So the next "new toy" is looks like it will be a mountain bike...

After this weekend on a borrowed one, I'm way more comfortable, and I started having a blast with the little improvements I made (going faster, over more stuff, etc).

I heard that getting a new bike for AR is not a good idea for a beginner as they get hauled around and tossed on the ground and piled up, etc. I also sorta want to put together the bike myself -- like get a frame and the components and use this as a way to learn more about bikes in general (I have some biking friends who said they could help, and I would of course have it tuned up after to make sure I didn't do anything stupid).

What kind of things should I look for in an AR bike? Front shocks, both front and rear? Any materials that are good and bad? Basically, any mountain bike purchasing tips would be great!

Full suspension is growing in acceptance with endurance racers and ARers, BUT that because of the advent of SVP (stable valve platform) shocks, and theyre not exactly cheap yet. As cool as carbon is, stay away from it on a MTB. Youre gonna crash, and aluminum is more forgiving in that department.

Bike can be built up from scratch, I've done it twice.. and it CAN be cheaper than a store bike, HOWEVER... Warranty issues are more predominant in MTBs due to the abuse, and a LBS goes a long way in helping with those. All the $$ I "saved" building it up myself has since been spent replacing components that i couldnt get the companies to cover that the LBS might have had more pull with...

OK... so lets say I go to my LBS and get a mountain bike. Then what do you recommend for getting better at working on a bike? Get the mountain bike and then take it apart and put it back together?

If you ride like I do, you will have plenty of chances to work on it. Like triguy98 said, parts on mountain bikes take hella more abuse then your roadie. I am a pro now at truing rims and relacing rear derailures. If you really want to learn how to fix bikes then knock yourself out, tear it apart. When I got my first mountain bike in 1988 I stripped it to the bearings and rebuilt it hundreds of times.

If I do that, is there a way I can mess it up beyond repair? I have no problem tearing it apart and playing with it, and then taking it to my LBS if I get lost. I'd just be worried of damaging it... perhaps tips of what *not* to do?

If you have any kind of mechanical talent it will be hard to jack it up beyond repair. There are a couple of tricks for different parts of the bikes but nothing that you couldn't find in a book or on the internet. If you tear something apart for the first time be patient and take your time putting it back together. If you are nervous, get a book and do a little study or ask a buddy to help you out.

You could take it all apart (requires more tools than you might think to take it ALL apart) and then put it back together...right in time for your free 30 day tune up! :D

The main thing i would be careful around would be the headset. Watch you dont lose any bearings when the fork loosens enough, and do NOT try to use a screwdriver to remove the headset cups. Don't ask. :rolleyes:

*grin* Sounds like a good plan! I have seen some of the random tools -- they are so specialized it's crazy!

Looks like I might have found one for sale by a friend of a coworker...

"It's grey Cannondale fully, with head shock. It sold for $1,200 when it was brand new. I want to sell it for $500. I upgraded almost every component from LX to XT, but almost immediately after doing that I bought my Specialized XC bike so the components that are on the bike have had probably no more than 10 rides on them. The bike is a really plush ride, like riding on clouds. It is 8 speed, not 9 speed. It is a medium size frame, but it is on the short side. It feels a little too short for me. I am 5'5", so as is it would be perfect for someone 5'4" or 5' tall. Anyone taller might want to put a longer top tube on. Since it has a head shock you have to buy the top tube from Cannondale. Also has Terry Liberator saddle."

I'm going to try this one out sometime over the next week or so.

I am NOT a fan of the headshock. Its not that great on travel and is not easy to replace/ repair. Of course, I am not a Cannondale fan, either, that might play a roll, but still....

How tall, or short, are you? Take the thing for a ride or two or three if the friend of a coworker will let you. It's really the only way to be sure. The LX to XT upgrade is a plus, especially for $500, but its gotta fit.

My favorite fit test for MTB is to stand up on the pedal and ride slowly, then slip a foot off and touch the ground. Do your areas that shouldnt get squished squish, that aint good, cause the foot slip will happen a lot of road.

I'm 5'4".. I will try that test.

Hi Kyillee,

Hey, I LIKE your idea of taking parts of the bike apart (and putting it back together again) as a way to learn how to maintain and repair the bike! I'm pretty much all self-taught on bike maintenance, and that's exactly the method I used to learn. I just took my time, and never managed to screw anything up too badly, ha!

