New Rider Ballarat

Rob9

Rob9

Squid
Hey Guys/Gals

New to MTB'ing and located in Ballarat..

Hadn't ridden a bike since I was a kid until a few years ago when I took the plunge into a road bike... did less than 100km and thought this is painful and boring.. I hate it...

Well the kick in the pants came again to get off my arse and loose a few pounds so i thought well.. I could trade the road bike and get a mountain bike because I can use it for everything and riding through the bush is much more fun.. So I traded my old/new road bike in and picked up a GIANT Fathom 29er 2.. I thought this would be a good beginner bike for the trails and something I could use forever and a day to head to the shops or do some longer distance rail trails in the area.

So to get off my arse I was riding the medium frame apollo of my partners for about 10km after work on a pretty flat section of road while I was waiting for my bike to arrive.. well it arrived and I am stoked!.

Took the new bike out for a few rides and thought yesterday was time to see how I went riding something that required some skill..... I went to Black Hill in Ballarat and jumped on an easy trail... I left some flesh there and as I type have some weeping wounds but damn it was fun. Ssoooo on that note I think I could use some advice...

I think I need to drop the pressure in my tyres and/or get a more aggressive tyre because it was kinda slippery.. It did improve as my control improved so I am unsure what recommended PSI and or tyre I should use... I was unable to ride back to the top because of my fitness/ability ssoo any advice?? I would still like to do the odd 10-20km easy trail ride so don't want to give myself too much of a disadvantage when I do that. I thought about getting a whole new front wheel to swap in and out but that seems like a very expensive option?

The front brake seemed quite grabby so I was mainly using my back brake, should I back the front brake pressure off a bit and be using both?

On the body note.. 130kg 6'3" and starting to get old so I would like a little protection until I can stay upright... any recommendations? knee pads? gloves?? Suck it up?

Cheers
 
fitzroybikeco

fitzroybikeco

Likes Dirt
Hi Rob
Welcome, I rode Back Hill for the first time on the weekend, not sure it would be the ideal first foray back onto the trails. But sure it was fun.
I ride regularly and the Black Hill trails are certainly a challenge to get back to the top. Maybe put the bike in for a service and get them to iron out any kinks.

probably moving back to Ballarat soon as well.

cheers

russ
 
Knuckles

Knuckles

Lives under a bridge
Rob9 said:
Hey Guys/Gals

New to MTB'ing and located in Ballarat..

Hadn't ridden a bike since I was a kid until a few years ago when I took the plunge into a road bike... did less than 100km and thought this is painful and boring.. I hate it...

Well the kick in the pants came again to get off my arse and loose a few pounds so i thought well.. I could trade the road bike and get a mountain bike because I can use it for everything and riding through the bush is much more fun.. So I traded my old/new road bike in and picked up a GIANT Fathom 29er 2.. I thought this would be a good beginner bike for the trails and something I could use forever and a day to head to the shops or do some longer distance rail trails in the area.

So to get off my arse I was riding the medium frame apollo of my partners for about 10km after work on a pretty flat section of road while I was waiting for my bike to arrive.. well it arrived and I am stoked!.

Took the new bike out for a few rides and thought yesterday was time to see how I went riding something that required some skill..... I went to Black Hill in Ballarat and jumped on an easy trail... I left some flesh there and as I type have some weeping wounds but damn it was fun. Ssoooo on that note I think I could use some advice...

I think I need to drop the pressure in my tyres and/or get a more aggressive tyre because it was kinda slippery.. It did improve as my control improved so I am unsure what recommended PSI and or tyre I should use... I was unable to ride back to the top because of my fitness/ability ssoo any advice?? I would still like to do the odd 10-20km easy trail ride so don't want to give myself too much of a disadvantage when I do that. I thought about getting a whole new front wheel to swap in and out but that seems like a very expensive option?

The front brake seemed quite grabby so I was mainly using my back brake, should I back the front brake pressure off a bit and be using both?

On the body note.. 130kg 6'3" and starting to get old so I would like a little protection until I can stay upright... any recommendations? knee pads? gloves?? Suck it up?

Cheers
Click to expand...
Hi mate, while Black Hill is fairly sedate for DH it'll still bite.

What bike, pics or it didn't happen.

DON'T FUCK WITH YOUR BRAKES unless you have a very, very, very good understanding of what you're doing, and even then......better to learn how to modulate your right hand braking. Rear brakes are useless for stopping, and are really only useful for rutting out the run-in to corners and and making you look fully sick on berms (that someone else built).

Lower pressures will help, but if you're running cheese cutter tyres, nothing will help you grip. You'll need to experiment with pressure, but if running toobs and thin sidewall tyres, anything under 35psi and you're gonna have a bad time.

Best way to learn the subtlies of bike setup is to ride with others, it also helps with motivation, because unless you're an accountant, you'll feel like a douche piking out on a group. There's tons of clubs in the 'rat, very social and you'll discover a shit ton of trails that you'd otherwise miss out on.

Welcome to the addiction.
 
Last edited:
Rob9

Rob9

Squid
Cheers Guys,

The bike is new, less than a week old.. GIANT Fathom 29er 2, tubless tyres.

I wont touch the brakes and will look at upgrading the tyres I am riding in the hope for more grip.

I have seen club MUD on facebook, what are the other local clubs around? Would be good to hook up with some other older casual riders..
 
Jpez

Jpez

Down on the left!
Grip can also come from technique. Check out the series of GMBN videos on YouTube. Heaps of great videos on technique and bike set up.
 
moorey

moorey

call me Mia
Rob9 said:
Cheers Guys,

The bike is new, less than a week old.. GIANT Fathom 29er 2, tubless tyres.

I wont touch the brakes and will look at upgrading the tyres I am riding in the hope for more grip.

I have seen club MUD on facebook, what are the other local clubs around? Would be good to hook up with some other older casual riders..
Click to expand...
Ballarat Sebastopol cycling club is more XC oriented. ClubMud are awesome, but almost solely DH focussed.
 
moorey

moorey

call me Mia
It’s generally called the hardmen ride, but Knuckles did it so easily, he is trying to rename it to make us feel bad.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Top