The Surly Mountain Biking Thread

[TwiceHorn 31438]

I guess it's a little easier to get to Bentonville than it used to be.  My Mom went to UA, and Fayetteville was quite a slog back in the day (90s sometime was the last time we went up there).

I note that they have built some trails farther south around Hot Springs that are getting some play.

[KuЯdt 248]

21 hours ago, wd40 said:

a friend of mine recently offered to loan me his gimbal.  I'll probably take him up on it.  but you have me scared that it takes too much work.  personally, the gimbals are so smooth, it hardly looks like mountain biking.  it's a very visceral thing, for me.  I find videos that look like flight are often boring.  it's more about reliving the experience.

I admittedly didn't spend too much time with it, but it seemed to just quit doing what I thought I had told it to do.  I made a little vid where I rode for a bit on one setting, then another, and so on just to see how it behaved.  It would be ok for a while and then all of a sudden it would move the camera all the way to the left and just stay there.  Could totally be user error, but I was sick of fucking with it.  It was the Rider-M gimbal.  Maybe you will have better luck.

I am going to take that Hero7 out this weekend if I can find my damn chest mount.

[KuЯdt 248]

8 hours ago, wd40 said:

I'm confused:  was the bruised anus the win, or your wife not wanting to inspect it?

Kurdt:  I should also mention that if you're armoring up to do lift-served trail in NM, wear your chest protector on the outside of your clothing.  when I did AF last year, I wore a moto jersey over the top, and it effectively lubricated the chesty over the hard plastic of the body armor.  almost all the cold early morning footage was trash.  similar slickery effect happens if you wear two layers of jersey material.  if you can feel the camera bouncing, your recording earthquake simulations.

I briefly experimented with a chin mount on my fullface helmet.  sucked.  it was smooth, but was too far forward, so no handlebars and I couldn't ever get the angle right.

Good advice, thanks.  I will be doing probably one day of lift assist, but at Ski Apache which is still nothing much more than a couple of trails with a few little jumps, wall rides, and skinny little bridges.  Probably won't go full armor.  I wish they would do more with that place.

I did hear that they may build a lift assist park area up on Moon Mountain in Ruidoso, which would probably be similar in nature to Spider Mountain.  

There are a number of fun trails right in town though that are free other than the cost of riding to the top.  This one is at Cedar Creek (not my vid):

 

 

Edited August 27, 2019 by KuЯdt

[Braff Zacklin 13553]

1 hour ago, KuЯdt said:

 

 

Super flowy. Looks fun.

[TwiceHorn 31438]

There was a guy on TOS, Crab Person or something like that, posted a vid from NM somewhere of just going down a long, straight descent in a field, picking up speed and BAM massive endo and yard sale.  Descent kind of looked like that, minus the berms and jumps.  Meaning the kind of sparsely forested trail.

Personally, I think it's cool that most of the jumps are bypassed.

Edited August 28, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[KuЯdt 248]

Personally, I think it's cool that most of the jumps are bypassed.

Me too. I've only ridden that trail once and I either rolled, b-lined, or cased the majority of it. Still had a blast.
I think I could get better at it with repeated attempts as it's so purpose built that if you just ride at a good speed you'll land on the transitions smooth as butter.
But I've never been too good when both wheels get too far off the ground. Plus, I'm getting old.

[TwiceHorn 31438]

Rain yesterday, and a cool front.  Temps in mid-lower 90s rest of the week.  It wasn't a frog strangler, but the trails are all closed.  Thinking/hoping they reopen later today or tomorrow.

[TwiceHorn 31438]

Good ride at Boulder Park this morning.  Got caught in some traffic so started later than I wanted and it got pretty hot and steamy at the end. Very nice at the beginning and the bit of rain we got made some hero dirt in the shade.  Unfortunately, most of the turns are in the sun and were crispy.

Between the hero dirt and wd40s advice to air up my friggin tires, some of the more distressing handling characteristics I've been grousing about disappeared.

