# First Bike 13 Incline Alpha



## oli14 (May 1, 2015)

Hi there, im in the UK, I'm all new to Mountain Biking, went to Halfords a couple weeks ago and bought a 13 incline alpha, (pics of bike and spec included) I've been on my first trail ride earlier on one of the man made trails on Cannock Chase, had a lot of fun and the bike handled really well.. Just after a bit of feedback on choice of bike and whether some people can offer any type of advice..

Cheers,

Oli

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk


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## phlegm (Jul 13, 2006)

Welcome Oli, and sorry that we haven't replied as of yet. Typically people ask prior to buying a bike, so perhaps that's the reason for the lack of input.

In any event, some things to think about after getting your first mountain bike, and first few rides:

Fit:
-Don't expect things to feel perfect out of the gate. You may need to adjust the saddle location, height, bar angle, and perhaps buy a longer/shorter stem to dial your fit in. This is an ongoing process.
-The saddle may not be the right fit for you - entirely normal. Give it a few rides, as it is normal to feel uncomfortable at first, but longer-term discomfort probably means the wrong saddle shape for your rear.

Gear:
-Consider taking an emergency kit with you. It would include a pump (or CO2 inflator), spare tube, mini-tool with chain tool, spare chain "missing link", bandaids, etc. 
-My hands sweat quite a bit, and can slip off of rubber grips. Consider some gloves if you are similarly wet.
-Ensure you have a really good helmet - don't skimp here.
-I like to wear clear eyewear to protect against bugs and stray branches.

Setup:
-You may want to ensure the shock is setup correctly to your weight, or preference. May take a few rides to know where it stands currently.
-Hard to tell in the photo, but the brake levers might be close to parallel with the ground. Typically it is more comfortable to have them slanted down.
-You can experiment with less tire pressure as it can often help in tougher terrain.

Things to consider in Future:
There are some inexpensive things you can do to lighten any bike by 1-2 pounds, which is nice for climbing. No rush at all on these, just for way down the road:
-Go tubeless (no longer need tubes in your tires, can run lower pressures, avoid some puncture stoppages, lose a tiny bit of weight)
-Go 1X gearing (move to a single chainring up front, drop a shifter, drop the front derailleur - great way to lose over 1 lb from a bike, and simplify the drivetrain)
-Lose the reflectors (unless you ride on the road at night), lose the "pie plate" behind the cassette
-Switch to foam/silicone grips which weigh a fraction of rubber, and may offer better grip.

Cheers.


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## ejmurray72 (May 4, 2015)

*Nice bike!!!*

I've been looking at this bike for a few weeks in Halford's. What made you get this one over any of the others in the same price point?

I want a new bike just for general riding and keeping up with my two boys. Anyway, if you could see the ancient thing I have as a hand-me-down you'd see why I need a new bike : )

P.S. What's the helmet choice?



oli14 said:


> Hi there, im in the UK, I'm all new to Mountain Biking, went to Halfords a couple weeks ago and bought a 13 incline alpha, (pics of bike and spec included) I've been on my first trail ride earlier on one of the man made trails on Cannock Chase, had a lot of fun and the bike handled really well.. Just after a bit of feedback on choice of bike and whether some people can offer any type of advice..
> 
> Cheers,
> 
> ...


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