Mountain Biking - One month later

About a month ago I had received in the mail my new ride. These are my riding impressions up until now.
After 5 years off from riding(broken collar bone and a new time consuming job) I got a Yeti 575.
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The bike was an investment for me needless to say but I am using the cost as one of the motivating factors to get back into riding again. I have been riding a trail called Lost Valley http://www.stlbiking.com/Trail-LostValley.htm . The trail is great for beginners looking for a close, somewhat easy ride.
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On the first ride I went over the handle bars at about 15mph because of a large stump in the grass on the side of the trail that I didnt see :D . I have been riding about 5 days per week since the beginning. When I started I could only do about half of the 8 mile loop because of no breath and no legs. Now I am happy to say I can ride the 8 mile loop twice without stopping in about 2 1/2 hrs and feel good doing it. I have been getting used to the bike and it has allowed me to ride MUCH MUCH faster than my old hardtail. If you havent tried a FS bike PLEASE try it. The botton line so far is that I am still finding out what my bike can to and my fitness level is getting better with every ride.
The bike had been flawless except for a squeaky Race Face crank set
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that I am waiting for a part that will allow me to remove the set and find out what the problem is. I really cant tell you how the bike rides because I have nothing to compare it to or have not been riding it long enough.
I have changed the tires to John Tomac Kenda Nevegal 1.9 with the Stans No Tube treatment and have changed the seat to a Selle Italia model
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Picture.jpg because the seat that came with it made my twig and two berries very numb :eek: . Thats it for right now I guess but I will post again if anything news worthy pops up :) .

Sounds like your doing well with your fitness and a sweet new ride always helps. The more you ride the more you will know what you want your bike to do.

Sounds like you're getting after it well. If you haven't done Matson hill yet, you should. It's only 3 miles long, but it's sweet. A bit more challenging than Lost Valley. It feels very similar to the wooded single-track portion of Lost Valley.

I havent heard of Matson http://www.saintcharlescounty.org/DesktopDefault.aspx?tabid=1711 but I will find it and give it a try. Soon I will be going to Castle Woods and then to Chubb, not in the same day though :) . My rear disc is now sceaming when I squeez the leaver. I think I got some chain lube in it so that means new break pads I think. In the second or third week in October I will be going to a trail called Berry Man, I was told its really tough. http://www.fs.fed.us/r9/forests/marktwain/recreation/sites/berryman_trail/

A few years ago I needed motivation, but did not go as far as a new bike. I set myself a goal, and that was to do a ride that I had last done 5 years before. Took 6 months of hard training to prepare for it, but it was Kill or cure. I,m cured, but I do wish I had taken your route and bought a Yeti instead of memebership to my local gym to do the extra training.

A few years ago I needed motivation, but did not go as far as a new bike. I set myself a goal, and that was to do a ride that I had last done 5 years before. Took 6 months of hard training to prepare for it, but it was Kill or cure. I,m cured, but I do wish I had taken your route and bought a Yeti instead of memebership to my local gym to do the extra training.
I have been living around my job and not living around my life, that is why I decided to get back into sport of mountain biking. I have been drooling over Yetis for the last 10 years and when I opened my eyes I then realized that getting one was within my means. I guess its more of a lifestyle choice rather than just getting into shape. I dont want to get into the Zen thing but my choice was about balance and if that meant getting into better physical condition then thats an added bonus.
Congrats to you for setting a goal and no matter how you got there you did :) . You made a decision and stuck with it. Its about being responsible to yourself and having the discipline to see your goal till the end :beer: :beer: .

Zapcod, I'm just getting back into MTBing too. My friends and I usually try to hit the Chubb at least a couple of times a week. We meet at West Tyson park at 5:20 pm after work. One leg of the loop is very technical. But, if you start at the other trailhead, you can ride the whole thing. Only the best of the best can ride the whole Chubb with out stepping off. I'm working up to the Berryman as well. I hiked it a few years ago and now I'm gearing up to ride it. I plan to hit it this fall as well. You should also check out Council Bluff. It's a great intermediate single-track trail. Very similar to the Berryman, just about half the length. Next time down, I plan to park a car at each trailhead and do a lap and a half. If I can do the whole 20 miles in a decent time, then I think I'll be ready for the Berryman. I've never done Castlewood, but I hear it's kind of like Lost Valley. Pretty tame. Get in touch with me if you want to ride. I've got a couple of good friends from kayaking that are getting me into MTBing. It's always good to have someone better than you to ride with. My e-mail is elwoodcg at yahoo dot com if you want to ride.