 

[Al_4_ISU 12451]

Just a stunning day weather wise (low 70’s, 0 humidity, clear skies), and a great ride. Left the farm early today to savor it prior to heading down to Ames for the game.

Hit some trails I have only rode once or twice. The punchiest stuff we have, with tight trees. Some struggles, but some small triumphs too.



if you look close, you can see 3 consecutive gates

I fucked up this transition and spun out really quick

this gate exists to annoy

proof of killer weather

reward

Just one quick beer, then back home to pack. Should be Ames-bound by 3:45.

[TwiceHorn 31438]

Haha, Al, today I blasted a not-too-narrow gate at speed, nbd, then promptly whacked a sapling on the right because I was a little tired and not paying attention.  Didn't spill me, but there was cursing and a big goofy dab involved.  Right hand smarts a little still.

With the advent of the high heat, and even with it slacking off some, I can't seem to manage more than about an hour's ride.

Edited August 30, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[Al_4_ISU 12451]

26 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Haha, Al, today I blasted a not-too-narrow gate at speed, nbd, then promptly whacked a sapling on the right because I was a little tired and not paying attention.  Didn't spill me, but there was cursing and a big goofy dab involved.  Right hand smarts a little still.

With the advent of the high heat, and even with it slacking off some, I can't seem to manage more than about an hour's ride.

Sounds like the bruise to the ego was worse than the bruise to the body.  Lord knows I've been there too.

[TwiceHorn 31438]

So, most of the summer spent with this particular tubeless setup.  I'm thinking an ounce front and rear?  Sound about right?

I have Stan's valves, but no core tool, I can get away with pliers, no?

[wd40 1976]

you should see flat spots on sides of the Stan's valve cores.  grab there with some needle nose if it's too gummed up to unscrew with your fingers.  I'm not aware of any special tools for this.

while you have the cores pulled, I would try to clean them up as much as possible.  should be able to pick out any dried latex around the threads and the stopper.  make sure it moves easily.

to answer your question, I assume you using a Stan's injector syringe.  if you're just doing a refresh, one full load should be fine.  if you're on 2.5s or bigger, you should probably go 2.

wait.  29er?  I'd go 2 shots each.  especially if it's been a while.

Edited August 31, 2019 by wd40

[TwiceHorn 31438]

Actually I have a little bottle.  Looks like the tip is small enough to go in.  And I say "ounces," I think that "scoop" is a bit more than an ounce and the bottle is right about 2.

[KuЯdt 248]

Actually I have a little bottle.  Looks like the tip is small enough to go in.  And I say "ounces," I think that "scoop" is a bit more than an ounce and the bottle is right about 2.

That's what she said.


Core tool:



I don't even remember when I got that but it must have some with some Stan's stuff I bought.

[TwiceHorn 31438]

11 minutes ago, KuЯdt said:

That's what she said.


Core tool:



I don't even remember when I got that but it must have some with some Stan's stuff I bought.

She was wrong, though.🤬🤬

[TwiceHorn 31438]

Went up to Grapevine to Horseshoe.  Nice trail.  Unusual for DFW, and maybe for Texas, because a lot of the dirt is red and the rocks are sandstone.  And that makes for a number of chutes that are unusual, and some wicked rock gardens.  The sandstone (or whatever they are) rocks don't seem to erode as quickly as the usual limestone, so the lines are ill-defined or nonexistent.  And some of the rocks aren't baby heads, they're like buffalo heads.

I haven't been up there in several years.  It's interesting to see how trails change.  This one and Northshore, on Lake Grapevine, were submerged for several months after a really wet spring in 2017 (or 2018 or both).  So what used to be field sections are now woods or brush sections   It's a twisty trail, so when visibility is limited, it changes things up substantially.

The first chute you hit.  Not too bad.  Some later on are shorter, but super narrow.

Not my best effort today, not my worst.  Lots of punchy rooty climbs, made most of those, but chickened out on a lot of the corresponding descents and chutes.  Only 4.3 pretty tentative miles.  If you know this trail pretty well, could be pretty flowy and high speed.

