Newbie lady buying first bike - advice please!

[covie]

clint you give seriously crap advice but thats besides the point here, and I am not about to argue with you since you really dont have a point to argue.

 

Doing basic skills will

A. Teach you whats right and wrong from the word go.

B. immediatly build your confidence and give you a gauge of what your initial limits are going over stuff, cornering etc.

C. Teach you basic maintenance on your bike (and if your brand new to cycling this helps)

D. Put you in a group of people at your own skill level from the word go, you make friends and the encouragement help.

E. Teach you about basic nutrition for riding on and off the bike.

F. Ensure you have a fun ride after the course with new friends testing your newly aquired skills.

 

These are all skills you can obtain by viewing video clips for hours and weeks on end, but its a hell of a lot more fun doing it in a bunch of nervious new starters. Nobody here can tell you to go and do it my advise is to do it, they will give you more confidence in one session that you will obtain riding three months. I have seen this happen first hand with friends of mine. They all came back with the same result money well spent.

[Pusher]

A friend bought the Merida 120 500D a couple of weeks ago for just under R12500. Coming off a basic HT it has made a huge difference to her cycling.

http://www.merida-bikes.com/en_za/bike/2012/4/MTB+Full+Suspension/One-Twenty+500-D

[Ratty]

Disclaimer: I've got no financial interest in skills clinic.

 

I personally feel they are fantastic for people of all levels. I thought I was fairly competent on singletrack, but then did an intermediate course and found out quite a few things I wasn't doing right. I was immediately riding faster through corners after listening to the advice.

 

As a women, most of us aren't trained from young by our dads on how to fix things and there is nothing worse than feeling useless when something basic goes wrong and not being able to sort it out so I feel the courses that teach basic maintenance are excellent value for money. Also from a safety aspect. You never want to be stuck on the trails unable to fix something.

 

My 2 cents worth.

[Pusher]

clint you give seriously crap advice but thats besides the point here, and I am not about to argue with you since you really dont have a point to argue.

 

Doing basic skills will

A. Teach you whats right and wrong from the word go.

B. immediatly build your confidence and give you a gauge of what your initial limits are going over stuff, cornering etc.

C. Teach you basic maintenance on your bike (and if your brand new to cycling this helps)

D. Put you in a group of people at your own skill level from the word go, you make friends and the encouragement help.

E. Teach you about basic nutrition for riding on and off the bike.

F. Ensure you have a fun ride after the course with new friends testing your newly aquired skills.

 

These are all skills you can obtain by viewing video clips for hours and weeks on end, but its a hell of a lot more fun doing it in a bunch of nervious new starters. Nobody here can tell you to go and do it my advise is to do it, they will give you more confidence in one session that you will obtain riding three months. I have seen this happen first hand with friends of mine. They all came back with the same result money well spent.

 

+1.

Especially for a beginner!

[Minion]

Advice from my wife:

 

Don't use cleats until you are comfortable on the bike.

My girlfriend was given the exact opposite advice when she was starting out. Get the cleats straight away and avoid having a second transition period later on. She was also told to find a nice grassy field and just ride around it while practising stopping, unclipping and clipping back in. She became confident with the cleats and their use pretty quickly this way.

[covie]

My girlfriend was given the exact opposite advice when she was starting out. Get the cleats straight away and avoid having a second transition period later on. She was also told to find a nice grassy field and just ride around it while practising stopping, unclipping and clipping back in. She became confident with the cleats and their use pretty quickly this way.

 

Both techniques work so thats not a bother it what she is going to feel comfortable with, especially while attempting technical stuff. I think it makes a little more sense to start without clips, as you will feel more comfortable on technical stuff. The clips are essentially only there for better pedaling effeciancy and that wont matter when you just start out. Besides transistioning from the word go to clipless or a month later doesnt make a difference you will still need to learn how to ride with clips and that wont take you longer to learn a month later.

 

I personally think that if youre not skilled enough to be clipped in dont be. Start on flats get used to cycling and doing ST and a month or two down the line get clips practice on a grass field for a hour or two, and bobs your uncle your good to go.

Edited March 13, 2012 by covie

[RiderX]

clint you give seriously crap advice but thats besides the point here, and I am not about to argue with you since you really dont have a point to argue.

 

Doing basic skills will

A. Teach you whats right and wrong from the word go.

B. immediatly build your confidence and give you a gauge of what your initial limits are going over stuff, cornering etc.

C. Teach you basic maintenance on your bike (and if your brand new to cycling this helps)

D. Put you in a group of people at your own skill level from the word go, you make friends and the encouragement help.

E. Teach you about basic nutrition for riding on and off the bike.

F. Ensure you have a fun ride after the course with new friends testing your newly aquired skills.

 

These are all skills you can obtain by viewing video clips for hours and weeks on end, but its a hell of a lot more fun doing it in a bunch of nervious new starters. Nobody here can tell you to go and do it my advise is to do it, they will give you more confidence in one session that you will obtain riding three months. I have seen this happen first hand with friends of mine. They all came back with the same result money well spent.

 

Not crap advice at all. Here is my advice:

 

Group rides only helps if there are experienced riders in the group, in fact when starting out try and ride with riders that are much better than you. Most skills clinics are pretty crap anyway.

 

And the best way to learn to ride properly is by using flat pedals, dropping the saddle, putting on arm and kneepads and then going as fast as you feel comfortable with while believing in yourself. Let the faster riders ride in front, try to observe what they are doing and then ask lots of questions. Crashing is not so much a question of "if" but rather "when" so best to get the beginner stages over with as soon as possible.

 

Also, dont go for a too expensive bike in the beginning. You need something that can be replaced later once you are sure what you want to do. About R4K max should give you a decent second hand hardtail which you should be able to sell for close to the same value.