Here's the website where I learned the most -- it's incredibly detailed, straightforward, and everything I tried seemed 100% accurate:
http://www.parktool.com/repair_help/FAQindex.shtml
Step-by-step procedures for just about everything you'd want to do.

Have fun!

Dave

I have many miles on both full suspension and hardtails and I just keep coming back to the Hardtails...
what about ya'll?

I really can tell the difference when Im climing out of the saddle, the FS bikes just give too much (I can feel myself exerting the power and see the bike just soaking it up, instead of transferring it to the road)

I can highly recommend the Trek MTN bikes, I love mine (it is a 7000 AL that is from 1996) I just cant bring myself to get rid of it... it has the LX component package and gripshifters (actually I prefer the "rapidfire" but rapidfire shifters must be in tune perfectly to work correctly, with the gripshifters, it is just one more or one less click and the chain is perfectly aligned..)

On the Maintenance, I CANNOT RECOMMEND ENOUGH - BUY THE RIGHT TOOLS (Park really makes some great maintenance and breakdown kits - everything from spoke wrenches to cassette/freewheel wrenches)
Even something as simple as installing your clipless pedals onto a new bike will require wrenches narrower than your dad's craftsman wrenches...

I hope this info helps, (even if it didnt, thanks for the opportunity to talk about one of my passions)

rr

Don't guess on the size. I rode a bike that was too small for me for two years and all it did was cause me pain. My back and my knees hurt after every ride. The funny thing is that it was a Cannondale with a headshok. The Headshok is not really that great on travel and needs maintaince every year but it is stiff as hell (in a good way). You can buy aftermarket adapters for the headset to convert to a standard fork. The thing I did like about that bike was how strong the frame was. Not a lot of flex. Funny thing is that I sold it and bought a Specialized.

I actually ride a FS. Dont laugh, I know i live in Florida, but you come down here and ride some of these trails. They beat the crap out of your with the high concentrations of roots and mud holes. FS allows me to stay seated almost the entire ride, saving energy.
As I mentioned, suspension designs have come a looong way (the Wolrd XC Championships was won by a FS for the first time in '04- s Specialized Epic, if youre curious) It all comes down to the shock and setup. A VPP (virtual pivot point) like Sant Cruz or Ellsworth paired with the SPV shocks are very, very efficient, and getting more affordable.Give one a go and you might be surprised. Single pivots designs, like the Trek Liquids, arent quite as efficient, but almost, and if you maintain your pedaling form, wont get any bob. I am surprised how many cyclist throw their form out the window just cause they are on a FS. Like people forget how to drive when they get behind the wheel of an SUV. My old GT I Drive is one of the earliest suspension designs, and I suffer no bob on climbs, and thats due to a smooth, circular stroke.

Awesome info to all of you guys! I'm going to try out the bike that a friend has, and if I don't like it I will keep looking. Thanks!

So what happened? Did you get the Cannondale?

I didn't love the Cannondale. It was pretty bouncy, and I felt like I was wasting energy. I also rode a Klein that another friend has for sale (another full suspension) and I liked it better, so right now I'm waiting for that bike to have the components on it that it is going to be sold with so that we can see if it is a good fit for me.

A couple I like are the NRS2 and Ellsworth Truth - They are both heavily used in adventure racing and have similar frame geometry. I am currently using an old Gary Fisher Tassajara which I have done lots of races in including 100 and 60 mile mountain bike races and 100 mile adventure races. My next step will be full suspension as I would like to pick up some speed on the downhills and at 44 years old could use a little more comfort. I would love to have the Ellsworth but the money will probably keep me in the NRS.

Yeah, the Ellsworth is a bit too expensive for me, too. I looked at the Giants, and if this one doesn't work out I plan to look at those some more.

I LOVE my Bianchi Denali. The components that came with it are great, rides nice and smooth, shocks are great. But you have to understand that I came from riding something that weighed a ton, had no shocks, and pieces would occasionaly fall off of it. So my value gradient is a bit skewed. :)

hehe.. I'm just excited that what races I can do won't have a "who has a bike I can borrow?" limiting factor. And... scary, but it's ok... I might actually be able to ride for fun just cause I want to!

Ever think of doing an X-Terra? I did one last summer and may do another one next month. 800yd swim, 10 mile mountain bike, 4 mile trail run in Arkansas in August. It is a great way to not only train but to find future teammates for adventure races.

Yeah, that's one of the main off-road tris in this area. The guys selling the bike has done a number of them.