[claporte]

From the road world, all things being equal, smaller is better — both lighter and stiffer.

[claporte]

"Funrover" wrote

With my weight and such I ride 45 – 50 p.s.i. on my bikes. I have found that the Fire XC tires do pretty well for rolling and traction. At least for me. The bike I have for more dirt I have the WTB Velocoraptors. They do pretty well on concrete and such, just rougher than the fire Xc

Well, I’m about 180, so I decided to try a bit more air — from around 30 to about 35 in front and 38 in back. I hit the trail. I fell, twice. The first time I hit a rock — probably only 4 inches high, but perpendicular; my bike stopped dead and over I went. My first partial endo. Weight too much on my hands I suppose. But maybe with a softer front tire? Second time, I was going along on a narrow track with a slight down hill on the left side and a rock knocked my front wheel down the hill and I went down to the right. Both times I’m pretty sure I would have gone down even if I hadn’t been clipped in. I think I’ll take some pressure out of the front at least. Sigh.

[claporte]

"GoldenGoose" wrote

I don’t have a 650b bike so I haven’t really done a lot of studying up on the current offerings in that size. I know the size is just begining to be widely accepted so you probably won’t find a full array of offerings. Pacenti is about the only company I can think of off of the top of my head that has a wide selection of tires in that size.

Yes, I’ve found it kind of amusing that 650b is almost "controversial". 😆 But I wanted to take the plunge to full-suspension when I started this winter, and the deal I got on my 2010 Jamis B1 from [url:1py6x8c8]http://www.sixfifty.com[/url:1py6x8c8] (through ebay) seemed pretty good. I’m happy with it. As a roadie, shrinking from 700C down to 26 would have been a bigger jump. On their site, they are offering a Schwalbe Racing Ralph 650B Tire, but it’s pretty pricy ($75.99). Better pricing on ebay (currently someone is bidding $110 for a pair).

Bicycling recently published some 650 info from Sea Otter [url:1py6x8c8]http://www.bicycling.com/mountainbikecom/bikes-gear/gear-650b-wheels-makes-splash-sea-otter[/url:1py6x8c8]. The article claims that I should be able to find some new options: "For years, the only real 27.5-tire options came from Kirk Pacenti, the primary prophet behind the wheel size. But slowly, more tires have come on the market. The latest: a Nobby Nic in 27.5×2.25 from Schwalbe and the Maxxis Crossmark in a 27.5×2.1. Both are capable "most conditions" tires that are excellent additions to the tire choices currently available. Those options include Kenda’s Nevegal, the Fire XC Pro from Panaracer, WTB’s Wolverine, three Pacenti options and, soon, a run from Vee Rubber."

I’ll probably take CCR’s advice and hold-off purchasing for a bit. I want to get my per ride cost down; and I’m still having occasional bouts of low motivation due to my low current fitness level.

[claporte]

"GoldenGoose" wrote

I’d try a faster rolling tire with less tread in the rear at the least.

What fits this description in 27.5?

[claporte]

"mtbgreg1" wrote

HR levels mean very little on the MTB. If you try to go by road bike standards, good riders will blast way past redline on climbs and drop way down at other points. Tons of spikes and drop offs on the MTB.

Not sure what redline means for the heart. At my age, it goes up to a certain rate, and no further. 😆

But yes, my HR (built into my Edge 305), speed and cadence all jump all over the map on the MTB. Nonetheless, I like to take a look after and see how much time I spent in each of the HR "zones", and laugh at the "calories burned" calculation while I pop open a Troegenator.

[claporte]

Guys, I have a big grin on my face. MTBGreg, I haven’t read your article yet on DH Skiing x-over, because I wanted to see what I saw on my own. Folks following here will know that I have struggled starting out. Old, out of shape, rock fall damage… Whatever. Today, I went out, went farther, and felt confident on the bike for the first time. Ultra race road bike (Dura ace components) on roads to full suspension 30lb beast on trails (or next to trails) is a big change. But now…. Out a dozen times on the new rig… I went out and saw this

And now, I may be starting to get it. I stopped other places… Yeah, I’m at the top of the steep hill deciding on my line…

And I read that you are supposed to keep over your pedals (madslacker) — I remember that one of the things that separated me from lesser skiing mortals was my even distribution of weight over my feet…

Of course, rocks aren’t moguls. Maybe I need a full face helmet. 😄

So, how do I go about launching off this one? do I bounce the fork down on the way in?

BTW, here’s a story:

When I was 17 and went out driving on the Taconic in winter for the first time, I had a problem. The guys that put on the snows hadn’t tightened the lugs.

Today, I approached a bridge and I wanted to unclip. But my foot wouldn’t release. Gee, there’s a lot of float in this spd… . Ok Get out on the other side. Whew. What the hell is wrong. The pedal looks fine, did I damage the cleat? No, you idiot, you didn’t tighten down the damn cleat…

But luck was with me on this occasion as well.

