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

No class till 4:30 today. planned to go do a big 15-20 mile ride in tahoe. Mentally want it. Got out of bed and knee had way more pain to it than a normal morning. bummer. Now's peak time to ride tahoe.

Was gonna do Cold creek to Star lake for those of you that know tahoe area.

 

Put a new rear bumper on the truck and that involved figuring out a solution for my 1up rack.

Easiest solution was a straight 18” Curt hitch extension bar, made from solid bar stock (where it inserts) so it’s like 40lbs.

Seeing how this is a super high clearance bumper and the hitch is behind the plate the rack is WAY up in the air.

Sticker bombed the extension because my bag of stickers is overflowing

 

For the people with 1 up racks. Can you open your tailgate fully without a bike?! I have a KUaT but I needed to add an extension piece to move it out to be able to drop my tailgate.

 

I can on my third gen if it’s in the flat position. I want to say the 1st tray is going to be covered by the tailgate though since the 1up sits much tighter to the truck than other racks. I can try to get a picture later

 

cool. Thanks that would be great.

 

Yep, or with a bike on

 

I use the Rakattach so I can swing the rack away with my bike in the first tray. I frequently need to access the bed for my flyfishing stuff so it's convenient (I have a tonneau). Also great if you wanted to be able to sit on the tailgate. However, pricey, heavy and adds length to your rig which can be an issue based on your garage situation.

 

Yea with normal stock setup and the arms closed you can open the tailgate no problem. You can tilt it down with a bike on and open it also. Just be sure to move your pedal out of the way

 

This thing has my palms and Arrival sweating...

 

Managed to get my hands on the new Schwalbe radial construction tire. I absolutely love the Magic Mary, and I'm very familiar with it, so that's the tread I went with to compare side-by-side with the Super Trail, ultra-soft, 2.6. This tire was the Trail Pro, ultra-soft, 2.5. I love that they finally went with 2.5. The 2.6 was bit wide, and the 2.4 narrow.
I usually ride a gravity-type tire, not DH, and not trail. But with this tire I thought I'd give the trail tire a shot since it comes in my preferred compound and it's weight and construction might work for my use-case on the big bike. Plus, it gave ma chance to compare directly with the tire that came off, which still had plenty of life in it so the wear was not a factor.
I took the reviews recommendation and added 3 psi to my normal pressure, from 22 to 25 psi. I was definitely hesitant to do so, as most of the time this pressure results in some serious pinging and lack of traction.
First off, the feel is VERY different. Super supple, tons of feedback, but muted. At 25psi the tire never pinged. I felt a tiny lack of traction on some super steep, rooted, rocky, loose sections. But those sections always have a lack of traction, so I'm not sure if it was the pressures or not.
I definitely hit some rocks HARD, and expected at least a nice loud 'thunk' from the rims, but nope. Again, probably the higher pressure.
You can really feel this tire conform to the surfaces better. It has TONS of grip, great feel, and looks like it'll hold up to abuse.
With the narrower width is also a more rounded profile, which makes the bike feel faster to change direction and hold a line. I was definitely taking turns with more weight on the front from more confidence in its ability to grip and not wash out or roll the tire.
I'm going to drop to 24 psi and re-ride, I think that'll be the sweet spot.
Definitely my new go-to tire. I dropped nearly 150g off the tire, and it's feel and grip is superior to both Assegai DD and Magic Mary ST. Precise, grippy, supple, and tough (so far). I really hope the grip and knobs last like they usually do.
For reference to my usual tires:
Assegai Double Down MaxxGrip 2.5- 1370g.
Magic Mary Super Trail Ultra Soft 2.6 - 1370g.
Magic Mary Trail Pro Ultra Soft 2.5 - 1220g.

I also decided to try a new rear tire; the Conti Kryptotal Fr. I've been running the Kryptotal Re for two years now, exclusively. But a friend told me to give it a try this time of year (loose, sometimes wet, unpredictable). So far, it's been great. Not much change in rolling speed, but holy hell does it grip. It's got a big ol' channel between the center and middle knobs, so once it's leaned it bites hard. Plus the center really brakes hard. I know the compound (soft) and casing (enduro) hold up well, and the weight is exactly the same (1165 g.), so it's just testing out if the tread is much different. Coincidently, also a fairly light weight tire for its durability, about 100g lighter than the Maxxis DHR2 equivalent. Together I lost about 1/2 lb in rolling weight, and it is noticeable. So far, no issues with pinch flatting or rolling.

 

Noice review. I'm curious to try those radials. I think I'll do the same as you and get a MM for the front since it's getting later in the season. So the radial didn't feel more side to side rolley at all? I'm also stoked for the 2.5 size.