 

Edited September 1, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[KuЯdt 248]

I went out to Reimers Ranch yesterday and figured I'd take the GoPro.  It's this first time I've used the Hero 7 and its hypersmooth feature. I thought it did a pretty good job of smoothing out the bumpiness a bit without the full gimbal effect.  I'll have to play around more with it, and try and figure out the best angle for the camera on the chest mount.

I put together a quick vid with a few clips.

 

 

[Al_4_ISU 12451]

Demoing this tomorrow. Never rode an actual mountain bike, so I’m pretty excited

[TwiceHorn 31438]

You will probably find a hardtail pretty harsh after your fatbike.

[TwiceHorn 31438]

1 hour ago, KuЯdt said:

I went out to Reimers Ranch yesterday and figured I'd take the GoPro.  It's this first time I've used the Hero 7 and its hypersmooth feature. I thought it did a pretty good job of smoothing out the bumpiness a bit without the full gimbal effect.  I'll have to play around more with it, and try and figure out the best angle for the camera on the chest mount.

I put together a quick vid with a few clips.

 

 

On some of the descents today, there were drops "ledged" by a root, so dirt before and after, and so a little bit hard to see how big they were.  I am virtually certain that I mumbled "endo city" after the first biggish one caught me a bit by surprise and as I walked a couple of others.

Edited September 1, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[Al_4_ISU 12451]

You will probably find a hardtail pretty harsh after your fatbike.

What do you mean by harsh? Bouncing off shit more/squirrelly? It’s significantly lighter, so I’d think it would climb easier. Could be way off on that.

[wd40 1976]

3 hours ago, KuЯdt said:

I went out to Reimers Ranch yesterday and figured I'd take the GoPro.  It's this first time I've used the Hero 7 and its hypersmooth feature. I thought it did a pretty good job of smoothing out the bumpiness a bit without the full gimbal effect.  I'll have to play around more with it, and try and figure out the best angle for the camera on the chest mount.

I put together a quick vid with a few clips.

 

 

damn.  now my wheels are turning to get a 7...

as far as the angle of the camera.  if you hang it upside down, there's a lot more trial and error to setting it.  but you have a lot more 'upside', in that you can set it higher for downhilling when your chest spends a lot more time being horizontal.  for around here, I find just setting it upright, adding a short female-female knuckle between the chesty plate and the camera, and angling it all the way back puts the handlebars right at the bottom of the frame, which is optimal, imo.

the major downside to hanging it upside down was that it seemed to bounce a lot more.  but the internal stab on that camera looks like it is more than adequate to compensate.  

[wd40 1976]

51 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

 

What do you mean by harsh? Bouncing off shit more/squirrelly? It’s significantly lighter, so I’d think it would climb easier. Could be way off on that.

 

I would say 'not as plush'.  you'll feel more vibration and rattling in your bones on rockier trails.  but you get dialed to whatever you got, eventually. for me, I don't know if it's worth spending Felt money on a hardtail, esp if I'm not a racerboi.  if it fits, is a screaming deal and the frame's in good shape, go for it.

I would think about that stem, tho.  it's a mile long by today's standards.  if the cockpit feels short when you demo, I would walk away.  I wouldn't want to go longer on that stem.  endo city.  a setback seatpost to compensate is a dubious babdaid.   the trend has been toward shorter stems and longer bars.  now that I'm there, I know why I was so scared all the time on technical decents.

[KuЯdt 248]

46 minutes ago, wd40 said:

damn.  now my wheels are turning to get a 7...

as far as the angle of the camera.  if you hang it upside down, there's a lot more trial and error to setting it.  but you have a lot more 'upside', in that you can set it higher for downhilling when your chest spends a lot more time being horizontal.  for around here, I find just setting it upright, adding a short female-female knuckle between the chesty plate and the camera, and angling it all the way back puts the handlebars right at the bottom of the frame, which is optimal, imo.

the major downside to hanging it upside down was that it seemed to bounce a lot more.  but the internal stab on that camera looks like it is more than adequate to compensate.  

