Is this too many crashes, too much damage for a new bike?

[Nicholas]

Recently I decided to get back into biking after a near decade hiatus. Before I used to ride mostly bmx and I used to think bmx's were better, because they actually were compared to the department store shit that my Specialized Fatboy Bmx replaced for me.

On May 10, 2010 I purchased a 2010 Trek 6000 hardtail. Already I have been in quite a few crashes, over 6 I believe, mostly going downhill(though one was non downhill) all involving me flipping over the front. Almost all crashes neither I nor the bike took serious damage, except the one non downhill one, where the bike landed on some rocks causing paint scratches to the top tube, but nothing serious. I peeled the paint from the the frame thanks to a cheap handlebar bag from Schwinn/Pacific Cycles that kept scraping the headtube area till it was stripped to bare metal. Thankfully I know an auto body repairer who spray painted the bare metal with a special auto paint that is supposed to blend to surroundings, and it is hardly noticeable now, except for the factory painted on Trek logo that is messed up. My platform pedals are already quite banged up, one of the reflectors even came off, mostly because I forget to keep the pedals high and parallel to the floor on rocky, rough terrain as much as I should. The left crank arm has the black paint stripped off to metal, probably from rubbing against my pants, but that should be very easy to paint back on, just like the headtube.

The biggest damage that is of substantial concern is that already after a month of riding when taking my bike to the local bike store to get the wires adjusted after they settled/shrunk, the bike mechanic really was amazed how I bent my rims so badly, especially the back one.

Am I being too rough, careless with my bike or is this normal for a newbie?
How can I tell if my rims can be fixed with truing versus them needing to be replaced?

 

[pooriggy]

Am I being too rough, careless with my bike or is this normal for a newbie?

I'd say its normal. If your an aggressive person your going to make these mistakes on a bike. I had my share of endo's my first 2 yrs. of riding. Eventually you learn to let the bike do the work and you go along for the ride. Everyone goes down from time to time, overtime you go down less...hopefully.
Welcome to MTBNJ

 

[mwlikesbikes]

If you're not crashing you're not riding hard enough!!!

That said, I hate crashing. Welcome, keep the rubber side down whenever possible.

 

[Nicholas]

Actually when I am aggressive I make less mistakes.

Recently I read like 30+ pages of Mountain Bike Like a Champion by Ned Overend and he says when you have momentum often you do alot better. Usually my crashes often came when I was going downhill, got a bad feeling and decided to slow down too fast. Also a few crashes have been like also described in the book, your bike tends to go where you look. Once downhill at Randolph Trails I kept looking to the side of the trail thinking not to go there, and the more I thought the opposite but looked at the side, the more I went there till I went off the trail and flipped while trying too hard to stop in time. Overend says you should scan as far as you can ahead picking the line you want to choose and not look at the objects you want to avoid.

Also I got the Instructional DVD Fluidride: Like A Pro and they say when braking you are supposed to hit the back first, then the front while still on the back, then let go. I hope that technique also helps me out. Before that DVD I did not know about the "attack position" either that you are supposed to adopt to make your whole body into a sort of shock to roll with the obstacles.

I am hoping as I pick up these techniques, practice and make them into reflexes I will do alot better.

 

[ChrisRU]

Looking ahead of you instead of down and working on your braking technique will definitely help. Both of these things are very important and work together.

If you ride hard, your bike is going to show the abuse. In the 6 month I spent on my first hardtail (an equivalent model to yours) I destroyed 2 rear wheels, dented the frame in two places, bent a crank arm, killed two seats, or course scratched it to all hell and I'm sure a bunch else. Killing it gives you an excuse to upgrade, and by the time you're ready to do that you'll be a much better rider so your new gear will last.

 

[Nicholas]

So basically mountain bikes are supposed to take damage/scratches within limits and those with pristine, unscathed bikes are usually posers or wimps, they ride only on pavement or have their bike garaged most the time?

But I am still concerned with my wheelset damage. The biggest worry is that I don't exactly know when/how I did it. I know the one time I went to Lewis Morris I went down this weird set of stairs, where the vertical support was wood beams and there were long stretches of blacktop between steps. And a little bit on the first day I believe I just tried to monster truck up a few curbs with my shocks on. My concern is that since I don't know what dealt this current damage, if I get it repaired/replaced after a hundred or more dollars, I will just repeat the process.

 

[NJ-XC-Justin]

- You fall a lot when you get started.

- The Rangers are XC rims. Consider burlier rims if you're going hard -- especially on a hardtail.

- Consider going tubeless. You'll be able to run lower pressures for better grip.

- Consider going clipless. Takes a while to get comfortable but there's no comparison in controlling your bike as opposed to riding with flats.

Good luck!

 

[Nicholas]

XC = cross country, right?

I use my bike as a jack of all, master of none. I use it to offroad, for local traveling, to commute, to bike to trails(I don't like driving at all so I mostly only go to trails that are bikeable) sometimes I even grocery shop with a bookbag on. So if I keep my tires low all the time with tubeless I will be alot less road efficient. I wish I had the money and space to get a dedicated mountain bike, a cyclocross, a cargo bike, but I don't. That is why I went with medium priced hardtail that I could lockout the fork for road use, and unlock for offroad.

I have been considering clipless, but with my usage profile, I cannot have dual sided clipless pedals, since alot of time I ride to go to places and don't want to be tied to clipless shoes and usage all the time. I know that a Motobecane I initially considered buying came with dual sided platform/clipless pedals and I have been mulling over such a pedal as a future upgrade.

Another thing that Ned Overend mentioned in Mountain Bike Like a Champion is that most people learn to pedal only downward instead of circular with a full range. So he said a good practice is to try to pedal your bike with only one foot in a low gear, so you are forced to use a more circular motion through all points. I tried this with my platforms and found it impossible. Was it just me, or was it because I was riding platform and not clipless?

