Quote Originally Posted by SadieKate View Post
Emily, I'm pondering your focus on weight. At what PSI are you running your tires? MTBs get better traction if you run your tires as low as possible. Since you are light, you should be able to go pretty low on a FS bike. A good way to determine this is to lower the pressure until you start to get pinch flats. Add back a few pounds of air and that's the pressure you want.
I typically pump them up to 40 psi (tires say 40-60 PSI, but I do know that since I'm lighter I should err towards the low side) then let them mellow for a
few weeks before pumping them again (VERY different from road tires where I pump at least once a week!) So exactly what PSI they gradually get to is going to be a little different week by week. I have never gotten a flat on my mtb, though, if that's any indication. And I really don't want to run my tires so low I start flatting. I am not great at changing tires and hardly ever get one on road bikes either so haven't had to change many.

Part of the issue is that I ride in one park that has mostly fire roads and one very smooth double-track trail. No roots, but some sand/washed out areas and ruts. Lots of long climbs. So, I like to keep my tire pressure higher for riding there as I am afraid that very low pressure will be super sluggish on long climbs.

The other park is twisty, rooty singletrack, and I do know to have lower PSI there, but perhaps it's still not low enough. If I'm going to ride there, I never pump the tires, but I don't let air out either. Maybe I should be.

I am sure weight (of the bike or of me) is only a small factor, if it is a factor at all. I did notice that my Titus is much more responsive (twitchy) than my heavier Novara Bonita on the trails, so I figured weight mattered somewhat, but maybe it's all geometry, wheelbase, or the difference between FS and HT? But I remember reading in the past that bike weight makes some difference in stability on the trails, and then Tri Girl's post in this this thread kinda reinforced that, but maybe it's not the case, since you don't seem to think so. I stand corrected.

I am sure my inexperience is my main problem I have as I am relatively new to MTB (been riding on the road for years) and don't have anyone experienced to ride with and learn from except every now and then, when a guy from work joins my friend and I on our rides, so I just have to learn as I go. I do okay, no falls this year, actually, but I do get off and walk the hairy parts. My riding buddy is inexperienced too, so can't help with technique. And I've never seen a mtb class or clinic around here. I'm sure that would help a lot.

I probably won't be able to work on my technique much until next year as it is too dark to ride after work now, and we travel a lot on weekends, so I probably won't get too many MTB rides in 'til next spring. I'm not nearly as serious about it as a lot of gals on here; I just enjoy getting out and riding in the woods, but I have so many other activities I do when I'm not at work that I'm a jack of all trades, master of none. If I really put my mind to mtbing and did it often, I am sure I'd improve a lot more than I have over the last year+.

Sorry again for the thread drift, Velobambina. Have you gotten to try out any MTBs yet? It really is loads of fun, though I don't think I was really prepared for how much I was going to fall (compared to road riding) in my first season (summer/fall 2006) of riding. I am not fond of falling, but have been staying upright lately!

Emily