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

I would not advise using it, it will work no doubt but its heavy and the tape sucks up the sealant. Like others said its a mess man. If the ape tape is your only recourse then go for it.

Orange seal makes really wide rim tape i'm sure you could find some on line to suit your needs. If the rims are tubeless ready and the tires are tubeless ready you only need to cover the spoke holes with any tape if you put it on correctly. No need to go bead to bead with any tape. The equipment today is amazing. You only need sealant to stop leaks from pinch flats or thorns ect...You do not need sealant to seat a tire or for it to hold air, its a big myth. Like i said cover the spoke hole so you don't leak sealant and your good to go.

 

If I end up riding in the mountains more then I might do DHF front and rear but I don’t need it for most riding around me. I almost went Dissector front but decided to stick with what I know for the front

 

Hey folks, just found this thread, here is my taco and my bike. I drove from Indiana to Whistler not too long ago and hit a whole lotta trails in between
^ Rocky Mountain National Park

^ Grand Teton National Park

^ Squamish BC

 

Noooooooooooooo UPS came late today during the one afternoon time I wasn't at home . Welp there's always tomorrow

 

Do post how you like 'em. There's way to loose dirt, boarderline sand, around Socal trails. Front tire washed out on me this weekend, and its got me thinking about knobbier tires.

 

Hey, welcome. I've ridden Brown County in Indiana a few times, there's some epic trails there. Highly recommend it to anyone passing through that area.

 

Yeah Brown County is fun, definitely some great XC in Indiana if that's your jam!

 

I'm running a 2.5" DHF/2.4" Forekaster (new) and the DHF is the limiting factor in my tire setup. The Forekaster has really impressed me as a rear tire for my Mayhem 130.

 

That’s interesting, have you tried the forekaster on the front?

 

Assegai front

 

Heard about this place last week. Apparently it's just really visually appealing flow trails? Sounds neat especially in Indiana

 

It's hand-cut singletrack designed for mountain biking, so really good flow, but not what I would consider groomed flow trails like you see these days. It's been a few years, so they may have added some flow tracks. It's on the IMBA list of Epic Rides. Good pizza in Bloomington.

 

It’s called their “Van Tray”. Each sold individually, right and left handed.

 

Do the IMBA-endorsed ride centers carry value with you? Honest question - we are having some internal discussions and it's a divisive issue. Knoxville would qualify for Gold instantly but there are many locals that are not interested. I would be curious to hear your perception of what that endorsement means

 

you didn't ask me but I'll give my opinion since it's TW haha

When I first started mountain biking back in 2010, I had no idea what I was doing. When I searched for mountain biking on google, IMBA was one of the first things that showed up even though at the time there were like 2 or 3 ride centers in the United States. I ended up going to school in Harrisonburg which if I remember correctly was the first ride center on the east coast. This was about the time (from what I could) that the IMBA sustainable trail design started taking off. I think it was like 2012 or 2013 that fountainhead (in Northern Virginia) got completely rebuilt with a design from IMBA's trail solutions or whatever it's called. Massanutten Western Slope also started getting the IMBA treatment with local twist because Massanutten mountain is a super rough and technical mountain to begin with. Slowly some of the national forest trails also started getting the IMBA influence. One thing to note is that the GWNF has some IMBA trails but it's all what I would call backcountry riding so there is only so much that can influence those trails.

All that to say, I think IMBA is a good connection to have if you want new people to come to your area. Even though IMBA trails seem to be "simple" to get newer riders out there, that doesn't prohibit a group from having some wild trails too. From what I could tell with the two local chapters I've been influenced by, SVBC and MORE, it all comes down to the culture and the riders in those groups. If you've got a solid group of people that want awesome trails then it will be super successful (which it seems like you guys have down there). It also comes down to the builders, some of the people that build in Harrisonburg can build some awesome "flow" trails that still challenge a lot of riders.

