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Rock Cut State Park is pretty close to you in Rockford , IL. There are plenty of miles of varied trails there including multi-use trails and some pretty good singletrack trails. Here is a link to a map from this website: https://images.singletracks.com/2017/09/ScreenShot2017-09-03at81923PM-orig.jpg
I right now my main bike is an XC 29er. I also have a trail bike with more suspension travel on it that I also use. I am thinking of getting a fat bike too. Nothing wrong with having multiple bikes.
If the singletrack trails are too muddy; I ride fire access roads, or do some urban MTB (hop on and off sidewalks, down short stairs, ride parking lot curbs, practice manuals & hops).
If it is pouring rain/snow outside, or crazy hot out, or stupid cold; I do my treadmill (cardio) or Bowflex (weight training).
Ride as many different trails as you can. Besides dedicated singletrack trails, also ride multi-use trails, fire access roads, rail-to-trails, street in front of your house, local neighborhood roads, nearby parking lots, etc. The reason I mention all these other places is because you do not have to wait for the trails to be open. Think of it as training/hot dogging/conditioning between trail rides. I also like to mix in long distance multi-use trail rides to build up my cardio and endurance.
Without going to a trail, you can still practice your MTB skills: riding up on to sidewalk curbs, over parking lot bump curbs, riding them as skinnies, down short sets of stairs, doing full speed sprints up and down the local neighborhood streets (seated and unseated), leaning way behind seat, all the way over handlebars, and leaning far to the sides of the bike, hard braking drills, and a bunch of other skills.
As your skills improve, you can then also practice more advanced skills like: manuals, wheelies, endos, bunny/j-hops hops, riding between obstacles, track stands, wheelie/endo turns, etc. That way, you look forward to trying out your new skills the next time you hit the trails.
Your best bet at your budget in my humble opinion is to go to your local bike shops and test ride different hardtails from different shops. The most important part on these bikes would be the forks. A good fork makes a huge difference. Try not to get a spring fork, air fork will be much better.
I am not crazy about direct sales order bikes. I had a good experience with mine because I have decent bike maintenance skills. I have seen some bad experiences too. Good customer service, the initial tune-up, and break-in re-tune will make your first MTB riding experience much more enjoyable and trouble free. In addition to that, if you have any problems at all later on, having a good local bike shop is invaluable.
For the same price, I agree that a hardtail will be much better. It will be much easier and cheaper to maintain, and you will never have to upgrade the rear shock and pivots. You are much better off with a quality front suspension fork. I found that cheap “pogo stick” minimally damped forks really kill a bike’s capability.
A good fork with adjustable CTD damping (or adjustable platform damping) makes a humongous difference. In my opinion, it completely transforms the bike. This type of damping eliminates most pedaling bob (makes the bike much more efficient), the ride much more controllable (it quickly recovers from medium to bigger hits), and much more comfortable for those longer rides (quickly adjust to full open damping while riding when the trail gets rough, and quickly back to semi-lockout for comfort and efficiency when it smooths out).
First “mountain-ish bike” was a Schwinn Stingray. I converted it over to full BMX from Sears catalog ordered parts! It was a BMX bike, not really MTB.
My next bike was a Raleigh C30 hybrid, rigid with twist grip shifter. I changed out the tires to full knobby for better off-road trail capability. Also replaced the cushie spring seat with a much better seat, and also swapped out the crazy long stem. Rode that mostly on fire access roads and multi-use trails in New England. I also rode some crazy trails with it that I should of not been able to with that bike. Great learning experience.
My first real dedicated MTB bike was a Airborne Zeppelin Elite. I upgraded the tires, rear shock, front shock, seat, seatpost, seat clamp, handlebars, grips, and stem. I still have it, and still use it sometimes.
^ Exactly!!
Typically if you are “in-between” sizes, you go with the smaller of the two. The smaller bike is easier to toss around. I am 5’9″ and ride a small (I have short legs & longer torso) so the published recommended sizes are not perfect.
However, the absolute best option is for her to test ride both sizes if at all possible.