 

[Dr Superb]

you need to carry a pump (or co2) in your bag. especially since you are riding aggressive in tubes, you will get a flat. therefore you can rotate your pressure on trails and road. but you can also get yourself out a a bind in a flat. Pick up a flat kit, as well as a spare tube. these accessories are as important as your helmet and water...

 

[m.cruz]

A friend once told me. It's not if you crash but when... it's simple we all crash at some point. Just keep riding and you will spill less. And just remember the bike wants to roll just go with the flow... like a surfer on a wave. Just stick with it

 

[MikeP]

sounds like you're pretty agressive (duh) so you're going to crash. If you're endo'ing on DH make sure your weight is back (behind the seat) to descend. Honestly I almost never use my front break when descending. Picking your line is crucial, look at the terrain and pick your course. Try different lines and repeat the same sections and see what works for your style. A straight line is not always the best way up or down. As far as bending your rims, cheaper rims do get of true easier but be aware of your tire pressure. What psi do you ride at? If you're a bigger guy or ride hard (which you do) running a little more psi should help keep your rims good.

 

[Nicholas]

@Dr Superb:
I had a pump, a Planet Bike Mini Versair.

But when my friend came with his crappy beat up bmx to inflate his tire, I was trying to switch it into Schrader mode, and some plastic component came off that was not supposed to. Trying to jam it back in broke off the plastic piece that came off. My bro choose the pump because he liked that extra plastic piece and rubber that allowed it to be on a different plane than the valve, but that extra piece is exactly what broke.

I have hundreds of patches, but no spare tubes. I still have a patch kit and a Presta valve adapter, so for most places where I bike(onroad) I can always patch and then hoof it to a local gas station. The reason I have no tubes is because there are so many options, and I want to put off the research for now at least.

@MikeP:
I think I may have some very cheap PSI gauge from over a decade ago when I was riding bmx lost somewhere. I am leery of buying all this specialized equipment that I will barely use and likely to loose by the next time I will use it.

 

[smufguy]

Taking too many spills might not be a good thing either. It is like saying, if you dont have enough scars, you are not man enough........ or whatever.

I am yet to go over the handlebars and I have taken couple of spills. I am a cautious rider, sometimes I go balls out, sometimes I am a *****. It all depends on the familiarity of the trails and the limit of the bike, which is basically my limit. I do not have a death wish yet..... If you are going over the bars more than once or twice, probably your posture is not correct for the ride you do. Going downwards (dont want to say downhill..) you might want to adjust the weigh to the rear and keep your body closer to the frame so you dont become superman.

I am not a pro. I still clip twigs and trunks here and there, tore my jersey in 6-mile (on a branch) cause i 'did not see' the friggin tree. I also saw a guy wearing 'Halters' Jersey stall and fall in front of my gf and said 'it was a hurt to my ego'. So yes, we all stall, fall, slip, slide, bruise and curse. Enjoy your ride and hopefully you are not aimed at altering your bike geometry too much

 

[michael.su]

If the money is the problem with going tubeless, Ghetto tubeless works awesome and won't cost you much at all. just a couple tubes and some juice.
I did it myself on both bikes without an issue. one bike with Shrader and one with presta valves.
MattyB on this forum has an awesome formula for home made sealant.


so far the tubeless seems to keep the air pressure sooooooo much more consistent. JM2C

@Dr Superb:
I had a pump, a Planet Bike Mini Versair.

But when my friend came with his crappy beat up bmx to inflate his tire, I was trying to switch it into Schrader mode, and some plastic component came off that was not supposed to. Trying to jam it back in broke off the plastic piece that came off. My bro choose the pump because he liked that extra plastic piece and rubber that allowed it to be on a different plane than the valve, but that extra piece is exactly what broke.

I have hundreds of patches, but no spare tubes. I still have a patch kit and a Presta valve adapter, so for most places where I bike(onroad) I can always patch and then hoof it to a local gas station. The reason I have no tubes is because there are so many options, and I want to put off the research for now at least.

@MikeP:
I think I may have some very cheap PSI gauge from over a decade ago when I was riding bmx lost somewhere. I am leery of buying all this specialized equipment that I will barely use and likely to loose by the next time I will use it.

 

[Dusty the Whale]

Everyone gave you good advice on how to keep it on the ground. Now come ride with me and we'll fall going up hill...that's how you know you're doing work son.

 

[wonderturtle]

flipping over the handlebars going up hill is badass!

 

[JB1]

I fell going uphill a few weeks ago. Im still trying to figure out how I did it. I know I was going too slow in too low of a gear and my wheels, both front and rear, got lodged in between some roots. I remember saying Oh Shit because I couldnt pedal out of it because of the gear I was in, then the Oh Shit was because I couldnt get my right foot unclipped as I fell to the right. The part thats confusing to me is how I wound up coming down right on the end of the bars. It stabbed me fight in the ribs and knocked the wind out of me. Luckily I didnt break them, but I did have a nice circular scrape of rubbed off skin from the end of the handlebars. I think I got lucky because all of my 225lbs landed on the bar end. I remeber seeing the bars coming at me in slow motion and not being able to move. I felt like I was falling from high up, but I know I couldnt have been that high.
Its all part of the fun we have torturing ourselves. I guees if it doesnt kill or mame you, it makes you stronger!!!

 

[Dusty the Whale]

I'm a hair under 225 and had no choice on what gear I was in. I was doing my usual murder urthing in my way up a climb and BAM planted my wheel but stuck the landing. Luke has a video of me at Moooooooch displaying text book dismount and sticking the shit out of the landing.