The Surly Mountain Biking Thread

[midtown 3339]

It's unbelievable how much longer it takes to heal at +50. What used to be a day or two now takes weeks.

[TwiceHorn 30851]

Tell me about derailleurs.  

My bike has an NX 11-spd.  It's mostly fine and in the context of other derailleurs I have used over 40 something years of riding, pretty good.

However, it has always resisted shifting "down" (the cassette) from the big cog (42t).  Maybe when it was new or for a couple of weeks after a cable/housing change, it works, but usually have to double-shift from 11 down to 9.  That's pretty much acceptable, as I don't seem to need fast, critical upshifts the way I need fast downshifts.  It has always downshifted nicely unless something is really off (dirty, fuct up housing/cable, whatever).

I got into some mud the other day, it wasn't horrible, but when I looked at the jockey wheels a day later they were caked with mud.   Nowhere else on the der.  I was already at the stage of fucking with the barrel adjuster a lot to keep it shifting right.  It has been more than a year since my last cable/housing switch, but then again, I hadn't ridden for like six months when my frame was cracked and the rains came.  Anyway, after this mudcaking, shifting went to shit and it wouldn't drop down the cog hardly at all.

I am getting a cable/housing change "as we speak," but I expect the bad 11-10 shift to recur soon.  It has been messed with by two different shops, the hanger straightened once, and it's been on two different frames and still exhibits this behavior.  I suspect that little idler pulley or wheel that the cable turns around doesn't turn as freely as it should.  Or maybe the spring is weak.

So I am kind of thinking I should maybe move up to a GX-11, and can keep the NX shifters until they give out.  Or I could go Shimano or something.  I don't feel any need for 12-spd or changing the driver/hub, but might consider if someone tells me I should.

Any thoughts on this?

Edited July 25, 2021 by TwiceHorn

[Pescado_Rojo 19262]

I've been thinking about going to an 11 x 1 for a while now so I can put a dropper on my bike. (currently 2x10) One of the things I've noticed is the "granny" gear on an 11 spd cog set looks like it's so much bigger, it creates a different "drop" than any of the other gears on the stack. So it seems like you'd either have to tune for the change from granny to the rest of the cassette, or tune for the rest of the cassette and just know getting in/out of granny gear is going to be kludgy? (that may be a sentence that only made sense to me)

As for the GX der, I went the other way and had to downgrade to a GX when I blew up my XX last year during the early stages of Covid. The GX was the only thing I could find with less than a "hopefully" 6 week lead time. I'd say it shifts fine, but is noticeably more clunky than my XX. I doubt that would be an issue for you moving up from an NX, though. 

[TwiceHorn 30851]

23 minutes ago, Pescado_Rojo said:

I've been thinking about going to an 11 x 1 for a while now so I can put a dropper on my bike. (currently 2x10) One of the things I've noticed is the "granny" gear on an 11 spd cog set looks like it's so much bigger, it creates a different "drop" than any of the other gears on the stack. So it seems like you'd either have to tune for the change from granny to the rest of the cassette, or tune for the rest of the cassette and just know getting in/out of granny gear is going to be kludgy? (that may be a sentence that only made sense to me)

As for the GX der, I went the other way and had to downgrade to a GX when I blew up my XX last year during the early stages of Covid. The GX was the only thing I could find with less than a "hopefully" 6 week lead time. I'd say it shifts fine, but is noticeably more clunky than my XX. I doubt that would be an issue for you moving up from an NX, though. 

Good point.  On mine, which I think is representative, the last jump is 36-42, and 32-36 before that. So, yeah, that's a bit of a challenge, but it shifts 10-11 just fine, when things aren't gunked up, and I think the move up the cog is more of a challenge than down.

12-spd can be even worse, with two 5 or 6 tooth jumps.

In any event, my der doesn't move outwardly with sufficient oomph to get it done.  

I don't really use the big gear much, I don't think.  But I also probably have a tendency to mash too much and downshift too little.

Anyway, I'm experiencing low-grade derailleur dismay.  I'll probably get over it.

