considering mountain biking

"Steve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

(1) I'm 50 years old, is that too old to start recreational Mountain

Biking?

No! I started at 52 and have been riding XC for 4 years. XC makes you
younger by getting all of your joints, organs, and muscles in motion.

Quoted message said:

(2) I had a herniated disc about a year ago and have had some arthritis

problems,

The orthopedic guy said that I will eventually need a hip replacement for my
arthritis and that exercise would not improve my situation. I took vioxx
daily.
NOT SO: Six hours a week of XC combined with hip stretching and
adductor/abductor exercises keep pain and inflammation away. Instead of 365
doses of vioxx a year, I only need about 25.
I couldn't regularly ride a hard tail. Full suspension is kind to the
joints and prostate. I rode a hard tail for 3 years, and added a Thudbuster
suspension seat post which worked well.

Quoted message said:

(3)I was wondering how much jarring there is and are crashes inevitable?

Yes, crashes will happen. My biggest problem is when platform pedal pins
dig into my shin. You may find that you have more problems when you are a
newbie, tired, going up a long hill, or if you try to stay with the young
guys. Take your time, and walk as needed. It's better to be cautious and
riding than reckless and recuperating.

Tommy Taylor says:

Quoted message said:

Take your time, and walk as needed. It's better to be cautious and
riding than reckless and recuperating.

"There are old pilots, and there are bold pilots, but there are very few old,
bold pilots" Or something like that. ;-)

Steve "old-ish, not bold - but having a great time riding."

Steve said:

Hi,
I'm considering buying a Mountain bike. I have no experience riding, and
definitely would start at the low price range. I first looked at the
discount store bikes but now I'm now looking at the Specialized Hard
Rock XC for $290. I walk some of the local trails (ex. Wild Azalea Trail
in Alexandria, La)and thought it would be a good sport to start, for
fitness and fun. I consider myself in fair shape, I walk 3 miles five to
ten times a week at about 14 minutes average per mile.
I have several questions. (1) I'm 50 years old, is that too old to start
recreational Mountain Biking? (2) I had a herniated disc about a year
ago and have had some arthritis problems, I was wondering how much
jarring there is and are crashes inevitable? (3) What does the XC stand
for in Mountain Biking?
Thanks for your time,
Steve

Steve,
I had neck surgery for a herniated disk 18 months ago, and have been
riding a bunch since then.
Start slow and listen to your body.

--
Craig Brossman, Durango Colorado
(remove ".nospam" to reply)

Tommy Taylor said:

"Steve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message

Quoted message said:

Yes, crashes will happen. My biggest problem is when platform pedal

pins dig into my shin. You

shinguards
penny

kimba said:

As for crashing- well- I had a hell of an endo this year- but fortunately
only my pride was hurt, really. Lots of bruising though- and a huge hematoma
on my leg where I hit the handlebars on the way over.. It was a panic stop-
sometimes it's hard to quell the rising tide of panic- I just went on the
wrong hill at the wrong time, is all.And just a bit o' inexperience!
Remember- right hand brake- right hand brake!!!!( the rear brake is your
friend)
: )

AHHHHHHHH! Kimba, go back to lurking if you're going to give such bad
advice!
The front brake does the work! Yes you need to learn to control it, but
if you only use the rear, less effective brake, you will limit the kind
of riding you do, and end up trashing a lot of trails skidding around on
your back brake.
BTW my right hand controls my front brake.

Shawn

On 2004-05-31, Shawn Curry penned:

Quoted message said:

kimba said:

As for crashing- well- I had a hell of an endo this year- but
fortunately only my pride was hurt, really. Lots of bruising though-
and a huge hematoma on my leg where I hit the handlebars on the way
over.. It was a panic stop- sometimes it's hard to quell the rising
tide of panic- I just went on the wrong hill at the wrong time, is
all.And just a bit o' inexperience! Remember- right hand brake-
right hand brake!!!!( the rear brake is your friend) : )

AHHHHHHHH! Kimba, go back to lurking if you're going to give such bad
advice! The front brake does the work! Yes you need to learn to
control it, but if you only use the rear, less effective brake, you
will limit the kind of riding you do, and end up trashing a lot of
trails skidding around on your back brake. BTW my right hand controls
my front brake.

To temper Kimba's advice a bit ...

