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

I just wear a pack. The parking at Deer Valley is far enough from the lift that it isn't worth the trip back for a snack, minor fix, etc.

 

Parks here aren’t that big haha. A water bottle and I’m good to go

 

Does anyone here use EVS TP 199 Lite knee pads? Looking at some options.

 

yep. this is what they're for. To a lesser degree, they also protect against over-extension injuries, but yea, nothing is going to protect you in all cases. Still, risk reduction is the key.

 

Having a new bike crisis over here. Thinking of getting one next spring, but having a hard time with the "but why?" part. Dang responsible adult decisions.

Current List:
Hightower
Pivot Firebird 29
Transition of some sort
Rocky Mountain Altitude

 

Have you ridden any of them?

 

That’s how I am too...I want a new road bike too though...so many decisions

 

I’m thinking Cutthroat or Racier gravel bike. I love the eary season Gravel races around here...

 

Love the Hightower. Rode one is Pisgah last year and it is was great.

Rode a couple transitions over the last 2 years. The Sentinel was too much bike for 90% of my riding, and the Scout just didn't jive with me. I do love my buddy Dakota's patrol but a 170mm bike is a little on the long side for me. I'd prefer a 150sh range bike.

Rocky Mountain is one I till need to demo,. but we have a few demo shops around here.

The firebird only peaks my interest because it comes in Seahawks colors and I can get a good deal on one local. But a 170 29er comes into the same category as the sentinel.

Maybe I need to keep the DeVinci train going in my house and demo one in PC next spring.

 

What is your current Santa Cruz lacking?

 

Hence the "but why" dilemma.

My personal feeling is that the guy that I bought it from upforked it to 160 when it was a 150 bike off the floor so I feel like the front gets overly lazy when trying to get up the techy, slow stuff.

The majority of that is probably me needing to get better at the ups because that is a part that I don't excel at, but my Stache that I haven't had the geometry monkeyed with handles way better. Stache HTA is 67.8* and the Bronson is 66*+10mm so ~65* so that's a factor, but it is such a night and day difference. Having ridden a few of my friends bikes, I didn't notice that same issue, like on the Bronson 3.0 which has a 160 fork as well but was built around it.

Edit: Add Trek Slash to the list

 

+1 for the Pivot, but not because of the Seahawks vibe

it looks pretty intense with all that travel, but it actually climbs like a champ, and fairly nimble.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=I8OJCgieas0

 

Could you not just do a fork swap and/or use something like the CaneCreek AngleSet to bring the Bronson back into your desired spec?

 

New bike > new headset

Stop with the logical and responsible choices

 

New bikes have nothing to do with logic. And you know how I feel about Devinci sooooo....

Honestly you’re just trying to convince yourself. Your SC is more than capable. More so the way it’s currently set up. IMO keep the fork, throw in a new angle set to get back 0.5.
But let’s be honest man, it’s not the bike holding you back, it’s time to ride it. Sometimes a new bike lights a fire under your ass and gets you pedaling. And that’s reason enough.

I’m a fan of the Hightower, but the Megatower, Firebird, and Spartan pedal impressively well. If I could only have one, it would be one of those 3.

 

I liked the Firebird 29 a lot when I rode it. But the front end definitely feels slack during low speed tech. It climbs really well if you're seated or locked out. That said, I think I'd kill myself in about a week if I owned that thing. Its just such a beast on the way down. All of the transitions that I have ridden were a blast on the way down, and a pig on the way up. Haven't touched a Hightower or a RM.

 

What does your current quiver list look like?

 

Sounds like you would enjoy less travel. Any of the Endurobro bikes are slouches in low speed maneuvering. Best thing @trekinit and I ever did was go down to 140mm bikes. Not as composed in the gnar but much more enjoyable in every other situation.

 

I don't know man, the great thing about longer travel is the tunable mid stroke. The Spartan (for me) seems to be a perfect all-rounder. I took the shock to Dirtlabs where they increased the negative volume, tuned up the ramp up a the end, and threw a Fox 36 fork on it. It's not that much slower going up than my 120mm Django. The shorter travel Django just has a more snappy feel, bot nowhere near as fast as the Spartan going down.
I've had several mid-travel AM-type bikes, just because I could only have one. But after owning and riding the Spartan for 1800 miles, I don't think I'd ever get a mid-travel bike again. The short travel is a blast, like a excited jack-russel. Bur riding the Spartan is like a powder day, poppy and lofty, with lots of cushion.
Having the tunable mid-stroke also makes the bike tons of fun on smoother terrain. Took it on the Phil's Trail System in Bend, and it was faster and more fun than the Troy (140mm) I had there last time. It's all about setup and preference.

 

That's a good point - setup is key - I wish I had the patience. I tend to be a set it and forget it kinda guy, who forgets to flip the climb switch after a long fire road climb so I just never use it again lol

Shoulda seen me on one of those Scott twin-loc bikes I felt like a damn airline pilot with all the switches