Mountain bikes

“Lol@JS...

I'm with Nigal on Giant bikes btw...I've had my Giant road bike for 20+ years and other than normal maintenance have never had any problems with it.”

“That's because u nvr ride it.

I am buying a bike as I type this...”

“Yeah whatever moochie...why don't you bring your new bike down here this weekend and we'll go ride Lawless? :)

So what did you end up getting?”

“Novara Ponderosa 29er Bike - 2009



http://www.rei.com/product/776964

Thanks for all for your help. I did look at the Giant bikes and had I not had a huge dividend to spend I might have gone that route. In the end I went with REI... the bike, being on sale, was $200 after my dividend. So the out of pocket was a lot less.

I looked at other bikes as well. It came down to this one or the Marin Alpine Trail 29er. I decided I liked the Novara's components and what looked to be a beefier frame. The Marin was a great bike and clearly a LOT of value being almost $200 less than the Novara.

I struggled on the tire bit. I went with the 29er tire size because it felt good when I rode it, the larger tire bikes got great reviews and it seemed like it would be a good fit for much of the riding I'll probably do. I figured I wouldn't be making a mistake going with the larger tires so I decided what the hell and went for it. The larger tires looked fatter to me as well... I figure that would not be a bad thing.

Took it out for a spin and it is... well... a bike. I am not a cyclist so I wouldn't know a crappy bike from a good one. The shifts are clean and responsive on every gear, moving both up and down. The brakes seem to work well... they do what brakes are supposed to do. It makes a cool humming noise from the fat tires.”

“...btw, is riding "Lawless" like riding commando?”

“..btw, is riding "Lawless" like riding commando?

Lol no, Lawless is a local single track that I ride (well, used to ride)...it's a fun 10 mile ride with lots of twists and turns and fun downhills!”

“TK Lawless?”

“That's it...that and Yankee Springs up in Grand Rapids are my two favorite local trails!”

“Looks like a fun new toy!”

“Already took a dump in it and banged it up. I forgot how much I hated road rash.”

“Btw upluver I am gaggin to get this thing on the trail and if I am gonna do an AR I need to boot camp it soon so you need 2 beat me up.”

“Lol@Yogi...you better get used to the road rash if you're gonna mtn bike :D

And check your facebook!”

“Nice bike and a nice price too Yogi. Congrats!”

“Good luck with your new bike, looks nice.”

“Had a good ride yesterday. I went just under 20 miles. One section of trail was all dry and then I hit a muddy spot. I wanted to turn back so as to not wreck the trail but I went through it anyway (gasp!). Man, did I get muddy and it was fun. So much for good trail ethics. It's a general forest preserve trail, not specifically a mtn bike trail but I would rather not tear up the local resources if I can.

I liked the aggressive posture of the mountain bike (remember, I have never ridden one before). Very fun.”

“Hehe, Yogi's hooked!!!

Gotta love the mud! :D

Where'd ya ride at?”

“Picked up a Yakima Swing Daddy cause I couldn't get my new bike and the kids in the truck without stuff getting all balled up. Nice setup if you have a 2" receiver.”

“bought some new clip-in pedals for the mtn bike. i ride clipped in my road bike and figured what the heck.”

“Clipless is the only way to ride. Well, except for around town. I prefer just an open pedal for that.”

“i got the Crank Brothers Acid 1 pedals. i have never used their attachments... always spd... but i have a friend that loves them so i figured what the heck. used my rei 20pct off coupon of course. sorry if i am using the wrong terms. i said "clipped in" and "clipped" and i know that "clipless pedals" are often called "clip in" or "step in" but i think you know what i mean.

not sure if i will like these based on the reviews but i don't buy based on reviews alone and rei has my back if they suck.”

“alwys just used shimano spd myself. well, i had some onzas for a while that were the same concept but used elastomers instead of a spring mechanism. I have seent eh crank bros. they look like egg beaters? i would just be afraid of bending one of the splines but let us know how they work out after you have beat on them for a while.”

“I was just looking at a set of the Crank Bros Egg Beaters Yogi. $110 though. Plus I have a very hard time going 100% clip dedicated like I will want to jump on the bike and run to the store but will have to put on the special damn shoes. LOL!

I'll probably get the cheaper shimanos.”

“These are the ones I got. I thought the design looked interesting. The reviews are mixed. I used my 20 pct off coupon at REI. The big platform should provide an easy "target" for the fit... like stepping into a regular pedal... the four-sided entry means you don't have to worry about the orientation of the pedal... the one thing I hate, hate, hate about my current SPD pedals.



http://www.rei.com/product/768254”

“These are my SPD pedals. I got them because it made for easy switch between SPD and street shoes... which they do provide. I hate, however, having to make sure the right side of the pedal is facing up. It drives me nuts.



http://www.rei.com/product/668198”

“The SPDs are the ones I was thinking of settling on. I can see how having to flip them would drive you crazy but I'm pretty used to that because I have the cages/regular peddles on both my bikes now and I have become good enough that I don't even have to look down to turn the peddle and seat in on the cages.

