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Finally got it built up... not bad for under $100. Thanks to those that helped... Now, where's that first cold front?

Annnnd scene. Got a little setup work, but I have verified from my demo this morning that the Orbea Occam is THE best greenbelt bike in town. This is a 2019 (deal too good to pass up) and the 2020 is fancier and even more blingy. Fox fork and XT brakes, can’t be beat.

The machine's for the whole family. What if I just put some skinnier tires on my XC Race HT and lock the fork out?

The VooDoo Soukri (Sacred Temple) is a durable, smooth riding CrMo steel Premium butted Reynolds 631 air-hardened, heat-treated steel, featuring 20mm sliding aluminum (vertical) dropouts for geared or single speed. Designed by Joe Murray, the Soukri’s renowned handling makes it a singletrack masterpiece! For more photos see this album. $850 Details: Frame - Reynolds 631 air-hardened, heat-treated steel Size - Medium (17.5”) Dropouts - 20mm sliding aluminum (vertical) Brakes - ISO 51mm disc mount or linear brake (detachable brake bosses) Fork - X-Fusion Slide 29 RL2 Rims - 29” Stans ArchEx Disc Rear hub - SRAM X9, 135x10mm, 32H Front hub - SRAM X9, 100x10mm, 32H Tires - Front: Schwalbe Rocket Ron, Rear: Maxxis Agressor 2.3 Stem - Origin 8 90mmx8 deg Handlebars - Grip Gravity 73cm Seatpost - Origin 8 27.2mm Saddle - Bontrager Headset - FSA Orbit MX 1 1/8" threaded Brakes - Avid Elixir 9 Rotors - Sram X9 F:180/R:160mm Crankset - SRAM X7 175mm Chainring - SRAM 39T Rear Cog - Niner 20T Chain - SRAM BB - Sram/Truvativ GXP

There was a grom camp going the day I was at Duthie. There were a bunch of 9-10 y.o. On $5k+ bikes killing it! Another friend was raving about Tiger Mountain. His comment was it fun once you make it to the top, but it’s a hoof up the fire road to the top. Next trip! Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

I had the 2016 catch 2 and did everything on it!

I’m so over times. Started with spds in 96 then switched frogs for a few years then to atacs. I’m duck-footed and float was my priority. Rode times from 04-05 till 2016. Most of that was on Aliums, which seemed to offer the best combination of float, platform, reliability, consistently. But after being disco’d I went from used pair to used pair. That got tedious - trying to find them as they’d wear out. Bit the bullet and tried my old XS’s then newer Times (MX), but some of the issues I had with them all along never went away and started to bother me more. Rock strikes on the underside causing releases and the cleats wearing so quickly that they never really felt as consistent as I thought. MX seemed promising but the platform’s teeth made clipping out really hard when I wasn’t completely upright. It was basically impossible if I was leaning (or falling!). Meanwhile, all of my friends were on spds and never had the issues I did: Rock strike release, clear wear and inconsistent feel, bent bars , etc. Their spds lasted much longer and were far more reliable. Somewhat reluctantly Switched to XTs in 2016 (only about 6 wks before EB!) and by then they had widened them. Got em at performance so I could return. FF 3 yrs and I’m on the same pedals AND cleats. That was never the case with times over the ~15 yrs I used them. Cleats needed replacing every year or two (and wasn’t riding nearly as much) and their performance would degrade with wear. My XTs have been so incredibly solid - consistent, durable, few unintentional releases. Can’t believe I put up with Times for so long. It’s like when your shifting degrades over time but you hardly notice... And my XTs still spin like new...

OK. Bike decision has been made. More info next week once it all happens. No need to provide any additional input. This is how life should be.

Used by a few students at REI outdoor school. They appear to be in great shape. KS Lev posts included.

Nice. Hadn't heard them before but checking out their complete selection on Napster now. My Indie/Adult Alternative playlist was needing some additions - so thanks.

Lol, is he replying to another person that has him on ignore?

One thing I will say about Time pedals is that they have different grades and the cheaper grades are not as worthwhile. I have the XC2 pedals on my urban commuter bike and they are fine for that, but I would not use them on the trail. For the trail I get the XC8's which are carbon and more durable. I have never tried the platforms, used to ride the Aliums and those were bombproof, but they were discontinued sadly. These pedals are really a case of getting what you paid for in terms of durability, it's not all about weight.

Gets easily stuck in my head.

If you are looking to buy a hardtail, I have a Vassago Verhauen (Steel) hardtail that I will be selling soon. Chris King wheels, pike, lots of good stuff....

I've been casually looking at various hardtails and went by CBarons place one day and rode his Stache around the hood a bit. Wasn't crazy about it to be honest. A few days later I rode another dudes Stache (too easy. Dont ) and it was real nice. Enjoyed it alot. Same bike and size .. just the setups where dialed in specific to the owner. If I made up my mind based on riding Cody's then I would have written it off the list. Riding the second one was an eye opener. Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

Glad this thread popped up. I'll be riding there in two weeks. Can't wait!

Not to beat a dead horse but a recent video from Daily MTB rider showcases Duthie Pretty well.

^^^^ What @Chief said. I trust the opinion of people who routinely ride a bunch of different bikes more than I do my ability to discern any degree of subtlety. My spending a few hours on test rides is less likely to be an accurate measure. When I read how these experts were agreeing on the benefits of recent geometry changes I have faith that what they have found to be true will be true for me in the long run. All while simultaneously realizing I'll take weeks or months to get a bike dialed in. To expect to get anything from a test ride with all those variables at play (suspension settings, seat position, stem length, etc.) is unrealistic. I tend to purchase bikes on closeout, primarily because they have the most reviews by a wide variety of professional riders and I can filter for my use while reading many, many reviews. The bike I ride now is a Transition Covert 29 that was purchased from PricePoint at a significant discount as a complete bike a few years after its introduction, and a year after its production. (The fact that Seth sold one without breaking it around the time I was looking figured into my decision as well.) It was over a year of adjusting little things to get a really good fit from the bike. This included shortening the Stem and moving the Seat rearward a tad, as well as suspension tweaks, adding a volume spacer, and replacing the fork. A recent handlebar change is still being evaluated, and has alleviated some shoulder pain. Bottom line, I approach the bike search mostly as a data gathering mission based upon the experience of people in the habit of moving often from one bike to another and who can more effectively notice the differences and put them into words. Then, filtering their reviews based upon my riding style, trail surfaces ridden, and similar details I can pull from these reports in order to firm up one bike over another. Nearly any bike in production today will work for nearly every rider. Exceptions being any with radical departures from proven tech. The differences between bikes being considered are more likely to be so subtle that it might take a hundred hours in the saddle, making minor adjustments, to eek out that nth degree of advantage for the rider.

How about a gravel rig? You can come do some miles with me in the mornings. It definitely improves your cardio.😀 I think I'm somewhere around 800 miles since July 22.

I CAN SEE THESE POSTS, YOU KNOW. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk