Any mountain bikers here?

janie1234

janie1234

Cathlete
I don't mountain bike. I'm not a fan of the thrill of smashing my skull on a rock off the side of a cliff, but my husband is. The other day we talked and worked into our budget for him to go mountain bike shopping. He came home with a brand new mid price and mid quality bike for $800.00. He was like a kid in a candy store and honestly the man never buys himself anything so I said what the heck he deserves it. He's a surfer, runner, and a biker and in 3 years is going to be 50 so I wouldn't doubt if there was a little mid life crisis thing going on there. With that said he mentioned that while at the bike store they were having a sale on mountain biker shorts and said that they were $85! I nearly flipped a lid and asked him if he bought them, . . .and like a good husband he said no, so me being the mad shopper that I am thought, heck I'll search online and find him some for a good deal. Well, heck they cost that price on average online! I mean what the heck is so special about them anyway? Does anyone know where I can buy some for cheaper? I mean I feel so bad because I bought a pair of lululemon yoga pants for $90 but I wear A LOT. I mean he would only be able to mountain bike once a week if that. I workout 2 times a day 5-6 days a week. Shorts are not even a full pant! Anyway, thought I'd ask here and hope someone could point me in the right direction. Thanks all.
 
Not Dirt Diva - but I am a mountain biker and road cyclist. Never bashed my head on rocks doing them, either... :D But, I have received my fair share of scrapes and bruises.

Mountain bike shorts are expensive. They are padded (which adds to the cost and helps keep the "family jewels" safe and functioning). The good ones are also made of material that is designed to LAST. Consider that there are two types of mountain bikers - those that have fallen and those that will - and consider the terrain those falls occur on (although I'll take a fall off a mountain bike over a fall off a road bike any day - except for that cactus I fell onto once) and the material has to be tough. He's better off getting a pair or two of good shorts than to buy lesser quality and have them tear the first time he falls. If you machine wash them, and then let them air dry, they will last a long time with with constant use - unless DH happens to fall on the same cactus I did.
 
Hi Christine - I didn't realize you mountain biked. I knew you biked though and remember you are a spinervals fan. What are your faves? I am adding to my collection :D I have Lean and Mean, Enter the Red Zone and No Slackers. I am going to order Ultra Leg Strength and one of their yoga ones (the vol 1). Thanks in advance~
 
Hey Shana -

Yeah - I started my cycling career with a mountain bike in El Paso, Texas. Had a wonderful time but realized that road cycling hurts a lot less. I actually had people offer to "help me get away from that abusive husband" because of the lovely bruising I had aquired from my favorite sport. :rolleyes:

I do like Sweating Buckets a lot. It is easy to pair with PLB standing to get a killer lower body circuit workout - OUCH! But man!

I think I would need to know more about what you want to accomplish - are you looking to improve your cycling, or are you using Spinervals for exercise? Do you stick to 60 minutes while exercising or do you sometimes get a wild hair and want a challenge? I think the one I get the most use out of is Have Mercy 9.0 - it's 2 hours and I have done it straight - but I usually do bits and pieces of it - I can get the kind of ride I want that way. It's fully chaptered.
 
Christine - one of my dearest friends grew up in El Paso. Her dad and sister are still there. I know what you mean about biking and abusive husbands! I used to race motorcycles (a street bike, not dirt) and also at one point, had a terrible bicycle crash that sent me to emergency - my chin was open to the bone....ewwww. After a *good* crash, people were almost to the point of being rude to my husband if they saw us together. Poor guy. :eek:

I think I remember you saying that about Sweating Buckets and PLB, now that you mention it. So Sweating Buckets isn't too easy/boring? I have thought about Have Mercy - I do get those wild hairs :eek: I use Spinervals for exercise mostly but biking is one of my favorite forms of exercise. I don't ride competitively, per se, but am a very competitive person and am going to ride with said husband above (now ex) and he is more of a long distance rider than I am so I need to work towards keeping up with his speeds :) In addition, I need to get those darned clip-in pedals and an aerobar but I'm just such a chicken after that bad wreck and feel like I need control at all times! I've also been clipped by a car but that time, the bike ended up much worse than I did. DH won't ride with me (he more prefers a stroll at about 10 mph, max) and is thankfully a very understanding man about my friendship with the ex (who bangs out an average of about 19-20). Just a little plug for my understanding DH :D My average is about 15-16 on a hybrid, also heavier than the typical racing/road bike. So, I digressed a bit there - my goals are improved cycling, yes, but more in general, just mind blowing exercise!
 
andtckrtoo said:
Not Dirt Diva - but I am a mountain biker and road cyclist. Never bashed my head on rocks doing them, either... :D But, I have received my fair share of scrapes and bruises.

Mountain bike shorts are expensive. They are padded (which adds to the cost and helps keep the "family jewels" safe and functioning). The good ones are also made of material that is designed to LAST. Consider that there are two types of mountain bikers - those that have fallen and those that will - and consider the terrain those falls occur on (although I'll take a fall off a mountain bike over a fall off a road bike any day - except for that cactus I fell onto once) and the material has to be tough. He's better off getting a pair or two of good shorts than to buy lesser quality and have them tear the first time he falls. If you machine wash them, and then let them air dry, they will last a long time with with constant use - unless DH happens to fall on the same cactus I did.
Click to expand...

