🧵 /MTB/ Mountain Biking General
Anonymous at Mon, 19 Aug 2024 15:40:07 UTC No. 208371
Shit Components Edition
>FAQ on buying a bike that nobody reads anyway:
> What good bike can I get for under $500?
a stolen bike. Possibly a newer used entry level hardtail but don't expect it to survive rock gardens, jumps, or drops. Or an older mtb which won't be as good as newer ones and will still have a front derailleur, but it'll be good enough.
> What good bike can I get for under $1000
Good used hardtail, new entry level hardtail
> What good bike can I get for under $2000?
New Hardtail, decent used full suspension
> What good bike can I get for under $3000?
https://www.yt-industries.com/fr/pr
Used full suspension, decent entry level full suspension but prepared to put more money into it.
> What are the excellent value brands?
Marin, Commencal, Canyon, Polygon, YT, Propain, Kona, and many more. Sometimes the expensive brands have an excellent alue bike
> What are the differences between an XC, Trail, Enduro, and Downhill bikes?
XC bikes are for going up fast, go down not as fast. Trail bikes are for going up and down. Enduro bikes are for going down fast, and slower up. Downhill bikes are for going down really fast, needs a ski lift, truck, or the rider pushing it to go up.
>Link to previous thread >>198870
Anonymous at Mon, 19 Aug 2024 15:42:24 UTC No. 208372
Crankbrother's pedals gave me a headache last year with their play + shit servicing so I bought another pair as it was cheaper than changing bearings after getting the bearing kit. These still came with play out of the box and were torqued to spec already. I tried to service them today with the kit I bought last year, and the screw ripped in 2 and is stuck on the axle. They are made in chink factories with absolutely no regard for any kind of tolerances, they are screwed tight and still have play in them and to shit on you they use the thinest screw with the most malleable metal so that when you try to open it up, the screws stays in the axle and they get to fuck you. I now have to use the previous pedals.
I, surprisingly, was in a good mood today till I tried to service them after work. I'm still debating on how I can justify 200€ on a damn pair of pedals, Chromag Daggas. Like absolutely no manufacturer makes wide metal pedals. They all focus on either super long or super thin. How fucking hard can it be to do cheap sub one hundo pedals that are 115mm wide. I don't believe 90% of grown men wear shoes under size 10US/ 40 yuro to justify having pedals measuring 95mm in width.
I don't even have wide feet. They are exactly 100mm wide and 28cm in length while standing up. Now add proper MTB shoes and you easily go over the width manufactures give.
Q factor
Anonymous at Mon, 19 Aug 2024 21:03:05 UTC No. 208400
>>208372
I'm sorry to hear that you're just now learning about the low quality of CreakBros
>cheap sub one hundo pedals
My favorite flats are deity decoys that I got for $100 cad, but this was before kung-flu money printing. They're still totally solid, and I haven't had to service em at all. Their new stuff is pretty good as well from what I hear.
>They are exactly 100mm wide and 28cm in length while standing up. Now add proper MTB shoes and you easily go over the width manufactures give
It's generally accepted that pedals slightly thinner than your shoes help prevent pedal strikes without sacrificing support or grip.
Anonymous at Mon, 19 Aug 2024 21:43:51 UTC No. 208404
>>208372
I think the average shoe size for a man is ~8.5
Anonymous at Mon, 19 Aug 2024 22:34:21 UTC No. 208408
>>208372
I'd recommend nukeproof sam hill dh pedals but I don't think they're made/sold anymore. crankbrothers pedals always felt terrible to me because of the inboard bearing lump.
Anonymous at Tue, 20 Aug 2024 02:47:57 UTC No. 208429
I put my Wreckoning into X-LOW and put the wild enduros back on. I'm going to Mammoth Mountain Bike Park next monday and this will be my first ever DH park. I've heard the soil described as "kitty litter" so I had to put my grippiest tires on. I've had the flipchip set to LOW so I had to test out this new configuration at Santa Cruz. I didn't really notice anything tangible but I wasn't able to clear a steep uphill turn and I think the bike felt more stable on the steeps. Really hard to tell because these tires are heavier and grip more than the maxxis tires I took off, and the trails were more blown out than the last time I was here.
Anonymous at Tue, 20 Aug 2024 04:37:02 UTC No. 208441
>>208429
Never been to mammoth, but I used to go to northstar and the dirt looks similar. Which would be fast, lowish grip, jagged rocks. If there are deep patches of that kitty litter/moon dust like dirt you can go into it like sand.
Anonymous at Tue, 20 Aug 2024 18:18:34 UTC No. 208509
>>208400
Yeah, I remember from last year but the same pedals were very cheap. I'll be smarter this time.
>It's generally accepted that pedals slightly thinner than your shoes help prevent pedal strikes without sacrificing support or grip
The thing is that shoes are big, the my impacts are 120mm at ball of the foot. The old freeriders are 110mm. These are wider than the decoys.
>>208404
Can't be. It must be taking into account jeets and SEA. And as we know, mtb isn't made for that demographic.
>>208408
They sank with CRC.
>>208429
Riding moondust with tall knobs doesn't seem the best idea, they'll be anchors
Anonymous at Tue, 20 Aug 2024 18:25:50 UTC No. 208511
If you use the new skf seals, get a seal tool. It has an outer metallic race....I'm using a mallet, the crown race and a wrench to install them. I only did one, the crown race already has dents on the top lip.
I can see myself already struggling to remove them in spring/summer next year.
