My first MTB, vacation pics, and advice needed.....

[Triskeliongirl]

I am a roadie at heart, that wanted to try mountain biking since I plan to retire to an area with a lot of dirt roads and MTB trails (southern portugal). So, I bought an older used MTB (2005 Gary Fisher Tassajara) that was in great condition (barely ridden) since it had English threading and would work with my custom crank sets (that correct for a 2.2 cm LLD I suffered in a cycling accident many years ago). For the trip, I installed my road crankset with the 34 tooth chain ring attached (w rear 11/34 9 spd DeoreLX drivetrain), which gave me a range of 30.6-68.9 gear inches. Now its time to finalize the gearing on my custom MTB crankset1733317334173351733617337. The terrain in Portugal where I plan to retire was more mountainous than I expected, and since I felt like I was lacking much more on the low end than high end, I am thinking to get either a 22/38 (16.8-89.6 ) or 24/40 (18.3-94.3) leaning towards the 22/38. Does that make sense to you guys? It’s a heavy bike (30 lb) w 26” wheels, and while I love cycling I am not a strong rider (even my road bike has a 50/34, 12/27, 650c wheels and gets me up moderate but not super steep climbs). Will this gearing still work if someday I decide to upgrade to a more modern lighter MTB? I know I can always order new chain rings in the future, but since they are custom made to fit me they aren’t cheap so I would like to get it right the first time.

I had also thought when I returned I would get a lighter more modern MTB. But it seemed to me what limited me on this trip was my own fear and lack of skills (I was afraid to ride really rocky and/or steep terrain) so the jury is still out as to how technical my riding will be in the long term, although I will surely use this bike to ride dirt roads w moderate to steep grades, sometimes carrying groceries, etc. So I think this bike is fine for now. But when I told the guys at the LBS, they insisted that I would be able to ride rougher terrain more easily on a modern MTB. This doesn’t make sense to me. They say the larger wheels roll easier and full suspension and ‘modern geometry’ (whatever the hell that is) give you more ‘confidence’ to ride over scarier stuff. But at one point we encountered some rocky roads I couldn’t get over, so my husband road my bike over it for me, and told me the smaller wheels made it more maneuverable than when he rode it on his modern 29er (both hard tails). I also have almost no standover height (30.5” cycling inseam/ 14/15” frame size) on the 29ers, and even 27.5 bikes I looked at, so maybe 26” is the best size for my height. The geometry felt great to my body. If my body wasn’t hurting, why would I want the weight of a soft-tail? Are these guys just trying to sell me a new bike I don’t need or aren’t ready for? That is my feeling. I only want to decide now since it may effect the gearing on the new mountain crank set.

[Crankin]

Hi Trisk!
How exciting that you are retiring to Portugal. Let me preface this by saying that I am not a mountain biker, but I did spend a few years trying to be one, and gave it up when I realized I was not willing to practice enough to get good, because it took up my road time and miles. I had a full suspension bike (a 2005 Norco, regular 26er) that did make it easier to roll over roots and rocks. Now, I never got the point where I was good at doing it going uphill, but it gave me a lot more confidence. So part of me says, it might make it a bit easier for you, as well as be softer on the joints. Others will dispute this, and say it's not necessary. I rode a few dirt roads in Maine a few years ago, and I appreciated the FS even then, because it was full of huge rocks.
I have a mountain derailleur on the rear of my custom road bike, with an 11-34 and a 50/34 on the front. I can get up anything with it. I can't remember the exact gearing I had on the Norco, but it wasn't quite as low as you are talking about. I'd say, go for the lowest gearing you can get, because my favorite saying is "your most important gear is the lowest one."
I think this applies to mountain biking, too. You want to have fun and to be able to use the bike for shopping, etc. Why make something that is technically difficult harder? I never felt my full suspension mtg was super heavy, because you can't compare it to a road bike.
Where in Portugal are you moving? I am going on a cycling trip in about 5 weeks; we will be riding from Lisbon to the border of Spain.

[Triskeliongirl]

Hi Crankin- We aren't retiring yet, probably in about 3 years, but I am starting to prepare. My husband is originally from the Algarve, and his parents are there, which is where we plan to live. They live in a little town just outside of Faro, but we like the area on the western coast around Aljezur a lot, so hope to purchase something there. I too have an 11/34 on my touring bike, but might put it on my racing bike if we decide to do serious climbing.