Hmmm, . . .okay Christine thanks this really does help justify the cost. Any brands or online websites you reccomend. Falling on a cactus, . . yeooowch. My husbands brother is an avid mountain biker and my husband just got the itch for it now he's ready to hit the trails. I worry because my brother in law last year ate dust when he wiped out on a hill in the middle of no where with no one around. He broke something in his shoulder, . . or something, . . . .I just know he had to have surgery. Apparently this wasn't his first accident. I'm to much of a chicken to brave such a sport. :)
 
Shana - very nice of DH to understand you're riding with ex-DH - not many men would! Very cool of him. After having been clipped by a car, I can absolutely understand that you are nervous about cycling again and not having complete control. I love my clipless pedals. I keep them fairly loose (you can have your local bike store set them looser) so I can unclip easily, but yeah, you'll probably go over once or twice. Just the way it is - but it will help if you use them on your trainer and get used to them. The pedal stroke is so much more powerful! I'm leery of Aerobars myself, so I can't help you there. I don't see a need for them unless you plan to race. And YES our poor DH's after we crash!

Janie - I love my Pearl Izumi shorts. They have the best padding and the material is comfy. But that's for road and for distance. Bike shorts, unfortunately, are a very personal decision. Some people like more padding, some less and there are a lot of different fits. I'd recommend having DH try some on in a shop to get an idea of what he likes and what fits him well, then shopping those on line. Bike stuff tends to run small, too, so keep that in mind. I'm not one for mountain biking barely ridden trails on my own. There is always safety in numbers. Now, the local trails around here I will as there is ALWAYS another cyclist or hiker or someone coming along. I have to admit that I think I liked mountain biking for the same reason I like complicated step - there's always something new to learn and something new to conquer. Yeah, the scraps and bruises aren't fun, but they do get less as you get more experienced (well until you get experienced AND cocky, then you get a whole new set of 'em). It is a lot like hiking - you can make it as easy or as tough as you want. You don't HAVE to ride the trails with the loose rocks, tree roots you have to jump over, sand pits, and hairy down hills (I find downhill on a MTB so much scarier than uphill), but as you get better and want more challenges, those are the kinds of trails you tend to gravitate towards. :eek:

Darn! Now I'm dying to dig out my MTB and go for a good dirty ride!!! I have a 15 mile loop of road and dirt that is just fun.
 
Last edited:
meowracer said:
DirtDiva...where are you? :D
Click to expand...


How funny!

I'm sorry to gently say this to you, but shorts are only the beginning. :rolleyes:

The number one piece of equipment is a good helmet (Bell or Giro), followed closely by a pair of glasses designed for riding to protect his eyes from tree twigs, bugs, rocks from other riders' tires that flip up and for want of a better phrase, literally take your eye out! (Bolle, Smith, Oakley) Next, a pair of good short-finger or long finger gloves, not to look cool but to keep a good grip on the bars, sweaty hands and you slip and down you go (Fox, Pearl Izumi). On his back he should have a Camelbak for hydration and in that pack a Park multi-tool and short-pump along with a chain tool and extra tube. I know...its alot, but these are the basics and will make his new sport safe. The chamois in the shorts is going to keep his bum from getting chafed, and shorts come in all grades. I wouldn't buy cheap here either. Look for a 9-panel short with at least 8 ounce lycra grade. I have shorts that are 10 years old... very heavily used and I have crashed off of elevated skinny's, bridges, sides of cliffs, how many log piles I can't count, and the only hole I got was when my Salsa clip skewered my thigh when I misjudged a jump. Sooo, they do last, just wash them inside out and never put anything in the dryer that's technical wear, hang dry everything. Of course if he's a shy guy, he'll go baggie. A whole different type of riding short. As far as his jersey goes, anything but cotton, same thing for the socks on his feet.

I'm not sure if your husband is clipped in yet, these are pedals designed to attach to a pair of riding shoes which keeps your feet engaged while riding. Shoes can go from $50 to $479.00. I take more pride in my Sidi Dragons then any other shoe I own! :D

Depending on what your husband's shape is, Pearl Izumi runs small, so does Sugoi, so size up one on those. Primal Wear is less expensive, but just as good. There are many different brands, and you can get all sorts of good deals on line and honestly, I do nearly all my shopping on line. Here are some of the best places:

http://www.sierratradingpost.com/d/4287_Cycling-Gear.html

http://www.jensonusa.com/?sc=ggl&x=y

http://www.performancebike.com/index.cfm

http://www.cambriabike.com/

http://www.pricepoint.com/


One of the best places to *talk* bikes is here: http://forums.mtbr.com/forumdisplay.php?f=44 Its the Cathe equivalent online forum.

If he goes to the homepage of MTBR.com, that is where you can look up anything for a review, which is invaluable before you spend the money on everything above. These are reviews by real people, its probably the very best place to go if you want see if its worth the money to spend on. http://www.mtbr.com/reviewscrx.aspx


I know its all overwhelming, but I really think YOU should try it also. Then I could send you to all the women's sites! Honestly, I love the sport, I have 4 mountainbikes, each has a different suspension. My husband also is heavily involved, so we never fight about what we spend money on! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to ask. :)
 
another mtn biker here

yes, good quality cycling shorts do cost around that much, but they should last a long time. you don't want to go the cheap route.

I love mtn biking so much!! it makes you feel so exhilirated & sometimes you feel like a kid. we are so lucky to have some great local trails(when the weather is good...we have had TONS of rain here in Georgia).
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Our Newsletter

Get awesome content delivered straight to your inbox.

Top