I can almost feel my fingers again - cougarguard.com — unofficial BYU Cougars / LDS sports, football, basketball forum and message board

bluegoose · 04-10-2007, 08:35 PM

Speaking of cold weather riding, I went for a mountain bike ride this morning before work. Up at the crack of 4:30 and out to the trails. Going up wasn't too bad. It was about a 7 mile climb to the top followed by a screaming downhill back to the cars.

While it was pretty cold coming back down, I was dressed pretty well, so it wasn't a big deal at all. What I wasn't prepared for were the intense jarring from the rough road/trail and the fact that my cleats on my mountain bike were way too loose. I actually came out of the pedals twice on the downhill on tight turns. It could have been very, very bad.

I almost stopped several times on the descent because my wrists and hands were killing me from the jarring. Almost 8 hours later, the tips of my fingers are still numb, but getting better.

creekster · 04-10-2007, 08:59 PM

DO you have a suspension fork? FUll suspension?

bluegoose · 04-10-2007, 09:21 PM

Front end suspension only. Is it possible that it would need replaced? How would I know? My buddies that I rode with were moderately uncomfortable, but nothing compared to what I had. My bike is old and probably needs replaced, but I don't ride it enough to justify the expense of the kind of bike that I would want.

creekster · 04-10-2007, 09:29 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by bluegoose

Front end suspension only. Is it possible that it would need replaced? How would I know? My buddies that I rode with were moderately uncomfortable, but nothing compared to what I had. My bike is old and probably needs replaced, but I don't ride it enough to justify the expense of the kind of bike that I would want.

It could easily need to be replaced. What type of fork is it? Fox cartridges need to be re-charged/replaced periodically, for example, and in general they do need maintenance over time.

Could your headset also be bad? (although if it was the headset, i would expect you would notice it even when not descending)

bluegoose · 04-10-2007, 09:41 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by creekster

It could easily need to be replaced. What type of fork is it? Fox cartridges need to be re-charged/replaced periodically, for example, and in general they do need maintenance over time.

Could your headset also be bad? (although if it was the headset, i would expect you would notice it even when not descending)

Its a Giant Rincon MTB, on the lower end of the Giant line, but it is a beast and gets great reviews. Its as heavy as a Sherman Tank and it has slow shifting rear derailer, but otherwise has been a great bike.

Front fork is: SR XCM 100mm Travel, w/Preload Adjust. (Whatever that means)

I've never maintained my bike at all, aside from changing the brake pads and adjusting the cable tension. Any recommendations?

I haven't noticed any headset issues, but will keep that in mind.

I'm serious, it was a punishing ride.

04-10-2007, 08:35 PM	#1
bluegoose Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Northern California Posts: 2,919	I can almost feel my fingers again Speaking of cold weather riding, I went for a mountain bike ride this morning before work. Up at the crack of 4:30 and out to the trails. Going up wasn't too bad. It was about a 7 mile climb to the top followed by a screaming downhill back to the cars. While it was pretty cold coming back down, I was dressed pretty well, so it wasn't a big deal at all. What I wasn't prepared for were the intense jarring from the rough road/trail and the fact that my cleats on my mountain bike were way too loose. I actually came out of the pedals twice on the downhill on tight turns. It could have been very, very bad. I almost stopped several times on the descent because my wrists and hands were killing me from the jarring. Almost 8 hours later, the tips of my fingers are still numb, but getting better. Last edited by bluegoose; 04-10-2007 at 09:22 PM. Reason: Don Imus-like misspelling

04-10-2007, 08:59 PM	#2
creekster Senior Member Join Date: Aug 2005 Location: the far corner of my mind Posts: 8,711	DO you have a suspension fork? FUll suspension? __________________ Sorry for th e tpyos.

04-10-2007, 09:21 PM	#3
bluegoose Senior Member Join Date: Sep 2005 Location: Northern California Posts: 2,919	Front end suspension only. Is it possible that it would need replaced? How would I know? My buddies that I rode with were moderately uncomfortable, but nothing compared to what I had. My bike is old and probably needs replaced, but I don't ride it enough to justify the expense of the kind of bike that I would want.