FredCook


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  • in reply to: Best 2019 All Mountain Trail Bike That Jumps? #263671

    So, I’m kinda focused on a couple things you said…  “I want a bike that can do it all” and that you’re considering a YT Jeffsy.  My most recent bike purchase zeroed in on a “do it all” trail bike.  I considered the Jeffsey, as well as Canyon’s Spectral.  Then I came a cross Whyte’s T-130.  I mention Whyte because it is also a consumer direct bike like Jeffsey.  It climbs better (grinding gradual and steep technical) than the Jeffsey, and descends better than the Spectral.  It is, in my opinion, a great jack of all trades bike.  I have been pleased with its ability to hunker low and fast on fast sweeping flow, and is very playful coming up off of ramps and table tops.  This thing is right at home in the air.  Most of my daily riding is more technical, and the T-130 is very stable and confident inspiring on slow and fast rock gardens.  I have to admit I’ve gotten lazy with picking the best lines because this things just goes wherever I point it.  It’s a playful bike that’s easy to pop around, yet is stable when you need it.  And when it comes to down hill runs… well… I’ve rented Rocky Mnt and Giant enduro leaning bikes, and I’d pick the T-130 over them any day.

    in reply to: Roots: Impediment or Feature? #262928

    Yeah, not sure why this is news.

    “exposed pine tree roots were making it difficult for people to navigate a section of the Silverstream Track”

    It’s called an <i>intermediate</i> or advanced trail.  Can’t navigate roots?  Then ride beginner or easy trails.  What’s next?  Pave trails so we don’t get dirty?

    in reply to: Sram Eagle 1×12 help! #262639

    Is there any reason why this happens?

    It just does.  Has nothing to do with running SRAM 1×12.  I’ve gotten more stuff stuck in my drive train than I can remember.  3x, 2x, 1x, Shimano, SRAM… makes no difference.  It just happens.  If it happened 3 times in a row, chock it up to coincidence.

    But…. maybe… since your new 12 speed hardware is a little closer to the ground, you may have a better chance of picking stuff up than you’re used to.

    in reply to: New Bike Day Dilemma #262359

    Hey ILikeTexMex, those stickers look like Singletracks badges.  I looked over the site, but don’t see them anywhere.  Make them yourself?

    in reply to: e-bikes #262111

    It always seems that e-bike discussions circle around providing a solution for those riders that need assistance.  And usually, that implies an older or physically impaired rider.  But of all of the (admittedly rare) occasions that I have personally encountered a rider on an e-bike, I have yet to see a rider that needed the assistance.  They have all, without exception, been riders that didn’t look a day over 30, and all were physically fit.  And they were all riding an e-bike because they wanted to go as fast as physically possible… up and down.  I’m not saying they were right or wrong in doing so.  But because of what I’ve seen, my opinion is this is likely the reality of what we’ll see more of on true single track trails.  I recently had a conversation with a couple of Rocky Mountain bike reps that supports my opinion.  They raved about their new Altitude Powerplay bike, a 160mm travel aggressive trail bike that is anything but a bike intended for an older, physically impaired, rider.  The reps made no mistake about it… it’s for a 20 something trail ripper.  I suspect other MTB makers will, or are, following this path.  So, I have mixed feelings about the future impact of e-bikes on traditional single track trails.  Although I’m 58, I am admittedly intrigued about riding an e-bike as fast as possible on some of the trails I am more than capable of riding manually.  Not because I want or need assistance, but just because I want to go faster.  But, I’m also concerned what that does for those that are peddling (me included).  And what’s the impact to foot traffic?  Most of our trails exists because we do share them with walkers.  We all know what it’s like to come up on an unsuspecting walker or trail runner.  Now imaging that scenario with a bike potentially going faster, which, by the way, may be heavier and less likely to have the ability to stop or maneuver as quickly or easily.

