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1st for rides with views

Looking out onto the Puget Sound in Washington

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>>172497
I used to ride by eod in winter which always led me to riding at dawn without lights
>climb to the top
>head back down
>fast because there's barely any light left
>winter so dawn(golden hour) is not an hour but like 10 minutes
>make out the shape in the dark of three 4 legged cryptids
>yurop so no injun tale evil demons but deer
I became good at riding without light, barely making out the shape of the feature infront of me and sending it. But I no longer chase golden hour in winter as hand is fucked due to cold

>>172528
Gloves exist.

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1 year and UCI-discovery negroes already managed to kill EWS. DH is also niggered, 1 stage more than enduro. They should remove fucking leogang. Ass race and trail. Should've put slovenia or Les Orres instead.

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Ok, I'm just gonna say it - Long travel hardtails universally handle like shit

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>>172581
You’re riding the wrong half of the bike

>>172581
It’s the wack ass stack, you gotta slam that stem, maybe even buy one of those XC stems that looks half-erect

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>>172581
It makes the steepening head angle and shortening wheelbase through compression more exaggerated, definitely
This 150mm Meta HT was fun in ways, but I don't miss much about it. Wouldn't cop a hard tail over 130mm now

I think my riding enjoyment would be 5x if I was in better shape... 6 months until lifts are open again fuck

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>>172607
>I think my riding enjoyment would be 5x if I was in better shape
Most people fail to understand this.

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>>172607
I get that feel

Going back to Santa Cruz this weekend. Holy fuck are those trails gnarly but I have to get more comfortable with the gnar to improve.

>>172624
I was hoping from the thumbnail that the fix was going to be replacing the brakes with Hayes, TRP, or Magura brakes.

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Thread Question:
What is the ideal color for a bike frame?
For me, it's green

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>>172788
Anything non-matte, once you sweat on it or gets a bit of dust it looks like shit. But I would not chose a black frame independently of the finish. My old bike was matte black and I used to wear black shorts, jersey, gloves, helmet, goggles, everything. Went on a group ride once and ended up with Batman as nickname. I always think twice if now with color. Propain's tyee midnight blue looks sick.

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>>172789
>paint finish matters
I agree, matte frames tend to age poorly and look boring in the first place. Metal flake paint is definitely the way to go. Unfortunately it never looks as nice in photos though.

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>>172789
I went with black because the other color option was orange and I already had two other orange bikes and didn't want a third. Matte also scratches easier. The one thing I do like about black is that it makes any colors you put on it pop more, but I went with a subdued color scheme on this bike because my other bikes are already so colorful

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>>172788
O R A N G

I went with purple highlights because it's my favourite colour. Only after I started did I realise anodised purp was the in thing.

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What is the average price to convert to tubeless tire? that is tire, valve, sealant, tape and labor.

Just got a fucking flat for the first time, the trails I usually ride a full of thorns and its super common to get flats if running tubes. Had those meme slime tubes, but it didn't seal the tire, so guess who had to walk more than 2 miles back to their car....

>>172822
tubless tape $20
amazon valve stems (exact same thing as the regular valve stems) $12
My tires are all tubeless compatible $0,
16oz of sealant $20
the price is around $52 for both wheels I would say

Just got back from out of town. Continuing this conversation because I want to

>>172365
see >>172288
The tire is so much more durable than the tube, so just get rid of the weak link and go goopy. Besides, whoever the tube anon is, he's doing it because he's a poorfag college kid, not because its any better. Get your money up dog

I decided to lube up my chain for tomorrow's ride and I noticed that my rear caliper's pistons weren't coming out evenly so I decided to clean them up and lube up the pistons. I accidentally made a piston fall out so I did a brake bleed. I had the tools out so I did the front too and that's when I realized that I wore down the front pads down to the bracket. I'm going to ride some gnarly steep shit tomorrow and if I didn't catch that, the pads definitely would have failed.
I didn't expect the resin pads to wear through so quickly, I've only put 37.5 hours on the bike since I finished it in February since I have 4 other bikes.
Anyway, if you guys have Hayes Dominion A4 brakes, be careful when squeezing the brake lever without pads or a rotor in there. Instead of coming together and getting stuck like Shimanos, they'll just fall out and then you'll have to do a very easy bleed.

>>172822
Bike shops will do it cheap but all you need is tape, the valves, sealant, a sealant injector if you don't want to make a mess(you don't actually need one, but it's good for inexperienced people) and some sort of air compressor, air can, or a special pump like the one Topeak makes to seat the bead if they're not cooperative. You don't always need the last one if you can pump fast on a floor pump and bead is friendly, such as with mtb tires, but it's better to have one and skip the headache.
It's actually really easy to do, but it's a pain the first time you do it because you're learning as you do it. Gorilla tape makes it really easy to tape up a rim, but the problem is that it's thicker and has more friction than the special tubeless tape that you often end up displacing it and needing to retape the rim when you do a tire change. Again, it's really easy to do, no special technique or insider knowledge, just watch some videos and get a lot of paper towels ready for your first time. I don't even spill a drop of sealant these days

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>>172821
She's back together and finally ready to buzz all the ebike boomers as I ride along the waterfront like a tweaker tomorrow

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Other nzfag here. I went riding today with a mate on the Marin at makara peak MTB park. Went OTB 2 corners into Ridgeline and bruised up my hip and scraped my elbow on rocks. It hurt. Did a couple more trails and stupidly told my friend "surely I can only hurt myself once today" and went OTB again 30 seconds later. Didn't hurt myself this time but twisted my brake lever up. Fuckin sucks.

>>172851
Lel
Pushing each other like that is the best way to improve.
Hope you recover soon and good luck finding a spare lever

>>172839
My rear brake failed today due to a lot of fluid leaking out. It didn't happen until after I cleared the descents and then rode downhill on the road back to the trailhead. I just bled the rear brake several times and lubed the pistons. It feels fine, same as it did before the ride. There were no obvious signs of where the leak occurred, but the pads were soaked so it likely wasn't the rear facing bleed bolts coming loose since I checked them after the ride and they were still tight. The hose didn't even have any fluid on it so it wasn't the failure point. The obvious culprit is the square seal, but that's not supposed to come out with the piston, it's the kind of thing you need a pick to pull out, it doesn't even come out when you blow out the piston with compressed air when servicing the whole caliper. Any thoughts on what else could have happened? The failure happened after the hard descents when I was done with the hard braking and began to let the brakes cool. I was riding the brakes the whole way down to bed them in so they were under more heat than normal.
Good or bad idea to take a heat gun to the caliper to simulate the heat under intense braking? I think the failure may only be noticeable when the brake fluid is hot when it's less viscous.

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how bad for the rim is taking a few berms and rock rolls at around full speed on a flat rear tire before realizing that it was done and replacing the tube?

>>172928
Is there visible damage?
No
Alloy rim- You're probably fine
Carbon rim- tap it with a coin and listen for any differences in sound from the front wheel.

>>172920
I goofed and forgot to put the bleed blocks in, so I popped the piston out by accident. The caliper hasn't held oil under pressure since then, its basically trashed. I'm guessing we have the same issue

>>172942
That's why I'm confused. The piston is designed to pop out for easy servicing, it does hold pressure, really strong pressure like it's supposed to, but it shit itself today after the hard part of a trail so I think it's only failing because of intense heat since I was purposefully riding the brakes to bed in the new pads.
I ordered a replacement caliper and I'm going to disassemble the malfunctioning one to figure out what's going on and then I'll keep it as a spare. It has to be the piston and seal and those are replaceable
I feel so cockblocked that I only got one lap in today. I spent the whole week hydrating, even almost pissed myself driving back home from work on tuesday, and I packed a shitload of supplies into my cooler so I could go hard today and have maximum energy and focus. Oh well, I'll swap out the caliper and come back next weekend.