Anonymous at Wed, 21 Aug 2024 03:24:50 UTC No. 208572
got hit by a buick le sabre riding this thing today going 25, total t-bone went rolling over the ladies hood and rolling across the intersection. I covered like 5 yards of ground or more from where I was hit before I stopped, the bike was at least 10-15 yards further away from me. Verde builds these things like fucking tanks. I've had bikes you hit a curb and the forks will bend. Thing took a fucking buick le sabre on the chin and I rode it work and back and it's still straight as an arrow. Didn't even taco the fuckin wheel. The woman's bumper was all scratched and the panel that covers the tow hook mount was broken out. The car faired worse
Anonymous at Wed, 21 Aug 2024 03:28:35 UTC No. 208573
>>208509
ahhh shit, so you think I should have left the assegai and dissectors on to surf on top of the dirt instead? well the michelins are way more durable since I got the maxxis with the exo casing
Anonymous at Wed, 21 Aug 2024 04:30:37 UTC No. 208578
I am so sad bros, i haven't hit a trail for almost two weeks now, my life is getting ruined!
Anonymous at Wed, 21 Aug 2024 15:54:24 UTC No. 208611
>>208573
Not him, but when I used to do it I went lots of knobs +closely packed. You don't need mud clearing/dirt clearing and you don't want knob squirm on fast berms or quick hardpack/rocky sections.
Anonymous at Wed, 21 Aug 2024 16:42:00 UTC No. 208614
>>208573
>assegai and dissectors on to surf on top of the dirt instead
Basically. But as you are going to a bike park you need a tough casing that keeps up without folding. Run exo and you'll end up denting the rim. It won't be the fastest but it will do the job while keeping the rim safe. Though on the front the WEs should be nice to run either way due to the grip. I used to ride in that(mamoth-socal)kind of terrain, gopros couldn't even show the trail as there was no contrast. I even ran with an ardent in the rear before going the dhF/R combo. We even had the same concrete tiles to prevent erosion and wear.
Anonymous at Wed, 21 Aug 2024 16:59:39 UTC No. 208616
>You get better performance by doing your lower leg services slightly more often than recommended
Officially fake and gay. Spend money on the skf seals. Before changing them, I removed the air and the lower's bolts. I tried to cycle it while clamped to the stand and there was significant resistance. I used both hand when I initially put them in. They came out with grease in the grooves so it wasn't a lubrication issue. After changing them, a single hand is required with minimal force. Even with 50 psi, a hand is enough to move the initial travel part.
On riding, same settings. Smoother feeling off the top. Small street bumps are nothing which is what I initially disliked after putting the rockshox seals after replacing the green skf seals.
It, once again, sags under the weight of the bike.
Also, there's no excess oil left after cycling it. The ones that come with rockshox kit showed oil/grease lines even after the 2 rides I did. Older skf seals showed bit less oil/grease but none here.
You're welcome for my nonsponsored shilling
Anonymous at Wed, 21 Aug 2024 20:04:01 UTC No. 208632
>>208429
>I'm going to Mammoth Mountain Bike Park next monday and this will be my first ever DH park.
Baste. Make sure to take breaks even if you don't feel too tired, it'll help keep the wrist pump away. Also, don't listen to the anons trying to spook you into using different tires. The tires you have are perfectly fine for the park, and it's not like you're competing in the world circuit anyways.
>>208509
>These are wider than the decoys.
Ye, ideally the pedals are a bit thinner than the width of the shoes
>>208616
>It, once again, sags under the weight of the bike.
I dunno anon, my pike does that with the stock black seals from rockshox that are also made by skf. The only fork I had that benefitted majorly from new seals is the 2011 era boxxer world cup on my old race bike. The new seals I used on it were also the black pike seals from rockshox. How old is your fork? It's possible its from the pre-skf stock seal era
Anonymous at Thu, 22 Aug 2024 04:21:43 UTC No. 208678
>>208632
Thanks for the advice. I want to get there at opening at stay as long as I can. Mammoth is a 6 hour drive from where I live, but I'm staying in Yosemite Valley for the weekend which is a 2 hour drive away so I figure why the hell not go? If I stay in the valley, I'm going to get lazy again instead of pedalling one of my drop bar bikes up Glacier Point Point Road like I was supposed to do last year.
>>208611
>>208614
I'm not worried about the tires slowing me down, if anything, it'll save my brakes. I've ridden with these tires in mud and blown out dust and they still grip, I just don't want to slip and slide around when I'm trying to stop. I have a lot of bikes and tires so I don't wear through my tires quickly, but I'm thinking that Kryptotal F and Xynotal R with the enduro casing would be the winning combo for the next time I go.
> but anon, get the downhill casing, it's better
you're absolutely right...for the park. All of my riding is on trails and I have to earn my descents.
Anonymous at Fri, 23 Aug 2024 13:42:40 UTC No. 208810
>>208808
specialized marketing for the ebike market
Anonymous at Fri, 23 Aug 2024 14:56:39 UTC No. 208814
Hello /xs, fitizen here.
How much torque [Nm] can I put on my rear axle? Picrel is the opposite side of the head of the axle, so I don't think it is for the axle itself right?
Bike: Canyon Torque AL 5 Mullet.
Anonymous at Fri, 23 Aug 2024 15:37:59 UTC No. 208819
>>208814
How are you applying load to it apart from tightening it into the frame?
Anonymous at Fri, 23 Aug 2024 16:00:48 UTC No. 208821
>>208814
does it not come etched on the axle what torque spec it should be?
Anonymous at Fri, 23 Aug 2024 16:06:07 UTC No. 208822
>>208814
seems to be 15nm from this manual
https://www.canyon.com/on/demandwar
Anonymous at Sat, 24 Aug 2024 02:54:40 UTC No. 208874
Alright anons, I have a dilemma: I can get a new fox float x2 factory for $350, however it would reduce the travel of my frame from 140 to 120 mm. Should I rip it, or wait to see if i can get one with a longer stroke?
Anonymous at Sat, 24 Aug 2024 07:01:25 UTC No. 208893
>>208874
Using the wrong stroke length of rear shock can usually make the frame collide into itself on compression and obviously throw off all the intended kinematic properties, don’t use the wrong stroke length of rear shock.
