Cycling Thread

[Northendzone]

cracher - where did you park (west bragg or station flats) and what trails did you ride to get to snakes and ladders?

one suggestion i read was to go up/down S&L and then up/down bobcat.

[cracher]

Not too experienced with the south side, only my 2nd time. Parked at WBC lot, did:

Ranger-->SnL-->Tom Snow (not a fun track - rutty, muddy, piles of horse/cow shet everywhere. spent more time on this segment than any other) --> bobcat --> strange brew --> boundary back to the parking lot. It's really a bit of a letdown to go from uleashing the flow on SnL to fighting it every pedal stroke on Tom Snow (never been on ridgeback, perhaps it's a good alternative?).

[Northendzone]

^ in looking at the trail map - it appars that if you were to park at station flats then you only have to ride Tom snow for about 1k or so.......

[cracher]

Never been to station flats... but just 1 km of TS isn't bad. When you see a puddle, don't assume you can roll through it because some are pretty deep. Get your front end up or risk OTB faceplant into a pile of horse apples.

Oh, should also specify that I rode a 26er on Monday. You're on a rocky 29er if I recall... should have a much easier time with it than I did.

[Northendzone]

^ 29er - pfft those are circus bikes - i am on a 27.5 thank you........

ever since i crashed hard a few years ago, i tend to ride a little slower now and really slow down if i am not sure how deep the mud puddle is......i'd imagine that getting hurt somewhere in deep in a bike trail would not be a fun experince

[macker]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

Has anyone ridden snakes and ladders yet?

A bunch of times and it is getting better each time as it gets more and more worked in. I can't recommend enough looping it by starting at Ranger and down Snakes & Ladders and down Ridgeback to Bobcat and finish with Strange Brew. Another good way to ride it is Stick It, upper Ranger, Snakes & Ladders, Ridgeback, Bobcat, Sugar Mama. Can't go wrong either way though!

[macker]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

^ 29er - pfft those are circus bikes - i am on a 27.5 thank you........

ever since i crashed hard a few years ago, i tend to ride a little slower now and really slow down if i am not sure how deep the mud puddle is......i'd imagine that getting hurt somewhere in deep in a bike trail would not be a fun experince

http://www.pinkbike.com/news/Opinion...rail-Bike.html

Old news but 29er and 29er++ are the way to go for many people. No secret some of the top riders use them on the XC world cup but also starting to catch attention of some downhill riders and Trek and Specialized coming out with new downhill bikes for next year. I like all the sizes though and just pedal differently depending what bike I am on. The real question around here is do people really need all that suspension or are they better off on a hardtail for most of the trails that are the most popular?

[Northendzone]

^ to me 29'ers are not aesthetically pleasing to my eye.

i would say that most popular trails are smoother and hard packed so you could get away with a HT. Full squish is more comfortable

[cracher]

There isn't much doubt that 29ers are faster and can inherently eat more trail chatter, especially with + tires. But I agree with North that it just plain looks funny, tougher to get playful (hopping takes a lot more energy it seems, so hard to move a 29er towards the end of a ride). I really am in no rush to replace the Salsa Spearfish I broke a few months back.

Rear suspension, for me, is not negotiable. Bulging discs in the lumbar spine needs 120mm minimum or I walk like a 90 year old the next day.

[Northendzone]

i have to admit, i am somewhat curious to look into wider tires for my Rocky Mtn - however, i am afraid to see how much a 3 inch wide mtn bike tire would cost as 2.4 or so tires can now be as much as $100 (or course you can spend as little as $50 or so as well).

this winter i want to put a 42 tooth rear cog on my bike which will hopefully mean a little less walking up Merlin.... i just need to figure out if i alos need a new casette and deurailler as well........

[millhouse11]

Outerbike was awesome. So much fun. Rode a ton of bikes and met a lot of cool industry people. The new trails in Moab are so good. If you haven't been in a while, 5 years for me, I'd say go back. Mag 7 system, Na###o Rocks, were a blast. The views amazing. If you are a decent enough rider, then you have to do Captain Ahab. It's so much fun. Of course, the whole enchilada was running as well. We've always gone in the spring before, and the highest would could go would be LPS. So to be able to do it from the top, is pretty cool.

Outerbike favorite bikes, Ibis Ripley, Yeti SB45c, and Yeti SB5c. Never got to try the new Santa Cruz 5010. Completely redesigned the bike, so I was pretty pumped to give it a go.
Biggest disappointment, 27.5+ bikes. Was excited to try them, and I rode three different ones. In the end, it just felt like a gimmick to me.

[macker]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

i have to admit, i am somewhat curious to look into wider tires for my Rocky Mtn - however, i am afraid to see how much a 3 inch wide mtn bike tire would cost as 2.4 or so tires can now be as much as $100 (or course you can spend as little as $50 or so as well).

this winter i want to put a 42 tooth rear cog on my bike which will hopefully mean a little less walking up Merlin.... i just need to figure out if i alos need a new casette and deurailler as well........

