Beginner Bikeing

D-Generate

Howdy, I am interested in takeing up cycling and I don't mean the normal leisure cycling. I haven't decided if I want to do off-road cycling like in woods or if I want to do teh cycling in the streets involving bunny-hops and the like, and I was wondering if anyone could recommend me a bike that would do both or just tell me if a mountain bike can do bunny hops aswell please . I would be looking for a bike less than €350 because I don't want to spend too much incase I don't like it.
Thanks

the fnj

Just get a cheapish mountain bike (one that isn't falling apart) and head up to tree rock with a friend and ride down as fast as you can. If you like it stick with the cheap bike till your good and then be prepared to pay anywhere between €500 - €5000 for a new bike.

I wouldn't recommend going up on your own as it's not uncommon to fall off and you may need help if it's a bad crash.

Try and talk to other bikers when your up there, I haven't been up in years but there used to be a fair few riders up there and they are generally friendly enough, always willing to give a newbie some advise.

I think there is an off road cycle club that rides from the yellow house on Sunday's they have a beginner day once a month were they take it a bit easier to accommodate newbie’s. Ask in a bike shop they could probably give you a number to call.

Yes a mountain bike can defiantly be bunny hoped.

D-Generate

Time to ask more specific questions now. I am 6 foot and am wondering what size bike I would need, should the bike be up to my waist, above my waist or below it? I have two mountain bikes at the moment, one is lower than my waist and quite heavy, the other is a fair bit above my waist but light. Which would be better?

seamus

Originally posted by D-Generate
Time to ask more specific questions now. I am 6 foot and am wondering what size bike I would need, should the bike be up to my waist, above my waist or below it? I have two mountain bikes at the moment, one is lower than my waist and quite heavy, the other is a fair bit above my waist but light. Which would be better?

I'm assuming the one above your waist just has it's seat up a little high. Otherwise the bike would be a monster

It depends on what kind of riding you're into. Downhillers (walk up the hill, throw yourself down) prefer a smaller bike, to give them more control and keep the seat out of the way. Cross-Country riders will use a more 'normal' sized bike, but still allow clearance to move the saddle up and down should it be needed. That's the key - it doesn't really matter what size the bike is, since the saddle height is adjustable. Quick-release saddles are the choice of most amateur/recreational mountain bikers since they let you raise the saddle to comfortable height for climbing, and lower it quickly when doing a small downhill section.

Bike sizes are measured in inches. The measurement is taken from the top of the seat-tube (where the saddle enters the bike) to the centre of the bottom bracket (the tube that holds the axle which the cranks are attached to). Some bikes have funky designs that render this measurement useless, but for all intents and purposes, this measurement is fine.

For a 6' person, anything between 19" and 21" should be fine, to ensure the bike is comfortable. Most shops will let you have a quick go of a bike. General rule of thumb - if there's more than 8 inches of saddle sticking out of the bike (or less then 4 inches of saddle still in the bike), then it's probably too small for you.

That's probably more info than you need to know, but half of the fun of mountain biking is the ability to speak specifications and be some kind of bike nerd

Any godo shop can advise you on sizes, etc.

D-Generate

Thanks for all the help, I think I now have enough information to start riding. Neither of the bikes that I own have suspension forks, front or back. Will this make any difference for a beginner or will it just mean a rougher ride? Also what is the scene like for youngsters, I am aged 16 and in Cork if that helps.

seamus

Originally posted by D-Generate
Thanks for all the help, I think I now have enough information to start riding. Neither of the bikes that I own have suspension forks, front or back. Will this make any difference for a beginner or will it just mean a rougher ride? Also what is the scene like for youngsters, I am aged 16 and in Cork if that helps.

No, you're better off without suspension at the start. Your arms will ache and your hands will get sore, but it's all part of learning good riding technique. Suspension may create some bad habits.

I've been out of the scene for some time now, but from what I can tell, it's still going strong. Go to your local shop and have a chat to the lads in there. Ask about any local clubs there may be. Most clubs will have one ride on a Saturday or Sunday and sometimes a shorter ride with an informal race one night during the week. And don't worry about being a n00b, or being unfit or anything. Most places are extremely encouraging, especially towards new riders.

