Getting Comfortable on Your 29er

This is NOT a sponsored post.

In the last post I talked about being a beginner and choosing a bike. Today I want to talk about being very uncomfortable on that 29" wheel size, and how I've come to accept, and even kind of love, my 29er.

I told you guys how I was fitted at my local bike shop and that I later regretted not going with a smaller wheel size & why. But let's back track here. I want to tell you guys a story that I hope will make you understand why I initially hated this bike so much.

My local bike shop is located in front of a park that contains some of the best mountain bike trails in our area, as far as technicality goes. I had ridden them with my husband on a men's 26" Schwinn Sidewinder a couple of times and I was afraid to do most of things on the trail. My husband was convinced that I needed a better bike. I had been riding the Schwinn Sidewinder "mountain bike" on some closer, less technical trails. Not only was I working really hard & developing bad technique habits on a bike not fitted to me, but the bike was just not standing up to trail use very well.

So off to our local bike shop we went. The employees were warm & friendly people, pretty much responsible for the introduction of our love of the cycling community. They were more than bike sales men & women. They are people we consider friends. I was more than happy to be dealing with them.

They fitted me to a frame size and adjusted my seat height, then let me try out 2 wheel sizes, a 29" (29er) & a 27.5 (650b).

I tried out a few bikes, not being very familiar with the world of bikes or really understanding what I personally needed from one. I felt more comfortable on a 27.5" wheel, but the guys were all convinced that a 29er was better suited for me.

I excitedly purchased a Specialized Jett 29er, then hurried to the park where I left my husband and kids to take my new beauty to the trail. I rolled up to the first steep descent. One of many that I never had the confidence to roll.

I took a deep breath... I was totally excited where I normally felt fear. Ok... more nervous excitement in place of terror.

I rolled up, looked at the descent to find my line, backed up to get my footing, and reminded myself of their words.

"Trust your bike". "The 29er will give you confidence." "You'll roll stuff easily." "My girlfriend was afraid to do things but has a 29er now and is doing the big stuff."

I backed up to make sure I had room to get my footing, and I rolled it.

What the!?!

I rolled it!

YES!

I just rolled this descent, heart pounding and excited that I did it! I was trusting my bike!

Something I should not have done because I crashed. I ate it HARD. I bent my wheel, ruined my derailleur, lost my chain and could hardly stand to walk my bike back to my truck.

                                                               (via Pinterest)

All that upon entering the trail. ENTERING. I didn't even ride ANY part of the trail on my new bike. I was pissed. I limped my bike (and fragile ego) back to the truck and looked at my husband, trying to hold the tears back from the pain (and mostly anger) I was feeling and told him next time I would trust myself.

                                                (My leg healing, 2 months after crash.)

My advice to you is do not trust your bike. Use good judgement. If you're feeling unconfident, go around features until you build up to it. Do not try to roll something you feel might be beyond your skill level. If you visit a bike shop, trust yourself and go with what feels more comfortable to you. After all, you'll be more confident if you're comfortable on your ride.

I tried taking the bike out after my leg healed enough that I could stand using the muscle. My husband had replaced my derailleur, wheel & chain. I just couldn't seem to get comfortable on it. It was hard to turn. I felt top heavy. I thought every little bump in the road was going to throw me off my bike. That was when I set it down and didn't ride at all for almost a year.

I don't remember why I decided to try and ride again... and I guess it doesn't even matter, but I was back in the saddle...eventually. Awkwardly. I started out keeping it to pavement for a very long time just trying to get to know my bike better. I started researching technique and things I needed to practice before hitting the trail again.

That was the best move I could have made. If I could offer one piece of advice, and only one, I would say, that before you give up cycling for good do a little research on how to improve your rides. Sometimes all of the information can be over-whelming. Especially if you're new to the bike world. So I'm going to share my favorite beginner basics that helped me improve my rides and build confidence on the trail.

1) Tire pressure.

The biggest part of my failure on my first ride out was not checking the tire pressure. My tires were fully inflated. Exact tire pressure is based on personal preference, but running 20-25 PSI on the trail is a popular preference among mountain bikers in my area. The tires grip better at a low pressure and they don't bounce and slide like fully inflated tires do. I usually run 18 psi in the front & 22 psi in the back. That is where I am comfortable.

