The Surly Mountain Biking Thread

[sasquatch69 576]

18 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

Yeah. Got a little bit yesterday, but the Hobbs trails can really hold up to it.

I feel like I kinda pulled one over on the universe. On Monday it looked like rain the whole time, and I didn’t ride in any rain, and the trail conditions weren’t negatively affected at all. I’ve moved on to Tulsa to visit family for the remainder of the weekend, but I have a feeling NWA is going to be an early spring or late fall tradition. It’s a pretty easy drive for us (9 hours), and it has a considerably longer riding season. Wife loved the area too (she doesn’t MTB). We went hiking yesterday in the Buffalo River area and it was stunning.

Gorgeous. My boys' scout troop is headed up there this week for spring break, but we're dealing with aging parent healthcare issues so no trip for us. I can't wait to get up there to hike and ride, though.

[sasquatch69 576]

Back at Big Cedar this morning before the rain, and got another 10 miles in. Rode the full back stretch of Ranger today, including two trails I had not done before, Copperhead Ridge and Lower Forty. L40 was great and had some nice views of the little valley, but CR nearly killed me. Take the climbs on the outer perimeter at Boulder, and multiply them a whole bunch – that's essentially the entire length of the trail, sharp up and down and up and down. I also wiped out on a little skinny bridge that I approached at the wrong angle, and ended up falling in slow motion into a little gully full of branches. Didn't get hurt, but pretty scratched up.

@TwiceHorn One note if you come out here and decide to ride that stretch of Ranger - Oncor has completely torn up the part of the trail that stretches into the easement again. When you get to that spot, you'll know it - just hang a hard left along the tree line and the trail picks back up after a very short distance. 
 

I also got a good photo of the worst of the climb out of the valley. Even the Enduro guys ahead of me had to hop off and walk it - it's a lot steeper than it looks.

 

 

[TwiceHorn 30851]

6 minutes ago, sasquatch69 said:

Back at Big Cedar this morning before the rain, and got another 10 miles in. Rode the full back stretch of Ranger today, including two trails I had not done before, Copperhead Ridge and Lower Forty. L40 was great and had some nice views of the little valley, but CR nearly killed me. Take the climbs on the outer perimeter at Boulder, and multiply them a whole bunch – that's essentially the entire length of the trail, sharp up and down and up and down. I also wiped out on a little skinny bridge that I approached at the wrong angle, and ended up falling in slow motion into a little gully full of branches. Didn't get hurt, but pretty scratched up.

@TwiceHorn One note if you come out here and decide to ride that stretch of Ranger - Oncor has completely torn up the part of the trail that stretches into the easement again. When you get to that spot, you'll know it - just hang a hard left along the tree line and the trail picks back up after a very short distance. 
 

I also got a good photo of the worst of the climb out of the valley. Even the Enduro guys ahead of me had to hop off and walk it - it's a lot steeper than it looks.

 

 

I had seen reference to that bricked part and then supposedly ends in a really steep, loose gravel climb to the top.  I think that's the 100ft/half mile thing.

I can tell it's bad by looking at the horizon.  My psychology on climbs sucks.  If I have to look up to see the "horizon" of the trail, it starts to weird me out.  I'm like "I'm ok now, but I don't think I have enough to get up there."  If it would just let up a little bit, I wouldn't have those thoughts.  I haven't had an asthma attack in probably 30 years, but the sensation of being short of breath really bugs me out of proportion to the actual discomfort.

Thanks for the help on Big Cedar.  I guess one of these days we'll have to ride together.

There are so many "gullies full of branches" on DFW trails.  Probably not going to break anything if you go off in them, but they look really unpleasant.

Edited March 13, 2021 by TwiceHorn

[wd40 1976]

20 hours ago, KuЯdt said:

I haven't tried that site, but it doesn't look like they have the hanger I need anyway.  I've got XT 4 piston brakes.  I entered my email addy in at a couple sites like worldwide and jenson to let me know when they are back in stock.  And I have received a couple notifications, but by the time I see it and check they are out of stock again.  I think mine should last a good while longer, but always like to have spares on hand.

Good idea on the FR512 spot which I believe is at RHR?  Haven't been out there in a long time.   Maybe I'll check that out too.

we need the same pads, then.  my brakes are SLX, which is the same as the XT but without the mysterious Free Stroke adjustment screw.

