All Things Bikes and Tacos! (...and every vehicle imaginable)

I've had one on order for 2 weeks now. Not in stock at the moment

 

I will deviate from my normal mountain bike content for some road/cyclocross content. I have a 56cm Kona Jake the Snake which fit me well for actual cyclocross, but was too small for road use. I stopped using that bike so I bought a 58cm Surly Cross Check to swap the parts on to. I got a bit carried away with buying Thomson and Brooks parts, but it turned out pretty good. I am still waiting on new pedals, the white is not a good look.

 

This is awesome departure from the norm

 

I dug out my old Schwinn Paramount series mountain bike and thinking about converting it to cross/commuter type riding any suggestions on tires. Should I just go to single chain ring in front.

 

Think I am going to convert to single speed.

 

You could easily get $300. I posted mine on CL for $275 and got hit up by 4 people within 30 minutes. Sold it for $285.

 

I own zero Tacomas (so far) but here's a pic of my current ride loaded down with my 2013 Salsa Horsethief on the roof, the DH rigs on the rack ( my '11 Santa Cruz Driver 8 and my friend's SC Nomad, and not seen as it's in the car along with 4 days of camping gear, her '11 Salsa trail bike. Impressively, the Salsa 29'er on the roof will fit in the car with both wheels on.

 

Did this over the weekend. Goal was to still maintain functionality of of the tonneau and have access to the bed for storage. Pretty happy with the results. Only things left to do: 1. Thule Thuride Locking Adaptor on order. 2. Reinforce the rear anchors with a couple of 1/4" brackets to distribute the weight better.

 

Going old skool with that rig. Had a Xixang back in the day loaded full of purple ano...wish I still had it

 

Getting my mid-fat on...

 

Bakflip? I originally planned on using the KB Voodoo light cross rails to mount my rocky mount but I didn't realize that the Bakflip relocated the rails. Lesson learned was install all parts before ordering more parts.

Does that location interfear with the full fold up?

Also, I just picked up a cheap Mongoose to ride around town and get from place to place. Maybe take on a trail. Would I be ok using QR skewers? I don't plan on hitting anything narly with this bike.

 

Yes, Bakflip fibermax.

No, does not interfere with the fold up at any stage.

Lastly, I have no clue.

 

Yeah....still rolling old school. Lol. Bike still rides great can't justify getting anything new. Still haven't ridden anything lighter and more responsive than the Zaskar.

Those Xixang's are sweet rigs too. Purple ano that woukd be a sight to see.

 

QR skewers have been on bikes for a long time, and are still used today. It really comes down to the quality of the bike. Do you trust the components not to fail?

 

Great pics! I actually just got into the road bike scene earlier this year, so far I love it, and wouldnt mind trying out MTB'ing. Just curious, what made you get out of road biking?

 

I'm sure a lot of you are following the tour. It's always cool to see a solo guy win a stage. I can't imagine how hard that must be

 

Thanks, man. It was really a combination of some of the people involved and the huge time investment. I made a lot of good friends through road racing. A couple of whom are responsible for my love of off roading and firearms. But in general, there is a lot of elitist snobbery BS in road racing that just gets old. Especially here in Southern California.
But the amount of time I had to spend riding my bike just to be competitive as I moved up the ranks was excessive. We're talking several hours a day, even if you aren't enjoying yourself. My workout/ride routine went from about 1.5 hours a day when I first started racing, to 3.5-4 hours a day towards the end. The novelty wears off. You have to be obsessed to remain competitive and I just wasn't on that level mentally anymore.
But that's just me. Don't take my individual experience as an indication of what it's like for for anyone but me, though. I did it for a while and just got burned out. You have to get out there and try it. Just do some Cat5 races and see if it's for you. The speed and sense of accomplishment are awesome.

MTB is where it's at for me. I kinda suck at it and I'm painfully slow nowadays, but it's a lot more fun because there's more individual skill involved and you can ride almost anywhere. Even the racing aspect is waaaay more laid back.

 

I used to race mtn bikes it was always fun. It def. had that laid back party atmosphere. The 24 hour races were the best! No I ride for me, Its a fun way to get exercise, and your outside enjoying nature. Most people you meet riding are pretty cool to.

 

Truthfully probably not. It was a $150 bike.

Also, can anyone help me identify this specialized stumpjumper? I've narrowed it for to pre 2003 but can't figure out the year based on colors. The seller knows nothing about the bike. I'm not sure if I should just stick to my mongoose 2.1ledge or pick this up for riding around.

 

Ah, the 24hr races. I never have done one, but always hear how much fun it is. Mountain bikers are definitely a breed apart in the cycling world. It's always funny to me when a hardcore roadie first gets into MTB and they still take themselves way too serious. I'm like 'I don't think these folks care how fast you are like other roadies do. Just relax and have fun like everyone else.'