2) Seat Position.

For speed and riding that doesn't wear you out as quickly, it is recommended that your seat be adjusted so that your leg is reaching full extension while you're peddling, but not so far that you're on your tippy toes. A good way to tell if your seat is too high is if you feel your hips rocking from side to side.

This is a great way to help you go further with less work. It will give you a more comfortable ride that won't wear you out as quickly. The problem that came in for me was that I felt so top heavy with my seat adjusted to full leg extension that I was scared to ride my bike. So I started with my seat low and each week I raised it just a little to get comfortable with the new height until one day I reached full leg extension.

Just make sure you will be able to shift your weight behind your seat when rolling descents. If you can't get behind your seat you may need a more narrow seat or you may need to consider a dropper seat post.

3) Technique.

Speaking of being able to get behind your seat. This is so important. For instance, being able to shift your weight to the back of your bike for a descent or downhill obstacle gives you more control in the front and keeps you from going over the handle bars. These things may seem super basic to a lot of people, but they were things I didn't know.

Turns

Turns on a 29" bike were a lot more difficult to me. The 26" was much more nimble. I felt much more control on it than the 29er. When I researched technique for making tighter turns on the 29er I discovered that your "flow" is most important. To find flow, you hit the trail going only as fast as you can without using your brakes on corners and turns. You try to keep the wheel as straight as you can as you lean the entire bike to go around corners rather than turning the wheel. As you become more comfortable in your flow you increase your speed.

After practicing this technique my rides improved drastically.

Braking

Speaking of braking, when braking on descents and downhill, always use your rear brake. Remember "right rear". Your rear brake is your right lever. Using your front break will send you flying.

Shifting

Let's touch on shifting. If you're unfamiliar with shifting, here is a great article from www.bicycling.com on how to shift. By learning how to shift effectively, your rides will become more fun and less work.

Conclusion

After 3 years of riding, my opinion on the 29er is that you give up control for speed. However, with the right technique, and lots of ride time, you can gain more confidence, control and have a ton of fun. Get plugged into the cycling community. Find your local MTB and trail Facebook pages. Go on group rides. The cycling community is warm, encouraging and a wealth of knowledge and information that will help you in your cycling journey.

Until next time, get out there and have some fun on your 29er! As always, thanks for reading. Feel free to leave a comment or come find me on Facebook or Instagram.

Adventures in MTB Land- Bikeland's Cypress Creek Group Ride = Insane Fun!

This is not a sponsered post.

Hello from cloud 9.

I hope that all of you are having as much fun down there as I am up here.

I just rode what is known as one of the best technical trails Houston has to offer.

Moore Bridge.

This feature is called 50/50. Nothing sketchy about it except for descending through sand.

North Ridge @ Cypress Creek trails of Houston, TX

 Wow. Big stuff for anxiety girl. "Able to leap to the worst conclusion in a single bound!"

I had ridden Cypress Creek with my husband once before. I think all the verbal hype had my guts wrenching before I ever got there. I wound up having fun during that ride, but I didn't ride a lot of things.

When you have anxiety, just going somewhere new can make you nauseous. Going somewhere new that people way more skilled than you have talked about being pretty sketchy... well.... let's just say I was happy to see a porta potty when I got there.

I was pretty nervous. Like nauseous.

Ok, that's everyday when you live with anxiety, but I was nervous about the trails for real. 

What would a MTB blog, that is geared towards scaredy cats, be without a scaredy cat!? It's all for the blog people. All for the blog.

Upset stomach for the blog.

Rocking back and forth in the corner for the blog. 

Diarrhea for the blog. 

To show my enthusiasm about riding these trails I left a Facebook status prior to heading out:

I forget sometimes that I don't have to ride things if I don't want to. I can go around or walk it and there is nothing wrong with doing that. I put a lot of pressure on myself to make sure everyone else is having fun. I don't want to slow them down, clog the group or be a party pooper. Which is totally stupid because we are all aware this is a group ride and you may experience that. And we all still decided to go.

I also forget this is the cycling community. They are the coolest most laid back people ever. That's why I'm always preaching about just taking the pressure off of yourself. Nobody is judging you.

