New England B.S. Thread

That's my point exactly. With the possible exception of thirty below zero...

 

The wind is the real killer. I agree with you there but honestly it's not always windy out. Not around here anyways

True! Especially when you breathe through your nose. I went to Caribou ME once and it hit a low of -40. When I breathed I could feel the hairs inside my nose freeze immediately.

I still went snowmobiling though!

 

Sad part was/is he is the owner of this place

 

That makes more sense to me then. The guy was afraid of whatever fine or whatever they can do to them

 

Oh BTW, I bought these little guy's yesterday at HD. I figured with all the wiring projects I have coming up this spring I wanted to get a set of precision clips to cut off all the tails to the wire ties. The are made in the USA and only cost $10. Not bad

 

Red tape everywhere! I agree with their being safety inspections but when common sense is thrown out the window then what's the point?

 

Alright, guys who mountain bike--I'm trying to get back into it this spring. Used to do several thousand miles a year on a low end Giant Boulder. The bike treated me well, but steel frame so it's really heavy. It also needs some things now, and I think I'd be more motivated if I got something new.

Without actually looking in person yet, I'm considering either a Trek Marlin 5 and Giant Talon 29 3. The Trek is the better looking one, but the Giant appears to have some slightly better components and a wider gear spread. I'm basically looking for a hardtail in the $500-$600 range. I don't want to spend a ton in case I don't get back into it as much as I would like to.

What would you lean towards out of those two--or would you look for something else entirely?

 

I'm friends with a guy who owns a station here. He said he's gotten in trouble for putting a plate bulb in (without charging or anything) so a vehicle would pass. It was a state inspector posing as a normal person looking for an inspection. He almost had his license temporarily suspended over that (guess he let someone drive their own vehicle in once before too, so it was the second strike), so he's really careful now. This was before all the cameras too.

 

Shit show update.
Two most important belts are toast and we are completely down. Two days minimum is the consensus.
That will force a Sunday
WTF

 

I'd love to move somewhere warm and get out of this freezing weather. Any job openings where you work?

 

Yeah man we are always hiring! I also have a couple technical recruiters here that are actually good people.

 

I have a GT Aggressor 1.0 26". It's a aluminum hard tail with decent components. (Low end, but better than department store stuff). Think it cost me $550 a few years ago. It's a great bike, but I think next time I'm going to look at 27.5" or 29".

 

Do I need anything special to get in?

 

Depends what you want to do! PM me and we can talk all about it.

 

To be bundled up enough, that I am not miserable, I no longer have any dexterity to DO my job. Whether its outside this morning, or a -20 box..... so... NO. I can be more productive in scathing heat and humidity, than in those conditions.

Again, see above. There is no "right gear" in my case. Need layers. And lots. Can go from being in a freezer, to a nice and toasty

The Marlin 6, has better components, chain, etc. Same brakes though. For the extra 80.....
6 on the left, 5 on the right



What size bike would you be looking at? Both of mine are 17.5s on 29s

 

yeah i get what you mean. Im just a puss in the heat though all i want to do is sleep.

 

I had a base line 2015 giant talon 29er. Thats the bike that got me into mountainbiking and now im on a 2017 Diamondback Release and its night and day (given its full susp. so it cannot be fairly compared). The talon was a pretty good bike but i had tektro disc brakes that were he biggest pain in the ass. Once they needed to be bled, i shouldve thrown them out. I also couldnt run as wide tires as i wouldve liked so that made it tough in the rocky/root covered trails of new england. The 29 just kept rolling over that stuff though. Not sure what components the talon is running nowadays, but definitely opt for the better stuff because their cheaper stuff will bite you in the ass.

I also worked at a bike shop for a few years so got my release for $1450 (50% off). It was expensive for sure, but the thing is an absolute tank. Sort of heavy for an alum (its also an XL) but the weight is perfectly balanced in my opinion. i can throw the thing around and even got a little over confident and snapped my collarbone a year ago :/ try and avoid that, but at least the recovery was only a few months.

have fun, any bike that gets you outside and in the woods is gonna be great

 

@js312
Check out REI as well.
Cannondale Trail 7 is marked down to 450.. similar specs to what youre after.

https://www.rei.com/product/124764/cannondale-trail-7-27529-bike-2018#

 

Wait, did he take the bulb out after? Or leave it in? If he left it in, that's insane. If he took it back out, I sorta get it, even though its a nice thing to do.

Hopefully they $$$$$ for Sundays. Good luck.

It's pricey, but you ever try smartwool? My FIL farms outside all year here and he used to bundle like a crazy bastard, we got him some nice stuff the past few christmas' and he is much more comfortable than he used to be, and needs a lot less layers.

I can sit in my ranger grooming snow trails in -10 degree weather with a smartwool top and bottom and some duluth insulated bibs and jacket. Big fur lined hat. No moving for multiple hours, only thing cold is my face. Again, their stuff isn't cheap, but the stuff a couple companies out there are doing with synthetics and wool mixed together these days is impressive.

The wool stuff is pretty good at breathing too. I feel like you could peel off the one layer and have a t-shirt or something underneath that would be fine for hot areas. Although don't know if you are like instantly going from -20 to 100.

 

If I KNOW I am going to be outside, or cold, with no warm or hot rooms, I have my PolyPros, some looser carharts, and my insulated bibs... usually that is when I get to play fitter for a welder this time of year. Proper gear, good.....

But, being service, I can walk from 100f rooms, into a -20f room.... need the layers... easy way hurt yourself.