Dillingers will run you $450 to $500 per set for 4 inch wide and even more for 5 inch wide and they sell out everywhere in the winter. I think bike manufacturers are liking this trend of wider/bigger and people buying two sets of tires/rims to have various sized tires to swap out depending on conditions. If you get the right set on the right bike it is money well spent regardless. And yeah my fat bike is ugly

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by Northendzone

^ to me 29'ers are not aesthetically pleasing to my eye.

I ride a bike with a massive frame. I had it in to a shop in Moab, and the guy there said "Man, you need such a big frame you almost need a 29er so your bike looks normal".

Me: "That is a 29er"

Him:

A frame in my size with 26" wheels looks hilarious.

That's why I love the wheel debate.

Bikes aren't cars.

You are going to tell someone who is 4'10" and 90lbs that 29" or 27.5" wheels are definitively better?

You are going to tell someone 6'10" and 300lbs that nothing is as fun as a 26"?

Kids always ride smaller wheels. On when you hit the transition between those wheel sizes, that's personal preference if you like bigger or smaller wheels relative to your size.

[millhouse11]

Just rode snakes and ladders. Stupid me did it immediately after doing deadlifts and lunges with my personal trainer. That would be the slowest I've ever climbed Ranger. I was 10 minutes slower, and almost had to stop. I was dragging. BUT, going down Snakes and Ladders was fun. The climb back up wasn't too bad. We did it as an out and back because my buddy had a time limit. We are going to do the Ranger, S&L, Ridgeback, Bobcat, Strangebrew loop on Sunday. I also realize, I suck at switchbacks. I do have the wagon wheel 29er though, and that doesn't help.

[millhouse11]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

I ride a bike with a massive frame. I had it in to a shop in Moab, and the guy there said "Man, you need such a big frame you almost need a 29er so your bike looks normal".

Me: "That is a 29er"

Him:

A frame in my size with 26" wheels looks hilarious.

That's why I love the wheel debate.

Bikes aren't cars.

You are going to tell someone who is 4'10" and 90lbs that 29" or 27.5" wheels are definitively better?

You are going to tell someone 6'10" and 300lbs that nothing is as fun as a 26"?

Kids always ride smaller wheels. On when you hit the transition between those wheel sizes, that's personal preference if you like bigger or smaller wheels relative to your size.

I have a buddy who is 6'7". He finally found a bike that fit him a couple of years ago. A XL niner RIP 9 Carbon. He loves that bike, and it looks normal with him on it. When you ride beside him though, it's kinda freaky cause he just towers over me.

[macker]

Originally Posted by Bill Bumface

I ride a bike with a massive frame. I had it in to a shop in Moab, and the guy there said "Man, you need such a big frame you almost need a 29er so your bike looks normal".

Me: "That is a 29er"

Him:

A frame in my size with 26" wheels looks hilarious.

That's why I love the wheel debate.

Bikes aren't cars.

You are going to tell someone who is 4'10" and 90lbs that 29" or 27.5" wheels are definitively better?

You are going to tell someone 6'10" and 300lbs that nothing is as fun as a 26"?

Kids always ride smaller wheels. On when you hit the transition between those wheel sizes, that's personal preference if you like bigger or smaller wheels relative to your size.

They rent some decent ones in Moab and surprisingly from a couple of Canadian manufacturers. Since then for me bigger is better after testing them on Porcupine and parts of the Whole Enchilada. If they can handle those conditions they can handle most anything. It is for sure all preference and I can't look at two bikes quickly and tell you the wheel sizes very easily in many cases. 26 will always be the size my wife rides no questions asked and this seems right to me. Truth be told I could be happy on any size 26/27.5/29/fat/skinny. Just ride and don't be pretentious about it.

[Bill Bumface]

Originally Posted by millhouse11

I have a buddy who is 6'7". He finally found a bike that fit him a couple of years ago. A XL niner RIP 9 Carbon. He loves that bike, and it looks normal with him on it. When you ride beside him though, it's kinda freaky cause he just towers over me.

I'm the same height and ride an XL Rumblefish, basically the predecessor to the Fuel 29ers.

It's kind of the same thing, the bike looks totally proportioned and normal until you put it next to someone else's bike... haha.

When I was a kid I bought the biggest bike I could and still have it today as a winter commuter, and the frame looks so, so silly with 26" wheels on it.

That said, I ended up having to borrow a friends 26" L to squeeze in a ride, and it felt incredibly nimble and light to throw off jumps compared to my bike. I can see the appeal for guys that size down.

[Fuzz]

Was just up on Nose Hill. What a gorgeous day! It is dry and fast up there, tonnes of fun on a 29'er. So nice in the fall for a quick rip. Wish the city would stop closing trails though, they just shut down some of the really fun fast stiff on the south east side. Jerks.

[cral12]

XC Backpack Essentials

Between the lads I bike with and I, we have most stuff covered, but wondering what everyone considers "must-haves" in your backpack when you're hitting the trails?

[Fuzz]

I rarely ride with a pack, but I have a tube, tire leavers, multitool, patches and $20 in my saddle bag and a pump on the frame. If I'm in any fear of bears I strap bear spray to my handlebars for easy access.