I only rode RHR one time, years ago, before the fires out there.  always kinda had the 24hr race there on my bucket list, but have never gotten around to it.  my understanding is the fr512 area is accessible from outside RHR.

[KuЯdt 248]

4 hours ago, wd40 said:

we need the same pads, then.  my brakes are SLX, which is the same as the XT but without the mysterious Free Stroke adjustment screw.

I only rode RHR one time, years ago, before the fires out there.  always kinda had the 24hr race there on my bucket list, but have never gotten around to it.  my understanding is the fr512 area is accessible from outside RHR.

I'll let you know if I find any.

Been at least 5 years since I've ridden at RHR.  I did a few XC races out there in the 90's and those were always fun.  If you were able to be toward the front of the pack at the top of Fat Chuck's, then you were in good shape the rest of the race.

[Aqua Buddha 14261]

Saw some mentions of Northwest Arkansas on here.  Can't recommend it enough.  You can stay in town surrounded by bars and restaurants and have a trailhead right there.  You can also stay in the cabin in the hills.  Tons of stuff for the spouse/family to do outside of MTB.  Ask away if you have any questions.

Coming up on the season here and I can't wait: 

[Al_4_ISU 12376]

8 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

Saw some mentions of Northwest Arkansas on here.  Can't recommend it enough.  You can stay in town surrounded by bars and restaurants and have a trailhead right there.  You can also stay in the cabin in the hills.  Tons of stuff for the spouse/family to do outside of MTB.  Ask away if you have any questions.

Coming up on the season here and I can't wait: 

Yeah, it's going to be a regular pilgrimage for us.  The wife really liked Eureka Springs.  Would probably try staying in Bentonville next time, just to scope out some different stuff.  After talking to folks and watching some videos, the Back 40 is a definite bucket list ride for me.

[Aqua Buddha 14261]

Just now, Al_4_ISU said:

Yeah, it's going to be a regular pilgrimage for us.  The wife really liked Eureka Springs.  Would probably try staying in Bentonville next time, just to scope out some different stuff.  After talking to folks and watching some videos, the Back 40 is a definite bucket list ride for me.

In addition to the Back 40, they've recently completed the Little Sugar trail system, which is west of the highway in Bella Vista.  It's almost as extensive.  It doesn't look like it's completely on MTB but Trailforks looks up to date.  It's really hard to say sometimes because they're building trails so fast that some of them aren't marked.  The Back 40 is a full day commitment, though, but a great mixture of different types of trails.  

Wife would also like Bentonville.  Plenty of bougiee stuff for her to do while you bike.

You could honestly spend an entire week here, ride every day, and still not hit everything in the region.

[Al_4_ISU 12376]

14 minutes ago, Aqua Buddha said:

In addition to the Back 40, they've recently completed the Little Sugar trail system, which is west of the highway in Bella Vista.  It's almost as extensive.  It doesn't look like it's completely on MTB but Trailforks looks up to date.  It's really hard to say sometimes because they're building trails so fast that some of them aren't marked.  The Back 40 is a full day commitment, though, but a great mixture of different types of trails.  

Wife would also like Bentonville.  Plenty of bougiee stuff for her to do while you bike.

You could honestly spend an entire week here, ride every day, and still not hit everything in the region.

Yeah, that was pretty evident.  

Back 40 would be more miles than I've done in a day, and figured about 5-6 hours with breaks would be about what it would take me.  That's on the 21 mile loop with 3600' of gain I'm seeing on Trailforks.

[KuЯdt 248]

After spending 3 weeks up there over 2 separate trips toward the end of last year, we're already planning another for this spring.

[sasquatch69 576]

A day off today meant 13mi at Northshore late on a Tuesday morning, so I had the place pretty much to myself, without all the Stravaholes flying through. Did 1-3 and back, then squeezed in 5 because I wasn't ready to stop riding yet, and wanted to try one I hadn't done before. Gorgeous riding weather and hero dirt. Can't wait to go back on another less-crowded weekday. 

[TwiceHorn 30851]

Another one I haven't done.  Vaguely intimidated by it, although I understand the east? loops are manageable.