    A lot to consider…

    I’ll be honest, I couldn’t ride it non stop.  But I’d ride what I can and walk the rest for the ride back down! 🙂

    in reply to: tire pressure #261774

    Like others have said, find your sweet spot based on what you like and feel good with.  Beyond that, I sometimes make adjustments specific for the type of trail.  I also adjust for altitude when traveling, although likely not necessary (just in my head 🙂 ).  I like my tires around 28 lbs for most of the trials I frequent.  I come in at 165-170 loaded, 32 lb bike, 27.5×2.4 with tubes.  But, I have found that different brands and models of tires have a different sweet spot for me.  For me, I run WTB’s  at the lower end (25-28), Maxxis at the higher end (35+), with Kenda’s in the middle (30-32).  I feel like sidewall strength and stiffness drives pressure to some extent (stiffer sidewall = lower possible pressure).  Just my unscientific opinion.

    in reply to: Dupont considering entry fees #260641

    I think it’s pretty common for a state park to charge an entry fee.  Even if you’re “just” going there to mountain bike.  In Texas, there is an entry fee to state parks regardless of why you’re visiting it.  Many of those parks have well maintained mountain bike trails.  Me personally, I’ve never though twice about paying the fee.  After all, nothing is really “free”.  Sure, there are public lands that are free to enter for hiking, hunting, etc.  But they are no means free to manage and maintain.  While we may not pay an entry fee, there are still millions, if not billions, of tax dollars allotted to those lands that we do, indeed, pay for.  As far as I’m concerned, if I have to pay taxes or entry fees to anything, doing so for access to park lands is at the top of my list.

    in reply to: 6K Bike at Walmart? #260202

    Good point about the Walton’s interest in mountain biking and the what they’ve done for trails around Bentonville.

    What I can’t see happening though, it trustworthy assembly of a $6k bike at Walmart.  I’ve seen some pretty scary stuff assembled there… handle bars on backwards and upside down, forks in the wrong direction, etc.  Not trying to knock Walmart workers, buy hey, it is what t is.

    As for the perceived stereotypical Walmart shopper not being able to afford a $6k bike… well… I’ve seen more than a few that live in a mobile home, on welfare, and drive new $50K 3/4 four wheel pickups.  Again, not knocking anyone, but, yeah, it is what it is…

    in reply to: DB Mason 1 vs Hook #260117

    But I’ll just take it easy on the rough ones. I’m in my early 40’s and I’m not getting any younger.

    Ha!  Don’t kid yourself!  I thought the same when I shifted from 30 to 40, then 40 to 50… and now I’m 58 and riding harder, longer, and way more technically and faster than ever.  The bikes I ride (and need) today are far more capable than anything I ever needed when I was younger.  I am by no means unusual.  I see it all the time with others my age.   In other words, when choosing a bike, give more weight to the trails you think you’ll frequent then what you think your capabilities are.  Your capabilities will catch up to the trail despite your age, and you’ll need/want a bike to match.

    in reply to: Looking for help/guidance #260083

    Brandon… Welcome to MTBing in North Texas.  No shortage of trails here (200+ miles within 45 minutes of each other)!  And we have our fair share of bike shops to boot, with just about every brand represented.  Many of them are happy to demo/rent bikes too, so you can try things out.

    There’s a lot of money running around DFW, and you’ll see that in the bikes you see on the trails.  In other words, a lot of $6k and $7k bikes, many of which never see the dust cleaned off 1/4+ of their suspension. 🙂  All good, mind you, but no need to spend $4k out of the gate.  DFW trails can be ridden on nicely equipped XC or trail bikes, hard tail or FS.  I like riding all of DFW’s trails, but like to gravitate to rock/bolder gardens spots like Northshore West, Ilse du Bois, Johnson’s F loop, etc., so I prefer full suspension on my daily use bike.  Not uncommon for me to lockout the rear suspension on the flatter fast stuff we have here (Legacy, Gateway West, Frisco Community, etc.).  My point being, a 130/140 travel FS will keep you happy in North Texas.

    Which trails have you been on and frequent in DFW?

    in reply to: Rear cassette swap #260078

    My favorite 11 speed cassette for converting 2/3x to 1x is e*thirteen’s TRS cassette.  It has cogs from 9 to 46 (511% range), so you can run a smaller chain ring, maintaining some ground clearance.  But I think it’s still only available as an XD.

    https://bythehive.com/products/trs-cassette

    in reply to: Which is The Best for all purposes!? #259957

    Man, a lot of contradiction in requirements 🙂

    in reply to: Tarp Shelters and rain #259706

    If I know I’me going to deal with wet weather while roughing it, I look to hammock solutions.  A hammock tent to sleep in, and another to store stuff.  If it’s windy, it’ll just rock me to sleep.  But I have the same question as ZipHead.  Hunting while mountain biking? 🙂  Guess it isn’t impossible.

