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

Yeah I think the bad guys getting all the attention is key. What I would consider the most popular trail around has been getting more vocal on wet trail use because people have been riding around gates when the gate has a big red sign saying “CLOSED.” They are obviously getting an attitude and out of the hundreds of people that don’t ride the trails when they are closed, it’s the bad guys that get all the attention. We get hit super hard with the freeze/thaw in the winter and riding during those thaw cycles seriously destroys the trail.

my complaint isn’t really specific to e-bikes but definitely a similar issue. Normally I’d say education is key but with the amount of growth it is very difficult right now.

 

I thought about just starting to print off educational materials and dropping them off at my lbs to include on all bike purchases. At least gets a bit more info out. :/

 

That would be great!

None of the trails around me seem to care much about rain because it drains so well. Of course be mindful of dragging brakes hard when wet.
One of the mountains an hour away actually has a city paid employee that digs and maintains the place. I went riding with him and the bottom fell out and everyone just kept riding.
Most of the times the group that maintains the trails will go out riding when it's raining. It's apart of a state park and they have a huge amount of financial support I believe.

I think the difference between here in the southeast and where you guys ride out west is we're not fighting for land rights.
No one that I've ever saw has pushed for bikes to be taken off the trails that are shared with hikers.

 

You do live in Alabama right?

 

Yes, not Huntsville though. Indian Springs Village right beside Oak Mtn.

I think Monte Sano club that maintains heavily despises riding when wet. However you’re moving to Huntsville you have Windrock not too far away and you can ride there during a hurricane.

 

It was slightly rhetorical to your statement about how fighting for land rights in Alabama is not an issue. I'd wager Colorado Springs has more trails/mileage than the entire state of Alabama which is just a shame. Alabama just simply has less public lands than out west so my comparison really isn't fair in that regard but mountain bikers fought hard for what little trails we have. I consider access a huge issue and the errant behavior of a single mountain biker in a place with as little trails as Alabama could create a ripple effect for years to come. I witnessed Wildwood trails almost get shutdown in Florence when we had an extremely inexperienced mountain biker accidentally ride his bike off a cliff and die. Not exactly the same issue but that would have meant 1.5 hour drive to the nearest trails for those riders in the area.

Redstone and Monte Sano both have some trails that are pretty resilient to use when wet but I get the message to the general public.

That's hilarious about Windrock! I am sure most of Oak mtn is good to go during rain or that guy is just concerned about job security

 

Here is part of a new jump line being built at wildwood. This project was free for the city and still took 24 months to get approval.

 

It’s the state park, not the club, that has the don’t ride when wet rules. The club just also “enforces” them. Monte sano just doesn’t drain well, it’s wet even when it’s dry lol. So I get it, and respect it.

 

Question! is it worth buying new? or use? I'm looking to get my full suspension. I'm leaning towards the Bronson C, Anything else similar to that bike?

 

How much knowledge do you have about bike maintenance and suspension parts? If you know what to look for used is a great way to save 40-60% off new prices. If you buy used plan to have both shocks fully serviced and depending on the age having the pivots rebuilt. Also check the frame very closely, I've been hosed before where a bike I bought had a cracked rear triangle.

Every bike I've ever seen that someone is selling as "well maintained" just means they didn't let it sit outside in the rain. What I always look for is if the bike is missing bar plugs, or the tire lettering isn't lined up with the valve stems, or there is dirt in the pivots, or the dork disk is still on the rear wheel that usually tells me to be wary of the bikes' condition.

 

Nope. Not at all. Not even a little bit. So far from reality. Sorry. And no, I don't care about my Strava times either.

See, I worked in Federal Public Land management for about ten years. This is what happens (guaranteed because I watched it happen multiple times).

Under current Federal Reg's - eBikes are classified as Motorized Use and as such are allowed on all motorized use trails. So It's not like they aren't allowed anywhere, they just aren't allowed everywhere. In Utah there are lots of places eBikes are allowed and appropriate. I fully agree with this legislation/distinction. eBikes go really fast, and should only be on trails that accommodate those speeds and offer adequate visibility.

Public land management agencies are short staffed. So, active patrolling isn't really a viable option because there ain't no money.

So this is what happens. You get a new user group that A) doesn't follow rules, (in fact when I have tried to gently educate, I get horseshit answers like "I have a disability and I'm allowed to ride wherever I want" to simply "Fuck you!") B) MTB's are already pushing the boundaries of safety before adding an extre 30lbs of mass and significantly more forward velocity.

