Ask the experts

[carlh]

North shore Vancouver buy the longest travel slackest bike you are willing to pedal uphill. Wheelbase length is your friend for not going over the bars, it gets longer when you go longer reach and slacker.

[jm2e]

Anything 2017 or newer will be awesome. Buy what you can afford that fits you. Don’t let someone talk you into a bike that’s kinda small thinking you can make it work.


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[Falcon3]

+1 for your first couple seasons, no sense in getting a specific bike, just get a trail bike with somewhere between 130-150 rear travel and a 150ish fork. Everybody pisses on Fox 34 forks that come on a lot of the ~$2500 bikes, but I'm 200 pounds and put on 150k vertical feet of riding last summer, and I still can't tell the difference between it and the Fox Kashima 36 I demoed.

What I'm trying to say is, don't get hung up on gear. A 2017 and up trail bike should have good geometry and parts you'll wear out eventually. By the time they wear out, you'll know what you like and can replace accordingly, or just trade the whole bike in for the bike you've realized you were missing by the time you get that much experience.

[Falcon3]

Alright, my own question now, this could have gone in Gimp Central but nobody talks about training there, it's become the injury center.
I've decided to get a little more serious about training for endurance mountain biking this year. Last year I rode a shitload and would "recover" with beer and burritos, which was great, but I definitely didnt' feel like I sprung back from the rides as well as I would like. All summer just felt like I was constantly overtraining, but when I would take a week and go real easy, the next week I'd feel out of shape.

So, suggestions on nutrition? I finally did supplement my Snickers and water with Nuun and shot Bloks, which made a massive difference during 30+ mile rides, but the above problem with recovery stuck around.

I'm not trying to podium, but getting a little faster and feeling better throughout the summer rides would be nice.

[XXX-er]

balanced meals, a bit of everyhting and not too much , less booze more sleep

for recovery discovered Magnesium Citrate on the long rides at Moab now I use it anytime I know i am gona be sore

[Dantheman]

Alright, my own question now, this could have gone in Gimp Central but nobody talks about training there, it's become the injury center.
I've decided to get a little more serious about training for endurance mountain biking this year. Last year I rode a shitload and would "recover" with beer and burritos, which was great, but I definitely didnt' feel like I sprung back from the rides as well as I would like. All summer just felt like I was constantly overtraining, but when I would take a week and go real easy, the next week I'd feel out of shape.

So, suggestions on nutrition? I finally did supplement my Snickers and water with Nuun and shot Bloks, which made a massive difference during 30+ mile rides, but the above problem with recovery stuck around.

I'm not trying to podium, but getting a little faster and feeling better throughout the summer rides would be nice.

Check out Dylan Johnson's YouTube channel.

[climberevan]

Check out Dylan Johnson's YouTube channel.

I'll second this. DJ is the best YT source I've come across, especially if you like to do things that are backed up by real science rather than old coaching lore.

Even minmal training structure and good recovery (good sleep, less alcohol) will pay big dividends, especially if you've never had any before. If you want to dive deeper, Joe Friel's "Cyclist's Training Bible" is excellent.

Xtrpickels says he might do a mag training seminar at some point, so sign up for that.

[Falcon3]

FKNA thanks boys, will check out DJ.

[LeeLau]

1..not much

2. not much

3. Yes

Depending on where you ride getting something too long a wheelbase, too slack can actually not be too good a choice.

Fromme and Seymour trails are, for the most part, adaptations of old school jank so whatever bike you have needs to be able to handle slow speed as well as high speed.

If you're into Cypress or the shuttle Seymour trails only then get a newer slacked longer bike but sounds like this may not be the case.

Your $2500 budget can get you a nice 2017 29er right now if you start shopping smart. Pay a lot more if you look towards April

TLDR life story:

Live on the North Shore, decided last year I need an annoyingly expensive non-snow hobby, bought an old (2006?) Stumpjumper, rode a lot, crashed a lot, determined mtb is actually pretty fun, heeded advice somewhere upthread to not sink money into trying to “modernize” an old bike.

Was also told somewhere up there my old bike is “actively trying to kill me” on the dh, which may partly explain the frequent otb events (that and skill deficit.)

Resolved to buy a new (to me) bike. Borrowed a few buddies endurbro 29ers, and found that exceptionally fun. And less crashy.

So now, like every other 40ish bro in Vancouver, I’m looking for a 2017ish 29er, riding mostly on the north shore,$2500 range hopefully.

Questions:
- being a bike jong, how much difference will I actually notice in travel? Eg is there a practical difference bw 135 vs 150 that the everyday rider would notice?
- Same question re slackness. Are a couple degrees difference in hta/ sta going to make for a noticeably different riding experience?
- Assume if I get a lower spec but on a modern platform I can upgrade components as I start to notice how shitty they are? Eg looking at an Spcl Enduro Comp, looks pretty entry level, but I could build it out more as I improve?