I was surprised on this vacation to see that road riding in Portugal has improved a lot. We thought we would need MTBs to ride at all, but its clear we will be able to do both. But there are many nice trails that go from Spain all the way to the western tip (cape sagres), such as the transalgarve, transportugal, and transalgarviana. On this vacation we spent a lot of time on the transalgarviana. I still like road riding more, but think it may be a skill thing since there were some very beautiful things that one could only experience on a MTB. I also liked that for roads with narrow shoulders, the MTB let you ride on the dirt path next to the road that would not be rideable with a road bike. My reluctance to get a full suspension bike is the weight factor. Maybe someday I will try renting one to see how I like it (if they will allow me to put my custom crank on it).

I'd love to have the info. on your trip. Have fun! Maybe we'll do something like that some day.

[Irulan]

They say the larger wheels roll easier and full suspension and ‘modern geometry’ (whatever the hell that is) give you more ‘confidence’ to ride over scarier stuff. Modern geometry IS going to be more stable but 2005 isnt "that" old. I don't follow your gearing discussion at all, but I certainly would stay away from 29" wheels, especially if you are small. I've met enough small women that do not love thier 29ers to make that recommendation.

Really the best thing for building confidence is learning skills. It's not the bike, it's the rider and if the rider is not confident, it doesn't matter what bike you put them. If you want to gain confidence, look for a clinic.

[emily_in_nc]

Hi Trisk ~~ I am excited for you! I remember when I first started MTBing, you weren't interested in it at all, but as you see, sometimes it suits the terrain, and it can be really fun. I pretty quickly (after a few painful falls) decided I didn't care for technical stuff and wasn't willing to devote the time or energy it would take to get good at it at my age, especially since I still want to spend a lot/most of my riding time on the road. That said, I love the kind of "backroads" in your photos (the more rocky, the less I like 'em) and have found many places to ride back gravel roads, fire roads, double track and even easy single track (emphasis on easy!)

I agree on going with the lowest gearing. My MTBs have all had triples, and I rarely use the large chainring. I also don't use the granny much, but it's nice when you really need it. I am in the middle ring about 95% of the time and shifting only in the back since I have 22-32-42 crankset and 11-34 in back, giving me a wide range and plenty of low gears even with the middle ring alone. I have never tried a MTB with wheels larger than 26" and feel sure anything larger would be too big for me.

As for fullie vs. hardtail, don't assume all fullies are going to be heavier than hardtails. My FS Titus Racer X was lighter than my low-end REI Novara hardtail. I'm sure for a given price point, a hardtail is lighter, but I love, love, love full-suspension and would never go back. It's so much comfier on gravel and rocks. The Jamis Dakar XC Comp I bought from Catrin on here is a full-suspension and not super heavy. I can't remember its exact weight (and don't have it with me to weigh), but to me any added weight of rear suspension is well worth it. I know that more technical riders prefer hardtails and hardly ever even sit on the saddle, but that is not me. I get out of the saddle when I can and when it makes sense, but a lot of the roads I ride on my MTB are similar to roads I'd ride on my roadie, only unpaved, and I probably ride it more like a roadie, since that's really what I am.

I hope you are able to get what you want dialed in, and ENJOY your new mountain biking adventures. Loved the photos!

P.S. If you are interested, here's a blog post I did on some of our backroads riding we did this past March in Patagonia, Arizona: http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/traveling-twosome-blog/backroads-mountain-biking-in-patagonia-az-and-some-incredible-sights. These unpaved roads were not too rocky and were a blast to ride. Some good climbs and beautiful scenery. You get to see a lot more with knobby tires as we would have missed all this if we'd only ridden paved roads while we were there.

