Mountain Bike suggestions

You need to determine the terrain you will mostly ride upon. If it is well-maintained roads, you want a road bike with skinny tires and no suspension. If it is roads and some mild trails, you want a no suspension cyclocross with fatter tires. If it is mild trails, you want a hard-tail. If it is hardcore off-road or downhill, you want full suspension.

You will hate riding a full suspension on any roads, but it is possible. You'll be unable to ride a road bike off-road.

I just bought a cyclocross bike. Unless you are doing hardcore riding, check into those.

I'm pushing 50 and sometimes have those pains. I have a road bike and a cross-trail.

For mixed city riding or hunting camp trail riding, the Specialized cross-trail is great. I've ridden streets, fields, crossed mud puddles, hopped curbs, enjoyed a few Happy-Thursday drinking rides and gone on 30 mile round trips all the way to Kennah, brah.

You don't really need the front suspension, but a bike that sits a little more upright than a road/cylclocross bike and has 1.5" or 38mm+ tires is good for all around riding.

I would have said a cyclocross bike, but if you're pushing 50 and have consistent back problems, you might not want that riding position.

That Specialized bike in your link is the bike I have, except I did not spring for the disk brakes. The other day riding through a muddy section of our lease, I wished it had em. That grit was grindin on the rims as I was braking.

quote:

---

I'm pushing 50 and sometimes have those pains. I have a road bike and a cross-trail.

For mixed city riding or hunting camp trail riding, the Specialized cross-trail is great. I've ridden streets, fields, crossed mud puddles, hopped curbs, enjoyed a few Happy-Thursday drinking rides and gone on 30 mile round trips all the way to Kennah, brah.

You don't really need the front suspension, but a bike that sits a little more upright than a road/cylclocross bike and has 1.5" or 38mm+ tires is good for all around riding.

I would have said a cyclocross bike, but if you're pushing 50 and have consistent back problems, you might not want that riding position.

---

so a full suspension wouldn't ease the jarring?

I do find that I'm leaning forward too much and the weight on my hands to the front bars maybe causing the numbness and pain in my hands...

quote:

---

put on a bigger tire lower the psi a little and move your seat higher you might want to look at getting a diff stem for your handle bar you need to get more of your weight toward the back of the bike on the seat and off the bars. Find a reputable bike shop and ask for a fitting the may help a lot.

---

currently I have no suspension except for the thud buster seat post... and a gel seat.

The bike is old it's a Roland Mountain Bike and for their time they were pretty good...

I keep looking at the hybrid schwinns with a medium tire with front suspension and the gooseneck that can adjust you more upright...

I'm almost leaning toward what they are calling a "comfort bike"

quote:

---

What if you are nearing 50 and riding mostly road w/some mild trails, but you have back problems, carpal tunnel and most bumps you encounter on road or trail hurt your back and make your hands go numb... and the seat hurts your tailbone on said bumps??

---

A cyclocross sounds perfect for you. The drop bars allow multiple hand positions so you can stretch out your back and ease pressure spots on your hands. You can tell the dealer not to cut the steerer tube and use a high rise stem to keep the bars as high as possible. A good website for researching is www.bikeforums.net.

Find a mountain bike shop that does rentals and buy a used one there. Local shop sells a boat load of used Treks at seasons end in Sept. Well maintained, like new in many cases.