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

Thanks for the recommendation. I went by and picked up four a few days ago. They were on sale for $8 at my local Costco. Tried them on and the fit is great. Looking forward to trying them on a ride this weekend.

 

yeah...oil slick has gone through 2 cycles of love/hate in the BMX world...and raw is still my most favorite colorway...raw with blue accents is what I would tend towards

oil slick looks good in small doses

 

Trends are kind of fun to watch - BMX is the 12-16 year olds, and then 10 years later they land on MTB as 22-26 year olds, bringing the trends with them.

 

Been a while since I have posted. Spring time in AZ is perfect!

 

no offence, but idk how people ride without droppers. ive been considering converting my commuter to 1x and use the left paddle for a dropper too.

 

Not sure if your referencing me / my photo above or not, but no offense taken. I’ve been riding for around 15 yrs. Never used a dropper, I like simplicity which i why I ride SS a lot. I just want my stuff to work when I need it too. Maybe I don’t know what I’m missing, if one came my way or I found a smoking deal on one I would try it, just don’t want to spend money on something I’m not sure that I need.

 

I have used quite a bit without issue.

I threw a dropper on my hardtail after converting to 1x9 and it's totally transformed the bike.

 

Man, you must have HULK size calves. lol.

 

Droppers being a game changer is so very subjective in my mind. Don’t get me wrong, I run them and see the advantages to them. I also put in plenty of miles on terrain where I never use it because there’s literally no benefit to having on the adjustability on those rides.

To me it’s a bit closed minded to think they’re completely necessary on every bike and for every rider just as it is to think they’re purely a novelty.

 

Good recent discussion on bike transportation methods. I think I finally found my nirvana. Had a 2017 with a trifold Tonneau
cover - and like to use a tailgate pad. The problem was that If I wanted to leave the cover on and put my bikes in the back, I had to fold up the cover using the struts and then I couldn't see out the rear window. Otherwise, I had to take the cover off.

And with the cover AND tailgate pad on, there was no way to secure anything in the bed because the top of the cover would rest against the tailgate pad and couldn't latch.

FYI: I also have a one-up that I can use if I need the bed (longer trips, etc), but much prefer the protection of the bikes in the back.

With my new 2021, I did a bunch of research on rolling covers, specifically to find one where the cannister didn't take up so much room a bike wouldn't fit into the back, as well as one that would lock in place anywhere along the rails. Wanted the Retrax, but the cannister stuck out too much. Enter the Gatortrax.... fits perfectly, although admittedly my bike is a medium, so a large might be a bit tougher.

I can easily fit 4-6 bikes in the back, although 99% of the time it's just two. When not in use or I'm out on the trail, I can roll the cover up to the tailgate pad and lock in place. May not be waterproof, but I never really put anything in the bed that I need to worry about.

Not a cheap setup, and YMMV, but this works great for me.

 

I would give up rear suspension before I'd give up a dropper. Maybe front suspension too. Not saying everyone absolutely must have one, but if you spend any real time on something other than smooth XC tracks you owe it to yourself to try it out.

 

Yo @honda50r did I win that prize pack or nah?

 

Yea my truck came with a mx4 so I have the same issue with that exact pad. If the truck didn't have the mx4 I woulda bought one like that. I just take off the mx4 when its time I ride a lot. And take off tailgate pad when Its too hot to ride.

 

My SS is Rawdog

 

it was since i saw the chameleon.

yea its not necessary at all, i know a guy around here that rides a SS and i dont think he has a dropper, just a remote to lock his fork. dude is faster than most people i know, both up and down. no idea how he does it, must be his vegan power.

i remember moving to a dropper and it was worlds of difference. it was also a sllightly slacker bike, but still a 29er hard tail.

i listen to mountain bike radio, just riding along more than anything else. they live out in Buena Vista Colorado and they mentioned a hard tail doesnt need a dropper, which i thought was silly, and i mentioned it to the fast vegan, and maybe thats about when he put a dropper on its been awhile. but with the way these world cup xc courses have been getting, a dropper helps tremendously.

 

Went out last night on my 26" HT - forgot how much fun that thing is and how easy it is to flick around with such tiny wheels. Was a blast.

Then as I took a corner and the seat broke, I realized "oh I'm fat..."

IN MY DEFENSE the seat was cheap, and had taken a lot of bail outs and was pretty close to failing and I thought to myself "oh yeah I should replace that" and then just never did. At least it was just while I was on some local trails with a short 1/4 mi walk out to my truck. Probably get a new saddle and then sell it off, stick to my full squishy and get a rigid commuter - knobby tires when it's 95% a road warrior now is shenanigans.

 

I also dont run a dropper on my SS (see above) but am neither fast nor vegan.

 

I do enjoy me a full rigid singlespeed 29er, haven't ridden one in a while but it is a good time. makes me appreciate a dropper post and suspension haha.

 

$$$$$$$$$$$$$, and they take up so much of the bed. But otherwise those things are nice.

Every tried to waterproof a tacoma bed? It's a disaster. You can try, but it would be easier to get a 4Runner and not try. I have a bed mat and a soft topper, between those, my gear in the back stays dry enough. Wouldn't trust it with a bag of sodium, but it does enough. But to "full on" waterproof is a PITA.




I have my 20" BMX still if I want something full rigid to flick around and have fun on. I should take it to work with me a few days sometime soon, there's a skatepark I could hit up during lunch "Hey boss, can't come back to work today. No, not sick....broke my arm during lunch, see you tomorrow"

I may just do that soon....Gotta clean up my garage though to stash 3 bikes easy access because right now my garage is a disaster.

 

do it and take some pics. there are some dirt jumps and a skate park pretty close to my work. deff came back covered in dirt a couple days