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

With a hardshell, how are yall carrying your bikes?
Hitch mount isnt an option in my case ag this point

 

Fork mount on a 2x6. The picture is of my old truck, but I’m still using the same setup in my 3rd gen short bed.

 

That could work....

But, this bugger would have to be removed...



I think, ideally, an outboard type mount, would be perfect....

Kinda having a hard time, spending 2k on a cap, to cut it up.... hahahaha...

Thanks,
Chase

 

That’s a different dilemma than your original question.

If you’re keeping the roll tonneau and tool box, what’s wrong with the setup you have currently? I see the forkmounts on the header rail. Assuming you just put the rear tire on top of the toolbox.

 

Fruita is not far from Moab as well! If you're gonna make a trip out of it, may as well go big. April/Early May or Late Sept are good for both areas.

18 Road is a good spot to camp at if you can find a spot (it gets REALLY busy) and has a good half dayish + worth of riding. Zippity Do Dah is frickin RAD. Like a big roller coaster. For a post ride snack, Hot Tomato is probably the best pizza place I have ever been to.

The Horsethief area is great. Get a warm-up on Rustler Loop and then go take a Horsethief Lap.

Lunch Loops is where it's at and you could spend a good amount of time there. If you are feeling a little bold, go for a hot lap down The Ribbon Trail, but watch the Singletrack Sampler video about it to see some of the trail because it can bite you if you under/overcommit (ask me how I know ; Broken Ribs.jpeg )

In Moab, gotta do The Whole Enchilada / half Enchilada depending on how much snow is on the pass. Klondike Bluffs is a good warm up area.

 

Sorry... Should have been clear.

Currently, my set up, is fine for the bike.

BUT, with no racks, cannot take canoe, or a yak.

Biggest reason to NOT get a hardshell, is, difficulty with the bike, while still maintaining utility, and flexibility of the truck.
Box will stay if I get a cap.

Putting the bike up high... I'd prefer not to . Kind of a PITA, and low branxbra are an issue.

I'm kinda shopping around for ideas/solutions.....

 

Understood.

Hardshells certainly have their limitations. As someone who’s run softoppers, hard tops and an open bed; I find hardshell to provide the most utility...for my needs and uses.

You could always just add a cabrack. Your current setup would be left untouched, and is a cheaper option to allow carrying long items when compared to a hard shell or Softopper/rack combo purchase.

There are multiple options. Good luck

 

You know it’s going to be interesting when you roll up to the lot and there’s snow...

 

Interesting perspective. Can you elaborate on the culture? Also that dreadeed weather, how shitty is it?

Go Vols.

Dr. Tray or One-Up

 

Text wall coming:

So, basically once you leave Lynnwood going north towards Everett and up to Bellingham, it's basically bedroom communities full of older people that still/used to work for the Boeing plant at Paine Field. There is virtually no social scene to speak of for anyone under about 55. There is also some industry usually relating to shipbuilding and/or logging, and their secondary businesses: metal yards, log mills, etc. Bellingham has a little bit more of a scene because Western Washington University is there, but its more the exception to the rule.

Western Washingtonians also are much more standoff-ish than what you'd be used to coming from Tennesee. It's call the Seattle Shrug or Seattle Freeze. I forgot about it until I moved back from VA after college. It takes some work to actually make friends there, but usually once you break the ice (pun intended) the people are nice enough. Another thing, people on the west side LOVE to complain about things. The "dreaded weather" isn't as bad as they make it sound, but it's something they can always bitch about. Washington politics is the same way. Generally speaking, they complain a lot that the powers that be are screwing everything up, then re-elect the same people time and again...and then complain about it. That's all I can say without blowing the TW rules.

There is also a MASSIVE heroin problem in the western half of the state. In Marysville, it didn't surprise to me when I found this cool pumpy jump line built rogue in this patch of trees, but in the scrub next to it were a pile of dirty needles. Talk about trail hazards! Up near Bellingham doesn't seem to be as bad, but I guarantee its still there. Coming from TN, it may not be as big of a shock. In UT, people closet that issue up tight. Nothing to see here...what opioid problem?

Moving on to the weather: In the summer, it's frickin amazing. Usually it stays cool enough that a lot of homes and apartments may not have A/C, and generally you don't need it. Morning rides, you'd likely need a jacket. In the last 10 years or so, it has definitely gotten hotter in the summer months though. It's also light out super late. Sun comes up about 630 and sets at like 930 + at its peak. So much riding you could do. And when you need a refresher, Van and a lot of good BC riding is only a few hours away.

In the fall / winter: It's a mixed bag. First off, it's dark all the friggin time. The sun finally comes up about 830ish, and it gets dark at like 445. It also stays pretty overcast. That far north plus on the water, it'll get pretty cold. You don't usually get a lot of snow in town, so you could still suit up and ride. The rain is what gets to people. It's becoming less prevalent nowadays it seems, but when the rain does come, it just lingers. Raining for a week and a half straight isn't unheard of. Most times it isn't a deluge, but a consistently hard enough to make you want to stay inside. Related to this, seasonal depression is super real. Everything just gets gloomy, people get grouchy, DUI rates are pretty high, etc.

