basscyclist thread picture thread

[Mark Reccord]

First time in +- 10 years :
I'll have to get to work with the Fatbike

Looks like you guys had a pretty good snowstorm! We got 40cm on Monday and getting another 15 tonight from the same storm that hit you guys. It's been super cold so they have had a tough time getting the trails groomed but the temp's going to go up overnight into tomorrow so hopefully everything will set up nicely for the weekend.

 

[fokof]

30 cm yesterday and another 30cm sunday !

Yeah !

 

[Mark Reccord]

Yeah, we're getting those storms as well. The tap has been turned on after an extreme snow drought in December/January. This side of the island is getting smaller amounts but the west coast is getting slammed. We had a bunch of new snow on friday but reports were that things were half decently set up yesterday so I went for a spin. It was mostly alright but pretty soft compared to eariler in the week, good bit of chop from foot traffic too. I definitely had to work a lot harder yesterday than I did last week and my fitbit and Strava definitely noticed.

This pic is from last week before we had all the snow, shout out to AMBA for maintaining the trails year round!

 

[fokof]

A photo of my commuting route yesterday ( on bike )

 

[Mark Reccord]

Tabarnak!

 

[Mark Reccord]

I have to say that I really do love old school Quebecois swearing. It's so blasphemous.

Difficult ride for me the other night. I went for my first ride of the winter on one of the less traveled and more technical trail systems. It had been "groomed" but we also got close to 10cm of new snow between the last groom and when I rode. The main trails were ok but still softer than typical. I had to break trail in a few sections which was kind of fun but also tougher than normal fatbiking for me. Then I went off the edge of a bridge and went in up to my waist. Took me 3 or 4 minutes to extricate myself (2nd pic). Still pretty fun all the same.

Check out the difference between two 4.5" spec'd tires. The larger one is a 27.5" Terrene Cake Eater on an 80mm rim and the other is a 26" Dillinger 5 on a 60mm rim. Big size difference and the profile is definitely more square on the larger one.

 

[Wasnex]

I am more amused by, than interested in fat bikes.

Injoy:

 

[Wasnex]

Then I went off the edge of a bridge and went in up to my waist.

Sounds chilly.

 

[Mark Reccord]

I am more amused by, than interested in fat bikes.

Injoy:

The Moonlander is a bit ridiculous even for a fatbike.

I resisted for a while but we do have a significant winter here and while you can ride regular mountain bikes once the trails are well set up, a fat bike's way more fun. I really only ride it in the winter and occasionally on gravel trails in the summer. In the summer our local trails are really techy so going is slow and tough but a layer of snow makes them smooth and really, really fast. Like having two totally different trail systems for the price of one.

Sounds chilly.

It was, for a minute or two but the snow was powdery so it brushed off except for around my ankles.

We got another pile of snow on friday, more than we were expecting so I spent the weekend stomping MTB trails on snowshoes to help get them back in shape for fatbiking. We are very fortunate to have this literally in our backyards:

 

[pie_man_25]

Got this old Steve Bauer bike for free from a guy, he said it might need some love since it's been out a "few" years.

The derailleurs have basically gone from a bunch of small parts to one big piece of rust and won't budge. Every thread was absolutely rusted together - I broke the seatpost bolt before it actually moved. It'll need all new bearings. But somehow the six speed freewheel and the cranks are fine. Don't even get me started on the wheels.

The seatpost was giving me hell, too. I basically got so frustrated that I started working on a guitar that needed a headstock. I was basically only looking at this frame once every week or so to give it a spray with penetrating oil and let it soak.

Brought it onto the workbench at the local auto hobby shop, applied oil liberally, got distracted helping a guy flush his brakes out. Stuck the seatpost on a vice and started yanking on the head tube. It gave way almost immediately and I darn near fell over because I was expecting a fight.

I think it'll make a good single speed for a buddy. I've got some front wheels around, I'll need a rear though.

 

[dabis]

...Brought it onto the workbench at the local auto hobby shop, applied oil liberally, got distracted helping a guy flush his brakes out. Stuck the seatpost on a vice and started yanking on the head tube. It gave way almost immediately and I darn near fell over because I was expecting a fight...

Oh do you have an action video of this? It wold be funny

 

[pie_man_25]

Oh do you have an action video of this? It wold be funny

Unfortunately, no video, nobody really even saw it. Could have had a few laughs though.

 

[Mark Reccord]

We had a major thaw late last week and I figured the trails were done for but we are an industrious bunch and between people going up on foot to repair punchthroughs and cave-ins from water flowing underneath and the guys with the Snowdog when it was warm on Sunday right before the freeze up Sunday night, they managed to get the trails in pretty amazing shape. There are a few areas with exposed rocks and a couple of muddy bits but overall very good conditions. Rocky bit here out in an open area but it goes back to snow covered probably 30' from where the pic was taken. Can't quite see it becuase it dips down.

 

[FunkHead]

Any thoughts from the experts on these or other Hybrid Tires? Right now I'm riding about 50/50 road vs off-road with some slippery grass covered hills. Sadly the center tread is just about shot on my current tires.

 

[pie_man_25]

That looks like a mountain bike, those Continentals are probably pretty good. My daily driver has Kenda tires on it, they're just bomb proof. I'd honestly recommend a pair of kendas.

