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No Laughing please!

May 4, 2005
6
0
London, UK
Hi All

I am a complete Newb so no sniggering at my questions please!

1)
I bought a Diamondback M:05 from halfords friday, it has a semi decent spec considering i paid 175 quid for it - front suspension, grip shift, front disc brake. I bought a new saddle as it was like sitting on a tooth pick and added a mud guard. Does anyone know why i cant find this diamond back model on the web? i have searched everywhere - just wanted to bone up on the spec and find out a little more about it.

Next question is:

I have been riding on my new bike for most the weekend, mainly over the local forest where i have been doing hills and jumps. How quickly will my fitness improve? How long should i ride for to gain some CV fitness? - i play football but am trying to stay fit in the off season - to be honest jogging bores the pants off me! So far so good for riding though, im loving it.

Finally : i got a little cycyle computer - but its utter crap. I want to buy a new one, does anyone have any advice on whats a decent one to get? I want to know distance, speed etc etc, i dont want to spend too much though, i have an eye on some on ebay at the moment

Thanks for going easy!

:sneaky:
 

jacksonpt

Turbo Monkey
Jul 22, 2002
6,791
59
Vestal, NY
Q1:
Are you looking for it on the Diamondback site, or on the web in general? If it's not on the DB site, perhaps it's last year's model which they've discontinued for this year. If you can't find it on the web in general, then I'd suspect something more basic... check the owner's manual to make sure you are searching for the right name or something silly like that.

Q2:
Increasing your fitness level is very individual... i.e. the rate at which your body changes is different for everyone. How often are you riding? How long (time) are your rides? Generally speaking, it's better to do easier but longer rides to improve fitness levels, as opposed to shorter harder rides - but even that depends on what you want to improve on.

Q3:
Find a bike shop in your area - a real bike shop, not a department/sporting goods store - and see what they offer for computers. It shouldn't be hard to find a basic model for $25 or so.
 
May 4, 2005
6
0
London, UK
Thanks Dude.

1) I think you are correct about it being last years model, however, it actually has a higher spec than this years, which is odd, but good for me!

2) That question seems a bit silly now, and your right regarding individual fitness levels. I have been riding every day now for an average of an hour. I always go out intending to do longer more simple routes, but end up making my way round the forest, usually involving short bursts through the woods and hills!

3) I hit a local cycle shop and your right - much better than anywhere else, picked one up for about GBP 25, cordless, made by cats eye. I also saw a ton of bikes that put mine to shame! :blah:

One things for sure - i am having alot of fun!
 

Jayridesacove

Turbo Monkey
Feb 21, 2004
1,335
0
Falls Church, VA
If you don't know how to do basic repairs on your bike. Start learning now. Seek out a local shop and ask questions on how to fix/adjust things. For example, how to adjust your brakes or how to fine tune the shifting, how to change a chain.

You just got a new bike, so the cables on it will stretch a little. The shifting cable, and brake cable if your bike has v-brakes or mechanical discs, will need to be adjusted. Usually a bit after 10 hours of riding time is a good time to re-adjust the new cables.

Good to hear you're enjoying riding your bike.
 

SkaredShtles

Michael Bolton
Sep 21, 2003
65,379
12,533
In a van.... down by the river
perihelion_soul said:
Hi All

<snip>I have been riding on my new bike for most the weekend, mainly over the local forest where i have been doing hills and jumps. How quickly will my fitness improve? How long should i ride for to gain some CV fitness? - i play football but am trying to stay fit in the off season - to be honest jogging bores the pants off me!
Jogging sucks almost more than anything. Best thing to do to improve your fitness is ride more. :p

Seriously. Can you ride to & from work? That's a great way to improve your fitness. Also - just hop on your bike and ride someplace. Ride at a pace that you find is sustainable. Push it a bit.

You'll be in shape in no time.

-S.S.-
 

saryon

Chimp
Apr 26, 2005
3
0
Biking muscle groups: quads, hams, calves, all kinds of small leg muscles, forearms, neck, lower back.

If you are a gym rat work on lower wt high reps squats it seemed to help me not get sore after riding a long time in the back region.
 

Secret Squirrel

There is no Justice!
Dec 21, 2004
8,150
1
Up sh*t creek, without a paddle
Yeah, I'm with Jaycove on this one. That's what I did...for awhile I just hung around the "local" bike shop (not everyone is privelegded enough to live 5 blocks away..!!) and picked up pointers on what to look for, how to fix little dinky things, and what specific tools I'd need to purchase in the future. Now I almost have an entire tool spread for my bikes!! And I just tore apart and rebuilt my entire DH bike bolt by bolt (very muddy race...grrrr...).

If you just continue to learn about the intricacies of your own bike, your that much more in tune with it when something might go wrong. Not to mention that when the time comes to upgrade, you're ahead of the class and are able to make an informed decision and spend your money wisely!

Good luck on ridin' d00d !!!!! :D :D :D Have fun!

