well, i’m going to go ahead and get a mountain bike for some off road triathlons next year. seems like too much fun to pass up! called the bike shop today and they said they’ve got some pretty cool cannondales for me to look at. exciting!
if anyone has any off road races to recommend, please let me know! i’m starting to plan a little bit for 06. 
thanks for the advice on an earlier thread about off road. it helped!
kc
You can find awesome deals on used MB’s. People buy them, never ride them and then dump em cheap!
Watch out for snakes and mountain lions.
as for the mountain lions, just ride with someone slower, they always take out the weak first!
I did an offroad tri this season for the first time ever. I’ve never even ridden a mountain bike offroad before. It was a completely new experience for me. I was terrified on the first part of the bike, but relaxed after half an hour or so. It was a very difficult race, but also very fun. I’d do another one in a heartbeat. I’ve even considered buying a mountain bike myself.
RP
Not sure where you are located, but here in Canada we have womens mountain biking camps. They are great for beginners and for people wanting to learn more. I know several that have done these camps and come out as hardcore mountain bikers. I would highly recommend this.
KC - keep me in the loop on this one… I just got a used cannondale f500 mountian bike!!!
sa-weet! i’ll be getting mine in a couple of days, if not today. it’s been years since i’ve been off road, so i’m pumped. we can hit a few trails! terrific time of the year for it, no doubt! maybe we can partner up on a canoe, mtb, run event…
I did Xterra Milwaukee this year. Great race! It was my first offroad tri. It was fun and a great experience, but much more challenging than I thought. I recommend going short or doing the Xterra Sport before you do the full Xterra. 30k on a mountain bike is much more difficult than 30k on a road bike! Have fun!
thanks ed and everybody–was just on the site, man that looks like so much fun. probably just what i need to mix it up a bit and do new things.
Hey KC… I pretty much made the same decision this year and re-conditioned my old Cannondale Y-bike from college, except when I went to register every race was either full or some sort of championship.
Am I missing something or is Xterra confusing as hell. What the hell is a scramble?
Anyway if you find any good Off Road Tris, especially on the east coast, def let the group know.
thx - BQ
I helped a friend organize an offroad tri this summer - it was REALLY muddy - my recommendations from watching those racers flail, plus my own experience racing mtb’s - get disc brakes, and get a set of pedals that shed mud easily (eggbeaters or Times are great). Your C’dale will probably come with disk brakes anyway, but lose the stock pedals.
enjoy!
hey girl, before you buy a mountain bike, go ahead and borrow mine! it’s new and you can borrow the shoes too:-)
Buy a single speed MTB. Sooooo fun and sooooo simple.
ss mtb is a real fun way to go but if you only have one ride I would probably get a geary. Don’t think you need to spend top dollar on the bike either. There are a bunch of mtb under a grand that would be excellent Xterra horses.
Be careful, you might not make it back to the road after mtb riding and trail running. The people at Xterra events are a lot more like family than road tris in my opinion as well. And it so beautiful out on the course, even when you have one lung hanging out and a gorilla on your back. The best thing is you don’t have all the “ON YOUR LEFT” assholes all over the course. Most Xterra people ask for “Track Please”. There are some races that jam up and get a bit rude, but for the most part the Xterra folks are pretty cool.
Another bike to look at is a 29er if you aren’t too short as they run tall.
You have mountains in Cincy? Actually I have always wondered if they sell mountain bikes in say, Kansas or Oklahoma… Would you still buy one with shocks? Just curious…
How about the cliffs?
Dave
Ah, I disagree. I could never really get into mountain biking until I bought a SS. Now I can’t stop doing it. It’s more challenging, harder, more interesting, and did I say harder? Every steep hill becomes a measuring stick. I even pulled off my front shock yesterday for a totally rigid bike. Man, it was awesome! Just like being on my BMX bike when I was 12 years-old.
The only time I’ve ridden my road bike in the last two months in on recovery days.
Hi Kittycat,
My buddy Mike just got Sarah and I new KHS mountain bikes so we can all ride off road as a group this winter. I’m really looking forward to it.
Be careful on your new MTB. If you are anything like me you may be long on speed power and fitness but a trifle short on bike handling skills. I plow into everything and seem to constantly be falling.
Be careful My Dear. Enjoy your new bike!