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>>172949
its probably not the piston thats fucked its probably the seal that you damaged during reinstallation. unless you cracked the ceramic piston.

>>172928
if it still will seat a tire and hold air then its fine.

>>172835
>college kid
Yeah, that’s me, I’m not the tube shilling guy you quoted
I went with tube’d contis just because I’m familiar with tubes and didn’t wanna be stuck experimenting to get it sorted out.
No point in swapping over just because I popped them in a crash.

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>>172788
That bronze nicolai and geometron do. Not sure it beats raw aluminum though.

>>172987
Looks like pre-kashima, gross

>>172949
There's probably some internal seal that needs reseating but I have no idea how to get my hands on the tool that removes the cylinder caps (magura)
>it does hold pressure, really strong pressure like it's supposed to
So did mine. I pulled the lever as hard as I could and no oil came out, so I tested it on the mountain, and I lost all the oil in the line

>>172962
Its not that difficult. Measure the inner bead of your rims and buy the appropriately sized rim tape. Take your time and place the tape nicely with no air bubbles. Then as long as your spokes aren't poking the tape, just put the tubeless valve in the hole instead of the tube.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-0p5pE4sRJM
t. built a bike after starting mtb last year

>>173021
>I started biking last year, listen to my expertise
no

>>173058
>expertise
Kid I'm older than you, if you think a simple tubeless conversion requires expertise, you're in for an eye opener when you leave college and join the real world. Assuming of course you actually use your (hopefully not) meme degree.
Bike mechanics is like duplo compared to working on cars. Any retard can do it if they bother to learn, which is why they pay bike mechanics peanuts

>>173061
the bike mechanics would be very offended if they could read

>>173061
>Kid I'm older than you,
Doubt it.

>>173061
You aren’t replying to the ‘kid’>>172962 (me)

That guy who said ‘no’ is the anti-tubeless guy

>>173113
You two should kiss.

>>173065
I agree they should be paid more, but who has the money to pay maintenance fees in an already expensive hobby?
>>173096
Then you are an idiot who needs to re-evaluate your skills and why you think anything on a bike requires expertise
>inb4 different anon
>>173113
Are they not the same person?

>>173131
>who has the money to pay maintenance fees in an already expensive hobby?
I do.
But I'd rather do it myself. That way I learn. Also I'd rather make my own mistakes than deal with someone else's.

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Started my new, much higher paying job today and I was told that nobody seems to have a problem with anyone stashing their bike in their cubicle. Anyone else stash their bike in their cubicle? Any tips? Mine is decently roomy and has a lot of storage, but it doesn't seem to fit a bike very well. I am next to a wide hallway where I can lean my bike up against a wall, but I don't want anyone to walk into it or for it to be in the way of facilities workers. I've heard there is a bike room so I'm going to check that out and see if it's suitable.

>>173147
Also want to add that is not my bike in the photo or my office. Some guy posted that in the Canyon facebook group to show how he stores his bike in the office on the warship he's stationed on.

>>173148
Damn I was gonna make fun of you for having the latest model of wage-cage, but a gravel bike on a battleship is bretty cool

>>173148
Why would you take a bike inside a ship if you are not on a carrier?

>>173206
to post on social media, duh

>>173206
I have no idea about the military and if this happens, but maybe he is bringing it with him to whever the boat docks.

I'm going to take some vids this weekend. How do I convert them into a form that this Turkish Oil Wrestling forum will accept?

>>173449
HandBrake works breddy gud for me
Idk how well you can do it for that sort of thing, you’re ultimately cucked by file size limit

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>order PNW Loam grips in XL on sale
>they send regular with an "XL" sticker on the box
>sale is over now :)
fucking hippies

>>172581
Suspension of any kind is for pussies
MTB begins and ends with vintage 3-speed Schwinn cruiser bikes on balloon tyres

>>173469
>loam
>not made of any of the 3 main soil types

>>173538
I barely notice my suspension, I have it so firm. It's only there so I don't break my ankles when I inevitably decide to start hucking to flat

What are some good hardtail frames I should be on the lookout for on the used market?

>>173612
Newer?
29 or 27.5 or 26?
Freeride? all mountain? xc?
carbon or aluminum preferred?
europe, or america?(or other)
Might help us narrow down some frames for ya

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>>173612
Just get a custom frame made with whatever geometry you want from Marino. It'll likely be similar in price to what people want to sell their used frames for. Plus you can specifically get them to make it with external cable routing so you don't have to deal with all of the bullshit that comes with internal cables that plague bike frames these days.

>>173616
26 is fine, I can live with any wheel size. Aluminium preferred. I live in Florida so there's no downhill or real jumps. Level mud, dirt, sand fire roads, mostly. Sorry, I should have been more clear. Let's say my budget is <$1000.

>>173619
>florida
hmmm
I would lean towards an xc or all mountain hardtail then so you don't overbike too much.
Now I know mostly 2010-2018 stuff but here is a very basic list to look for
santa cruz chamelon
niner air 9
ns eccentric
shit. Aluminum hardtails are usually sold as a full bike so I am blanking, and most I remember where 29 xc. Or 26 all mountain stuff which were steel like ns surge(which I have), or chromag stuff.
Honestly I would see what frames/bikes you like the look of and post them in /bbg/ over on /n/ or here.

One friend I knew shredded on an older 29 gary fisher xc hardtail... Hardtails are really pretty simple and for your use case a super long modern hardtail would make the flats less fun so aim for an xc one with 100-140mm travel IMO.

>>173622
Thanks

>>173612
>frame only
Mongoose Ardor for the lulz
Be cause it was le cheap bike every other bike youtuber either was paid as an advertiser to get one or they did their own 1k builds for the funny
It can fit just about whatever wheels too if you aren’t running super fat tires

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>>173619
>live in Florida
Just get a gravel bike lmao. Ride over fat mexicans for some vert experience like the dutch anon rides dykes and pothole for some offroad riding in that rainy concrete shitplace

>>173637
No bikes dedicated to swampriding?

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local trails this afternoon

>>173619
Don’t undersell our state. Still have a couple parks with good trails if you’re willing to drive out for a daytrip. Alafia and Santos are pretty fun
>>173640
Not possible unfortunately for ‘actual’ swamp. Some trails though you might fall off into swamp if you misjudge a turn

>>173628
>>173637
>>173640
>>173642
>>173654
YSK that products which have 666 in the barcode number are made much better than the other products. Theyre healthier, and they taste much better. The packaging also contains depictions of religious symbolism. I suggest you go verify this fact for yourself, if you want to be caught up to speed on the state of our hellish existence.

Good pair of tires less than $1000. Nukeproof discontinued their direct site in US. I was planning on getting their horizon V2 wheels later this year, but I'm not sure where I can find it now.

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>>173659
>Nukeproof discontinued their direct site in US
damn shame. I grabbed a pair of horizon v2's this summer and they've been great

>>173659
I bought mine off chain reaction. Shipped in a few weeks from the UK I think, and they've been great.