Most newbies will go for a deathgrip on both brakes when they're
nervous. So it's not a bad idea to focus on the right hand brake. Of
course, you need both, or they wouldn't have put both on the bike,
right?

--
monique

see- this is why I lurk.
Of COURSE you use both brakes- but - as I had said in my post- I had
experienced a fairly serious endo- which by definition indicates incorrect
use of the front brake.
I indicated also when I said "right brake" that it was the rear brake. As
for advice- that was not advice- if I was offering advice I would've been a
bit more defining, and indicate that feathering with the right, or rear
brake is important, especially because the most stopping power is in the
front brake.

I thought I was giving information to someone who was in the same experience
bracket as myself, the same age, with similar health issues.
And more importantly giving them the support to just go and ride.

Sorry you took my post so wrong...
and by the way- since you are such an expert- where is your advice to this
newbie?
Where is your support for somebody to join this great sport?
You're quick to jump on me- but you didn't answer his post at all- did you?

Monique- thanks for the kind words, at least you understood where I was
coming from.

Kimba

Monique Y. Mudama said:

On 2004-05-31, Shawn Curry penned:

Quoted message said:

kimba said:

As for crashing- well- I had a hell of an endo this year- but
fortunately only my pride was hurt, really. Lots of bruising though-
and a huge hematoma on my leg where I hit the handlebars on the way
over.. It was a panic stop- sometimes it's hard to quell the rising
tide of panic- I just went on the wrong hill at the wrong time, is
all.And just a bit o' inexperience! Remember- right hand brake-
right hand brake!!!!( the rear brake is your friend) : )

AHHHHHHHH! Kimba, go back to lurking if you're going to give such bad
advice! The front brake does the work! Yes you need to learn to
control it, but if you only use the rear, less effective brake, you
will limit the kind of riding you do, and end up trashing a lot of
trails skidding around on your back brake. BTW my right hand controls
my front brake.

To temper Kimba's advice a bit ...

Most newbies will go for a deathgrip on both brakes when they're
nervous. So it's not a bad idea to focus on the right hand brake. Of
course, you need both, or they wouldn't have put both on the bike,
right?

--
monique

kimba said:

see- this is why I lurk.

Oh, don't take it so hard. The front brake always does most of the
braking (except on ice), even on really steep trails. I hate to see
newbies have a misconception of how to ride reinforced in this forum, so
I jumped all over that aspect of your post. Otherwise it was a good
post. :-)

Quoted message said:

Of COURSE you use both brakes- but - as I had said in my post- I had
experienced a fairly serious endo- which by definition indicates incorrect
use of the front brake.

Actually not necessarily. The front wheel can turn a bit too far and
you launch. You may have your weight too far forward on a drop (like a
foot, not a big ol huck), the shocks compress shifting weight further
forward, and you launch. These, among other causes are a couple from
personal experience. FTM, my front wheel usually skids before the back
end comes up, unless I'm trying.

Quoted message said:

I indicated also when I said "right brake"

that it was the rear brake. As

Quoted message said:

for advice- that was not advice- if I was offering advice I would've been a
bit more defining, and indicate that feathering with the right, or rear
brake is important, especially because the most stopping power is in the
front brake.

What? I was being a smartass. :-)

Quoted message said:

I thought I was giving information to someone who was in the same experience
bracket as myself, the same age, with similar health issues.
And more importantly giving them the support to just go and ride.

Sorry you took my post so wrong...
and by the way- since you are such an expert- where is your advice to this
newbie?
Where is your support for somebody to join this great sport?
You're quick to jump on me- but you didn't answer his post at all- did you?

Look, its not personal. It was flawed advice, to such an extent that it
could result in injury to the OP, damage to trails, and the propagation
of a bad riding style by the many other readers of AM-B.
There was lots of good advice by others that I didn't feel needed a
"ditto" from me (including yours). I was kind of surprised no one else
jumped on you over, what seemed to me like, advice to avoid using the
front brake. Guess they didn't feel the need to "ditto" me.
Keep posting Kimba.

Shawn

kimba said:

see- this is why I lurk.
Of COURSE you use both brakes- but - as I had said in my post- I had
experienced a fairly serious endo- which by definition indicates
incorrect use of the front brake.
I indicated also when I said "right brake" that it was the rear
brake. As for advice- that was not advice- if I was offering advice I
would've been a bit more defining, and indicate that feathering with
the right, or rear brake is important, especially because the most
stopping power is in the front brake.