Had two pretty unremarkable rides M and T. at this point, I'm just laying down miles trying to get in shape  River Legacy, which I rode Monday, smelled like a damned feed lot on the South and parts of the Prairie loops.  I'm used to odd and sometimes pissy and poopy smells on the trails, but that was disgusting.  Never encountered that before.  Almost gagged a couple of times.

Well, making this post reminded me to go look at the map and see if three's a pasture or something out there.  And sure enough, there are the "Village Creek Drying Beds," a sewage treatment plant, just south of the trail.  Geezus, though.  Rowlett Creek runs by Garland's Sewage treatment plant and it wafts ripe a little now and then.  But this was like early morning in Dalhart or the Inland Empire.  Maybe something to do with icemageddon.

Edited March 17, 2021 by TwiceHorn

[Pescado_Rojo 19262]

Got my first Moderna vaccine shot Monday and rode 13 miles yesterday. Definitely fought through a little muscle fatigue and shortness of breath, but overall felt pretty good. Almost ran over the biggest live rattlesnake I've ever seen. I saw it crossing from far enough away I had time to stop before I ran up on it. I just sat back and let it cross the trail and slither off into the brush. It took it's sweet time though, and there was a lot of it to get across. I got a pic on my phone, I'll try to post when I have a minute to log into tapa. 

[TwiceHorn 30851]

5 minutes ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

Got my first Moderna vaccine shot Monday and rode 13 miles yesterday. Definitely fought through a little muscle fatigue and shortness of breath, but overall felt pretty good. Almost ran over the biggest live rattlesnake I've ever seen. I saw it crossing from far enough away I had time to stop before I ran up on it. I just sat back and let it cross the trail and slither off into the brush. It took it's sweet time though, and there was a lot of it to get across. I got a pic on my phone, I'll try to post when I have a minute to log into tapa. 

I have had multiple nonvenomous snek just stop stretched out across the trail.  I guess my presence freezes them.  But it can be hard to get them going again.  And once I came upon a little knot of 2-3 riders stopped, and they were trying to get a medium-sized copperhead to go ahead and cross.  Took a minute or two of throwing small rocks and sticks at it.

[Braff Zacklin 13299]

On 3/13/2021 at 11:22 AM, wd40 said:

we need the same pads, then.  my brakes are SLX, which is the same as the XT but without the mysterious Free Stroke adjustment screw.

I only rode RHR one time, years ago, before the fires out there.  always kinda had the 24hr race there on my bucket list, but have never gotten around to it.  my understanding is the fr512 area is accessible from outside RHR.

They ain't cheap.

Metal:

https://www.amazon.com/SHIMANO-Metal-Pad-N04C-Spring/dp/B07LGHJ61G/

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Shimano-N03A-N04C-Disc-Brake-Pad-Ice-Tech-For-DEORE-XTR-SLX-M9120-M8120-4-Piston/143626870778

Resin:

https://www.amazon.com/SHIMANO-Resin-Pad-N03A-Spring/dp/B07LGJZCPM/

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SHIMANO-XTR-BR-M9120-N03A-RESIN-PADS-SPRING-NEW-Y1XD98010/143362679402

 

[Braff Zacklin 13299]

We had a super late winter, so the trails are only now beginning to dry out.

Got in an inaugural 2021 trail ride yesterday, but back tire went squishy so had to cut it short and baby the bike home. Also had to replace the dropper cable--I guess 4.5 years is too long! Still, it was nice to be pedaling again.

Will be on the water the next couple of days, but plan to hit the trails again Friday. Hopefully, more stuff will be dry.

[Al_4_ISU 12376]

43 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

We had a super late winter, so the trails are only now beginning to dry out.

Got in an inaugural 2021 trail ride yesterday, but back tire went squishy so had to cut it short and baby the bike home. Also had to replace the dropper cable--I guess 4.5 years is too long! Still, it was nice to be pedaling again.

Will be on the water the next couple of days, but plan to hit the trails again Friday. Hopefully, more stuff will be dry.

I could have ridden here last weekend, but was down in Arky.  I'm going to be in AZ this weekend (no riding on the agenda) which is all good and well because we got one of those very predictable 6" of wet heavy snow after it appeared winter was over and all the other snow had melted off.  It will be gone tomorrow most likely, but we won't be dried out until next week.

