Mountain Biking Cross-Satisfaction?

Hell yeah, have fun bro. 

On the subject of this thread, imo if you are someone who is good at moto, then chances are you will be good at other “extreme/action” sports, but will you be satisfied doing them? For me, if it was exclusively mountain biking, no. But when I use my mountain bikes as a change up from motoing all the time, I’m seemingly more satisfied in the moment on the mtn bike. I feel the same way about snowboarding, probably because of the pressure that comes with being “good” at moto. Kinda funny how that dynamic works

In moto I’ve been racing A class for 12 years and have been pretty damn competitive and successful through most of that time, meaning when I show up to the local track at most there’s only ever a handful of guys that are “on my level”. Nerves and stress are sky high, and satisfaction goes from the lowest of lows to feeling like I just won the fucking lottery on a given race day. I think I have the same level of skills on a mtn bike and a snowboard, I don’t run into many people doing it at a similar level, but the wild roller coaster of emotions just doesn’t exist there. Even while I go as big as possible and push my abilities in pretty much the same way. Like I said in the beginning, in the moment I’m seemingly as satisfied with life as I could possibly be when I hit some giant slab or dirt jumps on a mountain bike, but here’s the difference: moto is an OBSESSION, every aspect of it, the riding, the places, the competition, the bikes. I can sit there in bed all night just thinking of a rut man. I watch every moto video and listen to every moto podcast. I work 40 hours a week like most people, and there’s not a hour that goes by, even in the dead of winter where I don’t have moto thoughts. It’s just not the same with the other sports. Now we could chalk that up to the fact that I don’t compete in the others. Trust me I’ve looked into it, not the same as moto. Sponsorship and purse money is not even close to the same, and the amount of competitors is a fraction of a regular NESC or D34 race.

We share in the greatest thing this world has ever produced as motocrossers. Trying other sports is a great way to remind you of that. Also, mountain biking is a sport FULL of gatekeeping old men, if your trails are on public land then guess what? I got as much right to do what I want on them as the motherfucker who used the shovel
 

We have opposite taste on front brakes, but for you the Magura system is worth looking into.
A fast local downhill MTB kid I know was telling me about his new Magura brakes on our ride Friday afternoon. He said the SRAM he just replaced were more progressive / modulation feel while the new Maguras are super crisp on/off.  He brought it up because he's not used to the engagement point yet.

I run a CRF450R brake and a 270mm rotor on my YZ250 and KX500 to get power and preserve a bit of modulation.

If the derailleur is clicking or making any noise while you ride, it's not set up correctly or it's bent.  New bike, so it's probably just a poor tuning job.   If you want to learn how it's done, look up the videos by Park Tool on Youtube.  The Mustache guy there walks through the setup step by step and it's a five minute job that could save your trail ride somewhere someday.

Most bicycles don't shift well "under power", so you have to slack off a bit until you feel the chain engage the next sprocket on the cassette.  It became automatic for me in a month or so of riding and I don't even think about it now.  When you switch from descending to climbing, especially in technical single track, you'll get the habit of pre-staging your downshifts too since you can't just hammer like six gears all at once and expect the chain to mesh.

Sounds like once you get used to the way the bike handles, you'll be hooked.

Some of us moto people are a bit more "hammerhead" than bicycles can handle...   I had to learn a bit of finesse too.
The latest SRAM "Transmission" derailleur system allegedly shifts better under power.  It's an electronic system.  I haven't ridden one.

I don't have a dropper post and all my MTB riding buddies are shocked at the fact that I stand up 100% of the time with the seat slammed like a BMX kid.

On cardio, it's a burn to climb up and then pin it down the hills.  I use a Garmin 255 watch and track my rides to Strava and Trailforks for the maps...   Here's today's ride, gravel up and wet / rocky moto trails back down:

https://www.trailforks.com/ridelog/view/61951860/

X2 on that first paragraph.
 

If you want to save some cash just know you don’t need battery operated shifting. 

Where is everyone from? Maybe we can get some guys that live in our area and hit the local trails?

im in Arizona and live in queen creek/San tan. Usually ride hawes and south mountain

Cycling with the seat too low puts extra stress on your quadriceps because you tend to step down onto the pedals instead of pedaling around the crank. You can cook your legs in no time vs using correct technique. Set your dropper so the top is at a height where your legs are slightly bent at the bottom of pedal travel. Keep your knees in line with your ankles when you pedal.

I heard Sedona is rad I need to make it out. I’m in south OC acoustic bike I’m down to ride with anyone aliso/the luge/San Clemente/ladera etc… acoustic only big digs and suffering just to shred down Haha 

I used to live in Murrieta/ Temecula till I moved 2 years ago. My main trails were Greer. I have a buddy in south oc and we would ride the dog park,O’Neill and a couple others in that area. I haven’t rode in Sedona but hope so when it warms up a bit. 
 

im about 2 hours from Sedona. We have somE good trails out here

Glad you are enjoying the new ride! The ratio of climbing cardio to downhill / tech / fun is largely dependent on your local trail scene. Some places are more oriented around miles/cardio/fitness, other places have more of an emphasis on technical moves / bike handling skills. When I first moved the Western Slope of Colorado from points East (KS, VA, AR) and thought I was decent rider, I was absolutely blown away by how much more challenging the terrain was that everyone was riding. Even after 15+ years of riding the Lunch Loops in Grand Junction, it is still a given that I am not going to make every feature, or send every move. Riders from other areas with more mellow terrain who are used 20+ mile rides come out here and are crushed after a 7 mile lap. 

