The Surly Mountain Biking Thread

[Braff Zacklin 13299]

8 minutes ago, wd40 said:

 

 

 

[Your Mom 4763]

WD, nice!  Where is that?  

[TwiceHorn 30851]

Talkin dirty to the animals!

Well, it hasn't quite been a month since I turned in my bike for warranty replacement.  I was told it could be six to eight weeks.  So I am trying not to watch that pot boil.

Temps are dropping nicely up here, but it has been kind of damp/wet.  I haven't even been hiking.  And that has made the soft tissue around my radically reshaped collarbone kind of sore-ish again.  I dug out my rehab rubber band to keep it in shape.

[Your Mom 4763]

You ought to pick up some old beater on craigslist just to get you through the lean times. You can get your money back on it in a month or two.

[TwiceHorn 30851]

2 minutes ago, Your Mom said:

You ought to pick up some old beater on craigslist just to get you through the lean times. You can get your money back on it in a month or two.

There are so few legit mountain bikes on DFW craigslist, it is absurd.  I have been toying off and on with a larger BMX type bike, but they're so scarce right now, there's not much to be done about it.

[dingleberryswitzer 2724]

That's why you should have collected 2 or 3 extras over the last decade.  Duh. 

[Pescado_Rojo 19265]

If you're on FB try a group called Mountain Bike Swap Meet. There have been a lot of bikes listed on there the past 2 weeks or so. I guess it's some combination of the fires out west, impending winter, or people buying bikes on lockdown and either needing the cash, or realizing they didn't like mountain biking. Seems like most of what I've seen posted has been mid to high end full suspension bikes. Yeti, Scott, Specialized, Giant, etc. 

[Stinkpalm 675]

You can also check out the Pedals, Bikes, and Junk (PB&J) group on Facebook. There’s a pretty good variety of bikes from low end to high end that get posted there daily. Usually some good bikes at good deals, although the covid bike frenzy has gotten some of these sellers thinking they’re gonna take advantage and make bank over the last several months

[TwiceHorn 30851]

I eschew the facing book. Maybe what I really should have done is upgrade bikes.  But, honestly, most upgrades from my current bike would probably be wasted on me.

[Pescado_Rojo 19265]

3 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

I eschew the facing book. Maybe what I really should have done is upgrade bikes.  But, honestly, most upgrades from my current bike would probably be wasted on me.

Anything nicer than a spring suspension Ozone from Academy is probably better than my capabilities as a rider, but I’m a sucker for nice kit. Balancing a mountain bike and a fly fishing addiction is tough. 

[midtown 3339]

Second time out on the new Vitus. Still getting used to the 27.5 after decades on a 26.

Devils Den area off the Leon Creek here in SA

[TwiceHorn 30851]

Nice looking bike.  I like the sort of matte colors.

[midtown 3339]

4 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Nice looking bike.  I like the sort of matte colors.

Thanks.  Every person that's seen that bike has loved the paint color.   I still feel like I'm driving a tank and just not as stable and agile as my old hard tail.  I'm sure it just take some getting used to. 

[Braff Zacklin 13299]

14 minutes ago, midtown said:

Thanks.  Every person that's seen that bike has loved the paint color.   I still feel like I'm driving a tank and just not as stable and agile as my old hard tail.  I'm sure it just take some getting used to. 

Is it a bigger/heavier bike? Maybe it just doesn't feel "right" to you yet.

I rode a 26-inch hardtail for 10 seasons before picking up a 27.5-inch full susser in December 2015. It's a tad heavier and certainly cushier, but I've never sensed a lack of agility or stability.

[TwiceHorn 30851]

21 minutes ago, midtown said:

Thanks.  Every person that's seen that bike has loved the paint color.   I still feel like I'm driving a tank and just not as stable and agile as my old hard tail.  I'm sure it just take some getting used to. 

That's probably the slack headtube angle. It changes up steering.and makes the wheelbase longer, which is going to make it feel somewhat less responsive.  In addition to the bigger wheels, it also probably has considerably wider and heavier tires and that roilling inertia gives a different feel.  

[KuЯdt 248]

yep modern trail bikes are going to feel waaay different than that old hardtail.  Earlier this year I went to a new trail bike from a 2012 full squish xc bike and things had changed so much in that time that it was a big adjustment.  Once I got used to it though, it was a night and day difference.  Absolutely love my new bike.

[midtown 3339]

It probably doesn't help that I ride my road bike (which is 100% racing bike) three of four days a week.   It's like going from a Ferrari to an F-250.

I'll get used to it.  Already getting more comfortable from ride 1 to ride 2.   

[dingleberryswitzer 2724]

Congrats, guess we're Vitus Bros now.