[Crankin]

Trisk, here is the link to the tour we are doing. I noticed it's rated as "easy going to moderate," but we got the specific details a couple of weeks ago, and I would not consider it easy going! There are a few big climbs, which of course, I guess you could skip, to make it easy.
Emily's experience and comments mirror mine exactly. If I remember, Trisk, you were close to my height, so anything bigger than a 26er would not be my choice.
Sometimes I get the yen to buy another mountain bike, to do the kind of riding Emily describes. There just aren't a lot of dirt roads right around here, although, I seemed to have found some on my birthday "ride 60 for 60" ride last year, in Wayland, MA. Not fun on my road bike, but, I did it.

http://www.cyclingcountry.com/CycleTours/Portugal/Portugal_Cycling_Tour.htm

[Irulan]

Emily has some really good advice on bike types. Full suspension has come a long way. Since the early days when the entry level ones were ultra heavy.

As for gearing, all my mtbs start at 11-32. I had the big ring of the triple removed recently. Between the chain slap and never using the big ring it just made sense to me. The bike I just ordered starts at 11-34 and it is a 2x10.

[Sky King]

Unless you are riding highly technical, rocky single track I would question needing any type of suspension. If you are doing dirt, gravel roads many of the newer bikes would serve your purpose.
I know you are leery of a 29 style due to size but if you ever have a chance ride the XS Surly ECR - 29 X 3 inch tires - the tires give you the suspension and they roll over pretty much anything without any drag. The Surly Troll is a perfect bike for what you are describing as well. Looks like beautiful country.

[Irulan]

Sky King, is there a category name for these new bikes that are perfect for "gravel grinding"?

[zoom-zoom]

I'm 5'3.5" and it was 2 years ago that I got on my first 29er. I'd not done a lot of riding prior to this and on a heavy, lower-end 26er. I think I logged 102 miles on my 29er before busting my wrist. Granted, there were many reasons that happened...inexperience, newer bike, and my highest trail mileage ever...I was tired and on an EASY section of trail. My guard was down and my reflexes slow. At that point the only options in my size (XS/14") were a few 29ers and very few 26ers.

I kick myself that I couldn't wait another year. A year ago there were already so many more 650B/27.5" options than the year prior. I'm really an inch or two shorter than what is ideal with the 29er wheels. I think that smaller wheel would be a nice compromise between the better rolling of the 29er and the easier maneuverability of a 26" wheel.

I've been hesitant to get back on trails. My right wrist is still not 100% in terms of strength and ROM. Unfortunately none of the brands our LBS (of which we are part owners) carries offer a 650B...yet. If that changes I would be much more likely to try again. I miss riding trails with my friends.

[Triskeliongirl]

Thanks for all the helpful replies. The guys in my LBS say I am a S, not XS. The bike I have has a standover of 28.5" and is a S (15.5"). My cycling inseam is 30.5" and I am 5'4". My road bike is a 48cm cervelo RS w 650C wheels and it fits me like a glove. I have found some 29ers (Julianas) that give me the 28.5" standover and work with an english threaded bottom bracket (requirement of my custom crank), so those are also future candidates. The 27.5" wheel is also attractive. But for now I need to select chain rings for the custom crank. Do you guys think I am making a mistake if I go with 22/38, even if I don't have my final bike picked out yet (or decide to never upgrade, or wait a few years before upgrading). This gearing will get me nice an low on the bike I have since its a 9sp 11/34, but if I get a new bike, even with bigger wheels, I can go up to 36 or even 42 so I will have lots of options. Or is 22 ridiculously low?

I should add that this is hard, because while I love my LBS, at this point in time they only carry specialized which uses a BB30 bottom bracket, have fixed position FDs (not good for adjusting over my custom elliptical offset rings), and most models have high standover. They will also do orders from MOOTs, but those are very expensive, and also don't offer much in standover on the 27.5 models. The Moots YBB was recommended by Cassie here, but its just not clear to me why it will be so much better than the bike I have already. Also, I didn't feel beat up on the hardtail, so not sure I even need the weight of the YBB. I guess what I am really trying to understand is why I would enjoy a more modern bike. That is why I think I need more time on the bike I have, to see what I want next.

[emily_in_nc]

Or is 22 ridiculously low?


For most riding, yes, but for some of the hills we have climbed on gravel, I've used mine and was very glad to have it! You'd be in the 38 most of the time, though.