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Got a pair of Kryptotals today and fugging Continental ships them in these big boxes. Looks cool but they take up a lot of space. I haven't put them on yet, the tires I have on that bike right now (Michelin Wild AM and Force AM) are better for the trails I'll be riding tomorrow. I'm looking forward to trying them on once I need more grip.
also
> start new job
> try to post in this thread from the office network
> 4chan banned the IP range for abuse
holy fug, this is one of the top medical product manufacturers and R&D corporations in the world, what the fuck were my predecessors posting?

>>173663
When I go outside and try to post I am pretty much banned everywhere. Continental really went all in with their packaging, which is cool. Always liked their older tires like cross kings and mountain kings. WTB stopped making the tires I like so I bailed on them. I miss the wtb wolverine 2.2 for dry hardpack and the neat pattern.
Kenda had 26 stuff on sale so I got nevegals for 10usd a tire a bit ago off their website .They do decent on my dry and rocky terrain.

>>173654
Nowhere within 200 miles of my county has an elevation higher than 20ft above sealevel, not counting buildings. I do have heaps of fire trails and forestry trails and muddy rocky shallow (<1ft deep) creeks/marshes I can ride through, though.

If you were to live anywhere, solely for mountain biking, where would it be?

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>>173670
Fucking grim. Move out, unironically
>no mountains
>can't do the best sport ever concieved by human intelligence
>hurricane's wreck havock
>incredibly hot and humid
>unlivable without A/C
>crocs snatching children if they get close a puddle
>no snow
>english is a secondary language with the unintelligible puertorican/domincan spanish as the official one
You could argue that women are hot(no bc grotesque fat asses are shit) but you'll not get anything from those shallow cunts

Mountainlet's brains would fucking melt if they stood at the base of a mountain range and explode if they got the peak of one through hiking.
>>173695
I live here already. Only problem its thats its too hot in summer.

It has been raining for the whole week till yesterday. Some guys decided to rework most of the system on wednesday, thursday and friday. They left it amazing, it was damp, loamy and grip was 1000x to normal levels. Absolutely love the sound tires make on damp dirt, its unique. Relaxed too much and ate shit on some wet roots and proceeded to burn my leg with the rotor as I was straightening the handlebar

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>florida anon's head explodes and dies due to altitude sickness

>>173695
pnw or vancouver. I am happy here next to the sierra nevadas in norcal, but up there it doesn't get hot which would be nice.
Worst place would be florida or any place that's humid+hot.

Utah is really cool, wouldn't want to live in the rust belt since I like steel frames.

>>173708
Yall overblow the difference altitude makes
Only gonna fuck someone up if they have weak lungs/don’t train cardio
T. Another Floridaman
>>173709
Utah is definitely pretty cool, been up in the mountains snowboarding there

>>173717
>fuck someone up if they have weak lungs/don’t train cardio
You gotta have really good cardio to not feel it if you are used to live at sea level. The switch from humid dense air to a less dense dry air will shit on you.
https://youtu.be/K2gtpbZqgL4?si=ni1kfHSuhxSJtZ1m
>argentine( sea level individual in La Paz at 3.5km( 11.4k ft)) dies
But here I like to stay below 2000m as thats the tree line here. I luv loam

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It was 36F when we started riding and we were not geared up for those temps. It felt like Skiing weather for the first hour

>>173670
https://youtu.be/hsujcd43-70?si=dsvYweZGXGz0c4y2
Alafia looks pretty fun

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>>173612
I'm totally biased. But get a torrent.

Fuckin sick bike, I'm looking at getting a sight frame to build up.

Sorry about my potato camera.

>>173770
>potato camera
Was the lens made from petroleum jelly?

>>173663
These are absolutely the most annoying MTB tires I have ever installed and I will not buy another pair no matter how good the performance is on them. The bead is very slippery and the sidewall is stiff so getting them onto the rims is some yakety sax shit because no matter how hard I tried to get the beads on, they always slipped out when I tried to wedge them in with the tire lever. At least, at the very least, when I did manage to get them mounted, the beads easily and uniformly popped into place. There was a 1 star review for them on JensonUSA that said the same thing and I thought the guy was just being a bitch, but he was absolutely right about the installation. Next time if it doesn't go on immediately, I'm just sucking up my pride and going straight to zipties.
My Michelin Wild Enduro Raceline tires have even stiffer sidewalls, but at least those are easy to mount. Say what you will about Maxxis tires, but at least they're stupid easy to mount and remove. Never had a problem with Schwalbe either.
I also ran out of rim tape while I was switching from Pirelli Cinturato Gravel M tires, to Michelin Power Gravel on one of my gravel bike wheelsets. I'm going to try out some new rim tapes and let you guys know if these are worth using.

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>>173846
Git gud.

>>173851
Which casing are you on? I got the trail casing. It was like some cartoon whack-a-mole shit with the bead always slipping out. I've had some hard to work with tires but nothing like this. None of my tricks worked on it.

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>>173846
Personally, I've found all of the current conti casings from trail, enduro and dh to be relatively easy to mount onto multiple different rims (2.4 inch tyre on spank spike race 33 and ex511's). I have had a much better experience with them than schwalbes (2.6 inch Magic Mary gravity casing iirc) on the same rims. I end up feeling a bit like an octopus using 3 tyre levers, but its not overly difficult. I would recommend trying pic rel as they don't snap like other levers and end up bending.

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>>173862
I've been using Gorilla Levers. They haven't broken on me yet, but I've also improved my technique.
If you say the Contis are easy to mount, then it has to be my rims making it harder for me. If the performance is good enough that I'm willing to try them again on another wheelset, then maybe I'll put them on one of the NOBL wheelsets I use on my other 2 mtbs.

>>173855
Honestly speaking they are a bitch, but nothing to write home.
I'm on Enduro casing. These are not bad compared to my Continental der barons. I broke 3 Pedro's levers changing a tire with those. But the key to getting these on is honestly technique, as well as having 200lbs+ grip strength and isopropyl alcohol to lubricate the rim so the tire slides on easier.

I also run inserts with my tires so go figure how hard that is.

Technique+isopropyl alcohol+strong hands is how you get them on.

>>173862
Schwalbes were an ass to put on, but I have the technique now. I just put a Michelin on the rear yesterday and it was relatively easy because of that
>was thinking about the right way to mount it
>mounted it the wrong direction anyway
>so installed it twice

>>173865
The problem wasn't that they were too tough, it's that they just kept slipping off and wouldn't stay in place. Any time I would be on that last fifth of bead that needs the levers, I would try the tried and true technique of slowly working the bead a quarter or half inch at a time with the lever while pinching the opposite side, but there is a certain point where I would work the bead into the last sixth and then it would slip back out on the side of the lever when I would relax it to move it in, and then the bead slips out and undoes it self back to a quarter of the rim circumference.
I was being overdramatic with the "I'll never buy these again" but if they show themselves to be really good, then I'll just use zip ties or some kind of strap to keep it from falling out. Gravel and road tires are way tighter and harder to work than MTB tires, but they have never presented me with issues like this before, they tend to stay in place with that last lever pull being a hard one

Really thinking of re-doing my sealant just to take a video of how easy it is to remove and install my kryptotal

>>173879
please do it. I might learn a new trick for mounting tires and that other anon will see how easy it is to go tubeless

> take off michelin tires for the winter
> they take the rim tape with them
> no rim tape left in my cuck shed
> won't have the free time until friday to redo the tape on my gravel wheels
> also have to replace a rear brake caliper and replace the scratched load bearing decals on my ZEB
> probably going to rain this weekend so may not get any good riding in

>>173882
Honestly I think the secret sauce is hookless carbon rims I don’t remember having any issues since I switched to those

>>173883
They are hookless carbon rims. I imagine our rims have different depths so that's why there is a difference in difficulty mounting them

>>173834
Nah it's got water in it and it condenses on the lense. My boss is in china ATM I've asked him to get me a new phone while he's there.

