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

Well with the soft top up the tailgate pad doesn’t work as well thus the need for a hitch rack. But I do enjoy the simplicity of a tailgate pad.

 

It’s been a long time since I have ridden in NC. But south of Raleigh is a public trail if I remember correctly called San Lee. There was a cool older man building jump lines and doing a ton of maintenance back then so they were super clean. Definitely worth a ride if you’re local.

 

Would you say 140mm is the sweet spot for a do it all trail bike that can handle dh park days every now and then? Thinking Transition Scout, Occam, SB140 or
Hightower. Also considering SB130.

 

That one mile long rock garden is no joke either.

 

SB130 with a 55mm stroke coil for 137mm travel will do everything you need.

 

This is why I love living out West. More public land than you can shake a stick at and trail organizations have a lot of pull.

My time in NC saw two of my local trail systems destroyed and it broke my heart.

 

I'm still getting familiar with my new Scout but it works pretty well as a trail bike. I'm coming from a RM Altitude and this bike is extremely nimble in comparison and it corners like a dream. Sometimes those dreams turn into nightmares because I'm coming out of corners way faster into obstacles I normally have a lot more time to react to.

 

That's the problem that Raleigh has, no strong trail advocates. By contrast, in Charlotte we have the Tarheel Trailblazers. I bitch that the close the trails when there is a light dew in the morning, but at the end of the day, they are the reason that I have have 250+ miles of trail within 30 minutes of my front door. (which I know if not much compared to out West, but it's a lot for here)

 

I'm not a 27.5 guy, but that new squared off frame is beautiful.

 

Ok, this news makes Charlotte look acceptable for a place to live.

Also, when you bought your SB130, did you consider the 100?

 

Transition Sentinel under me is 160/140 F/R and is a machine. Pedals uphill really well for the size, and can do easy greens with a buddy to chunder in St George. A few of us hit a local big flow line here last weekend in line with bike park height tables, etc and it ate them up no sweat.

 

I did not. The 100 didn't really feel like enough bike for Pisgah, and I'm riding there every other week. Add that to your list of why Charlotte is good to live in, best biking on the East Coast is 2 hours away.

If I still was in RDU, where I only got to WNC a couple times a year, I would be on the 100. I'm actually thinking about picking up the SB115 (that doesn't exist yet shhhhh) for Charlotte and leaving the SB130 in Asheville.

 

I'd put that firmly in the Endro category, no?

 

That is good news. I honestly wish Colorado Springs would do some trail closures on certain trail systems that have high clay content in the trail when its wet. Red Rock Open Space here in town gets overrun with hikers(not fair to call them this because real hikers know better) and it looks like a buffalo herd went through the trails.

 

I saw a sentinel picture the other day with the extra tube stored right behind the seat post and lower linkage. Was that your bike? I've got these two screws for a carrying tools on my top tube but I like the idea of keeping the weight lower.

 

Sorta. The 140 in back really makes it feel like less of a bruiser than the 160 up front makes it seem. Admittedly though, if there isn't a rocky section, etc, I usually reach for my Stache on pedally days.

If he's looking at the scout aka Mini Sentinel, that'd be my recommendation.

 

Ha!

Good information, thank you.

 

I've seen a friend rip downhill parks on an occam and even one on an older salsa horsethief. 140-150 is pretty damn good as a one bike quiver. i'm running 160r 160f. it's a bear on some days when I wish I had lower travel but it really shines on the downhills. eats up tech and i'm learning how to corner better and better on this thing.

 

OH oh, I was thinking it was 150 out back.

 

Nope, Mines in a Bedrock bag above the linkage. In the area you describe always gets packed with debris and mud and doesnt seem a good place for a fix it kit.