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I’d be surprised if you could put a 2″ receiver on that Civic.
A 2″ will be much more beefy and solid than a 1.25″.
Wish I could put a 2″ on my car.
I like NorthShore racks. The 2 bike is $440.
Solid, small, and out of the way when not in use.
I also unofficially chainsaw some trails every spring. Have been for 20 years and have only ran into Forest Service once. They were actually really thankful but did say they never saw me do it, wink, wink.
What seems to escape the minds of many (perhaps those that wouldn’t ever intentionally drop garbage) is adding stickers to kiosks/signs/carsonite posts.
2 words people:
THIS IS LITTERING! NO STICKERS!
If you’re a big enough moron to go to Marin to bike, on purpose, then you deserve the treatment you’ll receive.
Largely makes sense but I can see it being problematic when someone gets out early when it’s frozen and has a mechanical/mishap that delays them causing them to stay on the trail past thaw.
Seems everyone has missed the elephant in the room. You weigh 260# and yer running a 32 fork??!!
Spend the $500 and get a real fork. You’ll have a LOT more fun and gain more confidence.
Also, the rear shock as you mentioned.
Yup. It’s the common fix.
Although maybe not *quite* as good as a few 5-star rides in Moab, the St. George area (only 1.5-2 hours from Vegas) in southern Utah will definitely keep you entertained. Some would argue they like the trails here more Moab.
Must-do rides are:
Gooseberry, Little Creek, Guacamole, Zen, Grafton Mesa. There are plenty of others, see Utahmountainbiking.com.
Bootleg canyon, Cowboy trails, and others are great in the Vegas area.
Sedona, which I wish was closer to me, is worth the trip by itself.
When is your trip?
Mag for me. It has more climbing. Who wouldn’t want that?
Srsly tho, both are obviously great and both are entertaining. Mag seems more adventurous and difficult so it gets my vote.
Worthy of repeating:
“The one trend that truly needs to be reversed…is the accelerating loss of backcountry riding opportunities, especially in Western States where Recommended Wilderness Areas and Wilderness Study Areas are now being treated as actual Wilderness Areas and where new Wilderness Areas are being created thus eliminating cycling access which has been enjoyed for decades without resource degradation.”
Thanks John!
1. 15mm front axle. Stupid intentional product range differential. Should have been 20mm.
2. Boost. Unlikely that it’ll stick. Everything likely going to be 157 at some point.
3. I actually miss rims without spoke holes for tubeless. I used to run Mavics largely because of this but then wider-is-better came along. I know it’s nit-picky, but I occasionally have problems with rim tape on tubeless applications.
4. Anything that’s not threaded BB. I won’t buy a bike with press-fit.
5. Carbon wheels. I wasted $$ on a set and couldn’t tell the difference. Then they broke.
But for the most part, nearly everything has improved. Remember the super gaudy jersey’s from the 90’s, thin rims, rim brakes, poor suspension, narrow bars, long stems, rigid seatposts, wimpy tires, front detailers, bar ends, components and frames that are waaay under built and break constantly, RD’s that can’t ever stay in tune, constant pinch flats with tubes even at 60psi…to name a few. Sorry for being positive. 😉
Some things I’ve learned if it’s any help:
For snow primarily:
-Racing bike: Essentially only good at perfectly groomed snow due to geometry and skinnier tires with lesser tread. Light weight. Rigid seatpost usually. Many have high top tubes to rack your nards on if you put a foot down in the powder. Get this if going fast on groomed trails and getting an intense workout are your priorities.
-Adventure bike: Better at subpar snow conditions/powder. These bikes will have big meaty tires with big tread. The wider the tire/rim the better (100mm wide rims are the best but are becoming harder to find). The lower the psi the better usually. Dropper post a must. Very low gearing preferred. More playful geometry. Low top tubes = better. Get this bike if screwing around and exploring and going where there are no trails per se are important to you.
-Suspension: Seems to only be a benefit if you run higher pressures and/or snow conditions are hard and you ride faster over rougher conditions. If you run 2-4 psi, the suspension usually does little except add weight and complexity.
