Conisdering mountain biking

[teamceri]

Hi all,

I am thinking about taking up mountain biking just for fun but have no idea where to start with a bike.

I have a road bike and a tourer but have no experience of mountain bikes and the types, hard tail or not.

The kind of riding I would like to do here in the UK is on our moorland and forests.

Any help would be great

teamceri

[pinkbikes]

I see this is languishing but I fear it is a bit of a big question. Maybe that scared people off?

I was also a dedicated road bike kind of gal when I decided to try mountain biking (because my DH did and we watched a race that looked like fun). I had ridden DH's bike up the street and hated it because it was a low end bouncy dual suspension bike and it felt like riding a bouncy tractor after my nice efficient roadie!

Of course, having tried it on a bike of my own I am now hopelessly addicted and own two MTBs.

I would suggest a hardtail to start with because for a road rider who is used to a certain amount of efficiency in their bike, a hardtail doesn't feel quite so much like every pedal stroke is one inch forward and six bounces up and down! Also, there is a feeling that you will develop better technique riding a hardtail first. Plus on a bang for buck scale, you will usually be able to buy better gear in a hardtail.

I guess you can go two ways here....

You can buy a very low end hard tail to try and see if you like it. The up side to this is that you can usually get into a hardtail pretty cheaply. The running gear will not be a good as a better one (rear derallieur and fork are probably the items with most care factor) and it will be heavy, but if you decide you don't like it, then it wasn't too big a waste of money. I would try to get disc brakes if at all possible to stretch to it, since they are one of the wonders of the world!

Alternately, you buy a hardtail of a reasonable but not outrageously expensive standard. Perhaps one that is a bit lighter, has a Deore XT/SRAM X7 rear derallieur, a half decent fork, twin piston hydraulic disc brakes, perhaps women's specific depending on your body makeup? The down side of this is that you will probably stump up a reasonable amount of money for this kind of bike (not sure how much over your way) but the up side is that you will give yourself a fighting chance of enjoying riding MTB!

I chose the latter path (bought a Kona Lisa HT) and have a few friends who did the same (Giant Alias W, Avanti Barracuda) and all still have and enjoy the bikes. I also have a friend who did the former alternative and she also enjoyed it immensely but will consider an upgrade at some stage in her future.

The footnote is that after a year I went and bought a dual suspension bike once I had developed some skills (I have since lost them - just don't know where I put them) and worked out what I liked.

Hope that has been some help. If you have any more specific questions, please feel free to narrow it down.

[arielmoon]

I am a roadie with friends that race mtn bikes. They think I will love it and have convinced me to give it a try. I have even been loaned a very nice Gary Fischer soft tail to get me started. Now all I have to do is wait for the clearance from my doctor. So spring is my goal if my pelvis has healed!

So, I know nothing about it but it sure looks like fun! Good luck!

[jodz1984]

as a road cyclist and a track cyclist i have gone on 2 rides on my mountain bike this week with my coach but mainly just on the road and on a bit dirt road and after doing 2 rides on that then hopping back on my road bike it was extremely easy, my 50km training rides felt like i had done nothing plus it was very enjoyable for a change of senery from the road or velodrome. everyone thinks we are strange for doing that riding but when it comes to racing the road season i think it'll make it extremely easy. so it is a very good idea for cross-training.

hopefully we'll get into more in the the stuff that actually requires the mountain bikes after a few rides.

[Dogmama]

I have a Fisher dual suspension & I love it. As pinkbike suggested - I started with a hardtail to see if I liked it. Found out that I did & took the plunge.

I'm still a dedicated roadie, but the mtb is just so much fun!! I am lucky & can ride to a wash area. I ALWAYS test my limits - for example - riding in soft sand as fast as I can until eventually I sink. I would think that forest riding would be heaven!

I consider the mtb to be pure fun. There is no traffic to worry about, no glass or potholes to avoid. It reminds me of being a kid & just riding bikes for the fun of it. Don't get me wrong, I do have fun being a roadie, but the mtb brings out the kid in me. Plus, I almost always dump it at least once. My handling skills probably need some work.

[MartianDestiny]

For someone looking to try out mountain biking I almost always recommend a basic hardtail. They are relatively inexpensive (can be had new for $500-750 USD) and are a good setup to try a bit of everything before deciding. You can do the fireroad and cross country type trails on them easily, but they tend to have burly enough frames for some beginner all mountain and dirt jump stuff if you want to try that out as well.

