to keep the bike in running condition. I think Dallas: 3, me: 1 is fair.

I’d really like to get rid of the disc brakes now. I'm going to try to bend it back into shape, but if i can't, a new one will run $40. I can’t use older style brakes because the bike frame doesn’t have the proper mounts. I could buy a new frame with the proper mounts... But that would cost a lot more than $40.

I must admit though – riding with one brake does add a new level of challenge (insanity?) to this mountain biking thing. Imagine driving a jeep down a rocky downhill section of off-road trail with only front brakes. You do the physics.