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>>173730
>really good
I wouldn’t say I have ‘really good’ but I guess to the average person it is.
Was a good runner in high school (been a bit lazy in college so I’m now ‘slow’ by comparison) but my lungs are far from my limiting factor when out on a run, when I’m on my bike even less so

>>173851
>>173869
Any recommendations on replacing my chinesium?
Yeah I went with tubes for my road tires but I guess I’m willing to try tubeless for the MTB tires if they really are that much better on the trail

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>>173894
>chinesium
If you mean rims, I'll just get ex511 or ex471. Maybe the Fr as weight difference isn't much. I really wouldn't like going to the dentist due to a slant eyed rim collapsing while bombing DH.
Tires, just get some thick sidewalls for snakebites. DH casing. See picrel for recommendation. Holes(if they happen) in tread or in the sidewalls get plugged by mucoff's pink c00m and snakebites isn't a thing you should worry about on DH tires(mishillin). Last time I went flat was in summer bc I put the paper thin DH34 bike park version. And before that, 2 years without an issue after I switched from DD casing+freeridetubes to c00m+DH casing

>>172532
man Bielsko-Biala is fucking amazing location

>>173894
>Any recommendations on replacing my chinesium?
Depends what you ride. Can't really go wrong with any of the well known brands. Even with good brands, I still end up using my foot as a 3rd hand to hold one tire lever while my actual hands use the other lever to pull the bead over the rim wall. The last 5 inches of bead require you to push the tire away from you to get the lever under the bead
>I guess I’m willing to try tubeless for the MTB tires if they really are that much better on the trail
It is, especially if you do anything at speed beyond XC.

>>173904
>>173932
yeah talking about replacing the rubber in pic rel
feel like my rims are "good enough", took the 'curbstrike' that annihilated my road tire tubes like a champ
also in Florida, so there's no serious downhills, just parks with anything that's steep is a built up berm so its 30-40ft descent max before you have to climb again

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>>173952
>flat
Just pump the tire to max pressure and voila. No more snakebites even on thin tires.

>>173956
idk, the tears in the tubes were pretty long for a snakebite hit. I think if I was at 110psi instead of around 80 it would have ruptured. I hit a 7" curb head on because I couldn't see it - at night and all the lighting made it cast no shadow

also, I have no means of inflating them that high anyways (at least with vaguely knowing the pressure)
Need to get a smaller diameter stand pump, my current one is too wide so I'm too light to get that sort of pressure
I basically just get it to 75ish psi then with my emergency hand pump give it a bit more and test pressure by pressing down on the tires and seeing how much they deform at the ground

>>173846
Just rode with them. They hang dong. Absolutely perfect for the dirt I was on today. Definitely buying another pair, fuck the install, I'll just man up and use zip ties

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>>173878
I just grabbed that entire last 1/5th and got it on with my hands.
>>173894 whatever is cheap and good. The specialized tires are pretty good. Anything that matches your intended use from Michelin, Continental, or maxxis. Will be pretty good. I haven't tried the Kenda.

Also I wish they made picrelateds color combo with their wild Enduro I would buy a set in a nanosecond.

>>173952
Even if you're talking about the rubber, all you can do is stick to the well known brands or get a heavier casing. Like I said earlier/last thread, the tire is much sturdier than the tube. Might as well do away with the tube, because they're all the same and they all pop

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So now that it's Halloween, what is your spookiest experience on the trails?

For me, it was the time my front tire rolled off the bead on a 15 foot drop. Managed to ride it out though. Now I never run under 25 psi in the front.

>>174015
One time me and my dad took a road stop in moab for a couple days.
We were car camping up on the mountain southeast of the town.

Took my bike to ride around the trail up there at 8000 feet, got only 1/2 a mile, heard some movement up the cliffside in front( I was climbing). Stopped, saw 2 bear cubs maybe 100ft up ahead. Rode the fastest I have in a while down that unknown trail back to the road.


Earlier in the day felt like I was being watched hiking around that area.

>>173663
>try to post in this thread from the office network
Bruh, fuck you doing?

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This was in the afternoon, in spring so bushes are all thick so you can't see shit. Heard several thumps on tree trunks and bushes moving but couldn't really tell the direction. Heard it 2 more times followed by a loud sharp noise. Just frooze on the spot expecting some shit to come out and drag me. Felt really cold air on my face and just went back down the mountain. The silence after the sounds followed by the cold air blowing past me spooked me.

The other one was when I put my bike on the rack at the back of the bus(to shuttle up the mountain). Like 10 minutes inside I decided to look outside to see the bus on the reflection on a building. When I did, the bike was not on the rack. Heart immediatly sank. Spent the rest of the ride just dreading the moment I had to get down just to not see the bike telhere anymore. It was there at the end but I alway sit at the back now where I can see the bike constantly. Never relax

> friend is a licensed parts dealer
> gets us parts at wholesale
> just became a certified Garmin dealer
oh boy. I can't wait to get a Fenix 7 Pro and an Edge 1040...assuming I pay a max of 60% of what they normally cost
I wonder if they'll ever put strava and trailforks search and segments on them. That would be a game changer

>>174026
I did it all the time at my previous job. I browsed /k/ and watched a lot of russians get droned. I think that if IT didn't want us on it, they'd outright block it like they do to other websites. They do block opening up media from the website so all I can see are thumbnails

Kiwi anons, what are your favourite trails around Wellington? Been riding up Belmont trig and down the other side. Incredible if there aren't peds on the trail.

>>174086
I'm mad af at Garmin for not challenging strava. They have segments, but they suck balls. If they would improve this made it more like stravas segments, strava would go out of business.

>>173846
Just tried the i72 rim tape sold on Amazon. Easy to install and no leaks in my gravel wheels. Feels durable too.
I'll be switching the maxxis tires on my enduro bike back to michelins for the winter soon. If the maxxis tires rip the rim tape off, I'll have to use the wider i72 tape I got for mtb wheels

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night biking is spooky but not as spooky as getting blinded by mud for having no mudguard hhehe

>>174205
It's amazing how a simple trail you ride all the time levels up and is harder at night, just because you can't see as well.
I used to run a helmet light and a handlebar. Both were good, but the helmet was critical since it followed your head.

This was a decade ago, so now lights are much better. I need to do night rides. Awesome when it's 100 F outside during the day, night time is comfy then.

>>174025
Similar experience, except it was while is was backpacking. Came across 2 younger black bears on the trail, and managed to scare them off. I've heard they're generally more scared of you then you are of them, but holy shit those things are fast

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Ok anons, what is the first rule of mountain biking?

>>174267
The less extreme your discipline of biking, the more pompous you have to be about it

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I've an Orbea Occam H30. It's a low end double suspension bike. Is this good enough to ride bikeparks and do some drops/jumps?

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>>174282
the only limitations are in your mind

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>>174282
You'll die.
Yeah, the only thing would be insufficient would be the brakes. If you get into slight tech like picrel thats a bit steep and long you'll be wanting to break. It'll not be powerful so you'll pull levers alot. Besides no breaking and putting alot of force, your hand/arms/fingers will get tired. Do several runs and pain from deathgripping will be unbearable. Take a shock pump with you. And put a bit more pressure on tires.