Underforking is safer, but this all seems kinda stupid in general, what’s wrong with your current shock? Are you getting this new shock for 80% off or something? What are you expecting here
Anonymous at Sat, 24 Aug 2024 17:22:18 UTC No. 208951
>>208874
no. Do you have any issues with your current shock?
Anonymous at Sat, 24 Aug 2024 18:13:00 UTC No. 208963
Well, got some sb3 grips, a bit thicker than the old ones I retired. Spent a day on the alps, holy shit. Fingers is kill. I'm putting back my ODI rogues. Gonna do back to back. Quite unfortunate as the new grips are cyan blue and look sick on the bike.
Anonymous at Sat, 24 Aug 2024 22:54:38 UTC No. 208986
>>208893
Thank you for the concern anon, but I know what I'm doing and I'm not concerned about frame compatibility and kinematics. I've discussed this with the guy that designed the frame as well. I just want to get some more opinions about giving up 20 mm of travel for a better shock at a cheap price. I use the bike mostly for trips to places with mixed riding like out in Quebec and BC, and want a shock with a little more survivability on bigger mountain rides
>what’s wrong with your current shock?
I'm the anon >>204254 that has the monarch that keeps blowing up when I take it to the park or on bigger mountain rides. Plus 200 x 57 mm shocks are a pain to come by these days, otherwise I'd just get one that's the same size. The x2 in question is 200 x 50 mm.
>Are you getting this new shock for 80% off or something?
Yes
>What are you expecting here
A nice shock that works for a cheap price
>>208951
Yes, air keeps getting into the damper, and $350 is a good price for an x2 factory
Anonymous at Sun, 25 Aug 2024 02:20:09 UTC No. 209003
>>208372
Race face aeffect R slightly over the price you want but are the size you want.
Anonymous at Sun, 25 Aug 2024 04:25:32 UTC No. 209016
>>208986
>x2 factory
oh, that's the nice piggyback kashima one, and you are the dude with the fucked rockshox.
I would send it. Do do some research on the X2's since I heard on the internet some of them might have had issues, but that might have been a different model.
Anonymous at Sun, 25 Aug 2024 20:16:29 UTC No. 209054
>>209003
They are on a good price actually ~100 yurobucks. 110mm length and 115mm width(same width as daggas). These are actually a good option. Service looks good with a hex rather than torque screw, do bearing last? Any play?
Anonymous at Mon, 26 Aug 2024 03:13:59 UTC No. 209084
>>208986
>$350 is a good price for an x2
Not when you are getting the 21-23 model, Fox had to redesign it and start replacing the entire thing for everyone with a warranty claim because they were constantly breaking irreparably
It would still be a horrible idea even if you got it for $0 because now you have an xc bike with a linear dh shock and fucked up geometry. Best bet is probably a bomber cr or dps depending on frame kinematics
Anonymous at Mon, 26 Aug 2024 19:31:32 UTC No. 209134
>>209054
I have only run mine about 3 months riding about 2 times a week on average and they have been good. Mine didn't have play and still spin same as when I unboxed them. Race face has lots of colors and a lifetime warranty so I'd buy these again without worry.
Anonymous at Tue, 27 Aug 2024 09:55:57 UTC No. 209169
Anyone have any experience with Spank's vibrocore handlebars? Do they actually do anything? After about an hour of trail riding with some jumps and down sections my right elbow gets strained and sore. I'm thinking maybe a more compliant handlebar could maybe help.
Anonymous at Tue, 27 Aug 2024 12:06:54 UTC No. 209175
>>209169
I have had a pair on my bike for 2 years, 800mm cut down to 750mm, 31.8mm diameter and 50mm rise. They are comfortable for me and I have never had issues with them. I dislocated my elbow and fractured my radius and ulna 2 years ago and currently have no issues or pains on the bike with these bars. I honestly couldn't tell you if the vibrocore does anything or its more the fact that its a skinnier bar with high rise as I came from 10mm rise 35mm easton carbon bars which I hated with a passion as my hands felt like they were being vibrated to death on descents. On the inside it just looks like they spray some sort of expanding foam through the centre of the bar which you could probably test yourself with your current set of bars. I would probably say better brakes are more important and could test quite easily with bigger rotors/different pads. Otherwise, higher rise bars would be the way to go as they move the weight rearward on your bike more onto your legs reducing the load on your upper body. Lots of people seem to shill OneUp carbon bars which might also be something to look into, I've never personally tried them so couldn't give you an opinion on them.
Anonymous at Tue, 27 Aug 2024 17:51:03 UTC No. 209207
>>209016
>>209084
>X2s being warrantied
Thanks for the heads up anons. After poking around some forums, it looks like fox will straight up replace it for the latest version for any warranty claim, even if it's not broken. I guess they really just want to move on from that shock lol. I wonder if they'd go as far as to send me a new one with the longer stoke length
Anonymous at Wed, 28 Aug 2024 02:13:14 UTC No. 209236
Back from Mammoth. Turns out the Wild Enduros were the right tires for the conditions.The soil wasn't that loose, but we also got a freak weather storm this weekend which made it snow. The altitude hit me hard on the few very short climbs I did.
Really cool park. I wish I could ride there more frequently but it's a 5 hour drive without traffic, I'll try to stay there for a week next year when mr. noseberg resets my vacation hours.I only went because I was two hours away in Yosemite Valley.
It has something for everyone. I prefer natural singletrack, but I'm also a sucker for shark fins and other wooden features which we just don't have on SF Bay trails.
If you're reading this and you're thinking about going, you only need to go halfway up the main gondola to get to the best stuff. It is worth going all the way to top of Mammoth Mountain just for the experience, but Off The Top and Eliminator just aren't fun. Off the Top is too easy, Eliminator is just bombing down a fire road at really high speed(I saw a video of a guy maintain above 60mph), and I chickened out and didn't ride Skidmarks because I was by myself on a weekday so I didn't want to risk wiping out on a double black that doesn't see much traffic. I think you only need a big dick enduro/freeride/dh biike if you're hitting the really gnarly trails or jumplines. I wish I was on my trail bike for the natural singletrack type trails.