[Triskeliongirl]

I am thinking about it, cuz we were in the mountains, and there was a lot of stuff I couldn't get up in my 34, remembering that we are on dirt, not paved roads, with a bike that weighs 30 lb (and someday I may add groceries, etc. to that). But I could also get a 24 bottom too. I notice a 24/38 is standard in XTR, so perhaps that shifts better. I assumed I could have a 16 tooth gap since that is what I have on my road bike (50/34). I picked 22 cuz that was the lowest gear on the original triple that came on the bike.

[Triskeliongirl]

Actually, I just researched it, and the shimano 10 speed stuff FD has a limit of 14 teeth difference between front rings. Since they offer a standard 24/38 setup I am thinking to just go with that. Even though my current system is 9 speed, if I encounter any issues with it shifting I can always either change out the FD for the shim no 10 spd, or even upgrade the whole system to 10 spd (then giving me a 36 rear cog if I need it), and it will be more forward compatable with future bikes I might buy. So, unless you guys advise otherwise, that is what I think I will do.

Emily, nice to hear you still enjoy MTBing! I thought at one point you told me you preferred your hard tail (that was when you had the titus racer X) but maybe what you meant was the style of riding, not the bike type. I agree that I don't want to do super technical stuff, but I do want to try more real mountain biking as long as it isn't super technical. When at home, working, with limited time, if its a choice of road or mountain I will pick road. But when I am retired and have time for both, I think I will enjoy both. I also really like the MTB trails in Portugal, nicer than the MTB parks we have here at home. And there are so many I have yet to explore, the TransPortugal, TransAlgarve, more stages of the Algarviana (I only rode 3 of them). I think once I have the crank set, there will be more flexibility to test ride new bikes, maybe even as rentals first, to sort out what I want longer term. But there will be lots of skill building that I can do on the bike I have first.

[Triskeliongirl]

Hmmm, now I am not sure again. Shimano's 9 spd double was 22/36. So I know the 9 spd stuff will work with 14 teeth diff, so I guess this means the 24/38 will work too. Just wonder if I go with the 24 if I will regret not having the 22 on the low end, although it would be nice to get the 38 on the high end. So, I guess I am still leaning towards 24/38, but would love more input.

In summary, even though I am doing custom, stock cranksets for shimano 9 speed doubles were 22/36 and for shimano 10 speeds doubles 24/28. Trying to decide which type of custom rings to order on my custom crank system, to use now with my older 30 pound 9 speed MTB, and in the future with a possible newer 10 speed set up.

[emily_in_nc]

Emily, nice to hear you still enjoy MTBing! I thought at one point you told me you preferred your hard tail (that was when you had the titus racer X) but maybe what you meant was the style of riding, not the bike type.

No, I can't imagine why I would have said that. :rolleyes: Once I got my Racer X, I never rode my hardtail again. It was heavier and although it fit me well and was a nice looking bike, I just never went back to it after getting a fullie. And I rode them both on the same trails and roads so there was no difference in style of riding I did with either. When I got the lighter bike, I was finally able to keep up with the woman I rode with after work on the park trails instead of falling way behind on the heavier bike.

I think you'll be fine with the 24/38 so long as you stick with the 26" wheels. There's not such a huge difference between a 22 and 24, and you may appreciate the higher top end, as you say.

[Becky]

I've found that, with a 22T low chain ring, I don't have enough forward momentum to feel stable, especially in the lowest cogs. (ETA: this is in my local terrain, YMMV.) And that's on a 29er- on a 26" wheel, that 22T chainring will "feel" even lower. I greatly prefer the 26T ring, paired with an 11-36T cassette (10-speed on a 29er). I think that the reason that the 9-speed doubles were 22-36 was because there wasn't an option for a 36T cog on the cassettes. IIRC, that started with the 10-speed stuff. For reference, I'm now running 26/38T chainrings and a 11-36 cassette on my 29er.

If it were me, I'd play around with a gear calculator and look at how the combinations of chainrings, wheel size, and cassette impact gear inches.

[TigerMom]

I agree that a 2005 Gary Fisher is not that old. I think you should try riding some more on your current bike, then demo some 27.5 and 29ers.