-Touring/bike packing: Could have any/all above characteristics.
-26″ vs 27.5″: Not sure there’s much difference honestly. You can have a large contact patch on a 26er with a 5″ tire OR a large contact patch on a 27.5 with a 4″ tires. Still relatively new, so less tire choices?
-Tube vs tubeless: Fatty tubes are srsly HEAVY. That said, they are easier to deal with in many respects. Some wheels do not convert to tubeless easily if at all.
Q-factor: All but a few (the Pivot for example, I believe) will have a wider Q-factor than a trail bike. Be careful as some bikes have a very wide Q-factor and will add to your fatigue (and knee problems with some people).
1x vs double/triple chainring: Same as trail bikes. 1x = simpler and lighter. You generally don’t need taller gears in the snow as much as you do on the dirt.
Clips vs flats: Flats save you $ as you don’t have to buy dedicated boots that’ll work with clips. If you’re comfortable with flats on the trail bike, get flats on the fatty.
Real boots: Unless it’s quite warm where you Fatbike and you have the circulation of the Gods, you’ll enjoy yourself immensely more with proper boots. Plan on this in your budget (~$150-300). Using your trail bike shoes with covers and extra socks is usually a bandaide that falls off in the wind, so to speak.
Clothing: Keep it simple and use what you already have. A larger Camelbak and/or frame bags are nice to carry extra layers.
Obviously these are my opinions. I’d like to hear what others think on the matter. I personally think it’s silly to ride a fatty in the Summer as your trail bike, but to each their own.
Chainring bolts?
If it’s 1x, then grease where the chainring mates with the crank.
Try a different crank. Bonding loose for arm/spindle interface?
Any frame cracks around BB?
Just to clarify, when you said you greased all mating surfaces, does that include literally everything? I’ve had creaks from BB spacers rubbing against things. So if you haven’t, grease everything that touches something in the whole assembly.
Monosyllabic has five.
Although you do have to exercise a bit a caution while on the blood thinner, a target INR of 1.6-2.0 is actually quite low (meaning your blood is only slightly thinner than normal). I’m not saying to throw all caution to the wind, but live your life. I play doctor on TV, so I know. 😉
Also, riding an “XC hardtail” certainly doesn’t guarantee you won’t have some horrific crashes. Saying this as you’re only 30 and you still probably feel somewhat invincible.
Hope that helps. he he
Edit: NS doesn’t take rattle either but I have to carry a wrench and tighten it after a bumpy road. Not gonna come off, just moves a bit that’s all.
North Shore and One Up are the best racks out there.
NS pros: solid, easiest to mount bike, can carry any mountain bike including a fat bike, keeps the bikes closest to the vehicle so there is less leverage to the vehicle (the hood won’t be as far up in the air), comes in a 2, 4, 6 bike version. Only decent rack that can carry 6 bikes. And yes the part that holds the fork crown is padded. You can simply replace the tubing if you need to.
Cons: you’re technically not supposed to be able to carry a road bike but it can be done if you flip the bike around and cradle the handlebar-stem junction…not ideal. Also the anodization can rub off over time on your fork crown but if that is a big deal, put some electrical tape on your fork crown.
1UP pros: Tray style so it only touches your tires, solid, quick mounting, there is a fairly wide adjustment to alternate bikes from side-to-side so handlebars and seats do not run into each other, you can get them anywhere from 1 to 4 bikes by adding on attachments, and as you add bikes it angles up which keeps them out of the way if you’re off-roading slightly, aluminum and unpainted so no maintenance, better connection to the hitch so it doesn’t rattle compared to the North Shore in my opinion, can carry Road bikes with no modifications.
Cons: requires a simple kit to carry fat bikes.
I won’t buy a frame with a press fit BB. Even if they are reliable it drives me looney that I can’t replace it myself.
Yes Shimano chains. But personally, I always had more trouble with the Shimano pins than I ever had with a Sram master link. Are you doing it wrong?