>>174282
It also looks you are running exo+ infront and exo rear. Thats basically paper thin protection and non existent support Atleast consider putting DD. Too much air and handling/feeling will be shit. Lower air results in squirms and DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING DING on everysingle root and rock, risking the rim to crack or get fugged-ruining the day. And punctures, you'll puncture.
https://youtube.com/shorts/uCCoDXFkAko?si=TF715Otc8-06hNDu

>>174303
Doubledown is dummy thicc and the latest version of EXO+ thats a few years old now is totally durable and supportive enough for park riding I think. You always want to go thinner casing when you have the capability to, it results in a gripper, lighter and more effective tire and you should only move up in casing strength when necessary.
Yeah he should have the tougher casing in the rear but that’s a different story

>>174305
I was even gonna tell him to put DH casing but remembered he's a trail dude. DD should be better overall than exonig/exonig+
>it results in a gripper, lighter and more effective tire
A thicker casing will always feel better on the trail, allowing you to ride lower pressure(more grip) and dampening chatter effectively. And more protection from rimstrikes and cuts/punctures
>muuh weight
Die climbing, be a man

>>174307
A thick casing feels like wood when you’re not using it as intended; you move to thicker casing if you need more puncture resistance or extra sidewall support that isn’t viable with just adding psi, you move to weaker casings when you want the tire to confirm and articulate as well as possible without needing puncture protection and without needing consistency at ridiculous gforces

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>>174267
I think the first rule of mountain biking is that you must autistically obsess about the parts that you put on your bike, especially if you don't race or hit big features.

>>174267
Fucking stand up I told you a thousand times

>>174107
Makara is probably my favorite park there. Otherwise jailbrake on mapuia hill in mirimar down from the prison would be my favorite single trail in wellington. Me and a group of guys are gonna go to colonial knob in porirua on Sunday if you want to come along if you are comfortable on grade 4/chill grade 5 trails we will be riding all the normal trails there plus a couple of illegals.

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>>174314
The amount of jerrys I see just going OTB for being retarded is astronomical.
>2 ft "drop"
>seat tube at max height
>seated and cranks are left-up and right- down instead of being level
>try to roll it
>pulls front brake hard
>OTB
Or
>he has the fake and gay confidence from riding firetrails without falling
>approaches fast with the same posture
>nose goes down
>rider smashes his face
Everysingle time kek. Pink bike's friday fails is complete of these.

>>174267
The most expensive bike wins, rider skill means nothing.

>>174344
Tips for going OTB
>bikepack
>shorts
>bright MX jersey/kit
>bonus points for alpinestars
>age 40 minimum

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>>172607
same...

I should have known better than to have a fuckton of korean bbq last night. I had plans to ride today, but when my alarm went off at 6:30, I just knew I wasn't riding mtb today

I've got an entry level stumpy and I'm thinking about upgrading the brakes on it.
Thoughts on Shimano XT M8120? Something else?
I'd like low maintenance and do trail riding.

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>>174548
Yes and put Redline Likewater in them instead of shimano oil
>t.trust me nigga

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>>174571
interesting, just googled this.
You've done this to reduce a wandering bite point?

>>174534
it was over before it even began :(

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>>174582
Yes, to great success on the rear saint(as it has a longer hose). No leaking/damage whatsoever since august.
You see, in short. WBP depends on fluid viscosity, the return speed and hose length/inner diameter. Which is why the rear brake in winter is alot worse. As temperature decreases, the fluid's viscosity increases. Shimano had to disclose to the globohomo police state of EU and viscosity is 8mm2/s at 40°C and RedlineLikewater is 4mm2/s.

>>174598
You know, we figured out what fluid should be used in brakes back in 1920, and then we called it “brake fluid” for the next century.

>>174600
Quiet. Bikes need 17 different standards that are all incompatible with each other. This also includes retiring and introducing new standards every year.

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>raining nonstop since monday
>finally clear to be able to see the mountains
>covered in snow
>tfw all sick steep loamy singletrack trails above 1000m are under snow
its over, I gotta now wait till late april or early May to ride there again. If it weren't for yurop having really shitty hot summers I would become the main antagonist of greta thunberg's gay hippie utopia to ride year long
>>174600
>we called it “brake fluid”
You might not like it but the best brake fluid for shimano is not a brake fluid

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>>174587
I went for a ride today and I fucked up bleeding my brakes before so I had a miserable time since I didn't trust my bike. I'll make up for it next time but now I am sure the brakes on my enduro bike are at 100%. Thinking about switching my Assegai and Dissector back to Michelin Wild Enduros soon since we're about to get some light rain. I don't know if it'll rain enough to cause mud, or hero dirt.

Spiders keep nesting inside the brake calipers of all my bikes. I wonder when I'm going to cook one or light one on fire, they usually jump out as soon as the rotor starts moving. They even nest in my motorcycle, I had a rat living inside it. Aside from my dirt jumper which I haven't ridden in over a year since my park still hasn't been rebuilt, none of my bikes sit around collecting dust.

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How was your ride this weekend anons? It was a bit frosty around these parts.

>>174708
>I fucked up bleeding my brakes before so I had a miserable time since I didn't trust my bike.
That's the worst, hopefully next time is better

>>174721
The trail I was on is the hardest easy trail
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cx0YBRqHnlc
(mute it, loud music)
There isn't anything particularly difficult about it, I'd actually rate it as a blue, but it's all off-camber, narrow, and it's hard to gauge what's coming up. It also has a really difficult flow. So you go down something sort of steep into a narrow bridge over a deep gap, and then you have to make a sharp uphill turn right after you cross the bridge. I wanted to redeem myself on it today, but I'll have to come back another time and try it again.

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>>174721
It was a good ride. Got my suspension back after it being serviced. For the first time in a long time I rode a trail that wasn't easy. I could ride all the downhill sections but the uphill ones were another story. Probably a new favorite trail third to kitsuma and a secret one in big ivy

>>174726
Forgot to add. This trail is like lower hairball at snowshoe but if it was harder.

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>>174721

Great. Spent Saturday morning cutting grass at my local MTB park again. Honestly I don't know if kids today are entitled or just vacant as fuck. Twice I had people (kids) riding down trails that I'd blocked off with equipment at the top. Even to the point where they would move my barricades to open up the trail entrance. Absolute turkeys. So I'm gonna make a proper sign out of a stop sign (traffic sign) I found at work, that way at least it's super obvious that the trails closed.

Went on a decent ride Sunday. My Marin is still broken - I tried to bend the brake lever back and snapped it off - so I took my hardtail. It's quite hard work on chunky trails but enjoyable when it opens up and you can go a bit faster.

Also I signed up to a 50k XC race in 12 months time. I'm thinking of changing to the 100km event instead but I don't want to actually have to buy an XC bike for it.

