Who rides Mountain bikes in here???

nadams · May 2005

i hear ya.... been a beautiful spring here in pa so far, hasn't it :rolleyes:

We've only had a few nice days, the rest were either cold again or raining.

Oh well, it's coming.

Willow · May 2005

Here the weather suck big a$$....during the week sunny warm, during the weekend cold and rain....how am I to get any biking done ? been using my system lots along with xbox...it's about the only sports in my life!!

mantis · May 2005

Today was a nice day for riding but I had to deal with a new Truck.
I got rid of My BMW and bought a 05 Nissan Pathfinder SE. I'm really into the outdoor thing so this was a perfect move. They have a nice bike rack for it.

Dan

brettw22 · May 2005

I thought that you loved that Beemer........

mantis · May 2005

I do did or what have you. It was time to move on. I found that it was not for the family and really for myself so I decided to get something more for everyone. Not to mention it's perfect for outdoor fun. Camping hiking and riding it's perfect. I love it.

Dan

nadams · May 2005

Originally posted by Willow
Here the weather suck big a$$....during the week sunny warm, during the weekend cold and rain....how am I to get any biking done ? been using my system lots along with xbox...it's about the only sports in my life!!

Get a trainer and ride while playing xbox! 2 birds with one proverbial stone

mantis · May 2005

nadams,
have you been to Penny Pack Park??? I just got back from a killer ride there. We did 8.5 miles and they where tuff. Over all those rocks, stumps, fallen trees , in and out of the water, up and down those damn hills.. WOW I felt like I had a great workout.

Funny quick story....

There is a Xtreme trail there that runs right along the water. One false move and your going swimming. I went riding with 2 other guys this morning and 3/4 into our ride, one guy decides that the Xtreme trail needs to be had. So off we went. The tires just fit on the trail, then a cliff about 5 feet to your right. Man I was nervous. The leader was riding hard and said" There is no room for error" and then it happened.... all I heard was "weeeeeee" and then a big splash. There was a very sharp turn and we where going to fast. The leader went over the cliff and into the water. He went totally under bike and all. He came out and said"that was fun you should try it". An old man was on the other side walking and said"hey no swimming aloud here" and then asked if he was ok. He saw the whole thing. We all started laughing as it was the maddest thing.

Needless to say we turned around and went back to the normal trail. Also on that trail was the 7 minute itch plants. Man my leggs where itching like crazy.

DO you have biker shorts/pants??? I'm considering buying both. My buddy has em and they have a cushin built right in between the leggs. I bet that would help alot. He says it does.

I had a great time and I'm so happy I bought a bike.

Dan

brettw22 · May 2005

Originally posted by mantis
DO you have biker shorts/pants??? I'm considering buying both. My buddy has em and they have a cushin built right in between the leggs. I bet that would help alot. He says it does.

Those things are a godsend as well......I have a pair of Pear Izumi brand shorts. DO NOT skimp and try to geta cheap pair of padded shorts....it's money wasted if you don't protect the jewels.....

nadams · May 2005

I ride with a pair of padded biking shorts, yes. However, I've never been a fan of the "biking short look", so I wear a pair of light cotton shorts over them. Provides the functionality of the biking shorts, without compromising the cooling abilities, while saving my dignity :P

If I ever buy shoes just for biking, I'll get the better socks, too. I've heard that they keep your feet much cooler, but in the regular sneaks that I ride in it wouldn't make much difference.

And no, I've never been to Penny Pack Park... sounds cool, though. I might have to check it out. Mantis, check out a Nestors store around you, if there is one. They have a lot of sporting goods, cycling included. There, you can at least try things on for the first time. After I found out what sizes worked best for me on everything, I just order through catalogs now. Cheaper that way.

brettw22 · May 2005

The clip pedals are a good thing IMO.....

YOu do have to get a little use to wearing them though before ou go all out on the trails, because (as I found out) if your'e not used to clipping out, you'll bit it at ridiculously slow speeds.......lol.