I am the biggest hypocrite ever.

I have to remind myself to just relax constantly. What's wrong with saying, "You guys have fun and I'll meet you on the other side."? Nothing. There's never been anything wrong with that.

I try to think of it this way. Would I be upset if someone was slow or having trouble or went around a feature? Well if I did would be a Dick. Don't be Dick. No one likes him.

If I don't want to go slow then I take myself to a faster group, ride with my own group or ride by my own damn self. Everyone else can do that too. And they do. That's why you/I just need to relax. It doesn't ruin everybody else's fun because you decided not to roll something.

The porta- potty is not a great place to over-think things, by the way.

On the other side of all that,  there is no better feeling than riding something you were intimidated by and the rush that follows. There's also the way the others in the group celebrate it with you. It's so awesome. I had so many of those moments today that I didn't even care about the times I walked.

I repeat, there is no shame in walking anything. It's always better if you are not feeling confident about something to walk it. I'm always scared before I roll something but that's different then when I think I can't ride it. Or that I'm too nervous and might lose control on a feature. The worst thing you can do is force yourself to roll something and then panic. Just don't.

With that said...this sounds kind of contradictory here, I'm learning to not over-think things and just go for it. I've built enough skill over the past year of heavy riding and learning from others that I am capable of more than I do. Thanks panic attacks. So learning to not give myself a chance to over-think things before I'm already committed worked out well for me on this ride.

 Following a group makes this so much easier. I see them go down, their positioning, their lines and I just follow. Not every time. I'm still working on this but I felt like I had a breakthrough on this ride. Thanks to the sweep (the guy that makes sure no one is left behind on the ride), Adrian, for his gentle nudges and reminders to not think about it. Hopefully once I get this down I'll get some hair back.

I think my friend, Dean, has nailed it. The names of these features send you into accelerated heart rate before you ever think about riding them. And I quote, "It's the name that gets people. They should rename it Fun Joy Happy Trail instead of Widowmaker.". I think he's onto something there. But telling your friends that you rode "Fun Joy Happy Trail" just doesn't sound as impressive as telling them you rode Widowmaker.

In my husband's group, they aren't as much about features as speed. A lot of times they go around big features to blaze. Out of my kids, I have one that wants to do Cross Country racing, one that loves BMX, and one that like cruising the pavement. I'm just happy they want to ride.

In the end, whatever riding you love, it's about finding the balance between risk and good judgement. I like how my husband words it, "Never over-ride your ability.". Go with your gut and don't let anyone pressure you. I've never felt any pressure to roll things in a group ride, honestly.

Personally, I love features. I feel awesome when I roll a big feature. Of course, it helps you roll the big stuff when you are riding with the best group ever. I haven't met a bad group yet, but these guys definitely didn't fail to contribute to the draw factor of the cycling community. Meet today's Bikeland beginner group:

Left to right. Meet Louis, Adrian, Wade & TJ. 

Riding with the beginner group doesn't necessarily mean you're a beginner. It could also mean you're unfamiliar with the trails, you want a chill ride or time to play. As we rode on, it became apparent to me this was the case for everyone in this group. I no longer consider myself a beginner rider, but I love the beginner group rides. Intermediate is fun too and I have yet to ride a fast group (plans to in the very near future). I guess it just depends on your mood.

There were 30 riders all together, and I was really happy to see two other (really cool) women out there. That's always comforting to me.

They went with the faster group. Rock on, ladies!

The beginner group heading into "Armadillo Dash":

Here we go!

It's always interesting to see all the different types of bikes and what people feel the most comfortable on. From fat bikes, to mid fat's, single speeds, rigids, full suspensions & hardtails. 26" 29ers, & 650b's. There are so many options and preference varies.

Armadillo Dash is a fun, less technical section that begins with a descend (or no descend) to a berm that leads you to a trail with ramps on the left, and no ramps on the right. They both meet up further down so no worries about getting separated. 

As we rolled on I began to relax a little, and TJ's route seemed to take us from easiest to progressively more technical so we had time to build up before the big stuff. That was a relief. I kept thinking about one ramp that I remembered from the ride before. I didn't roll it on my first ride out and was kind of really disappointed about that. I had told myself and others that I was going to roll it.