It'll be a good while before I get anything so I'll have plenty of time to do research and learn.”

“...same story here. The cages were easy to get right 'cause the cage is so huge. You'll like the pedals but I bet you'll have to adjust the tension a few times 'til they are right for you. It's not a big deal. Other than the orientation thing they are a fine pedal and very rugged. I am sure you will be pleased once you get used to them. Street riding around here is all stop-n-go so you spend a lot of time getting in and out of the things. It's aggravating mostly because of the number of times you have to do it. You simply can't tell which way the pedal is flipped without looking at it. I am sure you'll find a system.”

“I'm pretty spoiled here in Ohio. My 12 mile city bike path is more stop and go than our roads. We have back country roads you can go for hours on and not see a car. We have MASSIVE amounts of riding availible here. I believe we have more Rails-2-Trails miles than any other state. We have over 20 MB trails spread all over and I have four within 50 of me.

Our newest trail is called MoMBA and just looking at the map it's a monster. Being a loop trail it's not big on miles but they pack every type of riding and terrain into it.”

“Nigal,

My recommendation is that if you ride a road bike, you should get platform road pedals, not the mtn. bike pedals. The transfer of power and stability is much greater with the road platform clip ins vs. a mtn spd. With a mtn SPD, all the pressure is being put on the one little clip on the ball of your foot vs a road clip which is nearly the length of the shoe sole. It means two pairs of shoes (if you mtn bike), but is well worth it in the long run.

My treat to myself this year is going to be to be the nicest pair of Looks and Sidis that I can afford.”

“When I'm riding through town, I flip my pedal on one side so I don't have to clip and unclip for the stops. My co-worker stays clipped and at short lights balances...I've not seen him do it, but he has lots of witnesses...I'm a chicken, nothing worse than literally falling over in front of every car at the stop light.

Rosey..Sidis....nice shoes...”

“Doing wheel stands is essential for riding clipless in the city.

For sure Stokely. I've tried them on several times and they are far and away the most comfortable bike shoe made.”

“When I'm riding through town, I flip my pedal on one side so I don't have to clip and unclip for the stops

Or when you're mtn. biking! :p~~

(ok Joe is now gonna die...it's been nice knowing you all! lol)

And those are nice pedals Yogi...I might have to invets in a pair of those!! :)”

“I had to drop the road bike back off at the shop and have it retuned so I had to ride the mountain bike for the morning ride. I wasn't looking forward to it because I put the big fat nobbies back on it and it was going to wear my ass out on the bike path. After a week on the road bike I had a blast on the MB. I was riding up river levies and jumping curbs.”

“i got my new pedals last night from rei. i promptly install them (OF COURSE) and took them for a spin after dinner. they are wonderful. i don't have to look at my feet to engage the clips. i just aim for the pedal and go. it took a little practice but after about 10 minutes i was clipping in and out with no problems. the twist to exist was likewise effortless. this is a far cry from a field test, but for now i already know i like the four-sided entry of the crank brothers design far better than the one-sided entry of my other set of pedals (which, as I said, I hate with a passion). one drawback is that the crank bros cleats aren't computable with my spd pedals... but as i said i hate the pedals so i'll prolly replace them with a crank bros model so i can use the same shoes.

i have a pair of lake shoes i bought for touring. i looked tha "mountain bike" shoes and at least cosmetically and from a construction perspective i could not tell there was s difference. so i am sticking with my shoes... i am not that advanced of a rider (newb) so i suspect it matters not.”

“Is it just me or is it the better the biking gear/clothes the uglier/gay they look? I mean, those high end shoes are some fugly ass shoes. Ryan Seacrest would go for them in a heartbeat if they weren't so ugly.

One of my goals, having entered the world of road cycling is to never wear clothes that are too pretentious, revealing or gay. In other words; no shorts that reveal my religion, no bright ad-splashed jerseys, and no gay shoes.

This ain't no Tour de France. This is Tour de Dirtbag.”

“LMAO! This is so true.

when i got my touring bike i went to get a helmet. i asked a cycling friend of mine what kind to get. he showed me this red-white-and blue thing that was super impressive. he went on about how this was what lance armstrong wore and it was lighter, had more air vents, etc. aside from the patriotic (but gay) color scheme i was sold. so i went to the bike shop and found the helmet. i nearly sh*t my pants when i saw the price tag. it was a fair margin of what i paid for my bike! so i asked the sales guy what was different between this helmet and the one a few shelves down that cost a LOT less. he showed me some label about how they both met some government standard for crash safety and smiled. needless to say i bought the less expensive helmet. oh, and it was white with some sort of muted pattern on it.