Enjoy!

(Oh, and buy some Mountain Biking magazines - Mountain Biking UK was the best mag when I was into it )

shag

All of this advice is wrong you need to buy yourself a BMX !For 350 you'll get yourself a decent BMX but a preety **** mountain bike.
A cruiser (Abigger framed 24inch wheeled BMX) would probably suit you perfect mail order one from the UK theres feck all selection here.You'll find a remakable similarity between your cruiser BMX and the latest single speed hardtail trails specific mountain bikes . Also it's the best way to build bike skills and is way more versatile than a typical mountainbike. If you buy a 350 yoyo mtb it'll be usefull for road touring (yawn) and some light offroad if you do much jumping or ride it hard you'll destroy it preety quickly. Basically mountainbiking was screwed by the influx of yuppies which pushed the price of bikes sky high and introduced yuppie car manuafacturers and other bandwagon jumping suits into the market?!!?? Admitedly the technology is preety impressive these days but even though the yuppie element are probably out rollerblading and aerobecising these days the market remains overpriced. I bought a 7005 box sectioned aluminium haro cruiser with all cromo parts and decent wheels second hand for less than 150euro !!! You'll be bloody lucky to get a bargain that good but search the net and you'll find some deals.

seamus

A cruiser would be useless tbh. They're not good for much else except poncing about town.

Mountain Biking and BMXing are two totally different disciplines. Mountain Biking won't prepare you for dirt jumping, trails riding, skatepark riding or flatland any more than BMX will help you with downhill, cross-country or time trials.

They're incomparable. Some professional downhillers do some BMXing and some BMXers do some downhilling, but crossovers are rare.

If you're interested in jumping, doing tricks, having a laugh and drinking too much beer, buy a BMX.

If you're interested in going as fast as you can down dodgy dirt tracks, buy an mtb.

That simple really. I migrated from mtb to BMX when I got lazy (and bored of cycling around the Dublin Mountains).

€350 wil buy a lot of mountain bike these days. That price range has always been the crunch range (i.e. where bikes begin to be properly designed). The mtb I built for £750 a few years ago is beaten off by some of these budget bikes. BMXes have also become few and far between at that price range. It used to be a good price for BMX but now there are some dodgy operators who sell crap bikes at that price. The BMX I bought for £250 a few years ago wins hands down against some of those newer BMXes.

I would advise him to buy a BMX, but since he asked for advice on MTBs, that's what I gave him

Chimaera

Ok, as someone still into mountain biking, I may as well give soem input here.

For a start, you don't want to go any bigger than 18" for frame size if you're 6ft tall. A larger frame may fit you in terms of saddle height, but it'll more than likely be too long, and you'll find yourself stretched out a lot on the bike. This will upset your balance. If you find that your saddle post isn't long enough on an 18" bike, then just buy a longer post. You also need to consider standover room above the crossbar - at least two inches is vital, more is better if you can get it. A friend of mine is 5'10" and his bike has a 14" frame :eek: (DMR Trailstar for anyone who's wondering) But it's designed for people that tall so it all works out fine with a 400mm seatpost.

As for what bike to buy, I'd suggest you have a look at the Trek 4000 range, which should be in your price range (certainly in Limerick it is anyway). Also, the Giant Alu-lite is somewhere in that ballpark iirc. Avoid Raleigh at that price.

At this stage it's practically impossible to get a reasonably priced cromoly steel bike, so anything you buy in that price range is likely to be aluminium. The advantage of aluminium is that the frames are lighter and more responsive when you're putting power down. The disadvantages are a harsh ride, and they tend to break sooner and without warning. As a beginner, this is something you shouldn't need to worry about too much.

As for finding people to ride with, I'd echo the comments made already - find locals who know the area and ride out with them. MTB is generally a fairly convivial sport and you'll find mountain bikers a friendly bunch for the most part.

If you are interested in doing trials, I may be able to put you in touch with a guy I know in Cork who's into trials. PM me if you're interested. There's quite a few guys here in Limerick who're handy enough at it too.

Shameless plug -> http://mbul.csn.ul.ie