I am 5ft 1in, but I love the 29ers more than the 27.5. I feel a 29er has better grip descending. Since I go pretty slow on switchbacks, the tighter handling on the 27.5 didn't really differ for me on a 29er. But on a steep descent, I definitely felt more confident and "grippier" on my 29er than the 27.5. I am a MUCH better descender now on my Specialized Fate Hardtail 29er compared to my Santa Cruz Juliana 26er one year ago. I do miss fully sitting down on the non-rocky descents on the full suspension (I always have to keep my buttock up at least 1 cm on any descents on my hardtail or the saddle bucks me).

If you have a lot of back pain from rocks or need to fully sit more often, I would recommend your future bike to be a full suspension. If your budget allows, get the remote locks so that you can lock out both the front and rear suspensions on your handle bar for climbing.

I wish I liked the 27.5 more since they are lighter and Liv Giant has some awesome colors on their women's bikes.

[Triskeliongirl]

Thanks for all the great advice. I ended up ordering 24/38 rings for my new custom crankset, but what is really cool, is that he is making it so I can interchange parts with my road cranks, and use it on either a mountain or road bike. Its essentially a road triple with a long axle BB to accommodate the beefier seat stays on a MTB. On a MTB, I will use just the inner 2 chain rings, and on a road bike I will use just the outer 2 chain rings, when I want compact doubles. But triples are also options on both. I just need to change out bottom brackets depending on what I want to do.

The outer 2 chain rings will be 94 BCD, so they will accommodate road rings in the range of 30-52 (same as my road compact doubles that I have already). The innermost ring will be 74mm BCD so it can accommodate rings in the range of 24-30. So in the future if I change my mind about gearing I will have a lot of flexibility.

I like that even if I don't adapt to serious MTBing, I could still use the new crank on a cyclocross bike if I decide I just want something light that gets me over packed dirt.

Once I have the crank and BB though, I can also start test riding MTBs. One idea I have is to go to one of those trek for women skills clinics, and see if I can find a shop that would work with me to rent bikes (must be willing to install my custom crank), maybe even with a rent to own option in there. Then I can see for myself what kind of bike I might like best, and how if I really just s--k at it, or if I could get better with some training. Its much harder for me since I can't just walk into any bike shop and test ride anything. I have to find bikes with english threaded bottom brackets, FDs on clamps w a good range of adjustability (cuz my rings are also elliptical and offset), and then a shop that is willing to mount my crank for a test ride or rental.

My gut feeling though is that if I can't ever be comfortable riding the bike I have over moderately rocky terrain, I am not going to adapt well to MTBing. My husband had no problem riding my 26er and his 29er over stuff I couldn't do, so that tells me it wasn't the bike. One day we got into some stuff I couldn't handle, so while I walked out, he rode each of our bikes sequentially out. Made it easier than my having to push my bike out!

[emily_in_nc]

My gut feeling though is that if I can't ever be comfortable riding the bike I have over moderately rocky terrain, I am not going to adapt well to MTBing. My husband had no problem riding my 26er and his 29er over stuff I couldn't do, so that tells me it wasn't the bike. One day we got into some stuff I couldn't handle, so while I walked out, he rode each of our bikes sequentially out. Made it easier than my having to push my bike out!

Glad you found a good solution for your custom crank!

Your experience sounds like mine, though; I have to walk some stuff that DH rides right through. It's a fear factor thing. But I still love my MTB and would never give her up. I just don't attempt to ride anything above my comfort level, but I still enjoy very much the stuff I can do since my full-suspension MTB is way more comfortable off of pavement than a cross bike. When I used to ride MTBs with my work friend at a park near our office, we rode fullies on packed gravel roads and double track trails. We'd see folks riding fullies, hardtails, and even cross bikes on the same roads/trails. But I would have had no interest in riding a cross bike on them. I liked my much wider knobby tires and suspension. I could easily lock out the front suspension for a couple of long climbs.

Good luck getting it all figured out -- the most important thing is to have fun doing so!