I have been loving the Tacky Chan for summer around here. They've got grip for days when you lean on them with less squirm than the MM on loose stuff, but are just as good in the really powdery stuff. MM is definitely better on slabs though, just more rubber down at all points. I have the super trails on my trail bike and the super gravity on the big bike. No issues with either of them. Schwalbe has definitely got their casing durability dialed in. I do have to run the super gravity a lil higher in the PSI not to ping them in the park. I have a DH version for the rear on standby to try out here shortly. Hoping it feels a bit more muted than the SG, lower pressure might be the equalizer.

 

Propain gets slept on, they make really nice bikes imo. The park build swedish gold spindrift has got me lookin. Their HQ is actually right down the street from me. They're hosting a shuttle/demo day at my local hill next weekend so maybe I can demo one of these new Spindrifts then.

 

Didn't feel more roll at all, but that could definitely be from the higher pressure. Actually felt more precise.
I think they're definitely a more flexible casing, so at the same pressure I imagine it would roll a bit. It even feels different just pinching it with your hands. I inflated it to 22 psi first (my usual) and it felt low, like 17 psi would.
Haven't tried the TC, but it looks like it could lay down a serious turn.
I would definitely run a Super Gravity, or Gravity Pro, on the rear. But I've never really liked any of their tires for the rear. Conti won my loyalty. I can run their enduro casing and it really hold up super well. That apex insert is thiiiick.

Let me know what you think! I'm really considering selling the Arrival and getting a custom one from them. The CF with Ohlins fork, Vivid shock, XO transmission, and DT wheel set is 6K. If it pedals as well as the Arrival 170, I'm sold.
Not because I don't LOVE my Arrival, it's the best bike I've ever had. But the fit of the Spindrift is much better for me. I had to run the large Arrival, and I'm only 5'8". It's just a little long in reach for me, but the wheelbase is immense at 1275. The Spindrift is 1250ish, slightly shorter reach, and with a smaller rear wheel the longer 445 chain stays work great.

 

Spent the holiday weekend camping near Sebago Lake in Maine. Normally try to bring the mountain bike and ride some local trails when camping, but the area we were staying was sorely lacking in any decent single track. With the family being there, not a fan of driving 40+ minutes to a trail network and losing over an hour of the day commuting and eating into the 'ride time before getting a stink-eye'. Settled on bringing the gravel bike and mixing pavement with the unpaved roads in the area - was able to ride right from the campground which is always a plus.

Nothing super exciting out there, but some of the rolling hill climbs were leg burners to say the least. Luckily what goes up must come down

 

I can open the tailgate without a bike. The rack needs to be flat and the arms shouldn't be open, and this is with the rack pretty close to the truck. but my tailgate works just fine. bonus: I still have my tailgate pad on and it still clears everything.

If there are bikes on the rack, If it's only 2 bikes, I just lwoer the rack and make sure the pedals and cranks are in the correct position and the tailgate will open fully as well with no interference.

 

Considering converting my Ti hardtail to single speed. Who wants to talk me into it or out of it?!?!

I used to ride a steel SS 26" bike back in Corallis, OR. The trails there were less steep and there was a good bit of service road climbs to get to the singletrack. It was mostly about getting out and exploring the forest. I gave it up about 10 years ago and never considered it in Utah. I use my Ti hardtail for easier group rides and commuting, so having gears makes it really convenient for those things. I'm now planning to build up my old CX frame for road/gravel/commuting and was thinking that maybe I'd convert the hardtail to SS and just use it when I want to make the local rides feel different.

Details:
Ti custom frame, 29er, 140 Pike, 1x9 (old Sram XO with 11-34 cassette)

 

oh man...don't do it. because then you'll become on of those people and start to crush UT climbs that no mere mortal should do even with 12 speeds. you'll become so cool that you're hipster cool. you'll become so fit you'll become xc fit. you'll become so interesting the "most interesting man in the world" finally will have some challenge....so don't do it. ;P

 

I run lower gears for my SS out in ID. 34X21 on a 26". Rode that bike for a decade. Not so much SS these days though.

 

DO IT!! I started SSing last Nov. and absolutely love it. It has made me a stronger rider on my geared bikes also. I didn't think it was for me, getting a bit older, thinking my knees couldn't take it, possibly struggling on my rides. The simplicity is awesome...You prolly know this though having a SS in the past.

The only thing that would concern me with my limited experience is a 140 fork on a SS. You could stiffen up the compression I guess but it seems like it would rob some power, out of the saddle. That being said, Just DO IT!

 

I hope everyone had a great holiday weekend! I sure did...



I couldn't resist the Smuggler frame sale. I love the TransAm but it was killing my left wrist (needs surgery). I realized that most of my parts would swap over to the Smuggler, so I went for it. So now I have this left over...a frame with headset, dropper and brake adapter.



I finally got the Smuggler built on Monday, after realizing on Sunday that my brake hose, shifter and chain were all too short. Anyway, I'm up and running and hoping to have fun fall riding with this new setup that I've affectionately dubbed "The Snuggler."