Next time.

I was kind of kicking myself for not riding it on my first ride out. It seemed very doable. The thing that makes this ramp scary is not that it's steep, it's not. It's not really that high. It's that you have to make a turn onto a fast descent. I've heard people say that they were afraid they wouldn't get their line straight before descending right off the side. I can see why they would think that and now it was in my brain too.

From my first ride out, this is my husband taking the turn onto the ramp. I promise to get some really sweet action shots next time I go out. You'll be able to view them on Instagram under my username Busy Mom Bikes or #busymombikes.

As we approached the ramp I started to feel more nervous. Two riders turned and descended to what leads to a jump & a sweet berm that follows. I & another rider watched them descend. They made it look so easy. 

I had already thought about it too long. I looked at the other rider. He told me he was going around. I stayed a little longer looking at it, and then I followed behind him. Talk about disappointed. Lucky for me we didn't find each other at the end of the trail so I and the other rider went back in to find them. This was my chance. I rolled up to it about 6 six times telling myself to go for it before I came to a screeching halt. Finally the other guys rolled up. I mentioned how I wanted to ride the ramp and all of the guys were all so cool and supportive about it. TJ, the group leader said "We will wait or push you down it." before giving me some tips and letting me know they didn't mind me holding the group up with my over-thinking. 

The next thing I know I've committed before I had a chance to change my mind and I'm so high from rolling it that I didn't even slow down for the approaching jump. My first real air felt so awesome! After that I had a chance at redeeming myself for a bad berm ride on my first time out. It felt like GREATNESS this time around. It felt like actually putting into practice the things I've learned about berm riding. I'm not sure how it looked, but it felt great.

I was totally pumped after that.

That gave me enough confidence to roll some bigger stuff down the trail, including a higher and much more steep descent (pictures coming to a future Busy Mom Bikes blog post near you.). Also a descent with a narrow bridge at the bottom (Moore Bridge, see pics at beginning of post.) before a steep ascent on the other side. The group lead and another rider (Wade) were waiting to catch me if I didn't have the speed to make it up. One hand wrapped around a tree and the other reaching out. 

I don't know what feminist are so upset about. Screw equality. I like being pampered and catered to.

Actually, these guys do that for everyone.

It's a joke, people.

There were some things I did not ride today that I think would be doable. But that's ok. As you learn trails you just naturally become more confident. I was really happy with my ride today all thanks to the support and gentle nudges of my group. 

By the way, have you guys ever heard the roller coaster analogy? The one that goes, "Once you ride the first one, you want to ride all of them."? 

MTB is nothing like that. 

And roller coasters are awful. 

Thank you for reading and please feel free to leave a comment or come find me on Facebook & Instagram! For the next post I'll share some of the techniques I used for today's riding along with mistakes I made that impacted my ride in a negative way. Also coming up are techniques for riding through sand. Until next time... rock on my beginner friends. My scaredy cats. My over thinkers. The dazed and confused. You anxiety ridden. & all the moms trying to make time! I feel you. I get you. It gets better. Keep going.

Biking makes you feel like this.
I can't thank my husband enough for buying me a bike, helping me learn to ride it & his patience and encouragement.

via Pinterest

Oh No. I'm THAT Guy. And I'm Sorry.

This is not a sponsored post.

Hello there. I write today feeling quite disappointed in myself. See... I recently read an article on on Facebook which was posted by Bicycling Magazine.

The article title read:

"11 Most Annoying Types of Cyclists"

Interested, I clicked to read just what they were considering the most annoying types of cyclist were. I had experienced my own frustrations during group rides, which I talked about in previous posts. I also wanted to make sure I wasn't one of those types unaware of how my behavior might be affecting everyone else. 

As I scrolled down the list I identified some of the types in others from my group rides. This article had it right too. They were annoying to ride with. These were people I avoided and for the reasons described. They seemed to be oblivious, not picking up on social queues, or understanding how their behavior was affecting everyone else. 

And I was one of them. Two of them, actually. 

Gasp! 

