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I don’t fall as much as I used to but when I do, man does it hurt. Not only that, it’s rough on you gear. I feel like trail specific gear gives more protection and is more durable. I’ve used my road kits while riding trails and found it doesn’t take the abuse well. It rips and tears too easily. I have to say it is more comfortable though.
I was guilty of this. For me, I hate stuff in my pockets moving around while I’m riding. It drives me crazy and distracts me. I also have this weird fear that I’m gonna crash and jab my key into my hip. I actually had a friend who crashed with his key fob and it destroyed his hip. Deep bruises for weeks, it was nasty, his entire leg was black n blue. For the longest time I rode with a pack and dropped it inside the pack but a couple years ago when I started feeling like I wanted to start riding lighter and ditched the pack I needed a place for my key. The tire it went. It always freaked me out though so I got more creative and found a cavity under my truck’s wheel well where it fit perfect and was totally discrete. Luckily I have the keypad now and, like AllGrainer, I lock them inside. Problem solved for me at least.
Something else to consider is the accelerated wear on your components.
No doubt…REAL!!
I know cause that’s exactly how my vids look 😆
That rocks…Nice work Greg!
Hey Tibor! I live in Florida but was in Laguna Beach last fall for work and rode Aliso Creek, http://www.singletracks.com/bike-trails … anyon.html. It’s not lift service or a "bike park" per se, but has really gnarly downhill runs carved out of the rocky mountain side and it’s only about 40 minutes from Covina. Plus it’s 5 minutes from beautiful Laguna Beach, a great place to spend the day or weekend. I will say the climbing was quite brutal, especially for this Florida boy, but it didn’t take long to get my lungs in check.
Check it out, it’s worth the trip. Oh, if you go, make sure you ride the Car Wreck section. It’s pretty nasty!
For me:
1. Bike
2. Dirt Rag
3. MB Action"trek7k" wroteSeems like there are a lot of niche / online (iPad) magazines popping up lately. Anyone read any of those?
I have both Bike and Dirt Rag on iPad and I do think it’s pretty cool. Some of the things I like is if I’m interested in something and want to further check it out, many sections let you just tap on it and it will bring you right to the webpage for the product or company within seconds…pretty nice! Another cool thing is you can read it in the dark, no light required. Also, in addition to my cycling mags, I have dozens of others right there on my iPad, no magazines all over the house. So in other words, my wife’s not giving me the "Get rid of those damn mountain bike magazines" speeches quite as often. 😆 Plus, if I’m traveling, I can take them all with me without carrying a ton of paper.
It seems to me that by Specialized not allowing their products to be sold online protects their dealers but also costs them a ton of business…quite admirable to me! That tells me a couple things. First, they care about their dealers and second they care about how their products are sold. They want their products to be sold with real service attached to it…added value. As a independent business owner, I make sure my products leave with added value, i.e. proper recommendations, friendly service, we carry the products out the door an load their cars, offer free delivery and additional services, etc.
I don’t agree with this:
"jamis29er" wroteBut, I think we can agree that the mark up on some products is rediculous. When you can order a bike tire (for example) online for one third or sometimes half the price of the LBS….nuff said I think.
I can assure you that any REPUTABLE shop, cycling related or not, isn’t using ridiculous mark-ups! It’s just that what’s online is discounted soooo deeply it looks that that way. You’d be surprised that a ton, not all, of what comes from Amazon gets shipped from someones garage with practically no overhead.
I do agree that businesses do have to adapt! Commerce is changing and businesses have to change with it. I also think that we have to look at how supporting a local shop benefits you and your community. I’d say my shop is usually 10-20% higher than online on average. To me, that’s worth paying! Why, well first, my shop has my paint on his walls, he supports me (I own paint stores) online shops don’t support my business. But besides that, local shops support growth in the community, they create jobs, they drive traffic, they pay local taxes and so does their employees, they often support local efforts and charitable organizations and their money earned goes back into the community from their support. Last year I put over $2000.00 to my local trail through my business, I don’t think the online shops are putting money into my trails. Now that’s not to say I don’t buy anything online. If I have credit card points to spend or a gift card or my shop can’t get it for me, I’ll shop online of course, but I make it a point to try to buy local MOST of the time.
