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I've been needing to update my profile...because this happened... Ripmo Custom Build List

You guys are acting like companies like Pivot, Santa Cruz, or Intense don't exist. (just to name a few) These brands don't offer bikes geared to "the masses", and they don't want to.

Good post. For me, a throttle would certainly be in the "no longer a mountain bike" range. So long as you must pedal to when going against gravity, I'm willing to consider it grey area.

FirstBlood has always had problems interacting normally with people. It’s just how he is. I looove when I see no one on Deception. It makes my heart happy. I like that it’s getting gnarlier... it’s all definitely still rideable IMO (E to W anyway - I don’t ride it W - E anymore) but it sure takes some strong legs and lungs to clear all the features and ride it all without stopping. Last time I rode I ended up in a crew of some FAST women on Peddlers. The 2 fastest were hot as hell too... that was awesome to witness. Of course, I had to pass them to keep my ego intact, but in doing so, I popped myself pretty good... didn’t have enough gas after to ride Deception (had worked out hard in the gym the day before also).... but yeah, there’s trail out there for everyone now, and that’s flat out sweet. If I ride Saturday, with Peddlers being occupied, might actually have to go hit Suburban Ninja again and wander around out there. Even though jumps aren’t my thing I wanna see the church stuff as well. Still crazy to see how this all has transpired... from 2011 or whatever to now. I do get a real sense of fuzzy feelings when I see dads (usually) with their kids on picnic and peddlers. That gets me every time. I also enjoy passing those kids and dropping them HARD.

I venture to guess that increased access to that beach had a negative affect on the beach? Would you say that, before easy access by roads, only people who cared enough about really savoring the beauty there made the effort to find their way there, and respected the place more for it? I take that as a metaphor for the affect that broad acceptance and attainability of e-mtbs might have on trails. Am I gate-keeping? I sure am, without a hint of shame.

"The masses" scoff at spending over $3k on a bike, but there are countless companies that keep making them (and that's entry level). If any of this "eMTB are going to die because they are too expensive for the average Joe" were true, regular MTBs would have died years ago too. Choosing an e-bike or a pedal bike is comparable to choosing between full suspension and a hardtail (feature vs. price wise). Some will never want it. Some will grow to never want to ride without it.

This thread will be very interesting to read in five years.

Picked up some bottles of cider from our local cidery. The Noir is great but this one in particular is even better as they aged it in rum barrels for some boozy goodness. If you're ever in Manchaca, swing by and check em out. http://www.texaskeeper.com/

looks like the 2.6 DHR will fit on project Shoresy after all😎

Peddlers Pass will be ready for the race on Saturday. There is standing water in a few places but I'll take care of that tommorrow. If you want to help me during the day tommorrow please message me.

I was a big time roller blader...but I played hockey.

If the powers that be think there's profit to be made in cheap e-mtbs... Then they will make them. Profit potential is a huge driver in consumer product development. On roads for increasing tourism... In 1972 my family spent a week in Negril, Jamaica. Seven miles of white sand beach, the clearest blue water, and not a soul in sight. By the '80s that had all changed.

To be fair, the $10-12K price tag is the upper end. The price at the top of the article is $5,950. The Kenevo (which is the model we're interested in) is listed on their site at $6,345 (marked down from $7,550). That price point is still steep, but definitely has us thinking about it. The climbs in the videos I posted generally take an hour or so to complete. So to do 3 downhill runs in a day, you're looking at 3+ hours of climbing alone (mountains, not hills). For us, $6,345 is a strong value proposition to multiply the time we get to spend riding the fun stuff. A season pass to Whistler Bike Park is ~$600. While we would never consider foregoing the bike park, $6,400 to open up the ability to do more laps outside the park would be awesome! It's also interesting to note that the Resort Municipality of Whistler is (kind of) embracing eMTBs, allowing access on many trails, except in the alpine zones: https://www.whistler.ca/services/transportation/cycling/e-bikes. I think the issue of grizzly bear management may have to do with the increased traffic, but I'm not sure. I will say that an eMTB would have been nice to have last summer, when my wife got boxed-in by a grizzly. Her only escape route was a very steep downhill we had just come down. The bear was more interested in me, but I had a clear escape route. An eMTB would have given her a viable option to clear the area more efficiently. On that note, the bear activity was highly elevated last year (probably because of fires in surrounding areas the year before) and this was the first year we (my wife) were actually charged by a bear. We did this run Rock Work Orange - Korova Milk Bar - Wizard's Burial Ground. WBG is gnarly and my wife was gassed. She bailed out there. Given our encounters up there, we all would have felt better if she had one more tool in her quiver to get her back to the truck.

OK, mainstream consumer of mountain bikes. people who are willing to buy a "real" bike, not department store POS. that does not exclude people who have a relatively humble budget. without a scientific understanding of this market, I'd say the person who is willing to spend over $500 on a bicycle fits in there. you can tell by the online buyer's guides that the market for a bike around $1,000 has some pull.

There's a clash of philosophical worldviews playing out here that is bigger than bikes. Some of us see things in the context of ideal forms (thanks, Plato). To me, a mountain bike is an expression of a form, just like a cat, or a a game of baseball. You can vary the manifestation of that form to some degree, but when you tweak that object beyond it's horizon, it ceases to represent that form. It's now something else. If a cat starts laying eggs or grows wings, it's no longer a cat. If people on a baseball field start tackling one another and kicking the ball around instead of hitting it with a bat, they're not playing baseball anymore. In that thread, when you put a motor on a mountain bike, it's "no longer a mountain bike." I am not saying that this perspective is superior to anyone else's. I have a pretty strong sense that categories are important, that compartmentalizing my perception of reality is what keeps me sane. It points to an explanation of why some people think e-mtbs are sacrilege and others shrug and say "so what?"

