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

vital MTB has a great video on the release too with less interesting comments.

 

The county I live in and the one I do most of my ride in have closed parks except for exercising alone. Fairfax, the county I usually ride in, has closed parks unless you can ride to them. In theory I could do that but it’s not practical especially right now.

I’m riding this out with my parents in MA though, we are about 1 miles from a solid trail but from what I’ve heard it’s been super packed...not ideal.

 

Any recommendations on jackets for riding?

Patagonia Houdini and the dirt roamer are what I know of so far. Something light and breathable.

 

I got the patagonia dirt roamer jacket and its really nice and breathable. I would have never paid the retail for it though. I caught it on a really good sale.

 

Locally, I've been riding my kingdom 4 or 5 times a week. But my annual spring trips to Moab and Grand Junction, CO are trashed. Supposed to be riding the Half Enchilada this weekend, but no bueno. Tears Fears and Beers in Ely, NV this June is probably in the gutter too, but I don't think they have declared it yet.

Was also planning to go see my 'gram up in Bellingham (and prob Whistler) this summer and spend a week with her / riding trails but that's prob a no-go at this point. Esp if it means putting an elderly person at risk on top of the travel/MTB risk factors.

In short, 2020 = The Big Ghey

 

They closed our downhill trails - certain local gov't officials think they know what is best for everyone and are restricting basic freedoms.

 

Nope, not yet atleast... Couple of our main trail systems in NJ are still open, however today our Governor said he is now closing all parks throughout NJ because of the complaints people have been calling in about with poeple gathering at the them. So we will see what that entails in the next few days.

 

Posted some stuff on the classifieds page. Take a look if you want/need a dropper or a fat bike.

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...e-parts-for-sale.539769/page-18#post-23100002

https://www.tacomaworld.com/threads...e-parts-for-sale.539769/page-18#post-23100051

 

Damn the fattie is tempting...I’d be all over it if I lived somewhere with more snow but I don’t and have the Stache haha. Would be nice to leave at my parents house where they get a good amount of snow.

 

My fattie is basically a "Stache Plus" with an bonus hint of "Beep Beep, Muthafucka" on the downs. It's unstoppable. There's a reason I had to put Zee's on it. Then you click to the small 22T front ring and can pedal up walls.

 

Is there a reason so have a fat bike other than snow? Don't see many of them in NC.

 

I got it for the snow, and then out of curiousity at the advice of a friend, took it on a trail called "Thunder Mountain" down by Bryce Canyon that can be a little sandy in parts. That extra float helped in a few sections, and the low gearing made a few punchy with med tech climbs a walk in the park. NC is pretty temperate though, and doesnt have a lot of sand aside from the shoreline.

 

Yeah I could see how the "float" would be awesome for snow! But now that I am thinking about it I don't really see many new Plus bikes even around here, they were kind getting popular a couple years ago, I demo'd one but couldnt get the tire pressure right. Too low and it got squirmy on hard turns, too much pressure and there was no benefit of the bigger tire, just heavy to pedal. I hated it, I'm sure there is a sweet spot though.

 

Once regular tires were offered in sizes like 2.6, it kinda took the wind out of the plus tire sails.

 

That makes sense, I run a 2.5 up front and 2.3 rear and that seems like the best of both worlds.

 

2.5 / 2.4 here and I agree. My stache runs 29x3 though and I feel like I can really lean into the turns with that.

 

Sandy beaches...
My neighbor's borealis near most westerly point of continental US.

 

Can anyone school me on crank spindle standards/specs?

I’m looking to go to 170mm crank arms with my next build, but I feel like I’m getting lost on all the specs. Is it even realistic to buy a crank/spindle setup without knowing what frame it will be used on?

Yes. I are dumbs.

 

It's my understanding you just want the shiniest cranks you can get.