Anonymous at Wed, 28 Aug 2024 09:02:20 UTC No. 209261
>>209175
Hmmm, I've actually never put much thought into rise, I'm sure that would actually give more compliance even without the vibrocore. Current setup is 10/15mm? rise, 30mm spacers, and then a 70mm easton steam. Given how much spacers I have, I'll look into the 30mm rise, variant, that Thanks anon.
> I would probably say better brakes are more important and could test quite easily with bigger rotors/different pads.
Heh, I'm one step ahead of you, my brakes almost cost as much as the frame itself.
Anonymous at Wed, 28 Aug 2024 10:48:52 UTC No. 209264
>>209261
You could also look into getting a shorter stem, 70mm is quite long nowadays, I'd say any modern bike is running 50mm max. The stem which I have paired with those bars is 35mm so quite short in comparison (along with 20mm of spacers/headset). Having a longer stem will also contribute to you weighting more on your arms/upper body and giving you pain.
I also did some reading of reviews for vibrocore bars and most said the bars themselves were quite stiff, however the foam is basically removing the small high frequency vibrations which I can kind of agree with. Having a higher rise bar for me means that I end up moving around a lot more on the bike and allowing it to kind of move where it wants, it's really nice on steeper trails which are basically the majority of what I ride locally as you dont feel as much over the front wheel of the bike. You will just have to do some experimenting and find something which works for you.
Anonymous at Wed, 28 Aug 2024 11:47:33 UTC No. 209270
>>209264
I used to run something like a 30mm iirc, but I did a bike fitting (I dont know how much faith I should put in the one I went to but the guy had a lot of experience in mtb and bike fitting). The fitter suggested I was slightly a bit big for the bike, thus adjusted my seat, changed the angle of the bars, and switch to a 70mm stem, and adjusts spacers accordingly.
Looking online, i did get the same idea as you. while minimal, vibrocore seems like it does offer more compliance aside from going full carbon.
Overall yeah, as you said, i just need to do some more experimenting if I want. Could probably save some money and try out other stems lengths and degrees, than going out for a full vibracore
Anonymous at Thu, 29 Aug 2024 14:31:49 UTC No. 209355
>if you do short rides a soft saddle will be comfertable but if you do long rides you should pick a harder saddle because it will be more comfertable
Who came up with this retardedness? And more importantly, why did it stick?
>year bro I like to game for more than two hours at a time so I'm transitioning away from my soft chair and instead using a plank of 2x4 because it will be more comfertable
Anonymous at Thu, 29 Aug 2024 15:44:13 UTC No. 209361
>>209355
You came up with it, I see it right there on your post mr anonymous
Anonymous at Thu, 29 Aug 2024 22:50:12 UTC No. 209389
>>209329
Enduro, but a pretty mellow enduro. I rode a trail bike and there were some riders on hardtails. The stages were not nearly harsh enough to justify a true enduro bike. I had a great time chatting up other riders at the top of hills and shredding the timed stages like I was late for something. 10/10 would ride again.
Anonymous at Fri, 30 Aug 2024 01:15:24 UTC No. 209396
>Got out for an early long weekend ride
How was your ride this week, anons?
>>209236
>I'll try to stay there for a week next year
Ye, if you're travelling to a park, I find its nice to at least do a couple of days to get the most out of the trails.
>>209322
>>209389
Checked and based. Enduro races can be bretty fun
>>209355
Checked. You basically want something soft enough to no destroy your sit bones, but not so soft it will cause chafing. Dunno who came up with your saying though lol
Anonymous at Fri, 30 Aug 2024 15:02:41 UTC No. 209429
>>209351
Unfortunately this weekend will be the last till 2025 as bike parks close for the season. Its joever
>>209389
>shredding the timed stages like I was late for something. 10/10 would ride again.
Thats what I like of racing. Even if you try not to, you unconsciously push it while going DH. I discovered a line over some sketchy rocks by forgetting to brake and deciding to pull the bike and letting it plough.
Anonymous at Sat, 31 Aug 2024 09:28:48 UTC No. 209488
>>209429
>Unfortunately this weekend will be the last till 2025 as bike parks close for the season. Its joever
Yeah, I know. A friend learned the hard way a few years back. But what is the reason anway? In DACH-region it seems the park owners try to open as long as the weather allows it. And are those branches put there to make the trails unrideable during the off-season? I kinda largely quit riding parks and rather try to sample primo dirt on trails that aren't blown out into oblivion.
Anonymous at Sat, 31 Aug 2024 20:22:58 UTC No. 209532
Final day of alpe dhuez. Rode all day till wrist pain became unbearable that even fireroads caused pain('ate brakin' bumps). Also found a new hidden trail for locals that takes you from the village to the bottom of the valley(1300m D-). It's all steep loamy forest singletrack. I was even sliding on pine cones.
>>209488
>But what is the reason anway?
The rentrée and summer is "over". In France most people use most of their 5 week vacations in august and go back to work/school in september. Its literally empty in august where I live compared to the rest of the year. It's also the hottest so people don't go out generally.
>In DACH-region it seems the park owners try to open as long as the weather allows it.
Several if not most bike parks stay open only on the weekends after august till weather permits. PdS stays completely open till the 15th but well they are PdS. Alpe dhuez domain felt/was quite empty today, on one of the villages only a bike rental was open. After the redbull took effect I had remind myself that almost no one was riding to find me.
>And are those branches put there to make the trails unrideable during the off-season
Thats my local. There was forestry work and the bastards never clean up afterwards, a good 100-200m fun section is unpassable as of 2 weeks ago.