Edited July 25, 2021 by TwiceHorn

[TwiceHorn 30851]

So, without prompting, bikeshop guy noticed it too.  He thinks its the return spring and suggested a new der.  I see some talk that the 1x SRAM's have a closer b-gap than Shimano and need a shorter chain for more tension.  But, this has been this way essentially from the factory and I have had good mechanics work on it, so I don't think it's a fundamental setup issue.

On amazon, a GX-11 is 114.  An SLXM7000  is 117 with shifter.  

I may be making the switch before too long.

[TwiceHorn 30851]

On 7/25/2021 at 5:20 PM, TwiceHorn said:

I don't really use the big gear much, I don't think

Welp.  Rode OCNP today which has climby bits.  First ride since getting the cable/housing change.  Was "upshifting" (higher gears) like shit.  Look down, I'm going in and out of 9-10-11.  Well duh.

First ride on a 100 degree day and didn't get out early enough.  It was hot af and at one point, after successfully surmounting all the climby bits, stopped and almost threw a rod.  Gat.  Damn.

Maybe this shitty 10-11 shift is a bigger problem than I thought, magnified by the heat and feeling out of shape so staying low.

[Bigpoppapump 529]

Tell me about derailleurs.  
My bike has an NX 11-spd.  It's mostly fine and in the context of other derailleurs I have used over 40 something years of riding, pretty good.
However, it has always resisted shifting "down" (the cassette) from the big cog (42t).  Maybe when it was new or for a couple of weeks after a cable/housing change, it works, but usually have to double-shift from 11 down to 9.  That's pretty much acceptable, as I don't seem to need fast, critical upshifts the way I need fast downshifts.  It has always downshifted nicely unless something is really off (dirty, fuct up housing/cable, whatever).
I got into some mud the other day, it wasn't horrible, but when I looked at the jockey wheels a day later they were caked with mud.   Nowhere else on the der.  I was already at the stage of fucking with the barrel adjuster a lot to keep it shifting right.  It has been more than a year since my last cable/housing switch, but then again, I hadn't ridden for like six months when my frame was cracked and the rains came.  Anyway, after this mudcaking, shifting went to shit and it wouldn't drop down the cog hardly at all.
I am getting a cable/housing change "as we speak," but I expect the bad 11-10 shift to recur soon.  It has been messed with by two different shops, the hanger straightened once, and it's been on two different frames and still exhibits this behavior.  I suspect that little idler pulley or wheel that the cable turns around doesn't turn as freely as it should.  Or maybe the spring is weak.
So I am kind of thinking I should maybe move up to a GX-11, and can keep the NX shifters until they give out.  Or I could go Shimano or something.  I don't feel any need for 12-spd or changing the driver/hub, but might consider if someone tells me I should.
Any thoughts on this?

NX derailleur is ass, get a GX and be done with it.

[TwiceHorn 30851]

On 7/27/2021 at 11:31 PM, Bigpoppapump said:

NX derailleur is ass, get a GX and be done with it.

Is it though?  A lot of what I read just says GX is lighter but not otherwise much different in feel or shift quality.  I think the GX shifters are supposed to be better, but I wouldn't initially probably change shifters.

There are probably more Shimano fanbois than SRAM, but I read a fair amount that indicates that the lower-end SRAMs, especially the non-Eagle, shift better than the non XT/XTR Shimanos.

I rode Moss today, which is flatter and keeps me out of 10-11 and the shifting was much improved today.

Edited July 29, 2021 by TwiceHorn

[midtown 3339]

I moved up from SX garbage to GX about 6 mos ago. I plan to upgrade all drive train to GX in the next year.

[TwiceHorn 30851]

44 minutes ago, midtown said:

I moved up from SX garbage to GX about 6 mos ago. I plan to upgrade all drive train to GX in the next year.

SX is probably a different story.  Can you tell a lot of difference?  Shimano is looking pretty attractive at the moment.

I ran into a guy I know today that rides a Commencal Meta AM, I figured it might be SLX.  Nope, NX.