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https://enduro-mtb.com/en/is-the-future-of-the-edr-under-threat-and-with-it-the-future-of-professional-enduro-racing/

Its over

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>>172497
Is Cannondale /mtb/ approved? Is the XT gear worth the $700 over the SLX?
Michigan, so no real downhill available. Just XC and parks.
Also considering Topstone Lefty

>>174832
do some research into the bike you're interested in. Cannondale does make good bikes, but the problem is that they do things differently and use proprietary parts that a common LBS won't be able to fix(unless they carry Cannondale) and your tools may not work

>>174873
True. Had a Caffeine with the FatHead and while it had cool factor and worked great any type of maintenance was a giant pita. Was considering a Trek also. Almost bought a Kona a long time ago

>>174982
I think they've become more standardized but I'm really not sure as I don't own any of their bikes anymore(used to have a Bad Boy with the headshock) and I haven't heard any complaints about it on their MTB side. It might just be their road bikes that use the proprietary BB, and have a different dish on their rear wheels. I've heard great things about the Lefty fork. Apparently, the design is better than a traditional telescoping fork because it doesn't have to overcome stiction so it reacts to the terrain faster.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=onCw2Nuj8gc

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We need more blacks in MTB.
More black tech trails. Tired of only being able to MTB in few spots because most are just smoothed out flat trails with rollers so more new casuals who will never ride again do it for a single day. This is also why you ride these kind of trails during downpours, to spice them up a bit

>>175276
Yeah I get what you mean. I'm pretty lucky to live about an hour away from some very sketchy trails that are borderline unridable. All this machine built grade 3 flow trail shit gets very boring. It's cool that they build this shit to help get new people into the sport. But they are boring. So boring.

>>175276
As a blue tard who still can’t bunnyhop, and struggles to get enough rotation for drops still, how do I progress to blacks?
Feels like they’re forever out of reach, the disparity feels a lot greater than blue vs black on a snowboard

>>175306
Reds

>>175306
The difficulty shapes don’t actually mean anything, just keep riding more there’s plenty of stupid-easy blacks and potentially-lethal blues out there

>>175308
Don’t exist in U S of A
>>175310
Maybe, but most blacks I’ve seen are definitely tougher. In FL, so it’s just built bike parks
My dumbass last wrecked not landing a small jump on a blue flow trail right, landed straddling the descending half of the hump instead of flat on top or just plain clearing it

Any knee/elbow pads anyone recommend? Not sure if I can keep up with the ‘fuck it’ mentality and be helmet/gloves only

>>175306
Just go ride a trail above your pay grade, and get in over your head. Walk what you can't ride. Riding a trail above your pay grade and failing is the best way to identify what you need to work on.

Learning how to fall is the most important MTB technique.
Also practice helps, just try to learn bunnyhopping and how to lift the front wheel for a drop.

I personally learn the fastest taking risks and barely being able to ride down.

>>175306
walk the trail. If you have buddies ride with them and follow their line if they aren't crazy fast.
Take knee pads and sometimes stop, take a deep breathe and have fun.
The more you ride a trail the more you can speed/push yourself.

I started in a mtb club in highschool. Crashed a ton, rode with better riders, and became better. After a year we had races at a DH bike park and we did the blues there, and then some blacks/lift access stuff.
>>175327
For gravity assisted stuff I like the big knee+shin pads. Something like the fox titan, and then soft armor for elbows. For days with lots of pedaling I wear lighter pads and only knee pads.
Remember, if you are going to fall100% bail into the bushes, or away from the rocks.

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>>175327
Oh, so straight from a blue to black. Does that mean that an NA black is a European red?

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>>175276
Be the change you want to see, anon. All the best trails are outlaw around here
>>175306
Practice skills intentionally while you're out riding, and session features until you can do them consistently. Most people just kind of ride, fuck up features along the way and just move on, then wonder why they never improve. It will also require some judgement on what features are far enough out of your comfort zone to improve, but no so far that you destroy yourself or your bike.
>>175327
>Any knee/elbow pads anyone recommend?
For gravity riding, anything with a solid knee cover. For pedaling, one of the flexible sleeve things would be best.

>>175341
Bike parks are notorious for having power gaps in their trail difficulty levels, I think he’s just gotta go somewhere else and see more trails.
There’s a “blue flow trail” at the local DH that I never feel comfortable on, it’s a minefield of ruts and protruding edges, but I have no problem hitting the also-recently-built black and double black technical trails. On top of that the park is finally using pro-line signage. I don’t necessarily agree with what they call pro-lines (they look more like “real” double blacks, which I shouldn’t be able to ride), but I’m glad they now have 5 difficulty levels as well as flow/technical designation for everything.
Meanwhile at the other bike park the situation is completely different, it’s never technical and never steep and the “double black” is all just sculpted jumps and beginner-friendly wide open drops
And don’t get me started of trail rating accuracy for public bike trails, that’s always been terrible

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>>175327
>Any knee/elbow pads anyone recommend?
I use the Dakine Anthem pads since 2017. Still standing strong, giving protection and comfortable. Its a bit bulky if you gotta climb in +30°C, if not I can go all day long with them. I have done enduro races and once I put them on before the the race starts, they don't come off till I go take a shower. I once did >picrel a year ago due to a hole. They are strap on, which are better than slide ons and these don't slide down.
>elbowpads
These are uncomfortable. So no. My scars in my forearms and elbows are a testament of being a mtber
>helmet/gloves only
This is retarded unless you ride in flat stuff/gravel. I never ride without kneepads, they are a must. With a broken arms or elbow I can walk down the mountain but with a broken kneecap or leg, nuh uh. You need to get carried down.
>>175341
Reds are quite fun, technical enough and you still can go fast.

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What is the ideal underwear for mtb? Inb4 road bike diaper

>>175426
Depends on your dick size. I pack heat so I go with the jockstrap.

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>>175426
> Underwear

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>>175426
>Implying there are options other than strings

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>>175426
>boxer briefs
This is it nigga
>briefs / trunks
Only kids that haven't had their wet dream yet wear these
>boxers
Only old unfertile boomers whose willy no longer stand up se these and if you wear these, you pp will be flying everywhere whioe you ride.
>jockstrap/strings
Only ricardo can and (You) if (You) are doing a race
>bikini/thong
Only women. Mtb pants of women are always tight somehow thus you can the outline which I like to watch and is nice

>>175426
Trunks or boxer briefs are all a man should ever wear. Everything else is too constrictive and boxers and midways have too much fabric and shift/bunch

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Went to a really chunky and techy place called Rockville today. I need to go back a few more times because I did really poor today. It's all tech, no flow to it, lots of steep off-camber sections when it does get flowy.
Anyone recommend a fast but grippy XC/trail tire for the winter? I don't think I'll be able to dig in with the Schwalbe Wicked Wills on my XC hardtail when it gets a little slippery. Friend recommended the Specialized Ground Control tires, I'm thinking about the Michelin Wild AM2 tires since I used one on my trail bike, also considering another pair of Continental Kryptotals but I haven't put the ones on my trail bike through their paces yet.

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What's the best chinkshit to get from aliexpress for mtb? A bunch of stuff is on sale for their Nov 11 thing. So far I've had a good experience with valve stems, a carbon bottle cage, and a 11-46 10 speed cassette. I'm thinking of picking up some rim tape and grips this time to have on hand.

>>175604
>Fast
>Grippy
Just inflate trail tires to 30 psi if you want something that's sorta fast and sorta grippy. Alternatively, most brands have a more aggressive xc tire which sounds like what you're going for, but the wicked wills fall into this category already. If you must consoom, just get whichever one looks the coolest to you.

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>>175707
> just inflate trail tires to 30 psi

very genius take. Reminds me of when some dude was asking where to find short levers for his shimano brakes and they just told him to move the levers in further.
My Arc has a lot of tire clearance so I might just stick something with big knobs in the back, probably some contis since they make them in multiple cases

>>175604
I find it 100% depends on how your terrain changes over the winter. Mine looks similar to yours, but it doesn't get super muddy. Thus I run some mid length knobs like kenda nevegals(yes I am old). If you already have the krypt's ride those on your trail bike in the winter, then you will know if putting them on the xc bike is the right play.