So the poaching will continue until people start getting hurt. Wait until an eBike runs over a dog, or a kid and suddenly, the majority of trail users (not MTB) will start making noise. With no way to adequately patrol (How do you tell a Class 1 from a Class 2 bike as he whizzes past you flipping the bird?), public land managers will be forced to make a shit choice... The only way to restore safety on the trails is to close them down to all wheeled vehicles.

Now, this could be resolved with more directional trails, and trails that are only accessible to a single use group, but land, they ain't making more of it, and depending on who sits in the oval office, that precious public land is often handed off to private entities and that entire trail network goes away. So, yeah, growth needs to be curtailed, and a great way to do that is to have a decent barrier to entry.

Its the same thing with 4x4 access. Flood the roads and trails with 50% - 100% more traffic over the next two years, and you will start to see serious amounts of user conflicts, resource damage, wildlife disturbance, etc., and the only way to protect it is to shut it down to everyone.

 

I don't really know much about suspension parts. I know they just gotta adjust to your bodyweight,

 

The rear shock needs to be serviced every 50 hours of use. The fork, 100 to 150 hours. So the problem with buying used is, did the guy you are buying from do that? Probably not. So you end up with a new-to-you bike that needs $300 in repairs.

IMHO, it's better to bite the bullet and buy an mid-level bike. Like $3,000, so you don't have to learn a new skill that isn't especially easy to learn, as well as deal with a bike that is having stuff break due to neglect of the PO.

Sometimes you get lucky and can get a higher end bike for a steal, that has been owned by an enthusiast/bike shop employee, but they are rare like unicorns.

 

Thanks! I'll hold onto my money until I find that unicorn or... go new HAHAHA

 

Both shocks also have to be serviced every 50-100 hours, I usually push mine to 150-175 hours, which usually costs $100-300/shock depending on what needs fixing on it. Plan on spending at least $500/year on owning a high end bike.
The parts that need regular (usually yearly if you ride a lot or every other year) maintenance/replacement are:
Shocks
Tires and sealant
Chain
Cassette
Grips
Shift cables
Brake pads and brake bleeds
Cleaning and regreasing every bearing yearly at minimum (if you neglect them plan to replace them)

My single speed hardtail I spend $100/year maintaining, which is just new sealant every season and every other year fork rebuild.
My beater xc full suspension is double that, needing sealant, new chain, and 2 shocks rebuild every other year.
And my high end carbon mountain bike I don't even want to think about how much I spend on maintenance, that Lefty fork costs a fortune to maintain.

 

Yeah, I do the rear shock mid summer, then do a full service on both front and rear during the winter. Thats also when I have the brakes bled, just because I hate doing that.

The rest of the stuff I can mange, Brake pads, cables, derailleurs, chains. And I keep my bikes meticulously clean, so it never seems to gets out of control. But yeah, I don't track what I spend on bicycle maintenance in a year. I think of it as cheap/fun health insurance costs.

 

I send out my shocks but I think this summer I'm going to try my hand at rebuilding them, at least on my 2 cheaper mountain bikes. My Scalpel SE is too high end for me to want to be meddling with the suspension parts, especially the lefty fork.
Brake bleeds are annoying but with 6 of the 10 bikes I own having hydraulic brakes I don't want to spend the money having a shop do it.
I also do all my own bearing work except on the Scalpel and my Cutthroat, if someone messes up the carbon frame I want it to be a bike shop with insurance to fix it.

 

I read this whole thing. You make very valid points. Since you’re right, the hiker isn’t going to know the difference between electric or not.

 

I read this as well. I wouldn’t say I’m a trouble maker and if anyone ever told me not to do something, I won’t. I will not go to Monte Sano if chance of shower of course.

Oak Mtn doesn’t have anything posted nor say anything I’m assuming because of how much money they have incoming. I try to leave the trail better than I found it. I’ve picked up trash there on a ride on one of the fire roads.

It was Coldwater that I was referring to where the man works, it’s in Oxford AL. I went there day after last hurricane and there were others there. Surprisingly I only saw one small easily avoidable puddle. It’s apart of Forever Wild Land Trust also.

I’ll avoid the lower trails after a rain as they have more chance of holding water. Also, I don’t want to be wet or muddy, so I hope you didn’t take that as me hard charging mud puddles.

I’m sure you’re correct that just your zip code around Colorado Springs has more trails than our entire state.

 

A simple can service is easy, and the basic fork service is easy. But the more involved services, I have a great mechanic and I like supporting him as much as I like not worrying if I got it right.

dp