>I kinda largely quit riding parks and rather try to sample primo dirt on trails that aren't blown out into oblivion
Thats why you ride red&black(black&double black for NA) trails only, steep ones especially. Stormtrooper rentals get filtered along along with novice ones, no brake bumps at all. Add slabs and no one is riding it.
Anonymous at Sun, 1 Sep 2024 01:21:53 UTC No. 209552
Hey what shin and knee pads are you guys wearing? I have little mini bike park near me and I am still kind of new to all this and I slipped a pedal today and although I didn't catch my shin or anything I saw how bad it could possibly be.
🗑️ Anonymous at Sun, 1 Sep 2024 04:01:17 UTC No. 209568
>>209552
Cant go wrong with POC Joint VPD 2.
As for shin guards, I dont see a lot nor do I know which one to get. I used to want to get shin guards but was too lazy to actually commit to one. But eventually you actually do get better and pedal slippage starts to become a rare thing.
🗑️ Anonymous at Sun, 1 Sep 2024 04:02:47 UTC No. 209569
>>209568
Cant go wrong with POC Joint VPD Air, or POC Joint VPD 2 if you want more coverage.
As for shin guards, I dont see a lot nor do I know which one to get. I used to want to get shin guards but was too lazy to actually commit to one. But eventually you actually do get better and pedal slippage starts to become a rare thing.
Anonymous at Sun, 1 Sep 2024 04:04:53 UTC No. 209570
>>209552
Cant go wrong with POC Joint VPD Air, or POC Joint VPD 2 if you want more coverage.
As for shin guards, I'ts rare to see someone wearing shinguards, nor do I know which one to get. I used to want to get shin guards but was too lazy to actually commit to one. But eventually you actually do get better and pedal slippage starts to become a rare thing. I just long socks, those provide some minimal protection
Anonymous at Sun, 1 Sep 2024 04:45:51 UTC No. 209573
>>209552
I haven't used em in a while(not dh'ing or dj'ing) but I used to use older FOX knee/shin guards. Shit I would even do the whole chest protection+elbow too when it wasn't too hot.
Make sure you get the right size, and accept another option for when it's hot. TBQH I can't cope with lots of padding over 90F+climbing
Anonymous at Sun, 1 Sep 2024 07:47:54 UTC No. 209580
>>209573
>>209552
same anon as >>209570
Same regards weather, i try to prioritize lightweight protection because I live in tropical country where 30C plus, and humid is fairly normal. I've even wore full everything, chest, knee, elbow, and In hindsight that was really stupid of me, almost passed out from the heat a few times and haven't done it since then.
And yeah, if you can, try to try them on before buying, one thing thats always irked me is that MTB clothing, especially protection was always so god damn small. Its actually really difficult for me to find knee protection because I've got tree trunk thighs
Anonymous at Sun, 1 Sep 2024 21:52:38 UTC No. 209627
I have a commencal clash 27.5. It feels great on the rough stuff, very planted and stable, but it really lacks the playfulness on smaller features. I find it very hard to pick up the front end. Is this just me not putting in enough effort or suspension settings or something else. I have a float x2 in the rear with about 220psi in. 85kg.
Anonymous at Sun, 1 Sep 2024 22:03:51 UTC No. 209630
>>209627
Taller bars brudda
Anonymous at Mon, 2 Sep 2024 03:34:32 UTC No. 209639
>>209627
faster rebound and maybe stiffer spring in the fork, load the suspension more instead of yanking
>>209603
t. manlet
>>209552
Most brands have knees figured out by now so it's hard to go wrong, I use ixs flow and ion arcon LT which are both great for pedaling but the latter has more coverage. Shin guards aren't very popular, dunno if there is a reason for that but regardless the best prevention here would be to minimize the risk of coming off the pedals with good shoes, good positioning, and learning to avoid pedal strikes
Anonymous at Tue, 3 Sep 2024 15:58:03 UTC No. 209768
>>209627
It is you not putting in enough effort. You should be able to pick up the front end and manual on pretty much any bike. Except for maybe a road/gravel bike.
it would definitely be harder on bikes with a longer chain stay but your bike doesn't have long chainstays. You could try running the bike with a stiffer spring rate so it doesn't dive as badly when you transfer your weight rearward. This would make it physically harder to manual but more playful.
Anonymous at Tue, 3 Sep 2024 20:59:20 UTC No. 209807
>>209768
Suspension dive from weight transfer is handled with more low speed compression damping, not spring rate. Pumping up the spring rate to fix the 10% of the time that you brake dive throws off the other 90% of the riding
Anonymous at Wed, 4 Sep 2024 04:43:28 UTC No. 209838
>>209821
That looks small so I'll try to hop it.
>>209827
I wish bikes still had graphics like that.
Here's my Yeti ARC. The only branding is on the top of the top tube and it says ARC on the seat stays.
After visiting Mammoth Bike Park last week, I caught the bike park bug and now I'm thinking about going to Northstar on the 20th to celebrate my 32nd birthday. Still not 100% decided it since as fun as Mammoth was, I didn't enjoy it like I enjoy my favorite singletrack
Anonymous at Wed, 4 Sep 2024 13:23:52 UTC No. 209853
Why are air forks so popular for mountain bikes, when coil spring forks are so much more superior?
Dirt bikes have known this for years. They tried to introduce them throughout the years, but they were never upto par with coil spring forks. Mainly due to air forks being progressive, as opposed to linear like coil spring forks are.
Are they so popular because air forks are a ons-ize-fits-all solution due to them being progressive, but ultimately not optimized for anyone?
I want to get back into mountain biking after 15 years, but all bikes with higher speced components seem to come with air forks.
