Mountain Biking - New Here

Hi! Just thought I'd introduce myself, since it's my 1st time here. My name's Stephanie. I just got my new haro mountain bike, and I'm still in the process of breaking it in. Hopefully i'll be back in practice with it by the time we go to arkansas for the trails in a few weeks :) I havn't been mountain biking in a few years (I used to live in Littleton, Colorado which is in the foothills of the Rockies...so I did a whole lot of amateur mountain biking ) since I moved to Texas, but my boyfriend and I have been riding around on some local bike paths trying to get ready for the trip.

I was wondering if anyone had any suggestions for keeping your knees from hurting. Although I have a feeling that it's mostly genetics causing it.. (even though I'm only 19, I have some joints issues which I first noticed in martial arts a few years ago... and my mother also had a lot of problems as young as 17 ) my knees are really -really- sore after biking. Just wondering if anyone had any suggestions on that, or if anyone had any experience with biking around the Hot Springs area.

Nice to meet everyone!

well hello stephanie, in my opinion i'd have to say that since you already have genetic issues about your joints, and one of the reason they hurt after a ride can be vibrations, so i would suggest getting a full suspension to ease that up, and since we have no details I assume that your bike is a hardtail. But i guess a full suspension is out of the question since your bike is brand new. So all i can say is if those knees start to ache during a ride, just take it a bit easier and choose the smoothest path possible until you are feeling better.

you probably knew this already but having the seatpost adjusted to the correct height reduces pain in the knees. you'd want your legs to be *almost fully extended at the lowest pt of the pedal stroke.

No, they're not adjusted correctly. Which is why she can't jump a curve and cannot stand up. She's pretty short, and we got her a 13 inch frame. The frame is correct, it's just she wasn't there with me at the shop to size it, and it never occured to me that she need to size it herself. Duh. I asked her if it was alright, but she said it was fine. So, tommorrow we will size her bike. >_< And she's had these joint problems for a while. Even in karate she had a problem that when she kicked, her knee and hips would click.

Ooh, and yes, it's a hardtail; Haro V3.

I have found that dehydration can cause joint pain. Try drinking as much water as you can. I know being in Texas you are use to the heat. It’s going to be hot and humid in Arkansas too. It sounds like it will be a good trip.

she can't jump a curve

Do you mean curb?

Do you mean curb?

Those either. ;)

Any tips for curb jumping? I've tried showing her to no avail.

The first thing you need to do is set the seat height properly. While sitting on your bike, place your heel on the center part of the pedal in a 6 o'clock position. Raise or lower the seat to where your knee barely locks out. Tighten. Then, when you ride with the ball of your foot on the center of the pedal, your knee WILL NOT lock out.

Once set, make some fine tuning adjustments by raising or lowering the seat in 1/8" increments.

If your knees lock out while pedaling or your hips are rocking side to side the saddle is too high. If your leg is still bent at the 6 o'clock position it's too low. You leg should be almost straight! (not locked but straight)

Jumping curbs will come in time. First, do you know how to wheelie? That's the most important skill on the trail. If you can lift your front tire over an obstacle, you usually have enough momentum to roll over it with your back tire.

I've known riders who've been riding for 5 years who still can't hop a curb.

L8R

I've had good results using Glucosamine for the aches and pains in my joints. It's a pretty popular vitamin that you should be able to find just about anywhere...

I don't know about the pedals, but new riders tend to have the cleats in the wrong position, and that will strain the knees.
Also, make sure you're using the full range of gears and not over spinning or trying to climb in a high gear, the leg muscles might handle it, but the knees hate it.

Glucosamine is not a vitamin, and efficacy can vary. Don't take it if you're allergic to shellfish.

well glucosamine isn't technically a vitamin, but it's a supplement, so hes not that far off

well glucosamine isn't technically a vitamin, but it's a supplement, so hes not that far off

A vitamin is a compound your body needs for metabolism (A,B,C,D,EA,K). A supplement is something that a company tries to convince you that you need.