Hey guys I'm Leo.

long story short i recently got a DUI and I've decided to make a change in my life. I've decided to stop drinking alcohol and start exercising and lose weight and get back into shape. I firgured getting back into riding bikes would be a good way to do that.

before i had a drivers license i used to ride a bike everywhere. now my past bikes have all been costco specials which ive been finding out(via searches that led to forums) were garbage. i guess its a safety issue which makes me happy i didnt hurt myself in the past as i road into mission trails a lot and used to jump them haha.

I had wanted a full suspension bike but after seeing price tags on non walmart brands i figured that was more than i want to spend right now. so i ended up buying a trek 4500 disk....also expensive but from what ive read trek is a good brand so i firgured ahh what the hell.

yesterday was my first day back on a bike and riding my new trek. i probably rode about 10 miles from my house to the path behind walmart and then through mast park and on up to mission trails and rode around there a bit.

i think i may have did it cause i was pretty sore but im feeling good this morning. so far my biggest issue is that the stock seat(saddle?) on the 4500 has done a number on my butt. damn that seat hurts after a while. i think i need to get a different seat. im open to suggestions.

anywho im pretty excited about getting into the world of mountain biking and as a beginner i hope to meet up with some you guys to get tips on how to improve my riding skill and make new friends.

heres my ride and equipment as of starting.

Awesome intro! Nothing like the enthusiasm of someone new to mountain biking . Welcome to DT!

Welcome and congrats on the bike purchase!! My first bike back in '03 was a Trek 4500--it's a great bike to get back into it!

As for the saddle, there's a good chance you may just need to get used to a bike saddle again. In my experience it takes a good 6-8 rides to build up the "butt calluses".

You shouldn't have trouble finding people to ride with--Santee seems to be the new South Bay lately.

thanks

thanks a lot man. good info.

I'll definitely give this saddle a chance before looking into replacing it.

Welcome to the site, just keep an eye on the calendar there is usually a ride through Mission trails every week.

thanks and will do

Welcome!

I guess it would be a bad idea to enforce the new guy rule...

haha id be cool with buyin some beer for you guys but im currently not able to legally drive and i think my little camel back wouldnt be capable of holding a 6 or 12 pack. unless you guys wanna share a tall boy lol

A good pair of padded bike shorts can help make the seat more comfortable as well.

yea i figured that as well.

as of right now all i have is my camel back a helmet and my bike.

i need to buy some clothing cause all i own is jeans and i wish i had shorts on yesterday.

im going to be learning as i go

Welcome

Welcome! I have to agree with what the others have said. A few more rides and maybe some padded bike shorts and you'll be good to go. I was having the same problem when I first started.

where should i go for some padded bike shorts. i went on another ride again today(a much shorter one probably about 2 or 3 miles since my legs started burning real good a lot faster today)

i think im just gonna ride around on flat ground and get used to pedaling for longer periods of time to see if it will build endurance and then move to tackling hills.