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

Those REI branded bikes might be right up your alley.

 

How is the riding around Bend? It's on my list of places to check out if I ever want to move away from Colorado

 

There's a lot of good stuff in that area. But I have heard housing availability is bananas.

 

Take a look at Surly bikes; they have a pretty wide offering in steel that I know from personal experience can take a beating.

 

Yeah I agree with @Gunshot-6A ; REI bikes are a nice value. Get some wide tubeless tires, cable disc brakes, and a simply 1x10 speed drivetrain and you're set. But keep in mind bikes aren't like our Tacomas and you will need to occasionally need to tune-up the drivetrain and/or brakes. Nothing a Youtube video can't fix though

 

I get that.

I have an old Mongoose Decade that I'm getting ready to have rebuilt/refurbished.


(Yes, I know its a bmx/trick bike....)

It was my bike as a kid and now I'm going to pass it on to my kids.


It is the chrome version too, which is supposedly a bit more rare than the painted versions.

 

What PSI do you run on your Roscoe?

 

Supwitdat?


Is this a thing now?

 

The Cannondale Lefty fork concept has been around for forever. Seems it's finally bleeding into their road bikes more these days.

If I had to choose a commuter bike, I would pick up their Slate Apex model ASAP.

 

What is the purpose? Weight savings?

 

Still have the tubes for now so about 25psi. My buddy is running about 20psi tubeless. I will go tubeless when I go in for my free 90 day adjustments.

 

Much lighter weight, incredibly stiff due to dual crown and needle bearings (opposed to ball bearings), and can change a flat without removing the wheel,

They're neat but like most Cannondale proprietary stuff they're a bitch to maintain

Great for full-blown XC applications

 

I rented a classic Lefty XC setup down in the Huachuca Mountains a few months ago. The bike was pretty decent, but it was definitely a little trippy whenever I looked down at the front wheel while pedaling.

 

Not as bad as you might think for maintenance and rebuilds. I had mine set up by Mendon Cyclesmith with the most recent upgrades to the PBR internals but still using the DLR shell and think I paid less than $100 for the whole rebuild. After that, it’s just letting the pressure out, bottom the fork slowly to reseat the needle bearings, then air it back up. Maybe once or twice per year? The expensive piece is buying spare front wheel, adapters for the racks that you might take the front wheel off, and hubs for them. Though it was the single best lockout of any suspension fork I have ever owned/raced. As close to a rigid fork as one could get. The push for me was that the 26" Lefty fork could accommodate a 29" tire long before the other fork manufacturers were really pushing for the larger stanchions, or USD design like the Rockshox RS1.

Now they've adapted a 30mm travel version to their gravel bikes as small bump/gravel road chatter mitigation.

I still miss that bike...

2012 Vassago Bandersnatch w/ Lefty DLR w/ PBR internals, set up as a 1x10 WAY before it was adopted by the industry as a standard.

 

I have had two Trek FX bikes and I love em. I've taken them on easy trails and 60 mile street rides. Climbed 2K feet over 3 miles. I've also convinced friends and family to buy them as well. No one has been disappointed. I am finally going to retire my 7.5 FX after ten years of faithful service. The first, a 7.3 was hit by a car and destroyed.

That being said, everyone makes a Hybrid. Go test ride them all and pick what feels best or which shop gives you good vibes.

 

That photo brings back lots of good memories. Brown Canyon is one of my favorites!

This photo was taken back in 2014, must have been during monsoon season because it was so green.

 

Performance bike, I think. I had them on my toolbox of my Chevy, and just stuck them on a 2x12 when I bought the Tacoma. You can pick them up anywhere. like all things bike, you can spend as much or as little as you like. I went cheap and they've served me well for MANY miles. Just plucked this image off of Amazon. Do a quick websearch for Quick Disconnect Fork Mounts and you'll find them. You really don't need anything fancy.

Just get some 1.5" bolts, and a couple of drill bits. Use mounts as template and mark holes. Drill from the top for the whatever size bots will fit through the holes. Then flip the board and use a 1" Spade bit from the bottom so that you can countersink the nuts and still get a socket on them. Done!

 

Good call on the Surly.

Remember, the best front derailleur is NO front derailleur. If you're looking for worry free bikes that can take a beating without requiring much tinkering, skip the front derailleur and get a wide rear cassette. If you're not going to be doing much technical/ downhill, skip the maintenance of a suspension fork too and run a fatter tire. Check Surly and Salsa as they both do these very well.

If you're wanting to ride with the family and your kids are still young, you might consider single speed. This allowed me to ride with the family and still get a decent workout without feeling like I was always waiting up for the shorties. If I need to go further than 10-15 miles, I jump on the road bike.



The MOST important thing is to just pedal, every chance you get.

 

2019 jeffsy cf comp

 

Never trust a man with a clean mountain bike