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

Good point. Not gonna lie. I got curious once @Gunshot-6A posted to glance at smugglers and noticed the sale....man I do love those bikes, and the parts kits don’t seem to be a bad deal either.

Does anyone know if the ‘18 smuggler has the same geo numbers are the current model?

 

Yeah, the one I am going to look at is a GX, so I would save ~700 over new, and then get to skip out on Washington's 10% sales tax and whatever shipping is. Prob about 1K less than if I got it new

 

@Coot83 could tell you, but I think yes.

 

Can't go wrong with a sentinel though. That was on my short list for a long time.

 

Yeah, the Transition models seem to be better priced than a lot of the bigger names. Their HQ staff is raf AF too. Nothing like turning your demo in followed by "Hey man, wanna beer?"

 

Talk about law of diminishing returns

NBD party in Geezy?

 

haha. I likely won't be getting a new bike. as tempting as it is. Just finishing up a new ski setup so monies are tied up. but i'm always down for a good ride. I wish Moab was still primo.

 

Eagle Mountain has some pretty good stuff and is only a 35 min drive for me in Sandy if you're ever looking for a riding partner. Handles the winter wet months pretty well too.

 

Yeah, I live not too far from EaMo. I'll hit you up. This weekend might be a ski weekend given the storm we're getting. I have been meaning to hit EaMo up given all the reports I've seen about conditions out there. Just not the same type of fun as corner canyon's Jacobs or Rush. :/

 

Rush is a flow trail, Jacobs is a chunky flow trail. (although both are fun trails) Eamo actually has some pretty great trails like Gunslinger that are fast AF and more chundery, and Creed is a short and bumpy riot! I'm busy this weekend too, but let's figure it out! Worst case, I live 7 minutes from the CC Eq Center, so we could totally get some spring laps in.

 

I love both Jacob's and Rush. Yeah, Let's plan out a EaMo day sooner or later. I live not too far from the EQ Center as well so short and easy to get to. especially after work I just hurry on over. Can't wait for summertime when it's primo northern utah weather.

 

Several people have already provided some solid advice on where to start. My main advice: start small and don’t get overwhelmed. Early on there will be jobs you can and jobs you can’t do, so just do some research and start small.

I started with a robust multitool, pedal wrench, shock pump, and some lubes. This can do probably 50-60% of all bike jobs, and cost very little $.


If you want to start tackling more specific jobs like your fork / bar swap. Invest in a pipe cutter or my favorite, the saw guide. My guide has a line for hacksaw blades and carbon saw blades, and I have used it around the house too. Also as mentioned, the pvc trick (use a pipe cap) makes a solid crown race tool. Star nut setters are nice but can be worked around, cable cutters too. A better chain tool is helpful, and I have made a headset install tool from threaded rod and washers before I bought my proper press.


Just keep chipping away at it, and it becomes an illness that has no cure. Eventually you might end up going thru one of the tool kits and finding all sorts of crap you forgot you had, and finding tons of $$ in little parts spread out everywhere.



I actually got a little pumped up finding neat stuff when I was digging out tools for those first couple of pics.

But the one big tool that many people overlook with working on bikes is the mighty Plano box. Take out a screw. Save it. Change a spacer. Save it. Get spare brake adapters, save em. I have 3-4 plano boxes of small pieces, and that is where the over decade of working on bikes has put me to a bad ass level where I can now go to bike shops when I want to hang out, and not when I need too. The secret is this is where bike shops earn their keep too.



With your new fork, decide if you want to spend $40-50 on new tools or bike shop fees, then take a bite at a time. Eventually you have the tools and experience to assemble bikes while sitting on the couch in the dead of winter.

 

They bumped the Jeffsy up 10mm too, to 160mm front/back

 

Invaluable advice.

I took the same approach with my woodworking tools. I’m still merely a hobbyist, but now I rarely approach a project that I don’t already possess the tools required to create whatever I have in mind.

My challenge is to learn the most ideal bike tools to acquire incrementally.

 

They did?! Jeez. All bikes are becoming one bike....lol

 

Nice post and well said. I would tag on by recommending a bike stand and bluetooth speaker - makes maintenance days more enjoyable

 

+1 on PVC crown race tool. Ive set many crown races this way.

Have a 2020 Specialized P3 on the way. It'll be nice to have a small bike for the pump tracks that are popping up and the occasional bmx outing.

 

If any of you guys are in the mid-Atlantic area I’m hosting a no-drop Gravelduro event. There’s plenty of camping nearby.




Approx- elevation. This is from Strava when I did the loop last time.

 

I just set the race on a incandescent lightbulb to warm it up, then drop it on. It’s amazing how much they expand with heat. I do the same with large roller bearings in transmissions I overhaul.

 

and a beer fridge