[Al_4_ISU 12376]

My only snek/bike incident thus far was riding on a paved trail.  Rattle snek was sunning itself and I thought it was a big stick.  It struck at me, but didn't connect.  Wife was a couple hundred feet behind me and saw the whole thing.

Even though we do have timber rattlers, they are much less numerous than they are in Texas.  And they seem to hate places that have frequent human travel thankfully.

Edited March 17, 2021 by Al_4_ISU

[Pescado_Rojo 19262]

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[KuЯdt 248]

On 3/17/2021 at 9:59 AM, Braff Zacklin said:

They ain't cheap.

Metal:

https://www.amazon.com/SHIMANO-Metal-Pad-N04C-Spring/dp/B07LGHJ61G/

https://www.ebay.com/itm/Shimano-N03A-N04C-Disc-Brake-Pad-Ice-Tech-For-DEORE-XTR-SLX-M9120-M8120-4-Piston/143626870778

Resin:

https://www.amazon.com/SHIMANO-Resin-Pad-N03A-Spring/dp/B07LGJZCPM/

https://www.ebay.com/itm/SHIMANO-XTR-BR-M9120-N03A-RESIN-PADS-SPRING-NEW-Y1XD98010/143362679402

 

nice, hadn't checked amazon in a while.

 

Rode Spider yesterday.  Me, and a bunch of spring breakers.  Tarantula was closed, because they are building a new trail that goes over it.  From what I could tell, it looks like it will be pretty good.

[TwiceHorn 30851]

Well, I have been a complete sack of crap this week.  Couple of nights, starting with the storms Tuesday night/Wednesday morning, I woke up way too early and couldn't get back to sleep.  I usually sleep so well that small interruptions mess me up.  Also, cold in the mornings (40s) and work has interfered a bit so that by the time it warms up, it feels like naptime.

It's pretty glorious right now, but I'd get myself in a traffic mess if I tried to ride now.  I'll get back on it Sunday.

[Braff Zacklin 13299]

Edited March 19, 2021 by Braff Zacklin
wrong thread

[Austinvines 309]

Demo’d a carbon Ibis Ripley for the weekend from Velorangutan. It is a tricked out XTR with carbon rims so is the most expensive bike I’ve ever been on. The Ripley is a 120 fork and 130 shock (Fox Performance Series Float) and I’m coming from a 120 hardtail that’s old school geo.

I took it out on an 18 mile ride on the South Austin Trail Network and haven’t been riding nearly as often as I did this summer. Everything about the bike just made me want to push. It was quick, agile, and soaked up bumps that would normally buck me on my hardtail. I had done the same ride on the Revel Rascal I posted earlier but this was mo better for sure. Set 8 new PRs on Strava and finished the ride about .7 MPH faster than my previous avg for about 50 efforts at 10.3. The ride was a mix of twisty single track with some flat/open areas intermixed with rock gardens.

I spent $1400 on my first bike and this Ripley is the leader in the clubhouse at about $6k (good lord). I want to try an Orbea Oiz (120/100) and then a Tallboy before pulling the trigger. Unfortunately, if I get picky with my components it may be 2022 before I can get it. I want XT components bc it’s been pretty bulletproof for me for many years but I may switch to SRAM if I can get the bike I want sooner rather than later. My hardtail just will never do what these new bikes can do.

Damn good day.

[sasquatch69 576]

Got new tires on the old bike today - Vittoria Mezcal 26" 2.1s. Guy at RBM recommended them a couple months ago as a great XC option for our terrain, but they didn't have any in my size, so I ordered online and they finally showed up yesterday. I took it to KJ for a quick 5mi this afternoon and it feels like a new bike - better handling, smoother ride, etc.  Got the slime tubes and a tube wrap on each as well, so hopefully I'll avoid flats and punctures, but we all know how that goes. Hopefully this will hold off the urge for a new ride for another year or so.

 

Edited March 21, 2021 by sasquatch69

[Braff Zacklin 13299]

2 hours ago, sasquatch69 said:

Got new tires on the old bike today - Vittoria Mezcal 26" 2.1s. Guy at RBM recommended them a couple months ago as a great XC option for our terrain, but they didn't have any in my size, so I ordered online and they finally showed up yesterday. I took it to KJ for a quick 5mi this afternoon and it feels like a new bike - better handling, smoother ride, etc.  Got the slime tubes and a tube wrap on each as well, so hopefully I'll avoid flats and punctures, but we all know how that goes. Hopefully this will hold off the urge for a new ride for another year or so.

