Any Mtn Bikers on RME?

[nnnnnate]

That stumpjumper steve linked has what looks to be electric tape on the frame near the chain. Should I do that to my bike? I'm guessing its to protect it from the chain bouncing off of it.

 

[sixstringsteve]

That stumpjumper steve linked has what looks to be electric tape on the frame near the chain. Should I do that to my bike? I'm guessing its to protect it from the chain bouncing off of it.

I wrap an old tube around mine. You're right, it protects the frame from the chain. If you're mainly riding on the street, you don't need it. For bumpy trails it really helps.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Very timely article for me - I hope others find it beneficial as well.

http://expeditionportal.com/buying-your-first-mountain-bike/

That is hands down the best article I've ever read on the subject. I agree with him 100%. You'll never get such a straight answer from a bike shop, they're usually trying to convince you you need the latest and greatest thing. The bike industry has been really annoying lately. They're redefining just about every standard, and making multiple sizes of common components. It's getting ridiculous. There are 3 sizes of brakes, 3 sizes of headtubes/fork steer tubes, 3 sizes of wheels, 3 sizes of handlebar mounts on the stem, a million different seatpost sizes, multiple different hub/axle sizes. It's getting out of hand.

 

[sixstringsteve]

FWIW, my favorite shop in the valley is Bike Peddler on main street in AF. They often give me 20% off for no reason. Great guys.

 

[Kevin B.]

Might take my boy out this Saturday, he hasn't had his new bike on dirt yet. Might do Skyline above the University, might do Lambert, might do something else. Anybody down for a mellow ride is welcome to join us.

 

[glockman]

Andrew, I am your exact size. I ride a medium giant reign. I love it. I ride mostly Lambert and af Canyon and consider myself a solid intermediate rider. I think it is hard to beat the value that giant and GT give you. I used to work at Taylor's in Provo and the Taylor family is why I buy all my bikes there. I do agree with Steve though, BP in AF is my second go to shop, they just don't the sell giants
The bad part about our size is we are right at the cutoff for medium/large. I have second guessed my decision to buy a medium several times. Each time I go ride a large and realize I made the right choice. You are welcome to come test my reign any time. I owe you at least that for pulling my dad out of HITR. Now go buy a bike and talk Gary Willard into one. I have been trying to get him on a mtb bike for a couple years.

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[sixstringsteve]

Glockman is far better than a solid intermediate rider. His comments are spot on. If buying new, Giants and Konas are probably the best bang for the buck right now. Some parts are cheesy (seatpost, stem, handlebars, etc), but the important parts like the frame, shocks, and cranks, are great. I think a kona explosif (650B) or honzo (29er) would be an absolute blast to ride around here.

I second Taylor's being a great shop, they've always treated me right, and they know their stuff.

 

[sixstringsteve]

I'll be riding AF Canyon a week from today if anyone wants to join. We'll shuttle up to the summit, ride the ridge to 252 to cascade springs, then shuttle back up and ride all the way down to tibble. It'll be a long, fun ride. I'm sure you could handle it Andrew.

 

[Kevin B.]

Bombing down the main road in AFC was a hoot. Poor Fender though.

 

[sixstringsteve]

He was dead tired.

Descending from the ridge to trail 40, with the switchbacks, would be a riot on a MTB.

 

[nnnnnate]

I'll be riding AF Canyon a week from today if anyone wants to join. We'll shuttle up to the summit, ride the ridge to 252 to cascade springs, then shuttle back up and ride all the way down to tibble. It'll be a long, fun ride. I'm sure you could handle it Andrew.

Time?

 

[clfrnacwby]

FWIW, my favorite shop in the valley is Bike Peddler on main street in AF. They often give me 20% off for no reason. Great guys.

I'm heading there this week sometime. My neighbor's brother works there (and he's a professional mountain biker) so I know I'll get treated fairly there with a great source of knowledge.

 

[clfrnacwby]

Andrew, I am your exact size. I ride a medium giant reign. I love it. I ride mostly Lambert and af Canyon and consider myself a solid intermediate rider. I think it is hard to beat the value that giant and GT give you. I used to work at Taylor's in Provo and the Taylor family is why I buy all my bikes there. I do agree with Steve though, BP in AF is my second go to shop, they just don't the sell giants
The bad part about our size is we are right at the cutoff for medium/large. I have second guessed my decision to buy a medium several times. Each time I go ride a large and realize I made the right choice. You are welcome to come test my reign any time. I owe you at least that for pulling my dad out of HITR.

Wow, this is great, thank you! I'll try the Medium first...sounds like it should fit just right. I appreciate all the recommendations and offers!

Now go buy a bike and talk Gary Willard into one. I have been trying to get him on a mtb bike for a couple years.

I'll talk to Gary - he's been running a lot lately...I've tried that...not my cup of tea.

 

[sixstringsteve]

Time?

We're flexible. Unless anyone has any objections, I recommend 5:00 PM at the mouth of the canyon. Hopefully my hardtail will be built up by then and I can test it out. For those who don't know me, I can't seem to leave AF Canyone before 10 PM, even when I plan on exiting by 7. For this trip, the plan is to ride 'till 8:30 and be out by 9, but be warned that anything can happen.

 

[glockman]

I'll talk to Gary - he's been running a lot lately...I've tried that...not my cup of tea.[/QUOTE]

I hate running. The only cardio that I can stand is biking.

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[sixstringsteve]

I found some more great bikes for you andrew.

Hardtails aren't very sexy for some people. But to me, there's nothing sexier than a simple steel (cro-mo) hardtail. Normally I'd steer clear of a 29er, but this bike is rated one of the funnest bikes to ride. If this were a size small, I'd snag it for myself. If you end up riding a lot of rough terrain, you'll eventually want a full suspension. That being said, I think steel hardtails are one of life's joys.

http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=30182065&cat=191&lpid=&search=&ad_cid=11


This is pretty close to the bike glockman rides:
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=30175023&cat=191&lpid=2&search=&ad_cid=12


This would be a fun bike too:
http://www.ksl.com/index.php?nid=218&ad=30172958&cat=191&lpid=3&search=&ad_cid=7

 

[nnnnnate]

We're flexible. Unless anyone has any objections, I recommend 5:00 PM at the mouth of the canyon. Hopefully my hardtail will be built up by then and I can test it out. For those who don't know me, I can't seem to leave AF Canyone before 10 PM, even when I plan on exiting by 7. For this trip, the plan is to ride 'till 8:30 and be out by 9, but be warned that anything can happen.

I'll have to look into whether I'd be able to swing that, it would be a lot of fun. I didn't know if you were planning morning or evening. I was thinking of putting my knobbies back on tonight and checking out City Creek tomorrow after work.

 

[nnnnnate]

So I was thinking about going up City Creek then east to Bobsled. Skidmap says this is too gnarly for a fat guy without tons of MTB experience. Is it right or should I be okay taking it easy?

 

[Kevin B.]

Bobsled is too gnarly for a fat noob, for sure.

 

[nnnnnate]

Thats, too bad. I may just have to ride the shoreline or something then. I was hoping to get in the trees to try and keep my pale body from getting sun burned. I gotta ride something though cause I swapped over the tires last night.