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I would probably go with the Whole Enchilada (although it is a hard choice). For me, it comes down to one thing: variety. The Mag 7 doesn’t even come close to the Whole Enchilada in terms of the different riding surfaces, flora, fauna, and views you pass along the way. Portal may be extreme, but the Whole Enchilada is the equivalent of an entire trip to the West packed into one ride.
I used the WTB Vigilante for a long time, but once I started using the E*thirteen TRS Race, my whole world was rocked. Despite only being a 2.35” tire, it has unparalleled traction (especially in the corners), super tough sidewalls, and is on the cheaper side of things ($70 for the top model).
My Vitus Sentier in its natural habitat: far above the treeline on some mountaintop in the clouds. Since then I’ve added a Factory Fox 34, so it’s even shinier (or dirtier, depending on when you catch me).
January 24, 2019 at 12:14 in reply to: Entry Level Mountain Bike Choice – Ghost, Raleigh, Vitus #255526I personally ride a Sentier (2017, VRS), and that bike is nearly unstoppable. With a dropper post on it, it is unstoppable. In 2018 it appears that they’ve only made things even more hardcore (plus tires, slacker angles, and longer reach), so I think the bike would suit you well given your tastes.
As for the other bikes, I haven’t heard much about the Kato (although those tires are certainly not hardcore) but have heard many great things about Tokul. Phil Kmetz, a respected Youtuber, praised the Tokul for its robust build, and the Daily MTB Rider called it “best hardtail for the money.” However, the build of the Sentier (especially with the tires) is significantly better than both the Tokul and the Kato. In addition, if you’re truly after that massive fork, the Sentier’s has 140mm of travel (vs 120mm on the other two) with room for a larger fork (I currently have a 150mm fork on my Sentier).
The Sentier will take anything you throw at it, including a rock slab like this one.
At the end of the day, all three bikes will serve you well. Don’t worry, you’ll still be grinning ear to ear at the end of each ride no matter which bike you choose.
I’m around 170, and I run 20-23 psi front and 29 in the rear. Works like a charm!
Here in Southeastern Wisconsin a lot of Milwaukee’s trails can be closed due to the slightest amount of rain. This is probably because most of them are in low lying areas surrounding rivers. However, the region’s saving grace is Lake Geneva Canopy Tours, which has trails open rain or shine.
Most of the rides here in Southeast Wisconsin are small loops around 10 miles, so I never carry anything more than a fanny pack. It just doesn’t make any sense. However, if I’m heading up to the Northwoods or out to bigger rides in the the mountains, I almost always have a backpack on.
Ramble On – Led Zeppelin
Country Roads – John Denver
Atom Heart Mother – Pink Floyd
Fortunate Son – CCR
Last but CERTAINLY not least…
Bicycle Race – Queen
Bicycle Race just has the exact right pace, vocals (long live Freddie Mercury) , and theme.
I have a 2.3 Vigilante up front and a 2.25 Trail Boss on the rear. I agree that the Vigilantes look much bigger than 2.3. I ran into a guy on the trails with a plus bike, and he and I sat there puzzled when we realized his plus tires were minimally bigger than the Vigilante. I personally love those tires. The Vigilante eats up almost everything I throw at it, and I actually like the smaller Trail Boss in the rear because it allows me to get through small gaps between rocks with my hardtail. I even did both an enduro race and XC race on them last week, and those tires took everything that came their way. They had enough traction to deal with the high speeds of each stage (expect in the sand) but rolled well enough to grab me second place XC win in my age group.
Harrisonburg definitely has more mountain riding. Classics like Timber Ridge, Narrowback, and Massanutten Mountain provide some of the best descents in the East. Period. At the same time, the Shenandoah Mountain Trail and the Massanutten Trail serve up rocky, amazing, undulating Virginia ridge-top trail.
Bentonville’s draw is its atmosphere and creative trail design. Because of the Walton family’s contributions, trails like Slaughter Pen and Lake Atalanta offer unparalleled flow and grin-inducing fun. Following suit, bike shops have been established and a brewing (beer and coffee) scene has cropped up. Even so, in the nearby Ozarks you’ll be able to find some back country mountain riding at places like Upper Buffalo Headwaters.
