UKC

In an effort to remove the evidence of my love for beer (namely a front facing bulge, above the waist), I've bought myself a pretty serious looking mountain bike frame (scott genius) that I'm just starting to build.

It's something I've wanted to have a go at for a while and I tend to get the more advanced gear and "grow" into it rather than buying twice.

Obviously though, I've no experience at all other than what we got up to in our teens so what I have in mind to start with would be more like the woodland trails or even country parks that most of us have nearby, I can gradually build up my fitness that way and most likely slowly move over to more exciting routes.

Do you have any recommendations? And, am I doing the right thing or do you have a better idea?

Profile says you are in Lincoln.

You could try the trails at Sherwood Pines, they are less than an hour (drive) from Lincoln. 

Have fun.

Planet x have some great budget hemets. If you fancy some more adventurous trails the vertebrate publishing dark peak book is good, look out on facebook for biking groups that have social rides.

It's nor unusual for bike shops to run a weekly group ride, so might be worth looking up some local shops and seeing if they do such a thing. Depending on the shop and the area though they might not always be beginner friendly.

I often spend hours obsessively poring over OS maps and satellite images to scope out routes. Bing maps is particularly good for this as you can flip between the two. There is always a risk of ending up somewhere less than ideal, so perhaps not the best idea till you build up your confidence. 

There isn't really an equivalent to the likes of the UKC crag database for mountain biking, but with some patient searching yiu can often find some online route guides.

Edit: just to add good luck and hope you have fun! Also, as a bit of a bike snob it's really nice to hear you're taking the time to build up the bike yourself. Always think custom builds are an expression of the rider, and just buying some super expensive off the peg bike is a bit lacking in imagination (not that I don't understand why people go for this option before I get flamed). Hope that doesn't sound too pretentious, I just really like bikes!

I'm worried that that makes me a little bit bland and a little bit old school now lol; Bags of parts on the way, mostly mid 2000s era (1999-2008ish) and nothing all that exciting.

I do enjoy pottering about with projects like this though 🙂

Thanks for the suggestions- I hadn't considered Sherwood, sounds ideal!

Don't make the common mistake of pumping up MTB tyes to 50 psi.  They are not meant to be rock hard like road tyres.

Try 25 front, 30 psi back as a starting point.

Thanks Chris, I hadn't thought about it but would have guessed around 30. That's all a way off yet though, the postman's gonna take a week or so to drag all my goodies this far from the post office 😂

Good luck with the build!  it'll be one tired out postie

Does anyone know what "shifters" will work with the rear shock 3 position thing? It seems the originals are like rocking horse poo and priced accordingly so suitable alternatives would be much appreciated 

Don't agree; there are some great online resources, and I'd particularly recommend trailforks.com

Trailforks also has a gps app which is invaluable for finding tracks the first time. 

Do you mean remote lockout? Depending on the shock it's not something that can be easily retrofitted; certainly for fox float shocks it needs some work on the internals, and it's almost not much more to buy a new shock.

That said, unless you're XC racing (which from your first post I doubt), it's not something most riders will worry about. Modern geometries and suspension set ups are so good that you can pretty much leave everything fully 'open' (i.e. set to descent mode) all the time, which is why nice trail bikes like the Scott Genius tend not to have remote lockouts.( I think the canyon strive has some kind of proprietary system but that;s the only one I can think of.) 

For long climbs on road or dirt road I might lock the fork and shock out manually - I can do this without stopping - but that's about it.  (Just don't forget to open them back up at the top, a mistake we've all made at some point with greater or lesser degrees of disaster).

Yep, don't sweat about the rear lock-out remote. Far from essential (I've never felt the need).

Dropper Post: you MUST have a dropper post.

Go X-Fusion or Brand-X. Stay away from Reverbs (got a stack of ****ed Reverbs in the garage)

Yes, remote lockout for the rear shock - It's fitted as standard but I don't have the lever to control it. I probably don't have much use for It, to start with at least but since it's there I'd like to have it working (if it's not going to break the bank).

Are they more or less standard, i.e. most 3 position levers will work with it?

Why is that? My mtb tyres say max 65psi on the side so I've always put them to 60 and assumed that was about right. Maybe mine are way too full? 

You don't really need a remote... You should be able to reach it by hand. Depending on the frame if it bobs when climbing it's useful to use for the climbs, just remember to turn it back on for the downs

You are trolling me. Nobody could ride at 60 psi off road and have any joints left

Drop them to 30 and have your mind blown!

Assuming you are not a time wasting troll

https://enduro-mtb.com/en/what-tire-pressure-mtb/

I run about 16 to 18 front, 24 ish back.

The Scott Genius has full lock out for front and rear on the handlebar. I was sceptical but it’s actually been really useful. It has 3 settings of fully rigid, restrict to 120, and open. The rigid really is, and good for uphill or flats on road or smooth trails. 

Overall the Genius is a great bike. I wanted something that would take wider tire sizes.

It's not all there; the forks I have aren't standard but do have a manual lockout

The rear is standard, I'm not sure I could reach it though. I'll see if I can get a (any old) remote lever cheap and hope it works. Unless anyone has a better idea?

Most of my rides are not particularly bumpy and with a toddler on the back. Basically to the park and back. I used to ride with them at a lower pressure when I just had a hand pump. When I bought a track pump it had a gauge so I just looked at the tyre and went off what it said. I thought that it was more efficient to have them fuller and I didn't want a pinch puncture.