How can I get into mountain biking?

Question

I know you would probably say, just get a bike and get out riding! But it would be so much more fun to get into the sports with some sort of club or society, plus I can really do with some advice in choosing my first mountain bike on a budget. Any information/advice would be appreciated. Btw, I am located in West Yorkshire. Many thanks in advance!

Answer 1

Follow this link.
http://www.mtbbritain.co.uk/link_page.html

Answer 2

For beginners clubs are rarely all there cracked up to be as i joined one when i first started however in an entire years membership there were only about 10 rides suitable for beginners due to pace and distance etc and only one of these which was near enough/correctly timed for me to attend, so if you join a club although memeberships are fairly inexpensive check that it will be worth it before hand. As for choosing a bike read MBR magazine for a few months before hand adn see some of their reviews etc. I subscribe and found this magazine extrmely usefull and still do 2.5 yrs l8r. Also to choose a bike visit local bike shops (note the plural never take the first bit of advice u r given) and try to get to some demo days (not sure where you are in west yorkshire but you should find some around the yorkshire dales/pennines of north york moors). But if you don't want to cycle alone then again ask at the local bike shops as they will often be keen local cyclists themselves and may be happy to take you out and show you the ropes but if not they may be able to put up a notice for you or put yopu in touch with other people who have had the same enquiry. You also need to seriously consider your budget as if you r serious about getting intom the sport and enjoying it then you need to spend a minimum of £300-£400 for a hardtail and an absolute minimum of £600-£700 for a full suspension bike as otherwise you will be sacrificing comfort and will lose significant amounts of trail time due to poor parts which will break or fail and if you can't repair these yourself (which as a novice is unlikely) then this will most likely end up doubling the cost in repairs spare parts within a year. Also buy yourself a good maintenance book available from evans cycles for roughly £10.

P.S. If you can't wait a few months for a few issues of MBR the check out their website for some reviews.

Answer 3

You are doing the wright thing, it is the way to learn and enjoy a sport much more.

A few more links for you:

http://www.ctc.org.uk
http://cycling.timeoutdoors.com
http://www.bikemagic.com

There is also a great book by Chris Sidwells, "Complete Bike Book", edited by Dorling Kindersley Book (www.dk.com)

Also come to Yahoo Q & A Cycling, some guys here are very knowledable.

Luck!

Answer 4

BUY MBR MAGAZINE,FOR LOADS OF GREAT INFO TIPS TRAILS ETC,
FIND OUT ABOUT LOCAL CLUBS EVENTS TRAILS AND ASK OTHERS,
AS FOR BUYING A BIKE YOU NEED TO SPEND A GOOD FEW HUNDRED TO GET ANYTHING TIDY,DONT BUY A BIKE BECAUSE ITS CHEAP OR LOOKS NICE,
YOU ONLY GET WHAT YOU PAY FOR...
hope this helps

Answer 5

Mountain Biking Review at http://www.mtbr.com lists biking trails by state, and local groups for enthusiasts.

Meetup.com list different events where local people can meet for biking activities or just discussions.

http://mountainbikes.meetup.com/

And if you're looking for an active internet discussion board, check out the site below:

http://www.bicycling.com/topic/0,6614,s1-6-3-0-0,00.html

http://forums.bicycling.com/eve?location=_*topnav*

Answer 6

Ask arounfd there are often informal clubs or groups of friends that you can join.

Answer 7

I found this ebay guide on Bicycles very interesting.

Answer 8

go to your local bike shops and ask about the local MTB clubs... they should be able to give you websites, phone numbers, etc. to hook you up