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Do You Mountain Bike?

CHUM said:
i roll santa cruz about once a month...lil' kid eats a lot of time ;)

rebuilt my '04 s-works enduro...got her down to a svelte 26.5 lbs :teeth

proceeds from my RX are going towards a custom build...yay...
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Let me know when you head back there I would like to check it out
 
Whats a good all around helmet for MT.Biking? I am new to the sport and i need a helmet. i picked up the iron horse i was asking about a week ago and i want to start to hit some trails. also where are some good places to ride in Marin county?
 
SLR it depends on what your are doing, for XC I would opt for just a basic open face

If you are jumping or DH I would use a full face Moto X lid

Rocks and trees are not a soft as you think
 
SLR said:
Whats a good all around helmet for MT.Biking? I am new to the sport and i need a helmet. i picked up the iron horse i was asking about a week ago and i want to start to hit some trails. also where are some good places to ride in Marin county?
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I wear a full face giro remedy no matter what I am doing, even pedaling to the gym, because shit happens and my face is my moneymaker:twofinger
 
Finally getting back into MTB'ing... currently riding Annadel more often than anything else. Picked up an FSR-XC Expert, good enough for me *shrug*.

Here's the question I have for you guys: I recently swapped out my "clipless" style pedals (the kind I had to clip into) because even after using them forever, I still didn't have the confidence going over some of the more gnarly climbs / singletrack as I do with regular pedals.

Right now I'm running some Specialized Magnesium standard pedals which seem to work great.... I lose a little bit of climbing but am willing to just commit and go for it when I normally wouldn't if I was clipped in.

What are your guys' experience with this? I'm no racer... just recreational riding.
 
9M61 said:
Finally getting back into MTB'ing... currently riding Annadel more often than anything else. Picked up an FSR-XC Expert, good enough for me *shrug*.

Here's the question I have for you guys: I recently swapped out my "clipless" style pedals (the kind I had to clip into) because even after using them forever, I still didn't have the confidence going over some of the more gnarly climbs / singletrack as I do with regular pedals.

Right now I'm running some Specialized Magnesium standard pedals which seem to work great.... I lose a little bit of climbing but am willing to just commit and go for it when I normally wouldn't if I was clipped in.

What are your guys' experience with this? I'm no racer... just recreational riding.
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Thats fine, but If you're into it, I'd be looking into why you don't have confidence to ride trails without being clipped in. Personally I love being clipped in, nice and tight.

Nothing wrong with flats but maybe there are some things you could work on to help you not feel like you need to bail off the bike. Sounds like going to flat pedals could be a bandaid for a different problem.

Not really a big deal though, do what feels best
 
Yody said:
Thats fine, but If you're into it, I'd be looking into why you don't have confidence to ride trails without being clipped in. Personally I love being clipped in, nice and tight.

Nothing wrong with flats but maybe there are some things you could work on to help you not feel like you need to bail off the bike. Sounds like going to flat pedals could be a bandaid for a different problem.

Not really a big deal though, do what feels best
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That's exactly what it is, confidence. There's uphills and downhills that I am hesitant to touch when I'm clipped in, but when I'm on my "flats" as you called em... I just go for it and if I need to touch here or there, no big deal.

I am noticing my thighs are significantly more sore after each ride though. I guess I did use the push/pull when I was clipped in....

On this note: Should I be wearing some mountain bike specific shoes? I'm wearing skate shoes right now and they seem to work great, but I'm pretty sure there are better options for us platform style pedal riders, which flex less...
 
9M61 said:
....On this note: Should I be wearing some mountain bike specific shoes? I'm wearing skate shoes right now and they seem to work great, but I'm pretty sure there are better options for us platform style pedal riders, which flex less...
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For riding flats, I highly recommend 510's Assault shoe. They have a few different colors and styles now. Great traction and support.

Skate shoes tend to have really soft soles that flex and don't support the part of your foot that isn't on the pedal. That can lead to sore feet and foot/ankle injuries.

Shimano also makes some "skate shoe" styled bike shoes with stiffer soles.

Clipping in is still the way to go IMO. I even clip in DHing. YMMV.
 
Have you tried the SPD clipless / platform pedal like the M-454? You can run those a lot looser than a typical xc-based SPD pedal.

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dking said:
For riding flats, I highly recommend 510's Assault shoe. They have a few different colors and styles now. Great traction and support.

Skate shoes tend to have really soft soles that flex and don't support the part of your foot that isn't on the pedal. That can lead to sore feet and foot/ankle injuries.

Shimano also makes some "skate shoe" styled bike shoes with stiffer soles.

Clipping in is still the way to go IMO. I even clip in DHing. YMMV.
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At the same time, aren't those like $100?? I don't think I'd spend that much money on Skater-looking shoes with quasi stiff soles.
 
9M61 said:
That's exactly what it is, confidence. There's uphills and downhills that I am hesitant to touch when I'm clipped in, but when I'm on my "flats" as you called em... I just go for it and if I need to touch here or there, no big deal.

I am noticing my thighs are significantly more sore after each ride though. I guess I did use the push/pull when I was clipped in....

On this note: Should I be wearing some mountain bike specific shoes? I'm wearing skate shoes right now and they seem to work great, but I'm pretty sure there are better options for us platform style pedal riders, which flex less...
Click to expand...

Work with the flats, but read some books and start applying techniques to help you with those confidence problems. When you start feeling like you got it, switch back to clipless.
 
9M61:

China Camp, Tamarancho, Pine Mountain, Mount Tam, and Marin Headlands are some trails you cam explore in Marin
 
thanks for the shock roxy.. got it all installed :)

when i met up with you the other day thats the first day i've been able to walk around since i crashed two weeks ago.

no test ride yet :(
 
Critical Mass was insane tonight.
Good lord. Hahahaha. Next year every single one of you should go to the Halloween mass ride. Bring a full flask and good friends.
 
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