Just saying hi and maybe a little advice asking

shaggs2riches

Hi I've lurked a bit before deciding to join and now that I have, thought I should give a bit of intro. I'm just turning 29 next week, and hadn't ridden a bike since I was 16, and just bought my first MTB three weeks ago. I'm quite into kiteboarding, and mountainboarding also play a bit of guitar. While I'm not fabulous at either one I still give it all I can. This past winter I got the bug to bike after watching a bunch of videos one evening. The names Colton, but tons of people call me Shaggs for a long different story. I'm from Lloydminster Saskatchewan, Canada so not really hilly but there are a few. Hope to learn and play enough to get out to the mountains for some real riding, but from everything I've been learning I have my plate full right where I am. Currently a plump 190 5foot 6inches tall, but now that I bought a bike hoping to drop 20-30lbs.

For my first bike I bought a Cannondale SL29er 2. So far I like it and feel comfortable on it. I started to look into the components on it and am learning that it might need some upgrades as time goes on. Most of my current riding is on the flat to and from work through a field then 4 miles of pavement, but plan to use it for more than that. So I was wondering where you guys might start upgrading when the time comes. Also where one should draw the line when upgrading a $1200 bike??? I was thinking of some sort of tubeless tire setup to begin with and then move into start upgrading the drivetrain from the current X-5 to X-9 (or X-0 if I find stuff on a great sale to justify it). I also looked at the front fork and maybe going to a Rock Shox Reba instead of the Recon that is on it. There just seems like an endless amount of stuff one can get to customize, and I have a bad habit of wanting to do to much to be justified. Anyway your best advice on where to start and how far to go would be greatly appreciated. I'm thinking of making it a two year project after all so I have lots of time to find what I like.

Thanks
Shaggs

cooldad

Tyres maybe but I wouldn't do anything else until bits either wear out or are obviously inadequate for what you want to ride.

1mancity2

cooldad wrote:

Tyres maybe but I wouldn't do anything else until bits either wear out or are obviously inadequate for what you want to ride.

+1

YeehaaMcgee

1mancity2 wrote:

cooldad wrote:

Tyres maybe but I wouldn't do anything else until bits either wear out or are obviously inadequate for what you want to ride.

+1

+2

grl

If your riding will not change significantly change over the life of your 2 year project, there's nothing significant to change unless things break/fail through wear and tear/you like buying new stuff (no one's going to blame you for that!)

Giles

shaggs2riches

Thanks for the advice. I really appreciate it. You confirmed my gut feeling and advice from a local enthusiast to just ride it till stuff breaks. I will put those things on the burner till that happens and use what I have to learn the ropes. One thing I ran into was the Kenda SB 8 tires being completely useless in some really loose gravel spots I tried to ride last weekend. Basically I rolled to a stop no matter how hard I was pushing the pedals or how fast in a lower gear. So I might look for something that will perform close to the same on the pavement, but give more traction in some mud and loose stuff. One more thing that has been buggin me on my short 20 minute 4 mile rides to work is how uncomfortable sitting can get. Maybe I'll look into something a bit cushier saddle wise or some padded shorts. Otherwise I'm having a blast. Gonna try to go to the local ski hill and learn to climb a bit maybe this weekend should be a learning experience.

YeehaaMcgee

There aren't any three that are great on mud, loose gravel and pavement. Hell, there isn't really any tyre that's good on just loose gravel. The stuff's like ball bearings.
As for the saddle, keep riding for a while before deciding to change it. It takes a while to get used to being in the saddle for a while.
Padded shorts, however are great. A lot of mtbers use Lycra cycling shorts, but wear baggies over them. Oh, and remember, don't wear anything under the padded shorts.