Keepers is my favorite cider of any kind. I like their dry stuff.

I have been a fan since seeing them live 4 years ago.

A little over a year old, 20 miles on the odometer. Yep, that checks out with my theory...

I'll take this bet. At $4500 for an entry level bike with low end components, it's gonna be a tough draw. I think you are 100% correct that e-bikes are here to stay. But not eMTBs, I think those are going to be a marketing failure, but I believe that electric urban bikes will have a big opportunity and could eat a third or more of the "upscale commuter" market. I can see a future where anything over $1,000 is electric with only a tiny sliver of expensive pedal-only commuters. 29ers went from niche to 80% of the market and would probably have been 100% <scooby doo criminal voice> if it wasn't for those meddling 27.5ers</scooby doo criminal voice>.

Meaty! Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Shuttles, lifts or pedaling? Ebikes have their place and are here to stay. Remember the 1st gen 29rs? Cheater bikes.

I dunno. I love my 27.5 I feel awkward on my 29. I've never been confused with a tall dude Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk

This is why: Whistler - Dark Crystal For those not into DH/Mtn riding, I guess I can see the mockery - though I wonder how many have actually been on an ebike. I demoed a Pivot Shuttle and it was awesome. Granted, I'm accustomed to riding DH, and my DH rig is ~ 40 lbs. The Pivot weighs in at ~45.5 lbs. It seemed a bit bulky at first, but after 5 min., I got used to it. Even at 45 lbs, it jumped just fine, felt balanced in the air, etc. Riding it at the trails we're building at the church, it made the uphills so much fun! As a trail builder, it opened up the possibility of doing flow trails uphill. Imagine getting done with the downhill and then pointing uphill and getting to do more flow and even jumps on the way back up. Sweet! We spend our summers in Whistler and we've done it for years. We have yet to hit half the trails outside the bike park. Anyone who thinks any type of assist in going uphill (ebike, lift, shuttle) is cheating, I challenge you to do 6 hours (or less) of DH. It's physically challenging and, to a much lesser extent than uphill, if you get tired and make a mistake, you're going to get hurt. There are epic trails outside the park, but the climbs to get there . . . oof. I would totally love to have an ebike up there. The riding level in Canada is insane. Shift right on everything - a black here is a blue there. And outside the park, shift right again. Honestly, it's a testament to a different mindset - I'm surprised (but pleased) the municipality allows some of those trails to exist, as they cannot only be treacherous, but have high consequence for failure. A trail like Dark Crystal illustrates the point. By the time you get to the trailhead and are ready to get down to business, you've already had a significant workout. Even though a lot of the climbing is on fire road, these are roads built for 4x4 access and they can be very steep - get off the bike and push steep. If I had the cash to buy two of these things (no way I could get one and not get one for my wife) I would, though we'd get the Kenevo. No way would I shame anyone for riding one those up there other than out of pure envy.

On a scale of 1 to 5 (5 being "most acceptable") rate the following scenarios that one could have for riding an e-bike. 1. I'm 80 years old with a bad back, 3 knee replacements, and a heart condition. I've been riding MTBs all my life, and an e-bike is the only way I can enjoy even a glimmer of the sport I love. 2. I'm 55 years old with a bad back. I can either ride 30 mins on a pedal bike or 2 hours on an e-bike. I almost always choose the e-bike because my wife is a bitch and I'd rather be gone for the full afternoon. 3. I'm a 45 year old father of a high school racer who can ride circles around me. I really enjoy spending time with her, but she is starting to not like riding with me as much because I'm always behind on the big climbs and start to bonk when she is just getting warmed up. 4. I'm 38 years old and ride a pedal MTB 2-3 times a week. I consider myself in pretty good shape and have no interest in replacing my regular MTB for my normal day-to-day rides. However, I just booked the trip of a lifetime to my dream destination. There are too many trails and not enough time. Not to mention, I don't know if I'll ever get to come back. I'm going to rent an e-bike so that I can maximize my time there and experience more trails than I could on a pedal bike. 5. I'm 25 and love shredding downhills. I live very close to a private MTB only trail system, so I'm going to buy an e-bike so I can reduce my efforts on the boring fire road climbs and spend more time doing the part that I actually enjoy.

Courage Adams. Up-rail to hard 540. (Most people learn to spin out if a grind by rotating away from the rail. Courage spins into the rail -"hard", which makes it clearing his rear tire over it 10x harder.) Wtf?

Wife and I had to make trip to san marcos and decided to hit up the new brewery while there. Following Vista's lead, Roughhouse Brewing is definitely a step up in venues for breweries with a great building, outdoor stage , decent food and some tasty beers on tap. Definitely worth checking out if you're in the area and the flight is huge for the $. http://roughhousebrewing.com/ Liked the Ona the most followed by the Sordid and IPA

Yes, they even have that at the HEB now. Stuff is indeed pretty damn tasty.

License plate from my first bike.

I've got long legs (6'4" body height) and always thought longer crank length was the way to go, but I came across this video and am now rethinking the whole deal.

A sunny pre-xmas ride at brushy: