Big bouncy bike newbie

[troc]

I've just become the rather happy owner of a 29" wheel 150mm front/rear full suspension mountainbike (yes, ideal for the hills of Holland ) and I've a few questions....

I've been riding a 100mm hardtail until now with clipless pedals and lycra in a XC kind of way. I've bought oodles of silly baggy trail stuff instead to I can look like I'm trying too hard and like a total poseur. But, should I chuck a pair of flats on for a while until I'm used to the new bike before reverting to my SPDs?

Should I ditch the xc SPDs I have and get some with a frame?

Should I stop fannying about and just ride the thing?

I assume kneepads are a sensible idea.

Do I need to say "rad" a lot?

[PomBstard]

Congrats on the new bike!

troc said:

Should I stop fannying about and just ride the thing?

Correct. I use XT clipless pedals and wear Lycra on my dualie, but then I also came from a short travel (80mm...) hardtail.

And whilst I don’t say “Rad” too often, I do swear a lot as the bike encourages me to get into situations that, er, test my talent... Flat pedals can alleviate the pain during practice as can knee pads. I have neither but do have some lovely scars on my legs.

But mostly just ride. And enjoy

[wolfracesonic]

Rad is acceptable to use as are 'knarly' and 'sick', as in fact is any vernacular borrowed from either the BMX or skateboarding communities. Also study the front cover of MTB magazines and try to replicate the pose of the rider you see displayed there i.e knee and shoulder pads, 3/4 length baggy shorts, 2 day growth of stubble, bike canted over at a jaunty angle, you in the opposite direction with at least 30 degrees of steering angle wound on, with everything covered in a liberal dose of mud. Shades as well, you need some cool looking shades. HTH.

[troc]

I like how we are focussing on ‘rad’ and ignoring the insanity of a 150mm travel bike in the Netherlands

PS it’s a whyte S150. I’m weirdly excited.

[PorkRind]

Lycra for mtb if youre going to do any sort of milage, unless you can get some mtb shorts with padding in, i just bought some enduras from the marxists over at evans which i did 30 miles offroad on, with chamois cream i was in no pain. I cant recommend assos bibs though and theres a trade site for them https://www.swissiconic.com/

[Mr Ted]

MTB kit is a lot more robust and protective than lycra, take an unplanned excursion into the brambles in lycra and half of it will be missing when you come out the other side !!!

There are plenty of MTB shorts with padded inner shorts, I wear some tough outer shorts over my padded lycra road shorts.

Knee pads and tough gloves are a good idea as knees and hands are usually the first contact points to hit the deck in the event of a 'failure to proceed'

'Rad' and 'sick' are perfectly acceptable in moderate quantities while you are 'shredding' the trails.

Just don't dress up in full motocross gear and full face helmet unless you are ; a) a teenager, b) really fast,

[joshleb]

What sort of riding are you planning on doing?

Enduro with decent downs, or just more all day trail riding? (There could be some killer descents in Holland I've not heard of!)

Recommended knee pad would be a soft shell type thing to allow breathability, I've had good experience with TLD ones.

I would recommend flats just to improve bike skills initially again, proper bunny hops and confidence if getting foot out on the corners.
Just some cheap ones and flat soled shoes would do.

Enjoy the ride, got a dropper post on it?

[Sk00p]

Riding the flint trails of the Surrey hills I figured knee pads a good idea. In fact I did crash hard and my knees were fine. Broke my collar bone though.. I ordered nearly everyone available with free returns and tried them all. Ended up with some clunky POC ones that a far more comfortable than they look


Anyway, just ride the damn thing, although if you are planning a few jumps and drops so additional protective clothing wouldn't go amiss.

Don't forget to get stoked and fist bump everyone you meet

[PomBstard]

troc said:

ignoring the insanity of a 150mm travel bike in the Netherlands

You do realise that elsewhere on this site people get excited about driving cars that can go a billionty mph but the speed limit is only 70 in the UK? I'm sure you can find a flight of steps somewhere. Or a pile of bricks. But it'll be fun, esp with some blingy pedals

As for clothing, Endura stuff is worth it for mtb - I use their shorts and they last well with hitting scrub and falling onto sandstone.