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The Mountain Bike Thread

Honky Lips said:
I “think” I need a full suspension bike. It’s getting rough as I’m picking up speed at the local single track trails. Feet leaving the pedals etc. do people use clip ins for single track?
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I like my SPDs. They have not been a problem in any crash so far. That's with the multidirectional release cleats.
I was in the old school wagon of toe clips and death straps but the automatic pedal system is far superior in every apsect.
Incidentally, I just pulled my olderer MTB out of storage to take care of commuting duties and switched to platforms with claws, to me it feels definately not as stable ''powering" (:laughing:) through the rough stuff.

CroMo with old school xt drivetrain FTW :grinpimp:
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Another question I have. Are there certain styles of bikes that the pedals are further off of the ground? I hit the ground a bit. Whether pedaling through a corner or whatever.

Also. What would be a good pair of shoes with the Chester pedals
 
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Edit - I just scrolled up to see you are on a hard tail. Ignore the bottom half of this post. Just ride more and get better at picking a line

Pedal strike is a combo of bottom bracket height, crank length and rider skill.

If you are smashing trail features regularly maybe look at your crank length.

On some newer bikes with adjustable geometry (flip chips etc) the slacker you make the bike the lower the bottom bracket.

You could also try reducing the sag in your rear suspension.
 
Shortthenlong said:
Edit - I just scrolled up to see you are on a hard tail. Ignore the bottom half of this post. Just ride more and get better at picking a line

Pedal strike is a combo of bottom bracket height, crank length and rider skill.

If you are smashing trail features regularly maybe look at your crank length.

On some newer bikes with adjustable geometry (flip chips etc) the slacker you make the bike the lower the bottom bracket.

You could also try reducing the sag in your rear suspension.
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It’s not a big deal it was more of a curiosity if something like downhill bikes were farther off the ground for obstacle clearance
 
Honky Lips said:
It’s not a big deal it was more of a curiosity if something like downhill bikes were farther off the ground for obstacle clearance
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I think they're actually lower (BB height) so that your CG is lower. It's a win on a bike that you don't pedal constantly.

My crank arms are super long for my location. I still have stupid pedal strikes, but learning how to manage your pedals is definitely a learnable skill.
 
DirtRoads said:
I think they're actually lower (BB height) so that your CG is lower. It's a win on a bike that you don't pedal constantly.

My crank arms are super long for my location. I still have stupid pedal strikes, but learning how to manage your pedals is definitely a learnable skill.
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Yeah I’m just getting back into riding and as I get faster and in better shape I’m having to adjust some things
 
Honky Lips said:
Yeah I’m just getting back into riding and as I get faster and in better shape I’m having to adjust some things
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There’s nothing wrong with that. A lot of times you won’t be able to pedal while cornering, so just focus on being smooth and not hitting the brakes. Pedals flat or outside pedal at 6 o’clock

On techy trails where you have to pedal, it’s a lot different. I ratchet my pedals a often on obstacles as though I’m riding a single speed to keep my pedals from going all the way down. Combine that with using body weight to boost the bike up rock ledges, and sometimes just mentally planning where a pedal stroke :should: land. It’s kind of like rock crawling and doesn’t always work out.
 
Honky Lips said:
Another question I have. Are there certain styles of bikes that the pedals are further off of the ground? I hit the ground a bit. Whether pedaling through a corner or whatever.

Also. What would be a good pair of shoes with the Chester pedals
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Rice concepts, Specialized 2FO, FiveTen, you should be able to find a pair online for about $60 on sale
 
daddytall said:
Bought this yesterday, put in 45 miles in the mountains. It is the funnest thing I have ever owned.
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Outstanding!! Be VERY careful with that charger plug-in door.....a known failure point on the hinge on that model. Specialized is working on (maybe have worked on....?) a better design for it. The plastic hinge suffers from fatigue after time.
 
FlexyTJ said:
So far the '22 El Roy build is shaping up quicker than I thought, and this is the pile of parts I'll be bolting on:
-fork: Marzocchi Z1 coil 160mm
-cranks: Shimano SLX 34T/170mm (sounds tall, running a 30T on the Ripmo but they were out of 30,32...)
-cassette: Shimano SLX 10/51T

TBD:
-wheels/hubs: Want something carbon with good hubs so I have a decent wheel set to swap around. Budget may dictate otherwise. Conflicted with having one of the online shops build something semi-custom vs. just getting something kitted up.
-dropper: actually may not at first. I still haven't incorporated using the dropper properly on my Ripmo, why waste the $ ?
-seat: meh, some ebay junk? I don't sit much.
-rotors: I'm conflicted - was going to go big (203/203-180), but then in the carbon wheelset/keeping things light rotating mass wise thought small (160's even..) THEN I thought about the cross bike compatibility, and if I want that then need to match what's on the other 29'er (203/180). hmmmm......

