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Here's my take and take it for what you will. I am transgender, MtF. Oh I'm in Waco so you don't have to worry about sharing the trails with me. I'm mixed on the whole thing. So much that I will not enter any race or competition. I would love to but know this would happen. So I just ride for the fun of it. I can say that because I am on hormones that I have lost a lot of muscle mass. Estrogen isn't the idea hormone to be if you want muscles. Bones don't change so I can't say much about that. I would love to be alive for the day that this is solved and everyone is happy. There is no easy answer other than what has been said about making it all one class. Guess you can keep the age divisions. Most leagues require testosterone levels to be under 10ng/dL and they have to have proof it has been like this for at least 6 months. I don't think most people will do this just to win a race. There is a lot of potential health issues that can come from hormone replacement therapy.

And there it is... A view from someone actually experiencing the matter from a transgender POV. And what is being said is that, in their view, the matter is complicated. But why? Is freedom complicated? Only when it's individual freedom being sought in a community of individuals. But check this wonderful disposition out... Leafkiller says... "I'm mixed on the whole thing. So much that I will not enter any race or competition." You know what that is? It's being humble for the sake of the wider community. In other words... There's a self sacrifice being made. And self sacrifice, with a view to peaceful progress, is what good and proper community is built on. Thank you, Leafkiller.

I'm going to come right out and say thank you for providing some insight that this conversation was sorely lacking. Big props.

Can we please for the love of God bring back bartman? Just for a day? Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

I think that the way to get better at corners is to go out there and try a lap at a pace that doesn't require you to use your brakes much at all. It will feel slower than you can go but you'll have to be smooth. Slow is smooth...smooth is fast. Then you keep trying to go a little bit faster each time without using the brakes. You should find yourself leaning more and positioning the bike at the entry of the turn to keep your speed up on the exit. Pro tip: Get some Avids with wet pads because they will squeal so loud you won't want to brake anyway. When you start to hit a corner without braking, you'll come out of it faster than hammering in, braking hard, and then trying to get back on the gas. The same can't be said for trying to drive a car around a race track quickly but being smooth is always the faster line.

I actually finished the full loop in one day

Thank you all. I do need to go to Austin more and try out the trails. I also want to hit the rocks as well. I love climbing. Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

Thanks for providing the take. I'm not easily offended, but I am offended by your handle (my name is Leif).😁

I like going up the root drop.

a) It seems that you agree that it is a complex topic, not easily resolved. b) I'd ride and have a beer/mimosa with you any time. I cannot imagine the experience of feeling that my body is such a mismatch for who I feel I am that the challenges of a transition would be better than the status quo. Welcome to the forum and community!

Puzzler took me quite a while to master, but it's really not that hard with the right approach and speed. I take a line wide to left while peddling hard and blast right over the rocks, works every time. As for the drop in on the North side of the H&B at PicnicX I've never ridden it because I assumed it was cut in by riders who were too lazy to drop in over the tree roots or the the whoops. When you think about people moving the blocks or bypassing lines it makes me think of going to a friends house and rearranging their furniture to fit my needs.

After some seasons I think the pee wee team would beat the Cowboys. Sent from my SM-G960U using Tapatalk

the bikemojo.com in me feels like this thread is about to take an interesting turn. lol

Isn't the correct nomenclature for "making a personal shortcut for a race" what many refer to as "cheating" in the parlance of our times?

He who smelt it dealt it😂

Ed, you may remember an old mojo that we used to ride with that went mtf but moved to Oregon before the process started. Planning to look her up when I get out that way again. I think you hit the nail on the head with "mismatch". A lot of people think that these issues are so cut and dried, but it's really a million shades of grey and lots of in-between situations. So many of us take these things for granted.

Telescopic fork operation does provide (financial) advantages over linkage forks. Pretty sure the $1300 linkage fork would be more than the cost of my hardtail, all in.

thanks for your input from the other side of the fence. definitely adds to the thread. its not that anyone here doesn't want to ride or share trails with you, this is not about hate or prejudice or anyofthatothershit. its about fairness in the world of competitive sports. dont be passive aggressive. "guess we can keep the age divisions" - again, its mainly about fairness, and just simply categorized competition! I dont really want to see the Dallas Cowboys demolish a middle school pee-wee football team (actually i might actually want to see that) any more than id wanna see a biological man smash a womans face and skull in an MMA match. and besides, what's wrong with a little divisions between groups? its ok that everyone and everything isn't just one big blob of everythings-the-sameness. classifications are a good thing. unless you take everything personal and make yourself feel all left out about everything unnecessarily. bummer.

This'll make you feel better then

This guy's video illustrates the point well: That is basically what I wanted to film. Next I want to see a RS 32mm fork compared to a 34mm fork. Or just put a fat tire on my rigid fork and call it a day!

