Who Mountain Bikes for exercise?

[felix5oh]

That thing looks fun.

Growing up in flat Florida i ride the road bikes.(i got 4 bikes,2road,2off-road) My MT bikes are light duty hardtails.

We have to go to a trail in a park like Eulita in Dade county or Ulamay in Merritt Island,Brevard county. Too much work when i can just hop on the pizza cutters and do the usual 14 mile ride. (7 miles to the shore and back)

Cool bike.

 

[headshock]

I ride a Trek Fuel used to race XC years ago. Now just ride XC and hit Downieville 1x a year for a 30 mile downhill rush. Got the Summer Tahoe card this year so I will hit Kirkwood and Northstar a few times. Used to ride the nice hills in the bay area now jsut grind it around folsom lake. Spin is the best training for the uphill grind.

a few pics:
http://www.ericroscoe.com/gallery/Roscoes-Mountain-Bike-Zone

Any of you guys have wives/girlfriends that ride? I have a 10 year old Gary Fisher that I've pretty much just ridden on the local (paved) bike trail and some mild offroad for fitness.

On a whim, I signed up for a local MTB racing series...cross country. I got top 3 in my first 3 races, so they're making me move up from Beginner to Sport. It would be nice to get a better bike since I'll have to go more miles per race and might actually start training for MTB racing (rather than my one race/week being my only on bike time ).

Anyway, looking for recommendations for a good XC MTB with women's geometry, durable and reliable. Will pay money for components that are worth it for significant performance improvements or added reliability, but not worried about every little ounce and every little nuance of performance. I'd pay up to around $2k, but it would really have to be worth it and not be obsolete immediately (don't know much about how quickly MTB stuff goes obsolete...).

My wife rides the Trek Fuel 7 and loves if for XC. Probably too heavy to race but its in your pricerange. Goto BP Bikes in Folsom and take a test ride.

 

[aranka]

just heard today that chris chelios and hascek (red wings) do that in the off season. has to be good for you since cheli is 46 million years old and still playing NHL.

 

[duvers]

My wife rides the Trek Fuel 7 and loves if for XC. Probably too heavy to race but its in your pricerange. Goto BP Bikes in Folsom and take a test ride.

Well, I've been to Bicycles Plus, REI, all three Bob's locations, both City Bicycle Works locations, Cambria Bike Emporium, Mad Cat, East Sac Bike, Mike's Bikes, and a little bike shop in Jackson, CA (can't remember the name). Half the people I talk to suggest full suspension and half say I should stick with a hardtail.

If I go full suspension, I've narrowed it down to a Specialized Stumpjumper FSR Expert, Specialized Epic, Santa Cruz Juliana, or Cannondale Rush. Haven't gotten to test ride much in the way of hardtails. There's limited selection of nice ones available with women's specific geometry.

Any ideas/pros/cons of the full suspensions listed above? I think the Stumpy is in the lead for all around riding, but wonder about the Epic or maybe the Rush for more XC speed. Just learning about all the bikes, geometries, and components.

 

[Big Kahuna]

hey Duv, I was racking my brain trying to remember a G. Specific full suspension, it is the Santa Cruz Juliana..... Great bike........

They are higher priced, but that is a sweet bike!!!!!!!!..

 

[flip]

Tampa Area Riders

Anyone looking for folks to ride with? A few of us hit up Morris Bridge sometime during the week and then try to head to Ocala, Lakeland or Alafia on the weekend.

 

[duvers]

hey Duv, I was racking my brain trying to remember a G. Specific full suspension, it is the Santa Cruz Juliana..... Great bike........

They are higher priced, but that is a sweet bike!!!!!!!!..

Yeah, I got spoiled on the one that I test rode, but the price tag was $4500, so I'd better have felt spoiled riding it! I guess one of the top Amateur X-Terra women's racers had it built, but then her house didn't close and she couldn't buy it. The frame was the standard Juliana aluminum frame, but all the components were top of the line, carbon fiber, etc. Sweet bike! I just can't justify spending that kind of money for a newbie to MTB like me.

 

[2002zxi]

oleta is awesome. that's mainly where we ride. weekdays i ride just sidewalks around my house (about 6 miles).

ive picked it up a little bit again since i finally got around to reading lance armstrong's book 'its not about the bike' last month.

