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Thanks @rajflyboy!
I think a lot of it comes from years and years and years of riding. It also probably helps that my favorite rides to do have always been long ones. Doing several stage races where you ride hard day after day after day, gets the body used to recovering.
Basically it comes down to time in the saddle. Many, many hours spent pedaling around will get your body, mind, and butt ready for something like this. That’s not to say you need to wait until you’re “perfectly” trained for an event like the Cohutta Cat. I’m a big proponent of just getting out there and doing it. Bikepacking is very different from other forms of mountain biking. As long as you eat enough, drink enough, and take breaks as needed, you can ride for a surprisingly long time.
CST is owned by Maxxis, though it is their budget label. I don’t have experience with their tires, because honestly I don’t see them for sale many places.
Not exactly Jeff. CST and Maxxis actually have the same parent company, so it’s not one owning the other. The brands are run completely separately with their own designers and engineers, and manufacturing is done at their own individual factories.
The Rock Hawk is a great affordable trail tire. I would definitely suggest the 60 TPI folding bead version. 60 TPI is a good balance of durability and ride quality.
(full disclosure: I now work for Maxxis)
A good wheel is a reliable wheel. The recipe for a reliable wheel is simple: decent hubs, 32 double-butted spokes, laced 3x to a rim that suits your needs, topped off with brass — NOT alloy — nipples.
You can’t go wrong with Hope hubs, DT Swiss Competition spokes, and a quality aluminum rim. Stan’s rims build up nicely, but they are softer than others so they dent easily. WTB makes good rims too. Their Frequency line is much tougher than Stan’s and builds as well. Just recently got a set of e.13 rims, super wide and impressively light for their size. Will be interesting to see how they go.
You’re gaining a nearly 12% easier climbing gear by going with the 36T. That’s pretty significant. I’ve ridden in East Tennessee too, I’d want something easy.
If you kept the 11-32 cassette, you’d need to go down to a 38T chainring to get a similarly easy climbing gear. Of course, you’d lose about 10% on the top end.
My mountain bikes have been 1x for years and I love it. I’ve looked at going 1x on my road and gravel bike, but I just can’t make it make sense for me. If I was racing cross I’d do it, but for riding road or gravel, I gotta have that easy gear.
I follow some pro photographers that are really into bags from a new company called Shimoda: https://www.shimodadesigns.com/pre-order
They aren’t cheap, but neither are cameras.
Evoc has a variety of different size camera packs and they are a little less expensive than the Shimoda. A couple of them are on sale at backcountry.com right now too: https://www.backcountry.com/evoc-cp-camera-bag-1098-cu-in?skid=EVC002B-BK-M&ti=UExQIENhdDpNZW4ncyBUZWNobmljYWwgRGF5cGFja3M6MTozOmJjLW1lbnMtdGVjaG5pY2FsLWRheXBhY2tz
You could always get a small mirrorless camera for riding 😉
New 5010. It will be slacker with a longer reach. Likely keep the same travel so as not to step on the Bronson’s toes.
And maybe they made a dedicated front triangle for the Hightower LT instead of sharing the same one from the standard Hightower, but I doubt it.
…aaaaaaaand we’re back!
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/01/22/government-shutdown-2018-senate-vote-354966
Sycamore > Thrift Cove > Lower Black Mountain is a great loop that’s challenging but not too crazy. It’s the first loop inside the forest from Brevard, so super convenient too.
@drcbrath I think SRAM’s whole point with this is that there aren’t any adaptors. You just pick the correct Dub BB for your frame and any Dub crankset will work.
@Jeff_Barber Shimano is definitely cheaper after market, but SRAM is way more aggressive on the OE front. Consider that they can offer a bike manufacturer everything under one umbrella, and they have way more leverage than Shimano. You can get a drivetrain, brakes, suspension, dropper post, wheels, bars, and stems from SRAM. Shimano’s catalog just isn’t that deep.
If your bike comes stock with SRAM parts, you’re kind of locked into buying their stuff when it’s time to replace it. Take their Eagle cassettes for instance. SRAM is pretty much the only game in town for 12-speed cassettes currently. Sure, you might be able to find SunRace’s 12-speed cassette that fits on a Shimano driver, but if your bike came with a SRAM cassette then you have an XD driver. So if you want the SunRace cassette that means you need to source an XD driver for your particular wheels. Depending on what wheels/hubs you have it may not be a realistic option. Most people will just suck it up and pay the extra money for the SRAM cassette.
SRAM doesn’t currently make an electric motor as Shimano does, however they do offer an e-bike specific drivetrain that can be paired with other motors. It’s their EX1 group: https://www.sram.com/sram/mountain/family/ex1#sm.00000typeiozs4e1gw9i4j5dyabk5
With the type of BB you have, the sleeve can’t be removed. So unless you want to buy a new crankest that uses an external type BB, you’re stuck. If it were a steel frame, I’d say definitely go ahead and drill a hole in the seat tube, but I’m not as sure about aluminum.
It would probably be fine and you’ve already voided your warranty anyway…
It might be the old chain is too worn to run properly on the new ring. Get a chain checker and use it frequently to stay on top of wear. Replacing your chain before it gets too blown out will extend the life of your chainring and cassette.
This is an inexpensive one: http://www.jensonusa.com/Park-Tool-CC-32-Chain-Wear-Indicator/
I rode the original aluminum version of the Release and thought it was a fun little trail bike. The one knock against it was the weight, but if you’re looking at the 5c it’s much more reasonable. Still not the lightest bike out there, but the flipside is it should be plenty durable. When you look at the components you’re getting for the money, it’s a tough package to beat.
The Release was actually one of my picks for the podcast we did called, “These are the mountain bikes you should buy.”
Pedally? As in uphill?
Western Spirit knows what’s up. There’s Hermosa Tours. And if you want a really baller experience, try Sacred Rides.
All of them have multiple trips to choose from depending on where you want to go, how much you want to ride, and what kind of trails you want to ride.
Greg did one of Sacred Rides BC trips this summer:
Sacred Rides Bring Your Partner Adventures Facilitate Marital Bliss
Isn’t that a park bike? Just wondering why you’d want 11 gears on it.
There’s just too many people and too many ways to communicate for a place to be a secret anymore. This is a problem that’s happening in mountain towns everywhere. Bend, OR, is another good example. Tons of California transplants moved there because of the outdoor recreation opportunities and the lower cost of living compared to CA. But now home prices have skyrocketed.
Same thing is happening in Squamish, BC, and even here on the East Coast in places like Asheville, NC.
What @Dr.Sweets said. I haven’t used LB personally, but they have built a good reputation.
Here are some other options to consider:
There are tons and tons of lights out there. If you’re looking to supplement your bar light (which is a great idea to help you see through corners), you won’t need something super duper bright. I’d recommend an all-in-one unit where the light and battery are integrated into one body. Those are nice because you don’t have to worry about routing a wire or the wire getting snagged.
I tested the CatEye Volt 800 and it’s still going strong after more than a year of heavy use. It’s on the more expensive end of the price range at $130 though. Check out the NiteRider Lumina series for something a little less expensive.
A 700-1000 lumen light is great for a helmet. Much brighter than that and the lights get weighty. For instance, I also used the CatEye Volt 1600, but it caused my helmet to slide around on my head and the weight was really noticeable.
It might be the interface between the axle and the frame and not the frame itself. Clean your axle really well and apply a thin layer of grease.
