Bicycles!

[choneofakind]

no no no. NOSE-wheelie. Aka, I snapped on the lever a little to see how easy it was to lift the rear.

I suck at wheelies. Higher speed wheelies are a lot easier on a trail when you have a little tranny to lift off of and your standing up and cranking in the right gear. It's essentially a 'power wheelie'.

[Sirref]

Oh, so a stoppie? I consider that a jump with only one wheel unless you ride it distance.

[choneofakind]

no, not a stoppie. That's when you lift the rear as you come to a stop. Hence, stoppie.

Nose wheelie is riding the front wheel only. This one was a nose wheelie because I rode it for a short distance at speed.


I call them wheelies. Because power is applied to keep the nose up, the tranny just helps you loft initially. Unless you pop the rear as well, then it's a jump. ha.

[Sirref]

Ok then, that makes sense.

[Apex]

Wheelies are awesome on MTB. Every time my friends and I ride, we hold contests:
1. Line up and see who can keep the bike upright going the slowest
2. Wheelie contest
3. Stoppie contest

Always fun.

[choneofakind]

I approve.

I've also done the track stand contest. Or the "who can get the most air off that jump" contest.

Not so fond of the track stand contest on the roadies though...

[Apex]

Oh yeah, we do that as well! I forgot.

Track stands are great. I agree, it feels more "normal" to me on a MTB than a roadie.

[choneofakind]

Had another good day of riding. I got the roadie out because the roads were mostly dry. I've been riding MTB on street the rest of this week.

I'm such a better climber on my roadie. The gearing is higher and doesn't give me any lazy slacker gearing to fall back on. Not to mention it's so snappy when I get off the saddle and crank. I don't think I could ever go MTB-only. Then again, I couldn't go Roadie-only.

[Apex]

Man, I could go MTB only. Roadie is faster, but man, I feel so much better on the MTB.

[choneofakind]

Idk. Roadie gives me more of an attack mentality and I can power around for longer. I enjoy passing old guys

MTB is great. But idk. Just isn't as insane for me. Hella fun but not as attack-like. Plus I have to be cautious with eating it on the trail. Once bitten twice shy right?

[choneofakind]

Has anyone been following the 1x___ trend on trail and AM mountain bikes?

I was considering doing it when I went from 3x8 to 2x10, but I didn't want to make too much change at once and chickened out. Plus I would have had to piece together my own 1x__ setup because the only 'set' right now is the SRAM XXwhatever and that costs too much.


I can't wait for that to trickle down to X7 or SLX so it's a little more available. I think I want to give it a go on my next bike.

[Apex]

1x sounds nice when you think of the simplicity of the setup. However, unless I'm racing pro and have all the rings/cassettes to suit any possible situation, I'll dodge it. The most simplistic I'd ever go is a 2x10+. It is versatile enough to handy any MTB track without needing a ton of parts on hand to swap out.

Of course, that is just how I think.

[Jono]

I think I'm going to be getting a SS rigid mountain bike. And I think I am going to go with the 27.5 wheels. Because I've previously owned a 26" hardtail and now ride a 29" hardtail and want to see what it's like to be in the middle. Haha.

Anyone have experience with 27.5" wheel mountain bikes? Should I just go with the 29er?

And then next winter I plan to get a fat bike now that bikesdirect is offering a few cheap models. I can't say no! http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/fat-bikes.htm

[Sirref]

I have a friend who has a 27.5" mtb and it rides beautifully, I've always felt that 29" is a bit overkill and 26" isn't really enough so it's perfect, my next mtb will be a 27.5" they just feel right to me. Between 26 and 29 I'm more comfortable with 26 though.

damn, those look like good deals for brand new. I was planning to go used market but might not now. What's the advantage of the fatbike tire style? It looks cool but I've never ridden with tires like that before.

[Jono]

@Sirref Yeah that's my thinking on the 27.5" so I will probably go with it.


Here is a short article talking about the fat bikes.... http://m.bicycling.com/mountainbikec...gear/wide-load

I think they would be a lot of fun to ride around on. Can ride in any weather conditions. And they look awesome! Haha

[Sirref]

they do look unique, I'm not sure what I'm going to end up on in terms of my next mtb but those are only slightly out of my budget so it's a possibility

[Apex]

27.5 is definitely the way to go to get the "best of both worlds". I truly love the 29-er, so that is all I'm riding.

[Jono]

Yup that's what I will go with then. I absolutely love my 29er Scott but if I am going to explore the singlespeed world, I might as well go all out and explore the 27.5" world as well. Haha.

BTW this is the bike I am looking at....


http://www.bikesdirect.com/products/...kes-g275ss.htm

Not sure if I will go with the 19" or 21" frame with this bike. My Scott is XL (21") and my previous bike, Trek Tarpon was a 19" and felt a little small. I'm 6'1" so right in-between the two sizes. I guess I'll measure my Scott and compare the numbers to this Gravity.

[choneofakind]

Question. Why rigid? Have you ridden a roadie on a trail?


I understand SS. Sort of. I totally drool over 1x10 or 1x11. But rigid? No thanks.

[Jono]

Originally Posted by choneofakind

Question. Why rigid? Have you ridden a roadie on a trail? No thanks.

I want the challenge!!! If I bitch out, I'll just change the gearing and toss some slicks on it for commuting around town.