Anonymous at Wed, 4 Sep 2024 19:22:28 UTC No. 209870
>>209853
I want my fork to be progressive. Drop in coil conversions are readily available for high end forks from push and vorsprung and are fairly popular among boomers on their midlife crisis-mobiles. Ohlins and fox marzocchi do coil forks and I would assume can sell you conversion kits
Anonymous at Wed, 4 Sep 2024 20:49:36 UTC No. 209876
>>209853
The two reason are weight (very important for stock builds, remember this weight will be advertised and used to compare to competition; this is also why brands put flimsy EXO tires on enduro bikes) and yeah, one size fits all ability (instead of pumping up your fork once or twice, you need to buy a new coil and swap it and hope it was the right weight)
Don’t get confused, the performance is there and there’s plenty of benefits to a more linear-response long-travel fork, but an extra pound+ of weight and needing separate purchases for adjustments are dealbreakers to most buyers
Anonymous at Wed, 4 Sep 2024 20:54:38 UTC No. 209878
>>209853
The progressive vs linear thing is really not well defined at this point, there’s just as many pro riders out there wanting linear response as there are wanting ultra progressive response. Plenty of brands making podiums with both maximum suspension engineering with rollercoasters of force response graphs, and caveman-simple single pivots with a straight line as the graph. You kind of have to be intimately aware of how your suspension work at every 10% division of travel to know exactly whether you want more progressive or more linear response, in addition to overall spring rate too. And then of course maybe all your problems are damper-related, and not airspring-related, suspension can be tricky to pinpoint issues
Anonymous at Wed, 4 Sep 2024 21:26:06 UTC No. 209881
I have 5 rides in total on this derailleur since it was installed and the pin holding the parallelogram to the b-knuckle decided to fall out during a descent and then completely destroy the entire derailleur along with it. Never seen or heard of this happening before so seems like just my luck. Should have paid the extra £20 and bought the XT instead...
>>209853
cheap for the manufacturer.
Anonymous at Thu, 5 Sep 2024 01:07:24 UTC No. 209890
>>209821
>>209838
Yeah looks small so I would try and hop it, but fail and tag just the back tire, end up on my face and missing most of my teeth, maybe break my neck
Anonymous at Thu, 5 Sep 2024 11:29:55 UTC No. 209918
>>209821
Just jump it. If it's less than 2 feet I can jump it. It looks to be about 6" tall which is just enough to no roll over it. But you could also just hit it and use it to jump higher
Anonymous at Thu, 5 Sep 2024 15:55:01 UTC No. 209938
should i buy a polygon siskiu t8/9? Trek fuel? Rift Zone 1? looking for an entry level full suspension. Will be riding at "hardwood ski and bike" and "Horseshoe Resort"
New to the sport but want to get into it. Assumed it's better to buy a budget and upgrade rather than continuously rent
https://horseshoeresort.com/biking/
https://www.hardwoodskiandbike.ca/s
Anonymous at Thu, 5 Sep 2024 19:29:02 UTC No. 209962
>>209938
>Assumed it's better to buy a budget and upgrade rather than continuously rent
Depends on how low budget, but the ones you listed would be ok. I wouldn't go for full suspensions that are any cheaper
>From southern onterrible
I'd suggest an RSD Wildcat 125. It's a smaller company, and they're located in toronto, so it's exceptionally easy to have any problems you have with the bike sorted out quickly. They're on sale for $1500 off, so the cheap build is ~$2400 and the more expensive one is ~$3100. You will not need to upgrade anything on either. I've had the original wildcat for 6 years now and it's been great. Only issue I've had was one of the bolts in the rear triangle was frozen, but they replaced the whole rear triangle under warranty the next day.
Also, if you intend on continuing to mountain bike and do not already have plans to leave southern onterrible, be prepared to spend a bit on travelling to better riding destinations each year. Even just a drive out to quebec or sault ste marie will get you to trails that are leagues better than anything you'll find here
Anonymous at Fri, 6 Sep 2024 13:32:37 UTC No. 210061
>FRAME MATERIAL - Aluminum Butted
>FORK - Suntour XCR34 130mm
>CRANKARMS - Shimano MT5100
>B/Bracket - Shimano 73mm
>CHAIN - KMC X11
>FREEWHEEL - Shimano Deore 11-51t 11spd
>R/Derailleur - Shimano Deore
>SHIFTERS - Shimano Deore
>BRAKE CALIPERS - Tektro HDM275 Hydraulic
>BRAKE LEVERS - Tektro HDM275 Hydraulic
>FRONT BRAKE ROTOR - Shimano RT10 180mm (centerlock)
>REAR BRAKE ROTOR - Shimano RT10 160mm (centerlock)
>HEADSET - Feimen HP-H868B
>SEATPOST - TranzX Dropper
>FRONT HUB - Shimano 110x15mm (centerlock)
>REAR HUB - Shimano 148x12mm (centerlock)
>RIMS - WTB ST i35 TCS 2.0
>FRONTIRE - WTB Ranger 27.5x2.8"
>REAR TIRE - WTB Ranger 27.5x2.8"
How much would you expect a hardtail with these specs to cost?
Anonymous at Fri, 6 Sep 2024 21:33:00 UTC No. 210136
>>210061
Over $700, under $1200
Anonymous at Fri, 6 Sep 2024 23:12:33 UTC No. 210146
>>208874
What kind of trails do you ride mostly and whats your front travel?
Anonymous at Fri, 6 Sep 2024 23:53:58 UTC No. 210148
>>210074
When you unscrew it you might get lucky and some air will escape slowly. Just put a little pressure down on the valve core as you undo it incase you go all the way or something.
Anonymous at Sat, 7 Sep 2024 21:37:56 UTC No. 210241
I did a big road ride today on my pure road bike and now I think I got this out of my system for the time being. Now I crave MTB for at least the next week.