Described as the excuse machine, I primarily did this with my husband. But still... I'm sure it's annoying. It's the person who always has an excuse for why they are not up to par. The crazy thing is that my husband never applies any kind of pressure and seems to genuinely just be happy that we are out together. I guess I just know how much he loves to go fast and hard and wanted him to have fun. I couldn't keep up and I always had an excuse for it even though he was totally cool with just cruising around. Talk about annoying. So on our last ride I decided I would not make up any excuses and believe him when he said he was just happy to be out. Guess what happened! Guess! Guess!

I awoke to find that scientists were able to bring dinosaur's back to life but they didn't like McDonald's. Then there were hostile alien abductions and THEY didn't like dinosaurs. Then I found out that Hillary Clinton & Donald Trump were the last two running candidates for American presidency. 

So glad that was just a bad dream.

What really happened?

I relieved myself of pressure (the woods are great for that) and had one of the most fun and fast rides I have ever had on our local technical trails. My husband was totally pleasantly surprised. We had a great time and I even scored some Strava cups! (If you aren't sure what Strava is, it's a phone app where you can record rides. It keeps track of your mileage and speed. You can also connect and compare your rides with other riders. You can find me there under the username Busy Mom Bikes.)

The on the opposite end we have he second type:

"The Half-Wheeler"

Described as the person who, "Always stays a few inches ahead of the riders next to her, pushing the pace on a group ride. (If people stop talking and start panting when you hit the front of the group, this might be you.)"

This one I quickly identified as a more public behavior. When given the option of either fast or slow group I'd opt for slow group and stay at the front pushing the group leader, when I should be at the back of the fast group instead. More concerned about my own pace in the group I didn't think of how discouraging that could be to others who were new, starting out or there trying to learn. How inconsiderate of me. After all... I claim to be all about the beginners. Just shameful.

Doesn't sound like scaredy cat behavior, right? I know you're thinking, "If I were scared I wouldn't be pushing the pace on a group ride.". And you're absolutely right. Which is why I only do this on trails I'm familiar with and features I have gained confidence on. Not giving the less confident riders a fair pace. Not cool.

It was not pleasant to discover myself on the list, but I'm happy to have identified it before someone else brought it to my attention. It's not easy thinking about how many people have been effected prior to my discovery, but I'm glad to have identified it on my own. Being addressed by someone else would have been so embarrassing. Just as embarrassing as wondering how long the behavior has carried on. Either way, they both suck. So to everyone who has been negatively affected by my behavior, I want to say I am truly sorry. 

With that said, I was happy that I wasn't some other types I find pretty darn annoying. We all have stuff to work on, right? The important thing is to value personal growth. Identify weaknesses and be quick to admit them. In this you'll find freedom and improvement. 

Or you can deny you have problems and find yourself totally isolated or with the wrong comapny. Whatever works for you ;)

I prefer getting real and honest. It's not easy. Especially when you have a lot of pride like I do, but it's rewarding. 

Thanks to Bicycling Mag for posting this article and helping me in my personal growth journey. 

You can find the article on my Facebook page here. Which of the types do you find most annoying? Did you see yourself on the list? 

Thanks for reading. As always feel free to leave comments here, or find me on Facebook & Instagram under the username or hashtag Busy Mom Bikes. 

Adventures in Bikeland: First MTB Group Ride. A Newby's Perspective.

This is not a sponsored post.

As promised I have come back with the details of my first group ride. Our local trail group Facebook page had posted a Bikeland group ride @ the Cypresswood trails on Sunday morning. Wheels down by 9am.

My husband and I gathered our gear and drove to Collins park where everyone was meeting. As we pulled into the parking lot I saw the Bikeland tent, people and bikes everywhere. After finding a parking spot, I nervously unloaded my bike & gear, and was greeted by the super warm and friendly faces the cycling community is known for. Everyone gathered around for a group picture before they explained the plan and how they would split us up.

There was a beginner group and a fast group. I believe there were 14 of us in the beginner group. 36 riders in all. It was explained to me that in the beginner group there was no drop, meaning they wouldn't leave anyone behind, and that there was no pressure to ride anything. Everyone waited for everyone else.

Followed by the fast group leader (playfully) saying there was tons of pressure to ride stuff in the fast group. And of course, the increased speed.

