Initial thoughts about my new MTB

[thekarens]

Only got to ride it around the subdivision last night, but I quickly discovered a few things that need to be changed ASAP. The bars need to be chopped more and the grips got to go. The saddle also sucks, but these are all easy fixes, not sure what saddle I will go with or what grips for that matter. I'm leaning towards Specialized Body Geometry Contour grips.

The other thing is I'm going to talk to the manager about the rear shock and what he thinks about giving it a little more bounce. He's got it pretty stiff now, but he's a MTB racer so he tends to lean that way. Though I don't know enough about shocks. Maybe it shouldn't have any more bounce/give for a reason.

[Becky]

Jamis should have a recommendation for the "sag" of your rear shock for that specific frame. See what they suggest and start there.... IME, a shock that is too stiff can make the bike feel like it's trying to throw you over the bars on descents, which isn't a good feeling. An imbalance between the fork and the shock can have a similar feeling as well. Setting the sag on air forks and air shocks is something that anyone can do...no mechanic needed! It's a bunch of trial and error to find what feels right for your riding style and trails.

I really like ESI Chunky grips. They're not ergonomic, which means better grip on the bars for me, but they are very grippy and dampen vibration well.

Can you put the same saddle that's on your road bike on your mountain bike as well (assuming that you like it!)??

[thekarens]

I've got the chunky grips on there now and they are bruising my hands. That's what the Jamis guy uses and recommends. He loaned me his, so I won't be going that route.

Tonight I'm going to put my road bike saddle on it to see if I like it on that bike. I love it on my road bike.

I need to either read up or ask him how to adjust the rear shock. There's a reason I went from hard tail to FS :-)

[Becky]

This article seems pretty comprehensive: http://www.bikeradar.com/gear/article/workshop-setting-up-mountain-bike-suspension-23318.

Did the shop give you the manuals for your shock and fork? If not, they should be online and will be helpful.

[thekarens]

Thanks for the link, it is helpful.

No, he didn't, but I think part of that is he expects me back in a couple of days for adjustments. Right now I have his carbon handlebars (to test to see if I like the length of them) his chunky grips (again to see if I like them) and one of the shops saddles, so all that has to go back.

[indysteel]

I would suggest cutting your bars down in increments. And test any change you make to the bars out on your trails before deciding anything. Comfort is important, obviously, but you don't want your bars so narrow that you don't have any leverage for twists and turns.

As for saddles, I like a slightly longer nose on my mtb saddle than on my road bike. I tend to sit on the nose for certain climbs. I'm just using the stock saddle that came on my Santa Cruz, but I used a WTB saddle on a mtb trip in Utah that I really liked. You might check out their line of saddles.

[thekarens]

The reason I've got his handlebars instead of the ones that came with the bike is because his are much shorter than the stock ones on my bike. He wanted me to try out the shorter bars before he cut them, so when I go back on Friday I'll let him know how I feel about the length of his bars. You can always make them shorter, but never longer :)

I'm very tempted by the WTB Speed She Saddle. I like the way it looks and feels, but I've been sized at 150-155mm. and WTB only comes in 145mm or less. It might still work. I'd have to try it. My Selle Italia Gel on my road bike is 155mm and I love it, but of course how you sit on a MTB and how you sit on the road bike is different.

[Irulan]

Shocks: the sag setting has to do with how much the shock gives with your weight. If it is an air shock, this is set with a special pump. There will be guidelines in the manufacturers manual on how many mm of sag you should have for your weight. The other setting is rebound. This is how fast/slow the shock responds or bounces back, and how it is set is both subjective and terrain dependent. For example, when I am riding on faster, smoother, flowy trails I have mine set pretty stiff, and on more technical stuff, slower rebounds. The front is also set up this way.

For handlebars, I would be very careful about changes, especially if you are new to Mtb. Wider will be more stable, but may feel strange at first. I have 22" bars on all my bikes.

[thekarens]

Thanks for the explanation regarding the sag and rebound.

This bike is a men's version so the handlebars are a lot wider than my previous bike, which may be part of my discomfort.

[Catrin]

When you determine your weight for the SAG, make certain that you have on everything that you would on the bike. Clothes, hydration pack, tools. etc. You probably already thought about that but I wanted to mention it.

Personally, I am not aware that I even HAVE a rear suspension. It is very comfortable when I am riding over roots, rocks, etc., but there isn't any bounce. I've been told this is the mark of a properly set rear suspension.

[thekarens]

Catrin, you've described exactly what I'm trying to achieve. When I hit bumps I'm bouncing in the saddle instead of the suspension absorbing it.

I need to take my saddle bag and my Camelbak when I go back on Friday for more adjustments so he can adjust the sag and rebound with those on me and the bike.

[thekarens]

I discovered tonight one thing this bike does excel at and that's CLIMBING! Compared to my previous Trek 820 this puppy is a dream climbing. Love that!

[Catrin]

I discovered tonight one thing this bike does excel at and that's CLIMBING! Compared to my previous Trek 820 this puppy is a dream climbing. Love that!

See, I told you :) Glad you are loving her! She also excels at taking a beating and keeping on ticking :o :)