# Mountain biking advice wanted



## ChristinaJL (25 Feb 2011)

Having been a roadie for most of my life, this year I suddenly decided I wanted to take up off-roading.  So, I've just got a GHOST Miss 3000 hardtail bike. Now, I'm just wondering what sort of kit I need to get, or whether to try my road kit first. 

I already have 3/4 length endura baggies, a softshell jacket and a gore paclite jacket. I'm using my mtb shoes without cleats for the moment on DMR V8 pedals, so I'm ok for clothing and shoes. What do most people do about water though, as I tend to get quite thirsty and the bike only has one bottle cage? I was thinking a camelback small rucksack, but not sure how these are if you have a bit of a dodgy back like me and tend to avoid rucksacks on the bike?

Also, which saddlebag would be good? I currently have a smallish altura one, but I'm not sure it will fit my waterproof jacket in and if I'm out in the mountains I like to carry it. I have a carradice barley which is the right size, but not sure I want something like that on the mtb. 

Can't wait to hit the trails once the kids get back to school. I rode the bike out round the easiest route at my local mtb centre and loved it. Has anyone any tips on cycling uphill over wet mud/rocks/tree roots as that was an interesting experience!!

Thanks.


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## zizou (25 Feb 2011)

Camelbaks are really useful, they hold alot more water than a bottle and also mean you can have the spare tube, tool, waterproof etc in it rather than in a saddlebag. However i dont know what they are like if you have a dodgy back...they fit far better for cycling purpose than a normal rucksack so it might be ok. I suppose being filled up with 2 or 3 litres of water they can be quite heavy to start with but i dont really notice this much when on the bike.

If it is a bottle cage you are going for then make sure to get one that holds the bottle quite tight otherwise it will go flying out when you hit some bumpy terrain. A bottle with a protective cap over the mouthpiece would be useful too to prevent having to get through mud and dirt first before getting a drink.


Wet tree roots can be tricky - try and go over them as square on as possible and 'unweight' the bike. If you cant avoid arriving at an angle then wet roots can be a nightmare. lift the front wheel if possible - the back wheel may still slip but that is easier to control than if the front wheel slides (by lifting the front wheel i dont mean do a big wheelie just enough to pop it up over the root). If going fast and arriving at a few of them close together then you can use the first one to launch off / bunnyhop to then get over the others...that is alot of fun when you get it right!


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## Angelfishsolo (25 Feb 2011)

I second everything stated here. 

I would add check your tyre pressures. As a roadie you will have been used to high pressure tyres. Most MTBers will ride normal trails with about 40 PSI front and back.



zizou said:


> Camelbaks are really useful, they hold alot more water than a bottle and also mean you can have the spare tube, tool, waterproof etc in it rather than in a saddlebag. However i dont know what they are like if you have a dodgy back...they fit far better for cycling purpose than a normal rucksack so it might be ok. I suppose being filled up with 2 or 3 litres of water they can be quite heavy to start with but i dont really notice this much when on the bike.
> 
> If it is a bottle cage you are going for then make sure to get one that holds the bottle quite tight otherwise it will go flying out when you hit some bumpy terrain. A bottle with a protective cap over the mouthpiece would be useful too to prevent having to get through mud and dirt first before getting a drink.
> 
> ...


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## Cubist (25 Feb 2011)

Hi Christina, nice bike!

Tesco do a hydration pack that holds a couple of litres of water and six litres of kit carrying capacity in three compartments. Mine holds tools, spare tubes, batteries and a jacket as well as the water. For a tenner you could try one and see whether it bothers your back, but to be fair you can carry them high with chest and waist straps, so it shouldn't put too much pressure on your back. If it doesn't suit you can always flog it on here and recoup some of your money.

Hydration packs are much better for MTBing as you don't run the risk of losing your bottle from the cage on bumpy ground, and don't have to acquaint yourself with slurry et al when you drink from it!

