Trail biking.

Been thinking about getting into this, as I really need to get some extra exercise, and have a fairly ok mountain bike for the job. I used to go trail riding when I was in school (lots of off road riding area's where I grew up), though that is 13 years+ ago now. Only issues been, the closest place to go trail biking to me, is 9 miles out, lol. I may have to look into taking the train there, or work myself up. If I cycle there, and then go on the trail biking route and cycle home again, I am looking at a good 25'ish+ mile ride. My choices are slim I think, I may have a look into going horse riding; which is something else I used to do about 3 times a week (at a cost of £160+ a month lmao). So, do I go with the free'ish route (aka trail biking)? or the expensive route (horse riding)? Decisions, decisions! Either way, I need more exercise; and cycling is definitely a good low impact cardiovascular exercise. which is great for weight loss, without building up too much muscle in the process. I absolutely need to lose some weight I have put on in the past couple of years, as I am looking at a major operation in about a years time (all going well). The fitter I am, the easier things will go, and the quicker I will recover from the operation.

By the way, this is what I mean for anyone who doesn't know about trail biking. Also happens to be the place that is near to where I live as well lol.

Personally, i prefer road biking because it allows you to go further and burn more calories. Road racing is fun too i was able to join a road biking team. I do mountain(trail) and road biking both are equally enjoyable. You can also do initerval training which gives you a good workout in a short period of time.

I agree, road biking does often burn more calories, and is very good for working on endurance. But off road riding can provide a more dynamic workout, which is what I am really looking for and need. It should mean I can burn body fat at a better rate. There are places I can ride at a nice steady pace, such as alongside the canal system where I live; which is mostly paved. And I will be doing a mixture of both per week. The off road riding, is also why I am potentially looking towards horse riding as well; as it improves fitness levels very quickly. When I first started horse riding, I weighed over 15 stone. Within 2 months of starting horse riding lessons, I dropped right down to 11 stone; and was very happy with my body at the time. That was with a one hour riding lesson every Wednesday, a 1 hour hack (ride on public roads and bridal ways) each Sunday, and an occasional 2 hour cross country jumping lesson or 3 hour hack thrown in each month.

Jeeeez i never knew horse riding was that demanding lol. But if mtb is the route you take, try looking for "fire roads" or places you can climb. When you climb, you can burn 1000-3000calories its insane. And when you climb, there is the downhill which get your adrenaline going. By any chance, do you know if your mtb brakes are mechanical or hydraulic? Mechanical brakes are less reliable and heat up quicker.

The brakes on my mountain bike are the old style mechanical v-brakes, but its no biggie; its all bikes used to come with while I was growing up. I have plenty of experience riding a push bike with those brakes, and I know a fair bit of bike maintenance. I can do bearings, wheel repairs, set up the gears, and so on. It also wouldn't be too much of a hassle to install hydraulic brakes either, as my bike frame has the mounting points in place for them. Not sure if my wheels have mounting points for the disks, but I would buy new wheels if needed.

Also, I will be off road riding here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Malvern_Hills

The areas highest point is at 1.394ft, so a fairly good ride uphill.

As for the horse riding, at least riding with the English style, you get a good workout.

While the horse is walking, you have to sit deep in the saddle. While the horse is trotting, you have to rise slightly in time to the horses movement (as opposed to the western style, where you still sit deep in the saddle), and while the horse is in a canter, you have to sit deep in the saddle again. For a gallop, you have to stay slightly raised off the saddle. While sitting deep in the saddle, your whole body is getting a workout from the horses movement. This exercises the abdomen and lower back, plus you have to remain perfectly upright. While holding the reins and asking the horse to follow your directions, you also end up working the upper body a bit. Then there are the leg movements to take into consideration, like when asking to horse to change their gait, or to turn in the direction you want to go. With a very stubborn horse, you may have to be a little more "persuasive" by asking bit harder. Ideally though, leg movements need to be subtle and not all that visually noticeable. My riding lessons included dressage and showjumping. While doing dressage competitions, you lose points if they see your leg movements lol. Plus, you have to work with the horse. I hate nothing worse than to see someone abusing their horse while riding, for that reason, I can not stand horse racing at all. There is no need nor point to beat 10 bells of crap out of a horse with a riding crop to make them move, makes me cringe every time I walk past the local horse racing track on a race day!

Ok now that makes sense haha. But yeah its good that you understand your bikes limits and you have climbing at that trail. Mechanical brakes would be a good future upgrade. Let us know how that trail goes!

I will do, just have to find a safe way to get there. Its less than an hours cycle ride to get there, but via exceptionally busy dual carriage way.