I eventually decided on the bossnut V2 and picked one up on Christmas eve. Got it for £850 which I am delighted with. @andreasrhoen has given me lots of pointers on another thread but I am looking for as much advice as possible before I take it out for first time. I.E anything I should be doing to bike before taking it out. As I’m a newbie I need any advice going. I’ve done a bit of road cycling over the last two years but not been on a mountain bike for years. Any must do’s or dont’s would be appreciated

Just ride the thing, there’s no secrets or funny handshakes required…

Just go for a ride.

test brakes, tyre pressure and check bars and stem bolts are done up 😉

Best clickbait thread title of the day so far.

“Bossnut V2 advice required” etc. 😉

Just go for a ride. Tweak your grips and bars and shifters until they are comfy. Get your saddle position right. Height fore and aft etc. Play around with your fork and shock until it suits your weight and style of riding. There is no shortcut ride adjust repeat.
Above all have fun and don’t overthink it.

as you’re a total newbie, go for a ride somewhere undemanding so that you just enjoy the ride and the bike. Take some basic tools, a phone and don’t go too far from easy “rescue” – there may well be some teething problems with a brand new bike

Wait ’til tomorrow to scare yourself shitless on some drop 😀

While your making the suggested tweaks keep riding a piece of trail you know so you can feel the changes you’ve made .
Oh yeah , have fun amd enjoy the bike .

Make sure you grease the nipple flange, I once came a cropper as my nipples werent greased sufficiently.

Double check the rear thrunge gasket, it’s common for them to be set too tight on new bikes.

Give everything a once over before your first ride checking bolts done up, tyres have enough presure, gears are shifting and brakes are working. Take a multi tool out with you and adjust position of levers, bar angle, seat angle etc a bit at a time until you get them perfect for you then crank it up and enjoy!

I once came a cropper as my nipples werent greased sufficiently.

Double check the rear thrunge gasket,

😈

Additional to above humor:

time to get out and train for yourself for a couple weeks – then meet other mountain bikers on the trail. Talking to them. Watch and copy. Maybe find a bikers group later on.

Everybody has to start!
Don’t give too easy up. You will have (very) small crashes, stuff will fail and you sometimes will feel like a dog.
But keep on going!

Great hobby, great bike & good luck!
😉

Cheers guys. Any Scottish posters know what Whitelees Wind farm would be like for getting a feel for the bike?

Any Scottish posters know what Whitelees Wind farm would be like for getting a feel for the bike?

Suggest you start a different thread about where to ride, there are loads of riders based in Scotland who can advise.
I’m a Southerner sonic no use.

BTW, go and enjoy the new bike !

Whitelee is a snowy icefest today, very slippery. When not snowy it has a small section of built trail which is like a skills area, and takes about 15 minutes to ride around. Rest of the place is miles of rolling land rover tracks. Pleasant but nothing remotely technical.

If you’re in the area, Cathkin better for a shakedown ride, just take all the chicken options and keep it blue graded until you get the feel for it.

Again, it’s too icy to ride safely today – I was planning a few laps mid morning and didn’t bother. Temp will be back down below zero in a few hours and it will all freeze again.

Whitelee is a snowy icefest today, very slippery. When not snowy it has a small section of built trail which is like a skills area, and takes about 15 minutes to ride around. Rest of the place is miles of rolling land rover tracks. Pleasant but nothing remotely technical.

If you’re in the area, Cathkin better for a shakedown ride, just take all the chicken options and keep it blue graded until you get the feel for it.

Again, it’s too icy to ride safely today – I was planning a few laps mid morning and didn’t bother. Temp will be back down below zero in a few hours and it will all freeze again.

Cheers. I’m in Hamilton so not much difference between Whitelee and Cathkin

I’m EK based. Cathkin is a fun wee course and good for fitness, with some sections that can be blue, red or black depending which line you take. Race pace laps are sub 20 mins, whereas a slightly more relaxed 25 mins is more typical. It’s a good place for trying and getting used to a new bike with the added advantage of being mud free. I can’t see the ice going much till Friday though, looking at forecast.

Yeah I’ll wait until the ice clears. Pedals on the bossnut don’t look great. Any recommendations for pedals that won’t break the bank

these are great and the red ones will go with the new bike !

Also. Any recommendations on mud guards, kneepads and shoes would be appreciated

Superstar Nano X / Nano Evo are about the best pedal this side of £100 and there’s probably a 25% discount on being Christmas, so probably around £30. Don’t skimp on pedals. Pedals with lots of spikes may look dangerous, but slippy pedals will do a lot more damage to your shins on a regular basis.

As above, no substitute for riding time. Do give the bike a once over though. Unless you have long experience with a shops’ mechanic, it’s a bad idea to assume that everything is ‘right’ because it’s new etc. Mostly you’re just going to need simple allen keys so make sure everything is sensibly tight.

Definitely take a spare tube and pump, definitely have a fully charged phone (bad idea using it for maps as GPS kills batteries fast) and if you’re going to be further from a carpark than someone could walk in office shoes carrying a stretcher, make sure you know how Mountain Rescue callouts work. They’re not quite as straightforward as asking for an ambulance. No-one ever wants to call the MR guys out, but it’s irresponsible not knowing how to.

Good luck, and enjoy!

Mud guards split opinion as they can often lead to trapped wheels if it’s very muddy. The Ass-Saver type are cheap and effective.

Kneepads, try some on at your local shop. Most important thing is that they fit and feel like they’ll stay put when you hit the ground fast at a funny angle, and that they’re comfortable enough to wear for as long as you plan to ride. Good roundup in the Singletrack magazine a couple of months ago.

Shoes, 5:10 Freeriders are the default standard. Depending on size and colour there are some decent deals around £50 floating about. They don’t dry quickly, but if you don’t plan riding more than twice a week it’s probably not something you need to worry about unless you have no heating at home. The Adidas Terrex Trail is getting some love as a good alternative, and can be had for about £60 right now. Regular decent quality Skate Shoes (Vans, Etnies in particular) are a good option for occasional riding and some prefer them. Look for properly skate ones not street shoes – reinforced toes and heels, stiffened midsole, softer sole etc. Again, don’t expect quick drying… A lot of your control and steering when going downhill comes from your heel, so it’s important it’s properly located.

Some start months and months without too much fun – because they FIGHT the mountain bike. You have to get out of the saddle of course – and then it’s important that the body acts like a spring.
(Too relaxed and “(soft)spring like” might end in going over the bar so…put a helmet on!).
If you have a small pump track nearby and are able to train there a bit – this will help a lot to get a feel how a good body position increases the fun.

First half year or so: don’t jump if you don’t know how to jump…If you follow a group downhill and they are fast and jump and you try this as well… this will for sure end in an crash!

You live in northern Scotland? Great. Guess you picked the right hobby then. Should be endless nice trails there!
Great.

Depends on your background, if you can bunny hop and jump as a kid, just start small and build up. Skills loops are good.
Don’t over think it, just have fun.

Don’t over think it, just have fun.

😉

Sticker/graphics will make you faster.
TLD or Fox are some of the fastest stickers on the market.
You can times the speed improvement by 10 if you also wear socks that match your sik new grahhics.
Oh and also never ever call your bike a bike.
It’s at least 30mph faster everywhere if you call it a rig/steed/whip/beast weapon.
Also ignore anyone that tells you to just enjoy your self and not worry about all the other stuff. 😉

Fox are some of the fastest stickers on the market

singlespeedstu – bloke is right.

Bought these stickers as well.
Impressive stuff.
No joking – but indeed have now a

weapon

🙄