The Ultimate Mountain Biking Buyer's Guide

brightranger43 said:j
I’m not ignoring the knee issue. It gave me some serious sharp pains for the first time. When it started getting uncomfortable, I just did most of my pedaling with my left leg—it’ll be good for her anyway, she's the weaker one.
I looked it up immediately and did some knee strength and endurance exercises this morning (while I was warmed up). No pain. Probably won't hurt during my afternoon run either.

don't have time to reply to everything right now

skip the afternoon run
if you actually did those strength and endurance drills properly, your legs are shot. Your tendons are too weak. Running now just risks re-injuring yourself for basically zero payoff.

thinkthink

wearyotter36 said:worth it?
It reads dry and feels overly academic.

Mhm, hard to give an objective take here. Personally, I find any literary theory novel lacking in tension.
This one might fit the bill, though—it just needs more wit, and the motivation feels a bit lukewarm (though maybe that was the point of the characterization).
Final verdict: Skip it unless you're a literature major. Or if you're prepping for a trivia night or a date with a librarian. 😁

Haha, we should start a new thread: what do cyclists actually read? ☕

Linda White67 said:I don't have time to address everything right now.

Don't go for a run this afternoon.
If you've built up your strength and endurance properly, your legs are likely exhausted and your tendons are weak; running now just risks re-injuring yourself for almost zero payoff.

Think about it.

Oops... a bit late for running advice.
Half an hour, maybe just a light stroll at a long-legged pace... and, by the way, slush is a hideous sight, but the sun is a balm for the soul!
A little vitamin D boost!
My heels, stabilizers, and knees are all fine, but still—you've got me worried. 😢

Actually, I'm more interested in that long part of your comment regarding training or injuries since you "don't have time."😁

brightranger43 said:55 mins total: (did jump rope for 10 mins first, then warm up on bike): 10 min warm up, "main" part was 35 mins (switched between resistance 3 and 4 every 5 mins or so, kept cadence steady and stayed in the saddle), 10 min cool down...

div>

Basically, you just did two nearly identical workouts
unless you're targeting specific tempo blocks—which I don't see you doing—these sessions are redundant (just my two cents)
you need variety. You should be categorizing training into hard and easy days instead of doing the same thing over and over

Hard workouts don't always mean grinding away at 70 RPM
You could do 1-minute sprints that are (to put it mildly 😍) absolutely killer, with 10 minutes of easy spinning in between. That’s brutal
Or some 4-minute max efforts

If you can walk down stairs without any trouble after a hard session, you didn't do it right🙂

I'm not ignoring the knee. It was actually stinging pretty bad for the first time. When it got uncomfortable, I mostly pedaled with my left leg. It'll do her good anyway, since it's the weaker one.

How was it stinging? What, where?
Don't mess around with that
And hey, my intention was to scare you a little
Pain is the "stop" signal, like when the hydraulics fail on a 🙂Chevrolet
Besides, a sore leg or muscle forces other muscles to pick up the slack, which changes how they stabilize the knee, potentially making an injury worse

It doesn't hurt in my heel, my stabilizers, or even my knee... but fine, you've scared me enough😢

Well, you got lucky. But don't go wild; let that poor leg rest🙂

brightranger43 said:final verdict: no, unless you're a literature major. yes, if you're prepping for a trivia night or a date with a librarian.😁

hehe, we could probably start a whole thread: what do cyclists actually read? ☕

😂 I think I actually met a librarian once—rare species, honestly. haha.

I don't read much myself—I mostly just wait for someone else to talk me into picking up a book.
Back in the day, people actually devoured books; nowadays, it's all movies paired with a soundtrack.😉

I'm worried cyclists aren't big readers, but not because of the bikes—it's just that reading culture in America is pretty much non-existent these days.😢

This isn't even about cycling or anything else related to bikes.
Look, if we’re counting this, I’m actually raising the average here—I am (nearly) a professional reader. 😁 In my opinion, the regulars on this forum are a far more well-read group than your average crowd... at the very least, they’re busy reading and drafting comprehensive buying guides for gear.

So, what would you actually want to read? Give me a genre, just so we can brainstorm something flashy enough to start, yet engaging and intellectually stimulating enough to keep you coming back for more...

How to actually stay on topic:

Look, every single bike buying guide out there is just the most basic, dry, soul-crushing blah-blah because they all ignore the fact that besides the frame material, components, and geometry, a bike is basically a canvas for color and graphic design. Not to mention, if you’re looking at any specific model, you really have to analyze its whole vibe and what kind of lifestyle accessories actually vibe with it. For example...

...if you've got a masterpiece like the Hoy Hoy Rats Cinelli from the Bootleg series, you definitely need a tuna/rukola* sandwich, an Araldica Gavi "La Battistina" and a Bruce Cockburn bootleg 33⅓ vinyl playing in the background. And honestly, you have to park it in your apartment right against a white wall under some monochromatic poster to get the aesthetic right. And even then, I'm barely even scratching the surface here... 😉 🤣 😂

*Arugula, arugula, rocket, greens...

But what I was actually trying to get at is:

brightranger43 said:hehe, we should totally start a thread: what are cyclists actually reading? ☕

So, what are we waiting for? 🙂

brightranger43 said:It’s not about whether you cycle or not.
well, if that counts, I’m actually raising the average here—I’m (almost) a professional reader. 😁 I think the regulars on this forum are a way more well-read crowd than most... if nothing else, they're busy reading and writing bike buying guides.

So, what would you actually read? Give me a genre so I can come up with something fancy enough to start with, yet fun and intellectual enough to keep you coming back for more...

I still maintain that out of 1,000 people aged 25 to 50, maybe one person reads three or more books—novels, poetry collections, whatever—per year. And don't even get me started on textbooks or professional reading.

The last few things I picked up were "The Picture of Dorian Gray"—loved it—followed by some history: "The Templars" and "A History of the USA" (there was a time when I knew every President and their term by heart; I just love the States), plus Hesse's "Journey to the East" was great too. I also finished "Etiquette"—old school stuff—and it was honestly too good.😂

I keep telling myself I'll finally get around to reading Kundera's "The Insufferable Lightness of Being," but I can't seem to find a copy, and heading to the library isn't exactly on my schedule. God, the laziness of youth.😢

Boredom and contemplation are my best friends lately.☕

Honestly, huge props to the folks who put this guide together. But man, after I finish listing everything wrong with my current bike—as much as I love the thing and tried to buy exactly what my buddies suggested based on price and availability—I’ll probably just be kicking myself. Once I actually get some decent cardio under my belt, I'll dive back into this guide and compare it to my list of gripes 😁.
Anyway, thanks a ton!