Hey everyone
 

New here so I thought I'd drop a line and say howdy to the boards. Just bought an older (2000) MTB from a friend and just trying to learn the ropes here so I at least have SOME idea of what I'm doing out on the trails here in Mid MO. Great site and seems like there's a lot of knowledgeable people here to learn from. Any newbie tips, tricks, secrets, suggestions, etc are more than welcome. I'll post some pics of the bike as soon as my camera batt. is charged up for all who are interested. See ya around! :beer:

New here too..

Kinda Hijack this thread to say hi as well

Riding for about 3 years,04 stumpy is my ride..

Just as a warning, always check your spelling, or you'll have Raiyn on your case. Also, always spell out wods entirely.

Here it is. Nothing fancy compared to what I've seen on this site, but it has two wheels and goes when I pedal it. :D Its an alum frame, 26x1.5 rims with 2.0 tires on it. Told me the size of the frame but I forgot, he was almost exactly my size though and it fits me just fine. Hopefully will lget a chance to take it out for a while tomorrow if this rain holds off.

BTW, is there a noob portion of this site that the gurus preach to us little grasshoppas? Or is this a pretty noob friendly site through and through? Figured I'd ask now before gettin flamed for asking how to do something crazy simple. :D

Oh boy...

como?

There will be a consensus of people telling you that your bike is junk because it came from Wal-Mart. Some will say that it is good that you have something to get you started biking. Almost everyone will tell you to get a "real" mountain bike ASAP and don't spend money on this one.

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=110676

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=104805

http://www.bikeforums.net/showthread.php?t=82001

Ah. Thanks for the info FrankJohns and for being honest. At least it LOOKS cool. :p
To any others that want to be less welcoming, when you start driving you dont go out and get a BMW, but if they want to go out and purchase a $1500 bike, put a big bow on it, and put it under my tree this year I sure wont *****.
Maybe after college if I havent killed myself on this one I'll take the training wheels off. For now would just like to learn the ropes and start to get involved in this sport. Seems pretty fun to me and pretty excited about getting into it.

I AM rather curious what makes it 'junk' or a 'real' bike. I'm here to learn so if anyone wants to inform that would be a great start for me.

Those threads should give you some idea. The components and the frame are just less well-made.

There is a concern that a crappy bike may not work that well, so you may not get to experience the joys of riding, turning you off to the sport.

You should consider taking it to a bike shop to make sure everthing is tight and safe. Otherwise, as long as you are having fun, ride it until it dies.

As far as a good site for new riders, most are hostile to the sorts of bikes the unintiated often start with, but no one is hostile new people to the sport.

Welcome! and just ride it and have fun. I am fairly new here, but it is a really nooB friendly site, so dont be worried. Just watch for the Rath of Raiyn!
But jusy havefun on your bike, learn the ropes, and if you realize you like it, pay more money later!

If the bike fits you, I'd say its actually not too bad. RockShox fork, threadless type headset, decent looking brakes, and at least the pedals are metal. Not the best, maybe heavy, and probably in need of a tune-up, but definately good for some fun, and I'm glad to see the helmet (lets hope it goes on the head rather than staying on the bars :) ) Bike gloves are nice if you don't have any already. I read something a while ago somewhere along the lines of "when you feel the urge to get a new bike, just get new tires because they can make your bike feel like new"

Yes, the brain bucket will be in use. :D Seen too many wigs split when it could have been avoided had one been worn. And thanks for the kind words about the bike. I didnt think it was too bad either and its not heavy at all IMO, at least for what I consider heavy. Maybe compared to the top of the line stuff, but I'm far from a need for that type of stuff anyway. Might look at getting some gloves, really want a water bottle cage and some type of small bag I can maybe attach to the rear of the seat (?) to carry basics in. The Katy trail runs right through town and would like to work up to checking out some of it in the future. Rode some of it closer to StL when I was younger with friends and family and thought it was neat hitting all the small towns along the way, really enjoyed it from what I remember.

Also, wanted to set some hooks in the garage to hang the bike from. Is there a way to do it that wont damage the bike? I figured not from the rims, maybe from the frame itself? Or will that hurt it over time as well?

As far as tires, they are fine for now, but was reading about the Kevlar threaded ones, or maybe it was Kevlar in the tubes... Thoughts on those?

Thanks all

Hanging a bike by its wheels is fine. The wheels can hold you up while riding the bike so they can definitely handle the bike's weight alone. I've seen bags that attach to the seatpost that would probably serve you nicely.

hey...i am moving to Kirksville!!! You are not that far. right? by the way...welcome, I am new here as well

Oh no! Tears, nay, blood before bedtime :D

Actually that Mongoose is from before Mongoose sold out.

Welcome to Bikeforums! :beer:

K-Ville is about 90mi north of Columbia on 63. Spent a lot of time up there from 99-03 while my now ex-gf went to school at Truman there. Dont think I drank more in my life, ever or anywhere, then in K-ville. What are you moving up there for? Not a whole lot up that way except corn, cows, and college kids. Still know a FEW people up there but not many. A few in my ARNG unit are from up that way but not sure if any of them ride or not. Do have a friend on the SHP in that neck of the woods though, which is handy.

Ok, that makes sense I guess. If it was that fragile that I couldnt hang it by the rim I probably shouldnt trust it enough to ride on it. Duh. :p

How much do those bags run? Will probably hit the local bike shop today and see whats available before I go out and ride for the first time since I hit HS 11 years ago. :D



Also, I remember back 11 years ago, Mongoose bikes were considered fairly decent bikes if memory serves. What and when happened to them to make everyone cringe at the name now?

They got bought by pacific and now make what are known on this board as "wallmart" bikes. Low quality parts, heavy poor quality frame etc...

Welcome to the forums ZelenVR. There are alot of people here willing to help you if you let them. Although it isnt the best bike in the world, as long as you can ride it and have fun is what matters. May I ask how much you paid?

I am going to the DO school there! Hey...does Thousand Hills State park have any okay MTB'ing?? I am not looking for extreme stuff (I am not allowed to get hurt :D ) More or less for a getaway and some fun exercise. Any other potential MTB'ing than this park??

Thanks!

I dropped $150 for the bike, helmet, some replacement tubes and tires, plus he said any problems I had I could bring it down to his house (2 doors down) and he would work on it for me, which was worth it to me right there.

I'm sure there's some trails in the park, couldnt tell ya anything about them unfortunately. Some decent fishing at the lake, plus boat rental isnt too bad there. LOTS of deer there, drive through after dark sometime, you'd swear they were holding a convention or something. They'll almost come up to the car, really neat. Though this was about 3 years ago, it shouldnt have changed too much. Do you know where you are living yet? BTW, I've heard good thing about the DO school there, congrats!

actually, yeah, that mongoose doesnt seem to be one of the mega-crap ones. I think those are even rock shox on the front. Not all bad. I would say that it is a perfectly fine starter bike.