More sanitation at the first descent of well worth it. Someone has literally cut a line on the right. The trail is now 10 feet wide At the drop. I stacked rock and blocked the line. I will block before the race. GFY Houston. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

To your point... My daughter swims club and school so I asked her thoughts on this. To my surprise she said she would be pissed if she was at the the block and asked to swim against a person like this. She said it wouldn't be fair. If he/she used to be dude swimming against girls that person would have the build, strength, size and mass and lungs of a dude and not a chick. She went on to say that no matter what this person wants to change or think they are they are still essentially a dude in girls suit and they would smoke any girl in the pool most likely. It wouldn't be fair to ask girls to swim against a guy because we are different in so many ways. Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

My wife and i had a discussion about this over drinks on sunday. Her opinion was similar to another on here as to just do away with mens/womens categories all together and let the best rise to the top. I don't think that's a very practical idea as females could be so far down in the pack they'd probably just give up. However, i might enjoy the bloodbath of seeing coed contact sports like the NFL, boxing and MMA. Who am I to stop anyone dumb enough to get on the field/in the ring with some of these athletes😵 I think a separate trans class for DH/XC would be perfect way to shut everyone up. Use a ladder for F2M racing same and M2F racing one another until finals. Fastest trans VS fastest trans regardless of what their chromosomes are. Fair is fair right? No such thing as gender advantage in sports?.....lets find out in the trans league.

Yes, it changes the geometry. but that's not necessarily bad, it's just different than the manufacturer's design. Generally speaking when you increase travel (axle-crown distance is what really matters, but they're closely related), you slacken the head angle and raise the BB. Reach goes down a bit, and stack goes up a bit, but that can easily be compensated by swapping stem/spacers, etc. Slacker head angle is generally more stable at speed, but can be "floppy" at low speed. Eventually, if you add enough travel you'll void the frame warranty. I'm pretty sure that's because the increased HTA applies a bigger bending moment to the head tube, potentially overloading it.

I reckon if I was risking jail for stealing a car it would sure as shit not be for stealing that one. Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Anyone that steals a late model beetle gets what coming to them. I’d leave my keys in the damn thing with the door open if I were him. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

YES

That guy has a great YT channel! I've dug around there a bit in the past. IMHO his spring bike would cause you to smooth out your pedal stroke really quickly. -CJB

I think that this is at the heart of the problem with trail sanitizing. He didn't waste time developing skills! There is no such thing as wasting time developing skills. If people only care about racing and getting around the course as fast as possible, they are going to modify the course to make that happen. They should care about riding the course as fast as possible and the course is not something they get to change. It's the same for everyone so it's a level playing field.

Maybe this trail feature can be named "ATM"?

I'll remember to leave my cook stove and sleeping bag in the truck next time....and yeah, who pooped out there?!

I ran two laps back to back with decent times and felt like I could have run a third at the same pace (17-18m per lap). I'm going to go back out and give it everything I have on a single lap, but it seems that all of the turns are what's slowing me down, not the amount of effort I'm putting in. If I had the skills to get through the turns quicker then I could probably push myself closer to exhaustion by staying in a harder gear and pedaling harder throughout.

You might have finished quicker without your bikepacking setup. Be careful where you stop to consume meals - the savage scent of raw sewage out there can spoil your appetite.

Just skip to about 7:50 to see him ride the thing.

Everything flexes under load. Understanding that flex and designing around it are what keeps things from breaking. Modern telescopic forks flex and the designers know it and yet they continue to function just fine. Personally, I can’t feel the fork flex and it doesn’t impact my experience so I’ll spend my $1300 on different parts before I drop it on a linkage fork. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

As an Engineer, all machines even the big 'ol 'merican V8 is just a floppy bag of parts. Minimize and control of the flex is all you can do. I'm actually shocked it's taken this long for MTB forks to go inverted (at least sorta mainstream) and large diameter (40mm+)

Maybe so ,, But the fact that it can be bombed down into a blind area where the potential of nailing someone is legit.

I think it's an elm. But still. I know. My plan here was to armor in a way that kept the challenge. If people still dab then it needs to be re routed. I've been trying to come up with a reroute that would be just as challenging. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

That would be crazy. A coordinated effort?! Haha. I joke. But Yea man. Feel free to get that done. I have been hitting up others areas in my rare free moments. No one knows where the other trail steward is at. I think he is dead. Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

I wish there was an easier way. It'll be nice to race in the less competitive female class, but I will miss the convenience of peeing standing up.

I thought millennials ruined everything. And you damn kids keep off my lawn.

now that I finally got my hands fixed, I went out on Sat to ride the new (ish) peddlers. Gotta say, I approve...immensely! Hell, I might even ride twice this year now.

All I care about is that I'm in your head Sent from my SM-G950U using Tapatalk

I’ll embarrass myself with a strava attempt at this on my next ride, but it’s gonna be tough to wanna hammer as I will still have mulligan, picnic, deception, daves, ymca to ride after. ALL I will be thinking about is beating dumbass FirstBlood.

I generally want to set and forget my stuff, but the ramp control on my MRP Ribbon was my gateway into tweaking stuff for the ride, and it makes a big difference.

This "ass munch" knocked me out of the top 10. I'm going to use every cheater line I know to return the favor 😉: .

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I'm headed out shortly to check out new direction. Called in sick, cough, cough

If you light the gas clothes and they burn... they are a witch.