I Bought a Trail Bike

[Paul Pless]

2012 Trek Mamba

21" Frame
29" Wheels
Hydraulic Brakes
RockShox coil spring adjustable fork
All Shimano Components
9 rear gears, 3 front

First bike I've ridden that actually fits me, its comfortable, hands and wrists and and neck and ass still felt good after a 25 minute test ride through downtown Ann Arbor and feels 'fast', but what do I know. . .

Thanks Lee, I blame you for breaking the budget.

[Mrleft8]

Trail bike..... Test ride through downtown Ann Arbor...... Ummmmmmmmmmm................... I know that "Arbor" is tree related....... But........ This is kinda like buying a pick-up truck to drive to the store on Saturdays, right?

[Canoez]

2012 Trek Mamba

21" Frame
29" Wheels
Hydraulic Brakes
RockShox coil spring adjustable fork
All Shimano Components
9 rear gears, 3 front

First bike I've ridden that actually fits me, its comfortable, hands and wrists and and neck and ass still felt good after a 25 minute test ride through downtown Ann Arbor and feels 'fast', but what do I know. . .

Thanks Lee, I blame you for breaking the budget.

This mean we're gonna be able to call you "Slim" and not snicker snidely?

[Ted Hoppe]

Nice bike! But where is motor and your smart phone adapter?

[Paul Pless]

Trail bike..... Test ride through downtown Ann Arbor...... Ummmmmmmmmmm................... I know that "Arbor" is tree related....... But........ This is kinda like buying a pick-up truck to drive to the store on Saturdays, right?

Plenty of potholes in A², believe me. And no, its a trail bike, Kat and I live in a park with an extensive trail system.

[Kevin T]

Nice bike! Absolutely don't forget the "brain bucket" and wear it correctly, not pushed back off the forehead with the straps twisting in the breeze.
Happy trails!

[LeeG]

Great choice, I tried finding the weight of the rims but all I found was "no weight limit", keep the rubber side down.

[Y Bar Ranch]

Couple of small mods for cosmetic and functional improvements and you should have a nice ride.

[Y Bar Ranch]

Also, once you've used hydraulic brakes, there is no going back. They are the shnizzle. Sweet ride!

[Paul Pless]

Burning man?

[Ted Hoppe]

Hope you enjoy the new bike as much as you do your favorite bike.

[Flying Orca]

For a second I read the headline as "tallbike", which put a funny picture in my head, as I don't take Paul for the tallbike sort:

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

I keep seeing these in Cardiff.


God alone knows why.

[The Bigfella]

Nice

[seanz]

Nice bike. What sort of seat does it have?

[JimD]

Good on ya, Paul. Looking forward to seeing you in next year's nude bicycle race/pagent, whatever....

[The Bigfella]

What's that blue thing up front? The pill holder?

[stevebaby]

Congratulations Paul. That's a very good bike and perfect for trail riding while still being street rideable. The Australian price is AUD$999 and at that price it's a lot of "bang for the buck".
Now you can go shopping for "extras"...helmet, track pump, tyre levers, a good set of long handled Allen keys, chain lube...etcetera, etcetera ad infinitum...
Park Tools are good and reasonably priced. Their website is terrific for maintenance and repair, but if you want a good book on the subject, Zinn's Art of Mountain Bike Maintenance is pretty good.
http://www.parktool.com/
Don't worry about the saddle too much. You won't be sitting on it very often when trail riding anyway.
Always remember...if you aren't falling off you aren't riding hard enough. Enjoy!

[stevebaby]

I keep seeing these in Cardiff.


God alone knows why.

Cargo carrier. I've seen a similar bike with a large wardrobe being carried on the front. I've always wanted to stand on the front of one while someone else does the pedalling.

[Paul Pless]

Looking forward to seeing you in next year's nude bicycle race/pagent, whatever....

Now I'm worried. . .

[LeeG]

I keep seeing these in Cardiff.


God alone knows why.

Are you sure it's that one and not Bakfiets? That's a Cetma cargo bike made in Oregon.

[stevebaby]

Now I'm worried. . .

SA rules will NOT apply.

[The Bigfella]

What do you need a cargo platform for?

[LeeG]

kerist Ian your pics make one want to get a motobike

[LeeG]

ps. Paul, there are lots of different tires out there, the ones you got with the bike are good for the trails but there are ones that will do the trails and roads well.
These can get stupid expensive but they're good. http://www.schwalbetires.com/ Continental also makes good tires.

[The Bigfella]

Paul... I believe it can get cold in Hell. You should think about this accessory...

[The Bigfella]

... and because you like lovely American cars....

[Curtism]

Nice bike, Paul, it looks like a lot of fun.

After a 25 minute test ride though, how many miles would you say you traversed, on what sort of terrain, and how much farther do you think you’d have to ride before colliding with another cyclist, a pedestrian, stray cat, automobile, motor bike, tree or telephone pole? And, what amount would the percentage of such encounters go up if you were riding in Southampton, Sydney or Singapore instead of Ann Arbor?

Enquiring behinds want to know.

[Ron Williamson]

Which Southampton?
R

[LeeG]

Nice bike, Paul, it looks like a lot of fun.