I thought I was giving information to someone who was in the same
experience bracket as myself, the same age, with similar health
issues. And more importantly giving them the support to just go and
ride.

Sorry you took my post so wrong...
and by the way- since you are such an expert- where is your advice to
this newbie?
Where is your support for somebody to join this great sport?
You're quick to jump on me- but you didn't answer his post at all-
did you?

sorry to jump in so late.
let me share an experience I had several years at bike camp. At the
beginning of one of the skill sessions, we were asked how many of us used
our front/left brake. The answer was a unanimous "none". It seems that we
were all "trained" to NOT use the front brake by well meaning friends,
boyfriends, whatever. To sum it up, we got reamed by the coach and then
spent an entire morning learning how to use a front brake correctly. That
means, understanding that the front brake is 60% of your stopping power, and
yes that grabbing it might cause a rectal/crainial inversion but that
doesn't mean you don't use it. We had to practice things like controlling a
steep descent using ony the front brake, and going as slow as you can, but
not stopping, using the front brake for control.

I used to endo a lot but I never caught on that I was doing panic grabs and
didn't know it, I just thought I was a lame rider. ;-)

I wish I had this info when I first started riding, but I didn't. Bottom
line is that it's a disservice to tell any rider, new or not, to forget the
front brake and focus on the rear.

I've posted well meaning but off base info here before, and got called on
it, and i lived to tell about it.

Are you the same Kimba from TE? if so, unmoderated newsgroups can be a
little wild compared to web forum. We are a tactless and opinionated but
well intentioned bunch. It doens't mean all input isn't welcome, it is, but
you have to have a bit of detachment sometimes.

Penny S

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

As for crashing- well- I had a hell of an endo this year- but
fortunately only my pride was hurt, really. Lots of bruising though-
and a huge hematoma on my leg where I hit the handlebars on the way
over.. It was a panic stop- sometimes it's hard to quell the rising
tide of panic- I just went on the wrong hill at the wrong time, is
all.And just a bit o' inexperience! Remember- right hand brake-
right hand brake!!!!( the rear brake is your friend) : )

-

Quoted message said:

That
means, understanding that the front brake is 60% of your stopping power, and
yes that grabbing it might cause a rectal/crainial inversion but that
doesn't mean you don't use it.

I used to endo a lot but I never caught on that I was doing panic grabs and
didn't know it, I just thought I was a lame rider. ;-)

I wish I had this info when I first started riding, but I didn't. Bottom
line is that it's a disservice to tell any rider, new or not, to forget the
front brake and focus on the rear.

And I know that- and that's not what I was inferring- what I was inferring is
that the rear brake is your friend...not the only method of stopping. My endo
was because of a panic stop - I panicked and grabbed both brakes- but obviously
harder on the front. Bad situation when most of your stopping power comes from
the front, right.
....I'm inexperienced enough that I couldn't control the impulse. Plus I was
riding with a new bike, brakes I wasn't used to.

Y'know - I even put a little happy face after that comment so you could get the
idea it wasn't serious. I never said use the rear brake to the exclusion of the
front. EVER. You folks just inferred that. I was just saying that - but that's
how I ended up catching air.
And since then I have been drilling myself on using the front brake correctly,
feathering the rear, and using the front brake as well. Just like you - coming
to a stop slowly using just the front.It's working.I'm already a better rider
because of it.

Quoted message said:

Are you the same Kimba from TE?

Yeah- that's me. And so you know how I looked if you followed my endo link.
Do I want this guy who asked about crashes doing that? Nope.
Do you know that I still have that huge hematoma- will have for a while too-
takes up practically my whole upper thigh.
But I'm not gonna tell him to just grab onto the brakes either.

Quoted message said:

if so, unmoderated newsgroups can be a
little wild compared to web forum.

