My first MTB, vacation pics, and advice needed.....

[Irulan]

They say the larger wheels roll easier and full suspension and ‘modern geometry’ (whatever the hell that is) give you more ‘confidence’ to ride over scarier stuff.

Modern geometry IS going to be more stable but 2005 isnt "that" old. I don't follow your gearing discussion at all, but I certainly would stay away from 29" wheels, especially if you are small. I've met enough small women that do not love thier 29ers to make that recommendation.

Really the best thing for building confidence is learning skills. It's not the bike, it's the rider and if the rider is not confident, it doesn't matter what bike you put them. If you want to gain confidence, look for a clinic.

[emily_in_nc]

Hi Trisk ~~ I am excited for you! I remember when I first started MTBing, you weren't interested in it at all, but as you see, sometimes it suits the terrain, and it can be really fun. I pretty quickly (after a few painful falls) decided I didn't care for technical stuff and wasn't willing to devote the time or energy it would take to get good at it at my age, especially since I still want to spend a lot/most of my riding time on the road. That said, I love the kind of "backroads" in your photos (the more rocky, the less I like 'em) and have found many places to ride back gravel roads, fire roads, double track and even easy single track (emphasis on easy!)

I agree on going with the lowest gearing. My MTBs have all had triples, and I rarely use the large chainring. I also don't use the granny much, but it's nice when you really need it. I am in the middle ring about 95% of the time and shifting only in the back since I have 22-32-42 crankset and 11-34 in back, giving me a wide range and plenty of low gears even with the middle ring alone. I have never tried a MTB with wheels larger than 26" and feel sure anything larger would be too big for me.

As for fullie vs. hardtail, don't assume all fullies are going to be heavier than hardtails. My FS Titus Racer X was lighter than my low-end REI Novara hardtail. I'm sure for a given price point, a hardtail is lighter, but I love, love, love full-suspension and would never go back. It's so much comfier on gravel and rocks. The Jamis Dakar XC Comp I bought from Catrin on here is a full-suspension and not super heavy. I can't remember its exact weight (and don't have it with me to weigh), but to me any added weight of rear suspension is well worth it. I know that more technical riders prefer hardtails and hardly ever even sit on the saddle, but that is not me. I get out of the saddle when I can and when it makes sense, but a lot of the roads I ride on my MTB are similar to roads I'd ride on my roadie, only unpaved, and I probably ride it more like a roadie, since that's really what I am.

I hope you are able to get what you want dialed in, and ENJOY your new mountain biking adventures. Loved the photos!

P.S. If you are interested, here's a blog post I did on some of our backroads riding we did this past March in Patagonia, Arizona: http://travelingtwosome.weebly.com/t...redible-sights. These unpaved roads were not too rocky and were a blast to ride. Some good climbs and beautiful scenery. You get to see a lot more with knobby tires as we would have missed all this if we'd only ridden paved roads while we were there.

[Crankin]

Trisk, here is the link to the tour we are doing. I noticed it's rated as "easy going to moderate," but we got the specific details a couple of weeks ago, and I would not consider it easy going! There are a few big climbs, which of course, I guess you could skip, to make it easy.
Emily's experience and comments mirror mine exactly. If I remember, Trisk, you were close to my height, so anything bigger than a 26er would not be my choice.
Sometimes I get the yen to buy another mountain bike, to do the kind of riding Emily describes. There just aren't a lot of dirt roads right around here, although, I seemed to have found some on my birthday "ride 60 for 60" ride last year, in Wayland, MA. Not fun on my road bike, but, I did it.

http://www.cyclingcountry.com/CycleT...cling_Tour.htm