Uphill technical stuff is there to test us all. You need to choose whether you will stand up and honk it, or sit and spin. Either way the right gear is crucial, but so is getting your body position over the bike so it doesn't loft the front wheel unless you want it to, but at the same time you keep traction on the rear tyre. Change down before you run out of steam on climbs and to prevent enormous frustrations avoid cycling up the sprockets of the fat bloke in front of you who will stop halfway up and force you to get off and push with him!


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## lukesdad (25 Feb 2011)

Some hydration/backpaks have an outer elastic webbing eg my Vango I tuck the waterproof in that.


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## ChristinaJL (26 Feb 2011)

Thanks for the replies!! I guess I'll have to go to my local outdoor shop and try a few camelbacks on - I had one of the cheap tescos hydration packs a while ago and that did make my back ache, but I have no problems with my rucksack when I go walking, so it's just a case of trying them on I suppose. 

Am tempted to do a course at the local mtb centre as they do a core skills one where they teach jumps etc - once I'm a bit fitter. No chance of me cycling up behind a fat bloke, my husband is thin!!


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## Muddy Ground (27 Feb 2011)

Saddlebags on mountain bikes can be a touch annoying. Either they get in the way when you hang off the back of the bike [you will!] or they just make the bike feel a bit unresponsive through the tighter singletrack. If you do want to use one, go as small as possible. 

They also unfortunately look a bit naff.

The rucksacks are way better, but do have a regular clear out every so often as mass tends to accumulate in them; coins, old tools, bits of clothing - you'd be surprised. Some people use both a water bottle and a bladder - 1 litre of water on the bike is 1kg off your back.

Go for the course before you get into any bad habits.

Good luck with it all.

www.muddyground.blogspot.com


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## ChristinaJL (28 Feb 2011)

Oh, the clutter in the rucksack scenario, I know that one well from hillwalking.


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## Zoiders (28 Feb 2011)

Don't worry about getting back ache, if it's a lightish pack all that mountain biking will improve you upper body strength very quickly and you won't notice the pack soon enough.


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## billflat12 (28 Feb 2011)

forget water bottles they either fly out or get splattered in mud, ergon do gender specific hydration packs designed to take weight on your shoulders thus allowing more freedom to move your upper body & stay balanced.


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## Globalti (1 Mar 2011)

Zoiders said:


> Don't worry about getting back ache, if it's a lightish pack all that mountain biking will improve you upper body strength very quickly and you won't notice the pack soon enough.



Seconded. Forget about the weight of the backpack, it's not an issue and within a few weeks your back will be stronger and the pain will go away. Much back pain is caused by poor muscle tone allowing the back to sag.


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## ChristinaJL (1 Mar 2011)

Camelbak rucksack it is then, I think. Might try some on tomorrow at the mtb centre, although I think they stock Dakine which is a brand I've not tried. Re my back, I have a wonky pelvis and slight curve in my spine which causes the problems, but since I've been cycling on my rollers over winter it seems to be getting a bit stronger, so here's hoping the mtb will also help strengthen it up.


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## Crackle (1 Mar 2011)

The other thing about a rucksack is you should be aiming to keep most of the weight on the hip belt. Make sure you try a few on for comfort and find an assistant who knows what he's showing you, a walking shop might be better than a bike shop, though ultimately what you find comfortable will be peculiar to you, especially if you back problems.


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## 3narf (1 Mar 2011)

You'll be fine; sounds like you have the right attitude and most of the right stuff already.

Try & sit down on the climbs as much as you can & keep it smooth; try & find a balance between lifting the front and spinning the back.

The most important thing, and one of the most difficult things, to master is: look further ahead than seems natural. Lift your head and look a few yards ahead of the front tyre; always look for somewhere safe to bale out or run off. As you get tired, towards the end of a ride, your head will drop and you'll tend to look a couple of feet in front of the tyre and you'll start hitting rocks etc.

Have fun!


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## 3narf (1 Mar 2011)

I mean you _may _start hitting rocks etc.