[midtown 3339]

16 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Can you tell a lot of difference? 

Yes.   Super clean shifting.   I have no frame of reference for any Shimano Mtn bike parts but I am a Shimano fan boi on my road bike. 

[TwiceHorn 30851]

I found a comparo between GX and NX.  GX has aluminum cage vs. steel for NX and roller bearings (jockey wheels) where NX has sleeve.  A couple of other little things that don't seem like they'd make much difference (screws vs. pins) other than weight.  I guess you never know.

I'm not a weight weenie and 50g on a der isn't going to make my bike faster or more tossable.

I'd kind of like to upgrade given this opportunity, but I'm not sure the NX to GX offers much of one.

[Bigpoppapump 529]

7 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

Is it though?  A lot of what I read just says GX is lighter but not otherwise much different in feel or shift quality.  I think the GX shifters are supposed to be better, but I wouldn't initially probably change shifters.

There are probably more Shimano fanbois than SRAM, but I read a fair amount that indicates that the lower-end SRAMs, especially the non-Eagle, shift better than the non XT/XTR Shimanos.

I rode Moss today, which is flatter and keeps me out of 10-11 and the shifting was much improved today.

I was thinking SX, went straight from SX to GX so I guess I can't help.

[midtown 3339]

I'm upgrading my SX to GX as it wears out. I assume as far as bang for the buck I think my next upgrade with be wheels followed by cassette then cranks.

[TwiceHorn 30851]

30 minutes ago, midtown said:

I'm upgrading my SX to GX as it wears out. I assume as far as bang for the buck I think my next upgrade with be wheels followed by cassette then cranks.

Yeah, I am not expecting a dramatic change in my riding experience from a der upgrade.  I am wondering if there's much difference at all.

You may have figured this out, but when you do a wheel upgrade, you need to consider the driver.  For 12-spd with a 10 tooth smallest gear, you need either a SRAM XD driver or a Shimano Microspline and then you're married to that type of cassette, at least.  If you are content with an 11 tooth smallest, you can stick with the Shimano HG.  I think more good hubs are available with both now, but Microspline was hard to find for a while.

Somewhat surprisingly, the OEM wheels on my Marin are light enough that I'd have to drop some coin to improve that, although the hubs are mediocre.

Edited July 30, 2021 by TwiceHorn

[Stinkpalm 675]

Had the nx eagle groupset on my genius and it was okay. If I had kept it longer, I’d likely have upgraded sooner than later. My mojo came with the new deore groupset that now has shimano’s hyperglide tech. It definitely shifts better and just feels smoother than the nx did. It still leaves me wanting a little bit, so I’ll likely swap it soon for an Slx or xt, but it’s good enough that I’m not in any rush. I’m not really a fanboy for any brand,  but I’d probably lean towards going for the slx if I were in your position and swapping out cassette and chain isn’t an issue.

[Stinkpalm 675]

Speaking of the Mojo… finally got to really stretch its legs a couple days ago while camping and fly fishing up in Colorado. Ran over to Crested Butte for a day on the lift. They don’t have a ton of runs, but the ones they have are definitely fun and beautiful scenery. And the mojo ate it up. It may be the most fun bike I’ve ever had. I still freaking suck at jumping though. 
 

[TwiceHorn 30851]

I see Ibis has a Ripley AF, aluminum.  That would be a leading candidate for my next bike.

I think the Ripmo is probably too much bike for me and local trails.

But I'll probably keep doing minor upgrades on the Marin until I drop dead.

[TexPx 2307]

I see Ibis has a Ripley AF, aluminum.  That would be a leading candidate for my next bike.
I think the Ripmo is probably too much bike for me and local trails.
But I'll probably keep doing minor upgrades on the Marin until I drop dead.

Nephew just got a Revel Rascal. Sweet bike. He rides mostly in The Ozarks and Ouachitas. I would like to try their shorter travel Ranger. Seems like it would be perfect for regional trails.


Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[Stinkpalm 675]

4 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

I see Ibis has a Ripley AF, aluminum.  That would be a leading candidate for my next bike.

