Thread 2841585

Hi /out/, first time poster, never even been on this board. I'm writing a short horror story about a man traveling alone on the Great Divide mountain bike route (backwards, starting from New Mexico and ending in Alberta) and have absolutely zero experience in anything mountain biking related. I'm looking for the basics on what any rider should know, maybe some tips on maintenance, or what gear he'd be wearing. Really anything that comes to mind. picrel is a little "cover' I made for it. The "monster" of the story is a mountain lion.

>>2841585 (OP)
Bicycle mechanic here,
What surprised me the most is the amount of mountainbikers that don't know how to replace a inner tube themselves. It is really the most basic thing everyone that does a bike related sport should know. Most of them carry a spare tube but don't know how to take the rear wheel out. Cleaning the cogs and chain before oiling it is a strong second. If you just put oil on your dirty drive train it mixes with the dirt and makes a good polishing paste that does more wear on your drivetrain then it does good. To high tyre pressure costs less effort to ride but gives you worse grip on most surfaces you'll encounter when mountainbiking. I'm in Europe so I can't really comment on what you need on trails over there because you will encounter a cafe to refill your bottles pretty often here but an inner tube, levers, CO2 pump, small first aid kit and a bike specific multitool and a quick link for your chain is the minimum in my opinion. Also water and a few energy bars or something like that. Most people here wear padded shorts, really tight shirts, shoes with SPD plates, fingerless gloves and a helmet. Don't forget the absurd big and costly sunglasses. I can't help you that much about gear on the trails but if you have any questions about the bikes themselves and you don't mind being answered in ESL, just shoot

Try /n/. Just by lurking there you'll get a glimpse of what goes through biker's heads.

>>2841587
The sunglasses are necessary because you always get these little flies that seem to home in on your eyeballs when you're riding, and getting hit in the eye hurts a lot.

>>2841600
I understand that getting flies in your eye is painfully, I ride a motorcycle myself and hate having the visor down. I don't understand why on a motorcycle I get away with wearing a basic sportmodel while mountainbikers and race cyclists need those €170 Oakley fucking face shields

>>2841607
I don't understand why I can go places wearing basic shoes while you need all this expensive fucking machinery

>>2841585 (OP)
i used to mountain bike a couple of years ago. here’s what I usually brought along with me:
-tube patch kit
-a spare inner tube
-a multi-allen wrench tool
-a small adjustable wrench, since I hate those quick-release wheel axles
-a mini bike pump, because CO2 cartridges are expensive as fuck
-extra cash
all of these sits nicely on my top tube in a bag (like pic rel)

for maintenance, I’d go to a local bike service center every couple of months. they’d readjust my shifters, true my wheels, and lubricate the axles.

as for gear, I started out with s cheap helmet, cargo pants and a long-sleeved mountain bike jersey, but I eventually invested in some premium mountain bike helmet and padded shorts. I also wore padded half-finger gloves since I like to feel my brake levers when I ride. for footwear, I just used my skateboard shoes with the laces tucked in.

>>2841610
Are you talking about riding a motorcycle or about mountainbiking? Riding a motorcycle speaks for itself I think. It is faster, you can go further in the same time and it is easy to go in between cars in the inner city when I go to work. Sure I could walk to work but that would take a long time each day.

If you talk about mountainbiking, I personally enjoy hiking and camping to find rest and to connect with nature, I like to go biking for the adrenaline of going downhill fast. Different sport, different purposes.

If there are other things this simple that you don't understand, don't be afraid to ask. We are here to help you anon

>>2841610
I got old somehow and backpacking is too hard on the joints these days. I like cycling because it's low impact.

I don't know all the differences between bikes... am I retarded for buying a mountain bike just for travelling to the next town over every now and then? There are a few trails I might try but it'd mostly be next town over trips. UK roads too so the roads are potholes everywhere which I guess is another point in a mountain bike's favour over a road bike.

>>2841585 (OP)
you need to know how to service every aspect of your bike, replace tubes, patch tubes, and pump; cary spare chain and chain tools. Carry some type of bear spary (larger and shoots further than pepper spray) can be used on all kinds of animals including dirtly hippies/bums if needed. Also carry a knife on you, safely with sheath for quick acces. Some type of remote com device, satellite phone or sat text device in case of trouble. Practice fixing, changing tires and tubes, brakes, chains and derailuereires. Watch vids of people who had problems and how they fixed it. Oh, bring tape and zip ties.

If by Great Divide you mean the continental divide...the actual trail isnt open/passable with mountain bikes. I mean I'm sure some of it is, but a lot goes through wilderness than does not allow mechanized or motorized travel. and there are scrambly alpine passes just not passable with a bike. Just a thought. I mean your average person wouldnt know but it would break my immersion

>>2843707
There is a paralle bike-packing route for the CDT I believe.

>>2841585 (OP)
This one time I popped a tire somewhere and couldn't find the hole. It would hold air for 30 min at a time though so I was trying to beat a summer storm by stopping every 20min or so to pump the tire up again. I imagine something like that would be a good set-up.