Mountain Biking - Where to begin?

Hey guys,

New on here (forgot I had a username). My names Ty, and I am looking to get into the sport. I realize there's so much to learn, and people probably come on here making similar post's alot, so I apologize in advance for being "that guy" :lol:. Anyways, I am looking into getting into some moderate trails. Nothing crazy with like huge drop offs and jumps and whatnot. I am mainly doing this for exercise and fun, because I need both in order for the exercise thing to happen ;) haha. I have some fun trails about 5 miles from my house so I am planning on riding there, hittin the trails, then riding back. I am basically getting out of motocross and getting into this. I have done it a few times on a bike not meant for it, and it was a blast...but painful

So here's my question (finally :rolleyes: ). What should I be looking for while shopping for a bike? I want a hardtail in the 4-500 dollar range give or take. I would love to buy new, but buying used is probably going to be my best bet. I am 6 foot and weigh 220 lbs (plan to get to 190 eventually).

I just need to know what brands to look for, what specs to look for, and all that jazz. I am not completely new to bike's, but I am definitely not up to par with everything. If you could lead me in the right direction to find a nice bike for a guy built like me that would be fantastic!

Thanks a ton,
Ty

Did you take a look at the sticky at the top of the forum? Lots of good info there...

Rookie mistake :innocent:

Just read it over and it helped a decent amount. I will report back when I learn more/have more questions

Well a friend of mine offered me a deal I couldnt pass up. Piking up a 19" Trek 4300 with Eggbeaters, and 2 rides on it tomorrow for 350, and he is getting a shop to set it up for me. I'll post pics later!

Congrats and welcome. You will find that a few of us are current or ex-moto guys. It's a good background to have come from getting into this :thumb:.

Yeah I feel like it they are pretty similar, but mountain biking requires no gas and will help me lose weigh quicker ;) hahaha. And with trails all around my house I couldn't beat it. I can't wait to see the bike on the back of my Jeep just like I always dreamed of hahaha.

Here she is! The Local Bike Shop was backed up for a few weeks so I picked her up for 330 with shoes that fit me perfectly!

http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c137/kickflip_5_stair/IMG_7828.jpg
http://i26.photobucket.com/albums/c137/kickflip_5_stair/IMG_7831.jpg

Tighten that front skewer before you eat it.

Congrats on the buy. Go out and get it dirty.
Also, do what Chelboed said about the front QR. 5 seconds that would prevent an emergency room trip:)

Congrats on the purchase, enjoy it.

I was just curious whats up with those peddles?

They are made to click into shoes so your feet are attatched to the pegs basically

. . . attatched to the pegs basicallyLove the Freudian slip :thumb:

Haha another rookie mistake :rolleyes:

what is the added benefit of wears clip on shoes.

Easier to pedal in circular motion for more efficiency. (can still be done with practice...sans pulling up)
Shred gnarly hills with more confidence b/c your feet don't come off your pedals when you're bouncing around. (five ten's and some knobbly flats help alot though)
You can use poor technique and still hop over logs.
With practice and patience, you can tear it up with some good flats...clips are sorta the easy way out.

I have been riding bikes for a while, and these clips kinda scare me. I already ate s*** once lol. I am putting my flats on for tomorrows ride

I have been riding bikes for a while, and these clips kinda scare me. I already ate s*** once lol. I am putting my flats on for tomorrows ride

Just get used to em. People say it hurts your form to learn on clipless, but I switched early and rode clipless for 2 1/2 years, then incidentally rode plats one day when borrowing a demo bike. I was flabbergasted at how efficient I was without being attached to my pedals.

I am a little confused ^ Are you advising flats or clips?

I am advising clip(less). I never understood the term... But yes, attach your feet to the pedals. Use the setup pictured.

Haha yeah that is weird. Clipless makes me think that your feet are not connected. I am going to bring the other pedals with me tomorrow and if things get sketchy swap em quick

Youre gonna fall 5 times before you figure out how to get out quickly enough. Pedal around your yard to practice.

Thats what I was doing today. Got one hard fall out of the way so thats good I suppose. hahahah

If you're not using your helmet, it's useless. Go fast, crash often.

Hahaha that was my motto on the MX bike and when I played hockey. Then I broke my femur and it makes me think twice now haha

Clipless = no toe clip. Originally, people used these cages that attached to their pedals that were called toe-clips. Some clipless pedals have a tension adjustment (Shimanos, for example), and you can make them easier or harder to get in and out of. I practiced in my living room leaned up against the wall. It took me all of 2 minutes to figure out. It's really not as hard an adjustment as people make it sound. The hardest thing is if you screw up and have to restart and clip-in going up a steep hill. That's not to say I'd trust myself to get out of them if I were jumping or something, but 99% of the time, if I eat **** with clipless, I would have eaten **** with platforms too.

I have clipless on one bike and platforms on the others. Can't decide which one I like better. Clipless is easier for all the reasons chelboed mentioned, but it's easy to cheat, and with platforms, I'm more confident doing stuff at the limit of my ability.

Well took her on the shakedown run today! It did awesome! I need to fix the front brake. For some reason it doesnt seem to work. Like the cable isnt moving inside the plastic outer shell. The clipless pedals scare the **** out of me haha. It makes me such a nervous rider, and the fact that they have me putting my weight on the front of my feet makes me not feel one with the bike. I am putting on some platforms tonight