I think the Ripmo is probably too much bike for me and local trails.

But I'll probably keep doing minor upgrades on the Marin until I drop dead.

I’ve heard really, really good things about the ripley AF. Seeing a lot of them popping up around the Dfw trails. If I was wanting a pure XC bike, that’s probably the route I would have gone. And I saw a ripmo up at crested butte. Agreed that it’d be just a bit much for around here. I chose the mojo bc it splits the difference between the two in travel, allowing me to just have one do-it-all trail bike. It gives up a little performance on both ends of the spectrum (basically a jack of all trades, master of none type bike), but the older I get, the less I care about burning past other riders on the XC trails anyways. And the step down to 27.5 was pretty noticeable when it comes to rock gardens, but I’ve actually enjoyed how much more nimble and playful it makes the bike. But yeah, for XC, I’d give the ripley a serious look if the Marin ever fully croaks. 

[sasquatch69 576]

Difficult, grindy 7mi or so at Northshore this am, my first time on a bike in nearly a month after a long hiking trip away from home.   Had to stop 3-4 times - I don’t think I drank enough water beforehand (and I’m probably not fully recovered yet).

The good news is that it was my first time riding a 29er - a fairly new Specialized hardtail belonging to a friend - and it didn’t kill me. I’m borrowing it for a while to see if I can get used to it, and if so I may end buying it as a bridge until I can save up for a modern full squish (as he recently did). I think my days of riding the trusty 1990s GT are numbered - it’s lasted a long time but starting to break down more and more often.  

Edited July 31, 2021 by sasquatch69

[TwiceHorn 30851]

50 minutes ago, Stinkpalm said:

I’ve heard really, really good things about the ripley AF. Seeing a lot of them popping up around the Dfw trails. If I was wanting a pure XC bike, that’s probably the route I would have gone. And I saw a ripmo up at crested butte. Agreed that it’d be just a bit much for around here. I chose the mojo bc it splits the difference between the two in travel, allowing me to just have one do-it-all trail bike. It gives up a little performance on both ends of the spectrum (basically a jack of all trades, master of none type bike), but the older I get, the less I care about burning past other riders on the XC trails anyways. And the step down to 27.5 was pretty noticeable when it comes to rock gardens, but I’ve actually enjoyed how much more nimble and playful it makes the bike. But yeah, for XC, I’d give the ripley a serious look if the Marin ever fully croaks. 

I thought the Ripmo was about halfway between Mojo and Ripley?  I definitely consider the Mojo too much bike for me.

I have seen a couple of Ripmo's around, ironically at River Legacy.

I rode Rowlett today, nice lengthy ride, trail in pretty good shape if dry.  Got out early enough that it was reasonable, temp-wise.  But, the shifting was bad, even on the flat parts.  Partly because I think the shop used wet lube on my chain and it's fucking filthy.  But I think the NX is muy cansado.

So it looks like I am going to have to do something with the der.

Edited July 31, 2021 by TwiceHorn

[Stinkpalm 675]

The ripmo is about a 150r/160f, where the mojo is only 130r/140f travel. The mojo HD is a different story though, with much longer travel than the regular mojo. So that may be where the confusion comes from. 
 

And yeah, it’s been comical the amount of enduro bikes I’ve seen running around the local trails lately. I’m guessing it’s new riders getting into the sport due to covid and just figure “moar travel, moar better”. Can’t imagine trying to push a YT Capra around northshore but I’ve seen it in the past year. 

[TwiceHorn 30851]

1 minute ago, Stinkpalm said:

The ripmo is about a 150r/160f, where the mojo is only 130r/140f travel. The mojo HD is a different story though, with much longer travel than the regular mojo. So that may be where the confusion comes from. 
 

And yeah, it’s been comical the amount of enduro bikes I’ve seen running around the local trails lately. I’m guessing it’s new riders getting into the sport due to covid and just figure “moar travel, moar better”. Can’t imagine trying to push a YT Capra around northshore but I’ve seen it in the past year. 

