I’ve bought a mountain bike!

[Julia9054]

the big bike has XT Trail SPD's

Just realised Al has some of these on one of his bikes. Will see if he wants to swap for the spare ordinary SPDs

You'll poop it a bit at first on rocky descent's being clipped in, but practice.

My friend took me down a set of steps yesterday - that was a bit scary!

it's way above what she will ever use it for

I suspect this will also apply to me - I'm not very brave!

 

[DRM]

http://www.hedgehogcycling.co.uk/fewston-beecroft-timble-woods-swinsty-bike-trail.html
The above is a nice ride out, you could also go up to Dalby Forest, or if you have means of transporting it Leeds Urban Bike Park is very good
https://www.leedsurbanbikepark.com
I use flats on mine, and won't be changing any time soon, I've got SPD's on my road and gravel bikes, but earlier this year had a silly off, on some off camber mud on the gravel bike, and was on the floor before I knew what had happened, or could even think of unclipping, this was as at probably 4mph or so, I've now got torn ligaments in my right shoulder, I'm in a lot of pain and not sleeping and waiting for a referral to come through, it probably wouldn't have happened on the MTB with flats as I would have got my foot straight off, but at the time I was more worried I'd bent the rear mech hanger.
I've never turned my shins to mince with the pins either, for a beginner to MTB, stick with the DMR V8 linked to above.

 

[nickyboy]

Whatever you do don't take up @I like Skol and @fossyant offers of an off-road weekend

I did (on borrowed MTB, never ridden one before) and barely lived to tell the tale (and that's without considering the evening drinking too)

 

[Drago]

Youre off to a good start. Looks like a decent bike.

Dont be tempted to rotate the bars to bring the levers back up - as it is in the picture is perfect, forces your elbows up, gives you greater control and endurance.

Pedals are very personal affair. The trend in recent years has been away from clipless off road. However, I still use them off road, unless Im teaching and spending a lot of time on my feet demonstrating stuff and talking bollards. I think in general, and not just MTBs, people move to clipless before their fundamental riding and control skills are sufficiently advanced, and they're the ones who have the clipless 'moments' - skilled riders simply don't have them, even when new to spuds. Therefore, if you're not already comfy with spuds then stick to flats for a bit.

Enjoy!

 

[fossyant]

Whatever you do don't take up @I like Skol and @fossyant offers of an off-road weekend

I did (on borrowed MTB, never ridden one before) and barely lived to tell the tale (and that's without considering the evening drinking too)

You are still here. When's next time.

 

[Jody]

Any tips and hints?

Nice looking starter bike!

The only tips I don't think anyone has mentioned would be tyre pressures and suspension setup.

If it's not already done and you're not sure, then ask someone with a shock pump to set the sag. If they know what they're doing ask them to help dial in the compression and rebound settings of the fork. It'll make a massive difference.

Tyres will be trial and error but if you're not smashing the bike off rocks then experiment with the lower end. For me, grip outweighs rolling resistance. It's not a nice feeling when your bike starts washing out on you because the tyres are too hard.

There will be loads of routes near you. Strava heatmap is a good start to see where people ride.

Good luck

 

[raleighnut]

As the OP is used to SPD, I'd stick with them. You'll poop it a bit at first on rocky descent's being clipped in, but practice.... When things go wrong you'll unclip,

Might it be an idea to use the '56' Multi-release cleats ?

 

[ColinJ]

My friend took me down a set of steps yesterday - that was a bit scary!

I suspect this will also apply to me - I'm not very brave!

The problem with this - it is what happened to me - is that you get yourself into a situation that you can't cope with and brake, when braking is the last thing that you should do there!

I chickened out on the descent of an ever-steepening rock-strewn bridleway and applied the front brake. I locked the front wheel, ejected myself into space, did a graceful flip and bounced off some rocks, fortunately without wrecking myself...

 

[Randomnerd]

Good easy loop starting in Starbeck to Riplay and Farnham and back. Plenty of routes above Pately. Komoot is your friend.

 

[Julia9054]

Took the bike to Sutton Bank National Park yesterday. Sutton Bank Bikes is located there so Al could hire one and they had a map of all the trails. We did a 9 mile loop. There are some bits through Boltby Forest and some bits overlooking the cliffs with wide ranging views. High Paradise tea rooms are well worth a visit. First time in a cafe for ages and scones as big as your head.
I only fell off once when Al dropped a gate on me! (I powered on through assuming he was holding it open for me. Turned out he wasn't!)

 

[Lovacott]

Its very yellow, isn't it!

I'm planning on stripping down my cheap MTB and spraying it bright yellow. It's a nice colour for a bike.

 

[Pale Rider]

here are some bits through Boltby Forest and some bits overlooking the cliffs with wide ranging views.

The track must have been the same one that we saw crossing Boltby Bank during our shambolic attempt at the road climb.

It's where we stopped for a regroup, and if I recall an MTBer or two passed as I was slumped on the barrier.

I remember thinking the MTB riders had the better idea of crossing the forest on the relative level rather than trying to go up through it.

 

[ChrisEyles]

Lovely bike!

Keeping on top of cleaning & maintenance is a good tip - MTB drive trains wear out much quicker than road bike ones if used in the wet & mud.

Either fitting a dropper post or manually dropping the post is a life saver on technical down hill stuff - worth bearing in mind as you get more confident!

One rule of thumb that I think is quite good for beginners is "don't try riding down anything you couldn't ride up". It's a bit play-it-safe but can be helpful in deciding what is sensible to tackle.

You tube has some good vids on improving your descending/cornering technique if you get properly into it too.

 

[ColinJ]

One rule of thumb that I think is quite good for beginners is "don't try riding down anything you couldn't ride up". It's a bit play-it-safe but can be helpful in deciding what is sensible to tackle.

That advice would have saved me a few crashes!

Probably appropriate for hardtail MTBs like Julia's (and mine). You can get away with much more downhill on a full-sus bike.

 

[ChrisEyles]

Yeah, it's very conservative, but that's the idea - it's a good thing when you're first starting out. Build up slowly, crashing sucks.

The other best bit of advice that I found really helpful is:

Don't look at the scary obstacles (rock, tree whatever) - look at the gap where you want the bike to go. The bike has an uncanny tendency to go in the direction your eyes are focussed, don't ask me why.

On the topic, try not to focus right in front of the front wheel, lift your gaze further up along the trail to see what's coming up ahead. Look right around corners rather than straight ahead.

Mostly, just enjoy being outdoors in the countryside on a bike I find a nice thermos of tea out in the woods almost as enjoyable as clattering down the descents