mountain bikes & motorcycles

[tink bell]

hi all! i just signed up on here & have been perusing the forum. seems like lots of good info to be found. i'm a noob rider having just secured my M1 last friday. woohoo! now just to get my bike up & running (and lowered). should have the lowering kit by end of week next week & then rebuild the carb & should hopefully be good to go (around the parking lot! HA!!!). haven't ridden since the cmsp course 2 wks ago or so, so a bit nervous! was riding dirt earlier this year, but it's been a few months for that as well.

anyway, just a hello & wanted to introduce myself!

btw, here's my kunoichi! isn't she sexy??

[ally99]

tink bell! Glad you found us...

[choneofakind]

Mountain bikes, huh?

[tink bell]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Mountain bikes, huh?

yeah, do you mtb?

this is my newest rig. just built her up yesterday. ventana zeus.

[choneofakind]

Nice! I've never heard of Ventana before. Looks like an XT build? There's a thread around here about biking somewhere that a few of us have posted in a bit.

If you've got the time and enough brake line, you may want to run that front brake line on the inside of your fork instead of the outside to keep it safe from passing brush.


Yes I do. Rocking a basic frame with a basic build on it right now. 2011 Giant Yukon FX with my choice of parts

[csmith12]

welcome

[tink bell]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

If you've got the time and enough brake line, you may want to run that front brake line on the inside of your fork instead of the outside to keep it safe from passing brush.

already rerouted the brake line, tks.

[dcj13]

Welcome! Good lookin' bikes! Congrats on the motorcycle endorsement.

[snot]

welcome

[cbinker]

welcome to the forum, but lowering the bike is a bad idea. it throws the geometry off and causes ground clearance issues.

[KJohnson21]

[tink bell]

Originally Posted by cbinker

welcome to the forum, but lowering the bike is a bad idea. it throws the geometry off and causes ground clearance issues.

i don't have an option. i'm short. i'm not interested in riding a cruiser, either. tks for the tip

Originally Posted by KJohnson21

yes, i just call her kunoichi as stated in my OP. do i need to post in your linked thread as well?

[cbinker]

how short are you?

[tink bell]

Originally Posted by cbinker

how short are you?

4'10.75" w/27" inseam.

[cbinker]

you could still 1 foot it.

[tink bell]

Originally Posted by cbinker

you could still 1 foot it.

being a new rider, i'm not comfortable trying to balance on 1 foot only. if i get off balance, or don't plant that one foot solidly, then i'm effed. when i've developed my skills & am more comfortable on the bike, i can graduate to a bigger bike & rely on one footing it. for now i'm lowering my bike. tks.

[Snake]

Hello and welcome.

[cadd]

Might also want to route your front brake of your mtn bike to the right lever as well now =)

I decided to do that when I started riding motorcycle. This way everything was consistent.

Is that a 29er? And Holy crap, low spoke count! No issues with wheels being out of true?

[Motofool]

Originally Posted by tink bell

being a new rider, i'm not comfortable trying to balance on 1 foot only. if i get off balance, or don't plant that one foot solidly, then i'm effed............

Welcome !!!

Just before stopping, turn the handlebar to one side and brake to a complete stop: the bike will softly lean on to the opposite side, ........ always.
One foot down is not only possible but appropriate.

Please, take a look at these:
https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=121203

https://www.ninjette.org/forums/showthread.php?t=138226

[BoBO]

Originally Posted by tink bell

being a new rider, i'm not comfortable trying to balance on 1 foot only. if i get off balance, or don't plant that one foot solidly, then i'm effed. when i've developed my skills & am more comfortable on the bike, i can graduate to a bigger bike & rely on one footing it. for now i'm lowering my bike. tks.

When it's time to upgrade to a 600, you will probably want a Gixxer since the seat is usually narrow and lower than the other 600's. BTW, nice bike I have an old AR5 and S22 Felt but I mostly use my custom S22.

[liberpolly]

Originally Posted by tink bell

4'10.75" w/27" inseam.

Did you try Grom?

[LittleRedNinjette]

Originally Posted by tink bell

4'10.75" w/27" inseam.

5'1" with a 27" inseam here!

My 300 is lowered. Just make sure you do the rear AND front. What kit did you get?

If been riding for almost 4 years and i still don't like to 1 foot it. No shame in that. Don't let the anti lowering kit guys get to you! You have to be comfortable on your bike.

["A"]

To give yourself more stability when coming to a stop, you might want to try sitting on the seat of your Ninja with one thigh,

that would allow better reach for the opposite thigh to the ground and stop as a tripod instead of tippy-toe to try to have both feet on the ground at a stop.

That's the way I stand over my KTM Rallye bike with over 38" of seat height, which is a giant mt. bike really:




I had a Ventana Marble Peak back in the late 90's, it was a solid bike lightweight for what it was equipped.
My current human-powered mt. bikes are mostly over 10 y-o now.. not many Balfa bikes were made, let along still ridden.





