Airmapper
Inactive Member
Well I'm not a complete novice, I've had bikes, just not for many years now. Matter of fact I think my parents bought me my last bike, maybe it's been longer than I thought....
I've been thinking about trying mountain biking for a while, as in actually using trails tailored for and intended for that purpose. It would benefit my health to get into some more physically active pastimes and it's something I've thought I might actually enjoy and do. I'm wanting to stick my toe in and have a good enough mountain bike that I'll have some success at it if I do trails, or at least not hate my bike after a few rides. That said, if I just don't get into it and don't use it much, I don't want to be out a ton of cash on a high end piece of gear, and still have a bike I can enjoy in a variety of situations besides purely trail riding.
Given this activity has all the complexity of any other field, it's a bit much for me to absorb and a lot of details I'll surely miss if I just grab one off the shelf or buy one online.
For now I'd say all in if I can keep it around or under $500 or so I might go for it. I'd prefer less but I don't want a piece of crap. I know there are some other things I might need, like a helmet, and a tire pump perhaps as they use some oddball valve correct? I also need a 2" receiver hitch carrier.
Doing some preliminary research it sounds like a hardtail fits my needs. I also notice some features I think I want, like good brakes (disk style not the rubber pinch the rim kind) I'd like the bike to be versatile enough so I can ride it in a variety of situations, not just on dedicated mountain bike trails, I might want to go on gravel roads, pavement and such. Just like with my vehicles I expect on pavement comfort to suffer for off pavement ability.
I'm 6'-3" tall, I'm thinking I need an XL size frame, and my first impression reading about the differences is that I might be happier with a 29" wheel size as opposed to the 26" but of course I don't know that for sure.
I'd welcome some suggestions for getting into this, and models to check out. I might buy online but I do think there are some local bike shops I can look into. Before I go I really need to know what I'm looking at. Thanks for any advice.
I've been thinking about trying mountain biking for a while, as in actually using trails tailored for and intended for that purpose. It would benefit my health to get into some more physically active pastimes and it's something I've thought I might actually enjoy and do. I'm wanting to stick my toe in and have a good enough mountain bike that I'll have some success at it if I do trails, or at least not hate my bike after a few rides. That said, if I just don't get into it and don't use it much, I don't want to be out a ton of cash on a high end piece of gear, and still have a bike I can enjoy in a variety of situations besides purely trail riding.
Given this activity has all the complexity of any other field, it's a bit much for me to absorb and a lot of details I'll surely miss if I just grab one off the shelf or buy one online.
For now I'd say all in if I can keep it around or under $500 or so I might go for it. I'd prefer less but I don't want a piece of crap. I know there are some other things I might need, like a helmet, and a tire pump perhaps as they use some oddball valve correct? I also need a 2" receiver hitch carrier.
Doing some preliminary research it sounds like a hardtail fits my needs. I also notice some features I think I want, like good brakes (disk style not the rubber pinch the rim kind) I'd like the bike to be versatile enough so I can ride it in a variety of situations, not just on dedicated mountain bike trails, I might want to go on gravel roads, pavement and such. Just like with my vehicles I expect on pavement comfort to suffer for off pavement ability.
I'm 6'-3" tall, I'm thinking I need an XL size frame, and my first impression reading about the differences is that I might be happier with a 29" wheel size as opposed to the 26" but of course I don't know that for sure.
I'd welcome some suggestions for getting into this, and models to check out. I might buy online but I do think there are some local bike shops I can look into. Before I go I really need to know what I'm looking at. Thanks for any advice.