Hi all, wanna help out a noob

[U.A.V.]

Hello every1

i'm new to the mountain biking scene and have only gone riding a handfull of times and man am i hooked. i ride usally on the weekends but would go more if i didnt work nights and had some1 to ride w/.

my bike is a 05 iron horse sinister pro that i got off rscycle.com and i think its pretty good, i like it. but i want to upgrade and have no idea were to start any suggestions will help. like should i go w/ clip ins even though i can't make it up aliso creek w/ out putting my foot down like 4,000 times, or should i upgrade compontents like a shimano xt shifter/brake lvr set.


anyways i'm stoked on riding and want to go to new trails and ride w/ some of ya so i can show how much i suck.

thanks
josh

[Pugz]

Welcome to the coolest community around. i work nights, second shift, and still manage to go riding during the work week, I just go in the morning before work although it means I have to miss a lot of the cool rides everyone else goes on. As for upgrades I am sure Dino will come and answer your questions about the Iron Horse.

[genusmtbkr5]

Welcome, I'm in Mission Viejo. Where do you ride? The best place to get to know a lot of the members is the Fully Loop ride on Thurs @ 6:45pm. I ride all the OC trails, so hit me up and we'll do some RIDING! BTW, here's this:

Originally Posted by SAR_boats

Welcome to the madness. A few notes to help familiarize yourself with some of the other members.

1. Don't ever let ShinKen set the pace on a ride. You will die
2. CeeDub is a sandbagger, don't make any "friendly bets" with him before a ride.
3. LBMTB commonly tells people to "Stay thirsty, my friends." He means beer.
4. You get five points if you can guess what brand of bikes the following people ride: TurnerRob, ChumbaJason, TitusChick, TurnerWhore
5. When FoShizzle says "You're Ghey", just take it as a compliment.
6. MTBer3737 is the oldest mountain biker in the world. He is also faster than you or me.
7. Report to CC for "kickstand inspection" at the first ride you attend.
8. Report to SheClimbs after you get your kickstand inspection, for a "rearend and final drive inspection". Pray she doesn't give you "the shocker"
9. STR is way better than MTBR or Ridemonkey
10. Support JensonUSA and Adrenaline Bike Shop since they provide financial support for STR
11. Don't be stingy with the "thanks" button, it is free to use
12. No matter what your personal feelings or exeriences are, don't ever tell Dino Brown that Iron Horse bikes suck.
13. Don't ever challenge Guero to a drinking competition, you will lose.
14. FiredYoMomma, however, is a lightweight. I've seen girl scouts and Mormans drink him under the table.
15. Don't ever expect Integradriv3r to wake up in time for a ride, you will be waiting for a long time.
16. The only reason why Ladd Jasper is so nice is because he pitys the slow
17. Don't try to have more posts than TKblazer. It is impossible.
18. If I am ever on a ride with you, expect to hear a lot of cursing followed by crashing noises. Call 911 when this happens.
19. 2WheelLee and Hoosierdaddy can do one-handed wheelies up hills you or I would walk up. You will learn to hate them as much as I do.
20. AndyakaRut and Genusmtnbiker are the official STR ambassadors to every bike race available.
21. If you can catch Sauce, you get to kiss her. (Don't bother trying)
22. *Fill in the blank: I don't always drink beer, but when I do I drink _____________.*
23. *If I can see the coins in your pocket, you had better use them to call a tailor.*
24. 53,482: The number of bikes Rob will have to work on to pay off his bike parts and hot wing debts
25: 15.31: Number of seconds, on average, that a post by GabrielZink stays on the forum before it is deleted
26: JordansRealm has a better job than you, or me, or anyone that doesn't work at the playboy mansion.
27: LetyRides does roller derby. She is tougher than you.
28: Don't compare tattoos with JSims or QueenWilhemina. You will lose.
29: ~Pakiha~ was once the owner of the largest bruise in the history of man.
30. PainFreak thinks his moustache make him look manly.
31. Don't talk to Gurp13 about dogs.
32. For that matter, don't talk to Shudder about chopped Harley-Davidsons either
33. Dstepper makes the tough choices look easy: "Hmm I broke my Turner 5-spot frame, so should I get another 5-spot frame, a Turner RFX or a Niner RIP9? Eh, I'll get all of them and sort it out later."
34. Avoid hucking contests with CalEpic
35. Report all Steven Jackson sightings immediately. You'll know him when you see him
36. Mechmann and Allison don't really have jobs, all they do is go on bike trips
37. Carbonman and Shugamama ride the same trails as everyone else. But they do it on a tandem, pulling a trailer (seriously)
38. If you use words like cheers, bloody good, smashing, footy, tuppence, wot wot, guv'nor, or have ever said "God save the Queen" and meant it, then you will get along great with KeithB, Lefty Kev and Lazy Brit
39. Yes, I do love my bikes almost as much as my wife and daughter.
40. 1x1Clyde is faster than he looks. A lot faster.
41. Jackieo gives new meaning to the term "starved for attention"
42. PacMan has been seen recently racing around on his bike, eating dots and running from ghosts
43. You may know TurnerRob by his Indian name: Supah Wrench
44. When One_leg_rolled_up gets done with a ride in his reeboks and jeans, there is usually a bunch of pissed off riders on bikes that cost 4x as much as his that got dropped somewhere
45. Kid A excels at ignoring the doctor's orders
46. The following members are broken: Kid A, slowSSer, ChumbaJason, ~Pakiha~,mcgyver0302, Keith B,
47. There is no sex in the champagne room.

