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dawnyc48386
Member
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Posted: Tue Jun 19th, 2007 08:58 pm |
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Hi my name is Dawn. I went to the Bow clinic. GREAT TIME!!! Thanks Dana!!! I've been out several times since Yesterday at stoney creek I even went down the rollarcoaster...What a blast! I'm really having fun with this sport! Any suggestions with first time races and what kind of bike to get.
Dawn
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kzoo_swmmr
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| Joined: | Fri Jan 5th, 2007 |
| Location: | Kalamazoo, Michigan USA |
| Posts: | 338 |
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Posted: Tue Jun 19th, 2007 09:37 pm |
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| Yay! More Michigan Bellas! Welcome, Dawn !!! I stick to the road and cyclocross, so I can't help with MTB race/shopping suggestions....but many other can. Also check out our "michigan specific" sections at this site.
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allieburch
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| Joined: | Tue Jan 16th, 2007 |
| Location: | Patterson, New York USA |
| Posts: | 246 |
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Posted: Tue Jun 19th, 2007 09:55 pm |
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Hi Dawn & WELCOME!!!
That's awesome that you just started and you're going down rollercoaster! (One of my fav's when I lived there) ;-)
What type of racing / riding do you think you'll be doing most of? Go see Ernie at Cycletherapy in Waterford to talk about bikes. He's awesome to work with and really friendly and helpful with finding the right bike and fit for women.
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dawnyc48386
Member
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Posted: Tue Jun 19th, 2007 10:11 pm |
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| right now i'm just getting into mountain biking, but i do see road biking in the future
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woodbridge
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| Joined: | Tue Jan 23rd, 2007 |
| Location: | Detroit, Michigan USA |
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Posted: Tue Jun 19th, 2007 10:29 pm |
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hi dawn!!
welcome to the velo bella bulletin boards 
i'm glad you enjoyed the BOW clinic!
how awesome that you rode the rollercoaster- it is a fun but challenging trail!!
what is your bike budget and how tall are you? cycletherapy is a great bike shop and they are very helpful and friendly. mmba classifieds and craigslist are also a good option for used bikes, but make sure it fits you properly.
as far as 1st races go, i'd suggest the tree farm relay, addison oaks xc race, ore 2 shore soft rock, or maybe mayburry i think that there is a stoney creek race coming up as well.
-dana
Last edited on Tue Jun 19th, 2007 10:29 pm by woodbridge
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dawnyc48386
Member
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Posted: Tue Jun 19th, 2007 11:01 pm |
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yeah, the rollarcoaster is challenging. the only area i had to walk was the incline where the tree is over the trail! It was a bit scary, felt like i would fall to the left so i just walked it...lol
Bike buget is up for debate....not sure if i want to go ahead and spend the money on full suspension or not. I'm 5' 6" 1/2 kind of evenly built med length legs and med lenght arms. I have been to cycle therapy and they are very very nice. I have spoke to David.
thanks Dana for the info on racing. Now when you race say at stoney do they do certain trails? Do they mark the trails for the race? Do they close the trails off from other non racers?
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allieburch
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| Joined: | Tue Jan 16th, 2007 |
| Location: | Patterson, New York USA |
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Posted: Tue Jun 19th, 2007 11:27 pm |
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I'll give you my opinion on a mountain bike in Michigan, but please take it with a grain of salt and remember that I MUCH prefer downhill, road, dentistry and sharp sticks in the eyeballs to anything resembling cross country racing.
If you're planning on doing anything other than strictly racing cross-country, I would STRONGLY consider a dual suspention with a lock-out rear shock. It might carry a little more weight than a hardtail, but unless you're a total weight-weenie it's pretty easy to compensate for the weight of the bike by going pee before you ride. An FS will make places like Poto, PLRA, Boyne and anyplace with twisty downhills more fun.
Depending on which bike you're looking at, the head angle tends to be less steep on a FS which means it's easier to descend without going over the bars. Also, the suspention will make it easier to climb on technical ascents since the rear will kind of "contour" over the terrain, keeping traction instead of bouncing you all over the place.
If you're going to focus on XC racing, you might want to look at something along the lines of Kona's Kikapu or Lisa group. If you're finding that you might like to race but it's downhill that you're favoring, and the cross-country rides would be more training and social, check out Kona's Dawg line.
There's my $.02, but like Dana said, make sure you're fitted to whatever bike you get. You could get the best bike money can buy but if it doesn't fit you and you're miserable riding it, it's worthless.
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woodbridge
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| Joined: | Tue Jan 23rd, 2007 |
| Location: | Detroit, Michigan USA |
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Posted: Wed Jun 20th, 2007 03:26 am |
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yes, allie has several excellent points. 
i have a giant trance 2 FS that i love. it is totally comfy, and handles awesome. it is also about as swift as a la-z-boy  .
i have not been riding it much since i picked up my hardtail kona kula primo. IMHO in michigan, being able to stand on the climbs will make you a lot faster... and i spend most of my time doing my damndest to keep up with faster riders. that said, i will not sell the trance b/c i know that for more technical riding, and some epic stuff, i like having that option.
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woodbridge
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Posted: Wed Jun 20th, 2007 03:41 am |
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dawnyc48386 wrote: yeah, the rollarcoaster is challenging. the only area i had to walk was the incline where the tree is over the trail! It was a bit scary, felt like i would fall to the left so i just walked it...lol
there is no shame in walking an unfamiliar or scary obstacle the first time you see it. i don't ride stoney that much, and that tree is new. i saw it for the first time on saturday and i walked it too!! walking it or stopping to look first saves your ribs/arms/collarbone for next time when you are better prepared to clear it
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