As we headed for the trail, I could feel my anxiety level rising. I was afraid that I would be the person everyone had to wait on. I was afraid I would slow everyone else down. Which wasn't the case at all, but even if it was, everyone understands that in a slow group ride you're going to have to wait on others. I never encountered anything but a willingness to encourage and help. Well with the exception of faster riders trying to make it around slower riders or riders who were having trouble making it up ascents. I didn't think it rude when people rode around me, I thought it rude that I would make the ride harder for them by not letting them pass.

There were a couple of things I didn't ride that others did... but there were others that didn't ride as much as I did. And if they didn't, it wasn't a big deal. Not to me. Not to anyone. You don't ruin everyone else's fun by going around or walking a feature. It's always a good idea to skip things you're not confident about. The worst thing you can do is roll something then panic.

The pace was great, the group was great. We took lots of breaks to allow people to ride things or catch up. I actually wound up staying at the front of the group with the faster riders, which definitely surprised me. There was no judgment from me for any of the other riders. Mostly I was focused on my own anxiety and how I was doing as far as keeping up ect... and I think it's that way for a lot of riders.

In the end, all I know is that I had a blast out there. It was definitely something I'll do again.

After the ride we headed back to the parking lot for watermelon, Gatorade, bananas & pickles. Some people stayed for that and some left. For the people who stayed in was a social scene of meeting up with old friends and making new ones.

It was a fun time meeting a great group of people and I can't WAIT to do it again!

The beginning of the ride. 

We took plenty of breaks.  

Social scene @ the end of the ride. 

10\18\2016- Edit

Since this ride I have participated in many more with different groups. The Bikeland group has now added an intermediate pace, & a new guideline that if you decide to go with a faster group and find yourself falling behind to just fall back to the next group or stop and wait and the next group will pick you up. I just love how well these rides are organized. Kudos & special thanks to Robert Dickson of our local Bikeland bike shop, & his wife Amy for organizing and leading these rides every week. A special thanks to those who volunteer to lead & sweep on the rides as well.

If you're in the Houston area and want to check out the Cypresswood or Cypress Creek trails I highly recommend participating in one of these group rides each Sunday morning at 9am alternating between the two locations each week. These group rides cost you nothing and there is no obligation or pressure to buy anything. For more information join the Bikeland Saturday/Sunday Shop Ride Facebook page for time & location. Hope to see you there!

So you want to start biking? The Beginners How To Guide to Getting Started.

This is NOT a sponsored post.

Let's start from scratch. So you want to start cycling but don't know where to begin?

I've been there. 

Like knowing zilch about biking except knowing how to balance well enough to keep my feet off the ground and my face off the pavement. That's it. I couldn't even turn.

Some don't even know that much. And that's OK. I applaud you for being willing to learn and try. I just want to encourage you and tell you that you are not alone!

YouTube: Adults Learning to Ride a Bike

You can find great resources on the web for tips on learning how to ride a bike as an adult and realize you are not as alone as you think you are. 

First things, first. Decide what kind of biking you want to do. 

My husband and I chose mountain biking. I wanted to be able to ride on the pavement as well as the wooded trails so we figured a mountain bike would be our best choice. I can commute, cruise, or shred the trails if I so desire. The thing about commuting or road riding with a mountain bike is that it is more strenuous than riding a road bike, for example. A road bike is specifically built for going long distances on pavement at a much higher rate of speed. So if that's what you're wanting to do, a mountain bike would not be your best choice. The first step is to decide what kind of biking you want to do before visiting your local bike shop or buying an expensive bike online.

You always have the option of multiple bikes, but we have 3 kids and limited space so we keep it one bike that can serve multiple purposes.

CenturyCycles.com has posted a great article on the many different bike options available and their purposes. Find that here.

Why do I need to visit a bike shop? 

That was an honest question for me. I didn't understand why we needed to spend hundreds more on a bike shop bike when the department store bike seemed to work just fine. That question was answered on my husbands first ride out to the mountain bike trails on a Schwinn Sidewinder men's 26" "mountain" bike. 

He came back with a bent wheel. Not from vigorous riding. Just from riding though a dip in the trail.

After replacements, it became apparent that this bike was not going to be able to hold up on the trails. Granted, my husband is not a small man... but he's not huge either. When you read the included lifetime warranty policy it specifically states, "Competition, jumping, downhill racing, trick riding, trial riding, riding in severe conditions or climates, riding with heavy loads or any other nonstandard use can substantially shorten the useful product life cycle. Any one or a combination of these conditions may result in an unpredictable failure that is not covered by this warranty."

