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Mountain Bike newbie questions

I can't wait for fall/spring to come. Way to hot to ride in the summer here (high 90s to low 100s with humidity). Have not ridden in months. Need to check the tubeless condition etc. Oh, get a good saddle. Butt burn is not fun, but more and more riding toughens things up. The one thing I do not look forward to after a hiatus of riding. In case anybody is interested, here is what I did to my bike to make it more comfortable:
1. Ergon GP1 grips
2. Deity 800mm bars, 38mm rise
3. Oneup composite pedals
4. WTB Volt saddle
5. Shortened Crank arm, 160mm (too many pedal strikes on my Giant, this fixed that).
 
rlefig said:
Hi I purchased a Fezzari Wasatch Peak Comp bike.

They are out of Utah and built to my specs.

fezzari.com

Build Bike

Love biking? Fezzari custom fits your bike to you, the rider. Built with the highest quality, our bikes come with a lifetime warranty. Order online and get your bike delivered to your doorstep. Ordering your bike should be fun, just like the trails you'll ride it on.
fezzari.com fezzari.com
!
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Get drunk and say the name fast and you're riding a Ferrari! :D I've never heard of Fezzari but that doesn't mean anything. I'd never heard of Pivot, Nukeproof, Gorilla Downhill, or Forbidden either. So to say I'm clueless is putting it mildly.:LOL::LOL:

That looks like a nice bike! What color did you go for? And what options did you choose?

ULEWZ said:
I can't wait for fall/spring to come. Way to hot to ride in the summer here (high 90s to low 100s with humidity). Have not ridden in months. Need to check the tubeless condition etc. Oh, get a good saddle. Butt burn is not fun, but more and more riding toughens things up. The one thing I do not look forward to after a hiatus of riding. In case anybody is interested, here is what I did to my bike to make it more comfortable:
1. Ergon GP1 grips
2. Deity 800mm bars, 38mm rise
3. Oneup composite pedals
4. WTB Volt saddle
5. Shortened Crank arm, 160mm (too many pedal strikes on my Giant, this fixed that).
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Nice list of stuff there.

I upgraded my bike with Deity Deftrap pedals (I keep wanting to call them impact. I dunno why). They've definitely got grip compared to the plastic ones my bike came with. Plus they're purple.
I went with a set of purple Oury grips too. They're not as good as the ones it came with but... they match the color scheme.:D

And a set of bars with 1" rise and 2" narrower. I'll keep that until I actually acquire some abs. I found I was putting too much pressure and weight on my palms... my hands were falling asleep and going numb. Not a good thing to happen
 
Scorpion12 said:
Get drunk and say the name fast and you're riding a Ferrari! :D I've never heard of Fezzari but that doesn't mean anything. I'd never heard of Pivot, Nukeproof, Gorilla Downhill, or Forbidden either. So to say I'm clueless is putting it mildly.:LOL::LOL:

That looks like a nice bike! What color did you go for? And what options did you choose?


Nice list of stuff there.

I upgraded my bike with Deity Deftrap pedals (I keep wanting to call them impact. I dunno why). They've definitely got grip compared to the plastic ones my bike came with. Plus they're purple.
I went with a set of purple Oury grips too. They're not as good as the ones it came with but... they match the color scheme.:D

And a set of bars with 1" rise and 2" narrower. I'll keep that until I actually acquire some abs. I found I was putting too much pressure and weight on my palms... my hands were falling asleep and going numb. Not a good thing to happen
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My friend who is an avid mountain biker recommended Fezzari to me. He also Motobecane from bikesdirect.com and they had some really good bikes at good prices but the one I wanted the Taz3 was sold out in my size.

So I got the 27x3 tires, upgraded to SRAM brakes, upgraded to X-Fusion shock, tubeless tire setup in a nice cherry red. I will move my seat over as it is a nice comfy one and my clipless pedals.

And I might have a couple of beers after biking but not before. Before is just limited to some Mary Jane
 
Dude, that sounds like an awesome ride. Post pics when you get it!
 
i will when i get it
 
mountain bike pics, been riding it when I can.

Can't take the time to golf but I can squeeze in a ride

bike2.jpg
 
Nice looking bike! Awesome color!
 
Scorpion12 said:
Nice looking bike! Awesome color!
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thanks I like it. been out once a week for a hour or two. Got lost the other day in the woods. Mountain biking is like backwoods skiing, just finding the line around trees abd obstacles. I think I am going to upgrade my Garmin S60 watch toi a fenix or Epix for more riding stuff while maintaining golfing stuff
 
That's cool. I just use trailforks on my phone and strava. The trail I ride is pretty well established. I'd like to know how the epix or fenix work for you
 
Scorpion12 said:
That's cool. I just use trailforks on my phone and strava. The trail I ride is pretty well established. I'd like to know how the epix or fenix work for you
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i thought about that too and might do that with a handlebar mount as I constantly am going the wrong way
 
Scorpion12 said:
Ok, it's one of those it might be useful to me but I need to determine that for myself. Cool.



You've mentioned gravel bike once or twice. I have no idea what that is. And you're saying it's too in the weeds for front suspension? This is THP. Equipment isn't too far into the weeds.:D

And wide tires. Are you referring to the really fat tires?

Looking at the local Trek dealer there's a Trek Marlin 5 and Marlin 6. Would one of those be sufficient?