"element22" wroteThats a great looking build…Good job!
Thanks e22! Thanks for the advice on the build as well!
My new rig
"LagunaTracker" wroteThe KS Supernatural (or 950 I suppose its the same?) does NOT lock in a lowered position with respect to lifting the bike by the seat (the seat comes up). All of those posts except the mechanically locking fixed position ones have this effect. I don’t find it much of a problem, because by the time you are lifting your bike by the seat your are off the back (for sure off your bike!), so resetting the position isn’t really a deal killer. So yes I’d prefer it stayed "Locked" even when lifting the bike, but it DOES NOT. Call to my LBS confirms that is normal for these posts not a defect.
Hey Laguna Tracker, the KS i950r DOES stay down when lifting it by the seat, whoever gave you that info is wrong. See for yourself here:
Something to consider! Just because it says Shimano on the component, doesn’t mean it’s the same component. There’s so many different lines, Deore LX, SLX, XT, XTR and more. When I first started riding I remember trying to figure out all the different component lines and where they fit in, it was crazy.
If you’re buying from a reputable shop, just remember, you get what you pay for.
Earlier this year I would have said my dropper seatpost, the KS i950r. It truly transformed the way I ride making me more confident and therefore, a more capable rider. The best thing about it is that now, riding mike bike that doesn’t have the dropper post, the confidence has carried over. The sections of the trail that were kinda sketchy pre-i950r days are now a piece of cake with or with out the post.
But now, riding without the post for months now, I have to say my new fork, 2011 FOX 32 FLOAT FIT RLC w/Kashima is the best. The 15mm thru axle makes an incredible difference with significantly less deflection and increased rigidity. Combine that with the buttery Kashima and you have a solid, work horse of a fork. Love it!
Ohhh yeah, that carbon tallboy looks smooth doesn’t it? Don’t know if I can justify another 700 bucks for it though. Tough call!
Yeah, why is that? A lot of 29ers don’t come frame only?
So trek7k, which way you leanin’ so far, any frontrunners?
Also, did you get a chance to see the Ibis Ripley 29? Looks tight!
Take a few PSI out of your tires, that always helps in soft sand. Also, just remember to keep your speed and momentum up.
Read this, viewtopic.php?f=98&t=6575&p=37363#p37363
It’s a tutorial post right here on ST.com by our very own Bonsai-CP on Uphill Climbing Skills/Techniques/Positions. I find it to be very useful and I think you will to. It’s easy to read and very thorough.He’s put together one on downhill also if you’re interested, viewtopic.php?f=94&t=6574&p=37312#p37312
Assuming your riding at least a hardtail and not a fully rigid bike, I’d suggest playing with you compression and rebound as well. As tire pressure and tire type play a big role here, you fork has equal importance. When tire pressure and fork rebound and compression are dialed in right, all your washing out will go away.
I’d also suggest using a wider tire in the front. I ran 2.1 on both front and back at first and read an article somewhere about going fatter up front. Now I run 2.35 in the front and 2.1 in the back. After switching I saw a noticeable difference. Your contact patch is the same length, but now wider, therefore increasing your stability.
Sounds like a good idea. To me though, the audience seems kind of limited. For those who don’t have roof racks, like me, and those who don’t park inside the garage, also me, it wouldn’t make sense. If I did park in the garage and have roof racks, I’d most likely forget to strap on the tags.
When I travel for business I’m always put up in really nice hotels. All of them have let me bring my bike in the room. After a long ride last spring in Palm Desert I actually rode the bike in the lobby and the lady at the front desk asked me to walk it in and I did of course 😕 Like fat_billy said, I’d use side entrances or be a little sneaky. I’m not one for confrontation, but if I was told I couldn’t bring the bike to my room, I’d be talkin’ to the manager for sure. There’s no way I’m leaving a few thousand dollar rental bike chained up outside. It gets snagged and tough luck for me! Plus, it’s not hurting anyone.
I’m headed back to California this fall for business. This time I reserved a Grand Cherokee so I’ll probably leave the bike in the car this time! That’s an option.
