in Beginners, Newbies, Noobz, etc (Moderators: imwjl, TheMayor1)

Hi peeps, please brace yourselves for a kinda long first post. 

OK, so I'm brand new to mountain biking, and to make matters worse, I'm a member of the 40 something club.  AND I'm what you would call a "portly fellow" (kinda overweight).

So my goal is to first and foremost have fun!..and hopefully shed some pounds along the way. (wish I could shed some years too.  ) I'm not really interested in huge jumps (don't heal like I use to LOL), but eventually, some flowy trails with cool/fun techy stuff would be great!!

So, all that said, I bought a used Trek  budget mountain bike, and had it tuned up, it rides wonderful now, I know it's by no means a black diamond shredder, but it's a decent bike to learn my skills on....hardtail 29er, hydraulic disc, air fork etc...eventually once my weight is down, and my skills are up, I'd love a full suspension bike, but we are a long way from having that discussion.

Now I need some beginner trail recommendations, I'm pretty dang sure I'm not even "blue trail" ready...the will is there, but the stamina is coming up short LOL, could some of you kind people recommend me some fun, yet easier trails to "cut my teeth" on, maybe suggest some beginner skills I'll need to work toward to progress into more advanced trails? Ways that I can build my stamina for longer rides/climbs?

I know that at 46, time & statistics are against me, but I'm going to give it a go anyway, what have I got to lose!! See you on the trails!! (I'll be the heavy guy, panting and sweating...but smiling. 

Hi peeps, please brace yourselves for a kinda long first post. 

OK, so I'm brand new to mountain biking, and to make matters worse, I'm a member of the 40 something club.  AND I'm what you would call a "portly fellow" (kinda overweight).

So my goal is to first and foremost have fun!..and hopefully shed some pounds along the way. (wish I could shed some years too.  ) I'm not really interested in huge jumps (don't heal like I use to LOL), but eventually, some flowy trails with cool/fun techy stuff would be great!!

So, all that said, I bought a used Trek  budget mountain bike, and had it tuned up, it rides wonderful now, I know it's by no means a black diamond shredder, but it's a decent bike to learn my skills on....hardtail 29er, hydraulic disc, air fork etc...eventually once my weight is down, and my skills are up, I'd love a full suspension bike, but we are a long way from having that discussion.

Now I need some beginner trail recommendations, I'm pretty dang sure I'm not even "blue trail" ready...the will is there, but the stamina is coming up short LOL, could some of you kind people recommend me some fun, yet easier trails to "cut my teeth" on, maybe suggest some beginner skills I'll need to work toward to progress into more advanced trails? Ways that I can build my stamina for longer rides/climbs?

I know that at 46, time & statistics are against me, but I'm going to give it a go anyway, what have I got to lose!! See you on the trails!! (I'll be the heavy guy, panting and sweating...but smiling. 

Welcome. 46 would be a youngster among some of the area regulars. Being on a bike is always going back to being a kid.

The recent floods and late in the season are changes but we still go for the Tuesday and Thursday group rides when trails are not wet. Tomorrow is open house at Blackhawk so head there. I'm sure you'll find a bunch of people in the area who will help you out.

The trails link here is good to book mark. You'll know if the trails are open.

Enjoy!

Don't know what part of town you are in. On the west side, Seminole is a great place to begin. Then check out the green loops at Quarry Ridge.

Ride your bike to get better at riding your bike. That's what worked for me. I'm still obese and older than when I started but gosh it sure is fun.

 Welcome!

Don't know what part of town you are in. On the west side, Seminole is a great place to begin. Then check out the green loops at Quarry Ridge.

Ride your bike to get better at riding your bike. That's what worked for me. I'm still obese and older than when I started but gosh it sure is fun.

 Welcome!

Thank You!

Funny story/question.....I actually read your post, then went to the "seminole page" and grabbed the address (4789 Crescent Rd, Madison, WI 53711), I punched it into the ol' GPS and off I went....I ended up in a rather shady looking apartment complex, with no trail signs to be seen LOL!

Do I need to access the Seminole trails by using one of the Madison bike paths? or did I simply miss a sign, or an obvious parking area?

Welcome. 46 would be a youngster among some of the area regulars. Being on a bike is always going back to being a kid.

The recent floods and late in the season are changes but we still go for the Tuesday and Thursday group rides when trails are not wet. Tomorrow is open house at Blackhawk so head there. I'm sure you'll find a bunch of people in the area who will help you out.

The trails link here is good to book mark. You'll know if the trails are open.

Enjoy!

Thank You!

I'm really happy to hear I won't be the oldest guy out there!

Unfortunately I have to work tomorrow, and can't get out there, but I'll be sure to watch for the next one!

Seminole is a great choice; reasonably mellow and short loops; the outer loop is the beginner one, and may be a little overgrown right now, but is likely to get trimmed in the next week or so.  The inner loop has some more advanced features, but is mostly rideable by beginners; if something looks sketchy, walk it; even the best riders come across stuff their not ready for.   The trailhead  is on the Capital City Trail; you were really close, though.  If you're driving there, park at the parking lot off Seminole just south of Dunn's Marsh; there's a bathroom building there.  Then ride west for about a quarter mile and you'll see the trailhead on the left; if you get to the roundabout, you missed it by about 100'. 

Blackhawk has some of the most 'progressive' trail around, at the top of the hill near the east chalet.  They do kid's lessons there in the summer, it's very accessible to beginners, and remains fun as your skills progress.

Those two and the mentioned green loop at Quarry Ridge (Dizzy, Lakeside) are probably the best places to not get in over your head while you are getting comfortable and building stamina. 

The weeknight rides at CamRock and from Capital Brewery are both no-drop rides, so are a good ways to meet riders and improve your skills by riding with them.  It can feel like you are slowing the group down if you are the slowest person, and you are, but no one cares; those rides are meant for hanging out and having fun, not setting personal bests.  They do last for 1.5-2 hours though, so you want to be able to ride for that long.

Look forward to meeting you out there.

Thank You!!!

That's a bunch of really good info!! Thanks for the multiple suggestions, it'll keep things fun & different.

All of those trails are fairly close to my work (Especially Seminole...I work on Fish Hatchery), so I can hit them after work, and still be done by dark! (Though night riding sounds kinda fun).

I'll look into the group rides too, I've rode some of the trails at Cam-Rock, but I didn't really know what/where I was going, so I got turned around a LOT and was probably heading the wrong direction more than once  , so riding with a group would certainly help with that!

Camrock has some great trails that can be fun for any skill level. I take my wife there, she has fun at her pace and I have fun at mine.

Unfortunately the creek side trails are under water and I almost doubt they'll be open till spring next year. There are some other green and blue from camrock 3, but it may be worth waiting till next year to get the full experience