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

Got out for a ride the last couple of days....


Someone was thoughtful enough to put a picnic table at the top...needed a place to pass out after climbing



View from the other side of the trail was pretty nice

 

So it's gonna be hero dirt this weekend...?! Who wants to go down there?!

 

DAMMIT!! Group of us from PGH are heading out to Moab the 19th-27th and have a shuttle book for the WE on Mon the 22nd. I was really looking forward to doing it all from the top.

 

Without going back a few pages, I guess there's drama over Bentonville being a good place to ride? I think you nailed it w/ the last sentence. What's the person's expectation going in to Bentonville? I rode there earlier this year and absolutely loved it. The whole town has such a cool vibe to it and you're riding trails that are so well manicured. It's a place to just....ride, and have a GREAT time! I would love to live in a town where you can take trails from your backyard in to downtown, essentially ride some lines along the streets of town, stop for coffee, lunch, and ride some great trails on the way back home. I guess if I lived in BC I wouldn't plan a 10 day trip to Bentonville. Or maybe I would...for something different.
That's is totally different than going to UT or CO where you'll probably want to pack a lunch if you're out all day.
It's like talking to some of my friends around here. Some love to ride rocks at 6mph. I would rather chew on nails. I'll take a faster trail network that is more like a dirt crit where I can average 13mph on an XC loop. All about persepective, like you said.
And Fwiw, I've ridden in 44 states so far. I'd like to think I have pretty good perspective and an appreciation for all of the different types of riding available to us here in the USA
Adding another to the list next week as I'm stopping in Iowa during my road trip for a gravel race.

 

Wind tore shit up.

A bike is about so much more than numbers. Feel in hand, riding experience, and customer support is much more valuable.

I've ridden with him, we have similar taste in trails and riding. To me, his opinion was insightful.
Honestly, I have fun on 99% of the trails I ride. From DH, jump, raw, smooth, fast, slow, technical, whatever. That's why I have an Enduro and a Trail bike. I know I'd enjoy it there, but having insight as to what I would expect is helpful.

It'll melt. But the pass is at 11,000+, and late Sep/ early Oct can definitely bring snow and shut it down.
Burro pass is always a gamble. You want to ride it in the fall, but when temps down low are tolerable, the top can get snow. I've been shut down there in early Sep, and ridden it as late as last week of Oct. You just can't predict that until a couple days out.

 

Yeah a few of us in this thread have tossed our Eagle setups. Eagle is too picky for marginal gains.
With that being said, I've got one of the little cog tools if you want me to send it to you

 

Same here with the wind and blowing smoke to the coastal areas that almost never have fires/get smoky.

Agree 100%. Even tougher to compare when there isn't even a bike to sit on, let alone ride or be the correct size. This whole exercise is testing my limits and it's best for me just to go do something else. My shockless 1990 Diamondback is not even rideable now (frame) ugg........nothing but used overpriced LARGE frames around here. Ugg. Sorry.

 

Finally got the tires on that Vermont dirt this weekend! So far the Vittoria Agarro has held up on some pretty gnarly stuff.

 

It'll probably melt by this weekend. Forecast is for warmer weather around here next week.

 

That would be awesome - shoot me a PM and I can cover shipping. I'll stick with it for now since it came on the bike with the 1x12 setup, but will swap it down the road. Going tubeless next week - gotta order the valves. I let a friend down the street take the bike for today to try to tinker with it and give it a once over.

 

Where in Iowa are you planning on going? I've been to some fun trails in Des Moines and Cedar Rapids areas.

 

It might as well be Nebraska lol. It's in Glenwood IA... https://www.glenwoodgravel.com/

 

Ahhh gotcha! have fun!

 

It'll melt. Rarely do the La Sal's get snow that sticks this early on. Not until November. Also, your shtutle will drop you off as high as they can go. If Burro Pass is completely snowed in, they'll drop you off lower at like warner or kokopelli. You'll still get an awesome ride in.

 

I need to figure out how to get enough time off of work to go to Moab and use the truck and the bike? Anyone ever been successful in that venture? I have never ridden there. I used to take the truck and needed at least a week. I bet I could skinny it down a bit if I had biking to do as well. Think 10 days would be enough to do both? Given nothing breaks, the truck, the bike, or me.

 

You could spend a lifetime biking there and not get bored, but I'd say there are three must do bike rides for skilled riders. Enchilada (or at least UPS, LPS, porcupine rim), Mag 7, and captain Ahab. That's 3 days of riding and would leave you plenty of time to wheel. If you want more bike time, there are other rides that aren't quite as good, but still awesome like Klondike bluffs and slick rock.

 

Love my some Klondike. Great intro or outro ride.

 

Well, guy just texted me. Derailleur is slightly bent and he couldn't get it to shift right. He installed his NX and it shifted perfectly. Who has one for sale?