Steel mountain bike?

[tjuillerat]

I don't know Tanya Are you talking about Jonathan's wife? I will keep this in mind though - once my leg has fully recovered

I do think that Ms. Explorer would like to try some simple dirt trails though - I know she can handle that. As far as FS is concerned, if I do go this direction then a full suspension bike would probably be kinder to my 51 year old joints (birthday next week).

I'm always happy to ride with anyone! Timing can sometimes be tricky with the little one, but with enough warning and I can find a sitter and hit the trails. I'm usually free on Wednesdays if that would ever work for you.

I too would suggest a FS. After years of riding horses and getting beat up with a bad back, I would not trade in my FS for anything. I started out on a hardtail (only cause I didn't know any better) but switched to a FS after about year and have loved every minute of it. HTs are great for learning to pick your lines, but the FS is definitely more friendly to the body.

Shoot me an email any time (tania at sub-9 dot com) or send me a message here. I hope to see some of you at the Midwest Women's Clinic in June.

Cheers,
~Tania

[kimikaw]

Catrin,

I'm going to also suggest you look closely at a FSR. Same age as you, and after riding both a 29er HT and the demo Trek FSR that it feels better on my body with the FSR. Esp over rocks, roots and the like that WI trails are covered with. And being sensitive to vibration/buzz, the full suspension pretty much removes.

I know they are a bit heavier - but in my case realize taking 30lbs off of me would more than solve that issue.

I'm fairly tall (5'8") but short reached, making me lean to WSD. The other issue is the WSD specific brake levers - smaller, easier to use. But who knows. One thing with MTB is not really gripping the bars, and feathering the brakes with a single finger (I keep thumb and trigger finger on the shifters, middle and ring on the brake lever). Could actually be easier for arthritic hands. Dunno.

In addition to their demo teams, I'm pretty sure both Trek and Specialized have demo/short term rent programs. Plus at least in these parts, several LBS offer weekend/day rentals. May give you a better feel for what you really want. I'm currently lusting after a Specialized Safire WSD....but the new Salsa full suspension 29er (Spearfish) has me interested. Won't be doing anything this year, but am pretty sure down the road there will be a FSR MTB in my stable.

[Catrin]

I'm always happy to ride with anyone! Timing can sometimes be tricky with the little one, but with enough warning and I can find a sitter and hit the trails. I'm usually free on Wednesdays if that would ever work for you.

I too would suggest a FS. After years of riding horses and getting beat up with a bad back, I would not trade in my FS for anything. I started out on a hardtail (only cause I didn't know any better) but switched to a FS after about year and have loved every minute of it. HTs are great for learning to pick your lines, but the FS is definitely more friendly to the body.

Shoot me an email any time (tania at sub-9 dot com) or send me a message here. I hope to see some of you at the Midwest Women's Clinic in June.

Cheers,
~Tania

Thanks for the note Tania! Your husband left no doubt on his preference for FS over hard tails when we discussed this during a fitting appointment Thursday.

Let me get this leg healed, and if we can get our schedule together, the weather is nice and a rental bike available, then it would be great if we could head out to give me a taste of what this is like. I want to make sure this leg is healed before I throw anything new at it so we may need to wait for spring. I just want to try this before I start considering a purchase, and it doesn't seem wise to do it by myself

Kimikaw - for some reason I had a much easier time with bike fit with my LHT than I did the Trek WSD that I sold. Currently am leaning toward a Jamis or Niner if I do eventually proceed with this. I like the idea of a 29er if we can get one that fits me properly. Thankfully my LBS does demo bikes so I am sure something can be worked out when the time comes. A sizable deposit that is refunded is certainly a better option than buying something that might not work for me