...when i got back my friend asked me why i didn't get the one that he recommended. i told him that if i was going to get passed on a community bike trail by a young woman wearing flip-flops it sure as hell wasn't going to be while wearing a helmet that cost that much money. hehe.

so i ride in my running clothes except for a pair of cycling shorts with a padded butt that i got when i bought my touring bike.

...my shoes? they are... functional. i'll leave it at that. :)”

“LOL! I went through the same thing when I bought my helmet. The bike shop I go to is real honest and said that the cheap helmets meet the same standards as the high end ones. Mine was $39 and plain white. :)”

“The make tons of biking clothes that are not flamboyant. Of course, skin-tight lycra does nothing to help the image, but it sure feels good. What I've learned about biking apparel:

1. Pearl Izumi makes the best. It may cost the most but this is because it lasts so much longer and performs better. I will only buy PI shorts. They are just so much better.

2. You can skimp on cheaper jersies through Nashbar or Performance. And, they have solid colors.

3. Buy the nicest shoes you can afford.

4. If you are in good shape, chicks like bike shorts on men (at least CA chicks do). So do gay guys, so I guess there is a tradeoff, unless of course, you're gay. If you are insecure about your sillouette, try Extenz or a Swedish penls enlarger.”

“I agree with Rosey...Pearl Izumi.

And, as a "chick", I also agree with Rosey about the bike shorts...you've earned that body...show it off! We (chicks) don't mind it...

I have to say...you boys are killing me...I thought only women worried about this kind of stuff?!”

“I haven't earned the body yet. I still got a little muffin-top going on that would not be too flattering in bike shorts. Plus there is the moose knuckle factor. LOL!

I was slobbering all over the Pearl Izumi rain jackets at the shop the other day.”

“Well, Nigal and Yogi obviously walk a fine line when it comes to fashion sense...
last edited: 5/14/09 11:59:34 AM”

“These are the best cycling jersey's that I have ever seen..

http://store.deschutesbrewery.com/category.aspx?categoryID=4

'32oz”

“Yeah, that's exactly the type of thing I avoid. Ya pay $60 for a shirt AND they get free ad space? [snort] Not!”

“Not saying it's wrong for someone else to wear something like that, mind you. Just not me. *wink*”

“Particularly for road cycling the shorts are real important. The "chamois" goes a long way toward keeping things comfortable and working. Mt biking with the under armour and stuff folks wear the chamois is not so important I guess. I have a good pair of riding shorts finally and wouldn't part with them An old t-shirt is good for a jersey especially if you use a hydration pack instead of bottles. I used to look for rear pockets but finally decided if I'm going to use a hydration pack of reasonable size I can't get to the pockets anyway so why bother.”

“I'm with rev here...if you're going to do any kind of long distance riding buy some good shorts...chafing sucks!!

Besides if you're gonna ride a snob bike dress the part! lol

Mtn biking of course is a whole different ball game...I usually wear old shorts and the cheapest wicking shirts I can find...they're gonna get tore up anyway :)”

“I wear some of the unpadded shorts under my regular workout shorts. I'll start looking for some good PI shorts on sale.”

“One of my goals, having entered the world of road cycling is to never wear clothes that are too pretentious, revealing or gay. In other words; no shorts that reveal my religion, no bright ad-splashed jerseys, and no gay shoes.

This ain't no Tour de France. This is Tour de Dirtbag.”
Nigal

Man, I HEAR ya! Just driving around Boulder, every person on pedals - other than some kids around the campus - looks like they're ready for the Tour de Atlanta/France/Wherever. Its a bit hilarious.”

“Oh and I just love seeing the fat middle aged guys in the skin tight Discovery Channel jerseys and shorts.”

“OK, this is officially bullshyt! I've been trying to get on the trails all spring but every time I have a weekday off it rains the two days before and I can't get out. I think I'm gonna have to play hooky for the day soon.”

“i went to palos on sunday and monday. great days... i went alone on sunday and took my boys on monday. they had a blast. i am still recovering. i had a couple of good wrecks and now know how fast i can get out of those crank brother pedals! amazingly no blood or bruises, although my wrists hurt.

only bike problem was the seatpost. it kept getting lower and lower. i kept having to adjust the damn thing. not sure the best fix for this... there seems to be some oil on the post that i cleaned off and that helped, but it still twisted and got lower over time. i am thinking i might take it out and ruff it up with some sandpaper or somehow burl some hatching into the post.”