 

I like Mezcals, particularly as a rear tire. Good rollers and lightweight. Terrible in mud and not the best for chunk, so you've been warned if you ride those conditions.

[sasquatch69 576]

18 hours ago, Braff Zacklin said:

I like Mezcals, particularly as a rear tire. Good rollers and lightweight. Terrible in mud and not the best for chunk, so you've been warned if you ride those conditions.

I debated going with different types for front and rear, but figured I'd try this first.  If I'm not happy with handling I may try something different in front and save the Mezcal for when the rear one wears out.  Did another 5mi today at Horseshoe and it handled well, although like you said, the one tiny bit of mud was slow going.  Oh well, that will encourage me to stay off muddy trails, thus less work cleaning up the bike. 😀 

[Austinvines 309]

I ride Mezcal rears and Agarro fronts on my hard tail and they’ve been great. The Ibis I rode this weekend had Maxxis xc tires which were ok except for the live oak drop and I’d have like some more grip up front.

[Al_4_ISU 12376]

First local ride of the year. Pretty greasy, but not cutting ruts. After riding in the Ozarks, it just blows my mind how much harder our climbs are, just due to inferior trail planning. But I’m not complaining. Burning calories is one of the chief goals.

[Braff Zacklin 13299]

That second shot, dude ... well done.

[Al_4_ISU 12376]

That second shot, dude ... well done.

The Pines is one of our easiest trails, but it is truly magical. You completely forget that your only 10 miles from the start of the Great Plains

[Braff Zacklin 13299]

2 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

The Pines is one of our easiest trails, but it is truly magical. You completely forget that your only 10 miles from the start of the Great Plains

Seems like it would be impossible to have any negative thoughts while on that section of trail. It's serenely beautiful.

[TwiceHorn 30851]

It is interesting.  What's up with the trees dropping all their needles?

[Al_4_ISU 12376]

It is interesting.  What's up with the trees dropping all their needles?

I have no clue. It looks the same during 100 degree heat in August as it does now.

[TwiceHorn 30851]

2 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I have no clue. It looks the same during 100 degree heat in August as it does now.

Not dead or burned are they?  Kind of looks that way, but the ground is covered.

[Al_4_ISU 12376]

Not dead or burned are they?  Kind of looks that way, but the ground is covered.

They have needles way up high. They haven’t burned as far as I know.

I suspect it’s a manmade stand of pines and they were planted too close.

[TwiceHorn 30851]

4 hours ago, Al_4_ISU said:

They have needles way up high. They haven’t burned as far as I know.

I suspect it’s a manmade stand of pines and they were planted too close.

Interesting.  The pines I have experience with (loblolly, long- and short-leaf) don't have branches that close to the ground, typically.  So you get more or less the same effect. but it's odd to see bare pine branches like that.

Seems the whole state of Arkansas is trying to get on the MTB bandwagon, which I guess figures, it being an "outdoor recreation" state.  There's even a trail around what was my grandfather's favorite fishing lake in south-central Arkansas.  It would be very piney like that.  One of these days I'm going to have to trek up there to visit what's left of my family up there and ride that.

[Braff Zacklin 13299]

Clear and warmish (52 degrees) today, so finally got a ride in after a week of cold, rain and snow. Tomorrow's forecast is sunny and 61, so I'll try to ride as much as my legs and lungs will allow.

Monday's high is expected to be 37 ...

[Al_4_ISU 12376]

Today's high is supposed to be about 70, and then on Wednesday it's supposed to be 35 for a high before back up to 70 by the weekend.  Fucking Iowa weather.

[TwiceHorn 30851]

Went down to Oak Cliff Nature Preserve today.  It's pretty hilly, so I was a tad reluctant to go in my present condition.  

When I got there, the trail was in pretty great shape.  As I may have mentioned, it has a shit ton of little bandit traiils, and bypasses and whatnot that can make it very hard to navigate.  Well, the stewards have blocked almost all of those and there is more signage than in the past.

This provoked me to try the red loop, which is sort of locally famous for having the one jump area in the metroplex that is well maintained. The jump area is mostly gravel in a cleared area and I had wended my way down there before, but with little confidence that I was actually following the red loop.

