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Any mountain bikers??

#1,221
Mark Reccord said:
:D

I gotta say, I was sucking wind on this ride. The snow was deep enough to be energy sapping and the ground beneath wasn't quite frozen so it was pretty soft.

I've been doing a lot of trail work this year. That bridge is just one project. I'm just about finished corridor clearing for about 2km of brand new trail. It's going to be super fun when finished. I've marked out a side loop off it that consists of 4 steep rock rolls with a couple of natural jumps in between. Gotta get that cleared before we get the real snow.
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Great job on the bridge Mark. Looks like a lot of fun. Your first pic made me think that would be perfect time for a Fatbike. :D


... so I took the plunge into the world of single speed ... just picked up this Haro Mary SS 29'er. Couldn't resist it ... just too good a deal to pass up.
Now to begin parting out my On-One 456EVO HT. I guess I officially made the switch to 29'er. (Frankly, I never saw that coming. If you would have told me that a couple years ago ... I'd say you're crazy. Go figure. :smug: )


IMG_0260.gif
 
#1,222
ubado said:
Great job on the bridge Mark. Looks like a lot of fun. Your first pic made me think that would be perfect time for a Fatbike. :D
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I'm dying to buy a fatbike. Two kids in daycare come January shatters that dream for now. :(

:)

There was only a skim of snow this morning so I could get away with the regular bike. A couple of more inches and it'd be fatbike city. :D
 
#1,225
Mark Reccord said:
Few pics from this morning's ride. First one in snow for the year. There was a bit more of it than I expected. Not as slippery as you might think but definitely energy sapping. Added 13 minutes to my loop.

Fresh snow on tech trails = the odd spin-out:
utf-8BU3QuIEpvaG4ncy0yMDEzMTEyNi0wMTQzMi5qcGc_zps4d8d12e6.jpg


Little flurry coming my way:
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Ok. It was pretty slippery in this spot. Snow over normally super-grippy slick rock.
utf-8BU3QuIEpvaG4ncy0yMDEzMTEyNi0wMTQzNC5qcGc_zps204bddd6.jpg


People aren't the only ones using this trail. These hoofprints were made by a moose.
utf-8BU3QuIEpvaG4ncy0yMDEzMTEyNi0wMTQzNS5qcGc_zps03cf6392.jpg


The bridge we finished building on Sunday, just before the snow fell. It's about 70' long and crosses a boggy spot that just sucked to ride through before. Can carry a lot more speed there now which sets you up nice for the next technical section.
utf-8BU3QuIEpvaG4ncy0yMDEzMTEyNi0wMTQzNi5qcGc_zpsbed1cc3d.jpg
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Wow! That's some crazy stuff. Love these pics.
 
#1,228
Mark , nice photos !!

Promise myself to do more winter rides this year , looks like I'll have a little more time than last year.
Can't wait for those snowmobile trails to be packed.


Hey Bassteban , no jokes on packing , OK ? :smug:
 
#1,230
MakiSupaStar said:
Wow! That's some crazy stuff. Love these pics.
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Glad you enjoyed them. I guess riding in snow is pretty foreign to you California guys. :D

fokof said:
Mark , nice photos !!

Promise myself to do more winter rides this year , looks like I'll have a little more time than last year.
Can't wait for those snowmobile trails to be packed.


Hey Bassteban , no jokes on packing , OK ? :smug:
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Thanks! We're planning to groom those trails for fatbike action when the real snow comes.

Rode up there yesterday. It was -7C (19F) when we started and the conditions were awesome. Frozen dirt/no snow. About 20 minutes in a large stick attacked my rear wheel and resulted in a destroyed X0 rear derailleur (the cage sheared off and the spring is broken) as well as a mangled dropout/hanger. It's irreparably bent and the threads where the derailleur attaches are all chewed up because the force ripped it halfway out of there. Luckily I didn't damage my wheel.

Going to give SLX a try now, I think. :D
 
#1,231
Mark Reccord said:
About 20 minutes in a large stick attacked my rear wheel and resulted in a destroyed X0 rear derailleur (the cage sheared off and the spring is broken) as well as a mangled dropout/hanger. It's irreparably bent and the threads where the derailleur attaches are all chewed up because the force ripped it halfway out of there.
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Hope your derailleur hanger is replaceable !!!!