I actually did have it mounted upside down.  In fact - and you will probably be interested in this - I bought the newest version of the Chesty and used it for this ride. In the past,  I had to rig up the camera in odd ways with multiple mounts on the old one to get it to a proper angle.  But this one is better out out f the box.  It also has a big pad behind where the camera is mounted which really helps cushion it and would likely help with the issues you described with the moto jersey etc.

 

Oh and I spent a while looking for the setting on the Hero 7 to flip it upside down.  Well it turns out this motherfucker rotates automatically like a smartphone.  I'm digging it.

[Al_4_ISU 12451]

I would say 'not as plush'.  you'll feel more vibration and rattling in your bones on rockier trails.  but you get dialed to whatever you got, eventually. for me, I don't know if it's worth spending Felt money on a hardtail, esp if I'm not a racerboi.  if it fits, is a screaming deal and the frame's in good shape, go for it.
I would think about that stem, tho.  it's a mile long by today's standards.  if the cockpit feels short when you demo, I would walk away.  I wouldn't want to go longer on that stem.  endo city.  a setback seatpost to compensate is a dubious babdaid.   the trend has been toward shorter stems and longer bars.  now that I'm there, I know why I was so scared all the time on technical decents.

It’s my buddy’s and he’s looking to just get rid of it. Won’t have to pay much for it. Only reason I’m trying it out.

The fat definitely absorbs roots and drops well.

[TwiceHorn 31438]

1 hour ago, Al_4_ISU said:

 

What do you mean by harsh? Bouncing off shit more/squirrelly? It’s significantly lighter, so I’d think it would climb easier. Could be way off on that.

 

Oh sure it will climb better and generally be easier to pedal.  But those fat tires provide quite a suspension front and rear.  You will probably feel a good bit more of the trail than you have.  Hardtails are fun and fast, generally speaking, especially if you have a plush fork set up well for you.  But it may be a different experience.  On trails like wd40 rides, could be a bit of a beating.

It may not roll stuff quite as smooth as your fatbike, but no real reason to bounce off stuff.  You will have to provide some of the suspension with your bod, which might mean some different muscles/strength required (probably going to need to be out of the saddle more) and a bit more "whole body" fatigue on your rides.

Pfft.  What wd40 said.  The deal with hardtails in part is that they tend have "cross country" geometry, with a steep headtube angle and high bottom bracket.  They do tend to bias your weight forward, so "endo city" as we keep saying, on downhill stuff and drops and other things like that.  There are starting to be some with more "slack" geometry, with the 66-68 degree-ish headtube angle that are probably a little more stable downhill.  The long stem on that tends to indicate that it is a more cross country hardtail, than a new "trail" hardtail.

All that said, I don't ride anything like what wd40 rides as a general proposition, and it looks like our trails/styles may be similar, in which case an XC (cross-country) hardtail is not a bad bike at all.  If you can get it for $500 or less (depending on components, from a distance it looks good) it might be a nice step in your MTB progression.

Edited September 2, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[Al_4_ISU 12451]

Oh sure it will climb better and generally be easier to pedal.  But those fat tires provide quite a suspension front and rear.  You will probably feel a good bit more of the trail than you have.  Hardtails are fun and fast, generally speaking, especially if you have a plush fork set up well for you.  But it may be a different experience.  On trails like wd40 rides, could be a bit of a beating.
It may not roll stuff quite as smooth as your fatbike, but no real reason to bounce off stuff.  You will have to provide some of the suspension with your bod, which might mean some different muscles/strength required (probably going to need to be out of the saddle more) and a bit more "whole body" fatigue on your rides.
Pfft.  What wd40 said.  The deal with hardtails in part is that they tend have "cross country" geometry, with a steep headtube angle and high bottom bracket.  They do tend to bias your weight forward, so "endo city" as we keep saying, on downhill stuff and drops and other things like that.  There are starting to be some with more "slack" geometry, with the 66-68 degree-ish headtube angle that are probably a little more stable downhill.  The long stem on that tends to indicate that it is a more cross country hardtail, than a new "trail" hardtail.
All that said, I don't ride anything like what wd40 rides as a general proposition, and it looks like our trails/styles may be similar, in which case an XC (cross-country) hardtail is not a bad bike at all.  If you can get it for $500 or less (depending on components, from a distance it looks good) it might be a nice step in your MTB progression.