But today, with the bandit blockage and new signs, I felt comfortable actually trying to follow the red loop as it is laid out.  This is the jump area.

Because this is beyond my skill and interest level, all I ever did was the Clark Griswold Grand Canyon gawk.  And "retrace my steps" back to more familiar loops. 

What I had not done was see where the jumps "go."

Welp, off there in the distance, there is about a 1/8-1/4 mile jump line with ramps and rollers, banked turns and a boardwalk bank, all in the woods that probably rivals some of the pretty famous trails, even though it's short.  It is raucous enough that it is just rollable, just.

I was impressed.  And intimidated.  So much so that I didn't take pix but just rolled down it like a tool.

Anyway, the Red Loop is pretty cool, got some steep-ass technical climbs (root-o-rama) at the end of gentle grades.  The perfect thing to kick your fucking ass.  Also some nice descents through the trees, narrow enough to invoke caution.  I flaked almost all the steep, rooty climbs, but managed the rest of it.  Still a short, four mile ride that I chalked up to exploration.

[Braff Zacklin 13299]

Yeah, those ramps are not something you'd want to start on. To hit them right, you'd have to be flying, and that takes so much commitment (and can end so badly).

And @Al_4_ISU, I think that's spring weather for northern latitudes in general. The bad days certainly make one appreciate the good ones even more, and I'd rather have the mixed bag than what I grew up with in Texas (my folks in San Antonio said they've already been in the high 80s).

[Al_4_ISU 12376]

49 minutes ago, Braff Zacklin said:

Yeah, those ramps are not something you'd want to start on. To hit them right, you'd have to be flying, and that takes so much commitment (and can end so badly).

And @Al_4_ISU, I think that's spring weather for northern latitudes in general. The bad days certainly make one appreciate the good ones even more, and I'd rather have the mixed bag than what I grew up with in Texas (my folks in San Antonio said they've already been in the high 80s).

Yeah, now that I've gotten into XC skiing, I'm set up to enjoy damn near any kind of weather outside, which is good because Iowa gets almost every kind of weather phenomena observed on the planet..

The only thing that sucks is what we've had the last two weeks.  It was barely dry enough to ride on Friday, and then we head drizzle all day Saturday.  Because it was only in the 40's yesterday, the trails weren't dry when I went to ride around 2PM.  They'd be good today, but I'm starting training for a half marathon in August and today's a run day on the schedule.

I'm definitely thankful that we get a couple days of 100 degree heat a year vs. a couple months.

[Braff Zacklin 13299]

30 minutes ago, Al_4_ISU said:

I'm definitely thankful that we get a couple days of 100 degree heat a year vs. a couple months.

Same. (Usually only a couple--let's not jinx it!)

[KuЯdt 248]

Rode Brushy on Monday, it was the 2nd or maybe 3rd time I've been there.  But it had been a number of years and I recognized some of it, but not a whole lot.  I think I hit everything out there except Peddlers Pass.  Got turned around a couple times so did some backtracking, and I rode some parts multiple times.  Ended up being about 15 miles.
Good times, there is some fun stuff out there. Enjoyed Picnic and Snail. And I can appreciate how well marked and signed things are - most of the stuff I ride on this side of town isn't marked at all.

So what happened with the Deception name?  Did that get "retired" or something?  Never saw any mention of it.  Seems like 1/4 notch looked like it from what I remember before.
Oh and check out this damn vulture I ran into while riding down what I think is called Dave's Ditch (which I thought would be slick in the wet but wasn't). It was munching on a dead racoon and startled me a bit.

 

[Austinvines 309]

Let’s talk travel. I’m on a 120 hardtail with old school geo. I hit my goal weight during Covid and am in the market for a FS bike. I ride SATN which is mostly flat and twisty. And downhill I do is limited and not sustained, certainly not fast. I’d rather pick my way than bomb it. I’ve got zero core and not much arms to be honest.

Broke my humerus 5 years ago going OTB and don’t want to repeat that at 50(+). While I don’t mind some quick descents, enduro is not my bag. I’m demoing an Ibis Ripley at 130/120 and an Orbea Occam at 140/140 over the next two weekends.