If everyone in the local scene is telling to run clip-ins, that's a telling factor that the riding is based more around cardio / fitness. I ran clipless pedals for the same reason until I moved to CO, and started trying more challenging / committing features where I wanted to be able to bail as quickly as possible. There can be a considerable range of grip / overall experience with flat pedals, but it's worth spending money on as it is your primary interface with the bike. Yoshimura Chillao and Diety T-Macs are leading favorites right now. 

Acceleration differences between a BMX bike and 29" mtb comes down to wheel size, and inevitable bit of drag that comes along with a geared drivetrain. I was long time hold-out on 26" wheels due to the "snappiness" factor, but I got tired of having to sprint everywhere to keep up with everyone else on bigger wheels. Advances in bike geometry over the past 10 years or so have eradicated much of the differences in handling between the wheel sizes, and the momentum-conserving aspect of the 29" wheels make it much easier to carry speed. 

Since there's no throttle to whack open after you brake slide yourself into turn, mtbs teach you carry speed through corners in a very different manner from motos. 

New bikes / new shifter cable & housing will always stretch out after the first few rides. You can try taking up the extra slack in the barrel adjusters at the shifter. 

Shimano brakes are known for having more of an on/off feel. I just started running 4 piston XTs and am very happy with them. 

Get a bike stand if you plan doing any amount of work to your bike. I went about a decade without one, and immediately regretted not buying one sooner when I finally got it. 

Those SRAM brakes are notorious for being spongy. See if you can find some Maguras or Shimano XTs on sale at Jenson or Chain Reaction Cycles. You may need a brake bleed on the SRAMs, but even with that they'll never be a light switch.

Your bike acceleration is largely a function of the full squish suspension. That's a trail bike - it'll eat up big drops and gnar, but doesn't explode out of corners. Run a higher PSI in the shock or use the lockout while pedaling. 

Speaking of pressure, your suspension should sag about 25-30% with you standing on the pegs. There are some o-rings on the sliders to help you measure. Increasing the pressure in the suspension is like installing stiffer springs.

It takes time to develop the cardio, it’s much more fun after you have a good base developed. 
I ride shimano clipless XTR trail pedals but most guys don’t, it takes years to get use to clipping in and out, definitely benefits but you are totLly fine on flats. But wear a decent set of MTB shoes, or Vans but the BMX vans not the usual skate ones. They grip better and are stiffer. 
TRP 200mm brakes all day everyday. But then you start going down another rabbit hole lol !!

Pinkbike.com has some Good deals. Lots of bike shops will post take off drive trains for cheap. Run tubless,that should be your first thing and get a pack with tools

Beautiful Yalla, that's my dream DH bike!

Shimano saint, a very on/off little modulation brake and have lots of power, I wouldn't bother with anything else. I have Magura MT5's on my bike at the moment, and they are powerful but a little finicky, I liked my Formula Cura4's and Saints better, the XT's I had faded to quickly.

I tried clips for a year and never felt comfortable with them, if you don't really want to I wouldn't bother, a good set of flat pedals and a grippy shoe (five ten or ride concepts or so etching like that) will do you well. Pinkbike and vitalMTB do flat pedals group tests because there is so many out there. 

It's funny, Shimano Saint is my preference too and I brought up Magura based on OwenJakes "light switch" statement...

You can go stupid fast with good flat pedals.    I firmly believe the slight gains that a road or gravel cyclist can make in efficiency don't make up for the times when you really do need to take a foot off for balance.  Out here in the PNW we ride a lot of super tight single track with wet roots and wet rocks going up and down the mountains...   I occasionally hang a leg out to the side to get a lean around a tree, rock or a stump.  That might be less of a concern in the open desert or eastern woods.

The wrong shoe can make a flat pedal feel terrible.
I had leftover running shoes when I switched to the bicycle.  Even though I had good pedals, the knobby treads and curves on the trail running shoe wouldn't allow a consistent feel on the pedal and my feet were coming off a lot.   On that note, you're going to have the cheese-grader calfs and shins in your first month or three of flat pedals on rough downhill.  You get to where your feet never pop off, but it takes some time.

Haha yeahh the Maguras are good but the rattling pads annoy me, getting them lined up with the rotors is notoriously difficult, power is great but I found the saints at least as good but more of a 'light switch' feel. I will probably drop the Maguras for Formula Cura's this year but there are plenty of great options out there, just need to find what fits the budget.

Agree 100% with flats vs clips, all about what's comfortable and that's when you will ride best. 

SRAM brakes use DOT oil, Shimano / Formula / Magura use mineral oil. Some riders have been building Shimano / Magura hybrid brakes, but you can't mix & match brake systems designed for different oils. 

Owen’s,I’m 225lbs and I have shimano 6120 brakes with 203 ice rotors front and back. I run mtx gold pads and I have zero issues with brake fade or sponge feel. I also flush out my oil 3 times a year. If I had the money to spend on super nice brakes I’d go with dominion brakes or the hope brakes.

I don’t run clipless pedals for efficiency although they do help with that. It’s all about control in the rough and tech at speed. It’s why most all DH racers run clipless pedals, (except Sam Hill lol)Your foot position is always the same. But I do agree with the fact that flats are great especially while you are figuring it out.
Shimano brakes don’t suck as much as sram but they aren’t that good after using 220mmbrakes with 2.3mm thick rotors. Of course only needed if your terrain demands it, not needed in TX or Kansas etc.
but sorry thats to much tech talk! It’s not worth worrying about just yet, just pedaling and hitting kickers is what’s up.