Well, and you're calling a Ripley a pure XC bike, while a couple years back it was "trail." Lol.

Everything seems to be shifting toward moar travel, and, from what I can tell, there's not a big pedal penalty anymore.

[Stinkpalm 675]

Ha! Very true. More efficient frame geometries have certainly changed the traditional thoughts on how much travel you can get away with. I still remember worrying prior to purchasing my scalpel back in the day that stepping up from the 80mm bike I had to the 100mm travel on the scalpel was going to make it a slug (I was definitely wrong, that thing was a burner). Now 120 seems to be what most XC guys prefer. So who knows. I still can’t fathom pushing around a Fox 38 on dfw trails… that’s a lot of weight regardless of efficient modern frames!

[TwiceHorn 30851]

17 hours ago, Stinkpalm said:

Ha! Very true. More efficient frame geometries have certainly changed the traditional thoughts on how much travel you can get away with. I still remember worrying prior to purchasing my scalpel back in the day that stepping up from the 80mm bike I had to the 100mm travel on the scalpel was going to make it a slug (I was definitely wrong, that thing was a burner). Now 120 seems to be what most XC guys prefer. So who knows. I still can’t fathom pushing around a Fox 38 on dfw trails… that’s a lot of weight regardless of efficient modern frames!

Yeah, when I first started, I don't think most real XC people would even consider a rear suspension.

But, honestly, I am more an XC rider than anything and probably not going to move past that.

[TwiceHorn 30851]

20 hours ago, sasquatch69 said:

Difficult, grindy 7mi or so at Northshore this am, my first time on a bike in nearly a month after a long hiking trip away from home.   Had to stop 3-4 times - I don’t think I drank enough water beforehand (and I’m probably not fully recovered yet).

The good news is that it was my first time riding a 29er - a fairly new Specialized hardtail belonging to a friend - and it didn’t kill me. I’m borrowing it for a while to see if I can get used to it, and if so I may end buying it as a bridge until I can save up for a modern full squish (as he recently did). I think my days of riding the trusty 1990s GT are numbered - it’s lasted a long time but starting to break down more and more often.  

Were you expecting the 29er to be hard to pedal?  I think the main thing most people "feel" is lack of instantaneous acceleration, rather than being hard to pedal.  The momentum of the larger wheel tends to make up for the difficulty in accelerating it by comparison to smaller wheels.

[Austinvines 309]

Demoing a large Ripley v4 this weekend (again). I’m right on the edge of M/L and think I’m going to go medium. Home trails are mostly flat with some twist and I like the play I can get in the medium. The demo is sick, though. Full XTR with carbon wheels and i9 hubs.

My 120 hardtail had sram x7 and high were fine, but when I wore them and my cassette out, I went to 1x11 XT and new hubs. The x7’s were slotted similar to the GX and I have not had any issues with the Shimano.

Availability is what is going to drive my component selection since Shimano is so far back ordered. If I end up with an NX/GX build, I’ll ride it until it has to be replaced and consider the Shimano swap at that time.

[sasquatch69 576]

1 hour ago, TwiceHorn said:

Were you expecting the 29er to be hard to pedal?  I think the main thing most people "feel" is lack of instantaneous acceleration, rather than being hard to pedal.  The momentum of the larger wheel tends to make up for the difficulty in accelerating it by comparison to smaller wheels.

I didn’t really know what to expect. I did notice that it was more difficult to get little bursts of acceleration going up small hills, over big roots, etc. compared to my current 26”-wheel bike. But longer, shallower climbs were definitely easier - and the geometry of the bike (Rockhopper) was much more comfortable than the forward posture of my current older bike. 

The big question is going to be size. I’m 6’ and have been riding a L frame all these years; the Specialized is an XL. It didn’t feel too big overall, but the larger frame and tires definitely combined to make it more challenging. Northshore was probably not the best first-time-out place to try it, so I’m going to try a few rides at KJ and Rowlett to get a better feel for it. 