I’ve ridden the Revel Rascal at 130/130 and liked it, but didn’t love it. I rode a large Occam this past weekend and it climbed well but was just BIG. I’m riding the medium Occam this weekend the the medium Ripley next weekend that I’m taking to a skills class at Reveille Peak Ranch the next weekend.

My headspace is xc/trail which pushes me toward a short travel trail bike, but since I’m looking for my last bike, would I eventually run out of travel on it and should buy a bigger bike now? I bombed a fairly steep descent near my house yesterday on the large Occam that was pretty fun and not scary. No big drops at this point (that shit off of Bowie Stonewall is not something I’d ever think of doing) but if I get a bike that can do it, will I want to?

I’m going to drop a lot on my next bike. I guess the question is, if it has more travel than I expect to use, does it matter and will I be happier on a bike whose travel I don’t use all the time but have it if necessary vs a bike that is more to my liking but may bottom out at the bigger end (if that’s only 10% or less of my usual rides)?

[wd40 1976]

nice work, KuRdt.  

a buddy and I were out there today and wondered the same thing w/r to Deception.  I guess that's what it's about:  being deceptive.  not sure why they split it at what I think once was Swag Rock and where the map is posted now into 1/4 Notch and Double Down.  

did you hit all those new lines on Snail with the ladder drops and whatnot?  or in the far opposite direction to Candyland and Gnargasm?  I rarely go over that way unless I'm just dying for mileage.  the feature itself is far scarier looking than it actually is.

btw, I ended up ordering some spare pads from a bike shop in Canada.  Dunbar.  should be here next week.  iirc, the had 8 on the shelf when I ordered.  no one else I could find had 2 wheels worth.  prettymuch the same price as anywhere else.

[Braff Zacklin 13299]

2 hours ago, Austinvines said:

I’m going to drop a lot on my next bike. I guess the question is, if it has more travel than I expect to use, does it matter and will I be happier on a bike whose travel I don’t use all the time but have it if necessary vs a bike that is more to my liking but may bottom out at the bigger end (if that’s only 10% or less of my usual rides)?

Your post left me reflecting--120/130 is a fair amount of travel, but by today's standards, it's borderline XC. Now I feel old.

I've said it before and I'll beat it to death by saying it again: most people are vastly overbiked (self included). That's not necessarily a bad thing. As you noted, it's nice to have options, even if you might not necessarily take advantage of all of them.

My FS is 140/140, my HT is 140. I think "down country" is the current trendy term to describe them. Either could handle blues at any bike park. I'm not going to hit 10-foot drops on them, but I wouldn't do that shit even if I had an enduro or DH bike.

Technology has come a long ways. Shorter-travel (aka "trail") bikes like the ones you listed are super capable. They're jacks of all trades--not as fast as XC bikes and not as plush as enduro.

That said, longer-travel bikes are getting lighter and more efficient all the time. But if I see you riding a Spesh Enduro on a bike path, I am going to bust your balls.

 

2 hours ago, wd40 said:

btw, I ended up ordering some spare pads from a bike shop in Canada.  Dunbar.  should be here next week.  iirc, the had 8 on the shelf when I ordered.

I'm fighting the urge to splurge ... on a four-pot front brakeset!

Which of course would domino into replacing the existing 180mm rotor with a 203mm. But if I do some digging and discover that I already have a 203mm post mount adapter, then I've already saved $15 ...

[TwiceHorn 30851]

3 hours ago, Austinvines said:

Let’s talk travel. I’m on a 120 hardtail with old school geo. I hit my goal weight during Covid and am in the market for a FS bike. I ride SATN which is mostly flat and twisty. And downhill I do is limited and not sustained, certainly not fast. I’d rather pick my way than bomb it. I’ve got zero core and not much arms to be honest.

Broke my humerus 5 years ago going OTB and don’t want to repeat that at 50(+). While I don’t mind some quick descents, enduro is not my bag. I’m demoing an Ibis Ripley at 130/120 and an Orbea Occam at 140/140 over the next two weekends.

I’ve ridden the Revel Rascal at 130/130 and liked it, but didn’t love it. I rode a large Occam this past weekend and it climbed well but was just BIG. I’m riding the medium Occam this weekend the the medium Ripley next weekend that I’m taking to a skills class at Reveille Peak Ranch the next weekend.

My headspace is xc/trail which pushes me toward a short travel trail bike, but since I’m looking for my last bike, would I eventually run out of travel on it and should buy a bigger bike now? I bombed a fairly steep descent near my house yesterday on the large Occam that was pretty fun and not scary. No big drops at this point (that shit off of Bowie Stonewall is not something I’d ever think of doing) but if I get a bike that can do it, will I want to?

I’m going to drop a lot on my next bike. I guess the question is, if it has more travel than I expect to use, does it matter and will I be happier on a bike whose travel I don’t use all the time but have it if necessary vs a bike that is more to my liking but may bottom out at the bigger end (if that’s only 10% or less of my usual rides)?

The main sacrifice for having too much travel is climbing and pedaling efficiency, and designers seem to have mostly solved that riddle, at least getting into the mid-travel.  There may be some other geo features that you like/dislike that come with bigger travel bikes.  For some, if you don't use all your travel very often, it's actually easier to set up your suspension.

I think you can safely go bigger travel as long as it pedals and climbs ok for your purposes.

[KuЯdt 248]

13 hours ago, wd40 said:

nice work, KuRdt.  

a buddy and I were out there today and wondered the same thing w/r to Deception.  I guess that's what it's about:  being deceptive.  not sure why they split it at what I think once was Swag Rock and where the map is posted now into 1/4 Notch and Double Down.  

did you hit all those new lines on Snail with the ladder drops and whatnot?  or in the far opposite direction to Candyland and Gnargasm?  I rarely go over that way unless I'm just dying for mileage.  the feature itself is far scarier looking than it actually is.

btw, I ended up ordering some spare pads from a bike shop in Canada.  Dunbar.  should be here next week.  iirc, the had 8 on the shelf when I ordered.  no one else I could find had 2 wheels worth.  prettymuch the same price as anywhere else.

On Snail, I just went through it once, not taking that big drop but taking a line to the right with some smaller drops and then those g-out wall ride type lines.  I wanted to spend a little more time there exploring that area but I was getting kind of pressed for time at that point.  And I did miss that Gnargasm area too...I figure there's more out there than I'm aware of or shows up on Trail Forks.  Just means I need to get back up there and explore.

re: the pads, I was going to just order them from Amazon after Braff posted the links and it looked like they had quite a few in stock.  But then I went over to Jenson and they had them as well, so just bought from them.

[KuЯdt 248]

13 hours ago, wd40 said:

a buddy and I were out there today and wondered the same thing w/r to Deception.  I guess that's what it's about:  being deceptive.  not sure why they split it at what I think once was Swag Rock and where the map is posted now into 1/4 Notch and Double Down.

meant to ask about Deception again...did the original trail include most of what is now Double Down?  I don't remember it being quite that difficult whenever I rode it a few years ago.  I had to walk quite a few spots on DD.

[KuЯdt 248]

13 hours ago, Austinvines said:

My headspace is xc/trail which pushes me toward a short travel trail bike, but since I’m looking for my last bike, would I eventually run out of travel on it and should buy a bigger bike now? I bombed a fairly steep descent near my house yesterday on the large Occam that was pretty fun and not scary. No big drops at this point (that shit off of Bowie Stonewall is not something I’d ever think of doing) but if I get a bike that can do it, will I want to?

I’m going to drop a lot on my next bike. I guess the question is, if it has more travel than I expect to use, does it matter and will I be happier on a bike whose travel I don’t use all the time but have it if necessary vs a bike that is more to my liking but may bottom out at the bigger end (if that’s only 10% or less of my usual rides)?

You're kind of in a similar place as I was before I bought my Occam.  I was pretty sure I didn't need any more than 120/130, but after riding the Occam and now having spent a year on it I am glad I went with a bit more travel.  As Twice mentioned, the main drawbacks of the bigger bikes are being overcome by the latest designs.  My bike climbs very well, I thought just as well as the Ripley I demo'd.

As a fellow SATNist, I can tell you a 120 bike is plenty for that trail system.  But if you venture out elsewhere, say BCGB or go to Spider, the extra travel sure is nice.  If you do go with the Ripley though, it will still be much more capable than the old school HT you're coming from, and you'll find it makes things like Bowie Stonewall much less sketchy (and then you will seek out more and more challenges...).