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

The white one is the one I’ve been running, and one of the black and copper/kashima is mine the other my brothers. You ever look at a FF and think… “these things are sweet!”



the coolest and oldest helmet I’ve got from the old MX days.

Shoei is the cats meow. All that padding.

 

@jubei I hit the blue line 2x after doing a warmup down the green. Honestly I think the blue line is easier because the banks are less aggressive BUT there are some jumps so managing speed is important. Radar was good when I headed out but found it raining when I got there. Snuck in between rain and sunset

 

What are you running? I was torn between 2x and 1x but as a newb who still wants to run easier XC and gravel trails I wanted the additional gear. I could probably get away with a nice 1x12(?) Setup though

Likewise the hardtail is a better ride for me, even with a locked out rear shock I don't like pedaling uphill lol

 

I feel you on the FF. My brother gave me his carbon TLD D3. It’s so damn nice I don’t know whether to wear it or put it out as artwork. So light and fits like a glove.

 

Oof, couldnt imagine coming to Disney World when you you have Disney Land in your back yard. Florida summers are brutal.

It depends how far you want to drive. In my opinion the best trails in the state are Alafia/Santos and they are about a 2 hours drive from Orlando. There are shops close to each park that rent bikes. There are some trails east of Orlando but I dont know enough about them.

 

Rhanks. This was actually helpful. I don’t think I’ll want to venture too far off. Maybe just stick with golf and fishing while there haha.

Side comment: we were originally going on a Disney cruise but COVID messed that up, so using that towards a Disney Worls trip to treat the kiddos.

 

I had/have a set. The spokes are just straight pull steel that any bike shop would most likely stock. I had an issue with the aluminum rim, 4 nipple holes were fatiguing and pulling thru the rim. They were a year old and i'm bigger than average, 215 kitted up so I wasn't too upset. Bought a pair of DIY carbon wheels and had my shop lace them up.

That being said I would definitely buy another set for 600.00 just for the HYDRA hubs. Probably not for 975.00...

edit: DIY Carbon

 

I'm not in the market for a new bike (yet), but I can't help myself looking. I've found myself absolutely drooling over this one:

It's the Alchemy Arktos 135 and it's dead sexy!

 

The frame warranty expired 5 years ago anyway...

 

Great, so I do see they're not the same spokes as they're more expensive offering and actually have nipples.

The guy messaged me this morning stating he would take $600 shipped.

Buy the gray one for $800 off... Also, see activejunky.com for extra 3% cashback.

 

I mean, that's pretty much the cost of the hubs alone.
But, the 28H is not as stiff or reliable as the 32H. Should be fine on a light(er) use trail bike, but I wouldn't use them to smash.

 

dang that's a good deal! I've never heard of active junky, may have to try it out.

 

XTR cranks 24/34, XT cassette 11-42, XT derailleur, SRAM chain 1170, XT/XTR shifters. In the lowest gear it is close to an 1x 11-50 with a 32 crank (I have not done gear inches calculations, it is IMHO by feel as I do have another bike FS wit the SRAM 10-50 set up). I also run a Reba 120 fork. I use the HT (Scott Scale) for long distance racing - Leadville 100 and the series, Firecracker 50, etc as these are climbing events and the HT climbs very well. My set up is particular for the events that I do. On my other bike, Intense Primer FS, I run a SRAM X01 1x 10-50 and it works well

I like the Shimano due to 1) two sided shifting down - you can downshift with your thumb or forefinger, even multiple shifts to a bigger gear - SRAM does not offer this 2) Having the 2x I can immediately shift into the big ring on trails and get a bigger gear after a corner or small rise or short climb (personal preference) vs multiple clicks with a 1x and 3) to me the Shimano is quieter than a SRAM - again my opinion - I can not stand noise drive trains or noises coming from them (OCD), especially when you are on the bike for 5-10 hr. The downside is that 2x cranks and chain rings are getting harder to find.

I have ridden the new Shimano 1x and they work very well, even the SLX level, smooth. For Shimano 12 speed 1x you can get a 10-51, a smidge bigger than a 10-50, and you can notice it. SRAM came out with a 1x 10-52 but you also need a specific rear derailleur, all costing more $$

In the end a 12 sp 1x SRAM or Shimano will work fine for you and both have good ranges that are equivalent to a 2x set up without crushing your bank account.

 

I'm not the only one on here that uses activejunky.com, but if you use it can you sign up through that little link above lol.

I've done the math on those Alchemy bikes, and they're a bargain for what you're getting. Also IIRC they look like a yeti because the same person who designed the linkage design also designed theirs.

 

Didn't see the $800 off, I'd be looking at the Arktos 135 so topping out at $5,199. Still more than I really want or need to spend at the present time... Just window shopping

 

Same designer was at Santa Cruz and I think YT. I was reading up on their Sine suspension.

 

That $5,200 is with $800 off, the bigger bikes have more expensive components is reason for price difference. All of those bikes can be converted, to cover whichever travel range you want.

 

I get it, I meant I didn't realize the gray option was $800 cheaper than the others. The conversion kits they advertise seem pretty neat. I'd imagine it's not an inexpensive endeavor, sounds like it's a new fork, shock and rear link so probably a $3k parts kit? I'm really intrigued by their bikes, they look awesome and seem to be well reviewed. I really am just window shopping at the moment. I'm still rocking my Polygon T7 that I sank too much money into, but I do really like that bike. It's 150F/140R and is really all the bike I need, I've upgraded a lot of parts on it so far (some with your help), but obviously would love to have a shiny new carbon bike.

 

At $600 shipped I’d get them if you’re in the market, and the driver matches your drivetrain.

It’s funny you mention AJ. Both sets of I9 Enduros I’ve purchased I ordered from backcountry.com when they run their 20% sales. Couple that with AJ, which is typically 8-12% off with backcountry, I’ve been all in for just over $800 for the wheelset after tax/shipping.

That’s obviously much more than $600. But still better than full list and still have full I9 warranty. The 28 spoke has given me no issues. But I am a lightweight and I likely don’t push a wheelset as hard as many others do.

 

Just signed up through your link and downloaded their app, I’ll give them a whirl.