I bought a MTB today!

mattbell

Having been a roadie for 10 yrs, I had the urge to spend some cycle to work cash on a 29er, went out for the first time today, it was rather good fun!

Don't worry, I'll always be a roadie at heart!

Mikey41

I'd hazard a guess that you aren't alone

raymondo60

Ditto - got a great deal on a 2012 Kona 29er from Chain Erection - quick jaunt on Sunday brought back happy memories. I suspect that many of us dedicated roadies actually started out off-road/MTB. While I absolutely love road-riding and could not envisage life without it, some variety in our riding can only be a good thing surely?

mattbell

Raymondo60 wrote:

Ditto - got a great deal on a 2012 Kona 29er from Chain Erection - quick jaunt on Sunday brought back happy memories. I suspect that many of us dedicated roadies actually started out off-road/MTB. While I absolutely love road-riding and could not envisage life without it, some variety in our riding can only be a good thing surely?

I just hope i don't break any bones now!

raymondo60

mattbell wrote:

Raymondo60 wrote:

Ditto - got a great deal on a 2012 Kona 29er from Chain Erection - quick jaunt on Sunday brought back happy memories. I suspect that many of us dedicated roadies actually started out off-road/MTB. While I absolutely love road-riding and could not envisage life without it, some variety in our riding can only be a good thing surely?

I just hope i don't break any bones now!

We can do that on a road bike too! Enjoy your riding my friend.

kajjal

Yeah it's good to have a rugged bike with brakes that work

I recently moved from mountain biking after twenty years and got a road bike. Really enjoying it but the difference in braking power was frightening as I found out round a sharp corner down a steep hill

Buying better brakes and pads now.

raymondo60

Kajjal wrote:

Yeah it's good to have a rugged bike with brakes that work

I recently moved from mountain biking after twenty years and got a road bike. Really enjoying it but the difference in braking power was frightening as I found out round a sharp corner down a steep hill

Buying better brakes and pads now.

Its a completely different discipline Kaj - once you get used to the set-up of a road bike, you'll have just as much control of and confidence in your stopping power - that is, as long as you have a decent set of brakes! Good luck.

kajjal

Thanks, I am getting used to it now and once I fit the new brakes and pads will be fine. The biggest change is the increase in speed and how much easier it is to go up hills

goonz

Raymondo60 wrote:

Ditto - got a great deal on a 2012 Kona 29er from Chain Erection - quick jaunt on Sunday brought back happy memories. I suspect that many of us dedicated roadies actually started out off-road/MTB. While I absolutely love road-riding and could not envisage life without it, some variety in our riding can only be a good thing surely?

I know cycling is fun but that is a whole new level of fun...

freebs

My commiserations!

hairy_boy

I've done it the other way round, had a MTB for last 5-6 years then bought a roadie last November and loving it.

Agree the variety is great. I also find the MTB is great for popping out for an hour down local trails and cycle tracks and stopping at the pub on the way back for a swift pint !

Enjoy your new mistress, make sure to still polish the road bike so she doesn't get jealous !

ddraver

Get yourself some baggies, long fingered gloves and a camelbak too, yes they really are much better off road...

kajjal

Kajjal wrote:

Thanks, I am getting used to it now and once I fit the new brakes and pads will be fine. The biggest change is the increase in speed and how much easier it is to go up hills

Just fitted new 105 brakes to my Road Bike and the difference is very marked. Rather than hanging onto the bike praying the brakes stop me I am now gripping the bike to compensate for the braking force taking the bike from under me. Locked the back wheel up three times in the first ten minutes

Not quite MTB disk brakes with big grippy tyres but alot better now when I have easily enough braking force to hold the brakes just before the point the wheels lock up.

mattbell

ddraver wrote:

Get yourself some baggies, long fingered gloves and a camelbak too, yes they really are much better off road...

I was wondering what the current fashion was, thought I might get laughed at in my lycra!

Daz555

Baggies and a camelbak - yep.

unixnerd

I was wondering what the current fashion was, thought I might get laughed at in my lycra!

I mtb in lycra, but as a roadie at heart I'm faster than the mtb crowd so don't have to hear them berate me for too long :-)

ddraver

Baggies stop your chammy getting wet after the first puddle (less of a problem on a short ride), Camelbaks stop you both losing a bottle in a cage or worse getting the sh1ts from the sheep crap sprayed over the bottle. Long finger gloves stop nettles/brambles ripping your fingers up...