 

Eh, we were just using it to find places to ride over a long weekend. I'm not sure if they changed their stance, but I recall that IMBA wasn't interested in challenging the "ban" of mountain bikes in most wilderness areas, and this ticked a lot of people off. Mountain biking has taken off quite a bit, and I'm not sure IMBA endorsement has the same value that it once did. That said, as @113tac mentioned, it's a place people will likely find when looking for trail info or planning a trip. Getting your trails on their list puts them in pretty good company, and people planning a trip may see it and take a route through your area that they might not have otherwise.

In a nutshell, I certainly don't think it can hurt, and likely it would drive some additional traffic your way. I'd be interested in hearing why it is a divisive issue.

I just looked it up, and it appears that Brown County now is a bronze-level "Ride Center" and not an Epic. Heck, Bentonville is only Silver. But I did see that there are several Epics near me (Womble, Ouachita, Syllamo, Upper Buffalo). I need to get out more. I've done parts of Syllamo, and I've heard Upper Buffalo is awesome.

 

I'm not too familiar with how IMBA works on a national/international level, but for local trails here in colorado springs, it seems the city is more damaging to mountain bike trails than the local IMBA chapter.

Theres a joke running with the freeride/dh guys around here that when they see RMFI (rocky mountain field institute) that means the good trails are gone. idk, its an interesting concept. people go out and build pirate trails that are way fun loose sketchy big, but dangerous. city doesn't want the liability and the local imba chapter can deny responsibility because they didn't make it. while these pirate trails are rad af, ive heard the city is threatening to tear our all the mountain bike trails? idk too many details, but how do we get super awesome trails within a city without someone taking responsibility? guess that party doesn't need to be imba, but it does give unfamiliar parties a sense of comfort knowing a group on an international level is following their process for fun/safe trails? its still early and i havent finished my coffee yet

 

I didn't agree with IMBA's position, or lack thereof, on the mountain bike ban, but I have definitely enjoyed quite a few of their "IMBA Epic" routes throughout the country. Their direct support for local groups is also worthy of appreciation IMO.

 

This is a problem for us diggers in northern Utah. Ultimately, it all boils down to your relationship with the area manager (USFS/Parks&Rec,etc), and who that manager is as a person. Even with stiff liability policies, theres wiggle room that they can hit you with or can vouch for you on.

Draper, which has the biggest and most expansive network, is very shy about making "gnar" trials, they're also the most bureaucratic so getting trails pitched/designed is much harder. They even went so far as to deny a "squirrel catcher" feature preceding a jump line that could get newer people hurt. Kinda wild that they want to limit liability, but then deny features that would limit exposure to some degree...I digress.

Eagle Mountain, however, their parks and rec group is super receptive to our trail building ideas and have embraced that MTB tourism is a good thing. A fair portion of them are riders as well so it makes pitching techier trails a more likely proposition. We still have our squabbles with them, but they are much easier to work with, are happy to find funding, and even stepped in to shoot a trail network promo video.

 

I think there's a couple of things that make local governments a bit wary of difficult features on land under their management. Liability is certainly one, but also their rescue infrastructure has to be considered -- funded and trained properly, with the right equipment. Of course, this has ties into liability. Land managers likely depend on local governments to provide emergency services. But, injuries can occur on even simple trails -- my worst crashes tend to be in the fall when leaves are covering wet areas/holes/roots/rocks on relatively smooth singletrack. Surprise! Luckily I've never been carted out. When I lived in the STL area, there were several different orgs to deal with (cities, multiple state orgs, counties, etc.). The St. Charles county parks department seemed to be the most open and easy to deal with, and even had "Trail Closed" signs at some trailheads when it was too wet or we were in the freeze/thaw cycle. We flagged a potential downhill-only line at one of their parks, not particularly gnarly (but with some good potential in spots), but we couldn't get it to move. I think it was talked about for like 3 years. It was a remote park, but there was good access for emergency vehicles to the spot we chose.

Anyway, there's a lot to consider. Luckily I live in an area that has good support for the sport at all levels. I personally tend to avoid the overly groomed stuff that we seem to be popular for. Most of the stuff you see here has easy lines around features, or the features are built in a way that you can easily roll one side or do full send on the other, allowing for progression. But, you can still get yourself in over your head pretty easily.