Live hard, Live fast or go live with your parents! :sneaky: :D
 
Oct 12, 2005
2
0
Hi Perihelion

I'm in the same boat as you! New back to unpowered 2-wheelers after a 15-year gap, bought a DB M05 from Halfords, and there's literally nothing on the whole internerd about it. I only found your post from a Google search for the beast!

It does seem a reasonable spec for the money, and looks the business, in my opinion. Of course it doesn't look quite as good as a £2000 Specialised, but us newbs have got to start somewhere!

I'm planning on doing a fair bit of road work on it, so I'm changing the tyres for Conti Double Fighter II's. My motorbike has Conti's, and they're a brand I trust.

Did you get Halfords to do the setup for you, or (like me) did you drag the box home and nail it together yourself? I've found that everything has needed adjustment after a couple of weeks, but with a bit of spannering, it's now running smoothly.

Now the weather is closing in, I suppose mudguards will be required. Which did you get? Post a pic if you can!! I'm so shallow, but they've got to look good!

All the best

Daniel :)
 

Uksecrets

Chimp
May 7, 2006
4
0
SouthEast London
So you got a DB M05 HardTail from Halfords.

I got the same about a week ago and yes I have the same problem as you I can't find 'any' information on the bike what so ever...again I done a search like you and found this site.

I must say the bike seems to of been a great buy although I have not managed to do too much riding on it just yet. The only problem I find with the DB is that the seat is hard like hell thats first on my list for changing as I am still feeling the pain! :(

I don't know much about putting bikes together the last time I did it I got the front wheel the wrong way round and had the shop point out the fault to me. lol

So this time round I made Halfords put it all together for me.

So how are you finding your new ride?
 

Uksecrets

Chimp
May 7, 2006
4
0
SouthEast London
So you got a DB M05 HardTail from Halfords.

I got the same about a week ago and yes I have the same problem as you I can't find 'any' information on the bike what so ever...again I done a search like you and found this site.:rolleyes:

I must say the bike seems to of been a great buy although I have not managed to do too much riding on it just yet. The only problem I find with the DB is that the seat is hard like hell thats first on my list for changing as I am still feeling the pain! :ouch:

I don't know much about putting bikes together the last time I did it I got the front wheel the wrong way round and had the shop point out the fault to me. lol

So this time round I made Halfords put it all together for me.

So how are you finding your new ride?
 

Chunky Munkey

Herpes!
May 10, 2006
447
0
is ALWAYS key I say...
I remember the first three weeks I rode I remember thinking of quitting, and being out of breath in the woods, with sore legs and literally saying to myself, "Why the HELL do people put themselves through this kind of thing! THIS is HARD WORK!" I remember thinking, there has GOT to be something to it or everybody wouldn't be doing it. Like most people quit working out because they don't see an immediate result and give up, I said to myself, stick with it. By the 5th week it began getting easier. A run I use to do in like 1.5 hours I do in 44 min now. Recently I started adding on other trails to make the ride longer. Start off easy, don't go to kill yourself. You will start getting into shape and not even know it. Take as long as you need to do a run. Listen to yourself. Later you'll find you do runs in a lot less time. Stay hydrated. Just have fun. That is what it's all about. And getting fit while you do it is the plus.

I never run on a treadmill for an hour, but I rode three hours in the woods both days last weekend and the time flew by like it was nothing.
 
Oct 12, 2005
2
0
Hi UKsecrets!

Yeah, I'm a few months down the line, and am still really pleased with the bike. The only think I've changed to any great extent is the tyres - I do mainly road riding, so the MTB tyres as standard were a bit too off-road oriented.

So I've put on a pair of Continental Double Fighter II's, which are much better, faster and quieter on the road. (Plus they have cool writing on the sidewall, which looks ace! Shallow? Me? Yep!)

Everything else (including the saddle) is standard. By the way, I got cheapo mudguards for occasional use from my local Asda for less than a fiver!

Hope yours is going well!

Daniel
 

Quo Fan

don't make me kick your ass
Quid is slang for pound, like buck is slang for dollar.

Doesn't matter what you ride, as long as you like it and it works for you. I ride all kinds of bikes, and love ever one of them.

Your fitness will improve, and you won't even notice it until one day you will do something that has been kicking your butt.

Have fun and ride the tires off the darn thing!
 

habitatxskate

blah blah blah
Mar 22, 2005
943
0
all i know is..i'm 15, and i ride a heavy 55 pound faith 3...i am 5 6 and 110 so when i ride diablo(steep dh)and hit the blacks..i can really feel the strength when i am at work..no bull..i think riding diablo is like 2 days at the gym..its definately a workout doing sharp turns..hitting drops and leaning back for steep trails..and falling porbbably helps your durability for football..i can do a lot with my bike, fixing it that is..well my bmx, as for my full suspension, i can do some basic stuff, just enough to get me down the mtn i guess.i mean i can change my tires and adjust my brakes..deraiuler on a good day..im laerning the more tech stuff now.