[Triskeliongirl]

I don't know that I necessarily want a cyclocross bike, but what I like is that I don't have to spend $2000 on a crank set that will only work on a MTB if I just can't get good enough to really enjoy it. I have to get at least good enough to ride with another person, since I realized that safety is a bigger issue when you are in the middle of no where. But even though the bike weighed 30 lb, I did have fun on the roads I felt I could manage. I looked at your blog, and I could definitely handle roads like in that last series of pics on the bike I had, and would enjoy that type of riding. With the front suspension I was very comfortable. I just want getting another bike to be because I get good at riding the bike I have, but then find its limiting me in some way, and then get the bike that deals best with the limitation. For example, you found you needed a lighter bike to keep up with your friend. I was feeling a lot of pressure to figure it out quickly, since initially I was trying to get it all done before my trip, and even after I thought I needed to choose the bike to get the crank set made. But the crank set will be made in way that is versatile enough that I will be able to take my time.

You are so right on the fear factor. That is the other reason I think I just need more time riding on my own. While I wouldn't want to ride alone in the deep woods, one thing that was cool is that we found a park near where my family lives in Portugal with a circuit set up that is great to practice on. While we road there together, we could each ride at our own pace, and we would still pass each other periodically so we could check in on each other. But it had one climb too steep for the gearing I had with me (lowest gear I had was a 34/34, so I always had to walk that bit making it not as easy for me to practice and adapt. But next time we are there I will have my new crank so I should be able to handle a lot more terrain. I'm just gonna take it in baby steps....I will have plenty of time to sort it out when I am retired!

It is nice reconnecting Emily! I hope you are enjoying your retirement. You can drop me a PM or email if you have any advice in that regard.

[Crankin]

This was my experience, exactly. I had one year, where I did Ok on the mountain bike, a few rocky descents, stream crossings, etc. But, I had a very high fear factor and it was demoralizing for me to have to walk climbs, when climbing is a real strength for me, on the road. Mountain biking is very dependent on practicing technical skills, and I just didn't want to put in the time! Then I got worried about crashing with osteoporosis, although I had plenty of mild crashes, with no ill effects. My osteoporosis is now better through treatment, back to osteopeinia, and I don't worry about this so much.
I never wanted to go to a clinic, because I was just embarrassed and figured that I would be the worst rider there. I went on one group mtb ride, in an area that is considered easy.... I walked half the time and was humiliated in front of a lot of people i know. That kind of did me in; even though it was almost 10 years ago, the memory is scorched in my brain.
Still, the thought of riding on dirt roads and double track does intrigue me.

[Triskeliongirl]

Attached is a pic that I found on the web of the Algarviana that looksexactly like the terrain I struggled on. Do you guys consider this sort of trail easy, moderate or hard by mountain bike standards? Suitable for a hardtail? I felt very unstable and was afraid I was going to fall so ended up doing a lot of walking, even when moderatly flat. My husband too had trouble when this stuff got really hilly. I should add we had no instruction in skills, just bought these bikes and started to ride them as if they were road bikes. My husband did notice a difference on our two bikes though. He said his 29er just rolled over everything, whereas with mine he had to steer around things more and pick his line more carefully. With that being said though, he did like the increased maneuverability of the smaller wheels. If that is the case, then maybe it would be easier for me to roll over stuff on a 29er, but then many of you say women our size don't like them, and then I wonder if 27.5 is different enough from 26 to make a difference. Those of you that fell on 29ers, do you think it was because it was so much harder to control the bike, as that doesn't sound good either. 17356

[Crankin]

If I had been on my FS bike that would have been hard going up (just getting the right momentum) for me, and moderate if it was flat. That's pretty rocky and similar to trails in New England. It wouldn't have hurt, though, because of the suspension.
Mountain biking isn't anything like road biking! Always having to remember "butt up and off the back" while descending and "boobs to the tube" while climbing got overwhelming. I am a timid descender to begin with, and when someone tells me not to brake going down a rocky hill, well, that was kind of counter-intuitive to me. I did a couple of descents well, that really surprised me, but it took a lot out of me. One of my issues was I tried to avoid the rocks and roots if there were just a moderate amount, and that wasn't always the best "line." And when people were screaming "choose your line," I didn't know what they meant. After I learned, it meant little to me, because to me, the best line was the one that avoided obstacles. Plus, how do you know? No one could really explain that to me. So, my brain kind of always felt like it was going to explode with all of these rules.
I'm kind of the same with road cycling, but it all seems a bit more intuitive to me. I just want to ride, and it's harder to do that mountain biking.

[ny biker]

How much air was in your tires?

