Any mountain bikers on this board?

[saba 0]

Left the tribe for something bigger. Love rebirth of the hardtail

http://s598.photobucket.com/albums/tt64/biplrsaba

[Too Old 1]

Ah ha, nice bike. A local here is a big advocate of the 29'ers. Do a search for Guitar Ted and you'll find his blog. Usually an interesting read. The shop he works at is only a few blocks from my house.

[hockeysc23 0]

Just curious where most of you store your bike? I don't have much room in the house so I've been keeping it outside under a tarp but the chains still seem to be getting some very minor rust.

There seems to be a lot of rain this May so I am wondering if there is anything special I should do to keep my bike in tip top shape if outside. Special oils or something?

[saba 0]

Make room somewhere in your place. Ceiling hooks wall stands etc...work well. No bikes outside if you have dropped some coin on em. If you can see rust on the chain what about the other metal moving parts?

http://www.rei.com/product/705469

http://www.rei.com/product/768184 this is what I use

[Goonsquad 209]

I LOVE THIS STUFF! The Chain lube works well and stays on nice when riding in wet weather.

http://www.rocklube.com/products.html

[Spreedizzle 1]

I LOVE THIS STUFF! The Chain lube works well and stays on nice when riding in wet weather.

http://www.rocklube.com/products.html

Personally.....I have about 40 bottles of the Finish Line Wet Cross Country lube. More maintenance as it is a wet lube as opposed to a teflon or parafin wax.....but there isn't a better lubricant on the planet with lower friction. I'm anal about working on and maintaining my bikes anyway, so dropping the chain in my varasol tank and re-lubing every few weeks is no big deal to me. ;)

[Too Old 1]

If you can stand the mess and goo the Finish Line is okay. I found that it attracted too much stuff for my liking on the mtb, and was so-so on the road bike. I made the move to Pro Link Gold and am very pleased with it. As to where bikes are stored... where else... inside the house, lol! I have a wood storage rack that holds the road bike up off the floor near the ceiling, and the mtb sits on the floor under that. With the sloping top tube along with brake hoses/shift cables under the top tube I removed the lower bike rack mount arms and just let it sit on the floor. The wife's bike (my old steel Trek with mainly XT stuff on it) sits nearby in the Park workstand clamped there via the seatpost.

[hockeysc23 0]

Make room somewhere in your place. Ceiling hooks wall stands etc...work well. No bikes outside if you have dropped some coin on em. If you can see rust on the chain what about the other metal moving parts?

http://www.rei.com/product/705469

http://www.rei.com/product/768184 this is what I use

Yeah I guess time to find some room inside. I was just hoping with as muddy as mine gets (and I read not to hose it off after biking because it will push more dirt into the internals) that there was some good way to protect them outside.

At the moment there was very minor rust on the chain. I put grease on it (some from REI forget the name but was for chains in all weathers) and it clean it right on up.

[Spreedizzle 1]

Lubricant is good on a rusty chain, but if you have some grit stuck in there.....lube alone won't flush it out. A good aerosol citrus degreaser (do it outside/on your balcony if you are in an apartment as you'll NEVER get it out of your carpets) will help to push out the grit. Wipe it all clean and blow it out if you can (no air compressor.....cans of computer style compressed air work well also) let it all dry, and then re-lube.

[hockeysc23 0]

Lubricant is good on a rusty chain, but if you have some grit stuck in there.....lube alone won't flush it out. A good aerosol citrus degreaser (do it outside/on your balcony if you are in an apartment as you'll NEVER get it out of your carpets) will help to push out the grit. Wipe it all clean and blow it out if you can (no air compressor.....cans of computer style compressed air work well also) let it all dry, and then re-lube.

Good advice. I am going to do a complete clean (stuff you mentioned above) after I ride this weekend. Loving Mtn. Biking though. I know we only have small trails in VA but its so nice to be outsie and unwind after work. I am a fan.