Edited August 1, 2021 by sasquatch69

[TwiceHorn 30851]

Rode Katie Jackson today, pretty early but probably not early enough as I finished about 1130 at 99 degrees by the car.

I actually felt pretty strong today, probably for the first time all year.  I've been riding 3-4 times a week for the last 2-3 weeks and I guess it's paying off.

Strong enough, in fact, that I rode Ranger Drop for the first time in 18+ months.  That being the place where I broke myself.  I have actually ridden a couple of the other drops there where the drop is steeper, but the runout is more "open."   It went fine, but I have to confess I was dragging the rear brake after the descent until I got past the place where I ate it.

 

[Pato del Muerto 52118]

So is anyone looking to sell their current rig to upgrade?  Looking for a half decent trail capable bike for like $500. Don’t need extreme features. I’m 6’2 so a large or xl frame needed. 
 

got rid of my cheap bike rather than moving it, looking to replace with something a step or two above a Walmart/academy. Don’t know enough to shop used on Craigslist or the like. 

[TwiceHorn 30851]

25 minutes ago, Pato del Muerto said:

So is anyone looking to sell their current rig to upgrade?  Looking for a half decent trail capable bike for like $500. Don’t need extreme features. I’m 6’2 so a large or xl frame needed. 
 

got rid of my cheap bike rather than moving it, looking to replace with something a step or two above a Walmart/academy. Don’t know enough to shop used on Craigslist or the like. 

That's going to be a tall order these days.  Used bike prices reflect the shortage of new bikes.  I just looked at pinkbike for Austin.

There is this, which has gotten good reviews. https://www.pinkbike.com/buysell/3116920/

Better act fast. @Pato del Muerto

Edited August 1, 2021 by TwiceHorn

[midtown 3339]

Agreed with twice.   The cheaper bikes went first and little by little those who wanted a pandemic bike kept having to move up the $$ scale.  I do wonder if a lot the pandemic bikes might start to come back onto the market as things like gyms open up.

Edited August 1, 2021 by midtown

[wildturkey8 24]

Lot of good mountain bike trails in NW Arkansas especially around Bentonville and Eureka Springs. 

[Bigpoppapump 529]

On 8/1/2021 at 12:18 PM, Pato del Muerto said:

So is anyone looking to sell their current rig to upgrade?  Looking for a half decent trail capable bike for like $500. Don’t need extreme features. I’m 6’2 so a large or xl frame needed. 
 

got rid of my cheap bike rather than moving it, looking to replace with something a step or two above a Walmart/academy. Don’t know enough to shop used on Craigslist or the like. 

Polygon might have something a little more than that in hardtail.  I see more of the brand around and they have been winning races as well.

[Pato del Muerto 52118]

Hardtail is fine. I’ll look. 
 

wife and kids bought Batch. Could always follow their lead I guess. 

Edited August 3, 2021 by Pato del Muerto

[TwiceHorn 30851]

1 hour ago, Bigpoppapump said:

Polygon might have something a little more than that in hardtail.  I see more of the brand around and they have been winning races as well.

That Marin from Pinkbike is pretty much a steal.  Good frame and decent hardware, upgraded with an air fork and 12spd der.  Not very old, either.  Unless the frame is dinged up, that's going to be hard to beat for what you pay.

[TwiceHorn 30851]

Rode Frisco NW today.  Haven't been since it closed for "redoing" due to the adjacent golf course.  Fun little trail, but I had forgotten how far away it is.  Previously, I had bitched about the deeply rutted trail tread in some of the grassy field sections.  That seems to be less of an issue now.  I had forgotten that it's probably 80% field, which can get mighty warm, but I was wheels down at 930, so that wasn't much of an issue.

But, it also made clear that the NX is pretty much shot.  It's climby enough that I was bouncing around 9-10-11 and the shift there is just fubar.

I can't find the GX on amazon anymore, but the shop I had the cable/housing replaced said they thought they could find one, so I am doing that.  If they can't, I may move to SLX.

