Clear the way - roadie on the trail

[missliz]

Well, what kind of sand are you talking about? Patches in a woods? A beach? Dunes?
On a Mt bike there's nothing as simple as leaning front or back, it's so much about body english. Think in terms of being in a crouch on level pedals and letting the bike run under you, it'll be a little ahead or behind, it'll scooch a little to the side and back to center; you stay straight and lean the bike under you for some movements. You're controlling this, but letting the bike follow the line you pick. Watch skiers on tv, the upper body is relaxed and in one place but the legs glide to where they need to be, they move around all over under. It's a Zen practice, but in more fashionable clothes .
This is hard to explain without being able to demo. Go get a copy of Mountain Bike magazine, try to ignore the ads, there are great articles on technique for beginners. That's how I learned a lot of this. And a lot of practice. Didn't Ned Overend write a book? His skills articles were always the best.
Riding dirt is closer to skiing or dancing, while road riding is closer to distance running. Except that high level roadies have all these skills. Lance can ride dirt.
So back to sand. Stay very realaxed, sit and spin. Same with sticky mud. Be patient. Slumping over the bar, which is sometimes the nessasary position, is not leaning forward. Keep your butt on the seat. Standing up to get through or over is often a bad idea, it raises your heart rate. Also on a road bike. You need to be aware of HR and what cog you're in, because you need to be aware of what's in reserve so you can ration it. And headplants come from the front wheel locking up on something more than leaning forward. You can go over the bars even if your chest is on the seat you're so far off the back.

MM- A fork is great, and it's even more about safety than comfort. But oh god are they comfortable. You can put a modest fork on what you have now, or if you want to buy a used bike with suspension just make sure you know it's history. A fork with a lot of hours on it may be fine if it's been maintained, but get somebody mechanical to help you. A fork with a lot of abuse and no maintenance is trouble waiting to happen. There's a lot of fine bikes from the late nineties around that didn't get ridden much so you can find something swell, just be picky. And get the oil checked before you ride it if there's oil damping (recommended). It dries out or separates and the fork will malfunction.
Since you have no idea what I'm talking about get a freind to help you.

Lizzy

I hope this makes sense.