Another advantage to multiple bike action.

>>175426
Bib shorts are based

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>>175720
>(yes I am old)
Very

>>175764
The only problem I have with bib shorts is that they make it harder to pee on the trail compared to regular padded shorts but they're just so much more convenient and better at being shorts that I choose to wear them on my big weekend rides.

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I like having back protection when I'm riding. My bike doesn't have a bottle cage so I need a bladder with me. Should I wear a back protector (that might have a chest protector sometimes) and then a hip bag, or a bag with a built in back protector? Which is more versatile?

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>>175856
Just don't fall and you wont have a need for it

>>175856
Just wear a normal CamelBak they are surprisingly comfortable to fall on

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>>175856
These anons >>175867 >>175889 are correct. Spinal injuries ore overwhelmingly caused by hyperflexation by landing on your face and scorpioning, or by compression by landing on your head like a lawn dart. Simply wearing a backpack with some form of padding will offer the same protection without costing 230 funny monies

backpack should be enough protection if you fill it with enough water and don't have anything poking in there.

>>175856
Chest/back protection in mtb is a bit of a meme imo. Don't think they add any useful protection and are just sweaty and restrictive. I'd personally do anything I could to attach a bottle to the bike and failing that use a fanny pack.

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>>176122
>Don't think they add any useful protection and are just sweaty and restrictive
Depends on the kit and fit. Also depends on the crash. I've had one crash where I landed on my back, and I landed in a pile of dry leaves so I was fine. Knee, elbow, wrist, ankle impacts and head impacts are much more common from my experiences from crashing. I've never never fallen and hit my head, but I hit my head often enough on branches.

>>176143
I think the discipline and trails matter a lot too. Personally I wear gloves, padded shorts and kneepads for trail/Enduro style riding.

I saw a 14yo go over the bars landing a jump into a very rocky berm on a DH practice day before a race and got up and shook it off like it was nothing because he was wearing full chest armor, full face helmet, gloves knee and elbow pads. I personally dont ride the shit that requires that level of protection but for those that do, go for it.

>>176143
I broke an xc helmet in a race once. Going a little too wide on a narrow descent and my bar snagged a "loop" of a branch. Got tossed immediately to the ground sideways, blacked out for a bit(like 1-2 seconds) got out of the way and walked back up and out.

OTOH I have some ancient DH gloves that have protected my hands from 100's of crashes. After that is knees for sure, elbows I prefer just long sleeve shirts.
>>176147
Yeah when I did some DH riding the full plastic shin-knee protectors were awesome.

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>>176150
Do you do much XC racing? I have signed up for a 50km race (short, I know) because I don't want to have to buy another bike for the event. Looks like my mate whose doing the race with me has bought a 2018 epic for cheap - he normally rides a DVO/XT build deviate claymore - but I want to do it on a bike I already own.

My choices are my Marin alpine trail C1 (C2 build) which pedals fine but is a bit of a tractor to get up hills, my Norco torrent F36/XT/GX which is light and pedals well but it's horrible to ride up hills because you feel every bump, my 2016 mondraker dune which is super light, really upright but is 27.5 and has a 11-46 casette so doesn't have the range but is a great climber. Or rebuild my mondraker foxy R, which was a very heavy bike but with a lighter build it would probably do well in a trail/xc race.

My instinct is to take the dune. It's my biggest travel bike (retardedly) but from what I remember it climbs really well and will be super comfy on the descents when the XC guys will be chattering over roots il float X over them.

>>176154
I used to do XC racing. Did it for around 3-4 years as a junior. Admittedly most races were a similar distance to yours, or a little less but hilly(for me).

IMO the key is pacing, comfort, and hill climb speed. I did some stupid shit and blew up/bonked generally on my worst races. Best races I kept myself under control and motored along. Comfort is important since the more tired you get on the ride the higher the chance you will crash, and every crash is WAY more detrimental to the race then "taking it easy" or riding a heavier bike.

Now I don't know what/where you are racing, but if there are lots of hills+decents take something that can climb, for you comfortably. I started on a hardtail and it was fun, but the FS gave better traction and allowed you to pedal through/over obstacles so much more.

If you don't mind sitting and spinning/grinding up hills a longer travel bike isn't that much worse. If you have a lockout that can be useful too.

Oh, and something people don't look into is tires, if you are confident in the terrain with faster rolling tires that helps a ton on flats. OTOH don't run something too loose and sketch that you will crash.

If you have time, ride the area before the race and learn the track. I found that was a big key on certain trails where it goes from say double track to super narrow single. Really hard to pass others unless you are a maniac on tight singletrack.

TL:DR Take the bike you are comfiest on for climbing. Go for fun, pace yourself so you don't blow up like a retard and don't run DH tires unless you have to.

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>following friend on trail I've ridden once
>see him doing a big jump on the corner
>too late and trust him
>case jump and somehow didn't went OTB after bouncing
At least I had the balls to hit it but cased another 2 before with rim strikes

>>176165
Wow thanks for the advice anon. The 'not going too hard too early' but is probably gonna be the hardest for me as I generally will stick onto the faster end of the pack (in Enduro mass-starts) and hang in longer than I expected but ultimately cook myself. This XC race is wave starts 15 mins apart. I've entered in the last (slowest) group to leave but there's some formula they have to work out average time so I might move up to an earlier start group

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>>176154
>>176187
>50 km
>Short
>Mfw
That's starting to get into short marathon race territory. Most XCO races aren't even 30 km
>Enduro or hardtail
NTA, but you should at the very least try each bike on a 50 km ride to see which one you like best if you haven't already and still have the time. Some things to consider are that on most xc courses, descents are mostly singletrack, so you'll be stuck going at the pace of the guy in front of you unless you're in first or are far behind the guy in front of you. Most passing opportunities are on the flats and climbs, so don't discount how much nicer sprinting on a hardtail is compared to your enduro bikes. If you think pacing will be an issue for you, one of your enduro bikes may be best because you can simply sit and suffer instead of having to stand for each bump on the trail.

T. a few top 10s in the university xc race series here using a hardtail

>>176209
The only reason I'm saying short is because I've done a few 50-60km rides with similar elevation gain and while I've definitely been fucked after riding them, they were totally achievable. The race is next November, but if the organisers made it next weekend I wouldn't panic I'd just go out and do it without any stress or pre training, so in my head it's not really much of a challenge. The next distance up is 100km, and since I have got so much time to train for it I kinda want to do the 100. But I'm also thinking under race conditions I might find 50km is heaps

Where to buy Bikes online? I wanted to support local bike shops but they are being a bit Jewy with their prices.

Anon's how were your rides this weekend?

I went and raked leaves on a downhill run for 5 hours. then rode

>>176493
https://www.dirtmerchantbicycles.com/collections/banshee-frames?page=1

https://www.santacruzbicycles.com/en-US/bikes/nomad?color=Gloss%20Marigold%20Yellow&media=0#bike-builder

https://www.canyon.com/en-us/mountain-bikes/enduro-bikes/strive/cfr/strive-cfr-tld/3196.html?dwvar_3196_pv_rahmenfarbe=M147_P03

Remember, Friends don't let Friends buy bikes with yoke driven suspension, poorly manufactured misaligned trunnion mounts, or headset cable routing

>>176493
>>176497
Forgot to add
If a bike shop doesn't carry what you want to buy they can go fuck off. I don't give a shit that they don't carry wet chain lube, shimano cleat nuts, Suspension Forks/Shocks or any other small parts. I'm going to shop where they do, and I only have to go to one shop.

