Mountain Biking - New to this sport....couple questions please...

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jlane3965
08-03-08, 08:49 AM
Im new to this sport. Retired from running and a fomer road biker(43yrs old)...have some basic questions.
-I've been on about 5 singletrack rides in Richmond and am getting better but reading some of these magazines and I'm worried I dont have a good enough performing bike. I bought a diamondback Topanga for about $320 bucks and put clipless pedals on it. Is it light enough? How much lighter and better performing are the ones that cost more and have frame shocks in them? Also, having trouble getting out of the clips when I fall. Are all singletrack riders clipped in? Thanks alot. Really enjoying this so far....

zjk
08-03-08, 09:35 AM
i use clipless and at first, my pedals were really hard to get out of. This was because they were set a little tighter from the manufacturer, so all i had to do was use an allen wrench to loosen them up a little bit. If we knew what kind of pedal it is, we could probably tell you how to loosen it as well.
mtnbiker66
08-03-08, 09:59 AM
Im new to this sport. Retired from running and a fomer road biker(43yrs old)...have some basic questions.
-I've been on about 5 singletrack rides in Richmond and am getting better but reading some of these magazines and I'm worried I dont have a good enough performing bike. I bought a diamondback Topanga for about $320 bucks and put clipless pedals on it. Is it light enough? How much lighter and better performing are the ones that cost more and have frame shocks in them? Also, having trouble getting out of the clips when I fall. Are all singletrack riders clipped in? Thanks alot. Really enjoying this so far....

43?? You're just a young whippersnapper!Welcome to the forum.
You're bike is fine for right now.I ride a long travel somewhat heavy bike for my main rig and i get around fine on it. The more seat time you have the better you're going to get. As you progress you'll start to figure out what you want in a bike and you can upgrade parts or upgrade to a new bike. If you get the upgrade bug,a lighter wheelset and a better fork are good places to start.

Cheeto
08-03-08, 12:50 PM
I race with a 31-32 pound bike