Mountain Bike Living

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Should a ‘beginner’ cyclist get a road bike? I’m not very good at cycling; mainly I’m afraid of sharing the road with cars and also tend to overreact to potholes and cracks in the ground. I’m also pretty weak on climbing. On the other hand, it’s my objective to overcome these obstacles and eventually be able to ride long city trails. Should I start with a mountain bike and build up my skills first, or should I just go ahead and get a road bike since that’s my end goal anyway?

A mountain bike is more durable than a road bike, and will better put up with the uneven roads you’ll find in a city. Road bikes are designed to go very fast on open roads. You don’t really want to jump curbs on a road bike; you could bend your wheels.
The problem with mountain bikes is that they’re designed for extremely rough terrain. They have big, nobbly tires which grip trails but have a lot of friction on pavement. That makes them harder to ride if you’re going far. They also have more shock absorption, which is great if you do ride over a pothole, but it’s really designed for tree roots. And that shock absorption also absorbs some of your energy, slowing you down.

You can try a hybrid bike, which tries to combine the best features of both. In fact, they’re often more comfortable than either kind, since they’re designed with a shape designed to allow you to sit more upright. (Both mountain and road bikes encourage you to get low, out of the wind, which is fast but very uncomfortable for long rides.) This may be the perfect bike for you, even better than a road bike, no matter what your level of experience.

I highly recommend visiting your local bike shop rather than buying online. Getting a bike that fits is extremely important for comfort and even for health: an ill-fitting bike can put strain on your joints. A good bike shop can help you get the right size, and then adapt the bike to your particular style (different saddle or handlebars, smoother tires for pavement, the right kind of pedals, etc).

You can try to shoot straight for your final road bike, but there are so many variables that go into picking a bike that I’d figure you’re going to want something different from your first bike anyway. So get something good and not too expensive to learn what you like, and only later spend the real money to get a great bike.

Im in the market for my first mountain bike. I have no idea what im looking for in a quality bike. This is something ive wanted to get into forever so im not afraid to spend the money on a good bike thats going to last and be able to handle all the trails i’ll see in the future. Can anyone recommend the bike I need and why? Thanks.

It depends on the type of riding you plan on doing and your budget. Your best bet will probably be to get a few mountain bike magazines - MBUK and What Mountain Bike? are probably the best options in the UK, but if you live elsewhere just buy whatever’s available in the magazine shop - and have a look at what’s on offer. They’ll mention what sort of riding each bike is suited to.

Specialized, GT, Trek and Giant all make very good bikes at various price ranges that are suitable for beginners.

I have a 2011 kink curb bmx bike and I was wondering if I could put mountain bike rims and tire on it and change the fork to a shock absorber fork? If I can’t why not?

You can not put 24’s or 26’s on a bike meant for 20’s. If you buy a fork that fits your headset you can change them out but for the price of a descent fork and some new wheels you could buy a low end mountain bike and have two.

I am 13, I love mountain biking and I am quite good at it. I was wondering, how do I start out, I already have a bike (Kona Stinky Garbanzo) and all of my gear so don’t say I should get a bike. I get out and ride at least 7-10 hours a week, and I want to start racing, please help!

Hi, you should check out online MTB communities like pinkbike.com, vitalmtb.com, and ridemonkey.com. Also, look up your local Trail riding clubs/leagues…the one where I’m based is socaltrailriders.org. That should get you started..and be sure to check out www.nemacycling.com for your gear and join us (Nema International) on Facebook: we have posts and info all the time from our community members about local events. Ride on, kid! Best of luck!

I’m looking for unknown mountain bike trails / bmx bike trails. I want them to be wooded trails with plenty of jumps and technical turns. I want to know the best unknown bike trail in Houston. One that few people know about and is less crowded.

Oh, good grief. You just asked this same question yesterday. What? No local cycle clubs in Texas that can help you? If that fails, ever heard of Google?

At school my Outdoor Ed class are mountain bike riding this term and I find that my face is the only one that turns bright red. Last in PE I could avoid it by slowing down my pace and relaxing, but I can’t with mount bike riding. Also if you have any tips on breathing and positioning while riding.

Additional info:
My skin is pale
I take sips of water every now and then while riding.

It’s probably just your skin/body type. Just enjoy the biking! Anyone gives you jip, tell them you go red cos more oxygen is going round your system!

Im 17 years old and i just got a mountain bike yesterday and also a speed and mileage odometer. I like to bike everyday that its nice. I dont ride professionally just for fun. From the time I left my house at 4:30pm to when i got home at 2am, i rode 65 miles, including breaks. Is that a good amount? I didnt feel tired at all when i finished, just thirsty. What is your opinoin?

That is definitely a long, long distance for one day. And the fact that you are just feeling thirsty means that you should do this professionally maybe even go to the "Tour De France" or something

I’m looking for a decent quality mountain bike, but one that’s reasonably priced. I want to be able to take it riding in the woods, but also be decent for cruising from here to there. I’ve been looking at bikes at places like REI but the cheapest ones i found there as far as mountain bikes go are like $500. I want something that’s quite a bit cheaper in price than that.

Anyone have any suggestions as to brands of bikes and/or where to buy them? Preferably a store where I could physically go and see the a bike.

You will have to look on the local Ebay and Craig’s list for a good used shop quality bike. You wont find a new one for less then $330 that is worth riding. Trek has a 820 for $330.

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/mountain_hardtail/820/820/

I have a nice Mountain Bike, but I’m more interested in street riding than trail riding. Can I use it as a street bike by changing out the knobby tires for smooth ones? Is that possible?

I think you mean swap tires rather than wheels. 700c wheels, with very rare exception, don’t fit mountain bikes.

If you want to swap tires: YES! It works very well indeed. Just take it to your local bike shop and make sure the tires aren’t too narrow for your rims.

Tires should be smooth tread, the smoother the better. For an example, check out the link below. A 1.5" tire is a great compromise between ride comfort, durability, and speed. Fancy patterns and knobs waste money, your energy, and add weight.

A great option is to get a 2nd wheel set. Keep knobby tires on one set for off road, keep street tires on the other. This way you have the best of both worlds. Done this for years and works like a champ.