[Too Old 1]

There are some solvents that will remove stains from carpet... trust me, I know, lol. I used to be a Hyundai Master Tech and had some left over auto trans flush liquid. It has removed any grease stain I've ever had the misfortune to cause and have the wife find... :(

[saba 0]

Rock and Roll Gold for the mtn side rock n roll absolute dry for the roadie. Went head to head with Pedros's and Goldling and for me there is no debate. For cleaner a buddy of mine(I do race for them so yes some bias) sells a spray on cleanser called wicked wash, do a search, and they right in Fairfax. We did my Niner after being bad and riding Schaffer farms today before the storms(was probably too muddy to ride but dammit people I had to break that cherry some time), cleaned all the gunk/mud that would have taken me a couple of hours of serious scrubbing to get off.

You can hose your bike on mist, NO HIGH POWER WASH, and that means not washing your car at the same power you hose the bike:will cause no problems to internals

Don't tell our bike gurus in this thread, but I never take off my chain for a citrius bath. Just clean real well after every ride, relube, let dry, ride, repeat

[Too Old 1]

Ditto on not removing the chain. All I do is wash things up and relube the chain when needed. I did go to a KMC chain that has a removable link so if needed it'd be easy to pop it off but I see no reason to do so either.

[Makoto 3]

For chain lube I've been using Boeshield. It seems too work great for mountain biking even in dusty conditions my chain stays pretty clean and lubed. Anybody else use this stuff?

http://www.boeshield.com/

[armada 0]

Guys I'm thinking of starting to do some casual trail riding, but need some training wheels to get started. What would be the best bike to get me started with a $500 budget?

[Too Old 1]

If you have a nearby dealer Raleigh has some decent value bikes at that pricepoint. Or, go to Craigslist and search locally for a used bike. You'll often find great deals on used bikes as it's tough to get much over 50-60% of original price for a used bike anymore it seems. I have a used Giant full-suspension bike lacking only shifters/chain/bottom bracket/crankset/seat and will probably list it there and hopefully sell it for a fair price.

[saba 0]

Had to share this. Local race and the best carnage scenes I have seen in a while. The guy in the All American kit is my club team but he was not hurt

http://sigberto.blogspot.com/2009/07/crash...ys-mens-35.html

[Too Old 1]

Ouch! Great photos though.

[Spreedizzle 1]

Had to share this. Local race and the best carnage scenes I have seen in a while. The guy in the All American kit is my club team but he was not hurt

http://sigberto.blogspot.com/2009/07/crash...ys-mens-35.html

A slight touch of wheels, or a slipped hand in an all out sprint to the line at 44mph is all it takes to wreak massive carnage like seen here. I unfortunately know all too well...... :(

[Hazard14 0]

I have started looking more into cycling as a means of leisure, exercise and possibly commuting a couple times a week. I live in NYC so the roads aren't exactly the best but there are areas in my neighborhood that have quite a nice bike path. My budget isn't that high and I'm looking to spend around $500. I've been looking at the Cannondale Quick 5, Trek 7200 and the Specialized Sirrus as they will fit my needs and budget. Any help guys?

Thanks

[Spreedizzle 1]

I have started looking more into cycling as a means of leisure, exercise and possibly commuting a couple times a week. I live in NYC so the roads aren't exactly the best but there are areas in my neighborhood that have quite a nice bike path. My budget isn't that high and I'm looking to spend around $500. I've been looking at the Cannondale Quick 5, Trek 7200 and the Specialized Sirrus as they will fit my needs and budget. Any help guys?

Thanks

In that price range you should check out Giant also. They are renowned for having more cost effective frames, with all the same bells and whistles of the other brands, and being able to put better components on the rest of the bike to be at the same price point.

Aside from Giant, I am slightly biased towards Trek as they do make a very good product.

[Hazard14 0]

Ok, Thanks. I'll take trips to a couple bike shops and do some test drives to see what feels best.

[Too Old 1]

Ditto on Giant and Trek. Raleigh also has some decent product. Make sure to get fitted so you get the right frame size; very important if you're going to enjoy time on the bike!

[Hazard14 0]

The Giant Seek 3 and the FCR 3 look nice. I found a bike shop in NYC that has all of the bikes I want to take a look at. As for frame size, I'm around 5'10" with a 30" inseam. Just for approximation, what frame size should that put me on?

Thanks

[Makoto 3]

Interesting, we have similar measurements. Spend a little extra time (and likely money) and find a reputable shop to buy from, because with your measurements, bike fitment is a little tricky. You will likely need a small frame, due to your 30" inseam, but you will also need a longer than average top tube or stem to compensate for your longer than average torso.