Anonymous at Mon, 9 Sep 2024 05:04:58 UTC No. 210448
>>209603
Based
Anonymous at Mon, 9 Sep 2024 23:25:05 UTC No. 210516
>>210495
Hit those wheels like a big roller. You won't, no balls
Anonymous at Tue, 10 Sep 2024 06:38:48 UTC No. 210541
>>210074
30psi behind a valve core is about as much force as popping bubblewrap
Anonymous at Tue, 10 Sep 2024 12:54:25 UTC No. 210552
600km mileage on these stamp 7s and they snapped clean off like butter while on the down stroke on an uphill section. Fun...
Anyways, still really too early for me to buy a new bike, maybe one or two years down the line, but for some reason i'm getting excited eyeing up commencal. Currently rocking my entry level polygon 120mm. Would love to get something around like 140-150mm. Anyone got any praise or ire for it they wanna share?
Anonymous at Tue, 10 Sep 2024 19:11:37 UTC No. 210590
>>210495
>unwanted visitor
Perilous times. It was foretold, they should've acted. Unless (You), sole son and heir of the foregone Woodlands, do the necessary, they'll destroy the forest and build a 15 minute city that you and your kind shall forever be enslaved in. Be swift, cunning. Become the one who they cower to and the forest shall remain, untouched.
>>210552
Another crankniggers victim, many such cases!
Anonymous at Wed, 11 Sep 2024 01:43:40 UTC No. 210617
>>210552
Crankbrothers are among the shit tier bike manufacturers. Alongside e13 and whatever the fuck diamondback is doing. The only good pedals they make are the clipless ones, but even then they are shit tier pedals that have a lot of float compared to Shimano, time, or HT
Anonymous at Wed, 11 Sep 2024 02:25:05 UTC No. 210626
>>210617
I mean you’re not wrong, the quality control/design longevity is kinda ass, but they do make some clever components
Anonymous at Wed, 11 Sep 2024 02:44:26 UTC No. 210631
>>210590
>>210617
Ive always heard about CB killing itself but i really did like it when before it you know... Anyways, biggest reason i got it was because its one of the bigger sized platform pedals. Going through customer service right now and seems like they'll send a refresh kit free of charge. Here's hoping
Anonymous at Wed, 11 Sep 2024 13:36:59 UTC No. 210657
>>210552
Considering commencal as a next bike after talking about broken crankbrothers pedals in the same post, are you retarded?
Also, in less than a month two anons have complained about crankbrothers pedals shitting the bed. At this point, a list of components/manufactuers to steer clear of should be put in the OP. I'd personally have raceface rims, crankbrothers pedals and endura gloves.
Anonymous at Wed, 11 Sep 2024 16:26:44 UTC No. 210669
>>210657
>gloves aren’t quality and we should spread the word
Lmao is that your first pair or something
Anonymous at Wed, 11 Sep 2024 16:41:22 UTC No. 210670
>>210657
>are you retarded
From what I've read, commencal seems like a fairly good brand and heck they're even proven in racing (though who isn't). It certainly doesnt carry the same reputation as CB at least.
Been eyeing commencal since given I haven't seen anything bad about them, nice geo, beautiful bikes, nicely priced for an aluminum frame, local distributor is near me (who also services ohlins).
Anonymous at Wed, 11 Sep 2024 17:04:54 UTC No. 210673
>>210670
He’s talking about the fact that the 2022 and 2023 commencal Supreme had several downtube breakages that were disproportionately downplayed and ignored by commencal, it was the hottest meme of the last year or so.
Like yeah he’s still retarded, but his opinion is indeed based on actual memes that did exist
Anonymous at Wed, 11 Sep 2024 17:10:56 UTC No. 210674
>>210673
Damn, companies are always so allergic to liabillity and transparency. When you're such a large known brand in a niche sport such as MTB, would have been better to own up to the mistake and let everyone know you're committed to making perfect shit
Anyways, good thing i aint looking to get a supreme >:) Thanks for the context though.
Anonymous at Thu, 12 Sep 2024 02:22:27 UTC No. 210699
>>210674
shimano ignored the thousands of bad road bike cranks for a decade until recently.
It doesn't matter what brand it is, they can fuck up and it will hurt their bottom line.
Anonymous at Thu, 12 Sep 2024 21:52:30 UTC No. 210753
>>208372
>cheaper than changing bearings
Next time go to your local engineering shop, they'll probably have something to fit on the shelf, otherwise overnight. (Ask them to put it in their next stock order if you want to avoid freight. It's usually once a week, twice if they're busy.)
Price will be loose change compared to a new set of pedals.
Also when you get new pedals, pack them with grease yourself. There's a knack to greasing bearings properly, google a vid.
Also good seals are important. CAT does about the best available, and your local parts man should have one of these [pic] on the counter for size, and free freight if they don't have them on hand.
If there's no dealer close to you, google CAT One Safe Source and have a look through the oring pages.
Anonymous at Thu, 12 Sep 2024 22:00:50 UTC No. 210754
>>208371
Foreword:
I'm being fucking lazy here.
Any of you guys tried throwing a 27 wheel into 26 Boxxers? Looks like it will be close but might work. Disc sizes are different so there's a bit of fucking about to see if she'll go, so typing this was easier.
If anyone else is wondering the same, I'll post an answer next rainy day.
Anonymous at Fri, 13 Sep 2024 15:36:21 UTC No. 210809
I can't with september's sudden weather changes. Rain sunny clear cloudy sunny sunny rain with clear sky no rain cloudy sunny rain, then it either stay clear for 2 days or drizzles for 3 days straight nonstop, no inbetween. Not even a woman has mood swings so fast in her period compared to the change in weather. They are racing in snow in the EWS now. It would be interesting if it snowed next week above 1300m like it did 5 years ago.
Anonymous at Fri, 13 Sep 2024 20:41:58 UTC No. 210852
>>210847
Nice boike and beutifull surroundings, but I was thinking of Kona mountain boikes, not gravel boikes.
For some reason my country has a high surplus of 2022 Kona, and 2022 Marin mountain boikes going for cheap.