Appreciate the info.

I already ride out of the saddle a ton, at least compared to anything I’ve done before so I understand that whole body fatigue. Maybe I don’t need to do it so much, but I’ve definitely gathered that tendency.

I’m thinking he’s willing to part with it for $300ish. Based on your pics, I think we’re riding similar trails. Most folks I see out there are running hard tails, FWIW.

[Al_4_ISU 12451]

Loved the hard tail. Will definitely be moving that direction

[Braff Zacklin 13553]

Fat bikes have their place but are more of a novelty. Frankly, I'm surprised you've stuck it out on one as long as you have.

Tires will always be your first line of suspension, so you're definitely going to feel more of the trail on a hardtail with standard-width tires, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Fat bikes tend to make everything feel so ... vague. Plus, those weak, protruding sidewalls don't exactly inspire confidence when railing corners or plowing through chunk.

More than anything, though, you'll notice a dramatic increase in acceleration, whether that's starting from zero, coming out of a turn, or spinning up for a climb/technical feature. And for $300? That's a bargain even if the geometry and spec aren't the latest and greatest.

Fat bikes can't be beat for sand and snow, though, so hopefully you can hold on to yours for winter riding.

[Al_4_ISU 12451]

Fat bikes have their place but are more of a novelty. Frankly, I'm surprised you've stuck it out on one as long as you have.
Tires will always be your first line of suspension, so you're definitely going to feel more of the trail on a hardtail with standard-width tires, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. Fat bikes tend to make everything feel so ... vague. Plus, those weak, protruding sidewalls don't exactly inspire confidence when railing corners or plowing through chunk.
More than anything, though, you'll notice a dramatic increase in acceleration, whether that's starting from zero, coming out of a turn, or spinning up for a climb/technical feature. And for $300? That's a bargain even if the geometry and spec aren't the latest and greatest.
Fat bikes can't be beat for sand and snow, though, so hopefully you can hold on to yours for winter riding.

I’m pretty cheap and slow to adopt change when I gain competence with something. The motivation behind the fat was the ability to ride snow, gravel, and single track on one machine.

[Braff Zacklin 13553]

5 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I’m pretty cheap and slow to adopt change when I gain competence with something. The motivation behind the fat was the ability to ride snow, gravel, and single track on one machine.

 

Yup, it has served you well and introduced you to a wonderful pastime. Plus, it's been good for your heart, which is more than can be said for your football team and its penchant of eking out triple overtime wins versus an in-state directional school.

(Sorry, couldn't resist. Be nice to us in November, damnit.)

[Al_4_ISU 12451]

Yup, it has served you well and introduced you to a wonderful pastime. Plus, it's been good for your heart, which is more than can be said for your football team and its penchant of eking out triple overtime wins versus an in-state directional school.
(Sorry, couldn't resist. Be nice to us in November, damnit.)

Lol. You guys will be fine unless it’s a raging blizzard.

Got the hard tail bought for $200. Onward and upward.

[TwiceHorn 31438]

Well, like everything else a little extra complicated in my tubeless adventure, the core does not want to come out of the valve.  It sure as hell isn't finger tight.  Crescent wrench on core, pliers on stem and noooo goooo.

I think the valve is fucky because it just wants to turn.  I think I'm gonna yank it out and get another one.

[Braff Zacklin 13553]

The good thing about being a lawyer is, you can almost certainly afford to pay someone to work on your bike for you.

😎

[TwiceHorn 31438]

51 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

The good thing about being a lawyer is, you can almost certainly afford to pay someone to work on your bike for you.

😎

My undergrad is mechanical engineering.  I have shame.  I also can't walk away from a problem that I have the tools to deal with.