Weird starting something so fresh at this age.

And if anyone has anything to sell that fits the above that would be helpful too...

Edit. Maybe this should go in the bike jong thread

[Pinned]

Alright, my own question now, this could have gone in Gimp Central but nobody talks about training there, it's become the injury center.
I've decided to get a little more serious about training for endurance mountain biking this year. Last year I rode a shitload and would "recover" with beer and burritos, which was great, but I definitely didnt' feel like I sprung back from the rides as well as I would like. All summer just felt like I was constantly overtraining, but when I would take a week and go real easy, the next week I'd feel out of shape.

So, suggestions on nutrition? I finally did supplement my Snickers and water with Nuun and shot Bloks, which made a massive difference during 30+ mile rides, but the above problem with recovery stuck around.

I'm not trying to podium, but getting a little faster and feeling better throughout the summer rides would be nice.

When I was riding a lot and feeling good my diet was mostly vegetarian with low to no preservatives. If you have any weight to lose a cleaner diet will help and even a few pounds difference will make you perform better and recover faster. Right now I have about 10-15lbs to lose and I can tell. The biggest thing is sticking to meals you can prepare quickly - I know I'll get home from a few hours on the bike and be very tempted to eat junk and a lot of it. So I get rid of all that stuff and stop buying food out. Make extras so I have leftovers for immediate post ride. Keep fast ingredients on hand. Lots of variety so I don't get tempted to buy junk.

Breakfast:
Oatmeal with fruit, toast with PB and fruit, avocado toast, etc are great breakfasts that are super fast. Get good / fun toppings for all of these - chia, nuts, and maple syrup for the oatmeal or sesame seeds and miso for the avo toast.

Lunch:
Salad with grains for lunch. Always keep rice/quinoa cooked and in the fridge. Lots of chickpeas (pan or oven roasted). Pepitas, nuts, etc for crunch. A variety of good lettuces. Decent dressing you like.

Whatever sandwich you like but skip the deli meats if you can, generally find I don't feel great after them. Hummus + tofu, seitan / tempeh, avo, etc.

Ride food:
Make your own if you can. Skratch Labs cookbook is solid. As is Velo Chef. For packaged products I like the Skratch Labs, UnTapped, and Carborocket.

Post-ride recovery:
Smoothie. Fast, filling, healthy. I do a plant based protein powder, frozen spinach, banana, peanut butter, and almond milk.

Dinner:
Just eat an absolutely silly amount of vegetables on top of some carbs. Pasta is great, especially with summer veggies on it.

Also, potatoes are a vegetable so eat those because they are great. Lazy? Put a potato in the microwave and then pour on the toppings.

Salmon and potatoes is always a winning combo too.

And get good spices, you need more than salt and pepper to make healthy stuff taste good. Smoked paprika, cumin, Aleppo chili, Za'atar, etc. But skip the processed food, excess dairy, and processed sugars as much as possible.

[Iowagriz]

When I was actually training and riding decent weekly hours, I found that my best defense was eating something quick and easy for immediate recovery. If I didn't have a plan, then I'd just eat and drink everything in sight.

So have a plan for getting off the bike. For me that was a lunch meat and cheese rollup or two. Maybe tortilla, mayo, meat cheese. Fats and protein. Eat two and get into the shower immediately to let that food sink in. Then back to a normal meal after the shower. That routine gave me good recovery and kept me from binging (so I could drop the extra lbs)

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[Rossymcg]

TLDR life story:

Questions:
- being a bike jong, how much difference will I actually notice in travel? Eg is there a practical difference bw 135 vs 150 that the everyday rider would notice?

- Same question re slackness. Are a couple degrees difference in hta/ sta going to make for a noticeably different riding experience?
as above, but corning is more of an effort on a longer slacker bike you really have to lean
- Assume if I get a lower spec but on a modern platform I can upgrade components as I start to notice how shitty they are? Eg looking at an Spcl Enduro Comp, looks pretty entry level, but I could build it out more as I improve?

Weird starting something so fresh at this age.

And if anyone has anything to sell that fits the above that would be helpful too...

Edit. Maybe this should go in the bike jong thread

Q1 15 mm ain't going to make any difference to a MTB jong. JONGS brake in all the wrong places so the suspension ain't working properly anyway

Q2 May hamper a MTB jong and not help at all. Youve got to commit more in corners on a longer slacker bike. how hard/fast you smashing through janky rocky stuff to really need the slacker longer bike?