I think maybe Kona and Marin made a surplus of boikes during the covid years and now can't sell them cheap enough, because the surplus was so big.
Is picrel a gud boike? It's going for £799 ($1050)
Anonymous at Sat, 14 Sep 2024 12:07:49 UTC No. 210909
>>210852
For the price compared to other new hardtails it seems like decent value. Looking at the spec of that bike I'd immediately upgrade the front disc to +200mm and move the current front disc to the rear for more overall braking power as those brakes will be underpowered. A suntour coil fork is also a bit of a downer as its not very adjustable compared to an air fork but you kind of have to expect that on a bike at that price, it can always be upgraded later. Everything else on the bike seems good with a decent frame and good drivetrain spec for the price.
I think the main thing with this bike is the 27.5 plus sized tyres, most modern hardtails are now 29er as the overall ride is a bit smoother and allow you to go a little faster. The frame is compatible with 29 inch wheels but that would be quite an expensive change if you wanted to do that. Also in the UK those tyres during winter are going to be rather interesting for grip.
What other bikes have you seen/what is your budget?
🗑️ Anonymous at Sat, 14 Sep 2024 14:47:06 UTC No. 210919
>>210552
just an update on this, crankborthers will send a refresh kit that will allow me to rebuild it. I bought these while on a trip abroad to the US so im dealing with out of country warranty, but they were nice enough to send me a refresh kit directly to me free of charge. Least customer service is all right.
Anonymous at Sat, 14 Sep 2024 14:48:18 UTC No. 210920
>>210552
just an update on this, crankborthers will send a refresh kit that will allow me to rebuild it. I bought these while on a trip abroad to the US so im dealing with out of country warranty, but they were nice enough to send me a refresh kit directly to me free of charge. At least the customer service is all right.
Anonymous at Sat, 14 Sep 2024 22:32:43 UTC No. 210943
>>210920
Careful during the servicing, the screws and threads are fragile
Anonymous at Sun, 15 Sep 2024 13:47:48 UTC No. 211029
>>210855
Like >>210909 said, it's a solid bike for that price. If your trails look like your pic related you'll be fine with the stock bike. I agree though that depending on your height you might like 29er wheels more.
Anonymous at Mon, 16 Sep 2024 07:42:36 UTC No. 211111
Spent the weekend in rotorua practicing for the whaka 50 XC race in 5 weeks time. Git some good learnings from the ride, I need to shift my cleats back a bit to take load off my calf muscles (leg cramp on long descents was horrible) and my elite XC Tyre combo of am ikon and worn out crossmark is not going to cut it if its wet. It's been raining on and off the last week and even with the grippy, well draining pumice soil in roto it was still slick in areas. Slid all over the place, climbing frontal lobotomy was near impossible for wheel spin and I ate shit a couple of times on gonna gotta. I did love how easy the xc tyre's rolled and climbed.
Went out the next day on my ebike with the assegai and DHR and the grip felt so good. If it is raining fir the race I may just run assegai/HR2 at 30+ psi.
I think I also need to use some electrolyte powder in my water and carry more lollies or some gels or something as my energy levels were in the toilet after about 40km.
Anonymous at Mon, 16 Sep 2024 20:10:23 UTC No. 211159
>>210495
Well I guess the deforestation has begun, according to the local facebook group the land owner is 'cutting down trees infected by larch', but this was the same comment made when they felled trees specifically where 2 other trail systems used to be within the last 3 years. The jumps further down are now completely unridable and in a jungle of fallen trees. Can't see the use of machinery anywhere and it's probably going to be quite difficult if they want to use it as it ends up being around a 32% gradient further up with a river running through the centre, hopefully they give up and leave it be. There is no signage anywhere either which is rather odd considering there is a public footpath which runs directly through the wood.
They are using the large machine from my previous post and also doing work in another section of forest further round the hill, but it seems to be more particular as there is much more foot traffic there and would cause endless complaints if they felled too many tree's.
>>211111
You can make your own electrolyte solution for super cheap using cordial, sugar and salt. There are plenty of articles for ratios of each online, I usually just wing it as I can't be bothered doing precise measurements for each ride and I am not going to bonk when riding for 2-3hrs. Could also take caffiene tablets too.
Anonymous at Mon, 16 Sep 2024 20:22:16 UTC No. 211160
>>211159
If shit is diseased they’ll delete the entire trail system and face zero consequences. Recreation is less important than public arboreal health, recreation doesn’t even matter if there’s a newsworthy story about the trees
Anonymous at Mon, 16 Sep 2024 21:29:40 UTC No. 211164
>>211160
I think it's bs frankly, one of the other local trail systems was completely bulldozed and only the section which had trails the trees were removed. No other surrounding tree's were cut down even though they could potentially have the same disease. The land owners (I'm pretty sure it is the same water company) frankly hate the liability as it is legally right to roam but if some kid goes and breaks his neck on unsanctioned trails then they don't want to catch flack for it. Another sanctioned trail system was felled too and now the local council refuses to rebuild the trails. Riders ended up rebuilding it themselves but it was demolished by the council because they didn't do it themselves.
Anonymous at Tue, 17 Sep 2024 20:02:19 UTC No. 211213
>>210657
>At this point, a list of components/manufactuers to steer clear of should be put in the OP
I'd also add Mucoff dry lube. It's ass. By the end of a 3 hour ride the chain is making noises. It also attracts dust. Taking my chain off and cleaning it with a toothbrush with hot water and dishsoap on the sink is common as the chain always has that layer/plaque of moondust and if I add lube to that it'll wear the chain much faster. I went back to finish line red dry lube after like 2-3 years.
Anonymous at Tue, 17 Sep 2024 21:23:09 UTC No. 211218
>>211213
I just remembered I also have had one of these bottles in the shed for 2 years and it will never be used again due to it attracting so much dust. They want you to only use it in dry conditions and when you do it ends up making the chain dirty. Literally defeats the point of the product.