Honestly, I think you should go to Bentonville. Currently you live in the the best place to ride big descents and ascents in the East. I think Bentonville would be a nice change of pace and the culture would be much more inviting than in Harrisonburg.
The Mill Creek Trail in Virginia’s Sherando Recreational Area is pretty bad. It’s a nice, gentle climb and then BAM! In the last mile, the trail rises a little more than 1,000 feet. The average grade at that point is about 20 percent. At least great views accompany you!
The worst climb I’ve ever done, however, is Mile Creek. Situated along the Montana/Idaho border, it skyrockets 3,000 feet in 6 miles. In addition, the switchbacks of the trail are almost impossible to clear; indeed, you have to have some mad track-standing skills. While I was riding it, a snow storm happened to be raging (in July). The rewards are sweeping views in every direction, including the distant Tetons.
Run whatcha brung.
As a Wisconsinite, Chris Farley is one of my heroes. That the bike was honoring(?) him was actually the initial thought that popped into my head when I first saw a Trek Farley. I just always thought they had permission in the first place.
If you’re going to Bentonville, you might want to think about venturing into the Ozarks. I’ve been to both places, and Copper Harbor has a special place in my heart for all the reason previously mentioned. However, if you’ve never been riding outside of MN, the Ozarks do have that mountain feel to them. Trail systems like the Upper Buffalo Headwaters will provide you with an isolated sense of exploration that you will not get in Copper Harbor. Plus, Copper Harbor isn’t really that big. It has a small amount of really good trails. NW Arkansas has a massive variety of trails that are almost on par with Copper Harbor or on par.
I’m with Ivan. Southern Wisconsin wasn’t spared either. On the bright side, mild temps have finally moved in, and the trails should be dry enough to ride by next weekend.
After 15 minutes of biking, I can get to both the Milwaukee River Trail and Kletzsch Park. Right now they are covered in an inch of snow, and the temperature is around 0. The end of the hardcore mountain biking season looms closer…
December 30, 2017 at 12:37 in reply to: Recommended platform shoes for rides with extensive hike-a-bike sections #231854I haven’t tried many dedicated mountain biking shoes, but the Merrell Moab 2 is a great hiking boot that somehow works on Crank Brothers 50/50 pedals. They are rock solid and my feet rarely slip off the pedals. However, I’m not sure if I just got lucky because hiking boots almost never work well as mountain biking shoes.
I’ve bought everything from chainrings to whole bikes off of CRC. Every order except one went flawlessly. I’m still in awe about how fast their orders come from the U.K.
“there is a limited benefit to the dropped that can be deemed useless(overkill) in probably 35 states.”
Although I agree that it is overkill in some states, I wouldn’t say 35. In fact, I would argue droppers are more useful in flatter (not the flattest) states. Mountainous regions often have trails that are all up and then all down. Just slam your seatpost down at the summit and go. In flatter states where the terrain is undulating but often times still steep, droppers are essential. You need it to comfortably go down and up and down and up. Before droppers, you would get off your bike a lot on the trails I ride if you weren’t able to deal with too high or too low of a seat.
I would personally go with the dropper. During the winter months here in Wisconsin, fat biking is very popular. I ride a rigid fat bike with a rigid seat post, and while I ride (even on dry trails) I tend to wish for a dropper more than a suspension fork. It’s mostly personal preference though.
I visited Bentonville last November, and I can confirm the awesomeness of their trails. My favorite trails there were probably at Blowing Springs. If you fancy good natural trails, it has a good bunch of them. My second favorite trail system was probably Lake Atalanta/the Railyard. The Railyard is a public bike park and the trails around Lake Atalanta have an entrance within the park, so you can kill two birds with one stone. I’ve heard the Slaughter Pen trails are amazing, but I didn’t spend much time on them so I’m not exact sure what they’re like.
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