Read this, sums up the main reasons why I want one! http://www.bike198.com/riding-rigid-suspension/

[choneofakind]

Two words. Wrists. And elbows.

I believe the part about suspension making us lazy. But I also believe in fatigue due to being bashed around on long rides. At least get a squishy fork. If you want to get back to the basics, go with a 100mm travel, max on a 26er. That's where I'm at on both ends and it's a good balance of plush and required riding technique.


I do want a 650b bike with some wide rims though!

[Jono]

@choneofakind That's too easy! Don't be such an old man. I won't do long rides with it. That's what my hardtail Scott is for. I just love the simplicity of the rigid bikes. And hopefully it will teach me a few things. I started off with a rigid Schwinn 26" as a kid, that ain't a challenge.

[CynicalC]

So the ninja is on long term disability in the garage, I was thinking about putting together a commute bike for myself. Along the lines of a rigid moly 29er with alfine 8 rear + dynamo. Either rigid fork or fsus with a lockout. My commute is 8 miles each way with about 400ft elevation change. Any thoughts from the pros?

[choneofakind]

Sounds like a great commuter setup. Internal hubs are sweet.

What's your thoughts on flat MTB style bars vs drop bars if you go rigid fork? Planning on doing any luggage racks/saddle bags?

[CynicalC]

I don't really do drop bars. I prefer a more upright riding posture. I have horns on my bike right now and they're fine. I'll probably go with flat bars or a slight rise on the new commuter since I have a pretty long torso. Likely a rear rack + backpack.

[Sirref]

ah that's a shame, I've found that the drop bars on my roadie help me gain a lot more speed than I expected to get.

[choneofakind]

Originally Posted by Sirref

ah that's a shame, I've found that the drop bars on my roadie help me gain a lot more speed than I expected to get.

Pretty sure that's got something to do with the tires and hubs.

[CynicalC]

Think I'm gonna pick up this sexy son of a bitch on Saturday.

[choneofakind]

Wow, nice find! I've read great things about Ardents. Great find for the price.


Road based commuter? Maybe consider 700x35 (or as wide as you can find) Gatorskin. Get a set for road use. Comfy and fast on the MTB, not to mention those tires are practically bulletproof for commuting and training. Well worth the little bit of added weight on a road-going bike.

[CynicalC]

It is a nice find actually, so I removed the link. Someone robbed a MINT Breezer Finesse out from under me a couple weekends ago for $640. That would have been my best CL find ever. Anyway those gatorskins get style points for sure. People seem to love the big apples too. I've got time as I still need to pick up the alfine bits. Not sure I can pull off the ss commute.

[Apex]

That is why I went with a FS rig. I was planning on doing marathon rides, so the FS saves a lot of energy fighting the bumps.

[JELY1990]

Building up another road bike.
2009 Fuji Team frame and fork

Going to build it up with:
Ultegra 6800
FLO 30 wheelset

Undecided on what the rest is gonna be.

[CynicalC]

Originally Posted by Apex

That is why I went with a FS rig. I was planning on doing marathon rides, so the FS saves a lot of energy fighting the bumps.

Well I'm definitely going hardtail, not fs. Just not single speed. BTW that gary fisher guy never got back to me. I assume it sold pretty quickly and he never took the posting down.

[JudyG]

Due to a knee injury I can no longer ride a regular bike so a year ago I switched to hand cycling. I'm slow but durable. lol In the first 12 months I put 4300+ miles with most rides in the 25-40 mile length. My longest ride was right at 75 miles, but with temps close to 100 degrees that day in the shade I did get overheated and husband had to bring me ice, cold water and Gatorade so I could recover enough to ride the last 17 miles home to complete the 75 miles.

[JudyG]

Forgot to upload picture

[rojoracing53]

Originally Posted by JudyG

Due to a knee injury I can no longer ride a regular bike so a year ago I switched to hand cycling. I'm slow but durable. lol In the first 12 months I put 4300+ miles with most rides in the 25-40 mile length. My longest ride was right at 75 miles, but with temps close to 100 degrees that day in the shade I did get overheated and husband had to bring me ice, cold water and Gatorade so I could recover enough to ride the last 17 miles home to complete the 75 miles.

That's badass

I've been looking to get a hand cycle for awhile now because I figure it could be a fun way to work my upper body, but damn they aren't cheap.

[JudyG]

My bike is lean to turn. The fastest I have peddled it down hill is 32 mph, but I really won't let it go faster than 28 now, since it starts getting a bit squirrelly at that speed. Below that speed it is very stable and a lot of fun.

[Apex]

I had to do hand cycling for physical therapy at one point. I do wish I had one of those machines at home.

[misfitsailor]

Here's my new bicycle, an old school English Roadster replica. Rod brakes, single speed, freewheel. Not as heavy as it looks! I added the kerosene headlamp and creme colored tires.

[Jono]

Alright folks here it is!




Haven't gone trail riding with it yet, but I plan to go for a ride Saturday to see how it does. Rode it around town a bit and absolutely love it for just cruising around on. It makes me feel like a kid again! The gearing it came with was 33-18 and I think I will get a 16 or 17 for the rear. I'll wait to see how I do on the trails with the 18T.


Also, I went on my first real night ride last night on my Scott! Now that was a bit terrifying. Haha. It's a different world trail riding at night. And a world I want to explore more of. Next time I will go with friends though, cause it can get pretty spooky by yourself.