[covie]

Not crap advice at all. Here is my advice:

 

Group rides only helps if there are experienced riders in the group, in fact when starting out try and ride with riders that are much better than you. Most skills clinics are pretty crap anyway.

 

And the best way to learn to ride properly is by using flat pedals, dropping the saddle, putting on arm and kneepads and then going as fast as you feel comfortable with while believing in yourself. Let the faster riders ride in front, try to observe what they are doing and then ask lots of questions. Crashing is not so much a question of "if" but rather "when" so best to get the beginner stages over with as soon as possible.

 

Also, dont go for a too expensive bike in the beginning. You need something that can be replaced later once you are sure what you want to do. About R4K max should give you a decent second hand hardtail which you should be able to sell for close to the same value.

 

My girlfriends motto seems to be if he can do it so can I, she sits behind me and just follows my lines, stuff that I had to build up confidence to do she simply does cause she follows what i do. Shows you how mental it all can be.

 

That said, I still sit behind her, making sure she is in the attack position when she needs to be, chekcing out her conrnering and giving tips on how to corner, I make her do drop offs till she gets them perfect, etc. I try and spend at least one day a month just working on technical stuff with her. And its actually a hell of a lot of fun just ripping up the same ST till you get it just right

[RiderX]

My girlfriends motto seems to be if he can do it so can I, she sits behind me and just follows my lines, stuff that I had to build up confidence to do she simply does cause she follows what i do. Shows you how mental it all can be.

 

That said, I still sit behind her, making sure she is in the attack position when she needs to be, chekcing out her conrnering and giving tips on how to corner, I make her do drop offs till she gets them perfect, etc. I try and spend at least one day a month just working on technical stuff with her. And its actually a hell of a lot of fun just ripping up the same ST till you get it just right

 

Yeah thats the spirit Seeing the joy people experience when they get stuff right makes it really worth helping out.

[Clinton1]

My girlfriends motto seems to be if he can do it so can I, she sits behind me and just follows my lines, stuff that I had to build up confidence to do she simply does cause she follows what i do. Shows you how mental it all can be.

 

That said, I still sit behind her, making sure she is in the attack position when she needs to be, chekcing out her conrnering and giving tips on how to corner, I make her do drop offs till she gets them perfect, etc. I try and spend at least one day a month just working on technical stuff with her. And its actually a hell of a lot of fun just ripping up the same ST till you get it just right

 

Now I'm confused as this seems to be in full agreement with what I said.

 

And your first paragraph sums up my view on skills clinics early in your "career" as a recreational rider. My girlfriend knows no better. She goes down hills and over rocks that some of the more experienced ladies are hesitant about. Why? In my opinion she has not been to a "skills clinic" where they discuss how "complex" something is and how you should approach (and overthink!) it. She just goes. Everyone else is doing it so why not her. She was doing switchbacks without thinking and the other ladies where taking special lines and pulling this elbow in and moving that knee out.... and falling!

Edited March 13, 2012 by Clint_ZA

[fabes]

Now I'm confused as this seems to be in full agreement with what I said.

 

And your first paragraph sums up my view on skills clinics early in your "career" as a recreational rider. My girlfriend knows no better. She goes down hills and over rocks that some of the more experienced ladies are hesitant about. Why? In my opinion she has not been to a "skills clinic" where they discuss how "complex" something is and how you should approach (and overthink!) it. She just goes. Everyone else is doing it so why not her. She was doing switchbacks without thinking and the other ladies where taking special lines and pulling this elbow in and moving that knee out.... and falling!

 

Sounds like your girlfriend rides a bike better than you

[slowpoke]

I disagree about going FS immediately. Cheaper FS bikes need more TLC to make sure all stays in working order. I have been riding HT since 2003 and still do not truly see the point of going FS unless I can afford one that is as light as my HT. rather get. Good HT frame and decent wheels and then upgrade the rest as you "grow" into the sport. Listen to the advice re "ladies' specific"... These also tend to be the entry level frames.

[Clinton1]

Sounds like your girlfriend rides a bike better than you

 

First, why do you insinuate that this is something I should be embarrased about if it was the case? And second, how exactly did you reach that conclusion?

[Christopher Brunsdon]

I think OP has been scared forkless with all this arguing on this thread ... its just part the Hub way of life, we are all still friends on the trails.

[kosmonooit]

yup ask for advice (aka advise) at your own peril

 

 

ps Scalpel 2009 model going in classified for your budget - that's a FS

Edited March 13, 2012 by kosmonooit

[Wonder Woman]

Firstly in my opinion, I'd ask how old you are?? Some people seem fine on Hardtails but as you get older I think it gets hader to get used to all the jolting and a hardtail is not as forgiving as a softtail over some technical stuff.

But then in the same breath if you are totally new to cycling, maybe keep some of your cash and get a cheaper bike until you know what you really want so in a year's time you can buy that upgrade once you've been around cyclist and have a bette idea for yourself what you really want?

 

I'd suggest a basic technical course just to build that confidence, unless you do have a friend, b/f or hubby or someone to show you the ropes. It really does help riding with others who know what to do and following their lines and sucking them for info. I still do it

 

From experience it seems like Merida actually makes a good bike for a decent price. Each bike shop has specific bikes that they are allowed to sell, so one bike shop may only have Scott and Merida, while another has Cube and Specialized etc, so shopping around may be a good idea and then you can see what you like in looks an feel.

 

A 26" is what I ride and I'm the same height and similar weight. I find upgrading components normally the expensive way to do things. You'll probably do better buying an entire new fully built bike in a year's time than having to upgrade everything?

 

There is definitely some really good advice here, so sift through everyones comments and go with what feels right for you.