What else am I missing?
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Looks good! Tall gearing will make you stronger. You've got the 51t granny gear to bail you out if needed.
I rode a 160mm fork on a hardtail for a while and I didn't like the geo change through the travel. I run mine at 125mm now.

I would go with cross-compatibility for the rotors. It's nice to have options, plus easier to have a spare in the parts bin if needed. For the minimal weight penalty, it's worth it, IMO.

I have had very good luck with Roval carbon wheels. Here's a used set in your area:
tucson.craigslist.org

Carbon Roval Traverse 29er wheelset - bicycle parts - by owner -...

Carbon Roval Traverse Wheelset 29 boost XD WTB Rangers 3.0 Roval hubs Great overall condition. Trying to clean out bike stuff. $650
tucson.craigslist.org
They have DTswiss internals with a star ratchet. I was not easy on my roval carbon 27.5's and they held up better than AL rims.

Definitely get a dropper post (can't find info to verify if your frame is 30.9 or 31.6, internal or external routing):
cycled.pnwcomponents.com

Products

PNW Cycled
cycled.pnwcomponents.com cycled.pnwcomponents.com

This dropper lever works well for the price (22.2mm):
 
My shock let the juice out on Sunday morning.

Turn around time is probably going to be about 10 days. I went ahead and sent my fork and dropper with it to get everything knocked out.

I'm seriously regretting not investing in a backup bike sooner. There are a few decent hardtails on Pinkbike for pretty cheap and I'm so tempted to snag one. Financially the timing is pretty bad but I'm hoping to shop more seriously this winter when people aren't riding and need the cash.
 
^^^think I'm gonna send my fork & shock out this winter for the same reason. Pony up, let Fox clean them up and I'm good to go for another couple years. Of course sounds like I'm better off than you, I can jump on the fatbike if the main ride goes down for maintenance.
 
DirtRoads said:
My shock let the juice out on Sunday morning.

Turn around time is probably going to be about 10 days. I went ahead and sent my fork and dropper with it to get everything knocked out.

I'm seriously regretting not investing in a backup bike sooner. There are a few decent hardtails on Pinkbike for pretty cheap and I'm so tempted to snag one. Financially the timing is pretty bad but I'm hoping to shop more seriously this winter when people aren't riding and need the cash.
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Ill be doing my fork this winter, I just did the rear shock. Took about 2 hours to do and 1000% improvement
 
Evil Offering V1, buddy in my neighborhood is most likely going to pick it up.

Now I've gotta decide between the Knolly Chilcotin and Propain Tyee
 
DirtRoads said:
My shock let the juice out on Sunday morning....snip
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Never fun when that happens.

My Trust fork has been leaking down lately, time to send it in for a reseal. So for the meantime, I stole the Zeb off of my kid's Transition and am riding a telescoping fork for the first time in 2-1/2 years.

Got 25 miles in on Saturday, 20 yesterday.



Zeb-SB150.jpg
 
Looking for some help. I’m on vacation with the family and one of my brake masters has gone dry. Is there a specific fluid for bikes or this system? Will I need some kind of syringe to fill it? Anything else I need to know
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Wilson said:
Looking for some help. I’m on vacation with the family and one of my brake masters has gone dry. Is there a specific fluid for bikes or this system? Will I need some kind of syringe to fill it? Anything else I need to know
9B78B80A-F219-4441-B877-4F8CE0905B6B.jpeg
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Shimano mineral oil: https://www.amazon.com/SHIMANO-Hydr...t=&hvlocphy=9010211&hvtargid=pla-869179315136

And, a full bleed kit: https://www.amazon.com/RSN-Sports-S...efix=shimano+brake+funnel,sporting,190&sr=1-3

Or a shop local can probably get you going pretty quickly.
 
RedX said:
Shimano mineral oil: https://www.amazon.com/SHIMANO-Hydr...t=&hvlocphy=9010211&hvtargid=pla-869179315136

And, a full bleed kit: https://www.amazon.com/RSN-Sports-Shimano-Hydraulic-Mineral/dp/B087ZZHNN9/ref=sr_1_3?crid=2D6DSX586GE3N&keywords=Shimano+brake+funnel&qid=1659976118&s=sporting-goods&sprefix=shimano+brake+funnel,sporting,190&sr=1-3

Or a shop local can probably get you going pretty quickly.
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Thank you, in a pretty limited coastal town. Shops are closed until tomorrow. I ordered the full kit and had it delivered here on Thursday, worst case.
 
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