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

So finally after having this sit in the garage for two years, I built up the frame into a single speed bike.

 

Ride don't slide.

 

That yellow looks awesome.....what gearing are you running? Single speeds have been a bucket list bike for a while, but would be concerned the short punchy hill climbs and rooty/rocky tech around me would be the death of my knees.

 

32/20. And yeah it beats up my legs on climbs.

 

ooof, on most short punches, that's probably not far from where I'm at, probably closer to 1-1, but completely losing the ability to make that a 32/51 is absolutely daunting. I try to stay out of the big cog in the rear, but when that bail out is needed, it's a life saver. I can't imagine trying to find through a bonk on 32/20 gears!

 

I only go on trails I’ve ridden before so I’m kind of getting ready to anticipate where I’m going to need more POWAAAH.

If you come to a standstill tho, you’re walking until you get enough momentum.

I used to ride the trails in Central Florida on single speeds, and I’ve found that I’m not the young man I used to be.

 

Riding SS will change the way you ride geared bikes too. There was a decade when I was younger where 80% of my riding was SS, on a steel frame I brazed up myself!

 

First time testing this setup.

I'm usually a tailgate pad guy but wanted a lockable option for added security while still keeping the bike in the bed for quick loading and unloading. Probably the strangest way I've ever mounted a bike, but much more difficult to steal and I can still fit under the Chick-fil-A drive-thru

 

any one interested in a new New shimano GRX 820 full groupo minus crankset? Pulled it off from 2024 pinarello gravel bike. Forgot to add new set of 700c Fulcrim red 500 alloy gravel wheels.

 

Barely too late for me, just put a full SRAM setup on mine a couple months ago!

 

Blasphemy, going down in tire size.
285/65r16



to
265/75r16 going from the MT K02 to the Bridgestone AT tires I immediately noticed how smooth and quiet the ride home was. Plus I’m not carrying 4 boat anchors. E rated sidewalls are stinking heavy for a midsize.

 

Caught a nice evening ride after work. Cut it a bit short cause the fog was rolling in and I didnt bring a jacket.

 

Losing my love for it.

Refunded my bike park pass. Northstar is pretty awful with terrain management. Half the mountain still closed, and what is open, has awful braking bumps on the second weekend of the season. They turn on the sprinklers to help with dust yea, then it floods the trail to the point theres large puddles across the whole trail and you cant clear the section of jumps after it with how much speed gets sucked away from you. They did try to add some new features this season for what is open. Only issue is not a single person on the mountain was riding them because they were wayyyy too lippy for how long the jump was. I sat there for literally 20 mins taking a break and stretching out a stiff ankle. And even the dudes who clearly have the skill to do so (the crazy ones that do backflips and wild kinda stuff) were just riding around them.

Just not worth the money when theres better maintained and constructed trails for FREE nearby.

Then theres the issue that I don't have cartilage in my knee so pedaling is quite literally doing damage to my knee slowly. It's not comfortable without painkillers, which is a bad position to be in. Can't get steroid based injections for pain either since I'm 21. Doc doesn't want me building a tolerance to roids. I refuse to be reliant on painkillers, but then the ride is uncomfortable/painful which sucks the fun out of it.

Tough spot to be in. I'll still ride just not as much as I hoped when I bought the firebird :/

Shuttle rides are definitely the answer just tough to coordinate especially when I don't have friends who ride as well. 99% of the time I'm ridin solo. Think I'll be done with mountain bikes once I'm graduated and living somewhere I can get a second car as a project/backroads & track vehicle.

Snowboarding in winter is a similar scenario. I can ride powder when I get to take pressure off my lead leg(the really bad one). but any kind of impact on groomers or when the board starts chopping when trying to stop real fast. Just pain.

Not looking for pity. But definitely upset and really discouraged. Go ride yall's bikes for me and have fun

 

Been thinking of getting mine closer to stock more and more lately.

If yours was an offroad I’d try and sweet talk you into a bumper/fender flare swap/sale.

 

I feel ya.

I have a pretty fucked up right knee and my orthopedist actually told me that biking is the safest form of exercise compared to jogging and hiking and other things which are more weight-bearing.

I’ve lost so much cartilage, one leg is actually shorter than the other now.

 

Stock is good but the stock leaf springs are so bad. I only have a cap, small drawer with tools and 1up and the springs are upside down. I’m planning on putting dakars on mine here soon

 

Yea the rear springs are poop. I’m on icon RXT packs, option 2 with a camper shell. No real asperations to swap the suspension, but possibly the other easy to swap aftermarket stuff may go. Been thinking of going to a tundra. Taco fits my trucks needs, but my kids seem to keep getting bigger.

 

I'm a little bit older than you (well, OK- more than just a little bit) and bone on bone on both knees as well so I feel your pain. Research PRP shots. Don't do steroid injections for your arthritis as they have been proven to do more long term harm than good. The one thing that also hurts my knees is that any pedaling with the saddle lowered aggravates my knee arthritis so I only use the dropper when going down something steep.

 

I can’t imagine having kids with a Tacoma haha. We go to Maine every summer and between me, my gf, our dog and all my gear the truck is packed down haha

 

I have a love / hate relationship with the fenders. I don't think they look bad being unpainted, but then I think to myself it looks unfinished. idk