Mountain Biking

[AUSFITTER]

Hi All,

Just started getting into mountain biking and curious to know if anyone else gets out of the house and hits the tracks at all? If you do, what style do you ride and where do you ride? Maybe it would be cool to have some bike knowledge or something on here for guys thinking about getting out there, or looking to upgrade and so on.



Have a good one

[Static89]

Trails - Mt Coot-tha/Gap Creek
That's where I ride.

[Static89]

https://shop.sunrisecyclery.com/item/138431

And thats what i use.

[Drawnnite]

good to see some other bike riders around on here.

for now i just ride when i need light things down the street (eg newspaper. or go check on prices etc)
but hoping to get to the You Yangs, or Lysterfield. or maybe even going up to the snow fields during summer/autumn.

anyway heres the Bike
Giant STP except ive removed front brakes. changed rear brakes to Right side.
New Green ODI grips. Orange Odyssey pedals (they glow in the dark =P ) and getting a chainstay guard soon.

this is what it looked like when i got it

its a very short frame, which can get chucked around with ease.

[AUSFITTER]

Hey Static, How long have you been riding? Whats the trails like at Mt Cootha - Gap Creek?

I went to check out Ironbark Gully this morning, but was put off by a sign with a no cycling symbol on it, although i have read that you can ride there. I ended up venturing to Jinker track and was having a bit of fun until my handle bars wanted to point 90 deg to the side instead of straight lol but to make it worse, i forgot my basic tools to fix it, so it was called short.

I ride a 09 Giant Yukon, nice and smooth and seems to handle ok, but like i stated in my first post, i am still learning it all so i will see how it handles as time goes on.

[ari666]

i get out sometimes. went for the first time in about 6 years to a place called "forrest" there are a couple of really nice downhills there, one has a 600M or so stretch of burns. really good fun for someone like me who smokes too much and cant handle up-hills. used to frequent a hill in oxford (england) once a week, back when i had more functional lungs. cant remember its name.

this my ride:

giant XTC 03'
i have changed the gearset on the rear to smaller cogs for street riding, and have clip-in pedals. mine never came with the rock shox in the picture either that will be something i fit in the new year. looking at 110mm travel rock shox.

[jules]

i ride mostly yarra trails in kew/fairfield. mountain biking is great - you'll s**t yourself at first but it's amazing how quickly you develop skills. it's such a huge rush and you don't need to risk your license for it.

[Drawnnite]

ari.
if your upgrading the front forks i would highly recommend ones you can "lock out"
pretty much they become full rigid forks. but you can then unlock them. (which is great for uphill riding)

also if you want some awesome biking equipment have a look at this SITE
i've used them a fair bit. very cheap aswell.
and some of the stuff is next to impossible to get in Aus unless you pay an arm and a leg for it (eg Troy Lee gear)

totally agree Jules.
its like when you first hit a jump.
the first time youll probably chicken out.
but once you have done it youll love it.

[AUSFITTER]

Drawnnite, i have the lockout on my shocks but how rigid is it meant to make them? I have used them locked out for just a quick ride down to the shop or whatever, but find it still compresses a little bit. Should i be getting my lbs to check them out? or if there is something wrong, is it something i could do myself? Oh they are rock shox dart 2

[Drawnnite]

im not to sure how hard and rigid they should be when they lock out.
but i remember when i tried out a few different bikes that when they locked out they were pretty solid.

from memory they should have a little play. some dont others may. it all varies.

also i cannot wait for this chainstay guard to arrive.
no more chain hitting chainstay and making aweful sounds when riding.
but why did i have to order silver/white.... =P

[ari666]

lol, chainstays pffft, i got an old innertube zip tied to mine

also lockouts are a bit a gimmik, i have never seen one that truely locks out. my mate has 'wolf' remote lockouts (which are meant to be 'the shit') on his ride and there is still a bit of movement in them. i got a hard tail purely because i crack the shits with that stupid bouncing of the rears.

but yeah locks on the front are not really a huge deal for me cos' i usually have them dialled right up to hard anyway. having said that... the suntours that came on mine... anything is an improvement

[Drawnnite]

so anyway reviving this thread *gets defibrillator*

for those who are interested.
this is from Chain Reaction Cycles, a place over in england.
ive bought lots of gear from there. they have great customer service. and have a huge range.
also it takes about 2 weeks for it to get here. which is pretty quick.

anyway its for some bike tubes.
pack of 10 for $25 and $8 postage.

there are a few different tube styles. but here is a link to them.
Tubes


also i tried riding the bike on a skatepark over the holidays.
damn tabletop style jump was way to sharp near the bottom to be smooth.
will definately have to try it again.

also does anyone know of any 4x (4cross) bike racing over here in Vic?
i really want to get into it, but cannot find any info on it.

[Darren_L]

Hey Static, How long have you been riding? Whats the trails like at Mt Cootha - Gap Creek?

I went to check out Ironbark Gully this morning, but was put off by a sign with a no cycling symbol on it, although i have read that you can ride there. I ended up venturing to Jinker track and was having a bit of fun until my handle bars wanted to point 90 deg to the side instead of straight lol but to make it worse, i forgot my basic tools to fix it, so it was called short.

I ride a 09 Giant Yukon, nice and smooth and seems to handle ok, but like i stated in my first post, i am still learning it all so i will see how it handles as time goes on.

If you plan on riding the Gap tracks try to find someone who knows the tracks to go with you. Some really intense tracks out there, I nearly shit myself going down one of the steep hills. There was no bailing out once you got going lol.... Only found out later it was one of the 'extreme' tracks. But yeah that's why it's best to have someone who is familiar with the tracks to act as a guide. Heaps of area out there, no water or anything if you get stuck in the middle of summer.

I mainly ride on bike paths (concrete), usually do a 26km ride with a lot of hills thrown in every weekend to keep the fitness levels up. My g/f and I do the Brissie to the Bay ride every year. I'd love to get into some more actual trail rides, but need to work on the fitness a bitmore first and find some god beginner places to go.

[Static89]

i don't go down there a whole lot, tore my ACL so using the gap is a bit of hit and miss depending how my knees feel. if you did want to go up there one day ausfitter, let me know and ill meet you there.

[BowTie]

been riding bmx and mtn bikes for 30 years.

spent a few years as a snowy tour guide taking people into the death zone 1800m+.

pro mechanic at norco/giant dealer for 5yrs+.

have won state bmx rounds. have won state xc rounds.

cannondale.

[BowTie]

as for the previous question re lockout on your forks, 98% of lockouts are soft lockouts with a blowby feature for big hits. rather than lock by seizing the shaft, they actually just switch your compression damping to a super high setting. the blowby is actuated by a pressure release valve in the compression circuit.

hence, they appear to be locked solid but they are not.