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

That's a sweet bike. I've ridden a lot of bmx but a dj is more fun.

 

I rode in Northern Maryland yesterday. It was tons of fun. Much less complicated on my Beargrease compared to my Niner Air 9 last time.

 

Sounds like a plan! If all goes well we may be moving out in early June.

I've run the advanced version for a year and it was great. One of the more underrated bikes out there.

 

I would say size depends on the body. I am 5’10 with a 30’ inseam and ride a large on both my hardtail and fully. I have a long torso and require at least a 24 inch top tube. Even with bikes with modern geometry a medium would have a lot of seatpost sticking out. I would suggest to demo a bike in a medium and large. Not a parking lot test, but out in the hills demo.

 

This doesn’t exactly involve my taco but...
Decided to get my Specialized P.3 sandblasted and powder coated, but first I’m gonna try to make a decent looking sharpie design on it! This is the downtube and the start of my design, the whole thing will kind of flow from here. What do you guys think? If there’s enough interest I’ll post update photos along the way!
Here’s the original paint for reference

 

What part of northern maryland? Those trails look pretty sweet

 

Palmer Park.

 

Deep Creek State Park. IMBA machine made is what I hear!

 

Oh nice! I’ve heard about that place, it looks pretty sweet. I want to say a company called Appalachian dirt did that build. I think they have been doing a lot of work in the Maryland and Virginia area

 

Dig the niner! They now offer life time warranty on all new frames

 

Really? Might have to put them back on the list as possible new bikes in the future. That’s one of the main reasons I went with Santa cru was for the lifetime frame warranty.

 

Looking for recommendations for carrying bikes in/over the bed. My current setup (a single 1UpUSA hitch rack) came with me from my Subaru Outback and worked well as the only rider in the household:




That said, my needs have changed for a few reasons:
- The kids are riding more consistently and "bigger" bikes that can fit in a standard-sized rack
- With the kids, comes the wife, so we need to be able to carry up to 4 bikes

I had considered add-on trays for the 1UP rack, but with the added length of the truck bed (compared to my Outback), this would stick out way far out behind and would be unwieldy. I also hate to waste the useable space in the bed.

I am looking for recommendations for bed mounted bike carriers OR bed rails/racks that will accommodate bike racks/trays. I have a roll-up tonneau cover en route, so bonus points for solutions that can be used with a tonneau, but I don't mind taking it off if need be (or considering a different cover option if absolutely necessary).

Pictures of your setup would be great.

Thanks!

 

Black canyon trail on the ss today. Legs are done and are begging for a few days off of the bike

 

is that AZ?

 

Yes sir. Black canyon trail is about 1 hr north of Phoenix.

 

Nice Gunnar. I still have an original Roadie and love it.

 

This arrived today...
Installed and went for a test ride. Yep, it's all it's cracked up to be.

 

You'll notice that you have gained back a few additional mm of travel since there is no longer any negative spring. All my bikes have springs now. It's heavy but so am I.

 

You could stick with 1UP -- they have roof racks that function the same way as your hitch rack, and they'll work with whatever crossbar system you go with. They even sell optional parts that allow you to swap the 1UP trays between the hitch and roof racks, but you'll have to pay particular attention to which tray versions you purchase for that purpose.

Using such a setup, you could probably fit 3 up top + 1 on your hitch rack, or 2 + 2.

 

Would love to see your progress man. Keep us updated, custom stuff rocks!

Sounds like a simple tailgate pad would work for you. But if you want to keep the space in the bed for gear, you'll want to get a bed rack. I like using a combo of bed rack and hitch rack if I'm towing that many bikes. Like you said, a 4-spot rack in the back is long and unwieldy, but 2 is definitely manageable.
Here's what I settled on for the bed rack. It's 2 bike trays with a Skybox in the middle. This gives me full bed space for dirty/heavy gear, and a spot for dry storage.

I did notice, and so far I can't find a downside to this upgrade. Still have some dialing in to do, as this is mated to the GRIP2.