In short, if you actually go mountain biking with this "mountain bike", not only does it void the warranty, but it is dangerous and could end in "unpredictable failure.". Like going over the handle bars because your wheel bent going over a dip in the trail.

Let me just say that I am in no way affiliated with any bike brand or anything like that, I'm just giving my opinion here that these bikes are misleading.

I'll end it with saying that the warranty is voided for racing that results in "unpredictable failure", as mentioned in the warranty quote above, but I'm looking at a men's Mongoose "mountain bike" with "element racing shock" printed on the side.

How misleading is that?

So if you are totally ok with that, then I say, go with it. For us, it was a total waste of time and money. 

rant over*

Getting back on track, I had my first ride on that Sidewinder. Then the hubster decided to take me to the shop where I was fitted, that's right, FITTED, for a small frame, Specialized Jett 29er. (29 as in 29". This is a reference to wheel size.) The difference was night and day.

Finding the right fit.

Higher end bike brands like Trek, Giant & Specialized, just to name a few, are customized and built to meet your specific needs based on gender & height. Department stores brands like Mongoose & Schwinn are now offering different sized frames and 29" wheels, however, both brands warranty's are voided if you use them on the trail and pose dangerous risks. I wasn't even able to find a 27.5" wheel at all for Mongoose or Schwinn, nor a 29" for women. They are offering 29" for men.


The bike shop brands, even the bikes on the low end of the cost spectrum, are built to stand up to trail use. It all comes down to your personal preferences and what's important to you. If a department store bike meets your needs and you are happy on it, then by all means, stick with that.

via Pinterest

Just be safe and make sure your bike can stand up to whatever you're wanting to do. 

So as mentioned, I was fitted to a small framed Specialized Jett 29er. The 29er felt so big and hard to control compared to the 26" Schwinn. On the other hand, the reach was better and the ride was much smoother. I didn't have to work so hard on the trail when it came to rolling the roots and bumps. I did not like the loss of control on this bike and eventually came to regret not buying a 27.5" wheel instead.

You decide what is more important to you. Do you want more control or a smoother, faster ride? For me, I wanted to do more steep descents and jumps that I just don't feel as comfortable doing on this bike compared to a bike with a smaller wheel size. A lot of people I know don't have a problem doing the bigger stuff on the 29er, and say it's easier because of how it rolls the rough stuff. I also hear many people say that you just can't get faster than a 29" wheel. On the other side of that, I hear some people say they find a 29er awkward and hard to ride.

Again... it's about your personal preferences. I have met a lot of people, male and female, who couldn't be happier on a 27.5" and the same for a 29". I would have been willing to work a little harder and lose a little speed to get that control back, personally.  

My suggestion is to go to your local shop and talk to the employees there. Most of them are knowledgeable and will help you find the right bike for you. You can test ride them and see what feels most comfortable to you.  

The cost of a new quality bike can be overwhelming. To keep costs down initially, my husband and I bought on the lower end of the bikes the shop had to offer. We do not regret this decision after learning about changing out the entry level components over time. My husband has learned how to do all the upgrades and maintenance himself. We shop jensonusa.com for almost everything. Their prices on quality name brand components are just much more reasonable than anywhere else we've found. We have also found plenty of great deals through Craigslist, including my most recent purchase, a brand new RockShox XC32 air suspension for half off the retail price! I will have more on our personal review of the RockShox air suspension later.

As a beginner, buying a bike can be overwhelming. I hope this article helps someone out there.

One more thing.

I want to mention Strava.com. It is website that offers a phone app for runners and cyclists where you can record your rides & view competitive segments on your routes. Or just record for yourself. It will tell you how far you went and how fast. It really served as great motivation for me personally, being able to track my progress and plug in with other riders. I'd also suggest plugging into your local trail Facebook pages. You'll find trail information as well as a community of other riders that can offer tips, ride information, bike and parts reviews ect... They are a wealth of cycling information.

Thanks for reading! Hope this helps. Until next time, get out there and ride your bike. :)