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Yeah man, having your own tools is key... worked in the bike biz for over 20 yrs & collected 99% of what I need and use often. That 1% is the costly bunch though and I'm always procuring more as the industry changes too.

Looking forward to this event!! I've ridden w/ LA a couple of times... Juan Pelota isn't enough to git er done on this ride .

I got tired of moving the BB threading tools, the various reamers and facers, etc. I can go to a shop or find someone here the one time in a decade (or less) I need those kinds of tools. Most of the stuff like that went to a guy who owns a shop in San Marcos. He was trying to put together a second complete set of tools. I'm glad they are somewhere they might get used occasionally rather than collecting dust in my garage...

I prefer KMC. Their 10-speed chains have a multiuse quick link, Shimano positions theirs as single use only (according to a very well respected wrench I talked to back in the day). Maybe they can be used more than once, but because of this I stick with KMC.

I have one of these on both my bikes. Been on my FS going on two years now with absolutely no issues. Not the fanciest or lightest but it's been reliable. At the price of it you could go through three of these in a year and still be out of pocket less than most big name brands. Hell at this price it would be a good backup for when your expensive dropper is being serviced! https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/us/en/brand-x-ascend-120mm-150mm-dropper-seatpost/rp-prod149024

The ability to be efficient in the rocks and stay on your bike through the chunk yet know the dozen or so spots where walking is probably a better plan are very important.

SMOKE/DART NUFF SAID.

I heard I did. But I really need to get something from him in hard form that I can show the county. They will get called for sure and they may show up since it comes so close to the bcrt. I dont want any issues. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

LA is banned for life from any usac sanctioned event. Pity. I’d love to see Jonny Moto drop him in the gnar on rattlesnake.

Holy crap, the service procedure is SUPER simple! Doable by a home mechanic, for sure. https://can.oneupcomponents.com/pages/dropper-service-instructions

Never sell tools, ever.

Chicken wire.

Stopped in the other day and they had some great deals on bikes. I don't want any of those bikes. I just need a new 10-speed Shimano chain, which they did not have.

I'm the king of ass-related advice apparently.

The OneUp Components dropper was on sale yesterday for $160 without a remote. I picked one up as a spare for when I'll need to have my Transfer serviced soon. Not sure if the coupon will still work, I found it on their Instagram page. But they look very user friendly to service, come with a 2yr warranty, and a replacement cartage is $80 outside of warranty. Plus, you can adjust the height of them.

The Reverbs are so expensive to rebuild, they force you to consider just replacing them. Every. Single. Time. Which brand has good reliability and, more importantly, is reasonable for a DIY to maintain and rebuild? I might switch to that if you can cough up the dough. I guess the other option is getting the tools and stuff to rebuild it yourself. Did you try bleeding it first?

I've been really happy with my Nobby Nics.

People should be publicly mocked and ridiculed for riding those things. The 21st century equivalent to the rollerblade

First comment is solid gold: "If you want to find out more info on these supplements that strip the body of fat, please don’t start by googling fat strippers ????"

In the car on the way to the event I was lamenting my lack of training and kept telling myself it was all going to come down to nutrition and pacing. So to get myself in the "slow down and finish" mood I followed a car on Parmer with a bike on the back that was going exactly the speed limit, but the dude kept driving slower and slower as we got closer to the park, and then I was trapped on a country road behind him with no way to pass. So I got my pacing out of the way early. I grabbed my number plate at the last second and joined the start about a third of the way back. I enjoyed the banter of those around me. "I'm from Dallas, are there rocks on this trail?" I passed a dozen or so people early but then ended up in a really good spot, where I hardly had to pass anyone and hardly anyone passed me. I ran into Dewayne who I vaguely knew from around town, and we rode a lot of the first lap together. The problem was, Dewayne was here to mountain bike while I was just trying to cling to survival by my fingernails. So he was tearing down the descents and powering up climbs, while I was worried that I was burning matches. It was a fun ride though, and we finished in about 3:20 with me feeling like I spent a little too much effort. In previous endurance events I've blown up and been scolded that I'm not eating enough, so I used this ride as an experiment in how to get a tummy ache. During the first lap I ate 2 packs of shot blocks, a honey stinger, and 24oz of gatorade. At the first pit stop I had a cream cheese, jelly, and walnut sandwich on a croissant that I figure was about 320 calories, 1/3 a tube of pringles, and some pickles. I tried to keep the stop less than 10 minutes. On the second lap I quickly ran into a guy named Don who was setting a good pace, so I tagged along. He told me stories about riding bikes thousands of miles around the country, and once again I felt like the pace was a liiiitle too quick. Food was like a video game power up though. The more I ate the better I felt. I had 1 1/2 more packs of shot blocks (getting old at this point) a honey stinger, bottle of gatorade, and another pit stop sandwich. We finished the second lap in 3:20 again. Once again I was worried I pushed the pace a little too much, but at this point I knew I could battle through a 3rd lap. Second pit stop I ate the same stuff as the first. I tried eating some macaroni and cheese but it tasted like stomach danger. This stop was probably a couple minutes longer, but less than 15. I set out alone on the third lap. Maybe five miles in a guy on a blue Chumba single speed passed me like I was standing still. It was surreal. A few minutes after that I encountered Ulisses for the Nth time. Dude was riding a single speed and had been battling cramps all day. We'd pass each other occasionally, and he didn't really stop between laps so he'd always have an early lead on me. We rode together for a half hour or so then he stopped to take a break. I couldn't imagine riding a single speed out here for a single lap. I passed mile marker 18 and realized for the first time that the signs all have text by the mile number. This one said "What sort of person would do this to them self?" I laughed out loud with no one around as I struggled to eat my 5th package of shot blocks. 3rd lap food was identical to second. I stopped at Camp Tejas to get my lights out of my pack. I met a guy named Cody there and we rode together for a few miles of the singletrack. He stopped for a second and at that point I was in hammer-to-the-finish-line mode so I rode on. I stopped and got a rock, I wanted one that was as manged as I felt. I needed lights as I entered the last rocky bit between the single track and the park. I finished the 3rd lap in about 3:45. Cody finished right behind me, and then Ulisses a few minutes after that. What an animal At the end I honestly didn't feel too bad. That probably means I should've tried to ride faster. This ride was a huge lesson for me in the role nutrition plays. I think I ate around 3500 calories, mostly on the bike. Also, I was seriously completely untrained for this. This one ride was almost 10% of my mileage for 2018. For someone who had no business being there it was alright.