Monty Dog

I sold one of my CX bikes last year and used the money to buy a Ritchey P29er. It saw a lot of use last winter, particularly when the road conditions are awful and running the fattest tyres I could fit running tubeless, I'm able to ride trails that leave a 26er struggling. Been playing around with some Surly Knard 3" wide tyres recently - fantastic, go anywhere grip and you can really rail technical turns whilst easily floating across really soft and sandy conditions - expecting a custom ti frame from China anyday now that gives even bigger tyre clearances. That said, if not riding really technical stuff, the fastest bike offroad is a CX bike - it's only the bike companies that want to people to believe they need expensive, heavy, unreliable full-sus bikes to ride offroad. I was down in the Quantocks on my CX bikes riding up from Halton to pass a group of guys pushing their MTBs uphills - where's the fun in that?

unixnerd

pass a group of guys pushing their MTBs uphills - where's the fun in that?

Couldn't agree more. But have you ever felt how heavy some of these downhill bikes are? My nephew was cycling to work on a really cheap and nasty one he paid very little for, must have been the best part of 20kg! I got him an used road bike for his birthday and he couldn't take the smile off his face for weeks.

ddraver

Anyone who rides a DH bike anywhere other than a DH trail is an idiot

For their specific purpose though there is little alternative...

Bwgan

I dug my full Sus out the other da for a blast round the Marn track, Christ!! So heavy and the suspension saps so much energy, I felt totally unfit!

Mikey41

I'll be out on mine tommorrow for some bridleway action

stueys

ddraver wrote:

Anyone who rides a DH bike anywhere other than a DH trail is an idiot

For their specific purpose though there is little alternative...

This. Though my lbs's seem to be flogging cheap, nasty full sus bikes to people for commuting on the road :? It's beyond painful to see most of the pedal stroke being used to compress suspension every turn....

davep1

ddraver wrote:

Baggies stop your chammy getting wet after the first puddle (less of a problem on a short ride), Camelbaks stop you both losing a bottle in a cage or worse getting the sh1ts from the sheep crap sprayed over the bottle. Long finger gloves stop nettles/brambles ripping your fingers up...

The other side of the coin - I hate baggies, ends of the legs flapping round your knees drives me mad; Camelbaks are like wearing a blanket/plastic sheet over a section of your back, and a bit of mud/sheep crap builds up your immune system; and long-fingered gloves are for COLD weather whatever the bike. Stuff the fashionistas!

ddraver

Would it be rude to suggest you need a pair of shorts that fit you properly?

The fact that 99% of recreational MTBers use long fingered gloves would suggest you may also be mistaken there too...

t4tomo

Most of the DH MTBers i see spend most of their time sat still looking at jump and very occasionally riding down it.

I do have a couple of MTBs for the winter, quite enjoy a blast on the trails through the woods but not really into leaping to my death or crashing into trees. Nothing better that whizzing past guys on heavy full sussy bikes on an old steel hardtail.

Re gloves - the MTB crowd need to man up a bit. Bar ends were invented to keep serious debris off your mitts.

ddraver

t4tomo wrote:

Most of the DH MTBers i see spend most of their time sat still looking at jump and very occasionally riding down it.

Chris Hoy spent a lot of time staring at the track too...

Bar ends are an expensive ticket to A&E, and not necessary with wide bars.

Initialised

I picked up a 2nd hand VooDoo HooDoo for winter duties and off roading.

Took it a couple of times this week (had a new freehub fitted under warranty), hit the trails instead of the road on my lunchtime ride. Makes a change to be caked in mud instead of dripping with sweat!

t4tomo

ddraver wrote:

t4tomo wrote:

Most of the DH MTBers i see spend most of their time sat still looking at jump and very occasionally riding down it.

Chris Hoy spent a lot of time staring at the track too...

Bar ends are an expensive ticket to A&E, and not necessary with wide bars.

Only necessary for the retro look on the steely.

t4tomo

ddraver wrote:

t4tomo wrote:

Most of the DH MTBers i see spend most of their time sat still looking at jump and very occasionally riding down it.

Chris Hoy spent a lot of time staring at the track too...

Bar ends are an expensive ticket to A&E, and not necessary with wide bars.

Only necessary for the retro look on the steely.

Monty Dog

I'm firmly old school - my MTBs are rigid with flat bars and bar ends but my concession to modernity is 29er wheels with 3" tyres! Being old school, it means I'm not sitting the saddle all the time to prevent bobbing and therefore if wearing baggies, annoyingly getting hooked-up on the nose of the saddle.
Yes, I do wear long finger gloves to stop shredding my hands on brambles / trees when riding singletrack and keep my bars narrow enough to fit between the trees, not having to ride around them?.
Perhaps someone could explain the need for flattie / platform pedals vs clipless? Surely clipless pedals are a better way of stopping the pins on pedals taking big chunks out your shins and remove the need for wearing leg guards?