How do I learn about mountain bikes?

Figure out what type of mtb riding you want to do, happy trails and sight seeing, just for fun, to get into shape, push your limits or maybe race. Look at where you are going to ride, is it big climbs and fast downhills, nasty single track, rocks and roots, in the desert or just around town. Most mtb types are pretty much broken into several types – racing bikes (light / cost big money / not much comfort / short travel suspension 3-4 inches / some with dual suspension / most will have just front suspension) – “all mountain” or cross country type bikes (dual suspension / can be ridden for some distance / can climb and go down hill pretty well / 4-6 inches of travel / forks and shocks can be adjustable for travel and may have lock-outs to aid in climbing) – Big hit or DH bikes (big money / heavy / lots of suspension travel 6 + inches / do not go up hill very well / but a blast going down / jumping and ski resorts are the play grounds for these bikes / there are a few front suspension only bikes, but you pretty much need to be a bike rding god to servive). The material of choice is aluminum, brakes should be disc (work wet or dry and are easly fixed), try to stay with forks / shocks that use coils springs (will need less maint / but will add a few grams in weight), tires depend on where you are riding, but stay with standard 26 inch mtb wheel size (more tire and rim choices), sizes of bikes will depend on your size (leg length / torso length / riding style / etc) all good bike shops can advise on size of bike. Since you have some time and if you can, try to go to one of the mtb festivals, like the Sea Otter Classic in Ca (www.seaotterclassic.com) or one of the east coast ones. Try http://www.usacycling.org for a complete list. Also try hanging out at some of your local ride spots, ask questions, most riders will be glad to help. See, touch and ride as many bikes as you can, then make a list of what you want (travel / price / what you are going to do), put your bike list and your wish list together, the one bike that gets the most matches could be the bike you want. If you are still unsure, check with your local bike shop, the BBB will have a list of one’s in your area. Also all bike companies have web sites. Good luck, be safe and have fun.

Firstly, size. Go to this web site:

http://www.evanscycles.co.uk

They have a size guide that will give you an idea of the frame size that you should be buying. Also, go and have a look at a few of their bikes, there is an interesting rating system next to the bikes, indicating the type of riding that it is suitable for.

Next, go to this site:

http://www.mbr.co.uk

They have a different rating system, using 1 – 10 scale. But this is based upon components, layout and value for money. MBR is a good place to do some research.

For general bike buying, it is advisable to stick to some of the bigger brands. Trek, Scott, Giant, Specialized. You might also consider some of the smaller manufacturers like Claude Butler or Dawes.

For components use either SRAM or Shimano gears. Cranks, either Shimano or Truvative, although if you want to throw money at this you could easily look at £2 – 300 on Race Face or Hollowtec. However, many manufacturers use their own brand, eg. Bontager = Trek. However, if you stick with the brands listed above, they will use viable kit, it just depends how much money that you want to spend on your bike.

Hard tail or full sus?

Firstly, do not spend less than £700 on a full sus. Do not buy an all singing, all dancing £200 bike from Walmart, Tesco, Cycleking, etc.

Hard tails tend to be lighter. Also, because you are not spending huge amounts on a rear shock, you get better quality components elsewhere. So, spending £700 on a hardtail will get you a nice race machine with good quality components and viable suspension. You will still get a nice full sus for this price, but the overall quality will not be as high. Hardtails are good bikes, but full sus means that you can keep contact with rough terain while peddling like fury, while you might bouce a bit on a hard tail.

If you are just hitting well maintained gravel tracks and roads, you do not want your front fork to do too much, so 80mm travel is good. This is also good if you want to race, since you lose less forward power to bouncy forks. For general XC, about 100mm fork travel, although an adjustable fork between 80 and 130 mm is OK. Any fork that starts at 120mm travel will tend to fall into the all mountain category. These will have chunkyer tyres than XC and are better for bounlders and logs etc. Downhill will have a lot of travel up front, with a raked back design.

Luck

Check out all the websites you can find. Read books about mtn biking. Put yourself near other mtbikers. Its a blast…good luck