Any mountain bikers??

[bassteban]

I'm slowly stripping the paint off an 80-something 26" GT BMX cruiser and a couple of older Schwinns- gonna have my kids assist on crazy paint jobs and rebuild them as SS MTBs.

[bassteban]

Well sh-
The 456 was AWESOME but creaked; tried a few things but ended up sending it back. Now they tell me it's the fork, but the shop where I got it isn't actually a dealer, so it's up to me to contact, etc... Called, left a message and emailed... Waiting

Edit: on a more positive note, I sent the Manitou Sherman fork off to Hippie Tech Suspension for a rebuild. At least I'll(eventually)have a bike...

[bassteban]

Thinkin I'll grab a 25 or 28t for my dads old 7-sp Schwinn Cruiser so I can take it off-road.

[bassteban]

Keepin it alive.. grabbed a 25t ring for the Schwinn and a 2.8(!!!)tire for the Gemini today- not sure it will fit. I'll slap it on front if it goes- old-school BMX stylee(we used to run a 2.125" in front for traction and a 1.75out back for the quick-snap spin).

[bassteban]

I hereby claim this thread as MINE until somebody else posts.... got the frame/fork back from On-One; shipped the fork to X-Fusion. Haven't heard from Hippie Tech- will call tomorrow. Been too busy running kids here & there to finish installing the chainring on the Schwinn, plus the weather has consistently sucked. *sigh*

[NYCbassist]

My awesome Brother gave me a Trec 8700 Racing Mountain Bike. It's his "Old" Bike and weighs like 18 Lbs. Heavier then his new bike but still an amazing bike. I was riding every other day on Single Trails Of Westwood Park here in Mt Airy, NC. Right now I am learning 45 songs for a new Band so I've been Lazy with the exercise but I need to get back to it.

[Mark Reccord]

Originally Posted by bassteban

I hereby claim this thread as MINE until somebody else posts.... got the frame/fork back from On-One; shipped the fork to X-Fusion. Haven't heard from Hippie Tech- will call tomorrow. Been too busy running kids here & there to finish installing the chainring on the Schwinn, plus the weather has consistently sucked. *sigh*

Been working 60+ hours a week the last month, so not much time for riding/bike maintenance/Talkbass. I still read the thread every time it's updated, though, just been in lurker mode.

I want a fatbike. My LBS has a Surly Pugsley that I'm in love with.

I'm also going to try 1x10 on the Tracer. Got an 11-36 cassette and a 32 tooth ring and 1x10 spider with bash sitting in my carhole just waiting to go on the bike. Soon be time for the Ice Spikers too!

[ubado]

Lately I've been able to ride more days than not ... thanks to our mild weather so far. Now that its my slower working season ... I'm able to hit all the trails that I didn't have the time to ride all spring/summer. And when I don't have time to travel too far ... my local trail keeps riding.

Still dig'n the Cannondale FS ... pretty much my go-to ride. Currently looking to swap out my alum HT Kona CinderCone frame with some steel this winter.

... so now just the wait for a used Cotic Soul 17.5 (med) to pop up this side of the pond. Looks to be a looonnnggg wait ... not many folks in the UK look to ship them out of the country.

I guess it'll make me appreciate it that much more when I do. ... still the wait will stink!

[bassteban]

Most of my bikes are in limbo- 456 & Gemini both waiting on fork, Pro Cruiser needs a chainring... I did get the 25T ring on the Schwinn, now I need to find time to ride. Busy ass weekend, gigs, kids got stuff...

[bassteban]

HooRAY. 456 fork done. On way soon

[fokof]

Originally Posted by Mark Reccord

Soon be time for the Ice Spikers too!

Hey Mark , how do you like them ?

Thinking of buying a pair of 2,35.
Just found out that my older Contis are KO.

How many seasons have you rode them ?


(IME Side walls on spike tyres are weak points)

[bassteban]

Boo. Fork back on bike, still creaks. I will be on the horn in the morning.

[Mark Reccord]

Originally Posted by fokof

Hey Mark , how do you like them ?

Thinking of buying a pair of 2,35.
Just found out that my older Contis are KO.

How many seasons have you rode them ?


(IME Side walls on spike tyres are weak points)

I'm running the 2.35 Ice Spiker Pro EVO. They look a little bigger than that, about equivalent to a 2.5 Minion. So far so good. I only have one season on them but I did do some pretty aggressive riding with them. I don't have another reference because these are the first studded tires I've owned, but they certainly provide ridiculous grip on ice and shed snow effectively. I've heard of people having trouble losing a lot of studs but I think that's because they don't break them in properly. I did Schwalbe's recommended 40km of easy pavement riding at 20 psi before taking them offroad and I haven't lost a single stud. It was a nuisance to do 40km of road riding on a 6" full squish bike with really low tire pressure in Newfoundland in January but worth it in the end. Sidewalls seem pretty good, they use the "snakeskin" side wall reinforcement that Schwalbe uses on their high performance summer tires (like the Hans Dampf, Nobby Nic etc.). The grip these things offer is insane, they made a frozen lake feel like a
dry trail.

