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NOOBS!...read this.

369K views 1K replies 1K participants last post by  wb3jma 
#1 ·
From the Surly Blog - a good place to visit.

If you think your bike looks good, it does.

If you like the way your bike rides, it's an awesome bike.

You don't need to spend a million dollars to have a great bike, but if you do spend a million dollars and know what you want you'll probably also have a great bike.

Yes, you can tour on your bike - whatever it is.

Yes, you can race on your bike - whatever it is.

Yes, you can commute on your bike - whatever it is.

26" wheels or 29" or 650b or 700c or 24" or 20" or whatever - yes, that wheel size is rad and you'll probably get where you're going.

Disc brakes, cantis, v-brakes, and road calipers all do a great job of stopping a bike when they're working and adjusted.

No paint job makes everyone happy.

Yes, you can put a rack on that. Get some p-clamps if there are no mounts.

Steel is a great material for making bike frames - so is aluminum, carbon fiber, and titanium.

You can have your saddle at whatever angle makes you happy.

Your handlebars can be lower than your saddle, even with your saddle, or higher than your saddle. Whichever way you like it is right.

Being shuttled up a downhill run does not make you a weak person, nor does choosing not to fly off of a 10 foot drop.

Bike frames made overseas can be super cool. Bike frames made in the USA can be super cool.

Hey, tattooed and pierced long shorts wearin flat brim hat red bull drinkin white Oakley sportin rad person on your full suspension big hit bike - nice work out there.

Hey, little round glasses pocket protector collared shirt skid lid rear view mirror sandal wearing schwalbe marathon running pletscher two-leg kickstand tourist - good job.

Hey, shaved leg skinny as hell super duper tan line hear rate monitor checking power tap train in the basement all winter super loud lycra kit million dollar wheels racer - keep it up.

The more you ride your bike, the less your ass will hurt.

The following short answers are good answers, but not the only ones for the question asked - 29", Brooks, lugged, disc brake, steel, Campagnolo, helmet, custom, Rohloff, NJS, carbon, 31.8, clipless, porteur.

No bike does everything perfectly. In fact, no bike does anything until someone gets on it to ride.

Sometimes, recumbent bikes are ok.

Your bikeshop is not trying to screw you. They're trying to stay open.

Buying things off of the internet is great, except when it sucks.

Some people know more about bikes than you do. Other people know less.

Maybe the person you waved at while you were out riding didn't see you wave at them.

It sucks to be harassed by *******s in cars while you're on a bike. It also sucks to drive behind *******s on bikes.

Did you build that yourself? Awesome. Did you buy that? Cool.

Wheelies are the best trick ever invented. That's just a fact.

Which is better, riding long miles, or hanging out under a bridge doing tricks? Yes.

Yes, you can break your collar bone riding a bike like that.

Stopping at stop signs is probably a good idea.

Driving with your bikes on top of your car to get to a dirt trail isn't ideal, but for most people it's necessary.

If your bike has couplers, or if you have a spendy bike case, or if you pay a shop to pack your bike, or if you have a folding bike, shipping a bike is still a pain in the ass for everyone involved.

That dent in your frame is probably ok, but maybe it's not. You should get it looked at.

Touch up paint always looks like ****. Often it looks worse than the scratch.

A pristine bike free of dirt, scratches, and wear marks makes me sort of sad.

A bike that's been chained to the same tree for three years caked with rust and missing parts makes me sad too.

Bikes purchased at Wal-mart, Target, Costco, or K-mart are generally not the best bang for your buck.

Toe overlap is not the end of the world, unless you crash and die - then it is.

Sometimes parts break. Sometimes you crash. Sometimes it's your fault.

Yes, you can buy a bike without riding it first. It would be nice to ride it first, but it's not a deal breaker not to.

Ownership of a truing stand does not a wheel builder make.

32 spokes, 48 spokes, 24 spokes, three spokes? Sure.

Single speed bikes are rad. Bikes with derailleurs and cassettes are sexy. Belt drive internal gear bikes work great too.

Columbus, TruTemper, Reynolds, Ishiwata, or no brand? I'd ride it.

Tubeless tires are pretty cool. So are tubes.

The moral of RAGBRAI is that families and drunken boobs can have fun on the same route, just maybe at different times of day.

Riding by yourself kicks ass. You might also try riding with a group.

Really fast people are frustrating, but they make you faster. When you get faster, you might frustrate someone else.

Stopping can be as much fun as riding.

Lots of people worked their asses off to build whatever you're riding on. You should thank them.
originally posted by Skip Bernet on the Surly Blog - 06.16.2011
 
#1,059 ·
Agreed...wise words.

Bought a cross bike last winter to ride road and learn cross. Moved to New England and now live near local MTB trails. Riding my 'cross bike there for training, and to learn bike handling as I also try to figure out some of the cross-specific skills. WOW are MTB trails a blast!! Wow is riding ANYTHING just fun.
 
#1,071 ·
Great read. I am researching low end MTB's right now, as it's all I can really afford, and I want to just get out there and ride. I was a bit intimidated reading up on bikes, and such on this forum, as it seems everyone has big $$$ bikes, so I kind of felt like a budget bike wasn't a good idea.. But... Then I read this thread, and realized, riding is the important part, not the brand of bike you're riding.
 
#1,073 ·
Hey all,

New to MTBR forums. I'm really looking forward to learn about mountain biking. I just purchased a Nashbar AT1 and built it last night. I bought this particular brand because it seemed like a good way to get into mountain biking at a very friendly budget price range. Unfortunately the weather in NY is terrible.

My goal is to learn as much possible on the forums as well as just going out there to ride. It's a bit confusing but we'll see how it goes.

Nice post btw.
 
#1,076 ·
Just joined.....just got my new bike yesterday...ass is killing me! Haha.

Rode bikes for a long time growing up, then I just stopped. Recently turned 31 and decided enough is enough, spend a little change and get yourself a bike. So I did, and I am about as happy as a 9 year old all over again.

Went with a trek marlin 7. Looking forward to learning as much as I can on here, and hitting the trails asap.
 
#1,077 ·
I bought a $800 hardtail, went on my first ride (downhill in Santa Cruz), crashed, made it to the bottom and decided I needed a better bike.

I bought an Ibis Mojo HD and while it was 8 times as much as I had budgeted for the first bike, it's been the best use of money I've ever spent on myself.

Then I bought a V10.

This all started at the age of 43.
 
#1,080 ·
Hello everyone,

New to forums. Please be gentle. I'm planning on purchasing a bike online from Pricepoint.com and did my research on them. Of course, there's always both end of the very good and very bad spectrum. Unfortunately, none of the reviews I've seen good or bad pertained to a ready to run bike that you just hop on and go. Has anyone bought a fully assembled bike from them? If you can kindly post your experience from the beginning such as was it the right model year bike? Was it shipped with care etc. etc. Thank you.
 
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