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

Daaaaaang, those are nice! Good eye on the cars, lol! That's the wife's STI, but I'm allowed to drive it every now and again! Speaking of (wife and bike stuff)... I just converted her bike (my old bike) over to 1x11 and she was pretty keen on it for the climbs.

Old set up


New hill climby goodness!


Then I thought... "look at all these old parts! Perhaps something to protect those new toofs!"




Now... "How about some style!?"

 

@IllTrucko
Any scrubbing of the chain on that ring when on the smallest sprocket?

 

Negative. It's close, but the old chain ring bows out a little.

 

1x's are so nice and looks great with the custom ring protector. Nice work!

 

I like them! Once I got my bike with a 1x setup, I was determined to update the missus' bike. Beyond that, the gears on her bike were old and super clapped out. In the interest of getting her closer to the hobby, I figured smooth shifting would make her rides better!

 

Stoked to see several newer SoCal riders in here. That’s me as well. I’m currently off the bike recovering from shoulder surgery, but would be all about riding with some forum members when I’m back up to speed, hopefully in February. I’m in Calabasas, and there’s a good variety of decent riding right around here. I’m also selling a near new Giant Trance 29er for a pretty smoking deal in case anyone is in need of a really versatile trail bike.

 

Got a new ‘19 Yeti SB100 XO1 this month.

 

Awesome bike, but it pisses me off to no end that they spec that build with the 1275 GX cassette.

 

True but I was forced to stay in a certain price point per the wife as I a few MTB’s in my fleet upgrades can be done later.

 

Great day for a ride. The new Spartan is fun!

 

Just down the street on Honeysuckle Rd, there are a few taco owners on our block.

 

First I groom it.

 

Then I go ride it.

 

And for everyone that was talking about not keeping up with bike maintenance a few pages back. Here is what you get for something as simple as not replacing your cleats regularly!!!!

 

That garage looks great... and that Stinky!?

 

What do you think so far, any interesting ride characteristics?

 

I did a quick review on mtbr. Let me cut and paste it to here...

Quickie Trust fork review after a shakedown ride at Skyline (Napa).
Setup:
Do not follow the recommended air pressure for each leg. It's too high. I started with 130psi (body weight) but settled on 110 psi for each leg.
The sag meter is basically useless. Set the fork based on feel instead of sag.
I used the recommended rebound and compression settings based on weight.
Putting a wheel in requires a little bit of patience. It's not as intuitive as a regular telescopic fork.
Skip the parking lot bounce test. It will feel over-damped and harsh.
The Trust weighs about 4.6 lbs with axle and uncut steerer. Almost exactly the same as the Pike with the ACS3.
The front brake guides are simple and elegant.

Riding:
Surprisingly, the fork is plush in the trail and open mode over trail chatter.
It's not as linear on the big hits as the 150mm Pike with ACS3 that was on the bike before. I think I can remove additional tokens from the air spring to make it more linear but since this is not my fork, I did no dare modify it in any way.
The fork was very rigid. I climb quite a bit standing up and the fork was rock solid (granted, I weigh 130-135 lbs).
It was a little bit harder to launch the front end on lips, rocks but I think that is just a matter of adjusting my timing.
On fast, chunky downhills, the Trust absorbed the fast hits pretty well but it also ramped up too quickly. Removing the tokens would've helped make it more linear. This is the same problem I have with every air sprung fork which is why I've converted all my forks to coil.
By far, this is the best cornering/carving fork I've ever ridden. You can take a set during a turn (bermed or flat) and it will just suck up anything that is on the turn (roots, rocks, braking bumps) without brake dive, without changing the geometry of the front end. It was a weird feeling at first and then you got used to it and begin leaning the bike over at almost any speed.

Verdict:
I give this fork a 2 thumbs up. I think it makes a great trail fork (not that I would replace my 36, Pike or Lyrik with it). Things that can be improved are:
Better guides for wheel installation
Coil option.
Working sag indicator.
Greater LSC adjustment range.
Affordability.

Did I mention that the fork is so ugly that it's beautiful?

Update. After another ride at Demo (Santa Cruz, CA), where I opened up the compression settings all the way, the damper started to leak a little so the fork is going back to the LBS that lent it to me.

My final verdict on the fork is that at its current price, I would not buy one as I don't think it's quite ready for Prime Time. However, if priced the same was a 36 or a Pike, I would buy it in a heartbeat, open up the air spring and the damper to see what I can modify.

 

Hey guys, I’m new to tacomas but not bikes. I just oicked up the taco so no shots of bikes in or on it but here are my two current rides (bikes) and one of the truck for good measure.

 

I live and mostly ride in Santa Cruz so I see lots of cool bikes and even occasional factory guys on yet un-announced stuff. But I’ve never noticed any Evil bikes on the trails, only in magazines and Internet. Was up in Nevada City this weekend and saw quite a few ... gorgeous bikes! Honestly, I’m not crazy about the name, but that head tube is stunning.

 

Texas Hill Country...Pedernales Falls State Park in November 2018.