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

Mine had 1 token installed from the factory, purchased from Fanatik. It was a 170 Zeb Ultimate with C3 damper.
Ended up with about 3-5 psi less than low-end rec, 0 tokens, 0 HSC, middle LSC, middle rebound. That helped me use more travel under bigger hits, kept composed/higher under braking and g-outs.
Seeing how much travel you're using in the back compared to the front, the balance definitely seems skewed. Might be the fork, might be the shock, might be how you're weighing the bike. I was having issues with that coming into a longer reach bike, re-learning my weight distribution to properly weigh the front. Trusting the front is scary sometimes, but once you find that magic balance point around a turn it really shines. I'm used to ~455 reach, this one has ~465.

 

Oh, and did a super fun ride yesterday. Almost 4K in elevation, looong downhill to the bottom.
From the top..


Middle third...


Bottom third...

 

my front to rear balance is definitely part of the issue but that still leaves the issue of how harsh it feels to even hit that much travel. That picture was the end of the day after opening LSC and HSC all the way up. I'd have to check what I have my rebound at, I think it is 5 clicks out

Reach on my ripley is 475 vs 485 on the spire but the spire also has a 63* headtube vs the ripley at 65.5*. With that said I think I have F/R balance issues on the Ripley too haha. After I lowered the pressure on the fork on my ripley a little bit I felt much more comfortable staying forward.

In general it was my first bike park day in a few years and only like my 3rd ride on trails mostly worthy of the spire so I'm still getting used to it for sure.

 

Those pictures are amazing. Jealous of you guys that live near big mountain trails. We make up for it here with the technical terrain, but to be able to have that sort of descent near you is awesome. My longest downhill locally is about 300'

 

Anyone else haul their bike like this? I don't like it...it twists and bounces and puts weird stresses on the fork and truck rail. I could definitely see it bending the bed rail over time. Am I overthinking it? Probably, but I don't like it.

 

I hauled my bike for years like that without issue. I don’t anymore my, I’ve got an above bed rack. No removing of the front wheel necessary.

 

Not gonna disagree with your assessment. I could see both the bike and the rail seeing some unorthodox stress. Probably not to a level of concern though.

I guess my first thought was simply, why load the bike that way? Are you not lowering the tailgate due to loose items in the bed you want contained? A tailgate pad, or a moving blanket/towel, is great carrying method for open bed applications.

 

Put the tailgate down so you can position the bike straight out instead of at an angle maybe?

 

I have rock chips all over my tailgate from towing my dirt bikes that way. I'd like to avoid it.

I do have KB Voodoo bars that I typically mount it to and that works fine, but I do like removing the bars and bed cover from time to time to get full access to the bed. I'm always tweaking the setup. We'll see what I land on.

 

Looks weird, but check out the Rocky Mounts van mount rail. It holds the bike in the same position.

 

Finally tried out my Bomberstrap. I figured I would post up in case anyone was curious. Overall cool product. I DM'ed them on IG and they give a discount for Tacoma owners. Overall, once you get the straps all set, it's pretty nice. The straps fasten with magnets, so it's just critical to get the tension correct at the beginning and then from there, it's really easy to get the bike on and off. My only complaint is the bike still seems to sway around a bit, but it was the same with my normal tailgate pad. So I still use a couple extra straps to secure the bike, so it doesn't move or sway at all. but that is just me being particular. But if you want a quick pad that goes on and off easily and is easy to store, then it's maybe worth checking out.

 

I haul my bikes this way, except mine is a 6ft bed so, the angle isn't necessary. I will say tho, I wouldnt worry about the bed rail. One bike isn't that heavy. I've hauled 2-3 MTB on dirt roads, with no damage to the rail/ composite bed.

 

I wanted a rack that I didn’t have to remove the front wheel and could also haul more stuff in the bed.

Love this system.

 

I really want to ride that DVO stuff. Digressive shock path is a neat differentiator

You would scoff at the dents/scratches on my truck from other activities but...tailgate pad all day

 

Very nice!!!
Which bike rack is that? Seems more convenient to be on top of the bed.

 

I'm a big fan so far. I only did a short ride, but it had a couple up and downs that were about as gnarly as I generally ride (short, steep with some good chunk both up and down). I'll see how it breaks in but initial impressions are high. I did have the custom tune, I'm not sure how it would have felt if I just ran the standard shock and messed with volume spacers, pressure and adjustment knobs on my own (or how long it would have taken me to make it feel right). I didn't really know what to expect, I was coming off of a decent shock already but man, I'm sold and wish I knew what I know now when I bought my fork. I would have bought the DVO fork to go along with it.

 

F*ck me. 4k feet? You go roadie or fatbike in the winter to keep in riding shape? Trails round here are still half snowed in so I can get about 1500 feet in but still so early that I'm cooked after that over 3 miles.

Thursday I'm going to check Mr.toads segment of Tahoe rim trail. See how high I can get up since it's still snowed in up top the way you'd normally loop that trail. supposedly 1600-1700 feet are clear?

 

any issues with the tire rubbing on the tailgate? i wouldn't think it would cause any problems, but something i ran into when i was looking at half pads

 

You are way overthinking this. Your fork will see so much more stress from riding then it ever will being tied down in your truck. Those rails hold up my dirt bikes with no issues.

 

Yakima Bedrock: They offer two different heights, I opted for the lower version, less money, still pricey.

https://www.rackwarehouse.com/produ...MIjZuiwpnB_wIVxB99Ch3NdABIEAQYESABEgJib_D_BwE

Then you add as many Front Loaders as you want, one for each bike.

https://www.autoanything.com/bike-r...MIwt65oprB_wIVDBKtBh1JrAWiEAQYASABEgLTt_D_BwE


It’s all a pricey system but man it takes seconds [not minutes] to load and unload. And the convenience factor of not removing the front wheel and being able to store lots under or even sleep under is worth it to me.