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## ChristinaJL (2 Mar 2011)

Thanks all!! Just got back from a great session at the mountain bike centre!! I made it up all the uphill sections, over the rocks, including by some fluke lifting the front of the bike totally and riding over a large rock at the top of an incline.  Oh and no problems with the uphill tree roots bit either this time round.  I did however manage to sink the bike up to its' disk brakes in mud, though thankfully all I did was stop and I didn't fall off. 

I bought a dakine ladies' hydration pack, as I got fed up of drinking mud as all I had was the bottle cage/bottle.  The shop had 40% off the rucksacks, so how could I not come home with one.  Tried it on and rode back to the car with it on, seems to be a good fit, so it shouldn't give me backache.


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## Zoiders (2 Mar 2011)

Crackle said:


> The other thing about a rucksack is you should be aiming to keep most of the weight on the hip belt. Make sure you try a few on for comfort and find an assistant who knows what he's showing you, a walking shop might be better than a bike shop, though ultimately what you find comfortable will be peculiar to you, especially if you back problems.


Now you see I hear this line put about by camping shops that sell very complex bergens with fancy hip belts but you have to have a very heavily loaded bergan before it's transfering any noticable amount of weight.

I would also point out that hip belts tend to only work well for women, try actualy wearing a belt on it's own that is too heavily loaded with kit such as a bum bag, if you are an average or slim man, it won't take it, it just keeps falling down around your knees as you move about.

Hip belts are a climbing bergen carry over, it stops the pack moving about, especialy if you are leaning back into a rope, you certainly wont be needing one to take any weight on a sub 20 litre daysac worn on a bike, you are leaning forwards for a start so if it is weighing down on your hips you haven't got the shoulder straps done up properly.


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## Crackle (2 Mar 2011)

Zoiders said:


> Now you see I hear this line put about by camping shops that sell very complex bergens with fancy hip belts but you have to have a very heavily loaded bergan before it's transfering any noticable amount of weight.
> 
> I would also point out that hip belts tend to only work well for women, try actualy wearing a belt on it's own that is too heavily loaded with kit such as a bum bag, if you are an average or slim man, it won't take it, it just keeps falling down around your knees as you move about.
> 
> Hip belts are a climbing bergen carry over, it stops the pack moving about, especialy if you are leaning back into a rope, you certainly wont be needing one to take any weight on a sub 20 litre daysac worn on a bike, you are leaning forwards for a start so if it is weighing down on your hips you haven't got the shoulder straps done up properly.



It depends is the answer: 20 years ago I would have agreed outright and it wasn't until I started carrying heavy climbing packs that I began to use hip belts and chest belts. Heavy padded hip belts don't work for me, neither do broad ones. Simple webbing belts do but they work best when there's adjustment straps at the top of the pack to alter the position of the pack. The pack I've just bought has a very simple thin hip belt and lots of adjustments to alter how the load lies on my back. It took me a while in the shop before I'd adjusted it and it felt comfortable and it felt comfortable because of the way all the straps worked together. Rucksacks certainly aren't as simple as they used to be.


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## andym (3 Mar 2011)

ChristinaJL said:


> Camelbak rucksack it is then, I think. Might try some on tomorrow at the mtb centre, although I think they stock Dakine which is a brand I've not tried. Re my back, I have a wonky pelvis and slight curve in my spine which causes the problems, but since I've been cycling on my rollers over winter it seems to be getting a bit stronger, so here's hoping the mtb will also help strengthen it up.



Camelbak has become the generic name - a bit like hoover for vacuum cleaners - but there are other brands that are worth considering. Personally I prefer Source hydration bladders as they have a wider mouth and are easier to clean (they also make the bladders that Deuter sell under their own brand).


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## ChristinaJL (3 Mar 2011)

andym said:


> Camelbak has become the generic name - a bit like hoover for vacuum cleaners



Well, I did mean I was going to buy a camelbak, but actually when I went to my LBS I ended up with a Dakine.


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## Muddy Ground (4 Mar 2011)

...now go out and get some Milton fluid...


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