MacLeod · May 2005

Just got back from a local shop carrying Giant, Trek and Fuji. Learned a bit.

I was putting the most emphasis on finding a bike with good derailuers and shifters and the like but this guy was of the opinion that the front shock is the most important.

"On bikes in the $400-500 range they will all have solid components. Maybe not the smoothest operating or shiniest but solid and sturdy. The frames will also have good strength and geomerty. The weak link at this price point is the forks. Most are way too soft and bottom out easily which sucks for not only riding enjoyment but also steering and handling."

This sound about right?

brettw22 · May 2005

Depends on the type of riding you're planning on doing right off the bat.

The only way you'd typically bottom out a front shock is if you're moving some serious speeds through some intense transitions.

One thing to keep in mind is that when you start off with a decent bike, most of the components are upgradeable, so if you find that through you're escalated riding habits that the existing shocks are lacking, then you can upgrade that part.

The problems are huge when you buy a bike from Sam's Club and want to upgrade the parts and spend 3 times what you paid for the bike because the low grade components.

nadams · May 2005

I agree w/ brett. I've never bottomed out my front fork... though I'd like to think it's decent, being a Rock Shox Jett fork.. but I don't really know how they rate in the biking world. I know Rock Shox is a big name, though.

MacLeod · May 2005

Ive never ridden a bike with front suspension. My background is freestyle mainly (1985 GT Pro Performer) so Im at everybodys mercy.

Im a pretty meaty dude, 250 to be exact so Ill need something a little more stiff, dont ya think? The sales dude said that any fork in the $400-500 range is gonna be worthless and will bottom out one most bumps bigger than a curb. However Im not planning on doing any crosscountry racing. Just mild trails mainly.

He also said its not worth upgrading. Its beeter to spend an extra $200-300 more now than buy a bike then put another $500 in upgrades. The only downside to that is you have to wait longer to save up the cash!

Right now, Im looking at the Giant Yukon ($470) and the Specialized Rockhopper ($500). The Specialized looks to offer the best value and the word I hear most associated with Specialized is "bulletproof".

nadams · May 2005

You just gotta compare the features and ride 'em both...

@ 250lbs, you're probably going to need a stiffer fork, yes. I weigh 140, which is probably why I haven't had too many problems with my fork bottoming out... I've read reviews on the Jett now that are less than glowing... I've never had a problem w/ it though.

Specialized makes a nice bike. My brother has a rigid frame that he bought new around 10 years ago, and it's never given him any troubles, even with all the crap he's put it through. He used to be REALLY big into mtn biking, and was out every weekend bangin off of rocks and trees... etc

brettw22 · May 2005

Meaty or not, if you're riding most of your weight on the front shocks, then you're gonna end up on your face more often than not.

What type of front shock does the bike have on it that you're more thinking about?

EDIT: I weigh more than you do, and I haven't ever bottomed out the front shocks.

MacLeod · May 2005

Hmm. Im gonna go tomorrow and look at the Specialized/Raleigh dealer in town and see what they have. Then I want to check out the local GT/Cannondale and see what they have to offer as well than I guess Ill take whichever gives me the best components and best ride for under $500. (that is assuming Cannondale makes ANYTHING that costs under $500)

MacLeod · May 2005

Originally posted by brettw22
Meaty or not, if you're riding most of your weight on the front shocks, then you're gonna end up on your face more often than not.

What type of front shock does the bike have on it that you're more thinking about?

EDIT: I weigh more than you do, and I haven't ever bottomed out the front shocks.

The sales dude spoke highly of the Marzocchi forks which is on the $600 Giant Iguana. The $470 Yukon has Suntour XC s/100 mm while the $500 Specialized has Manitou Axle Comp w/100 mm

brettw22 · May 2005

I haven't ever heard of them to be honest........

I have Rock Shox and they're just fine.

Call another bike shop and ask for their opinion on different shocks.......never trust a salesperson that's pushing that hard for you to spend that much more money.