Not sure much you've ridden Leon Creek, but there are better trails on the i10 to bandera Rd side.  

Also in all honesty that bike is overkill for Leon Creek, especially the devils den trails where they packed in as much trail as they could into a small area. So Its understandable that it feels like a tank . 

 It's nice to smooth out the bumps, but where these big 140mm full suss with wide tires really shine are on shitty climbs and decents.    

If you ever see a dude on a grey vitus down at Leon give me hookem.

[midtown 3339]

2 hours ago, dingleberryswitzer said:

Not sure much you've ridden Leon Creek, but there are better trails on the i10 to bandera Rd side. 

I've explored the dirt from La Jolla to Leo Carillo, and up to Pismo.

I know the dirt from Bandera all the way to Hausman by heart.  I usually park at Babcock or Hausman and work my way to Bandera and then turn around.   Just now trying the stuff between Hausman up to 1604.  Saw an article about the trail guys trying to get more dirt in the devils den area which I grew up riding my BMX bike, so I parked at Grissom and meandered around the area for an hour last Sat.

Quote

Also in all honesty that bike is overkill for Leon Creek,

Yeah.  I knew that when I bought it but also wanted something I could take anywhere and not be under biked.  Next Ill get out to Govt Canyon with this.  Any other areas I should hit?  Will definitely keep an eye out for you. 

Edited September 21, 2020 by midtown

[dingleberryswitzer 2724]

6 minutes ago, midtown said:

I usually park at Babcock or Hausman and work my way to Bandera and then turn around.

Shoot we must be neighbors, that's my normal ride room.

I was at government last weekend.   The front country is pretty sweet, but Backcountry can be a pain.  Mainly all the loose rock is annoying.  Can't even keep speed because I was afraid the wheels would just skip out.  

Get out to flat rock when it gets cooler.  

[midtown 3339]

3 minutes ago, dingleberryswitzer said:

The front country is pretty sweet, but Backcountry can be a pain. 

I did the back country on my 26 several years ago.  Even stopped to check out the dinosaur tracks.    Every bone in my body and tooth in my head was sore from being shaken for hours

Edited September 21, 2020 by midtown

[Austinvines 309]

Saturday was so nice with cool temps and low humidity that I decided to tack on an extra section to my already longish ride and hit my longest MTB ride in both distance and time. Felt great afterwards and could move around ok yesterday.

[Pescado_Rojo 19265]

4 minutes ago, Austinvines said:

Saturday was so nice with cool temps and low humidity that I decided to tack on an extra section to my already longish ride and hit my longest MTB ride in both distance and time. Felt great afterwards and could move around ok yesterday.

Well done! I went out yesterday and did the same, though about half your time and distance. I need to start stretching out longer rides. I wish we had as nice an interconnected network up here as you guys have down south. 

[TwiceHorn 30851]

On 9/21/2020 at 3:04 PM, midtown said:

I did the back country on my 26 several years ago.  Even stopped to check out the dinosaur tracks.    Every bone in my body and tooth in my head was sore from being shaken for hours

I think you may find your full squish damps a lot of that out.  

[midtown 3339]

On 9/22/2020 at 7:20 PM, TwiceHorn said:

I think you may find your full squish damps a lot of that out.  

It better. Found some new trails yesterday.
Had to grab a pic of this old rust bucket with my bike.

It was nice coming around a trail corner and faced with a massive piece of cement jutting out in the middle of the trail.  With no time to stop and I thought "crap Im not getting over that"  Right over without even the slightest bunny hop.  Learning limits or lack of limits is kicking in.

Edited September 25, 2020 by midtown

[dingleberryswitzer 2724]

I think taking a bike picture with that rusty car is a right of passage 

[Pescado_Rojo 19265]

Got the new derailleur installed today and it's shifting great. Also had him service the BB and the headset....Still creaks. He thinks my shock needs to be rebuilt, so I've got their suspension guy coming out to do the shock and fork Monday. I know they need it, but I've been putting it off because I didn't want to leave the bike at Sport Shop for 5 weeks. Hopefully that clears it up. If not, I think the only other thing it can be is the eccentric Switch bearing. All the other collet bolts and bearings are new from when they replaced the rear triangle and switch link back in March. 

[wd40 1976]

got my money's worth out of all my new suspension bits, today.  one trail nemesis at a time.

 

 

[Braff Zacklin 13299]

Campbell's Thick & Chunky right there, man. Well done.

[TwiceHorn 30851]

2 hours ago, wd40 said:

got my money's worth out of all my new suspension bits, today.  one trail nemesis at a time.

 

 

New shock too?

