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I’ve never ridden any of the trail on the traditional first loop, which includes the big Black Bear climb but I rode 20 miles of this years first loop and it was CHOCKED FULL of magnificent narrow alpine single track through pine and aspen forests. Very much worth a visit. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I've said it before on here, but I bought my Scott Scale used with a pretty big gouge in the carbon on the down tube above the BB. Then I proceeded to ride the crap out of it all around Austin (BCGB, City Park, Brushy, etc.) kicking up rocks, performing spectacular endos, and doing things that a XC race frame was never intended to do. That crack never changed, grew, or made noises. After 8 years of riding it, it finally got a crack in the seat stay that has now limited it to WC rides with my boys. I know people have different experiences with carbon frames, and there are certainly cases where a direct hit can result in the damage seen in the OP's post. But in my experience, carbon is extremely tough and resilient. My next bike will be carbon and I won't be nervous about it anymore than I would be if it was made of Aluminum.

I've bled my hopes multiple times. I've never used a bleed kit. Just get some fuel line for the waste pipe and follow the video on Hopes website. Hope's video for the Tech3 lever even says you don't need the kit, it just makes it a little easier. Just make sure your master cylinder on the lever is as level as you can get it.

Might try Oat Willies or Planet K as they cater to folks that store things in small Ziploc baggies and may have 'em in stock.

The cutting wasn't the problem. Heard that the issue was getting the olive on with a braided cable. Maybe I'll give it a go in a couple of weeks, no urgent need today as I am skipping town to beat the heat and that bike is not part of the plan.

Yeah, people go far too fast at Walnut, especially during busy times like weekends. It's far too crowded to ride fast there, especially these days. I don't really think e-bikes make much difference there. You're limited in speed by how well you corner through trees, so a fit rider with good handling skills will probably be able to go faster than the average joe on an e-bike.

With the amount of clear coat peeling away, you can tell there was significant deformation in the shape of the tube. Hurronnicane's bike needs to be repaired no doubt. The risk in riding damaged carbon is that carbon doesn't bend in the way that metal does, instead it just snaps. So, the concern is that with carbon it holds together until it doesn't and then it lets go dramatically. My rear triangle on my Scale will probably be fine to ride until I hit a significant enough bump and then with no warning it will probably collapse wedging the rear wheel in to my seat tube resulting in a hopefully comedic loss of control. With the original gouge in my down tube, I was riding pretty benign Dallas trails for months making sure the damage wasn't showing any signs of flexing (peeling clear coat, growing cracks) before deciding it was structurally sound and riding it like an enduro bike.

Neighbors bought a bike for their kid online and I offered to set it up. Took me less than 30 minutes including unboxing and getting rid of the box. They came over to pick it up and brought 2 really nice bottles of cabernet. At that rate I was probably paid ~$150/hour or so for my work. And the kid's bike was set up right.

I use Stans, not orange and the stems occasionally clog. But I can usually just pick it off the bottom, never had an issue that needed me to clean the whole thing. I do recommend getting something like this: https://www.amazon.com/Valve-Presta-Core-12-Continental/dp/B077L2DXPJ/ref=sr_1_1_sspa?keywords=presta+valve+core&qid=1564399442&s=gateway&sr=8-1-spons&psc=1&spLa=ZW5jcnlwdGVkUXVhbGlmaWVyPUExMURDSUVLWExCREhSJmVuY3J5cHRlZElkPUEwNzY1ODU3VU9YNzc1RTdDRzdIJmVuY3J5cHRlZEFkSWQ9QTAxNjA2MzExU0tFN1JEMDlLSDJLJndpZGdldE5hbWU9c3BfYXRmJmFjdGlvbj1jbGlja1JlZGlyZWN0JmRvTm90TG9nQ2xpY2s9dHJ1ZQ== Also, as someone I was riding with this weekend discovered, having a presta stem remover in their pack would be a really good thing. So buy a couple of cheap ones and toss one in your pack.

Photos of "The Short Bus" used on Santa Fe RTD 255 Mountain Trail Route I had searched trying to find more info on the rack capacity for this bus has and couldn't find a photo. So, decided to take a few and put them out on the Interwebz for others. Twelve bikes total, 3 front, 3 rear, 6 inside. See the previous post for details on how you too can use this bus to torture yourself.

The ONLY thing a local bike shop can offer is good customer service, and if they're not providing that, they'll be gone.

Out of town this week but I'll check my supply.

I had that problem with my xtrs until I increased travel to max then bled them. Bleeding them without extending the lever travel resulted in the wandering bite point and pumping up on the rear break. Still not as solid as my Hopes though.

Thanks for the report. I want to do this next year as well. I just looked over the strava for a couple of people I follow, 12k feet in 91 miles of riding (shortened due to snow at altitude.) that’s pretty epic.

Just get it fixed and get a sticker with his name and a little Texas flag on it. Instant race cred and you’re still a good parent. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

$200 for a pro to fix it. You can save a lot by not having it finished to match. Leave an ugly carbon wrap for all to see so he can think about taking care of things in the future.

I've been riding a ~2011 Niner with 10-speed and old Hope brakes. With all of the deals going on these days I managed to pick up a new 11-speed XT and some new XT brakes. Let me just say two things: 1. If you have never cut your own brake lines because you were afraid of screwing it up, it is WAY easier than you think. The front brakes come pre-cut (and close to the perfect length) and the rear takes about 2 minutes to do it right. A quick bleed and you are ready to go. I love the bleed system on Shimano, never thought I would say that, but they really do make great brakes. 2. 11-speed is dirt cheap these days, if you are not running it, take a look at it. I had a 42T on my 10-speed and going to 11-speed allowed me to get more range. I put a 32T on the front, getting me a little more top end vs. my 30T and the total gear range is better than the old 10-speed. The weird gap is between the 46T and the 37T. I rarely ride in the granny on the back (with my 42T most of my climbing was in the middle 36T) so it feels like the other options are more evenly spaced. A few hundred bucks and two hours of time were well worth it to bring this bike into the current decade. And the old bits can transition to my HT eventually so that I can get rid of the damn Elixr brakes...

Wow, if you haven't been out to Suburban Ninja for a while like me, you're in for a surprise with all the new trail. Cafeend gave me a tour yesterday and by the end, we couldn't even figure out how we made it back to the main trail. So freaking cool! Get out there and get lost, you'll be glad you did! Stop at The Peddler bike shop and give them some thanks. It's so awesome we have something like this in our backyard.

mountain biker logic- my kid broke an expensive plastic frame by letting it fall over in slow motion. Response- buy another expensive plastic frame. No apologies for this perspective: bicycles should not be made from glue and fabric. Make bikes metal again. Now get off my lawn.

I'm curious about what service is actually needed on a regular basis.

They also have it on tap at Kerbey Lane on William Cannon. Pairs great with breakfast.

I'm thinking that wasn't in an East Austin neighborhood. Althought... The way things are headed... It well could be.