One thing though, where the hell is the chairlift?

[claporte]

Well, overcame inertia and hit the trails today. My longest ride on the MTB to date, and I actually felt in better shape for the first time while climbing the dreaded hill (though still close to maxing out the HR). That will help the motivation. 😀

[claporte]

"Jared13" wrote

If the shop is close enough, you could bike there 😆

Here are the shops that are listed for New York. I’m not sure if they’re near you or not.

Well, the local shop isn’t listed, but seems to have some good reviews. [url:2zcjymn0]http://www.villagebikesofputnam.com/[/url:2zcjymn0] I could bike there, in fact. Would be mostly asphalt, but I guess it wouldn’t hurt the bike. 😆 Would probably make me appreciate my road bike more!

[claporte]

"maddslacker" wrote

[quote="claporte":22pwxl9g]Anyhow, enough whining. What do folks here do when struggling with motivation when the fun of biking isn’t enough?

When I started riding I was in the same boat, so I started bike commuting to work. It saved gas, the ‘motivation’ was that I needed to get to work, and the pay-off in fitness was huge.[/quote:22pwxl9g]

Sounds like a good idea. But for me, commute is to my home office upstairs. . . 😎

[claporte]

"Jared13" wrote

I would recommend bringing the bike to your local bike shop to get the shock pressures correct. This might be a bit cliche, but it’s still true: A properly set-up suspension rides like a dream. An improperly set-up suspension can be a nightmare.

Mmm, for spot 2, can you cheat to one side and put that pedal high for some extra room on the low side? For example, cheat to the let and put your left pedal at 11 and your right pedal at 5. That will also put you in position for a quick pedal jab if you need some extra power.

Spot 3: Did you fall over because you couldn’t get unclipped fast enough? Are you able to lower the tension so you can get out easier?

On the LBS, don’t know where a good one is locally. As I said, I’ve been a bike mechanic, but never had to deal with this suspension stuff. If anyone wants to recommend a shop near 10512… Course, would have to take it apart some to get it in my car 😆

Spot 2 has a depression in the center, and if I try to stay out of that, I’ll be too close to one side or the other. It’s narrow. Really need to time a hop I guess to get the BB and cranks through the gap if I can’t roll through.

Spot 3, yes, I did fail to get out of my clips both times, but I have the release pretty light. I did dial it looser when I installed the pedals. Next time I try it, I’ll probably unclip at least one side first.

Thanks for the ideas! I’ll get there.

[claporte]

"Jared13" wrote

For the ledge (spot #1):

Have you walked your bike up the ledge to see how much clearance you have? Your bottom bracket will be a bit lower when you’re on the bike but you might be able to find a good line by "sessioning" this section off the bike.
It looks like you have SPD pedals so you’ll have an "easier" time getting up it because you can "cheat" by pulling the bike up will your legs instead of learning to bounce the rear tire off the ground.

For spot 2, momentum is your friend. I’m not sure what is before this spot, but if you can get a run at it, you won’t have to pedal so you’ll be less likely to catch a pedal.

For spot 3, it’s kind of hard to see what the ground is like, but can you swing to the right?

Once you are able to clear a problem spot, it’s one of the coolest feelings in the world.

I’m going to take some more pictures, but Spot #1 is going to be tough for me. It isn’t as high as I thought, so I do think eventually… I’m going to have to develop some neglected upper body strength and practice bouncing the bike. I increased the pressure in the rear shock, but the fork now seems too squishy. I think it came out of the box set for a rider 50lbs lighter than I. Yes, I am clipped in.

On number 2, the problem is that the pedals won’t both clear at 9p/3p. Maybe at 10p/4p. Almost tried it today but chickened out. I’m already bashing my pedals on rocks when I don’t expect it.

On number 3, I think I ought to be able to do it — which is I why I fell twice. 😢 I need to see if I can’t get left of the pointy rock – right of it would be a ditch. It is a narrow gap right past it and then a quick pull to the left.

[claporte]

Remember, clamp the seat post, not the frame! I like to slip out the post and seat and use one dedicated for the stand – just make sure to mark your post so you don’t mess up the height. That way, I don’t ding up the seat with tools/grease. I’ve had my park stand for at least 15 years.

When I was a kid and my 14th b-day brought me my first 10speed (12/30/73), I also received "anybody’s bike book". A really cute illustrated book for bicycle maintenance. I laughed at the section on handle bar taping (tuck and roll handle bars for border crossing). It had a section on building your own stand using an old tire, cement… I tried it, but never could get the clamp to work. A few years later, I spend a summer as a mechanic in a bike shop in Manhattan, but that’s a whole nother story.

