Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
basscyclist thread picture thread
- Thread starter Nobody
- Start date
That is sick. My friend just picked up a Bulls E bike and is hitting me hard to get one myself. I have to wait until I can dig into retirement before I get one, but I sure am pecking for one right now. Nice bike.
Thanks. Liking it so far. Took it out early this morning on a short trail in the neighborhood. Worked up a sweat but climbed a hill I otherwise would have gotten halfway up before walking the rest.
The misty mountains of Orange County.
Up above the madness
Up above the madness
I have a Sears Free Spirit 10 Speed Bicycle just like this one setting in my garage.
I built up a free spirit back in the 80's, and then when I was going to trade it in on a nice new bike, it got stolen. It was the second bike build of mine to be stolen. I've been pretty careful since then.
I will sell you my Free Spirit. However, it's a long way from Minnesota to Pennsylvania.
It's nice to go mountain biking in the actual mountains.
Big Bear Lake
The Trail Smurf enjoyed the Alpine singletrack.
Big Bear Lake
The Trail Smurf enjoyed the Alpine singletrack.
We're riding out to a country restaurant this Sunday AM for breakfast. It's about 8 miles, and all but about 1/2 mile is on bike trails that are not on roads. That's my idea of where to bike. I get nervous around traffic.
Long story short : Got this brand new bike as a warranty replacement for one of my commuters , had the occasion to try it last month.(I always took my main MTB ) , as much as I can appreciate the "roll over" capacity of 700 wheels , they feel like boat anchors.
After that weekend of MTB , I understand the need for larger handlebars : with this extra weight in the wheel , you need the extra leverage.
I MUCH prefer my 26er.
Another thing that is annoying : almost everything on it is a new standard , can't use my extra big parts bin
Anyways , will not complain , free bike.
After that weekend of MTB , I understand the need for larger handlebars : with this extra weight in the wheel , you need the extra leverage.
I MUCH prefer my 26er.
Another thing that is annoying : almost everything on it is a new standard , can't use my extra big parts bin
Anyways , will not complain , free bike.
Question. I'm suffering severe bike GAS. What do I want?
a) 1x12 drivetrain
Or
b) Dropper seatpost
I currently run an SRAM X.9 3x9 drivetrain and a rigid seatpost with quick-release clamp. There's nothing wrong with my current drivetrain and usually only drop my seat for long descents so I don't "need" either but hey, it's GAS. The drivetrain would cut some grams but I suspect I'd get more "use" out of a dropper.
a) 1x12 drivetrain
Or
b) Dropper seatpost
I currently run an SRAM X.9 3x9 drivetrain and a rigid seatpost with quick-release clamp. There's nothing wrong with my current drivetrain and usually only drop my seat for long descents so I don't "need" either but hey, it's GAS. The drivetrain would cut some grams but I suspect I'd get more "use" out of a dropper.
I'd go for the dropper post, no question. It coudl dramatically change the way you engage with a trail.
Long story short : Got this brand new bike as a warranty replacement for one of my commuters , had the occasion to try it last month.(I always took my main MTB ) , as much as I can appreciate the "roll over" capacity of 700 wheels , they feel like boat anchors.
After that weekend of MTB , I understand the need for larger handlebars : with this extra weight in the wheel , you need the extra leverage.
I MUCH prefer my 26er.
Another thing that is annoying : almost everything on it is a new standard , can't use my extra big parts bin
Anyways , will not complain , free bike.
View attachment 3531113
I don't think I'd ever go back to 26" wheels after a couple of years on 27.5s. Not like we're going to have much choice, anyway.
Neither. Save your pennies for a new bike. That 5.5 must be at least 10 years old, right? My Tracer was a 2011 and I replaced it with a 2017 Devinci Troy and even though the Troy is a much less expensive bike than the Tracer was, it is unbelievably better than the Tracer in every way, via the evolution of frame geometry and technology. I went from 160/160mm to 140/150mm and from 26" to 27.5" and somehow both uphill and downhill performance is better on the Troy. I mean a lot better and the Intense was no slouch. But the Troy is much stiffer laterally and it pedals unbelievably well even with the pedal platform turned off. My only minor complaint is that I have a few more pedal strikes because the BB is lower but that's offset by the increase in cornering performance.
If a new ride is totally not an option, whether the dropper or the drivetrain upgrade is the thing to do depends on your terrain. For me, a dropper is a no-brainer because even our "XC" trails have a lot of short but steep and technical ups and downs. I use my dropper more than I ever used the front mech. But if you're grinding up for an hour and then descending for 20 minutes it becomes less important to have that instant seat adjustment. A 1x drivetrain is great (I always hated front derailleurs) but is also local trails dependent. Here, the only place I ever run out of range is on fire roads with a 30t chainring and an 11-46 11-speed cassette, but our trails are pretty slow and techy. I might want a larger range of gears if we had any high speed stuff.
Yeah, it certainly did for me on the terrain we have here. I'd go without rear suspension before going without a dropper, now.
I don't think I'd ever go back to 26" wheels after a couple of years on 27.5s. Not like we're going to have much choice, anyway.
Yep
They are almost the same size as anyways....
(650 is only 75mm longer in circumference than 26 )
That's why I went with a custom made frame for my main MTB : nobody makes 26ers anymore
Wow, I just checked. The Trail Smurf is a 2004 that I bought back in 2007. Although I'd love a modern trail bike with all the newfangled bells and whistles, it's just not in the cards for me. Mountain bikes are crazy expensive!
I'm guessing a dropper would give me more of a "new bike" experience since every single MTB has one these days.
Wow! That's a vintage piece and in really good shape for being 15 years old! You might be surprised at pricing, especially if you limit your searching to alloy frames with midrange builds and look at this time of year. You can get amazing closeout deals. But yeah, it's an expensive hobby/habit.
There's probably a good bit of fooling around involved in putting a 1x drivetrain on there, and there might be some with a dropper given the age of the frame. What's the seatpost diameter? They're making most seatposts for internal routing now too, so you'll need to pay attention to that when you go to buy one. But as I said above, the dropper was a massive game changer for me. I was pretty early adopter (2009 I think) and the day I installed it, I knew I'd never have a bike without one again.
Wow! That's a vintage piece and in really good shape for being 15 years old! You might be surprised at pricing, especially if you limit your searching to alloy frames with midrange builds and look at this time of year. You can get amazing closeout deals. But yeah, it's an expensive hobby/habit.
There's probably a good bit of fooling around involved in putting a 1x drivetrain on there, and there might be some with a dropper given the age of the frame. What's the seatpost diameter? They're making most seatposts for internal routing now too, so you'll need to pay attention to that when you go to buy one. But as I said above, the dropper was a massive game changer for me. I was pretty early adopter (2009 I think) and the day I installed it, I knew I'd never have a bike without one again.
My buddies were already running droppers when I built up this bike but I was the lone holdout. Then I stopped riding and the Trail Smurf sat for 8 years or so. I started riding again a couple of years ago and in my absence, 26" wheels, 3x drivetrains, and quick releases were all but phased out, 29" wheels really took hold, 27.5" wheels came out of nowhere, 2.3" tires were no longer "big", stems got shorter, bars got wider, and droppers became standard equipment.
It's a 31.6 mm seatpost. I'm vacilating between an external routed Fox Transfer or KS LEV. Based on my research, an SRAM NX cassette should bolt right onto my current Shimano freehub. Maybe I'll get a dropper AND a new 1x12!
I would consider a new frame if I could migrate some parts over but most of my components are obsolete at this point.