Then one day in April...the sun comes out, and it's like friggin VE day. EVERYBODY is out and about. Riding, hiking, etc with a big smile on their face. All is forgotten and everything is good again.

TL;DR: You just need to come visit. It's pretty different from anywhere else I've lived, and I've lived a lot of places as a military brat. But it's a place that always makes me want to go back at least for a visit. Utah is frickin rad, but I wouldn't say me ending up back in WA someday isn't a possibility.

 

Thanks for the comprehensive reply. Interesting insight. I totally can recognize how weather affects mood but it's fascinating to hear there is statistical evidence.

It's important for us to have a community whereas we both enjoy meeting people and feeling a part of something. I would definitely like to visit before the commitment I suppose. It's funny how MTB snobs are in their sphere of influence and rarely think of outsiders perspectives. Would you move back?

 

I really don't know. Every time I got back to visit, I honestly consider it. If I didn't reside in UT currently, I could def see me making the jump.

I think it also depends where in WA I moved to. I liked living and working in the Issaquah area, but If I ever wanted to own a house out that way any time soon, forget about it. Condos are selling around there for 500ish, and houses are 600 and up. Redmond was pretty cool too, but is basically Silicon Valley with Microsoft and others, and good houses there are $1.X

Bellingham is a lot more reasonably priced, but you are also pretty far away from pretty much everything. You are actually equidistant from Seattle and Vancouver. 90ish minutes to both excluding rush hour, etc.

I'd try to get involved with WMBC or some other trail group then if you are looking for a communal purpose. I think Bellingham is also small enough that your name gets around in the small town sense.

On a related note, outside of Bellingham, most of washington is hikers, and pretty snobby ones at that. Especially in the Issaquah area. Groups like WMBC and the Evergreen MTB Alliance are doing great work on outreach and message, but the threat is real.

 

I really don't understand real estate pricing variations. I'm 24 and own a home here in Tennessee, granted, it's nothing special (Only 1200sqft but nice) but there's no way I would move back into an apartment at this point. Typically your home should be worth about 2x your salary (rule of thumb) so at that rate someone in PNW has to make $250k to own a home? Somethings gotta give

 

I hear you there. I think I may be moving into a real house this coming summer, and will be glad to leave #apartmentlife , but I'm afraid I could never go back after that if need be.

The issue really is that a lot of folks in the Issaquah area and especially in Redmond ARE approaching that salary figure in the tech world. And then those homes will likely get in a bidding war and sell for 10% over market anyways! My warnings to my friends that wanted Amazon to make HQ2 in their towns are based on what I've seen happen to south Seattle. It's wrecked from what it used to be before big tech came into the area, Microsoft not withstanding since they and Boeing are basically what kept Seattle afloat for a while.

One other thought I have. If you ever cruise around on Reddit.com, go into R/Seattle. You'll get a good glimpse of the culture and the issues of the city just by reading those threads. I still am subbed to that, and I think it's a pretty good reflection of city life. Granted Bellingham/Ferndale is far removed from most of it.

Also, no income or personal property tax on cars,boats in WA! BUT Sales tax in Whatcom Co is 8.7% and in King Co (Seattle area) it's ~10% and they keep adding increases to housing property taxes.

 

Come for the mountain bike discussion, leave with the frustration of the real estate market in major tech cities (ATX here).

 

Checking in, Kona process 153 CR/DL in north van!

 

damn the dreaded PNW real estate costs.

 

As someone who has lived here since 1984, does live and redmond, and has been at Microsoft for over 20 years... I can give you a slightly different perspective

He's right about the rain. funny... only 30 years later is It really starting to get to me. Never really that cold.... but the gloom can last for weeks on end. Trails are all still open though, and many shed water really well... but be prepared for 30 minutes of bike cleaning and maintenance after every ride.

Speaking of trails... if you are closer to the east side of seattle (Bellevue, Redmond, Issaquah)… I find the trails to be GREAT, and growing all the time. Ollalie, Raging River, Tiger Mountain, Tolt…. and the Duthie bike part - all great places to ride. Not many hikers, and I don't find many snobs, on the bike or off. The Mt. Bike scene here from my perspective is darn good, and I've ridden in quite a few places.

Never once seen a needle in any of those places.

Politics... i'll stay away from that one as well, although to say seems pretty much screwed up anywhere you go, on either side of the fence.

House pricing???? EEeehh… yah, not gonna lie. that one sucks if you didn't get here awhile ago. North (like Bellingham) will help, but agree that there is not much more to do up there. East (Issaquah to North Bend) is also good, and near the trails I mentioned above. That said, everything is still pretty pricey. If I sold my home that I purchased 20 years ago, I could likely retire now if I moved to Texas or Kansas (no offense if you live in either place!).

I think the myth about making friends is because we are all holed up inside so much due to the weather. People are friendly enough - just harder to be polite when your head is hidden under an umbrella or inside a hoodie

Oh... and the traffic sucks.

 

Thanks for your insight.

You mentioned B-Ham not having anything but I was under the impression Bellingham is where all the riding goods were at? I would be working in Ferndale, WA but likely live down south somewhere like Bellingham