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

I’ll spend 4 grand on a bike but I’ll be damned if I have to buy a new pump so that I have a working pressure gauge

 

Shit happens. I got bucked off line the other day and double punctured the DD shorty I had on the front of my eeb. (no insert) Couldn't save it with a plug. First tire puncture in a loonnnnng time. It was an older tire so I'm not too mad about it. I have the topeak digital gauge and always check my pressures before every ride.(works on fork too ) The gauges on pumps are almost always garbage.

 

There are better gauges, but how about $10 on a

$10 ETENWOLF Digital Tire Pressure Gauge 3-200 PSI, Industrial Tire Gauge Calibrated to ANSI B40.7 Grade 2A(±0.5%), Replaceable AAA Batteries with Presta Valve Adaptor (Vivid Orange)

pressure gauge?

 

I don’t ride very hard but I make up for it hitting things bang on that a better rider might unweight for. And since going tubeless, usually with Maxxis, I’ve never had a problem even sub-20 psi. 29’er, ran 2.2 even 2.0’s on my old bike with 19 mm rims, 2.4’s now on my new bike with 35’s . My riding weight is about 170-175. Well, once I had a flat. I had a tire burp off side-hilling on Moab slickrock. Fortunately I had enough cartridges to get it to reseat because it was reluctant to seal up.

 

New grips came in.

 

Probably 200 lbs. lol.
That formula has been around for ages, from Stans when they first started doing tubeless. Modern tires, rim construction, and suspension have undoubtedly made using lower pressures more reasonable on the high end.
I usually do what @mtskibum16 does whenever I get a new setup (tires, rims, or bike). I start a little higher than I usually ride, bump down till I either hit rim too often or don't like the feel (roll, squirm, deflection).
MTB'er are usually tinkerers by nature (as are Tacoma drivers, which is likely why we've found each other here), and a MTB is an ideal playground for this. There are SO many things you can do to alter the feel of your bike. From massive changes to nuanced adjustments. If you're really in tune with your bike you can feel 1 psi change.
That said, there are better riders than me that don't change shit, pinch tires and say, "good enough", and have no idea what those dials do. Soooo, whatever makes your ride better, I guess.

 

After spending $5800 at the dentist’s office last week it was only fitting…

NBD!

$11 SB120 Connectors Flush Mount Recessed Plate (Gray-1pc)

SB120 LR T3 build.
DT Swiss 1501 carbon hoops with 240 hubs.
Ridewrap
Code RSC’s with HS2 rotors, MTX pads.
Full XO goodies.

 

The original plan was just a solo gravel ride in N. Georgia. Until the singletrack called. No one else was out there surprisingly.
Man, I almost never use the Taco anymore. This rig is just too comfy.

 

My neighbor has an lx like that. White, mild lift, I’m thinking 35s, it looks super clean but easily passed as stock so only people that know what they are seeing can tell haha. I always forget to talk to him about it

 

A beautiful day in the "Burgh" Saturday for solo SS ride...

 

Got a little trail work in today. Kind of wide but primary users will be walkers/hikers with mountain bikers secondary. Should be a chill section

 

I saw a 2024 Tacoma today in Atlanta in the new Blue Crush color (I think it was TRD OR). Gotta be honest, it looked like it had too many creases. Maybe it will grow on me. I think I'll be keeping my 1st and 3rd Gens a little bit longer.

 

Spent a couple hours doing flat cornering drills. This false spring has been nice. The body hurts but that means progress.

 

Build list for the TIRADE, should be finished by the weekend...

PIKE 130mm
Roval Control Carbon wheels, 2.6 Purgatory V2 R, 2.6 XR4 F
XO1 AXS, 10-50 XX1 cassette, XX1 chain, XX1 cranks w/32t oval
OneUp V2 dropper, Volt Ti saddle
Sram G2 Ultimate brakes, 180 R, 200 F
RF Turbine stem 40mm, OneUp carbon bar
Hellbender BB and HS

...pic's will be posted upon completion!

 

Had my first ride on the Yeti

$11 SB120 Connectors Flush Mount Recessed Plate (Gray-1pc)

SB120 over the weekend. Other than the trail being wet and slow and me being wayyy out of shape, I can tell this bike is a missile.

My last bike was a 2018 Yeti SB5+, 27.5+ bike, which I upgraded over the years to stay mostly current-ish.

The new 120, feels faster, more plush yet more supportive, and I don't think I need to be worried about the "small travel numbers" as I originally was feeling.

I'm coming from XO mechanical stuff, this XO transmission stuff is mind blowingly good.

I think at 230lbs rider weight, I was at 24.5psi front, 26psi rear for tire pressures. Rear shock needs a few more psi of air, I was blowing through most of the travel (using all but the last inch) but still felt super efficient. Once I get that rear shock in, and some dry firm dirt, this thing should really surprise me.

 

do you have any compression adjustment on the shock?

 

Yes but it needs more air, not more compression right now. I'll give it 10 more psi and see what happens. Probably ride the same trail again Wednesday just for a good back to back.

 

nice, hopefully that fixes it. I'm about the same weight and usually say close enough haha. I still need to check the volume spacers in my zeb that I have been complaining about since last summer haha

 

rainy weather is making me have to either not ride every day or change my trail plans but hey, could be worse. could be NOT riding at all. lol. Sedona never disappoints.

 

I rode my bike today. Granted it was just at a little bike park with varying jump/flow lines and some drop parks. But I can tell the stationary bike and cardio I've been doing at the gym put me at a better starting point this season than the past. But more snow this weekend

Had to re get used to moving forward and not sideways like on my snowboard lol. Especially off the ground in jumps. Took a few times to re program my brain




At least Reno’s pretty in the spring