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Any mountain bikers??

#161
If/when I get a FS ... it'll be a 29'er for sure. However that won't be anytime soon. The trails I ride are have too steep of climbs, and rather rather rough decents, as well as tight turns all over ... in all of those situations a 26'er is ideal, albeit not as smooth overall.

If the trails were more flowing, less steep ups and downs ... I think I could get into a 29'er. I do have to admitt that the idea of a Rigid 96'er isn't out of the relm of possibilities. Heck, with the current low price of rigid 29" forks, in comparison to 26'ers ... that might just be how I go with my Hahanna when I turn it into a rigid.

Gee! ... now you got me thinking ... gotta do some research. :D
 
#163
Quickly, as I'm pressed for time:

I'd choose SRAM over Shimano for drivetrain parts in a heartbeat. I'm running a 2x10 SRAM X9/X0 setup on my current bike and ran a 2x9 X7 setup on the last one and I've had better drivetrain performance than I ever had with any of the Shimano stuff. SRAM is cheaper too. Still love Shimano's hydraulic discs though. Probably need the least amount of maintenance of any hydraulic disc. Mineral oil is awesome.

Personally, I like Hope's brakes best, but they're pricey.

2x drivetrains are pretty common. All of the manufacturers make them. I'd go 2x10.

26 vs 29... Well, there's a lot to say there. :D
I ride a 6" travel 26er. My local trails are not conducive to 29ers. Trails in other places are. If your trails are tight and techy, I think the disadvantages longer wheelbase and slower acceleration of the 29" wheels outweighs the ability of the bigger wheels to roll over things. I don't think you'll see any serious forays into the DH market for 29ers either, but I could be wrong. A few manufacturers seem to be fooling around with that but 29ers haven't appeared on the DH WC circuit. For one, it's harder to make 29" wheels as stiff and strong as 26" ones. This is important for DH. :p
 
#164
Cross-posted from MTBR. Thought you guys might enjoy a few more trail pics to help stoke the uh, stoke!

They're forecasting 20+cm of snow overnight so I decided to go into work late and hit the trails for probably the final time this year (or until I get geared up for snow biking). We've had a lot of rain but everything froze up a couple of days ago. Sounds scary but it actually made for really good trail conditions. Trails are in the Southside Hills 5 minutes from downtown St. John's, Newfoundland. Thought I'd share a bit of stoke.

Rare smooth and flowy section:
IMG_0021.jpg



They put new towers in on the pole line last month and left the corridor a muddy mess. I was glad to find it frozen this morning. FYI, super tacky rubber isn't so sticky when it's -5.
IMG_0020.jpg


Carnage from Hurricane Igor up ahead. This was totally impassable in the spring. A lot of hours with chainsaws got it open again.
IMG_0019.jpg


One of my favourite quick descents. As usual way steeper than it looks and there are steep rolls (or drops) off the rock in the foreground and the other flat rock a ways below. Lots of people walk this one. :D
IMG_0017.jpg


Another favourite section, though I'm not impressed that a cheater line has appeared on the left.
IMG_0015.jpg


Rock work done 3 years ago is holding up nicely:
IMG_0013.jpg


They call it "the Rock" for a reason:
IMG_0012.jpg


Cheers,
Mark
 
#168
macaroni tony said:
That's awesome. I'm curious, do you guys generally get done up in kneepads and the whole 9, or just helmets?
Click to expand...

I always wear knee/shin protection on the trails I posted pics from. And I would even if I rode clipped in. The terrain is super technical and often wet; crashes and get-offs are pretty common.

I don't bother with arms or body armour as it gets really hot when you have to pedal. I wear a full face, body armour, shin/knee and a Leatt neck brace when I go DH riding, but if I'm doing that, I'm shuttling, using a chairlift or pushing to the top.
 
#170
elgecko said:
If those are the only rocky sections over five miles, probably not. If the whole five miles looked like that, then maybe depending on the climb.
Click to expand...

It pretty much all looks like that. It's very, very technical terrain. Like "you have to be a bit of a masochist to enjoy it" technical. Only one of those pics isn't on a dual-directional piece of trail. I'll let you guess the one that can't be ridden up. :D
 
#172
ubado said:
When it come to 26" or 29" ... it's all up to you. Both of my Kona's are 26'ers. My experience with 29'ers was just sitting on one. Right off the bat ... I didn't dig the feel. Also I'm 5'11" with a 30" inseam ... so the 29'ers just felt too tall/big.

Hope this was helpful! :)
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I'm only 5'8". I found a new-ish bike shop near me I didn't know about and tried a 29 out. Too awkward.

Noticed you are from NC as well. sup.

Mark Reccord said:
2x drivetrains are pretty common. All of the manufacturers make them. I'd go 2x10.
Click to expand...
Back when my Cannondale was new in 2003 with a 2x10 it was a very rare thing and nobody I saw at any races in my expert and pro categories ever sported one. Or it was so rare that I just didn't come across it. Nice to see there are options now.
 
#173
elgecko said:
Yeah, then I'd take the guards ...especially with the ice patches. That ain't right! :p
Click to expand...

Um, yeah, ice requires pretty gentle technique... :D It was pretty cold so it actually wasn't all that slippery. I guess you don't see much of that in Socal, eh?

Actium said:
I'm only 5'8". I found a new-ish bike shop near me I didn't know about and tried a 29 out. Too awkward.

Noticed you are from NC as well. sup.


Back when my Cannondale was new in 2003 with a 2x10 it was a very rare thing and nobody I saw at any races in my expert and pro categories ever sported one. Or it was so rare that I just didn't come across it. Nice to see there are options now.
Click to expand...

I've been taking the big ring off 3x9 and 3x8 setups and replacing it with a basguard for years, effectively creating a 2x setup. The extra clearance afforded by this is more valuable than the extra gears on our trails. Big rings end up getting used as bashguards anyway. :D

I'm liking my 2x10 setup, I must say.
 
#174
AWESOME group ride yesterday in Rockville Hills Park, Fairfield, Ca. Left my phone @ home, no pics. :rolleyes:
A good 12+ riders, mostly old friends- some I'd not seen in years. :) Constant drizzling rain, lost the main group early on AND my grips came loose(!), but overall I had a great time. Now for a near-complete rebuild of my beat-to hades SS. It was WAY fun riding w/old friends & people that notice you're an oddball ride, kickin A & older than dirt. Happy day-before-my-birthday to me!
:hyper:
 
#179
Actium said:
Back when my Cannondale was new in 2003 with a 2x10 it was a very rare thing and nobody I saw at any races in my expert and pro categories ever sported one. Or it was so rare that I just didn't come across it. Nice to see there are options now.
Click to expand...

Here too , I had a CAAD5 F4000 in 2001 with 2/10 drivetrain and a pair of 700 disk wheels , rare things back in the days.
Got the idea from Tinker Juarez wich I saw training on a CAAD5 with road wheels on , probably around 1999/2000.
Ha , good times ! (hope it doesn't make me look too old ! )

That was the best frame/bike I ever had. The Headshock on it lasted forever , Zero maintenance. :hyper:
Sold the bike to one of my friend and he's still rockin' it.
 

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