Most importantly: No one gets left behind. Ever.

*Stolen from "The most interesting man in the world" but very true

Welcome to STR

[foofighter]

welcome!

[J_Sims]

I would suggest starting with the pedals and shoes as this can result in more efficient power transfer between you and the bike, possibly helping you stop less Either way keep at it, keep pushing yourself and you will get it

[carbonman]

I'd also go with the pedals, but also look into new wheels.

[allison]

I'm not sure about what you've got on the bike at all, but is anything not working right? No real reason to upgrade at this point unless something is holding you back.

If you just want some new bling:

Fun stuff - getting bling like King headset or carbon fiber handlebar (Easton Monkeylite's were on sale at Price Point, I believe), Thomson stem / seatpost

Lighter weight stuff - wheelset! If you're independently wealthy get an I9 wheelset. If you don't want to build it yourself or worry about it, I'd suggest looking into something like Mavic Crossmax. Middle of the road? Hit up The Path in Tustin and have them build you a wheelset with something like Mavic wheels, and King hubs.

Functional upgrades - you can upgrade your drivetrain with Sram x9 components (still really good, but a bit cheaper than X0, and also a bit more durable, can be found on sale), or Shimano XT.

Though I got SRAM x7 on my new DH bike, and it worked really well also. No complaints so far. Though I've only got 35 DH miles on it

Good luck and welcome!

[spookydave]

Originally Posted by allison

Though I got SRAM x7 on my new DH bike, and it worked really well also. No complaints so far. Though I've only got 35 DH miles on it

35 DH miles is like 3,500 XC miles right?

I would change the pedles and that it. I have flats on my Bullit and clipless on my XC bike. It's a pretty big difference on how much power you can put to the ground. Might make it so you only dab 2000 times insted of 4000. Replace the other stuff when you wear it out or break it. Heck, if you have shimano xt that's not bad at all. You could go XTR or SRAM (I like sram stuff) but it won't make you a better rider at all.

Most of all, have fun man.

whoot

[allison]

Originally Posted by spookydave

35 DH miles is like 3,500 XC miles right?

haha! Not quite... but, I'll tell you what, dude... it's HARD work! We're both beat up today I didn't even crash!

[spookydave]

Oh I know. I have some friends that are really into XC and always bagging on DH. I took them down Tunnel and watched them get totally worked. I would ask, "Brah, why are you breathing hard when you are just coating along??"

I guess the main difference in part wear is XC wears them out and DH breaks them off. lol

[U.A.V.]

Originally Posted by genusmtbkr5

Welcome, I'm in Mission Viejo. Where do you ride? The best place to get to know a lot of the members is the Fully Loop ride on Thurs @ 6:45pm. I ride all the OC trails, so hit me up and we'll do some RIDING! BTW, here's this:

haha thats classic.

i mostly ride aliso canyon or peters canyon when i'm short on time and want to get a ride in, i've been to blackstar a couple of times but it's kinda sketchy going solo.

unfortanitly i work mon-fri 4pm-1am and a half day on weekend so i won't be able to make the thurs day rides

Thanks guys for the replies

i think the components on my bike are all shimano deore dx stuff but ya i was thinking peddles 1st to.

i just dont really want to look like a total kook when ride but i guess the better i get the more studlier i'll be.

thanks again

[J_Sims]

Originally Posted by U.A.V.

i just dont really want to look like a total kook when ride but i guess the better i get the more studlier i'll be.

thanks again

.

What you look like is a guy on a mountain bike enjoying life and that is all that matters here... If they don't like it they don't have to look

[Wrecker]

total kook? Do you ride in yellow underwear, and ONLY yellow underwear, when you ride?

As long as you're not "airing out" around us, you're fine (see the RR for Blackstar)

[Winger]

Welcome to the addiction!

Don't waste your money on new parts. Spend it on Clipless pedals/shoes. Good, Grippy tires also make a huge difference. In a few years you will be better than your bike and can replace everything at once. BTW, Deore is good and will last forever. "Better" components aren't necessarily better.

Take the reflectors off your bike. They are the first sign of a NOOB.

[U.A.V.]

Thanks guys

i'm gonna go get some clipless pedals this weekend, so if u see some guy in yellow underwear plopped over on the ground stuck in he's pedals that'll be me, haha.