Even figured out a way to carry my bicycle on my motorized 2-wheel, along with bicycle helmet/shoes/change of clothes & tools/drinks/food.

[liberpolly]

Ok, question to you all who both ride mountain bikes and motorcycles - what do you think about electric mountain bikes?

[choneofakind]

No. I want no part in it on trails. They're fun on the street for a commuter bike, but they just accelerate trail wear and kill the spirit. You don't MTB to commute, you don't MTB with the intent of saving energy up the hills so you're not sweaty when you get to work. You MTB for the freedom and the pure thrill of burning calories in nature and slaying a difficult section of trail. Electric bikes ruin that. If you want a bike with a motor for a trail, get a dirtbike. Don't ruin my trail and tell me how fast you are and how boring the trail is.

["A"]

Originally Posted by liberpolly

Ok, question to you all who both ride mountain bikes and motorcycles - what do you think about electric mountain bikes?

It's the future.. maybe not on public trails, but public roads for sure.

I've been pedaling 2-wheel for over 3 decades, riding motorcycles over 2 decades. If I can combine the two, no fossil fuel usage and still get to places far away beyond my own pedaling ability without sweating to death; that would be awesome!!

On the trails, I can see how the electric MTB can be annoying to the purists MTB; that's likely of any other trail users, horses, joggers, hikers, etc.. just need to find ways to share the trail.

[liberpolly]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

No. I want no part in it on trails. They're fun on the street for a commuter bike, but they just accelerate trail wear and kill the spirit. You don't MTB to commute, you don't MTB with the intent of saving energy up the hills so you're not sweaty when you get to work. You MTB for the freedom and the pure thrill of burning calories in nature and slaying a difficult section of trail. Electric bikes ruin that. If you want a bike with a motor for a trail, get a dirtbike. Don't ruin my trail and tell me how fast you are and how boring the trail is.

For those of us who are too old, fat, and out of shape, it's either electric or nothing. At least it's quiet and doesn't stink up the forest.

Anyway, I am less interested in ideological wars, and more in personal experiences of those who used them.

["A"]

Originally Posted by liberpolly

Anyway, I am less interested in ideological wars, and more in personal experiences of those who used them.

I put put one of these on my KHS DH bike.
. Had to source a 48v battery with enough capacity to run 20-25 miles.
I only ride it on public roads, not trails. Instant torque takes some getting used to.

Not my E-bike.. but interesting read: My 50mph electric bike

[dcj13]

Cool!

What was the rough cost (including batteries)?
And what is your range?

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by liberpolly

For those of us who are too old, fat, and out of shape, it's either electric or nothing. At least it's quiet and doesn't stink up the forest.

That's not true and you know it. I have worked at the maintenance counter of a bike shop and have several local shops I pop in at at least once every other week. Bikers come in all shapes and sizes, all ages and abilities. If you're using the excuse that you're too old, fat, or out of shape to pedal, you're really just being lazy. Normally I hate black and white statements like the one I just made, but this is a case where I'll use one. I've seen cyclists who start at 350 lbs, cyclists with one arm, cyclists with one foot, cyclists who are 75+, cyclists who are <7. Know what they all have in common? They all pedal. Claiming that your only option is electric is lame. You don't have to be fast or in shape or young. Just go pedal and enjoy the simple pleasure of getting yourself somewhere on your own power.

Forget about smell, extra torque still leaves tracks and ruins trails. Part of mountain biking is not causing excessive damage to the trail you tread on. Ever heard of IMBA? They have guidelines for building sustainable trail that won't erode as quickly and won't damage the land more than needed. But that all goes out the window when you introduce motors to those same trails. Ever done a volunteer trail day? Know how many hours go into trail maintenance to keep a good trail in good shape?

Originally Posted by liberpolly

Anyway, I am less interested in ideological wars, and more in personal experiences of those who used them.

This isn't ideology, but since you're asking... I've ridden both the Specialized Turbo and a customer's homebuild that kicks all consumer models' posteriors. They're hella fun and I want one for hooning around on. It's just like riding a motorcycle, but slower and more... bicycle. The boost up hills is great but it feels like cheating. The extra weight kinda blows when you're just pedaling around though. We're not talking grams here.

[slolane]

Welcome, nice bike!

[liberpolly]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

If you're using the excuse that you're too old, fat, or out of shape to pedal, you're really just being lazy.

If you stop and think about it a little, it's the same thing. Anyway, I promise not to use power assist on any of your precious trails, just on the road to get there

[johnydecali]

Welcome and congrats on passing your class! Nice bikes! A few weeks ago I raised my bike back up to stock height. I did notice the difference in geometry, stock height feels better for me but like some folks wrote, you do you and make any adjustments to your bike that will make you feel more comfy on it.

Btw thanks for sharing a pic of your mtb, makes me want to get back on mine and just get lost.

Originally Posted by liberpolly

For those of us who are too old, fat, and out of shape, it's either electric or nothing.

Some places, like Tahoe, has lifts that take you up hill and all you do is ride down