My First MTB Ride!

[CycleChic06]

I just went mountain biking for the first time. And it was wicked fun and I think I'm hooked. I went with three friends who are good, but aren't totally hard core and competitive and I was keeping up with them for the most part. I'm really in shape from road biking, so it wasn't about being in shape. It was just getting over my fears and also the mantra that I've adopted as a roadie which is to avoid road hazards at all costs. It was so hard for me to realize that yes, I can ride over roots and rocks.

They didn't go easy on me, taking me on these pretty technical single track paths with switchbacks and drop-offs and narrow steep paths. I only walked my bike a few times.

I'm so hooked, it's gonna be so hard to go back to my road bike now!

Emily

[littlegrasshopp]

so do both! I had a hard time (and still do) realizing I can roll right over things. I look at stuff I wouldn't try a month ago because of the root at the entrance or exist of it...now I just roll right through as if it wasn't there! It's really run when you start TRYING to hit stuff! :) Glad you had such an amazing time!!

[horsemom]

YOU GO GIRL!! Biking on trails is a hoot -I too am new at it and I love it!:)

Laura

[emily_in_nc]

Wow (from another, not-so-talented Emily)!

I am very impressed! I've been mountain biking for a few months now and just did my hardest ride on singletrack (with roots, relatively steep descents, and switchbacks), and I did awful! I thought I was ready for it, but it beat me up (literally; I had one bad fall). I wish I were a natural like you seem to be!

It really is fun, though; I'll agree with that. When I ride fast on (easier!!) trails, I just smile the whole time. I have been a roadie for years, but there is just something about riding in the woods, out of the hot sun, away from traffic, that makes me feel so good and forget everything else.

Maybe soon I'll do as well as you did on your very FIRST ride! :D

~ Emily

[fatbottomedgurl]

Welcome to the Dark Side! I love mountain biking. I used to hike a lot and this lets me cover ground so much faster (and less work than owning a horse). Today I was climbing really steep single track and at one point bailed sideways off my bike and thankfully there was enough brush to stop me from going down the mountain. Then a little while later did a back-o onto my feet (so glad I got unclipped in time!) I love it. Even what scares me challenges me to do better next time. Keep it up!!!

[CycleChic06]

I have to really wonder how you all ride clipless pedals while mountain biking. My friend was riding with them and seemed to do alright, but I guess unless you're really experienced, clipless is not the way to go. Maybe when I get better I'll give it a try and switch my clipless pedals from my road bike.

[sandy45]

i am fairly new to mountian biking and i have changed to clipless. i had to pracitce a while on the trainer and very soft ground. but once i was use to getting in and out i was fine. it has actually helped me more on the bike. i feel like i have more control and that i am not struggling as much. i just make sure that i start slowing and unclip my most comfortable foot at the same time. i keep it in the 6 to 5 o clock position and make sure i sift my weight to the foot i have uncliped. i enjoy riding much more with clipless...it really isnt that scary.

Sandy

[fatbottomedgurl]

I really need clipless for climbing. We usually climb for several miles and then get to ride downhill. No rolling terrain here. Without being clipped in I would never make the steep stuff. I like the connection with the bike, but when things get really dicey and technical downhill I will often unclip one foot just in case. I place my foot so the pedal is just behind the cleat. But I am working more and more on keeping clipped. They are set pretty loose so I can disengage almost without thinking about it.

[emily_in_nc]

Maybe I'm crazy, but I started right out mountain biking with clipless pedals because I've been using them so long on road bikes I just wouldn't feel right without them. I am afraid my feet would fly off the pedals, and I don't think I could do climbs, either. But yes, there is a lot of in and out of the clips and stopping and starting, so at times I curse them!

Emily

[DirtDiva]

I hate flat pedals! :p

[bcipam]

I live with my "bike shoes" in both the roadie and mountain bike worlds... I love them both equally for different reasons. No reason not to do both (and I do) but I finally conceeded to the fact I need to devote more time to mountain biking if I want to improve my technical skills more. I'm a strong rider, got that from my roadie rides, but technically I am lacking. Just climbing steep long hills requires new skills. So you might find yourself spending more time initially mountain biking and trying to improve skills but it will be worth it.

Nothing nicer than riding in late afternoon, especially in the Fall, with the Sun's light all caramel, crimson and golden, casting long shadows on the ground, the trail's perfect, hardpacked, fun twisty singletrack, Fall flowers blooming and trotting along side you is a coyote or bobtail looking for the his evening's kill. You can smell the evening flowers starting to open and the air is cool and fresh. Ahhhhhhhh, nothing like that out on the road!

* * *

Re clipless pedals - gotta have them for mountain biking. A suggestion - consider some of the platform pedals like EggBeater Mallets or Time Z Control. They offer a platform to help get started on steep climbs or to use if uncertain about terrains but also have that two-sided cleat so easy in and out.

[fatbottomedgurl]

I laughed looking at our pictures. I can tell you ride singletrack in the woods and I ride in the chapperal. Regardless of how much sunblock I put on I get brown. I bet you have freckles.

[emily_in_nc]

I laughed looking at our pictures. I can tell you ride singletrack in the woods and I ride in the chapperal. Regardless of how much sunblock I put on I get brown. I bet you have freckles.

How'd you know?! :D

Actually, I am normally pretty brown (for a light-skinned gal of Scotch-Irish background, that is!) this time of year due to road riding and kayaking, but this summer I only just started road riding again a couple of weeks ago and have only been kayaking once. Most of my rides have been in the woods after work, so yes, I am really pale this summer! I actually had a nice brown glow after our two-week trip to the southwest US this May, where we hiked in the canyons every day, but that's all gone. I wear 30 spf but still manage to get some sun - so long as I am out in it!

Emily

[CycleChic06]

I actually have spds on my road bike...I know, to most roadies that's an abomination, but when it came to saving money on my new bike, I figured the pedals were the place. So, if I did try clipless on a mountain bike, I could just swtich them out with the platforms.

But my new problem is trying to convince my friend who's bike I borrowed to go ride again. This is why I'm thinking of buying my own, just a used mtb, probably off craigs list or something. But I don't want to spend a lot, I'm hoping to get a decent bike for a beginner for under $300...is that even possible?