anyone mountian bike?

if so do you have any glove types you might recomend? also any tips for someone just starting out, other then start on the easy trails. anything i need to watch out for or worry about?

Yeah, id go with tallen on this one. Get plenty of padding in the palms, and fingerless gloves. Also might want something with hard knuckles (thats what I use). Make sure you have a legit helmet so you dont end up in a coma on a trail.

How hardcore are we talking? Leisurely rides, or flying down a mountain off of wooden teeter totters?

I highly recommend either toe-clips or clipless pedals down the road. When single-tracking, you tend to have a tough time keeping your feet on the pedals if you start getting into really bumpy stuff. Even a soft-tail bike will give you some problems. Personally, I always rode hard front and rear, or soft front with hard tail if I was doing a trail that would beat the crap out of my arms.

shocks in the front and rear mean you've got a "full suspension" or "soft front soft tail" whenever someone talks about a bike having a "hard" front, fork, or tail, it means that there's no suspension there, just a hard metal frame. Single-tracking is riding a narrow trail, usually downhill. Toe clips are little metal or plastic cages that keep your feet firmly on the pedals. They're ideal for groomed trails or tarmac. The problem you run into with the really rough stuff is that you may need to put your foot down faster than you can get it out of the toe clip. That's where "clipless" pedals come in which combine a special pedal with a special shoe that has the clip mechanism built in. Clipless pedals also increase your efficiency when pedaling as your up-stroke is converted into torque whereas it is wasted energy when using a standard pedal as there is no way to transfer that lifting energy to the pedals.

My first tidbit is chamois shorts, I have a pair of Fox Ranger's for casual rides, they are padded and no they are not skin tight so you don't have to feel like zee Europeans, they also have a zipper cargo pocket which comes in handy for storing things that you don't want lost.  Other small things to look into would be a seat wedge so you can store a spare tube and whatnot (a flat will ruin your day). 

Other than that go out and ride, learn your gearings and just enjoy it.

nike weightlifting gloves.

i used them for paintball too. they're nice and cushie. :)

*side note*  glove tans suck, and look awkward.

I love the giro remedy gloves. they have some rubber 'armor' on the knuckles and a cool rubber compound on part of the palm that hardens on impact. but there's not that much in terms of other padding on the palm or fingers on the palm side. Which is okay for me cause i like to be able to feel the bars and brakes well.

Also adding to what others have said. Adjust your seat the the proper height. Ideally your seat height allows for almost full leg extension, so at the bottom of your pedal stroke your leg has a slight bend in it. If you aren't comfortable with the seat that high then that's fine. Just have it as close to that as you feel comfortable. Having your seat properly adjusted will make climbing much easier and you won't get tired as quick.

Special pedals are very useful and help so much, especially on climbs. toe straps, clips, or clipless pedals allow you to pull up as well as push down, so you get much more power and don't rely on only one muscle group in your legs. Pedals are also a preference. A lot of people like flats so that they never have to worry about getting stuck in the pedals if they fall. Clipless pedals are a little bit better IMO than both flats and toe straps. They're still very easy to get out of if, but allow the extra power of pulling up as well. Because your shoe is actually fixed to the pedal you can pedal in a circle which means 360 degrees of power transfer, which is something you can't do with toe clips.

Also, like others have said, the most important thing is a good fitting helmet. They've saved my life a few times, I never ride without one.

edit: I also agree with everything hairball said.

Kopkins


Edited by Kopkins - 09 July 2010 at 11:13am

I did a 10 mile trail a while back. Weak by many MTB'er standards, but I'm not quite physically fit, and it dern near killed me. But I really had a blast. Wouldn't mind doing it again.

Actually, not too long ago I was looking into getting some good MTB equipment. A new bike, etc. I've got a Camelback M.U.L.E. system I won at a paintball scenario, so that would work. I wouldn't mind getting back into it (or into it for the first time, depending on how you look at it). I've got too many interests. :(