 

[Wasnex]

Any thoughts from the experts on these or other Hybrid Tires? Right now I'm riding about 50/50 road vs off-road with some slippery grass covered hills. Sadly the center tread is just about shot on my current tires.
View attachment 7171293View attachment 7171294

I running a set of old Bontrager XR3 26x2.35. They measure closer to 2.4. Not a lot of great 26" options these days; especially if, like me, you want 2x35. More options on the skinny side.

Specialized still makes three 26 MTB tires, but nothing high end. All three are 26x2.35

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/shop/cycling-gear/bike-parts/bike-tires?utm_source=google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=US_Branded_Search_Variations_ROI&utm_id=21637018049&utm_content=166138285629&utm_term=specialized+tires&gad_source=1&gclid=Cj0KCQiAlbW-BhCMARIsADnwasqAZWr6MIEBxUcv3iYyaM9TS1O4xB3yuTRIY3Sv57PL3Gab5y37SHgaAswaEALw_wcB&size=26+x+2.35

These seem highly regarded: Continental Cross King, Vittoria Barzo. I am most interested in the Cross King Protection which comes in 2.3.

For a faster rolling tire, might look at continental Race King, or combine CK front RC back. For Vittoria Barzo front Mescal back is a popular combo.

Continental Search Results FYI ETRTO first number = width and 559 = 26"

Cross Country Bike Tires

Shop Vittoria XC MTB tires for cross-country and down-country riding, engineered for speed, grip, puncture protection and performance across varied terrain.

vittoria.com

Schwalbe still makes a bunch of 26" MTB tires. The seem to cultivate sort of a love hate response.

MTB Tires - Enduro, Downhill, XC, Freeride & FatBikes | Schwalbe Tires NA

Schwalbe Tires race-proven MTB tire collection featuring some of the most recognized names in the business from Ralph to Mary to Tacky Chan, they're all in attendance!

www.schwalbetires.com

Maxxis also makes quite a few:

Results

 

[FunkHead]

Thanks @Wasnex for all the great info.

 

[Wasnex]

Thanks @Wasnex for all the great info.

Did you decide on tires?

I road my 2010 Trek EX8 26er today. Totally gassed out on multiple steep climbs, but overall it was a pretty good ride. The ground was somewhat soft and damp, which seems to add significantly to rolling resistance. There's a big dip near the end of the loop with a little jump at the exit. I think I got more air today than ever. It wasn't textbook perfect , but it felt great.

I am running some pretty old Bontrager 26x2.35 XR3s on this bike. I have been really happy with XR3s on both of my Treks, but Bontrager stopped making 26er tires a few years back and all sizes of the XR3 are being phased out.

I was leaning towards 26x2.3 Continental Cross King Protection, but decided to go for 26x2.35 Specialized Ground Control Grid 2Bliss T7. I can't say for sure if I made the right choice as I couldn't find any direct comparisons between current versions of these tires. Various reviews for both seem pretty much interchangeable. The Ground Control has almost the same tread pattern as the legacy XR3 and they seem to be well regarded as aggressive XC/light trail tires. Just ordered the last pair Jenson USA had in stock.

Who knows how long it will be before I actually install the new tires. I plan to grind the XR3s down a bit more, but I wanted to make sure I had some decent replacements on hand for when the the time comes. I am sure a little part of me will be wondering about those Continentals.

 

[FunkHead]

Did you decide on tires?

I road my 2010 Trek EX8 26er today. Totally gassed out on multiple steep climbs, but overall it was a pretty good ride. The ground was somewhat soft and damp, which seems to add significantly to rolling resistance. There's a big dip near the end of the loop with a little jump at the exit. I think I got more air today than ever. It wasn't textbook perfect , but it felt great.

I am running some pretty old Bontrager 26x2.35 XR3s on this bike. I have been really happy with XR3s on both of my Treks, but Bontrager stopped making 26er tires a few years back and all sizes of the XR3 are being phased out.

I was leaning towards 26x2.3 Continental Cross King Protection, but decided to go for 26x2.35 Specialized Ground Control Grid 2Bliss T7. I can't say for sure if I made the right choice as I couldn't find any direct comparisons between current versions of these tires. Various reviews for both seem pretty much interchangeable. The Ground Control has almost the same tread pattern as the legacy XR3 and they seem to be well regarded as aggressive XC/light trail tires. Just ordered the last pair Jenson USA had in stock.

Who knows how long it will be before I actually install the new tires. I plan to grind the XR3s down a bit more, but I wanted to make sure I had some decent replacements on hand for when the the time comes. I am sure a little part of me will be wondering about those Continentals.

I got set back a little when I blew out my rear shock(RP-23). Luckily I was able to rebuild it with new seals.

I am still using the Specialized/Hutchinson tire Combo. They actually still hook up pretty well but I was considering a 27.5 Bomber 2 fork up front. I'd put the fattest 26" tire I could fit on the back and a very grippy 27.5" on the front. It might be cool.

In the mean time i decided to enter the 21st century and ordered this(Roscoe 8)

 

[turf3]

I guess I don't understand the fad for using 700C tires, calling them "29er", instead of the perfectly functional 26" nominal tires that've been standard on mountain bikes for so long. For anyone other than the very tall, trying to design a frame that includes the larger wheels, suspension travel, and appropriate clearances, just gets more difficult. Ask any short road bike rider how much fun it is to find a good riding position on 700C wheels without getting into weird geometries or excessive forward reach (especially severe for short women who typically have shorter arms than men - see the Terry bikes of the 1980s with 24" front wheels that were designed to solve that issue).