[Triskeliongirl]

I put the maximum air indicated on the tire, don't remember exact amount now, but maybe something like 40 psi. The issue was not my body hurting from lack of suspension, it had more to do with my ability to balance, or a fear thereof. So what does line mean? I thought it meant the path that aovids the rocks and roots as best as possible.

[ny biker]

You get much better stability when you inflate your tires less. I haven't ridden real single track in a long time, but sometimes I'll ride my mountain bike on a bridle path next to a rail trail in this area. I've found that the difference between max. psi and putting less air in the tires is huge. Unfortunately I don't remember the details because it's been a while, but I think I put 30-35 psi and found I was much more stable and bounced around much less. My bike is a 26" hardtail.

You might want to see if your local mountain bike group offers beginner classes or if they have any group rides for beginners. Or check with your LBS to see if they know of anything.

[Crankin]

I don't want to sound overly negative, Trisk. If I had really wanted to improve, I could have. It's just that you sound just like I did!
NY is right. Lower the tire pressure. All of this talk makes me want to go mountain biking! Today, i hiked on the one trail I felt pretty comfortable on and I was thinking about what I'd be doing, if I was on the bike.

[TigerMom]

Attached is a pic that I found on the web of the Algarviana that looksexactly like the terrain I struggled on. Do you guys consider this sort of trail easy, moderate or hard by mountain bike standards? Suitable for a hardtail? I felt very unstable and was afraid I was going to fall so ended up doing a lot of walking, even when moderatly flat. My husband too had trouble when this stuff got really hilly. I should add we had no instruction in skills, just bought these bikes and started to ride them as if they were road bikes. My husband did notice a difference on our two bikes though. He said his 29er just rolled over everything, whereas with mine he had to steer around things more and pick his line more carefully. With that being said though, he did like the increased maneuverability of the smaller wheels. If that is the case, then maybe it would be easier for me to roll over stuff on a 29er, but then many of you say women our size don't like them, and then I wonder if 27.5 is different enough from 26 to make a difference. Those of you that fell on 29ers, do you think it was because it was so much harder to control the bike, as that doesn't sound good either. 17356

Based solely on this photo, I would say that this is NOT a beginner trail because "picking the correct lines" is very essential here due to the rocks that will throw you off balance. It also sounds like a carbon or titanium full suspension is best for you based on your previous comments.

In addition, I ride tubeless. I am 5ft 1in and weigh 120# and have my 29er tires at 20 PSI. Because of the tubeless tires, I can set up my bike at a lower PSI which gives better tractions on the descents (which is my weakness).

Having your handle bars measured by a bike fitter and cut to the right length also helped increase my bike maneuverability without sacrificing stability.

Many people say that 27.5 makes a big enough difference from the 26 which is why a lot of bike manufacturers have discontinued their 26ers from all their bike lines except the downhill bikes. Personally, I couldn't tell much of a difference between the 27.5 and the 26, but I feel a HUGE difference between my 29er which is why I went with the 29er instead.

[emily_in_nc]

That photo of a rocky trail looks more advanced than anything I'd want to ride. DH and I attempted to ride one trail that looked like that, and even he fell. He is not really a MTBer but is braver than I -- I stopped and walked before I fell. We didn't make it far before we both decided it was above our ability and turned around. Just not into a lot of rocks or roots.

When I first started MTBing and was riding my hardtail, I rode with a couple of friends on some twisty trails that were rated beginner to intermediate, and I found them really rooty/slippery and difficult in places. Lots of switchbacks too. That was when I took a few falls and ultimately decided that I would stick to easier stuff. If I'd had the time and desire, I could have taken some clinics and learned to ride that kind of stuff, I'm sure, but I didn't. I was working and didn't have extra time to spare, and at the time DH didn't have a MTB and had no interest in it, and I wanted to continue spending time riding on the road with him.

So, like Crankin, I am a bit of a MTB dropout, but that doesn't mean I don't like my MTB! I just enjoy road riding too much to spend the time to improve my MTB skills.

That said, I've found that my MTB is awesome on rutted, potholed urban roads as well as the "lighter" gravel roads and trails we ride. We have used them riding packed trails like the Katy, Michelson, and Virginia Creeper, finding them far more comfortable and forgiving for those unpaved surfaces than any road bike would be.