[cgts18]

Hi all. I recently (yesterday) purchased a 2011 Trek Marlin 29er Disc. It's my first Mountain Bike, I used to ride BMX for years.
Anyways, all this geometry stuff definitely has me caught off guard. I'd really like to lighten it up a bit maybe and just generally make the bike more to my taste. It's proving to be difficult searching around for parts. It's almost as if nothing is the same dimension (especially for the stem).
I tried looking for lighter cranks, maybe ones with a bash guard But I can't even find the actual cranks I have on the bike! I can't find the same seat or anything! (btw the seat hurts my arse like hell haha).

But hopefully soon after reading more in here I'll learn what I need to know.

I'd be appreciative of any advice you guys and gals may have to offer. Like I said, modifying a BMX bike is as easy as riding one, coming to a mountain bike is like learning to ride a bike all over again haha.

 

[2wheelsoul]

RIDE....RIDE....then....RIDE some more

Go ride that fine steed. Once you have some good miles on it you will really start to know what should be swapped out. Cranks should be low on the list because what you have will work fine. Cranks are expensive to upgrade with minimal performance benefit and a small weight benefit - ride what you have till the teeth are ground down like a meth-heads grill.

Stems are critical to ride comfort, there are a million of them. Go back to the store you bought it from and tell them you would like the bike to feel different. If they are cool, they may start slappin on stems til you find the one that fits best.

I assume you are riding with padded shorts, anyway, yer arse will be toughen up to the point that you won't even be sore riding, just keep riding. The right saddle fits like a good glove. If you are only sore from pressure, then ride more - the pain will disappear. If it is more than pressure, a new saddle may help. I have seem LBS with boxes full of used saddles for $10...that may be the trick, some new saddles are $100.

Welcome back to 2 wheel fun.

Enjoy the new ride.

 

[cgts18]

Well I just ordered better pedals, figured that would be a god starting point.
But NOoooo I'm not wearing padded shorts haha. I wear regular clothes. I don't know if I could ever get myself into those shorts or spandex clothes haha. I think I'll ride it for a week or two before I make a decision on a new seat. Maybe by then the soreness will be gone. I was looking at one of those a.r.s seats. Cheap and supposedly real comfortable.
Thanks!

 

[Larry_K]

But NOoooo I'm not wearing padded shorts haha. I wear regular clothes. I don't know if I could ever get myself into those shorts or spandex clothes haha.

I always wear a pair of cargo style shorts but wear a pair of padded spandex shorts underneath. The difference in comfort is huge if you're riding for greater than an hour. You can find a decent pair of padded undershorts for around $20 then just wear whatever shorts you're comfy with over them. I first started out riding with just cargo shorts and boxer briefs but things can shift a bit when least expected. The padding is an additional positive side effect. I can totally understand the "I don't wanna run around in spandex" but a majority of riders aren't doing it because they think it looks cool.

It sounds like you're on the right path by waiting a bit to replace your current saddle, if you ride a few times a week it should either start feeling comfy or drive you nuts in a few weeks. I looked up the Planet Bike ARS saddle, it looks a bit like a tractor seat and seems like it may make it tough to get behind the seat on descents. If you really want to get the best fit you can see if your local shop has one of those pads that measure your sit bone width so you'd be able to dial in the best saddle for you. Luckily this doesn't mean expensive, just that you can be more sure of a good fit. Many saddles will have a choice of 2-3 widths and keep in mind that a heavily padded seat is usually only comfy for short rides like a quick trip around the block.

Larry

 

[cgts18]

Hm, you know I never thought of that. I suppose I could get a couple pairs one day. That's not a bad idea. thanks!