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Mountain biking for newbies

617 views 8 replies 8 participants last post by  1x1clyde 
#1 ·
Okay, I know this forum is obviously going to be biased, but here it goes.

My girlfriend is thinking about getting to mtb'ing, and when the weather gets nicer I am going to rent a bike from the local shop (hopefully a SS) for her to try out. If she gets the bug, then it's bike-buying time.

I think she should ride a single speed. Less maintenance, more concentration on riding rather than shifting, plus she doesn't know the difference since she's never mountain biked! What do y'all think, SS or geared for a newbie?
 
#3 ·
My thought would be to let her decide, the easiest way to do this would be to rent a geared bike. This would allow for several things.

First it would allow her to decide if she wants to have a geared bike or a SS bike, she can try SSing by just leaving the shifters alone.

Second if she is thinking to go SS then she could try a few gears and try and figure out a ratio that she feels okay with.

I'm thinking she is going to pick Gears but I don' t think there is anything wrong with that. Gears can make the ride more relaxing, you can pedal at whatever pace you want.
 
#6 ·
remembering my first couple of rides, had i been on a ss i probably wouldn't have ridden again. i lacked the strength & skill neccessary (hell, i still do) to ride a ss. let her ease into the sport & if she wants more of a challenge later, she can pick a gear & stay in it. i did that when i was getting ready for my ss. i notice that made me a lot stronger. if she does that, then she might think about another toy. good luck! hope she digs it!
 
#7 ·
I bought my wife a geared Jamis a couple of years ago and I really should have bought her a single speed instead. She never shifts, just stands up and mashes away when it starts to get steep. My next project is to convert her bike into a true SS. She refuses to even think about the fact that she has a whole bunch of gears to choose from.
 
#8 ·
From someone who just started riding in August (05)... I had ridden a bike once in about ten years, when we rented FS bikes more than a year ago. I didn't really enjoy it and wasn't interested. We watched the TDF last summer and I decided I wanted to ride. Hubby said no way because he had gotten hit a few times on the road, we weren't doing road bikes. So, we got mountain bikes. He decided to spend the extra $$ and get me a FS so I enjoyed the ride. I've got a Spec Stumpjumper FSR Expert 120. I love it. Have ridden some of the best (and a few of the most difficult) trails in So Cal in my few shorts months of riding.

However, I kind of want a challenge now, and definitely want to build strength, a better skills base, and hopefully more endurance. Now that I know I really like biking, I've ordered a Surly 1x1 that we'll build up hopefully in the next few weeks. Not sure how much I'll like it at first, or how well I'll do, but I can't wait to try it.

Had he gotten me a hardtail I don't know if I would've enjoyed it as much, but it's hard to say. Unless she's really strong and likes a challenge, I'd say maybe have her try the geared bike first.

As far as rental's go, see if she can ride one around the parking lot and let her pick which bike she would prefer riding. Enjoyment is key :)
 
#9 ·
I bought my wife a Specialized FSR last year and she's been on it a few times. FS makes the ride a little "comforting" but she would still prefers her Surly I bought her a 3 years ago.
She likes to stand and mash, sitting and spinning is not her thing. We are originally from MN and the trails are tailor-made for a SS but we now in live in sunny socal, a few more hills than she's used to. All in all, go single! The look of satisfaction on her face when she clears something on her SS is worth it.
 
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