Originally Posted by bassteban

Boo. Fork back on bike, still creaks. I will be on the horn in the morning.

Should have stuck with the 36 I guess.

(sorry).

I had an old Marz Z2 that used to creak where the stanchions joined the crown. I had the crown replaced, the stanchions replaced and every other bit of service you could think of to no avail. I finally solved the problem by getting a new fork.

[Mark Reccord]

Few pics from my last ride. Rain showers turning to flurries overnight (with the accompanying temperature drop) left a glaze of ice on the bare rock which made riding interesting to say the least. No Ice Spikers on yet...



Just me and the rabbits:

[bassteban]

Yeah, Mark- you may be right. That 36 is probably still available, but I've spent all my chump change. Another factor I missed was maintenance; although my LBS sold me the fork, they're not a dealer so can't help w/warranty, return, etc...
So I will ride it this morning, as I'm in severe withdrawals, then call X-Fusion.
Thanks for the input, Mark- it's not encouraging but I do appreciate the solid info.

[Mark Reccord]

Originally Posted by bassteban

Yeah, Mark- you may be right. That 36 is probably still available, but I've spent all my chump change. Another factor I missed was maintenance; although my LBS sold me the fork, they're not a dealer so can't help w/warranty, return, etc...
So I will ride it this morning, as I'm in severe withdrawals, then call X-Fusion.
Thanks for the input, Mark- it's not encouraging but I do appreciate the solid info.

I feel for you here, it sucks to have a new bike that creaks. Especially a hardtail. You can excuse a bit more noise from a full squish, though I have to say my Tracer has been excellent in this regard. The grease ports on the lower pivots go a long way.

If it makes you feel better I do know several people who had forks with creaks that were fixed by replacing the crown assemblies. I wasn't so lucky. Actually, I've had a hell of a time with forks over the years. I've had 3 that had to go back to the manufacturer right out of the box (the Z2, a Rockshox Boxxer Ride and a Manitou Black). Even my 36 had an issue after one season. The rebound adjustment failed. Fox were good and replaced the damper for free despite the fork being slightly out of warranty. Still sucks to be bikeless for a few weeks, though.

[Mark Reccord]

This is my latest obsession:

[bassteban]

Cool- talked to X-Fusion- they're going to replace the crown/steerer/stanchion unit; they don't have the part yet so I can ride the creaky unit until the part comes in. They're throwing in a remote lockout for my trouble- which is nice...

[fokof]

On a bike related note (but not MTB) my trusty 1998 Cannondale road CAAD4 (that I transformed to an Urban SS) died a couple of weeks ago. It has been my road bike '98-'10 before getting a recent carbon frame.
Went to the shop where I originaly bought it with the original receipe and photos of the bike and they are gonna sent me a spankin new '10 CAAD9 with a carbon fork.

Cannondale are really great for their warranty , it's the third time that I have to change a frame with them and they've always been stellar with their CS. ( My LBS too! )

Buy it new , keep the receipe and be happy.

I will have it in January.


Yeah !

[Mark Reccord]

Originally Posted by Datsgor

You could probably float on water with that thing! Surly makes a great bike. I have a Long Haul Trucker that I beat to heck....

That's the idea. We get loads of snow here and a fatbike is ideal for winter riding.

Originally Posted by bassteban

Cool- talked to X-Fusion- they're going to replace the crown/steerer/stanchion unit; they don't have the part yet so I can ride the creaky unit until the part comes in. They're throwing in a remote lockout for my trouble- which is nice...

Excellent news. I've heard good things about X-Fusion's CS and this seems to confirm it.

Originally Posted by fokof

On a bike related note (but not MTB) my trusty 1998 Cannondale road CAAD4 (that I transformed to an Urban SS) died a couple of weeks ago. It has been my road bike '98-'10 before getting a recent carbon frame.
Went to the shop where I originaly bought it with the original receipe and photos of the bike and they are gonna sent me a spankin new '10 CAAD9 with a carbon fork.

Cannondale are really great for their warranty , it's the third time that I have to change a frame with them and they've always been stellar with their CS. ( My LBS too! )

Buy it new , keep the receipe and be happy.

I will have it in January.


Yeah !

Wow. C'dale do lifetime warranty on frames?