Where do I begin?
 

Just received my new MTB freshly built by my LBS. Haven't had one in about 25 years and boy has the technology changed! Where do I begin?!?!

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2019 Giant Stance 1

Consult with your LBS to confirm that you have the proper size. Looking at your torso and arm length in relation to the bike, it looks like you're going to be very cramped.

Test ride an XL vs. your L.

Set up the suspension. Bed in the brakes. Use the dropper.

I did and it was a toss up between M and L. I’m actually on the lower end for L and almost too big for M. Basically they explained it comes down to how much I want to be able to “throw” the bike around on the trails as the L is less maneuverable for my height at 5’11”.

Thanks! Suspension is all setup but will need some adjustment for sure once things start breaking in.

Go to the trailhead. Remember to bring your bike along!

Thank you for this thread TheCannon.
Darth Lefty must be in my league. You can now hide your own Easter eggs. Giggle.

Find a local mt. bike club, find out when they have beginner ride intros to the local trail systems. Find out if they do skills classes. If you want to eventually ride any kind of technical trails, it’s like skiing, you want to lean a bunch of skills to help you maneuver on the terrain.

Also so check out TrailForks, the online map and trails database. They often times have a map of any trails in your area, usually indicating the level of difficulty. Find the easy/beginner trails and ride around checking out what the bike can do.

Helmet and bike type clothes, go pedal.

Google maps has a setting to show trails. Get a Strava account for free then start searching out segments.

Here the single track can be found along rivers usually, and often in designated public parks.

On any trail it will not be long for you to crack a smile! Congratulations on the awesome looking bike! Oh, have a water source so you can ride as long as you want. Camel back LR is highly recommended. Enjoy!

how do you access that feature?

Haven't found that setting yet.

The best I've found is TrailForks which allows users to upload their GPS ride tracks. The database of mt. bike trails gets better by the day.

Well it's not perfect. On maps if you go to the overlay they have an option to select biking which does a good job of marking official trails. The single track along our greenbelt is shown. But other single track that's part of an official park is not shown so I got a little gung ho :o

Nice thanks for this :thumb:

Congrats at welcome back into the sport! Depending on your expertise, take it easy at first. Get yourself familiarized with your new rig. Like you said, 25 years is a big difference!
If you haven't already, get some flat soled shoes for your flat pedals.
Enjoy!

ok, gotcha. yeah I like to use a combination of techniques to gather as much info as possible before some rides. one trick I've developed is to go to Google Street View & place the cursor at intersections of legit paved roads, where they intersect bike trails, paved or not. this let's me "take a peak" in either direction for clues. also useful for examining parking areas. & of course satellite view! hehe


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Hey, congratulations on the new bike. Giant gives you a lot for your money! I think the message you are getting here is correct. Get a helmet and get out there and use it. Try for easier trails and be prepared to walk the bike up or down steeper stuff. In a few weeks you’ll be riding those parts and wondering why you walked there at first.

After riding a few weeks try and find someone to teach you some actual technique. This can be a friend, a teacher or even YouTube. Main thing is to use it and have fun!