Or would I be better served looking at a Specialized Rockhopper or Rockhopper Comp or some other variation of that?

I guess Friday I'll hit the lcal stores and ask them about the local riding trails and such... and Trek and Specialized models.🤷‍♂️
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Did you get a chance to test out the marlin 5 or the 6? I am looking at getting a mountain bike strictly for cardio. Now that I am getting older my knees just will not allow me to run as much as I want, I am assuming a bike won't be so rough of them? I live on dirt roads in south Ga so that is where most of my riding will be.
 
Awesome bike @SC4life! Congrats on the ride.

I've been trolling Facebook Marketplace for a new (to me) bike but I'm looking for a road bike to go with my hybrid. We have a few trails near me that I can ride so I'm looking for something that can accept wider tires for when I go on trails. I'm going to take my time and wait for something I like to pop up since it'll be another 3+ months before I'm back outside here in MA.
 
Dawg 1 said:
Did you get a chance to test out the marlin 5 or the 6? I am looking at getting a mountain bike strictly for cardio. Now that I am getting older my knees just will not allow me to run as much as I want, I am assuming a bike won't be so rough of them? I live on dirt roads in south Ga so that is where most of my riding will be.
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I did try a Marlin6 the same day I tried my Roscoe 7. My impression of the Marlin - remember, this is from someone that hadn't ridden a bike in 20 years at least.

I liked the Marlin. The colors available were cool. Riding it I thought the bike felt fine but I liked the Roscoe more and went with that instead.

I've seen a few Marlins rolling on the trail I ride. It's not a gravel road by any stretch, it's a green trail so some climb, some descent, turns and curves... an occasional berm and some raw flow. Nothing technical at I don't think.

If you're going to be on gravel roads, the Marlin should suit you well. I'm absolutely NOT an expert or even a well informed buyer.:)
 
russtopher said:
Awesome bike @SC4life! Congrats on the ride.

I've been trolling Facebook Marketplace for a new (to me) bike but I'm looking for a road bike to go with my hybrid. We have a few trails near me that I can ride so I'm looking for something that can accept wider tires for when I go on trails. I'm going to take my time and wait for something I like to pop up since it'll be another 3+ months before I'm back outside here in MA.
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Look for a gravel bike. I'm heavy into that scene, and ride a Salsa Warbird that I built up from the carbon frameset in early 2019. Have over 10,000 miles on it now, and ride it on all roads. I have 3 wheel sets and the skinniest tires I run on it are 35mm semi slicks. I like to hit all types of roads on my rides, and routinely hit gravel roads in the middle of rides.

Gravel bikes will give you a slightly more upright position than a road bike, and can handle wider tires (anything that can handle 43mm width will suit you fine).

I have a Specialized SWorks Roubaix and the Salsa Warbird. I do lose some speed on the Warbird, but only 1-2 mph average over a 20-30 mile ride.

My next bike (current ponder) is titanium, and likely will happen this year.
 
Scorpion12 said:
I did try a Marlin6 the same day I tried my Roscoe 7. My impression of the Marlin - remember, this is from someone that hadn't ridden a bike in 20 years at least.

I liked the Marlin. The colors available were cool. Riding it I thought the bike felt fine but I liked the Roscoe more and went with that instead.

I've seen a few Marlins rolling on the trail I ride. It's not a gravel road by any stretch, it's a green trail so some climb, some descent, turns and curves... an occasional berm and some raw flow. Nothing technical at I don't think.

If you're going to be on gravel roads, the Marlin should suit you well. I'm absolutely NOT an expert or even a well informed buyer.:)
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I got to try out a 6 yesterday but I am going to order the Marlin 7. The bike trails around where I live are nothing spectacular so I don’t believe I need anything more than that.
I would love to try out some true mountain biking one day though. Looks like it would be a blast.
 
From what I've seen, read, and heard from the bike salesman and bike forums, a Marlin is a good all around bike. You're getting a 7 so it'll have upgraded mechanics I think. Plus they've got better color choices than the Roscoes do.:ROFLMAO:🤷‍♂️

Where you at in the deep south? Let's go ride when it warms up
 
Scorp said:
From what I've seen, read, and heard from the bike salesman and bike forums, a Marlin is a good all around bike. You're getting a 7 so it'll have upgraded mechanics I think. Plus they've got better color choices than the Roscoes do.:ROFLMAO:🤷‍♂️

Where you at in the deep south? Let's go ride when it warms up
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I’m around 35 to 40 minutes north of Valdosta Ga. Yeah I think marlin 7 will be go for me to start out with. Almost went with the same color as you but ordered the marigold/red Fade instead.
 
My wife has a 19 Roscoe 8… she loves it!! I have a Santa Cruz Chameleon and can’t say enough good things! I can’t say anything bad about the Marlins… it’s all about how you feel on the bike and components.

I have a lot of bikes and can offer this…when getting into mountain bikes (at least riding in dirt), at least get one with hydraulic brakes and an air fork. Those two things will make you experience so much better… your components will be of a good enough level that they won’t break or need adjusted often. Good luck!
 
Any of you guys replaced the stock saddle on your bikes? If so what do you recommend. Looking at replacing the one on my Roscoe 7 that I just got this week along with the pedals.
 
I have the same saddle on all of my mountain bikes. The biggest thing is to get your sit bones measured so you know what size… then try a few until you find what fits your butt best. For me it’s WTB Volts in 145mm.
 
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