This is a stock photo of my bike, nothing glamorous.

I couldnt put that book down... I tried.

 

[accbr]

Cannondale Prophet 4

Old thread but guess this is the place to show my new Christmas present to myself. :mischievous: Found a good used demo from last year that looked brand new. Stock photo of the bike cause mine is in the garage covered in mud and dirt.

 

[Big Kahuna]

nice ride... I have never really been a Cannondale fan, I rode Parrdaddy's Profit and liked the feel........ now, I find myself looking into getting a road bike.......... guess what kind?? yup, Cannondale Synapse..... looks to be an all around good bike..... not a race geometry but one that is more comfortable for longer rides, but if I found myself wanting to get a little more aggressive, all I have to do is remove a spacer below the stem and lower the bars and you are back to a more race orientation.

 

[accbr]

There's four nice bike shops in town, and they all carry different lines. I test rode Giant, Trek, GF, Specialized, and Cannondale. I still have my GT hardtail though. I've been riding the prophet for about a month, and it took some getting used to. Took me awhile to trust the rear shock in the rough stuff. I picked the Prophet because you can adjust the rear shock to change the head tube angle for XC or light freeride. So far I love it. Done a few 6 foot drops, and it's soooo much nicer than my old hard tail.

I've thought about getting a road bike, but I just don't know if I'd use it. There's a park with 10 miles of dirt single track about 2 miles from my house. I still throw the MTB on the back of the truck to get there. :27: Once I get on the dirt I'll ride for hours. No matter where you ride it's great exercise.

 

[Big Kahuna]

check these trails out........... http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=366125&highlight=blankets+creek

rode them a few weeks ago, cant wait to go back!!!!!!!!!!

2 miles, ride to the trails, good warm up!!!!!!!!!!

 

[accbr]

check these trails out........... http://forums.mtbr.com/showthread.php?t=366125&highlight=blankets+creek

rode them a few weeks ago, cant wait to go back!!!!!!!!!!

2 miles, ride to the trails, good warm up!!!!!!!!!!

Awesome looking trails. We have some like that around the lakes here.

I know it's only 2 miles, but there's a really big hill between me and the park :baby:

If you're ever up this way hit me up, and I can show you some of the local trails. We have anything from 3 to 15 mile loops.

 

[McDog]

My 2005 specialized xc pro head tube cracked. My local shop switched it out under warranty with a 2007 stumpjumper pro frame because it was all that specialized had available. It's anodized red and rides like a cadillac compared to my xc. Specialized really took care of me on this.

 

[squid]

Love bike

I started off 2007 racing mountain bikes and then finished the year racing cycle cross. I also ride the road to help me get faster for the races. I have lost about 18 pounds and kept my sanity while building my new ski. For me cycling is the very best way to cross train. Wow cycle cross is hard has any one else done any bike racing?

 

[wydopen]

Wow cycle cross is hard has any one else done any bike racing?

i raced Norba downhill for years till i started jetskiing..used to be pretty fast

my dirt jump bike

my downhill bike.

racing at sea otter on my dirtjump bike

 

[yamaslut]

wow... nice pics andrew...

last one looks like you were moving pretty good... how fast do you get going in a race like that???

 

[wydopen]

wow... nice pics andrew...

last one looks like you were moving pretty good... how fast do you get going in a race like that???

that course is really flat actually..thats why im riding the small bike there..some courses have some wide open stuff..probally hitting 45-50 or so..its all won or lost in the tech rocks and roots...thats where i used to pin it..i miss it sometimes but i like jetskiing alot more..

i dont think i have any more pics on this comp..wish i had some more...


my downhill bike is handmade by my buddy..its really dialed..custom internals in the suspension..i got it the same week i got my Sj..ive only ridden it a couple times..kind of a shame really

 

[Big Kahuna]

hey Squid, I use to race some back in 97, nothing big, just a local race....... beginner class........ may try and hit some this year, something new and different........ Thinking about getting a road bike, looking at a Cannondale Synapse Alloy.....

 

[Kennay]

Could anyone recommend a decent bike for cross country, jumping around town with? I can't really spend more than around 300-400 at the moment. I also wouldn't have a problem with upgrading shifting components and what not later on down the road.

For reference, I used to have a Schwinn Moab, and it fit the bill nicely after I upgraded a couple of things.