[TwiceHorn 30851]

Still no bike.  I have taken to hiking to soak up the hours and give me some woods time.  I kind of miss that there's no DORBA website for the trails telling me if they're usable after rains.  I should just go to a paved trail, but I do not like them, Sam I am.

Some time ago, I mentioned smelling something musty and soapy in the woods, in the vicinity of the river.  I thought it smelled kind of like an old person's house.

Well, I have been hitting hiking trails in the SE part of Dallas near the Trinity and continuing to smell that smell.  I bumped into a guy that is a Texas Master Naturalist on the trail the other day (I knew him slightly as a lawyer and he's now kind of famous in the outdoor/environmental community in Dallas).  I asked him about the smell and he said that it is a real thing and that it is a combination of just exactly what it smells like, mold, mildew, and soap/detergent.  The mold and mildew from decaying organic matter and the soap/detergent residue in the river.  They get mixed up in the water and the smell wafts out from time to time.

[wd40 1976]

1 hour ago, TwiceHorn said:

New shock too?

got a new rocker from Cascade.  it adds 7mm of travel, and 13% progressiveness.  makes it kinda botttomless (except today).  still trying to get the shock dialed to it, although I'm sure I'll have to start over once I work up the nerve to tear it down and service it.

pretty happy with it, so far.  did a new drop at Brushy for the first time, a couple weeks ago.  felt it in my teeth.  put the new link on, and it felt like butter.  should feel even better if I can manage to not case it, next time.

speaking of Brushy, that creek has a soapy spot, too.  I guess the parents that let their kids play in the shallows near the railroad bridge never venture that far upstream, or downstream, for that matter.  pretty nasty, around where it goes under Parmer.

 

[TwiceHorn 30851]

Cool, I did note that shiny bit in the vid.  Seems like a semi-unusual upgrade.  Haven't seen much discussion of rocker changes.

[Knoxtnhorn 5908]

If you're into this kind of thing, there's a decent mountain bike doc on Prime called, Ride to ExtraOrdinary.  It's about a yearly ride/race called TNGA.  It's 350 miles with 50,000 feet of climbing.  One guy did it on a single-speed and yoyo'd - finished the race, turned around, and went back.  Geebus.  Anyway, I'm pretty sure I've crossed paths (heh, pun) with both the trails featured in the video as well as a couple of the riders.

[Knoxtnhorn 5908]

Stupid ?  Am I doing the following math correctly?

50,000 feet of climbing at a 1% grade.  

Would that be 50,000 X 100 (converting 1% backwards) = 5,000,000 feet.

5,000,000 feet ÷ 5,280 = 947 miles.

So would someone have to go 947 miles at a 1% grade to climb 50,000 miles?

[Pescado_Rojo 19265]

On 9/29/2020 at 7:27 PM, wd40 said:

got a new rocker from Cascade.  it adds 7mm of travel, and 13% progressiveness.  makes it kinda botttomless (except today).  still trying to get the shock dialed to it, although I'm sure I'll have to start over once I work up the nerve to tear it down and service it.

pretty happy with it, so far.  did a new drop at Brushy for the first time, a couple weeks ago.  felt it in my teeth.  put the new link on, and it felt like butter.  should feel even better if I can manage to not case it, next time.

speaking of Brushy, that creek has a soapy spot, too.  I guess the parents that let their kids play in the shallows near the railroad bridge never venture that far upstream, or downstream, for that matter.  pretty nasty, around where it goes under Parmer.

 

So that gives you what, 160mm of rear travel? Did it affect your climbing any? As I think about a new bike next year, I was debating going up slightly to 130ish mm, or down slightly to 115-120mm. The Yeti I ride now is 127mm, and the replacement is the SB130 (130mm). I've been toying with that or a Revel Rascal (also 130), or going down a bit to something like an Ibis Ripley (120mm). I always figured the penalty on climbs would be too high for that much travel. 

Side note, got the suspension service done and finally had time to go ride this morning. Feels like a new bike. I guess you don't realize the performance degradation over time, but the bike felt much better, and it seems like that cured the creak. 

[wd40 1976]

yup.  160.  with the increased progressiveness, it sets me up to consider a coil shock.

I really can't speak to what it does to my climbing.  it's just not something I worry about.  I enjoy technical climbing, but the payoff is going downhill.  I know it feels different when I attack punchy little climbs and up-ledges.  it's that increased progressiveness at the end of the stroke, I guess.  feels stiffer and livelier, at the same time.  but I still make all the stuff I did before, so it's not hurting me.  

I've had to add more air to the shock.  it feels a lot better on bigger hits, but I'm using more of the travel on smaller ones.  not wallowy, just monitoring the fun-meter very closely these days, and noticed the difference.

as far as your new bikitis, good luck.  one of my more aggressive riding bros is looking hard at the Ripmo.  they have an aluminum version, which puts it within budget and takes it out of that scary world of full-carbon.  we're old school.

