Hi Lynn,

Welcome to the group. I live in Concord, NH, which is
about 70 miles north of Boston (40 or so miles north
of the MA-NH border). I own a Kickbike X-C, 2 oldish
Kickbike Sport Classics, and a Kickbike Millennium
Racer. If you want to "test kick" a KB X-C (or an SC
or MR), I'd be willing to meet you somewhere in
northern MA or in southern NH to let you try one or
more of my KB's.

There is a Kickbike dealer in New Bedford, MA. If I
recall correctly, www.yesteryearcyclery.com is the
web address of the dealer. There's also a KB dealer in
NYC - www.kickbiker.com.

One good thing about the KB X-C is that you have the
option of using either the stock, knobby, mountain bike-like
26 x 2.35 inch front tire or a narrower 26 inch tire
(e.g. 26 x 1.5 inches) on the standard rim. (You'd need to buy the narrower
tire.)

The 26 x 2.35 tire is good for off road use and is OK
for street use (if you pump it up to max pressure of
65 psi.). A narrower, higher pressure tire (e.g. 26 x
1.5) would provide better glide on pavement. I got a 26 inch wheel at a discount
years ago when a bike store went out of business. I put a 26 x 1.5 inch road
tire on that rim. If I want to ride the X-C off road, I use the stock wheel with
wide, knobby tire, and if I want to ride the X-C on roads, I take the stock
wheel off and put on the other wheel with narrower tire mounted on it (I do have
to adjust the brakes a bit when I do this).

If the trails you plan on riding aren't too rough, you could probably just use a
26 x 1.5 inch tire when riding on roads and on off-road trails.

John V. in NH


--- In kickbiking@yahoogroups.com, "Lynn" <familjen.garcia@...> wrote:
>
> Hi all,
>
> I'm new to the group and looking for some input...
>
> I gave birth to my second child 4 months ago and need to lose the baby weight.
I like biking but hate the sore a$$ thing, so I've been looking into footbiking
for a couple weeks now and have narrowed it down to KB X Country and the FB
Trail. I've chosen these 2 because I'll be travelling on dirt paths as well as
pavement and because of color (lol). Can anyone give insight into which one?
Is one better for a shorter person (5'3")? Also, any tips for someone just
starting out?
>
> Thanks,
> Lynn in MA
>