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

Yea I bet it is a lot nicer on a full as it is definitely rough on my hardtail. It is rare that I do the full loop and will usually just do one or two loops depending on which ones and then do some hiking or fishing for a couple of hours to enjoy my day out there which is what I did today, did A and B and then hiked the Lakeview trail.

 

Damn you're outdoorsy as fuck bro

I'm kidding (sort of)

 

Ha! I do the same thing. Love my sprayer. Easy to toss in the truck, no batteries or power needed, doubles as a camp shower (with someone spraying you down). Plus, just enough power to get crud off the bike without hurting any of the bearings.

 

I think this is the route I'll take. Powered systems are nice but may be more than I really need.

 

I had the same problem. I use a 2" drop hitch.

 

WesternNC Bikes 'n Tacos group ride report: Everyone survived and there are no permanent injuries that I'm aware of. Many trails were climbed, downhills bombed, stories shared, shins and egos bruised, and beers drunk. Good times were had.

Don't want to post any faces without permission, so here's a money shot near the top of Big Rock trail in Dupont State Forest. It was basically a vertical climb up one gigantic slab of slick rock, and then bombing down both sides of it...craziness.

 

Re: Bike hydration... there are loads of bag mfrs that have been making solutions for holding bottles for years now. My personal favorite and go-to is Revelate Mtn. Feedbag if the ride is over 3 hours and/or I'm not making loops near my truck.

Short rides; there's two bottle cages on the bike and they're easy enough to grab from on local trails.

Distance setup from the last time I raced Cohutta100 w/ 3 bottles on board:

 

that'shawt.jpeg

 

Now with cranks... ordered the wrong bushing.. Had to stare at this thing all weekend knowing I cant tune the shock or even ride it. Its been awful.



We have named the bike #YEETCANNON and my wife ordered a sticker for the chainstay. Good times

 

I do vinyl work on the side, so if you want any more personalization stuff for the steed, lemme know. I'd be glad to help.

 

Man, Wish I would have known!


I actually ordered some used gold XX1 cranks from this dude on pinkbike for $200. Dude ended up being super shady and i think sold them to someone else for more money. I let him know i was going to report him and he ended up sending me these black XX1 cranks that are brand new for the same price. Bummed they arent gold. Happy with them being new instead of used.

 

Anyone have any good tips or resources on trail dog training? Adopted Draco on Friday and fully intend to bring him with as much as I can.

 

Next post I will try and be way more outdoorsy then.

 

Best training is to walk him every day.
Routine is key.
At first (1-2yrs), when you walk him, you need to change directions frequently, at random times. This will get the dog to learn that he is watching you, at all times and reacting to your moves. This is about a 15min kinda thing. Then take him to get a reward like a treat, and give it to him in his crate.
Allow him to process what he has done, he got rewarded and he is in a place (crate) that serves as 2 purposes.
- a safe haven for the dog
- a place for him to go when you need him to crated.
Most important thing for a dog to learn is stay and come. All the other stuff is icing.
Last thing, Be The Boss! A dog with any intelligence is gonna test you, figure out your weakness and exploit it.
A well trained dog is the best!
Take him everywhere you go, socialize with people and other animals.

 

Trails dogs are the best, congrats. Most important part is the dog obeying 100% all the time. Otherwise you will be chasing the dog more than it will be chasing you!

 

He gets walked twice a day so far and I intend to continue. Once in the morning before work to tire him out a bit, and then once in the evening to get it all out of his system after being home all day. Haven;t gotten a crate yet, and was sort of against it, but a few people have made me start to come around the last few days.

Yep. We're still working on the "I'm the boss" part. After a couple days, he's starting to realize we don't keep walking till you sit, etc.

 

Best training is to walk him every day.
Routine is key.
At first (1-2yrs), when you walk him, you need to change directions frequently, at random times. This will get the dog to learn that he is watching you, at all times and reacting to your moves. This is about a 15min kinda thing. Then take him to get a reward like a treat, and give it to him in his crate.
Allow him to process what he has done, he got rewarded and he is in a place (crate) that serves as 2 purposes.
- a safe haven for the dog
- a place for him to go when you need him to crated.
Most important thing for a dog to learn is stay and come. All the other stuff is icing.
Last thing, Be The Boss! A dog with any intelligence is gonna test you, figure out your weakness and exploit it.
A well trained dog is the best!

Your already rolling then. Remember to not just walk in a straight line or the same path. It’s important to make to mix it up. Start...stop, about face, walk 30’ about face 90, you see where I am going with this.
Getting him out is great, have him keep his eye on you is what your after.

Congrats on the family addition.

 

We just got "basic walking" down, so I'll start the "advanced walking" in a bit once he's got the basics down.

 

Stoked for you buddy! Miss having a puppers in my life.
Definitely get the crate. Not just for you, but for him. It'll end up being his safe place, somewhere to go when he's stressed, needing rest, or just wants some personal space. It makes traveling tons easier for both of you as well. When you go somewhere new, having his place there takes a lot of stress off. A folding crate worked great for us.
My pup loved hers for 10+ years. We put a blanket on top (that smelled like us) to make it feel like a den.

 

Adopted my trail dog too, start him walking next to the bike just to get used to it, then riding with a leash next to bike. Work up to trails from there. Key is he has got to stay with you and yield to other bikers on the trail. To be honest it can be really unsafe for you, the dog, and others. I pretty much just take my dog when I'm on a trial that I know we have a low chance of seeing other people. But if you get him trained up right, maybe you can get him to send like this:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=b-PzQc65suU

Edit: bonus pictures from Kitsuma this weekend.