[Bigpoppapump 529]

50 minutes ago, TwiceHorn said:

Rode Frisco NW today.  Haven't been since it closed for "redoing" due to the adjacent golf course.  Fun little trail, but I had forgotten how far away it is.  Previously, I had bitched about the deeply rutted trail tread in some of the grassy field sections.  That seems to be less of an issue now.  I had forgotten that it's probably 80% field, which can get mighty warm, but I was wheels down at 930, so that wasn't much of an issue.

But, it also made clear that the NX is pretty much shot.  It's climby enough that I was bouncing around 9-10-11 and the shift there is just fubar.

I can't find the GX on amazon anymore, but the shop I had the cable/housing replaced said they thought they could find one, so I am doing that.  If they can't, I may move to SLX.

Oh hell ya, my dad lives just on the other side of the tollway, I'm gonna have to check it out next time I'm in town.

[TwiceHorn 30851]

5 minutes ago, Bigpoppapump said:

Oh hell ya, my dad lives just on the other side of the tollway, I'm gonna have to check it out next time I'm in town.

I have not ridden Wolverine, which is short, but blue.  Can't figure out what makes it blue.  The main loop, Ranger, is one kind of big slow climb and fairly extended descendy on the backside.  Has some jump kickers and other features that I bypassed today. Coyote is a bit of a beating with several climbs and short descents. Anyway, I considered it almost a new trail having not ridden it in so long, and wasn't up for any real surprises.  Considering how "ginger" I was about riding it, I was surprised at my speed.  Chalk it up to the descendy parts.

Edited August 5, 2021 by TwiceHorn

[Bigpoppapump 529]

I've ridden blacks that were easier to me than blues.  Chunky, shelfy technical stuff is way way easier to me than giant gaps and tabletops.

[TwiceHorn 30851]

Just now, Bigpoppapump said:

I've ridden blacks that were easier to me than blues.  Chunky, shelfy technical stuff is way way easier to me than giant gaps and tabletops.

Yeah, I don't trust trail ratings at all.  I won't touch a black.  I'm gonna guess that Wolverine has some chunk.  Ranger used to have a bit more chunk than it does now.  It could be jump-y features because there are a number on Ranger (green) and a couple on Coyote (also green) and maybe they aren't bypassed easily as they are on the latter.

You could tear down the backside of Ranger pretty fast.  It's flowy.  But currently, the grass is pretty tall so it's hard to "see ahead" and the dirt is kitty litter, so it's washout city, or seems to be as I didn't really test it.  I was also waiting to get into some of those deep ruts that give me the willies for pedal strikes.  Maybe the rain kind of flattened out the trail tread because it wasn't much of an issue.

[sasquatch69 576]

8 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

I have not ridden Wolverine, which is short, but blue.  Can't figure out what makes it blue.  The main loop, Ranger, is one kind of big slow climb and fairly extended descendy on the backside.  Has some jump kickers and other features that I bypassed today. Coyote is a bit of a beating with several climbs and short descents. Anyway, I considered it almost a new trail having not ridden it in so long, and wasn't up for any real surprises.  Considering how "ginger" I was about riding it, I was surprised at my speed.  Chalk it up to the descendy parts.

I rode Frisco once, and while OK, it wasn't worth the loooong drive up northwest when I can drive the same distance to the superior Horseshoe or Erwin (or a tiny bit further to Boulder or Big Cedar).

Did nearly 11mi at RCP tonight - rode loop 1 to the temp bypass, then 8-12, then back down to 2-5 on the south side (I'd heard 6 was totally overgrown so I skipped it).  After my rough first outing on the 29er at Northshore, this was a totally different experience - it gave me plenty of time to get used to the different feel.  The last few miles were glorious.  Jury is still out on whether the XL frame is the best fit for me (I need to try an L) but now I get the hype about the bigger wheels and modern geometry.  

[TwiceHorn 30851]

11 hours ago, sasquatch69 said:

I rode Frisco once, and while OK, it wasn't worth the loooong drive up northwest when I can drive the same distance to the superior Horseshoe or Erwin (or a tiny bit further to Boulder or Big Cedar).

