[badrider]

I live in the DFW area. Had a good ride today crashed a couple of times but the guy who was coaching me said "if you ain’t bleeding you ain’t mountain biking" now that last tree gate I didn’t clear is going to hurt a couple of days. He basically told me I need to work on cornering and need experience picking my line which will come in time. Thanks for the grip recommendation I’m riding ergo grips and really don’t like them that much. as for the damper, does it replace the lockout? I may do that upgrade when it’s time to do a rebuild. Since my schedule is more flexible than everyone else’s I have decided to try and get as many rides in before spring and either be riding at their pace or start calling them from the parking lot.

[badrider]

Blundar thanks for the weight lose encouragement it helps when you can stay motivated.

As far as point 2 I know I should worry about me and my skills but being left out of the discussions is frustrating and discouraging. Especially when you’re having a hard time on the trail and you either get lapped on shorter trails or a phone call asking where you’re at from the parking lot.

For point 3 really don’t have that anywhere near by. I do ride paved trails to help with the weight loss and cardio and mix in some alley ways that are either non paved or in need of repair that are nearby.

To point 4 yes the bouncing I may be in the process of figuring out thanks to this site an article title "light hands heavy feet" may be my solution to a lot of my woes, that and my saddle was a bit far back. My hands where getting numb and this article said I may have place too much weight on the handlebars which will cause problems , well some of them. I’m still working through the drills but I’ve noticed the numbness isn’t near as bad as what it has been. My bike is not an entry level bike at least not in it’s day. In ’98 it’s msrp was about $800 dollars but it also came with a pretty cheap front shock A rockshox indy s which has been replaced with a new RockShox XC32TK Solo Air, not top of the line but not bargain basement either. I’m riding a 26er and keep low 30 psi for the trails and bump that to 40 when on hard surface.

We’ve had a lot of rain lately so the trails have been closed. But I am going to try to fit a ride in this week if possible. And I’m planning on riding alone.

[badrider]

Well to update I did buy a FS frame and will start the build after the first of the year. Stumpy I don’t sit while riding roots and other obstacles I was saying that I had tried both ways to smooth out the ride, the bounce is almost like when you ride in too low a gear and start getting frame bounce, just worse.
Jg, don’t take this the wrong way but, no shit Captain Obvious I know I’m a fat ass thats why I started riding. 😛 The good news is I’m not 280 anymore nor am I 255 anymore I am down to 248. And I plan on leveling out at around 200. I do ride concrete trails in the area one is a 10 mile loop that ride twice on weekends the others are 1.5 to 2 miles and usually do 5 to 7 laps on those 3 time a week weather permitting.
dg thats the whole problem I can’t have fun while I’m crashing or coming off the bike all the time. I’m riding 90mmx85mm pedals and Vans shoes. As far as riding faster I have incorporated cornering into my routine as well as slow speed figure eights to help me improve balance and help with switch backs. And I will check your website sense I will be needing wheels soon for my build.

[badrider]

"LucindaInGA" wrote

Are you using clipless pedals?

What would you say is your biggest concern right now? You mention bouncing around a lot. A full suspension bike would absorb the bumps for you. Definitely see if you can rent or borrow one and see if it makes a difference. Nothing wrong with going FS even if it’s not the "recommended" bike for your area. Are there bike shops you can rent from? Or look for manufacturer demo days in your area. Which part of TX are you in?

Sent from my Z10 using Tapatalk 2

No I’m riding platforms. That’s it bouncing around trying to stay balanced. I know my local bike shop doesn’t but I’ll check Richardson Bike Mart the large chain in Dallas. I read somewhere learning to track stand will improve balance, so I’ve started working on that as well as riding 25 ft 1 x 6 plank.

[badrider]

Thanks for the encouraging words, I ride in Texas and the trails I ride have loops that vary from novice to advanced. I stay on novice trails. I have watched videos and read many articles trying to figure out what I’m doing or not doing. I have talked to some pretty advanced riders around here and even though the bike is laid out in a cross country geometry they think it should be good for the trails we ride here. I have thought about a 27.5 but 2+ grand is a lot of money to drop on a full suspension bike, regardless if I can ride or not. As far as borrowing a bike I would need to find some who would be willing to let me use their large for a ride. My wife rides a small and my friends, mediums. I would need to look into renting I don’t know who does that around here. Jeff, I don’t hate the sport I just can’t seem to do it in a way that’s not completely frustrating. I enjoy being outside in nature and really wish I could get this. The only thing I can say is going over roots or obstacles the bike bounces whether or not if I’m on the pedals or the seat, this is when I start losing control. The bike is 29 lbs my wifes GT and my friends Trek and Jamis are in the 30’s so I don’t know if that is factoring into this or not. I’m going to try again this weekend weather permitting, so we’ll see how it goes.

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