Looking for MTB recommendations

"Penny S" wrote in message
...
Dan Volker ran this through spell check:

You're so full of ****...


First, bomba, if anyone here is full of ****, its a newsgroup poser
like yourself, who enjoys hurling insults over the net, that would
have you toothless in real life. Because I don't want to buy in to
the ss cult, or your own version of what is the ultimate in mountain
biking, you start humping my leg.


since when are Hardtail and SS synonomous?


Did not say they were....I am referring to past discussions and stereotypes.
Dan V

BB wrote in news:c2gvsj$1r7d0c$1@ID-
130844.news.uni-berlin.de:

You should say where you are and what sort of terrain you plan on riding.
If its very rocky, yes full-suspension is nice. If its buff trails and
long-extended climbs (as it is here in Oregon), a light hartail is a plus.
That doesn't mean that people don't ride full-sussers here - I see them
all the time (mostly on the fireroads, oddly enough).

Sorry I left that part out.
I will be riding what most would consider technical trails at Alifia State
Park and such. Lots of rocks, roots, trees, and steep, treacherous
climbs/descents.

- Boyd S.

"Penny S" wrote in
:

couple of thoughts:
you don't say what kind of trails you will be on...or your budget

As a beginner, I wouldn't consider myself a "trail connoisseur". What I
would consider technical others would probably consider a piece of cake.
I'll mostly be riding at state parks and such that have trails specifically
designed and built by MTBers, ie. pretty technical. As for the other part
of your question, I'd like to keep it under $1500.

HT vs FS one school of thought is that you build up a better skills
base learning to MTB on a hardtail, becuase you learn more about how to
respond to what's going on with your bike and the trail. With
inexperienced MB-ers and FS, there's a tendency to just let the bike
take the hits, with out learning the skills that go with it.

Good point. Then again, most MTBers I've talked to around here who started
with HTs have either sold them or are trying to do so. I figured I might
as well just skip that step to cut my inevitable financial losses.

Racing on HT vs FS... don't even go there, that was most likely the
third to last flame fest here... ;-)

Sounds like the helmet wars over at rec.bicycles.racing

basic buying a MTB FAQ http://bbauer.gomen.org/newbike/

Thanks.

tell your hardcore friend to read this:
http://teamsmack.org/ride/ride1.htm remind them it's about fun, not
being hardcore.

LMAO!!! Thanks for the link.

welcome to the club, now go ride some dirt

I did this morning on a borrowed bike (Giant VT) ... it was a blast!!!

Penny S

Thanks for your help.

- Boyd S.

bomba wrote in newsan.2004.03.08.09.11.21.575521
@hotmail.com:

Hmm, well seeing as you're in Tampa, I'd totally agree with your
bike shop buddies and suggest you get something with loads of suspension
to cope with all those huge mountains.

Have you ever ridden Alafia River State Park?
Its not British Columbia, but its not just a path through the woods either.
There are some descents out there where you could get messed up *royally* if
you endo.

BTW, thanks for your loads of helpful advice for a newbie.

- Boyd S.

"Per Löwdin" wrote in newsZX2c.85420$dP1.239433
@newsc.telia.net:

The NRS are excellent, you get a lot for the money, and people win races on
them. The techically minded magazines claim that NRS has a less active
suspension than the FSR on the Ellsworth: i.e., it locks up during hard
breaking or honking.

Check out http://www.mtbr.com/ there are lots of reviews. The most
interesting are those with bad critique.


Thanks for your help.
I've all ready read a bunch of reviews at mtbr.com, but most are either of
the "this is the best bike ever!!" or "this thing is a piece of ****!!"
variety. Not much objectivity over there.

- Boyd S.

On 08 Mar 2004 17:05:39 GMT, Stephen Baker wrote:

My experience is no different from many, who find the transition from fully
rigid to suspension to be a very neagtive experience.

I don't think that many people would say the transition from fully rigid
to suspension was a "very negative experience". What we will more likely
say is that you gain some comfort, and you lose some handling.

The overall loss/gain depends mainly on whether the trails are very rough
(advantage suspension) or very twisty (advantage rigid). If they're both
(as mine were at the time), its kind of a nit from a riding perspective,
but at least with the suspension fork my wrists didn't hurt afterwards
(advantage suspension).

--
-BB-
To reply to me, drop the attitude (from my e-mail address, at least)

Craig Brossman wrote in news:TV_2c.524$Vb6.222
@fe25.usenetserver.com:

You might want to look at Titus as well, and I have been impressed with
Specialized new line-up.

Apparently you missed the part where I said my choices were limited to
Ellsworth, Giant, Santa Cruz, and Marin.

- Boyd S.

"Dan Volker" wrote in
:

Boyd,
If you raced road, or can ride well with Cat 2's, then you should have
an aerobic advantage over friends which only mountain bike, but will be
at a huge technical skill disadvantage for quite some time to
come---best way to begin "enjoying" the mountain biking right away, on
technical trails ( another poster said you were in Tampa, meaning Alafia
is nearby, and it is very cool and quite technical on many of its
trails) would be to go the "All Mountain" bike route, with 5 or 6 inches
of full suspension, which should be using SPV on front and back to make
best use out of your roadie cadence potential. This bike will be heavier
than the hardtails your long time mountain biking buddies may be riding,
but it will get you through technical obstacles with less need for
finesse, and allow you to have fun immediately. Your aerobic advantage
should cover the extra weight of the bike, and when you screw up and hit
something really hard, the all mountain bike should be tougher than the
20 pound X-country alternative.

I'm actually a Cat 3 who can hang fairly well with most Cat 2's. I rode
out at Alafia this morning with some buddies on a borrowed VT. It was a
very nice ride suspension-wise, but hard to get used to the shifting as it
was a rapid rise rear derailleur. Once I traded rides with my buddy who
was on a Gary Fisher Sugar with traditional shifting, I was able to keep my
momentum better. Its suspension wasn't as plush as the VT. One of my
buddies told me it was more akin to the NRS. But it got the job done fine.

Down side of this advise for you is that you are a light rider, so bike
weight will be more of an issue to you than a 190 pound rider---but if
you are going out to ride for fun, I still think this is the best
advise. If you are hell bent to race, then the Santa Cruz Blur might be
the better route.

Yeah, I really haven't decided whether or not I'm going to race. At this
point I'm just out to have fun and learn how to ride correctly. The Blur
is a very sweet ride, but it might be a little out of my budget.

Dan V

Thanks for the advice.

- Boyd S.

"p e t e f a g e r l i n" wrote
in m:

http://www.petefagerlin.com/fullimages/ouch_f.jpg

Don't buy the ICT hype. They're four bar bikes, like many others out
there.

Also consider Ellsworth's very spotty customer service, their "lifetime
warranty" that is not a lifetime warranty (their implementaion[charging
customers for replacement parts for frames with manufacturing defects]
is actually illegal) and the fact that Tony Ellsworth is lying sack of
**** and a poor excuse for a human being.

Thanks for the warning.

- Boyd S.

Boyd Speerschneider ran this through spell check:
Yeah, I really haven't decided whether or not I'm going to race. At
this point I'm just out to have fun and learn how to ride correctly.
The Blur is a very sweet ride, but it might be a little out of my
budget.



If, as you say you want to learn to ride "correctly" I would again emphasize
a hardtail. It teaches you so much more about body language and finesse
than learning on a FS. Too many people start on a FS not understanding that
their body is part of the suspension, and not just the shocks on the bike.

penny