A few years ago, I was given a toolbox put together by Performance Bike under its spin doctor brand. Good set of allen wrenches, useable chain whip, etc. But I would choose Park spanners, cable cutters and chain tool over the spin doctor stuff. A lot of stuff should simply be buy as needed.

What to people here like for lubes? I have always liked finish line stuff on my road bike, but being new to MTB, perhaps there’s different ideas.

[claporte]

"GoldenGoose" wrote

Definitely don’t "fix" those spots in the trail as they are certainly passable.

#1 looks like a little speed would probably pop you right up and over it. Just pull the front wheel up (manual) over it and the rear should follow if you are going fast enough. You can also use the "speed hop" technique to help you get your rear wheel up and over obstacles like that.

Call me skeptical that anyone but an advanced rider can get up this one. Of course, I’m here because I’m a tyro. Perhaps the picture is a bit deceiving. That ledge is close to vertical, and I think at least 18" high. A 6" diameter log it ain’t. I would expect to destroy my chainrings if I attempt to climb this ledge anytime soon.

Technical question: As a practical matter, how tall a vertical ledge would you expect an experienced (though not necessarily expert) rider to be able to ascend? Do you need to be able to lift the back wheel slightly more than half way? What diameter log is considered easily doable?

As I said, going the other way it is a nice feature, so I never really considered any adjustments. [color=#008080:1yvoyg1r]Don’t worry — I hear everyone — I’m not going to make changes anywhere without the advice of experienced riders.[/color:1yvoyg1r] That’s why I asked in the first place. 😃

[claporte]

Well, I’ve recovered enough to go out again this afternoon. Still kind of stiff (did I mention how out of shape I am) and I didn’t mind stopping to take some photos of my trouble spots. 😎 But before I get to those, one note on the rear shock — I pumped it up, and I liked it better, but maybe I went a bit far. I recall somewhere reading that you should occasionally bottom out? That didn’t happen, today at least.

Now for those tricky spots on the trail. Spot #1 (see descriptions above) I don’t plan to mess with. As I wrote, if one were riding north, coming down through the old stone wall, I don’t think it would be a problem as long as you looped out a bit to go through straight. However, I don’t have the skill to climb this riding south. If someone wants to tell me how to go about it, perhaps I’ll try after a few months more skill building. .

Spot #2 is the narrow gap through another stone wall with a depression in the center. It’s obviously not too narrow as you get up towards the seat, but with the wheels down in the channel, I think I would almost always catch a crank. This second view shows the bike leaning with the left pedal resting on a rock. If I were to try to make an adjustment to the trail, I think the ticket would be to simply add some small rocks/gravel in the center of the track to raise the wheels a few inches as I crossed through the gap. Thoughts? Again, is there any standard for how much clearance a trail should have pedal-tip to pedal-tip? Or would you guys just hit this at speed and jump the bike (way beyond my skills at this point)?

Spot # 3 is where I had my fall last week, landing on the big flat rock on the right (and less seriously the week before in the same spot). This ground is often wet, but the weather has been extremely dry lately. The problem is the pointed rock right to the left of the rear wheel in the photo (just past the skunk cabbage) followed by the gap between the rocks right in front of the bike. For me, it is very difficult to traverse this spot without going over the pointy rock. I can’t really swing left of it because of the big flat rock on the left (maybe I should try climbing over that one…) But when I get to this rock, I’ve just crossed a rock ford where I have to go pretty damn slow… My thought on this one would be to dig-out and move the pointy rock and replace with a flat stone if necessary.

So, I don’t think I am talking about major "sterilization" here. But I suppose y’all have convinced me to leave well enough alone for now and work on my bike skills instead.

BTW, here’s my reward for getting past that last little hazard at the lowest spot on the trail…
. If you look closely in the foreground, you can see some of the tree damage from last year’s Halloween snowstorm — two tree trunks snapped from the weight. This happened all over the place — and not just small trees but some pretty big oaks.

Thanks again to all who read here.

[claporte]

"dgaddis" wrote

You want the front and rear to feel balanced. Read this, some of it is product specific, but there is a lot of good general suspension theory there too. http://twentynineinches.com/2011/01/24/ … kwaterski/

Get us some pictures of the spots you’re talking about and we can offer better advice. And don’t forget: the trick to mtn biking is going fast enough not to fall over 😄

Thanks. The suspension theory is very helpful. Will certainly get pix. Unfortunately, the spill I took this week did a bit more body damage than I had initially thought. Had a back spasm yesterday, and will need at least a few more days off the bike. These old bones, sheesh!(tm). Probably should hit the road first when I feel better — a bit easier on the back. But will eventually get back with those pix.

[claporte]

"mtbgreg1" wrote

1. Yes there is: right here: viewforum.php?f=106

However, trail maintenance is typically only done if there are issues with the sustainability of the trail, ie if the trail isn’t draining water well or if it was poorly designed. Modifying public trails to make them easier to ride is a BIG no-no, especially if it’s without permission. Sometimes the organizations in charge of the trails will modify the trail to make it easier, and I guess that’s their call. But it’s not an individual’s place to take matters in their own hands and dumb down the trail.

