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I’ll give my feedback on the article as requested; it starts off strong then ends too abruptly. Just when you start exploring other thoughts on the matter you post up a quick summation. Kinda reminds me of high school English where I would actually get into the assignment and then realize I had reached the length criteria.
You don’t need anything special. All can be run with tubes. Tubeless means tubeless ready, not tubeless required.
I think you’ll find that any modern tire designed for all around trail use will have more traction then what you’re riding. I’ve run the weirwolf and I do like them for being fast rolling, but all-out traction they do not have. There are a ton of options, I’d go with whatever is the best deal.
Just addressing the corrosion; hose your grips off after your ride?
My FS “enduro” bike is around 32lbs but I run relatively lightweight tires. I prefer solid, reliable parts over lightweight but since I build my bikes frame up I use weight as a last deciding metric. I would say a mid-range trail bike should be under 32 lbs (FS) and a hardtail should be a few pounds lighter then that. Obviously XC bikes should be lighter still. When I ride a really light bike a can feel the frame flexing when going slow, it’s not a feeling I enjoy.
There’s a lot more margin built into parts, gear and other accessories. If you already know what you want to upgrade on the bike that’s a good bargaining chip.
It would be an interesting read but I for one can’t contribute. Riding motivates me to stay fit but is not a big contributor to that cause.
Car wash soap is great and gentle. That and simple green (for drivetrain) is all you ever need.
There are some dedicated stanchion lubes but generally you just keep these areas clean. I have used finish line “dry” as well as other similar products sparingly around the dust seals then wiped of excess. It helps with stiction but definitely attracts more dirt so you have to apply, wipe, cycle then wipe again. All dedicated products as far as I know contain teflon.
What part of these parts are you lubing?
I haven’t used a manual machine but long manuals are kinda like long wheelies; you have to do small inputs to keep you going straight or to turn. Usually the problem is that when you are comfortable finding the balance point most people just stop there until you slowly come back down. You have to practice taking a gentle turn to learn how to correct unwanted turns. Picking a start and end point is the best way to practice. Sorry I don’t have any experience with the manual machine so I can’t comment on it being helpful or not with your problem but practice on it’s own has worked for me.
Like others have said, do not upgrade that bike. It is essentially a “bike path” bike, meaning tooling around the city and dirt/gravel roads. The $800-1000 range will get you a good hardtail bike with components you won’t have to upgrade for a good amount of time. I’d save for that.
Replace it. If it was a modern common caliper you can get a rebuild kit but when you can get a new loaded caliper for less then 50$ it’s usually not worth it. Now on your 6+ year old (and discontinued) brakes it’s definitely not worth it.
Intense
I like riding without a pack but I’ve found that I can’t do it and have what I consider necessary to carry. As far as cleaning; if you only put water in there I only clean it if it sits for a bit. I guess my southern California tap water has enough residual chlorine to keep it from getting funky. When washing I just rinse with hot water and make sure to flush a good amount through the tube. Sometimes I soak the bite valve in mouthwash too, it adds a lovely mint flavor while sanitizing.
I had a herd of cattle crossing the trail so I waited a few minutes. They all crossed except for one that was a few yards off the side. The second I start pedaling again the bastard bolts across! Locked up the brakes then pedaled like hell, I think he did it on purpose.
Thanks for suggestions, it would be cool to hear what the OP ended up riding.
Related question, has anyone used a shuttle service out there? I want to check it out and can ride any trail but if I bring the wife and kid I can’t spend all day riding. Plus I have no moral issues with eliminating the climbs.
I think you took my comment to mean temperature affecting the brake fluid. I was talking about the brake system itself. It is a “sealed system” because of seals which are effected by long storage periods and temperature. Bicycle brake systems aren’t nearly as robust as automotive. A stuck piston on a bicycle brake should be easy to spot since the rotor and caliper are not floating; it would push the rotor visibly to one side.
Just stick to the 29 wheels. You mentioned pedal strikes; the smaller wheel isn’t helping you there. A shorter stem is a cheap way to get you over the back of the bike (you mentioned the smaller wheel to slacken the HA). Obviously not the same as a slacker head angle but may help you out without jacking up the geometry. You can only do so much with that bike before your wasting time and money unfortunately.
