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OK, did a Ripley demo last night at WC before the rain hit, but the real test will be today (gonna hit the greenbelt). Initial thoughts are that this thing is smooth and sweet. I liked it, but the one nagging feeling was that the seat tube angle seemed too steep. It felt like I was sitting on top of the crank instead of sitting more towards the rear wheel. In beer conversations after the ride it became apparent that 76deg seat tube angle is the new black and everyone is heading in that direction. Oddly, that puts the Stumpjumper back on the front burner and pushes the Tallboy to the back. Truth be told, a 76deg seat tube angle is not the worst thing in the world, I could live with that if I had to, but it was not that 110% fit like a glove ride. The cockpit felt a little cramped so I pulled the 35mm stem and put on a 70mm stem. Instant difference. Here's the impact: slow speed steep climbing, where you need a lot of torque and tend to stand, is easier with a longer stem. The shorter stem is better for longer, sustained climbing where you are actually seated most of the time (or have enough speed that when you stand for the last few cranks it still feels stable.) An immediate stand at the start of a climb with a 35mm stem is really noodly. As a bonus on the Stumpjumper, it has the 51mm offset for the fork and comes with a Fox 34 standard (and I could hold on to my Pike as a backup). It is becoming more interesting as I think about it. More bikes to try, more riding to get done.

The trend right now with "Modern Geometry" is to position the rider further over the front wheel. Due to the slacker HT angles and burlier, better damped front forks of today, you can weight the front end more for better cornering traction without the increased risk of going OTB. The front end has better traction and the fork is able to soak up the big hits. This is especially valuable in an enduro situation with more corners being combined with steeper terrain. As someone who is more accustom to traditional geometry where the weight is further over the back wheel, it's an odd feeling I'm sure. Talk to Nando, he's had a similar learning experience with his bike and learning that the bike can be ridden harder when he trusts the bike and leans a little more in to the front end. Hopefully your greenbelt ride goes well today. It might take a little while for it to "click". You also might size up to an XL, get a bit longer reach without having to go with a longer old skool XC stem.

Dude, you know his money is all tied up in small business startup stuff...

Hey guys......I think he's doubling down. Seriously though....... What we got here....... Is........ a failure to communicate.

At least while in Santa Fe you may be able to narrow down which handlebar basket you will put on the new ride.

When I was 15 or 16 my mom took me to grocery store and sent me in to get her something while she waited outside. Inside I ran into a few girls I knew from school. I said hi. They giggled and smiled. My ego was stoked. I go back out to the car and my mom asked how it went , noticing my shit eaten grin. I told her about the hot chicks I ran into and how they were all smiling at me. She asked me if it was because they liked me or was it the gigantic booger on the end of my nose. What I thought the girls were all smiling at wasn't me after all. I was the fool thinking one thing when in fact I couldn't have been more wrong. Call it how you want. You are wrong Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Finally made this. Dunno how, exactly. Just looked straight through trees as I approached the ledge, and rode right through. I think I keep getting hung up by looking at the ledge. Line perpendicular to ledge points at that tree on the left, so I always turn a bit that way, then end up riding right into it. This last time, I don't think I even looked at the stupid rocks and just rode through the tree gap. I should probably do that more often (not look at stupid rocks.) As far as 1/4 Notch goes, last obstacle I need to work on is up sponge bob. Smashed a testicle last time I tried, though. Not in a hurry to repeat that.

I'll be expecting you to buy my Chris King 135mm wheel set soon.

I'm going to be doing the same thing to my cruiser frame, just in reverse. Needs to fit new, standard rear dropout spacing. Steel is really forgiving to these kind of things. I am the frankenbiker, so I have shoved 27.5x2.35 on a 26er mtb frame, and even 29x35mm onto the same frame. I now turned an old school 29er voodoo frame into a monstercross with adding 2.2 Ikons and drop bars. Old stuff is way more fun and more flexible than these new damn standards.

Yea sorry, been slacking. Started my first day in a new role so hard to leave the office to scope things out. Wife said we just got rain. I’ll be home in the next hour and can let you know how things are then.

That bike sure is purdy!

Just use the ignore feature. Don't throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Yesterday, demoing the latest Ripley "Wow, I like this bike, just don't know if it is THE one...someone send me a sign" <Starts pouring> Later, at the brewery... "Yeah, I liked it, just not sure if it is the one, I really need a sign" <Literally a goddamn rainbow appears> One last jaunt on the greenbelt this morning... "Starting to warm up to this bike, I just wish I knew if it was the right one, I need a sign" <Starts raining again> I just wish I knew for sure...

OMG babies are cannibals!

Huh? If it was a booger eating joke, then it was necessarily a reference to cannibalism. And if it's your own boogers you're eating, its auto-cannibalism.

I check in once a month to see if he is here and then promptly leave. If the admins want value of the website, they would IP ban and all future users that appear to be him under discretionary authority. See you in a few months. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I wonder if this makes a difference in suspension development - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tY3wT1_HrgI Most of the suspension technologies trickle down from other places. Motorcycle motocross is some of the most directly applicable. And the riders are testing both of them.

At 70mm?!? Oh boy I'm screwed... -CJB

Yeah, they still have e-bikes for rent in the normal commuter variety, just not the full squish ones.

You should put a spoiler alert on the title for those that watch the races days later.

That is an interesting bike. The price is right, but the travel is only 120mm on the fork with the only dealer being out in Dripping Springs. Will add it to the rotation and see what happens.

Braap Black! Bringing it tonight? In other Ibis news, the Ripmo now comes in AL flavors and is MUCH more affordable. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

What you will find about sleep as you get older is that the wakeup time is anchored in stone. If you want to impact your total sleep time, you need to work on starting earlier.

For those who prefer a smooth IPA, this is a good one to try!