Every month I give away some cool gear from my great sponsors. This month’s giveaway features Hammer Nutrition & Skins Compression Wear.
Ask Reba your best question for your chance to win!
askreba@rebeccarusch.com
The winners for the AskReba June giveaway are Tom Schaller and Heather Williams! Congratulations to both of you, your questions both made me laugh and will help out beginning riders. We are still doing a giveaway for the next part of June from both Beyond Coastal, Buff Headwear, and Adventure Medical Kits so be sure to email in your most creative and fun questions.
askreba@rebeccarusch.com
Cheers
What is the biggest / worst mistake (or mistakes) beginners make when they start out in mountain biking?
MY BIGGEST MISTAKE STARTING OUT IN MOUNTAIN BIKING WAS BUYING A USED BIKE FROM A FRIEND. SHE WAS AN EX-DOWNHILL RACER AND WAS FEW INCHES SHORTER THAN ME. I HAD NO IDEA ABOUT BIKE FIT, PERFORMANCE OR ANYTHING. EVERYONE JUST TOLD ME IT WAS A GREAT BIKE AND A GREAT DEAL, SO I BOUGHT IT, RODE IT AND HATED MOUNTAIN BIKING. I FELT LIKE A DORK AND DID NOT KNOW WHY. IT WASN’T UNTIL MANY YEARS AND MULTIPLE BIKES LATER THAT I GOT MY FIRST BIKE FIT WITH SPECIALIZED AND REALIZED I’D BEEN RIDING THE WRONG SIZED BIKE THE WHOLE TIME. WHEN I BOUGHT THAT FIRST BIKE, I WAS TOTALLY UNEDUCATED. I FIGURED SINCE THE BIKE WAS AN EX-PROS BIKE, IT WOULD BE GOOD ENOUGH FOR ME. I ALSO FIGURED THAT SINCE I WAS A NEW RIDER, I DID NOT NEED TO SPEND MUCH TIME OR MONEY ON EQUIPMENT. NOW, DEMO BIKES AND BIKE FITS ARE ALL OVER THE PLACE. PEOPLE RARELY BUY CLOTHES WITHOUT TRYING THEM ON, SO WHY WOULD YOU BUY A BIKE WITHOUT TRYING IT ON FOR SIZE AS WELL.
Tom Schaller
So you travel all over the world and live in one of the best mountain biking spots there is, but where do you go to unwind on vacation? Do you take your bike on this vacation? Do you go alone or does someone go with you?
IN THE SUMMER MONTHS, VACATION FOR ME IS STAYING HOME. MY FAVORITE DAYS ARE REALLY LONG BACKCOUNTRY RIDES WITH A GROUP OF FRIENDS, HITTING THE HOT SPRINGS AND CAMPING OUT IN THE SAWTOOTH OR WHITE CLOUD MOUNTAINS. I SPEND PLENTY OF TIME RIDING AND TRAINING ALONE, SO IT’S REALLY FUN FOR ME TO BE IN THE WOODS WITH PEOPLE THAT I LIKE TO HANG OUT WITH. IN THE WINTER MONTHS, VACATION IS SOUTH AMERICA. STILL WITH A BIKE FOR TRAINING AND RIDING, BUT THE VIBE DOWN THERE IS SO LAID BACK THAT EVERY DAY FEELS LIKE A HOLIDAY. I GUESS I HAVEN’T HAD A STANDARD “VACATION” IN A REALLY LONG TIME.
Heather Williams
