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

I was hoping to try a little lower today, if I can get home from work at a reasonable hour...
Gives me about 22f, 25r based on that....

Thanks

 

new sled
2014 Intense Carbine 29

 

Fly into knoxville and roll over with me and @honda50r

 

I could make that happen. Spring 2020 TW trip? Work sorta has me by the balls till the holidays.

 

I used to ride a Patrol (160mm), and have been on a '19 smuggler (120 R 140 F) for about a year. I'm not familiar with your trails but we have a lot of technical singletrack with big ups and downs, flowy singletrack, and dedicated dh/jump trails. The Patrol was awesome on the rowdiest singletrack we have and the bike park stuff, but too much bike for 90% of my post-work rides. I opted for the Smuggler because it retains the aggressive geo with a long wheelbase and slack angles, but cuts down on the travel that hurt the climbing efficiency. This bike is amazing. It's super playful, climbs like a beast, jumps surprisingly well for a 29er, and can handle all the rough stuff that I can throw at it. I definitely do have to hang on a bit tighter and pick better lines than I did on the Patrol, but it is very capable. With that said, I highly recommend a mid travel 29er over a long travel bike and the Smuggler is a great choice IMO.

 

sounds good to me

 

What's up dude, how's that van life treating you?

Edit: @trekinit and I are headed to Snowshoe for World Cup. You still going?

 

I would like to, but I also can’t afford to just toss an extra 1-2k just to support local. If I get SC or Ibis it will be used in order to make it affordable.

 

Great info, thank you. There is a local shop I can demo the Smuggler too. Wish there a place to try out Canyon bikes.

 

Trip like that... would definitely have to cave, and get a Stache......
Not that I could get the time off from work....

 

So.... I have to admit, being able to post here is part of what inspired me to keep going while I rebuilt basically my whole bike. Seeing all the awesome bikes posted here is such an inspiration. I started tearing into my bike back in April and just did the finishing touches this weekend. Everything was rebuilt/cleaned/replaced except the brakes.

Before:



And After:




I rebuilt the front fork and rear shock, first time ever doing that (stripped the fork and had to install a keensert, first time doing that too). Trued both wheels (they were awful). Trued my brake discs. Replaced my Shimano 2x10 drive train with the SRAM Eagle GX 1x12 and a 30T raceface chain ring up front. Removed the bottom bracket and regreased. Replaced my old dropper with the One-Up V2 and did my own internal routing. Cleaned, rebuilt and greased my pedals. Added the One-up pump and EDC toolkit. Added a spare tube strap. Replaced my grips.

Guys... I had been this close >< to spending 5K on a new bike. For about 1K in parts and tools my bike rides like a dream (and now I have ALL the tools!)! I don't think I had ever had the suspension set properly and then I rode it for 4 years with minimal maintenance. Seriously, you don't need a shock pump. You don't even need a ton of special tools to do the basic maintenance on your suspension. It is so totally worth it! And I absolutely love my new granny gear. So much cadence on the climbs! Anyway, thanks for coming to my TED talk.

 

not gonna lie, its been pretty sweet. And yeah definitely gonna be there. Heading up that Thursday after work. You guys have places to stay yet? We got a house up top booked with room to spare tight now

 

Van life? I’m intrigued, what kind of van?

 

Since you're so close, I'd go and demo the new Hightower V2 and the Ibis Ripmo and maybe the new Ibis Ripley from the factory. Both offer a $40 factory demo and Ibis will let you demo over the weekend if you do a Friday pickup and a monday drop off. If you really want to blow up your budget, demo a Yeti SB130 (29er) or SB140 (27.5) to see what you think of the switch infinity linkage.

I ride a v3 bronson, and at 150/160 I feel it's too much bike for my local trails (Annadel) most of the time. Unless you're doing park days I think 120-140 is the sweat spot for the bay area.

 

Northern Utah as well. If you want the big hits you go south. I have an overforked V2 Bronson and feel the exact same way.

 

The big one lol!

 

I like it! The van life sounds fun but idk if I could do it full time haha

 

One of my friends lent me his van for 7 days while he went on vacay. I liked it, but I couldn't do it. Although I didn't really hit my stride like I am sure you would after a few weeks. Depends on the job you have too. I am tethered to SLC M-F 8-4ish

 

dont get me wrong, I cant do the fulltime thing either. But for the extended three day weekend its sweet. Works out nicely when you have a company truck for the day to day grind

 

Good info and people in this thread