Shakedown of a new Mountain Bike by a newbie!

[Marcellus]

For years I've been a roadie but now living in the mountains I thought time to mix it with the dirty side.

After a nightmare day trip to the UK to pick up a bike (cheers Easyjet I will be claiming) I finally get home two days later.

The next day spend building my new bike (Scott Genius MC20) learning about shocks, rebound, sag settings, disc breaks converting to tubless (how awesome is that notube video) I am finally ready to turn a wheel.

So there's me up a mountain, in a ski resort with a new mountain bike so thinks, ooooo I'll head up into the ski area see the scenery get away from it all...the run back from the top at the end of the day only takes me 5 minutes on Skis it can't be that hard to ride up there in this bike after all I am a riding god!!

How wrong can a poor misguided individual be.......think again wronger than that.

I set off, engage a nice easy gear which I reckon I can maintain all the way to the top.......a make it to the 100m marker nice cadence going breezing my way up, there's a compression here which on the way down skiing is an awesome final jump, on a bike it's a different story I stand up good all round pedalling stroke pull up.............lift the rear wheel clean off the path and thwack land squarely on the floor...

Look aorund thank god noone saw!!

Problem #2 how to get restarted......wish I'd left the platforms on one side of the pedals now!!

anyway I do manage it and off I go...everytime I apply the pressure the front end dips dramatically like on a rocking horse....ah me thinks that's why you can lock off the front and rear....so I slow to a stop....forgetting as soon as you slow pedalling when climbing soo steeply you stop so thwack there's me on the floor again...

I set off again now with both front and rear suspension locked out and start the climb passing the 200m marker with flowing ease legs spinning nicely...actually legs spinning a tad to fast so a flick of the thumb, a flick of the thumb a flick of the thumb that's better a nice cadence straight in the face of a slight compression (I say slight on the way down on skis you don't notice it) suddenly pedals stop and.....yep thwack I say hello to my new foudn friend the path!!

Mind you made the 500m marker post by this point...in disgust I pick myslef up truna 180 and think....oh yess the down hill is where it's at..let gravity take control...

Rocks and gravity that it....forgot to drop the saddle stop drop saddle massage some life back and set off again......being shaken to bits thinks to self jeeze this is rough....remembers haven't unlocked shocks...stopped....realise how good disc brakes are.....just managed to avoid going all the way over the bars but still said hello again to mr gavel path!!

Unlocked suspension and set off........all the way from the 200m marker...how cool is this!!

Get to the bottom, continue up the valley track and then realise that I really should have quite literally kept my mouth shut......muddy tracks open mouth you've got the picture!!

Still I continue loving it until I come across a small stream and little hop in thinking I pedal through and out.......errrm well I did think I was a riding god...........didn't make it... two very wet feet & ankles help me realise how sadly disillusioned can one man be!!

still, I look great though and having fun.....I continue and come across a piece of wire with sign, stop and clamber under and pull bike through (before anyone comments it is a signed and marked footpath) 4 or 5 of these riding through some woods/pastures next to a flowing stream....admiring the horses, sheep, cows, goats and general wildlife forgetting all about the wet feet, sore arse, slight gravel rash, swallowing crap and feeling good....come to another wire, stop dismount clamber under...or should I say start to clamber under.......phump this one's live.....bugger me I now see how they work as I'm lying face down in god knows what having been electrocuted!!

Thank god that was the last one!!

I stumble across a road and feel at home as I ride the 2 miles home..laughing all the way!!

So my target for tomorrow...600m marker with only falling off once and getting back home with my nads in tact without eating any mud and not being electrocuted.....anyone want a bet as to whether I can or not??

I won't even bother asking where I went wrong as I suspect it was as I first sat on the saddle!

:lol:

Edited by Marcellus on Saturday 31st May 15:10

[pastrana72]

Becareful.

At least you are having fun, on what is a great bike, and challanging terrian,

Good luck, just do not push your limits to far.

[Funk]

Spot the difference in response here and on the forum, Marcellus - here you get warnings to be careful, over there you get asked for video of the calamity...!

[308mate]

First time with SPDs huh?

Good write up. Crack on.

[Marcellus]

308mate said:

First time with SPDs huh?

nope been using cleats/spds for years it's the mountain bike that's new!!

Edited by Marcellus on Saturday 31st May 16:53

[fadeaway]

thanks for sharing!


(and good luck on your next adventure)

Edited by fadeaway on Sunday 1st June 15:30

[MTY4000]

That's the spirit! For first ride, 500mm vertical climb and alpine decent: good effort. You'll aready have the fitness from the road work - so I expect you'll be wizzing round the mountains in no time.

One thing to watch out for on steeper climbs - front wheel rises, and suddenly your centre of gravity is over the rear wheel and you fip over backwards when fully clipped in (yes, it hurts as much as it sounds it would!). Solution: dip down low at the front, elbows down below the bars - pull down and back to increase traction on the rear wheel, while keeping you centre of gravity in the right place.

Sweet bike too. [thanks for the advice on the Chamonix - q for local thread by the way]