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>>176497
>>176498
Thanks based anon

>>176497
That SC marigold is hideous in person btw. Blue looks fantastic though.

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>>176494
I did a 4(four) laps. 3 on the sexy trail and 1 on another not to sexy trail. For each lap I did(40 min climb-4min descent), a kid did 3-4 laps as his parents were shuttling him with a rope on the car. I miss when my parents did that for me. I need either a friend with an E-bike to tow me, a gf to shuttle me, pay for the shuttle or drink redbulls and get PRs on the climbs.

The problem with raking trails is that they get covered again in a windy day

>>176539
The point about raking trails stands true. But on fast tracks with lots of rocks like the one I raked it makes a huge difference. Since you can see the trail.

I also built a short new section with rock rolls and more rockrolls. It just needs some skinnies and it will be perfect.

>>176498
Always check to see if a shop has an extensive stock of spokes and a shop dog. If not, they probably suck.

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>>176494
No rides. Strained my rotator cuff while bouldering and I made it worse last week. I did a night gravel ride yesterday and I can ride fine without stressing the rotator cuff unless I climb in the saddle or reach down with my left to grab a water bottle. I hope I can get back to MTB soon, if not then I'll be doing flat rides until I recover. I don't strain the rotator cuff if I climb out of the saddle so I might just suck it up, grab the hardtail, and power through some shorter climbs. I won't know until I actually ride an mtb since the seating position is different.

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>>176594
Felt better today. It only hurts when I'm doing a slow climb and I'm wobbling the bars back and forth. I don't know what it is about riding that makes physical pain and illness go away. Even when I have a cold it makes it go away.

>>176753
What brake rotors are those?

>>176755
Galfer Wave.
The idea is they use less material so they cool down faster, but they also heat up faster which is a benefit if you want metallic pads to grip sooner, but also a negative if you're braking too much. Never had them overheat though.

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>>176494
I didn't ride, I put away my bikes for the season. It's over. Go on without me bros
>>176240
Racing is certainly different than just punting around on a ride, so if it's your first longer distance race, 50km is prolly the better choice

>>176762
>I put away my bikes for the season. It's over
It's fat bike season if you live in an area it snows.

>>176762
Time to go skiing, snowmobiling or snowboarding then. It's perfectly fine to hang up the bikes as long as you still stay active.

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>winter
Remember to add air to your forks and airshocks niggas, PV=NRT. 5°c today and bottomed out the fork harshly often.

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Somehow snapped the barrel end off my shifter cable today and had to cycle home 10 miles in my 10 tooth rear sprocket.

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>>176773
I've tried it and am not a fan desu
>>176776
>Time to go skiing, snowmobiling or snowboarding then
I live in a gigasuburb, so unfortunately doing any of that requires at least 2 hours of driving each way for ski "hills" that are not even 200 m tall with 30+ minute lift lines. Snow just turns to slush before a good base can form nowadays anyways. It's truly a grim situation in the winter here.

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>>176859
Damn. I'd say try out road or gravel riding but I don't know how bad your roads get. I was on my gravel bike from December to April since we got record breaking rainfall that shit up nearly every trail and fun motorcycle road.

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Anons, you should come ride Windrock. It's very fun. We will see how I did on the winter race league today. There are a bunch of really fast guys here today. I will see if they post the results online, if not then I will tell you what place I got since I used my real name.

>>176985
> Tennessee
hey at least it's still in the same country.
What else is over there?

>>177054
Pisgah National Forest is 3 hours away.
Asheville has all of its shit going on.

Knoxville has some decent urban xc trails. And good jump trails at Baker Creek. Specifically The Devils Racetrack

Johnson City has some good riding on Buffalo mountain (almost all unmapped) and a pedal up bike park in the middle of downtown called Tannery Knob


If you like the Jewtuber, Berm Peak there is the Chestnut mountain pedal up bike park in Canton. The double black jumptrail at the top of the mountain "champion" is actually really good and worth visiting.

That's it for stuff within day trip range.

Snowshoe WV is 6.5 hours.
Ride rock creek is probably 3.5
Jarrod place is 2.5 hours
Ober mountain and vee hollow are 2 hours.

If you are used to west Coast riding or somewhere without deciduous forests, you are going to find 2 new terrain types, wet leaves and leaf surfing. One is just the trail tread is leaves, the other there is 3"-12" of leaves obscuring all obstacles on the trail. Both raise the difficulty of a trail one rating.

I got 23rd of 40 racing, because I showed up to practice 1.5 hours late.

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fun night to ride. Feels so much sketchier on the hardtail

>>177156
oh man, leaf surfing sounds like surfing down marbles. Did some of that yesterday in Santa Cruz on a trail called Hillbilly. Really great riding there but I can't seem to get all the air bubbles out of the rear brake on my enduro bike. Part of me thinks I fucked a seal in the lever, but it was still braking hard when I adjusted the reach all the way out.
I'll have to add your area to my list. Not sure when I'll ever get to it since I want to ride more of California, but I think I'd rather ride there than risk dehydration in Arizona

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Peter Sagan crashed on a trail I did not crash on. Feels pro

https://www.instagram.com/reel/CzzJ2yLsq_6/?igshid=MzRlODBiNWFlZA==

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>>177369
>lycra
>in terrain like finale
On another video his riding is not natural, its like the front of the bike dictates where his torso/upper chest will go and he is stiff. He doesn't have the 'grace'

Anyone else had really bad luck with carbon frames?

>>172497
Hello fellow mountain bikers. I just got a 21 speed bike from a friend and have got myself into a situation where the chain is both the front and rear gear but any forward peddling is just nope, shit won't move. The chain is looser than I think it should be if I tug on it but it still looks like it's on the gears and there's this weird thing hanging off that says shimano xt deore on it and I think maybe I'm just too stupid for bikes these days because they were a lot simpler back in the 90s when I last had one, should I just get healthcare again and go back to skating to lose weight?

>>177600
You know what I think that weird thing is called a derailleur and the chain should be on the spiky bits of it and it isn't, I got this, you guys just carry on.

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>>177558
>Anyone else had really bad luck with carbon frames?
I've avoided them personally, but it seems to be a mixed bag for my friends that ride carbon frames. Most seem to have no issues, but a couple of them have broken several different frames each. I think as long as you stick to the intended purpose of the frame and sell it off after a couple of years for a new one, it will likely be ok.

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Which app do you guys use, Trailforks or Strava?

>>177631
Both. Strava is useful for finding unsanctioned, but popular, trails. Very useful for finding trails in Santa Cruz. Since trailforks doesn't have them due to the agreement to keep the trails secret so it doesn't get too popular and piss off the locals and get enforced by the police.

>>177558
nope. I have 4 carbon frames and I haven't had any problems with any of them. Haven't had any problems with chromoly steel, or aluminum frames either. Sometimes you can get unlucky, but the same can happen with any other material. You just hear about it more when carbon fails because there are a fuckload of luddites into bikes.

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>>177631
Strava, not for any particular reason, but I like how I can track all of my rides from multiple devices (watch, peloton, etc.). Also I impulse bought a stumpjumper evo elite alloy on sale. What am I in for? I am coming from a hardtail with 140mm travel.