Dabbling in the Dark Side
Mikey41
Posts: 690
Hi all.
I've been a road rider for the last year, but I felt like I'd been missing out on half the sport. A nice bonus at work has provided funds for an MTB and I pick it up on saturday 8)
I've stayed in the family and bought a Giant Revel 1 Ltd, which seems a good starting point to me. I know the fork is not regarded as massively good, but I'm sure it will be fine for fire roads and light trails, and I can always upgrade it later if needed. I'm probably never going to be going for the serious rough stuff or downhill.
Otherwise it'll get used for general punting about and riding with my brother and his 4yr old. Lets face it, it's far easier to ride an MTB slowly, trying to ride a road bike slow is a real pain, they don't like it at all even without the toe-overlap thing going on.
I just need to research where I can and can't ride the thing off-road, found a few Lakes routes to have a go at though, that should get me going.
See you around
I've been a road rider for the last year, but I felt like I'd been missing out on half the sport. A nice bonus at work has provided funds for an MTB and I pick it up on saturday 8)
I've stayed in the family and bought a Giant Revel 1 Ltd, which seems a good starting point to me. I know the fork is not regarded as massively good, but I'm sure it will be fine for fire roads and light trails, and I can always upgrade it later if needed. I'm probably never going to be going for the serious rough stuff or downhill.
Otherwise it'll get used for general punting about and riding with my brother and his 4yr old. Lets face it, it's far easier to ride an MTB slowly, trying to ride a road bike slow is a real pain, they don't like it at all even without the toe-overlap thing going on.
I just need to research where I can and can't ride the thing off-road, found a few Lakes routes to have a go at though, that should get me going.
See you around
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Comments
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It's worth seeing if there's any local mountain bike groups you could go out with as that's how I got into mountain biking and have come to really enjoy it. The group I've been riding with were very encouraging and helpful from the start and it's been great to learn many different routes available in my area. I started off with a fairly cheap ex-hire bike (Trek 4900 Disc) as I didn't want to fork out a lot of money then find I didn't enjoy it however it's done remarkably well even on very rough and downhill stuff.
John0 -
Sounds like you've been more than dabbling with the dark side, but appear now to have seen the light my brother, for which you are to be praised!
Bike isn't too bad, Fork is below par at that price point but there are a lot worse out there.Currently riding a Whyte T130C, X0 drivetrain, Magura Trail brakes converted to mixed wheel size (homebuilt wheels) with 140mm Fox 34 Rhythm and RP23 suspension. 12.2Kg.0 -
Visit the bikeshops in your area usually the staff are happy to tell you about the best trails. The bikeshop in Keswick just outside the shopping centre sells waterproof maps of Lakeland rides and they do (or used to do) shop rides a couple of times a week.
http://www.keswickbikes.co.uk/index.asp?
Your lucky to live in Carlisle your at the centre of the best riding in North England and South Scotland you have the Lakes, N Pennines, Cheviots, Kielder, The 7 Stanes all within an hours driving. You jammy git.Fig rolls: proof that god loves cyclists and that she wants us to do another lap0 -
Yeah, that's true (don't hate me)
I'm itching to give the new bike a try and see what the hydraulic brakes are like. Never used hydros before, I had mechanical discs on a previous hybrid and I am a fan of them, but hydro should be much better.0 -
If you want to try a MTB centre but dont want anything too severe I believe the Kielder trails arent too bad, though never ridden them myself.Fig rolls: proof that god loves cyclists and that she wants us to do another lap0
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Road is the dark side. Mountain bikes are all about having fun. None of that serious leg waxing, lycra wearing rubbish on tarmac.
I have several roadies just have a little dabble in mtb and within a few months their road bikes are on ebay. Rarely see it go the other way though.Transition Patrol - viewtopic.php?f=10017&t=130702350 -
3 things that can really improve a budget bike relatively cheaply.
Grips you want something that wont slip in the wet, lock ons are cheap and one of the best things to happen to MTBiking.
Pedals cheap pedals are lethal you dont want your foot to slip off at speed, trust me it hurts. Some decent flat pedals are a must if your going off road.
Tyres the plastic monsters that will be fitted will be pretty awful a good front tyre is well worth buying.Fig rolls: proof that god loves cyclists and that she wants us to do another lap0 -
This guy is my nemesis (second only to SRAM).stubs wrote:3 things that can really improve a budget bike relatively cheaply.
Grips you want something that wont slip in the wet, lock ons are cheap and one of the best things to happen to MTBiking.
Pedals cheap pedals are lethal you dont want your foot to slip off at speed, trust me it hurts. Some decent flat pedals are a must if your going off road.
Tyres the plastic monsters that will be fitted will be pretty awful a good front tyre is well worth buying.
Just ride it. And enjoy it.0 -
Finally got out to do a proper shakedown and get its tyres dirty.
I went for the old railway path at Keswick, rode down from a lay-by on the A66, so a bit of road/path section to get there. As expected, it felt a bit sluggish on the road (naturally) but once on the trail it was brilliant, really pleased with the bike and the fork isn't totally nasty
Tyres were pretty good TBH, Giant branded, but made by Kenda. Maybe should have had a bit less pressure in for the trail. I'll wear them out and then think of something else.
Only problem is the rear indexing needs a tweak. Loved the ride 0
