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Hello everyone, my name is Jason Hopkins and as the title says I am new to this sport. I recently moved here to Costa Rica (where my wife is from) after getting medially retired from the Army after 17 years. I have always been on two wheels but until now (well soon when I get a bike) it has always been powered. I raced motocross and Hare Scrambles since I was about 5 and now that I am here in this beautiful country I thought I would give mountain biking a try. Ultimately I want to race, I am way to competitive to just leisurely ride along a trail. So I have a few questions for everyone….well mainly one…where the heck do I start. I mean so many bike choices, so many frame materials, so many different setups, I have no idea where to go. Also how do I learn to work on my bikes? I can do a complete motor rebuild on a 450 MX bike but I have no idea of anything on a mountain bike. Also has anyone done the De Ruta de los Conquistadores here in Costa Rica? http://www.adventurerace.com/ Now I dont think I would be able to compete this coming year as it seems pretty intense but later I would like to do it. Well thanks for any advice and help.
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I would start by checking into the riding scene in your area. What kind of riding and racing seems to be the most popular? Then I would definitely try it out before committing to any particular riding style. Cross Country (XC) is VERY different from downhill (DH) racing. Then there’s the growing enduro racing. And none of those are anything like freestyle riding. They all need different models of bikes too.
Also keep in mind that you may be able to feed your competitive yearnings by just riding trail or all mountain style bikes while using an app like Strava. At least while you figure out what type of riding you enjoy the most and want to sink money into. As for bike maintenance, there are plenty of good books/guides/manuals out there that a quick search on Amazon will yield ("Zinn and the Art of MTB Maintenance" is popular but there are plenty others).
I wish I could point you into a specific direction but it ultimately comes down to what will get you hooked and keep you riding.
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Well DH is out, I have had to many back surgeries and I have never damage in my lower left leg from an misunderstanding with a 107mm rocket in Afghanistan; I thought that the Tower I was in should be upright and in one piece and it thought differently….it won. I raced XC style racing on dirtbikes and I really enjoyed that. I am in no kinds of shape to do enduro’s right now (and I didnt really enjoy enduro’s on two wheels with a motor, so pretty sure two wheels without wont be my thing lol). I have trail rode some on some XC style trails when I was stationed in Italy (on my buddy’s loaner bike) and that was a lot of fun. So kind of leaning that way. Also not many I dont know anyone here who rides yet so i guess I will have to dive nto one style and if it doesnt fit then make a transition.
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Yeah, arguing with a 107 is a no win situation. Glad it wasn’t worse for you.
Given what you have said then as far as getting into MTB riding in that area I would suggest you look at bikes in the "trail bike" category. They won’t necessarily be the lightest fastest bike out there (for that you’d need the high speed low drag XC racers) but it will be tough, durable, and capable of getting you started. And you could race on it if you felt the urge. Then if you get into the XC race thing you could always find a race bike and use the trail bike as a trainer. -
The thing is no matter which way I go I am racing, I am too competitive to just ride trails. So should I just spend the money and get a race bike? Or get a bike I can upgrade to a race bike….any suggestions on bikes?
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Well you sound pretty committed to wanting to race XC. I guess you should come up with a budget and shop around. I don’t know what the LBS scene in Costa is but if you can get access to bikes to test ride I think you’d be better off in your decision making. There are so many things to consider such as wheel size, travel amounts, frame materials, components, etc… some of which will be limited by what you want to spend and others by your preferences. I would definitely start with some general internet research to get ideas.
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