I lived in South East CT for over 12 years and that is where I learned to Mountain bike in the 90’s. I rode in CT, RI, and MA (mostly CT & RI). I now live in Iowa and ride in IA and IL mostly.
This is a really great website for trail maps and finding new places to ride. Ride as many different places as you can and have a blast.
Front brake is good for around 70% of your stopping power, and the rear 30%. Use both brakes at the same time and get your backside behind the seat with heals down on steep downhills. The limit of your braking is right before you lock the tires up. So modulate the front and rear pressures and back off a bit on the one that starts to lock up. Keep your braking smooth to minimise locking up.
If you only use the rear brake (not recommended), then you just throw away 70% of your stopping power. You will also most likely lock up the rear tire, slide, and lose control.
If you are being “bucked off” your seat and pedals, then the usual problems are:
- The most common issue is too high tire pressures. At around 200 Lbs with 2.0″ wide tires, you should be running at around 28 psi. Higher pressures will make your ride bouncy and jittery making you loose control. Wider tires and tubeless will let you go to lower pressures.
- The second most common problem is wrong fork spring/pressure and possibly poor rebound setting. Forks with an internal spring are typically sprung for a 150 lb rider from the factory. If you are heavier then you need to upgrade to a heavier spring. If your fork has an air spring, then you need to set the sag properly for your weight. Most forks also have adjustable damper rebound setting. Typically a good starting point is to set it at 1/2 way. If you weigh more than 150 lbs then you can go slower on the rebound. The cheapest forks are often called “pogo sticks” because they have no rebound adjustment and offer next to no dampening at all.
- Cheap flat pedals and poor shoe combination will not give you the right amount of grip. A grippy set of flat pedals with soft rubber sneakers will make for a huge improvement in control.
- Wrong technique can also be a problem. I rode the trails in New England for many years when I first started riding. The trails there are notorious for having lots of roots and rocky sections. Learning to float your bike over these sections by unweighting (hopping your bike without lifting off the ground) really helps to get through these. Off the seat, attack position, heals down, stay loose, weight, unweight.
Slide the seat 1/2″ forward on the seat rails.
New Balance 608v4 at $70 FTW, made in the USA!
[Downhill Mike] “If you have good pedals and good shoes it won’t be that big of a difference.”
I agree that a good set of flat pedals with good shoes makes a huge difference. That is what I always use now. Cheap flat pedals are almost completely useless…
A front fork with proper platform damping and lockout is a real game changer, so definitely #1! The difference between one of these and a cheap pogo stick spring fork, or a rigid fork is huge. Disc brakes is #2.
I was sometimes cramping up after long rides, and on rare occasions waking up from leg cramps the night after doing long rides (+20 miles), so I told my doctor. After some tests, she told me that my hydration levels and sodium/electrolytes looked good, but I had low potassium and low vitamin D.
For potassium: potatoes, bananas, tomato sauce, water melons, spinach, beans, and yogurt.
For vitamin D: fish, milk, yogurt, eggs, sunlight (be very careful with sun-burn), mushrooms, some orange juices, and some breakfast cereals.
A good bit of stretching before and after the long ride also helped too. I rarely ever get the cramps anymore.
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Wrong post at old thread.
Flat pedals can be awesome, but only if you have a good set up. Cheap one will seriously compromise your riding abilities. Get a good set of flat pedals with replaceable pins like these Raceface Aeffect pedals.
I also combine these with a pair of inexpensive soft rubber grippy sneakers like these Newbalance 608v4’s.
“When should you replace your helmet?”
Give the helmet a very thorough inspection. Always repair or replace if you find anything questionable.
- Look at the straps and clips. Is there is anything worn or damaged that could compromise a perfect fit?
- Inspect the inside of the helmet. Are the felt pads worn out, misplaced, or missing? Is any of the foam cracked, brittle, loose, or just does not look right?
- How does the outer shell look? Scuffed? Edge tape coming off? Sun backed color fading? Getting crunchy, stiff, chiping off?
- Always replace after any kind of head impact. Helmets are only made to handle single hits. Don’t drop or throw your helmet into the back of your SUV when you are done using it (no bueno)!
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