[KuЯdt 248]

A lot of the bigger bikes are also good climbers these days.  I hear that about the Ripmo a lot in particular.  I've never ridden one though.

I'm on a 140 bike now and it climbs incredibly well.  I demo'd a Ripley too, and I thought it was about as good at climbing, but certainly not as capable on descents and the rough stuff.

There are so many good bikes out there now it's crazy (if you can find one in stock, that is).

[Pescado_Rojo 19265]

If anyone is looking  for a fun time waster, Fanatik Bike Co has a cool bike building app on their website. It uses photos of the actual kit, and it's very detailed. You start out with a bare frame and build up a bike from scratch with the components you select. Even has all the color and decal options. At the end, you get a pretty good visual of exactly the bike you built. It also keeps a running tab at the bottom, so you can see the price, too. I built an $11,000 Ripley yesterday. AXS drivetrain, Enve hoops, Chris King hubs...just ridiculous. 

[TwiceHorn 30851]

It's pretty absurd, but I would eventually like to have Chris King or some other noisy, high-end hubs.

I remember the first time I got passed by some whippet dude in full spandex on a trail riding some high-dollar bike with droning hubs.

I thought I had come across a big wasps nest or something.

[Pescado_Rojo 19265]

1 minute ago, TwiceHorn said:

It's pretty absurd, but I would eventually like to have Chris King or some other noisy, high-end hubs.

I remember the first time I got passed by some whippet dude in full spandex on a trail riding some high-dollar bike with droning hubs.

I thought I had come across a big wasps nest or something.

haha...same here. 

[midtown 3339]

It's not the hub. It's the cassette. Unless I'm not understanding correctly

[wd40 1976]

the cassette rides on the freehub body which is part of the, well, hub.

speaking of roadie hilarity:  this hit my inbox a few days ago.  

eta:  the buzz of the palls in the freehub just means you're not pedaling.  although, it's fun to make that angry bee noise by backpedalling really fast, if scaring pedestrians is your thing.

Edited October 2, 2020 by wd40

[midtown 3339]

1 hour ago, wd40 said:

the cassette rides on the freehub body which is part of the, well, hub

Well the knee bone is connected to the thigh bone.  

In your example since the hub is connected to the spokes which are connected to the rim which are connected to the tires.  So let just say roadies have loud tires in that case.   I can take off my loud cassette off and put on a quiet one and nothing so it's not the hub.   You can't go out and buy clicky hubs.

 

Edited October 2, 2020 by midtown

[Pescado_Rojo 19265]

2 minutes ago, midtown said:

Well the knee bone is connected to the thigh bone.  

In your example since the hub is connected to the spokes which are connected to the rim which are connected to the tires.  So let just say roadies have loud tires in that case.   I can take off my loud cassette off and put on a quiet one and nothing so it's not the hub.   You can't go out and buy clicky hubs.

 

You also can't put a Chris King or I9 Driver on some other hub and get the "wasp" sound as their drivers only fit their hubs...

[midtown 3339]

1 minute ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

You also can't put a Chris King or I9 Driver on some other hub and get the "wasp" sound as their drivers only fit their hubs...

This is why I was saying perhaps I didn't understand the wasp noise.   but its Friday and I just got off my clicky road bike so I enjoyed the internet slap fight.   I was actually surprised my new bike with an SRAM cassette is kind of clicky.  Thought that was only for roadie assholes. 

[Pescado_Rojo 19265]

3 minutes ago, midtown said:

This is why I was saying perhaps I didn't understand the wasp noise.   but its Friday and I just got off my clicky road bike so I enjoyed the internet slap fight.   I was actually surprised my new bike with an SRAM cassette is kind of clicky.  Thought that was only for roadie assholes. 

Have you ever heard a Chris King rear hub? They don't really sound "clicky" they sound like a swarm of murder hornets is about to run you down. 

 

[midtown 3339]

21 minutes ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

Have you ever heard a Chris King rear hub? They don't really sound "clicky" they sound like a swarm of murder hornets is about to run you down. 

100% never heard that in 30 years of road cycling and in the last 15 years in SA where I guess we don't have douche riders.  That's is annoying as fuck. 

Edited October 2, 2020 by midtown

[midtown 3339]

Compare.. Dura Ace cassette on World Class hubs

[KuЯdt 248]

If you're on DT350 hubs like I am, you just replace the 18t star ratchet it came with and put in this 54t.  That was one of the first things I did when I got the bike, and it improved the engagement immensely.  Plus now errrbody can hear me coming...no need for a fuckin bell.