Mountain Bike Endurance Rides
New to cycling thinking about it.?
Hey, Im thinking about getting into bicycling. Im a runner so im in pretty good shape and have stamina and endurance. Im about 6 ft and 140lbs age 18. I’ll be living in PA so there will be hills and mountains. Im looking for something that will be good all around for distance rides and racing. Im not sure and havent done much looking yet, but i thought id ask here first. Thanks for any answers. Probably looking to spend around $500 ish and ill be from a store in person because i’d like to get a feel for the bike and not buy offline. I just need to be put in a direction for bikes that i will (should) be looking into. Thanks again
If you’re doing mountain biking, that type of riding is called Cross Country (XC). And for on-road riding, you need a Road bike.
Let me tell you a few things that can help in picking a bike.
Weight is not as important as the media/people tell you. The only time weight matters is when you’re going up hill and racing. A few pounds over (like 16 vs 20lb) are not significant enough. It’s just more money out of your pocket.
Frame materials (Steel, Aluminum, Titanium, Carbon Fiber) won’t decide whether you win or not. Steel and Aluminum are what you should go for. Forget about Carbon, it’s way too expensive and only old men with big wallets or sponsored racers can get them.
Read this to get a better understanding of a bike frame:
http://www.sheldonbrown.com/frame-materials.html
Make sure you get the bike properly fitted. This is the most crucial thing when you buy a bike. Test ride it really well and make notes of how it felt, then compare. Read reviews in roadbikereview.com
A bike that fits will help you perform better in every way.
Lastly, don’t get too caught up in the drivetrain components. If a bike has a slightly cheaper Group set, but nicer wheels…go with the wheels. Look at the Shimano website, they have the lineup there under Road or Mountain Bike. Same for SRAM or Campagnolo. The difference is mostly weight, not so much performance.
Pricing is probably going to be higher than you think.
There’s a lot more to know. But that should give you a good start.
EPIC RIDES – 24 Hours in the Old Pueblo 2006