MacLeod · May 2005

Originally posted by brettw22
I haven't ever heard of them to be honest........

I have Rock Shox and they're just fine.

Call another bike shop and ask for their opinion on different shocks.......never trust a salesperson that's pushing that hard for you to spend that much more money.

Ive heard of them all but the Marzocchi.

I agree about the salesmen approach tho. Ive spent enough time haggling with stereo salesmen to know!

As I said, Ill be going to a couple other shops in the next couple days and we'll see what they say. If they all claim the shocks are the most important component I should be looking at then Ill take it more seriously.

Bottom line tho, I doubt any bike I pay $500 for is gonna suck!

michael_w · May 2005

Marzocchi shocks are a pretty big hit here... some might know them by one of the line they make called Bomber (with various Z names like Bomber Z1s are pretty damn sweet). I've ridden many bikes with them and they are very nice.

mantis · May 2005

MacLeod,
there are some great bikes at the 500 price range. Thats where I was.

GT Avalance 2.0 is what I bought and it's a nice bike. It has Rock Shock Juddy TT's and I'm also beefy. I weigh 240 and I jumped quit a few times with it. The Judy's have a 4 inch travel.

The Specialized Rock Hopper also has a 4 inch travel front shocks. I forget the brand but that bike is awesome. I almost bought it. Such a sweet bike.

Canadale is another brand to look at. Again a 4 inch travel front fork.

Basically what I have learned ( coming from the same back ground as you in GT Proseries and Mach 1's) I had to relearn bikes. Alot of new names.

Dan

Willow · May 2005

My wife and I are in the midst of completing a volunteer pathway patroler course. Here in town we have tons of pathways through the city. Our job is to monitor certain patways, administer first aid, give direction and call approporiate emergency dept as needed. we only have to give up 1 shift consisting of 2hrs a week. This will force us to get off our butts and bike.

Speaking of bike, does any one know how to make a bike lighter, my wife has a Giant Boulder SE, it's not top of the line but it works. She and I both find her bike to be a tadd heavy. What can be replaced on the bike to make it lighter.

Thanks

brettw22 · May 2005

Nominal gains can be made by swapping components......

It's your framd that's going to need to be upgraded, but that's not economically feasible....just buy a new bike.

Willow · May 2005

I find it rear-end heavy

kingtut · May 2005

Marzocchi makes good shocks. I have an older full suspension Schwinn (before it was sold to Hufffy and now make cheapie bikes) with the Rock Shox Judy for the front and Fox Vanilla for the back. The Rock Shox is a pretty good shock, but a buddy --who I used to ride with-- recommended the Marzocchi shock for more suspension travels. This guy used to own a bike shop, and he has Marzocchi shock on his bike.

michael_w · May 2005

A guy at my school is obsessed about making his bike lighter. He does everything from removing the seat to replacing his hydrolic brake fluid with canola oil to get that last bit of weight off. But then again he can do a 360 onto a picknic table and his bike is worth about 3 - 4k.

MacLeod · June 2005

Well I just got one, or rather I just put one in layaway. One hell of a smokin' deal!!! Its a Raleigh M80. Its last years model so its marked down.

MSRP is $700, they had it reatil at $650 and I got it for $460!

Linky

Outstanding drivetrain. Deore/LX! I couldnt get anything close to that for that money.

I looked all over and this is the best deal by far. The closest I could come was a Giant Iguana, also an '04 model, for $560 with a lower line of components. I couldnt even come close to this level with an '05 model! God I love year end clearances!!!

Im stoked. Now all I need is another $130 and its mine baby!!!

nadams · June 2005

You got a helluva deal on that!

MacLeod · June 2005

I just hate waiting!!

I wanna ride....NOW!!! :mad:

And this thing we have for audio, well it carries over to anything else we do. I havent even brought my bike home and already Im browsing the websites for "upgrades"!! :rolleyes:

Who rides Mountain bikes in here???

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