So, kind of in a fit of pique, I yanked the rear tire off and pulled that valve.  I was able to brute force the core out (I don't see the core coming out even with a core tool).  And discovered that indeed the tire was dry af.  Tape and rim looked good though, so I said fuck it, put the valve back in and the tire back on.  Took a flyer and pumped it by hand.  Plonk, plonk, plonk.  It seated!!!! Whoa.  Popped the bead off, blew a load of Stans in there, pumped it back up.

Tried the core on the front valve also, no-go.  But popped the bead off, blew another load and pumped it right back up.  Didn't even take the wheel off.

So I now know 2.5-3 months of 90+ requires another load of sealant.

[Loco 3752]

Am I the only one that has bad dreams about riding this bike?

[wd40 1976]

On 9/1/2019 at 8:20 PM, KuЯdt said:

Oh and I spent a while looking for the setting on the Hero 7 to flip it upside down.  Well it turns out this motherfucker rotates automatically like a smartphone.  I'm digging it.

funny.  as long as that technology has been around, it's about time they got onboard.  I wonder what happens if you  crash while skiing and go into a starfish.  does it just look like you're suddenly cruising downhill sideways while the camera keeps the frame upright?

I like the idea of not having a gimbal.  just seems cumbersome.  I've hit my camera on my saddle several times, as it is.  but I can't see spending $320 on a 7.  looking at getting a 6.  from what I've read, the 7 isn't any better on picture quality or stab.  it just has more features for me to ignore or get frustrated with, being the old fart that I am.

Thanks for the info, and the video tour of Reimer's.  been trail riding for 20+ years, and I've never been there.

[Braff Zacklin 13553]

Are the Chinese GoPro knockoffs worth a shit or a waste of money?

[wd40 1976]

depends on if you're happy with picture quality like this

 

[Braff Zacklin 13553]

So they skimp on the CCDs, eh?

And what on earth caused your buddy to wipe, aside from learning with the bike instead of over it?

[TwiceHorn 31438]

There is this section of Harry Moss Park that drives me batshit.

First of all, it's a ledge.  It's not particularly narrow, it's flat, not off-camber, if you fell off it there is no nasty creek, but the "penalty for failure" would be unpleasant nonetheless. Both sides of the ledge are lined with trees and brush.

It also has some short, steep, rooty climbs, very rooty, big fuckin roots, that terminate in a tree gate, not particularly narrow, but given that you are powering up a rooty climb, narrow enough to cause qualms.  I think because of the rains, the roots are more exposed than they were.

At the tree gate, you must turn somewhere between 60 and 120 degrees (not quite a switchback) and immediately begin a descent, which has a run-out that turns to the right (the grade for the ledge goes up to the right, down to the left).  Some of the descents are very rooty and droppy also. And are followed by another short, steep, rooty climb.

Rinse and repeat about 5 or 6 times in a quarter of a mile.  You can't ride it slow, because you need some momentum.  I can't ride it fast. I would be so out of control. I have more or less cleaned it in years past, but it was less rooty I think, plus I didn't have "slack steering" (I really don't trust that shit as you crest a climb off a root and need to turn sharp around a tree).  And, of course, I hadn't broken my collarbone and finger, either.  I try to ride it about every third time I go there and it just pisses me off.

Edited September 4, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[wd40 1976]

3 hours ago, Braff Zacklin said:

So they skimp on the CCDs, eh?

And what on earth caused your buddy to wipe, aside from learning with the bike instead of over it?

we do not know.  all we know is he thinks he was trying to pull a wheelie on a little rise and just over-rotated.  I think it  was a combination of being on one wheel, slightly off vertical, and rolling over a loose fist-sized rock that was in the middle of the trail.  you can sort of see the rock in the super-slo-mo replay.

oh, and @Loco, I saw a dude a while back on little shorter version of that, cruising down the northbound frontage road of 183 at McNeil in 5pm traffic.  I was like, "he's dead".

[Knoxtnhorn 5971]

On 9/3/2019 at 7:06 PM, TwiceHorn said:

There is this section of Harry Moss Park that drives me batshit.

