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

I like my 18 points of engagement lol.

brakes for sure, safety hazard if you don’t have good brakes.

 

Go ride some good, even decent, engagement hubs and report back.

 

No. I don’t want to know haha

 

I missed the whole "freemium" subscription window due to a family emergency last year, and was pissed when I saw the subscription. After the thousands of updates I'd made to trails and conditions, I was miffed. I contacted trailforks and they totally gave me the "contributor" price.

But during that brief period when i tried switching to MTB Project, I sure was missing how much better TF works. And like others have said. I too, would much rather pay for an ad-free app experience. I loathe app adverts.

 

same here...I try to shun heat and humidity as much as possible...above 65 is too much for me for anything really; I still go out, I just tend to be more grumpy...

 

The downhill is worth the work. Kitsuma.

 

Any feedback on impressions of those MTX pads?

 

I like them a lot and I probably will stick with these for the long haul. If I was super into dh I may go with the more performance version but they have no problem stopping my 185lb ass on some steep terrain.

 

What a coincidence! I was literally logging on to search the brake pads people had mentioned recently.

I'm been using some cheapo ceramics since last season and have not been that impressed. Quite a bit of fade and seem to have less power too. They are quiet though. Maybe the MTX are worth a try.

 

Was having trouble finding shimano pads in stock for my brakes so I ordered the MTX reds and will give them a go.

 

I'd get the MTX gold label if you are worried about fade.

I got the reds and installed them on my code RSC's and I love them compared to the other pads I had on. My last pair of sram pads just never really would work right and I could never get them perfect. Never really happened before, so at some point a few months ago I lost my shit and ordered those MTX pads and picked up a new rotor too. They took a bit longer to break in than I expected but once I did they have been great and most importantly, quiet.

 

Great discussion. I think both these points are valid. There’s a point of getting diminishing returns. A $4000 bike isn’t twice the bike vs a $2000 bike but you certainly get a whole lot more enjoyment from the $4k one. But a $4000 bikes vs $8000 bike has less of a difference in experience. Will you notice a huge difference between the GX vs X01 drivetrain? Maybe not, but you most likely will with the difference between an SX and a GX. I think that $4-6k market delivers the best bang for your buck in terms of high quality and durable parts and having a nice quality frame.

edit: That being said, I really would love some carbon hoops and hydra hubs.

 

Thanks for the recommendations on Handup gloves. These feel really really nice and comfortable. Hopefully they stretch a little over time as the mediums feel pretty tight. Could just be my fat fingers lol Left some seam lines in my skin but other than that I’d surely recommend these to anyone.

 

Agreed! I have to also agree with @backcountryj that better hubs are an actual performance upgrade. I can make more technical climbs with my hydra hubs over whatever I had on before.

 

Sick! I love hand up gloves. I find that they kind of conform to my hand after a couple rides. Assuming they are currently busting at the seams they should get better

 

Updating this topic ... I ordered a set, standard size (not XL) last week and received them in two days. Very nice finish and quality. As I noted earlier, I got them because I have been experiencing forefoot pain even after trying all kinds of shoes, pedals (flat and SPD) after about 10-20 miles on typical rides and it’s pretty severe. Anyway, after installing them I played around with seat position to optimize the forward foot (arch over pedal axle) capability of these pedals and ended up lower the saddle nose a tad, sliding it forward about 1/2” and lowering the post 1/2” with dropper fully extended. Unfortunately, I decided to play around with suspension settings and increased sag a bit both front and rear (I have a 6 year old SC Tallboy2, 120/100 travel, nothing fancy).

Good news, I immediately felt stronger climbing, both on the 800’ grind from home to trailhead, and especially short punchy technical climbs on the trail. I felt I could really mash the power down in a seated position. Bad news, definitely more pedal strikes, but after dragging my bottom bracket over a log I’ve crossed countless times, I decided that my sag was just too much and it may not have been due to the longer pedals. I didn’t have a shock pump with me and endured multiple pedal strikes throughout the ride. Pumped up the shock and fork back to my usual setting and I’ll test again tomorrow. I also touched my toe against the front tire once, which normally never happens to me, but it wasn’t a problem. My older bike doesn’t have as raked a head angle as modern bikes so that may be less of an issue on newer bikes.

 

Just came in yesterday so I don’t have a ride yet, but man these free rider pros are amazing. They’re so comfortable. They blow my five ten contacts out of the water.

 

I can ship to you or whatever

https://www.instagram.com/p/CNkYus8MBs0/

 

+1 for these. Only thing I've noticed is I can easily over tighten them for when I'm driving which makes my toes go numb if I rest my heel on the floor of the truck at an odd angle. Simple fix is now I don't tie them while driving. Probably just a me thing though, and only with these shoes, but for riding 10/10