Leaderboard

OK, I ran my numbers through this guy's equation and: height (5'-9" = 1752mm) * 0.44 = 771mm bar width. But it also says that the useful range is that width down to 95% of that width, so 771 - 732. That aligns with my gut feeling that I mentioned in my previous post -- bars are currently 760 and I thought cutting them down another 20-30 would be ideal. Yay for confirmation bias! His sizing doesn't take into account shoulder width, which I think would be a large contributing factor for ideal bar width. That drives arm angles, as well as wrist angles at the bars.

Just my opinion, you would look good with a handlebar.

Borrowed an EVOC for my trip. Much easier than my old Thule box. It took a bit of extra time initially but less than an hour. My bikes kinda long even for the XL bag so I unbolted my rear der and ziptied it to the chainstay. Der was pressing up against the bag and I didn't want my hanger bent. Didn't have a rotor issue, but not a bad idea if you have the time. I always carry full size tools to tear down re-assemble. Too easy to screw up a bolt with pocket tools and you may not have time to go to a shop when packing to return if you do have issues. Pack extra zipties, painters tape, etc. to keep stuff from rattling around. If you have any fear of scratching your frame, cheapo pipe insulation from Home Depot works great. Do NOT leave CO2 cartridges or chain lube in the bike bag. TSA guys are trained to look for them and will pull everything out to get to them. The Austin guy specifically asked if I had either when I brought it to the oversize luggage checkin. The trails there are pretty rain proof, so definitely bring rain gear and extra riding gear with the assumption your stuff will get wet. Super humid, so things don't dry out so quick when hung up. It was showering and fairly overcast 2 days of my trip and my camelbak & shoes were a bit damp the next day.

Sure feels like summer out there. As such, chose these brews for Sunday football today. I've always enjoyed the Big Wave, especially with salty snacks. First time trying the Gold Cliff though. It's flavorful but smooth with just a hint of pineapple.

Just make sure the wrench is clean😉. I usually tape the jaws on mine before touching any rotor.

FWIW, SQLabs bars come nice and wide with 12 or 16° backsweep. I have the 12s and I like em.

"...you can only carry an EMPTY compressed gas cylinder onboard a plane. To be permitted (in either carry-on or checked baggage), it must be clearly visible to the TSA officer that the cylinder is empty." Got told by the TSA guy I could take them if I emptied them first. 😞 He was unaffected by me telling him WTF good are they empty. It was an experiment so no biggie. Grabbed a 5 pack from Walmart which I left at the trailhead for good bike karma before returning. There's a dozen + REI's nearby open later than bike shops, so I grabbed a small bottle of lube and chamois butter packets (FU TSA under 3 oz's) easily too.

FWIW, adjustable crescent wrenches are ideal for truing rotors...

It's still not rainy season but you should bring a light jacket/sweater for the evenings. You may get rain though nothing heavy. For packing, don't overweigh you bike bag. I put only bike clothes in there and bike parts. Air Alaska charges $75 more than standard if you go over 50lbs. I took rotors off because I've had friends that had them bent. I also packed a few of the bike tools that are needed to re-assemble. Worst case, take it to a bike shop to put rotors on if you have center-lock (not practical to carry the big wrench/torque-wrench IMO). Leave a note to TSA inside the bag with your name, cell phone number, and to make sure to tighten all the straps (velcro and buckles) if they have to remove the bike for inspection. They will open your bag, and they did not re-tighten the straps on mine on my trip back so from now on I'll have to leave a note. It's easy to pack the bike in the bag. You can find a video of the process if you google it.

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.

Went from 750 to 760 to 800. Cut the 800 down to 760. It’s a good spot for me.

Built this for my son a couple years ago, he was 8 at the time. I figured he would have a much easier time with bigger wheels. Frame is a 13", cranks are Suntour XCT 152mm with the cheapest narrow/wide ring I could find, probably have $400 in it.

I posted this in the thread under events, but putting it here too Google map with all three routes on it: https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?hl=en&mid=1uW17XVqKni7OhNBs-iZfFjq84wvng9H9&ll=30.19231555044796%2C-97.87136449999997&z=13

Watch Snowshoe on Redbull TV. The last two races (MSA and Snowshoe) of the season were super exciting. The MSA World Championship is on NBC Sports if you have access to that.

I leave my tires inflated as is so the rims don't possibly take a hit. Flown bikes 6-8 times and never had them burp sealant. Edit: So as we're changing planes on the way back my kid looks out the window and says wow you should see the way that guy just thru your bike. 😕 EVOC bags the wheels protect the frame. So I'd leave them inflated fully just to keep wheel from wacking frame and a rim from getting dinged.

For my road biking trip, I didn't even bother with CO2. I always have the frame pump on. For MTB trips, I may just stick with the mini-pump. I think if I'm not racing, a pump is fine. In fact, I carry both, and often use the pump "to save" the CO2 cartridges. Also, have you ever had a dud cartridge? Happened to me once. @notyal, I'm living vicariously through you right now. I loved all the riding I did during my vacation. I hope you have a blast. As to your fishing question, I haven't fished in years, but on my bucket list is to do some fly fishing which I've never done. I'll probably go with a guide and rent the rods (my experience is you can get a package that has everything you need...which for a casual fisherman, I think is perfect.)

760 is the sweet spot for me for the trails around here.

I've got some 780s on the new bike, but I'll probably cut down to 750. I've tried shorter and longer handlebars but that seems to be the sweet spot for me. I can see longer bars if you do quite a bit more downhill than up on groomed trails because it does give more control, but may not be practical for everyday riding around here.

RIP Ric:

800s all day errrday babeey!

Ride your bike more is always the answer. Just ride it how it came set up, give it a bit of time/miles. 760 is kind of a sweet spot. For 35mm clamp, carbon post look for the Raceface Next which comes in a 760 width. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Looks like you are surfing.

Awesome, have fun with the new ride. Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk

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...

I have one for my kid. Actually selling it now . Over in the bikes for sale. It is a much higher step up than other 24s. His riding and enjoyment greatly improved on that bike. Well made. Great service. Well speced. Very light and the geometry is about perfect for kids. Only reason we are selling as he has grown. They have been around about 5 to 6 years out of Colorado. Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

City of Rocks, near Silver City, New Mexico. Somewhere around 1988.