Thanks to everyone for the info. I do keep my bikes clean and am comfortable with basic maintenance, so it’s good to hear that an upgrade won’t mean more frequent downtime.

What about air pressure? Do air shocks need to be topped off regularly?

@schwim, I wasn’t going to let a marginal increase in maintenance stop me from upgrading. Just wanted to know if I’d be doing any additional care and feeding after upgrading.

The only idea I’ve come up with on my own is running a cable through the bikes to the tow hitch. If there are no better solutions, I think I’ll just go with fork mounts with locking skewers.

I’m considering building a similar rack. Are you guys doing anything to secure the bikes against theft while they’re in these racks? Obviously, nothing will stop a really determined thief, but it would be nice to be able to make stops along the way to and from the trail with a little security.

"Spartan" wrote

Yeah dude bungee it to the rear tire on the opposite side of the drive train with your Rotor side out so it doesn’t get bent. Before you buy anything…. You should look into a way to lock the bike down with cables in case you want to do some errands to and from the trails..

Yep, bungees definitely seem like the easiest answer. I’m looking at the Rocky Mounts Clutch or Clutch SD, which have the option of locking skewers. It also looks like they have enough room to run a cable through the middle of the mount for additional security.

"mtbgreg1" wrote

What about building a bed mount that doesn’t require you to remove the front wheel? I think there have been a number of examples posted here before…

Keeping the wheels on would definitely be nice. Thanks for reminding me of those past posts.

This is my first forum post, but I know this is a hotly and frequently debated topic.

I recently started alternating between clipless and flats to (hopefully) make me a better rider. Being clipped in makes things like seated climbing and bunny hopping easier, but it also forces me to commit to pedaling through technical terrain when I might be tempted to put a foot down. Flats build more strength and endurance since there’s no power delivery on the upstroke. The aforementioned bunny hopping also requires a little more technique when my feet aren’t attached to the pedals.

That said, I’m in the market for dedicated flat pedal shoes. My current Nike 6.0’s are usually fine, but after crossing a creek in them, they were way too slippery and absorbed as much water as a Shamwow. Any recommendations?

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