Then if you decide you like it you have a basis to decide just what kind of bike you want (and there's WAYYYY to many choices for mountain bikes )

All the main brands (at least in the US) have a line of these, and most come in women's specific as well. Trek, Giant, Gary Fisher, and Specialized being the big players.

I love my full suspension XC rig, but when you get into bikes like that the price increases enormously AND you have a large chance of ending up with the wrong bike for the type of riding you want to do (as they become much more specialized and individualized when you get into the nice bikes; full suspension or not).

[kermit]

I started out as a mountain biker. My husband and I had great trails near the house and I had a full squish (suspension) and tore up the trails. Fast forward to husbands back surgery. Sold all the mountain bikes and went to road bikes. Years as a roadie I got the itch and bought another full squish. It's a challenge and alot of fun. It seems that I never come out without a scratched knee or elbow, thats just me though. I just went out today and got a Trek 4300 closeout for a steal, $299. The thing is a blast and actually more fun that the full squish hotness. It's addicting!

[RolliePollie]

Wow, this is a timely thread! I, too, am a roadie looking at buying a hardtail MTB. I'm just really messing up my beautiful white Trek Madone by riding it in the winter, so I want a lower-end MTB that I can ride on dirt roads and *easy* trails, as well as winter wet/muddy/sandy/salty paved roads.

My LBS carries Gary Fisher, and so far I'm liking the looks of the Wahoo. It has a Deore rear derailleur and Altus front: http://www.fisherbikes.com/bike/model/wahoo

Does anyone have any good/bad feedback about this bike and its components? I don't know much of anything about MTB components, so I feel a bit lost!

Now I just have to wait for my tax refund...

[MartianDestiny]

Wow, this is a timely thread! I, too, am a roadie looking at buying a hardtail MTB. I'm just really messing up my beautiful white Trek Madone by riding it in the winter, so I want a lower-end MTB that I can ride on dirt roads and *easy* trails, as well as winter wet/muddy/sandy/salty paved roads.

My LBS carries Gary Fisher, and so far I'm liking the looks of the Wahoo. It has a Deore rear derailleur and Altus front: http://www.fisherbikes.com/bike/model/wahoo

Does anyone have any good/bad feedback about this bike and its components? I don't know much of anything about MTB components, so I feel a bit lost!

Now I just have to wait for my tax refund...

If it fits, very good first mountain bike (I started on a bike of the same component level). A word of warning with the Fishers. The top tubes are LONG even for some men. Be careful. You shouldn't feel stretched out like you do on a road bike; you should feel almost upright and more compact (it will probably feel odd to you, as a roadie, if it fits right).

Unless you are long torso'd I'd look at the WSD Fishers, ie: Genesisters (still long in the top tube compared to other WSD's but shorter than their men's) or look into the trek line (4500 should roughly compare to a Wahoo and comes in unisex and WSD). Trek and Fisher are the same company.

[crazycanuck]

Should you be bored & want more thoughts on the HT or Dually thought..

http://www.rotorburn.com/forums/show...tail-or-Dually

I started off on a HT & am moving up to a dually this year..

[RolliePollie]

Hi all,

I am thinking about taking up mountain biking just for fun but have no idea where to start with a bike.

I have a road bike and a tourer but have no experience of mountain bikes and the types, hard tail or not.

The kind of riding I would like to do here in the UK is on our moorland and forests.

Any help would be great

teamceri

Teamceri, did you decide on anything?

I went to my LBS yesterday and rode a couple of Treks and a Gary Fisher. Wow, does it feel weird to ride a mountain bike when you're used to a road bike! I'm probably going to go with a Trek 4300, but I'm still thinking about a Gary Fisher Advance (mostly because it's red and sooooo pretty...I know, not necessarily the best reason to choose it). Unfortunately the smallest Gary Fisher my LBS had was a 17.5, which felt pretty decent but was definiltey too big. I really wish I could've ridden a 15.5. The Treks felt awesome in a 16, but I hated the colors he had in stock. I'm going to make my final decision tomorrow so he can order one for me. I am super excited!

[crazycanuck]

I have another thought...

If you're not working on core strength atm..I'd suggest beginning some. Make a swiss ball & other things your friend . You'll appreciate it when you're trying to get uphill or over something.

Dirt..mmmm..