After a 25 minute test ride though, how many miles would you say you traversed, on what sort of terrain, and how much farther do you think you’d have to ride before colliding with another cyclist, a pedestrian, stray cat, automobile, motor bike, tree or telephone pole? And, what amount would the percentage of such encounters go up if you were riding in Southampton, Sydney or Singapore instead of Ann Arbor?

Enquiring behinds want to know.

don't forget antelope

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S2oymHHyV1M

[Paul Pless]

I love that clip. That antelope reminds me of Ronnie Lott!

[Mrleft8]

.... And 2 years from today......

[Paul Pless]

.... And 2 years from today......

ya think?

[P.I. Stazzer-Newt]

Are you sure it's that one and not Bakfiets? That's a Cetma cargo bike made in Oregon.

Not absolutely certain - might even be Bullitt

[Paul Pless]

Just went for my first trail ride ever. Its abundantly clear that I am way the hell out of shape. Riding that trail is brutally differently then riding a bike path.

[LeeG]

Just went for my first trail ride ever. Its abundantly clear that I am way the hell out of shape. Riding that trail is brutally differently then riding a bike path.

just ride to roll, take it easy, spin, coast. If you're going so slow uphills you can't ride straight get off and walk, who cares. Instead of pushing on flat sections noodle along taking a few pedal strokes then hang your ass off one side to stretch and coast, take a few more pedal strokes and hang it out the other side and coast. Enjoy being able to ride with a light grip on the bars and getting off the seat often. Trail riding can be twice as hard if you push it. Don't push it, have fun picking lines and roll. If this trail is frequented with other riders let them by.

[Paul Pless]

It was fun. Though I was really taken aback by how different it is then riding a bike path. I'm certainly not out to prove anything, so I did all of those things that you mentioned, except I did not have to get off the bike to push it uphill. Though I did get off the bike and pushed it downhill twice for fear of doing an endo. I've hiked this trail for three years now and I have seen a lot of folks get hurt on it riding their bikes. Mostly crashes going down hill or tree contact.

[LeeG]

yeah, falling is for light people. As I discovered a few years ago falling at 17mph at my age/weight is much much worse than falling at 30mph when I was younger. Broken collar bones and smashed heads are just not fun.

[switters]

Keep riding, it gets easier. And don't worry about falling. I haven't been in a bicycle accident (sober) in a long time.

[Mrleft8]

Tree contact?! With Slim?!....... Oh..... That poor, poor tree!!!!!!

[Domesticated_Mr. Know It All]

My advise would be to buy a heavy chain and lock so nobody steals it.
I had 3 bikes stolen in 2 years.
Awsome bike Paul.

[LeeG]

I still wish he got a Pugsley or Moonlander, seriously how could one worry about traction down hill with 4" tires?



the style points he'd get from the kids on the trail would be worth it. "oh dude, that is too much"

[Paul Pless]

They had one at the bike shop where I got my bike. They look outrageous compared to everything else. Even the super trick full suspension carbon bikes looks mild in comparison. . .

[LeeG]

I bet it floats

[The Bigfella]

Tbe biggest risk of you doing an endo going downhill is if you touch the front brake. Keep your weight back and stay off the front brake and you'll be fine... maybe. (says the bloke who did an endo going down a hill on the KTM on Cape York.... look at meeee.... I can fly....)

[LeeG]

Ian, my best flying act was when I was 25 flying down towards a bridge when a thin t-shirt tied under the seat jammed the rear tire between the brake bridge and locked the rear wheel immediately, I fish tailed around 25mph then hit the curb with arms outstretched and flew over the descending hillside somehow missing the big rocks and landing in the bushes. A guy in a truck behind me said I looked like superman flying out, except for the gravity part pulling me down. When I got back to the shop I figured I had to go ride just to get the adrenaline and shock out of my system.

[The Bigfella]

Wheels don't like it when the Isadorra Duncan thing happens, do they? I had a guide on the back of the bike in Timor-Leste, coming back down Mt Ramelau after climbing it to watch the sunrise. I was choofing along nicely, minding my own business... next thing I'm sliding along with a locked rear wheel heading for a major (50'+) drop off the edge of the road. We pulled up OK in the end, although the guide jumped off before we stopped. It took about half an hour to cut his blanket out of the sprocket and chain.

We better stop with the crash tales... Slim won't like it.

[LeeG]

it sure happened fast. Here it is 30yrs later and I can remember how the front and rear tires looked when I changed them. Rims were ok. Lots of ballistic moves on those wheels.

[The Bigfella]

Actually, one he might appreciate... I've got a Cadex mountain bike that I bought 20 years back. Old tech now.. 21 gears, old style brakes, no rear suspension - but a nice carbon fibre frame. We, the whole family that is, did a ride through the Blue Mountains, west of Sydney. Red Hands Cave and other bits around there (RHC is a cave with Aboriginal Rock Art in it... paintings of hands done with red ochre)

I had my young bloke in a kids seat on the back... made the bike shop guy near cry when I bought an $1800 bike and fitted a kids seat to it.... anyhow, we were hammering down the track and hit some stutters. The young bloke went to complain... stuck his tongue out and.... well, let's just say there was blood involved.

[Paul Pless]

Tbe biggest risk of you doing an endo going downhill is if you touch the front brake. Keep your weight back and stay off the front brake and you'll be fine... maybe.

Maybe indeed! I think there's more to it than that; and dirt bike skills and experience don't directly transfer. . .