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

2017 Trek Fuel EX8 27-Plus with my 2017 Tacoma. I love them both!...

 

After 3 seasons I've retired the Smuggler and picked up a 2018 Hightower LT, last in my size that my LBS had in stock and managed a deal since the 2019s are already on the floor. DPX2 rear shock is going on tomorrow. Never thought I'd be a VPP guy but I'm a believer after demoing a few of SC's bikes. Now the real question is, do I swap the Hope brakes over and continue the orange theme or let the frame be the loud part of the bike?

 

Hey guys I really need my transition gone :/. Anyone lookin for a killer custom built rig ridden only 3 times let me know. 2018 patrol size m
Rct3 fork
Full xt/XTR/Saint kit
Hope hubs, Fox dropper and more. Pm or text if interested. 9546558316 asking $4200 shipped to the lower 48!

 

Still buzzing from a trip to Western NC last weekend. Rode Kerr Scott Lake in Wilkesboro, Rocky Knob in Boone, and shuttled some tracks in the Wilson Creek area of Pisgah. Kona Honzo is the bike. The bike rips and can hang with the full squish bikes, but the hardtail will still whoop your a$$, no questions asked.





Old pic of my uncle. Bikes and Toyotas run in the family.

 

I got a smuggler and I love mine. How does the Hightower measure up?

 

Finally got a decent ride in at Montana de Oro State Park today. 63 degrees at the trailhead, rode up into the clouds. Beautiful day.

 

The Smuggler is an amazing bike, I'm going to miss it for sure. They're both similar in the sense that they're really playful and snappy 29ers but the Hightower is a slacker, more downhill oriented bike. The Smuggler is more of a tank where as the Hightower feels more nimble. I like the VPP because it still gives me the trail feedback and responsiveness of a shorter travel bike but gets really plush in the mid to low stroke of the suspension. I do a lot of climbing where I live so I wanted a bigger bike that could pedal well but still hold its own at our local bike park. In the end of the day, the VPP and Santa Cruz's warranty sold me. The new Smuggler and Sentinel were on my short list.

 

Muddy ride on the river bottom horse trails.



brought some nature home with me.



Squeaky clean!

 

Damn that's a serious consensus...appreciate the feed back on that and pretty cool that the head angle is even more slack. I have contemplated looking at buying an alloy sentinel frame, but then again the smuggler does a pretty good job. The only issue my smuggler has is due to the 110mm travel Im scared to go off big drops thinking I might blow something up. How much did your hightower run?

 

Saturday, I'm in Oakland, CA. Sunday, I'm in the ATL.

 

Posted in a different thread but in case others might be interested I just got my Yakima Gatekeeper in yesterday. Install was easy and took it right on the highway going 80+ and no movement at all. Appears to have good build quality the straps are sturdy and the whole thing feels well made. Fits the new Tacoma perfectly. Backup camera works perfectly with it on.

 

First road trip/off road experience, Pismo Beach.

 

If you have a 2017 Smuggler or older you should have 115mm of travel (not that it matters cause it's still not a lot of travel). I wouldn't be afraid to push that bike though, it rides like it has way more travel than that as I'm sure you know. I've put that thing through the ringer and it's held up to many drops, jumps, and cases. I got the Hightower LT at a 10% discount off the the S build kit w/ GX. Not a lot but it offset the cost of a new rear shock right out of the gate

 

Talk to me about your thoughts on that Jones bar. I've looked at one for a long while now, but never pulled the trigger.

 

I vote move the hopes over! OR Hope is coming out with 6 pots soon!

 

Interested to know more on the jones bar as well. My buddy has one on his Kona Unit and I got to ride it this past weekend but just a quick ride on the street. It felt good. There’s more hand positions you can utilize but I’d like to know how it feels on a trial.

 

I think I'm leaning towards moving the brakes over. I can't even imagine how much power 6 pistons will have, 4 is pretty grabby already.

 

+1 for moving the hopes over. I couldn't imagine 6 pots, i'd send myself over the handlebars a lot.

 

Nice ride at ski bowl yesterday with my colleague and transition tr500 twin.

 

I only have experience with two pot brakes, but friends have told me that 4 pot is harder to adjust to keep from dragging ... between caliper alignment and keeping twice as many pistons to clean so they retract cleanly. Is this true or just old-school conservatism?