If it’s not a case of poor design or poor drainage, then just think of the trail difficulty as a challenge to work up to 😀

3. Could be. Try setting up the shock with about 20% sag and then go from there. If you’re still having issues, it could be your posture on the bike. Are you seated while climbing or are you out of the saddle mashing the pedals? If you’re seated, you should have very little loss of energy to the rear shock.

Hope that helps! Have fun and stay safe out there!

Thanks. On the trail issue, I completely understand what you are saying. But these are not public trails — we’re in a private club. I would certainly want to discuss any modifications with other members who maintain the trails. Mountain biking hasn’t been a big factor here — mostly hiking, x-country skiing (which you may have seen earlier in the thread was a complete bust this year) and horseback riding on some of the trails. As I mentioned, on this one short section of one trail, there are 2-3 spots that would need a little work to make them passable (for me) on a bike. This trail is not ridden on horseback. I wouldn’t call these "poor design" issues, I’d call them "no design" issues.

Spot No. 1: There is one spot where the trail crosses a narrow gap through an old stone wall, and there is a slight depression in the center that I think would catch the bottom bracket (I haven’t actually tried traversing it). What is the recommended minimum width for such a gap for trail safety (assuming safety is ever a concern around here)? This is the sort of basic technical question I have. If the gap is barely wide enough, which it may be, I might want to simply lay a few stones through the depression in the gap to make it passable. If it is too narrow, a stone or two more might be removed.

Spot No. 2: This one is two (slightly separated) large rocks stepping up to another stone wall gap. My first instinct would be to leave this one alone, because it is probably a fun spot to drop through going north — but it would take a very skilled rider to climb through going south — I must dismount. Not the end of the world.

Spot No. 3: This is the one where I have taken two spills. I need to examine it further — back with a picture. You all will probably tell me that I can handle it after a few more attempts. But moving one or two rocks to the side…

On the shock issue, I am talking about when I climb out of the saddle. I suppose no amount of shock stiffness will compensate? I put the pump on and it read 130. Sag was about 25%. (FWIW, I’m about 180). I put 180 in for now and I’ll see how it goes next time out. BTW, is there any correlation between rear shock settings and fork settings?

[claporte]

Well, I’ve been out a few times now. As I mentioned, I live in a special place where there are lots of trails originally built for Hiking and some for Horseback riding. They are not mountain bike trails, but I can navigate them for the most part. I’m working on mastering one short circuit, and then, as my stamina increases, I’ll start on wider loops. There are a couple of places where I have to dismount and walk. There is also a rocky section through a drainage area that I think I should be able to manage but have fallen both times I’ve tried (unfortunately, without clip release). Yesterday evening, nursing a very sore and stiff hand that took the brunt of the fall yesterday, it occurred to me that a little trail modification might be in order. Next time I go out, I’m going to snap some photos.

1. Is there a forum here best suited for trail-building/maintenance questions?

2. I have discovered that my bike is likely to suffer damage as I get up to speed. Even at 52, my body eventually heals — but my bike doesn’t. As a roadie, the idea of catching a pedal on the road never occurred to me. I find that I am crunching my pedals/crank arms occasionally on rocks. I’m worried that I might trash my chainrings — are these typical problems on rocky trails?

3. I continue to be a little frustrated with the downstroke power loss to the rear shock. I bought a shock pump — is the first step to just add some air? The shock is a Rockshox Ario 2.1.

[claporte]

Thanks for the careful reply, maddslacker. The bike did arrive, and I built it up. Unfortunately, the large front chainring was trashed in shipping, and the rear brake rotor slightly bent so that it wobbles and rubs a little bit on the rear pads. SixFifty is shipping replacements.

However, I have gone out for a couple of short rides keeping the chain on the lower chain rings. Set the tension on the spd’s low — no problems there. Had one small fall when there was a sharp rise in the trail and I had my weight back too far. I’ve always pulled up on the bars climbing on the road, and adjusting to sharply changing terrain is going to be a challenge. Plus I’m way out of shape.

I took your advice and bought the book you recommended, Mastering Mountain Bike Skills, 2nd Ed. (I went for the kindle version — there’s a nice kindle app for iPad.) and am working my way through it.

The other thing that surprised me is how much the rear shock compresses on (absorbs…) my pedal downstroke. I’m going to have to figure out how to increase the resistence (looks like there’s a place to add air — can I use a floor pump?) and then fiddle with it.

Anyway, it’s fun. The trails around here are mostly used for hiking, horseback and x-c skiing. Lot’s of stretches I find a bit intimidating — I’ll have to snap some pix.

[Author]

Posts