Yeah- tell me about it. I'm a veteran of one of the flamiest newsgroups around.
Which is why I lurk most of the time now. I can't be bothered with the stupid
political infighting that takes place. I would rather read the posts, learn
what I can, discard what I can't be bothered reading, avoid flamewars because
they are so pointless and just become pissing matches between small minded
people who think that they are somehow great and powerful because they can hide
behind their computer and post to usenet.
Somebody's initials come to mind I think they might be MV
....but anyway....
That was a sarcastic comment just so so you know.
And NO- I am not saying that applies to the people who have posted to this
thread...just the other newsgroups I've been affiliated with.
Actually I like this newsgroup because it does seem supportive.
But I'm not coming here to fight- if you want to flame me go ahead. I'll just
killfile you and lurk anyway.
I've just reached the point where I don't need it and don't want the
infighting....
can you understand that?

Quoted message said:

We are a tactless and opinionated but
well intentioned bunch. It doens't mean all input isn't welcome, it is, but
you have to have a bit of detachment sometimes.

That's fine.
I appreciate it. That's why I've been lurking here like I have.
I've read the trail summaries, laughed at some of the jokes, taken a lot of info
to heart-
I'm still learning - I admit it. You guys have lots to share.
I'd like to be a part of it.

Kimba

Quoted message said:

What? I was being a smartass. :-)

Okay.
Truce?

Quoted message said:

.
Keep posting Kimba.

Thanks.
Next time I'll be more specific...okay?

Quoted message said:

Shawn

kimba said:

Yeah- tell me about it. I'm a veteran of one of the flamiest
newsgroups around.

what, a refugee from RSA (unmoderated)? I didn't think you were a skier.

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

We are a tactless and opinionated but
well intentioned bunch. It doens't mean all input isn't welcome, it
is, but you have to have a bit of detachment sometimes.

That's fine.
I appreciate it. That's why I've been lurking here like I have.
I've read the trail summaries, laughed at some of the jokes, taken a
lot of info to heart-
I'm still learning - I admit it. You guys have lots to share.
I'd like to be a part of it.

Kimba

cool! I've learned tons here. I got the "most improved rider" award at
amb-id last year. Also, we need women around here, the ratio really stinks.

penny

kimba said:

Quoted message said:

What? I was being a smartass. :-)

Okay.
Truce?

Of course!

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Keep posting Kimba.

Thanks.
Next time I'll be more specific...okay?

Yeah, I usaully don't get so bent, hadn't taken my meds...
:-)

Shawn

Thank you all so much for your input. I've decided to have a talk with my
Dr. and if he gives the okay then I'm in.

As for as braking goes....?????...Duh.. I live in Louisiana, we have
trees for that.

Thanks again,
Steve

"Steve" <[email hidden]> wrote in message
news:[email hidden]...

Quoted message said:

Thank you all so much for your input. I've decided to have a talk with my
Dr. and if he gives the okay then I'm in.

As for as braking goes....?????...Duh.. I live in Louisiana, we have
trees for that.

Those big pines in Kisatchie will do it.

Quoted message said:

Kimba

<sniff> That was my <sniff-sniff> favorite cartoon.

Next to Speed Racer, of course.

--
Slacker

Steve said:

As for as braking goes....?????...Duh.. I live in Louisiana, we have
trees for that.

Obviously you've got the sport figured out already! The actual riding of
the bike is the easy part.

Mountain biking covers a pretty broad spectrum. I'm sure that you'll be
able to find a variation that fits your needs. No matter what type of
riding you end up doing, just get out and ride!

Good luck.

Tom

Shawn Curry said:

kimba said:

Quoted message said:

What? I was being a smartass. :-)

Okay.
Truce?

Of course!

Quoted message said:

Quoted message said:

Keep posting Kimba.

Thanks.
Next time I'll be more specific...okay?

Yeah, I usaully don't get so bent, hadn't taken my meds...
:-)

you and the rest of the amb crew, that must explain it... ;-)

pas said:

cool! I've learned tons here. I got the "most improved rider" award at
amb-id last year.

Sandbagging again?! ;~p

--
a.m-b FAQ: http://www.j-harris.net/bike/ambfaq.htm

a.bmx FAQ: http://www.t-online.de/~jharris/bmx_faq.htm

[email hidden] (Jonesy) wrote in message news:<[email hidden]>...

[snip]

Quoted message said:

Anyway, give kimba a little slack - I don't think he's saying exactly
what you think he is.

Err, sorry about the gender confusion. I won't get it wrong again.
--
Jonesy "at least where you're concerned"