I'M so glad I have my Rohloff when I read those JRA stories :D
 
#1,233
Semi-monthly Mark Reccord Q: I have an 05 Cannondale Gemini 900, w/a 12mm x 135mm through-axle RR hub- will this be difficult to replace if I don't stash one away now? I love this bike and can't seem to unload it- I want to keep it running and wonder how odd the axle/spacing combo is
 
#1,234
bassteban said:
Semi-monthly Mark Reccord Q: I have an 05 Cannondale Gemini 900, w/a 12mm x 135mm through-axle RR hub- will this be difficult to replace if I don't stash one away now? I love this bike and can't seem to unload it- I want to keep it running and wonder how odd the axle/spacing combo is
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They're still being made and easily gotten though I don't think it's all that common any more. There are enough bikes out there with them that I don't see them going away any time soon. Hell they still make 7 speed stuff form MTB!

At the risk of being accused of Fanboi-ism, Hope's hubs can be converted to any axle size by interchanging a couple of inserts, available aftermarket.

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:p
 
#1,236
bassteban said:
Dude- compatability w/every bike I own and likely will own? I'm leaning towards fanatacism meself. I'm definitely a Reccord fan :thumbup:
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Thanks! :)

The only thing you can't do with a 135mm Pro 2 is change it to a 150mm. Can do 142 with them, though.

Hope makes seriously good stuff. It's pricey but worth it. Pro 2 hubs last forever and are easy to service and/or rebuild. Plus they look freakin' awesome. What's not to love?
 
#1,238
bassteban said:
Yeah, I will research my employee price today. Might need some of thems on a bike or three
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The guy who owns my LBS swears by them. He goes through frames like kleenex at a snot party, but keeps hubs through multiple frame and rim changes.

I'm upgrading as soon as the stock Formulas that came with my wheels quit, which will probably be soon. :D
 
#1,239
Yeah, the local Alpha Stud rider as well as head mechanic concur w/that assessment; wrench-boy's hubs have been on 3 bikes, studs- 5. I will own these hubs one day. ATM, I'm scheming to snag a close-out deal on a sweet BMX bike for my boy for Christmas, so until next payday, research is all I can do.
 
#1,240
I'm seriously digging my Niner RIP9. The only change I have made so far is to replace the thin and supple Racing Ralphs 2.35 with Conti Mtn King II 2.4/2.2. I blew out the rear RR on my first ride. JRA, not even on the trail, found something sharp under a few leaves on the bike path and slit the sidewall. The Conti's are SO much more durable. I have the protection/black-chili model. Also, the grip of the 2.2 MKII out back is phenomenal for getting up rocky techy climbs at pressures necessitated by my 230lb frame. Reviewers complain about burps because these sidewalls are pretty stiff. I've been running ~35psi, which is lower than I ever could run with tubes, and they have had plenty of grip, without any air loss. Rolling resistance on the road has been increased, as expected, but it's absolutely worth it for me.

On ride... this is a 29er??? I mean, I know it's called a Niner, but seriously? I am not a great technical rider, but this bike is seriously confidence inspiring. It's the most fun on twisty, banked singletrack where you can sprint it and throw it from side to side. My first FS bike was a Rocky Mountain ETS-X that was too small for me, and a very bad introduction to technical riding but decent on mellow XC trails. Then I worked for a Specialized dealer for 6 years during and after college. I was able to ride and own a pretty vast number of bikes in their lines. The Niner descends better for me than my old Specialized Stumpy Pro Carbon 26 (hate the brain) and a Stumpy comp 29er I rode after the pro, which just felt big and slow. My confidence while descending on the Niner can only be compared to my 2006 S Works Enduro 26er (150mm f/r) but so much more manageable and efficient on the way up. I was really looking for a best of both worlds and I think I found it on this one. The RS Revelation RC is nice, but travel adjust from 140 to 120 would make steep climbs and road miles less of a chore. Set for proper sag, the fork is still very soft when I'm out of the saddle, even with compression set to firm.

To compensate for the tall front end, I really want to slam the stem XC style and fit it with a dropper post. I feel like being a little more stretched out would be better for getting down on steep climbs and for longish road miles, while the dropper would improve the approach angle for technical sections. I really think this is an ideal all-around MTB for the regular guy. I'm obviously still in the honeymoon phase, but I'm glad I chose to mix it up again. After sticking with the big S for so many years, it feels good.
 

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