Q3 You'll get addicted to upgrades

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[Roxtar]

Looking at a Spcl Enduro Comp,

Don't start on the wrong foot. Look elsewhere.
No, they don't make a terrible bike but they're a terrible company run by terrible human beings.
They're the Backcountry.com of bike companies.
But worse.

[skaredshtles]

<snip> they're a terrible company run by terrible human beings.
They're the Backcountry.com of bike companies.
But worse.

QFT.

[EWG]

Have you ever had to take a rotor off trailside to limp a bike back to the trailhead?

One of the last rides of this season I took the pads out of my front disc brake cause it was fucked and wouldn't spin, then just didn't use it for the last 8 miles of the ride. That took some self discipline. Only fucked up once. Or twice. Taking the rotor off might have worked better. Ride was not flat, I'll tell you that. Sucked.

But you can deal without taking the rotor off if necessary.

Centerlock is a solution in search of a problem that is worse in every possible way.

and I totally agree with this.

[jm2e]

Again, anything 2017 or newer with 130-160mm of travel will be a great bike. Even Diamondback and Mongoose are making decent bikes for fuck sake. This is a great time to get into the game without overthinking it all.


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[EWG]

When I was actually training and riding decent weekly hours, I found that my best defense was eating something quick and easy for immediate recovery. If I didn't have a plan, then I'd just eat and drink everything in sight.

So have a plan for getting off the bike. For me that was a lunch meat and cheese rollup or two. Maybe tortilla, mayo, meat cheese. Fats and protein. Eat two and get into the shower immediately to let that food sink in. Then back to a normal meal after the shower. That routine gave me good recovery and kept me from binging (so I could drop the extra lbs)

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Ha. Until I was maybe 32 my nutrition plan was simply to eat everything I could find, all the time. Never gained weight. As a teenager I used to eat ketchup just for the calories. And I hate ketchup. Sometimes just getting enough calories is a big help.

Changed as I got older.

[BCtransplant]

This is a great time to get into the game without overthinking it all.


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Perfect, my specialty.

[Whiteroom_Guardian]

Some good stuff in here regarding diet. I am still trying to figure it out. I am a classic bachelor with little cooking skill (or patience).

Currently training with a coach for enduro racing. 3 structured rides per week (1 day of Zone 4 intervals, one day of Zone 2 steady state, and one day of LSD). Add to that 1 or 2 "fun" rides as well as sometimes skiing 3 days a week. Hard.

I often feel like I simply cannot get enough food into my body. I am 5'7" @ 153lbs. 161 VO2 max. I burn fat right away on the bike and only burn carbs when I am getting into Zone 5 HR.

Lots of nights I can't fall asleep cause I am starving or wake up at 2am feeling hollow.

3-4 eggs fried in coco oil + 3/4 pieces of uncured bacon or some elk breakfast sausage. Big bowl of oats + butter + honey. I live for breakfast.

Lunch I often damn near forget about it or am too busy with work or skiing or riding. I know this is a big part of my problem. I eat some Pro Bars or snack on almonds. Not nearly enough. Maybe a can of yellowfin tuna in olive oil.

Dinner is usually some kind of healthy stuff from the CO-OP that is pre-made, or salmon patties at home, or cauliflower chicken. Been gluten free for 4 years. I just feel WAY better without the inflammation.

I think I really need to up my intake or all the training is going to get me nowhere. It's like I don't get hungry until I feel like I am gonna pass out most days and then I'm like, "Oh yeah....food is probably a good idea."

[Dantheman]

Sciencey answer: moar food.

[brutah]

Hydration and stretching is the key to recovery for me. I have to stretch or do yoga everyday or my whole body starts falling apart.

[skaredshtles]

Sciencey answer: moar food.

He needs to eat more fucking tacos.

[climberevan]

WG might take something from this video. Eat through the day--the majority of your calories should come before dinner. Carbs are not the enemy. I eat a shitload of bread (that I bake), but if WG really has celiac he can find something else that works. Bacon/sausage and coconut oil are not energy sources for training.

I make rice bars instead of eating packaged bars, but when you're getting after it your body just needs sugar, so even cheap Nature Valley granola bars are fine. 5'7' and 153# isn't anywhere close to starving-thin, so I suspect the problem is more in the carb deficit and timing of intake.

I'll say it again: carbs are not the enemy (for athletes, not sedentary folk).

https://youtu.be/jlf9q_Ob3tk

[joetron]

You might want to try some sort of recovery drink for right after your rides and workouts. I really like Hammer Recoverite Chocolate.


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[rideit]

He needs to eat more fucking tacos.

TIP: Do NOT google ‘fucking tacos’.

EDIT: ah, what the hell, it wasn’t that bad.