First of all, it's a ledge.  It's not particularly narrow, it's flat, not off-camber, if you fell off it there is no nasty creek, but the "penalty for failure" would be unpleasant nonetheless. Both sides of the ledge are lined with trees and brush.

It also has some short, steep, rooty climbs, very rooty, big fuckin roots, that terminate in a tree gate, not particularly narrow, but given that you are powering up a rooty climb, narrow enough to cause qualms.  I think because of the rains, the roots are more exposed than they were.

At the tree gate, you must turn somewhere between 60 and 120 degrees (not quite a switchback) and immediately begin a descent, which has a run-out that turns to the right (the grade for the ledge goes up to the right, down to the left).  Some of the descents are very rooty and droppy also. And are followed by another short, steep, rooty climb.

Rinse and repeat about 5 or 6 times in a quarter of a mile.  You can't ride it slow, because you need some momentum.  I can't ride it fast. I would be so out of control. I have more or less cleaned it in years past, but it was less rooty I think, plus I didn't have "slack steering" (I really don't trust that shit as you crest a climb off a root and need to turn sharp around a tree).  And, of course, I hadn't broken my collarbone and finger, either.  I try to ride it about every third time I go there and it just pisses me off.

How does Moss compare to RCP?  I play soccer just about every other Sunday at Moss and only noticed the trailhead 3 weeks ago.

[TwiceHorn 31438]

7 minutes ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

How does Moss compare to RCP?  I play soccer just about every other Sunday at Moss and only noticed the trailhead 3 weeks ago.

Shorter, its about 5-6 miles total.  Three of the loops, yellow+blue, purple, and orange, are very flat and twisty, similar to 1 and 2 on RCP,  but twistier and thicker woods and closer-in trees. The first half of blue is pretty "exciting" as noted above.  Red is much the same way, adding off-camber exposure.  Green has some up and down, but isn't too hard, a couple of fast, steep descents.  It's all in the woods except for about 100 yards on Red.

Edited September 5, 2019 by TwiceHorn

[Knoxtnhorn 5971]

Cool.  May have to try it out soon.  I'm finally getting around to being 100% and, of course, I'm now busy as s*^%.

[TwiceHorn 31438]

6 minutes ago, Knoxtnhorn said:

Cool.  May have to try it out soon.  I'm finally getting around to being 100% and, of course, I'm now busy as s*^%.

You'll probably like it.  It's not super hard core, very cross-country, but a good place to practice turns in close-in woods.  If you can turn well, you can haul ass on it.  You, however, should probably be careful.  😎😎

[TwiceHorn 31438]

Good ride at River Legacy this morning.  9.5 miles @ 8.5 mph, according to alltrails.  Riding through the heat earlier this summer is paying dividends.  Still hot, but lower humidity and heat index.  It's a dry heat!

One small triumph, in contrast to Harry Moss, is that there is a steep curving climb with roots at the top that I have never made before.  A big part of it is that you can't see it coming, so I am constantly surprised by its presence before me and I am never in the right gear or mindframe to mount it. For someone that has a good memory and a pretty good sense of direction in the woods, I find non-recognition of coming trail features to be a recurring problem.  Symptom of riding a bunch of different trails all the time, I guess.

Well, this time I was surprised again, although I am beginning to recognize when it's coming.  But I stopped, backed up 5 yards, downshifted and climbed that motherfucker for once.

[KuЯdt 248]

4 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Still hot, but lower humidity and heat index.  It's a dry heat!

Hell yes to this.  I rode yesterday at 5:30 and it felt great.  Ended up doing some exploring and found a couple new fun trails.  Was planning to just go for a quick hour-long ride, but ended up closer to 2 hours.  The humidity is supposed to come back this weekend though...boo.

[TwiceHorn 31438]

Also, major props to wd40 for pointing out my folly in going lower and lower on tire pressure.  As posted, as things got looser, I thought the solution would be lower pressure (when in doubt let it out), but squirm and other weirdness was fucking up my ride.  I'm well into the 20s front and rear and it's not as helpful to the fork, but superior in every other way.