Did nearly 11mi at RCP tonight - rode loop 1 to the temp bypass, then 8-12, then back down to 2-5 on the south side (I'd heard 6 was totally overgrown so I skipped it).  After my rough first outing on the 29er at Northshore, this was a totally different experience - it gave me plenty of time to get used to the different feel.  The last few miles were glorious.  Jury is still out on whether the XL frame is the best fit for me (I need to try an L) but now I get the hype about the bigger wheels and modern geometry.  

That's fair.  I crave variety.  And remain kind of intimidated by Big Cedar and Northshore.  So I will venture a ways to trails that I know I can handle with ease.

Edited August 6, 2021 by TwiceHorn

[sasquatch69 576]

3 hours ago, TwiceHorn said:

That's fair.  I crave variety.  And remain kind of intimidated by Big Cedar and Northshore.  So I will venture a ways to trails that I know I can handle with ease.

Totally understood.  I'm not a big fan of Northshore either - crowded and difficult.  

[TwiceHorn 30851]

Eesh.  OCNP today, but wheels down at 1030.  Too late.  And I think it's warmer today.  I was kind of sucking air after finishing yellow and shooting out in to the field, where the sun roasted me.  I did force myself to do White again just to make it a barely acceptable ride.  I think I was also kind of tired from yesterday, I could feel it in my legs.

[Stinkpalm 675]

4 hours ago, sasquatch69 said:

Totally understood.  I'm not a big fan of Northshore either - crowded and difficult.  

I love northshore, but I also usually hit it at non-peak hours. And completely avoid it on weekends due to the crowds. Rode it a couple days ago for the first time since it reopened after being flooded. Seems the flood waters made some of the tech stuff even more hairy than they previously were. 
 

And it was definitely hotter today, Twice. Headed to horseshoe earlier with the intention of doing two laps. Knocked out the first lap and decided “fuck it, I’m going swimming.”

[TwiceHorn 30851]

20 minutes ago, Stinkpalm said:

I love northshore, but I also usually hit it at non-peak hours. And completely avoid it on weekends due to the crowds. Rode it a couple days ago for the first time since it reopened after being flooded. Seems the flood waters made some of the tech stuff even more hairy than they previously were. 
 

And it was definitely hotter today, Twice. Headed to horseshoe earlier with the intention of doing two laps. Knocked out the first lap and decided “fuck it, I’m going swimming.”

Yeah, I think my usual lone ranger bit is ill-advised on Northshore, at least for the first couple of rides.  Probably a bit less so on Big Cedar.

Non-peak hours are my jam.

[Wiler77 1543]

On 7/31/2021 at 1:16 AM, Stinkpalm said:

Speaking of the Mojo… finally got to really stretch its legs a couple days ago while camping and fly fishing up in Colorado. Ran over to Crested Butte for a day on the lift. They don’t have a ton of runs, but the ones they have are definitely fun and beautiful scenery. And the mojo ate it up. It may be the most fun bike I’ve ever had. I still freaking suck at jumping though. 
 

Sorry I'm just now seeing this.  I've been in CB for 7 weeks, with 1 more to go.  I've biked the mountain just twice, but have done a ton of the trails in the area.  And my 2 oldest boys (9 and 7) have been doing bike camp on the mountain twice a week.  They are now officially better than me.

Curious as to your comment "they don't have a ton of runs".  What are the other mountain bike destinations in the US in terms of downhill runs?  I've always thought the CB mountain had a good number of runs with a wide variety of difficulty, but I've never been anywhere else to purely mountain bike.  So I don't have much to compare to.  I'm extremely fortunate that my in-laws own a condo up here, so there's never really a debate as to where we go in CO each summer, but I'd still like to know for future reference, guys trip, etc.

BTW, where did you camp and fly fish?  Been doing quite a bit of that over the past 2 months as well.  Well, the fly fishing at least.  Too bad work gets in the way, but I've managed a few 3-4 day weekends.

[Your Mom 4763]

Anyone get the Surly MTB mafia invite to Wiler’s in-laws’ condo yet?