     

     

    in reply to: New device – tracker + fun #259704

    Hmmm… our firewall blocked the link, tagged as malicious…

    in reply to: How do you feel about litter on the trail? #259703

    We don’t see a lot of litter on our trails locally.  The exception right now are those trails that are now finally above water lines since last July.  There is littler left behind by what receding lakes have been harboring over the years.  Trails crews have been diligently cleaning up though.

    As for how I feel about litter on the trail… irritates me.  Lazy jerks.  Makes me wonder just how nasty the homes are of people that littler.  Probably disgusting.

    in reply to: Importing Bike #259549

    By “import”, do you mean you’re purchasing one as a consumer, or are you importing (several) for resale?

    in reply to: $150 fine for riding wet trails #259429

    I think I like the idea of ticketing like this.  Needs to be fair.. obvious signage, applied to all trail users, etc.  In our area, we’ve had a LOT of rain since last July.  Most trails have been closed since July last year.  For the most part, closures have been adhered to.  But not 100%.  In fact, my home trail had significant damage, mainly due to hiking actually.  I saw one report that indicated 10 miles of trail (out of 12+) required significant repair.  That sucks.  Especially since it’s volunteer work using donations and personally provided funds for whatever is needed.  I know the risk of a fine isn’t going to stop everyone.  After all, the risk of the death penalty doesn’t prevent murder.  But maybe it would have limited the damage.

    in reply to: Marin County Says Thanks But No Thanks to MTB Tourism #259427

    Well, I guess I am a little surprised that Marin county doesn’t like mountain bikers.  After all, it is regarded by many as the birthplace of MTBing.  Last year I made another new bike purchase, and while my criteria focused on the bike itself, I was pleased to know I could purchase that bike from an LBS in Faifax (I’m in Texas, by the way).  In fact, that LBS is located right next to the Marin County MTB museum.  That fact was the last little bit of the decision that pushed the purchase.  I know, not a big deal.  But I thought, in my little way, I was contributing to the community that played a big part in starting what all of us here, and across the world, love to do.  But, I guess I should have looked elsewhere.  Well, won’t happen again…

    in reply to: SRAM NX Eagle vs GX Eagle #259098

    My daily ride is GX, but my only experience with NX has been rentals, demos, buddy bikes, etc.  One thing I noticed was NX didn’t handle loaded downshifts as well.  But coming from riding XT for years, I may be pushing it a little for both NX and GX.  Although, my GX does OK trying to downshift while on a steep technical standing climb.   Other than that, I don’t have a lot to go on for comparing GX/NX.  Having said that, I didn’t notice any real issue with NX in my limited experience with it… works as advertised.  I don’t measure grams, so have no idea about weight differences.

    Maybe someone else can expand on their NX experience, but my thoughts on GX are (coming from XT):  I’ve got close to 10 months on GX now.  2018 model.  The usual abuse, including at least two (that I remember) rock slams causing pretty decent gouges into the derailleur’s aluminum body.  Stuff gets an occasional cleaning and oiling once in a blue moon.  Loaded downshifts work pretty good considering the angles needed to reach the span of a 12 speed cassette.  Upshifts are quick and solid.  I’m not crazy about the shifter.  Thumb press downshift, index finger pull upshift (only).  It works fine, but I prefer the two way shifting using either finger like XT does.  Even with slamming the rear derailleur into rocks, I haven’t had the need to make any adjustments.  It’s held true, including throughout break-in.  The only issue I had was one of the idler gears nearly seizing.  Had to take it off, clean it out.  All in all, no real complaints.  And to be honest, works as well as XT.  Just different ergonomics.  As for wear… I don’t see any unusual wear patterns that wouldn’t be expected.

    Hope this helps.

Viewing 20 posts - 1 through 20 (of 222 total)