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Showing content with the highest reputation on 06/04/2021 in all areas

  1. I just finished 9+ months of working 50 hours/week and completing the police academy at night/and Saturdays. Passed my TCOLE exam yesterday! I don't have a lot of time off currently or before I start with the PD, but I have these dates to possibly get up to AF and leisurely stroll down the mountain and drink cocktails in the evening. Anyone want to share expenses (caveat: I have to know you and like you). I'll ride every blue on the mountain, but don't want to get balled up and injured, so just purely a fresh air trip.....no PR's for me since I've not been riding AT ALL.
    6 points
  2. Beyond good times in AZ
    4 points
  3. I made a derailer hanger alignment tool cheap. Here's how you can make one too: 1" punched square tube, 36" long $15.52 at Home Depot 887480030372 M10-1.0 x 60 mm bolt $3.90 at Home Depot 570032 M10-1.0 nuts X2, $0.65 each 598980 10mm or 3/8" washers. I used five. use whatever you want as spacers. for less than $30, you can make two of these and give one to a friend, because the 1" punched square tube is twice as long as you need. the process is simple: cut the square tube to half its length. 18" is more than enough. drill out two holes at one end of the tube for the 10mm bolt. the 3/8" holes are a tiny bit too small for it. a 25/64" drill bit or 13/32" should do it. slip a washer onto the bolt and slide the bolt into the widened hole. slide some washers/ spacers onto the bolt until the non-threaded part (if the bolt you chose has a non-threaded segment) is covered thread on a nut until snug. thread on a second nut and tighten it against the first one. this is just like setting up the cone nut/ lock nut on a bicycle axle. get it tight enough that the bolt can rotate inside the tube, but with minimal play. Now you have a functioning DIY DAG tool, but at about 1/5 the cost. follow the basic instructions for the DAG tool, but use a ruler held perpendicular to the tool to get the hanger within 1/8" or alignment. possible improvements: if you can find a way to thread the bolt into the hanger with a larger, hand-friendly interface, that would be ideal. right now, my plan is to use a wrench on the bolt head. not a big deal but it would make it more ergonomic. "hold a ruler perpendicular to the tube" is not precision! it will get you closer than just guessing, but if someone can think of a way to attach a metal item to this that would allow it to slide and be fixed in place as a reference point, that would be ideal. I'm open to suggestions. If this design works, feel free to make it for yourself! I will keep improving the design and, if there's demand from people who don't want to bother, I'll make them and sell them for a little more than what the parts cost me. the Park tool costs a lot more and is currently out of stock. I would not trust this in an actual bike shop, but you can use this at home and throw it in your car when you drive to a ride for emergency fixes. *bonus info* you should probably check most new derailer hangers for alignment when you install them. on some frames with precision machined hangers, this might not be needed. but on older and cheaper bikes with flimsy hangers, installing a new hanger after you bend the old does one does not guarantee that the new one will be anywhere near straight enough to support adequate shifting.
    4 points
  4. Just use magnets. You could glue them to a rod but I don’t think you have to.
    3 points
  5. I seem to be making new mistakes just about every day... I'll keep adding them to this post, maybe the next noob will benefit. - Wet surfaces are not your friend. I had my first proper washout on wet pavement this morning. It was on a fairly tame turn when riding at a slow pace, but apparently I didn't respect it enough. - If/When you fall, don't brace with your wrists, roll out of the fall. Anyone with a lot of previous falling experience (like myself) will say "duh". But if you are new to falling off a bike that extra height is just enough where your old falling habits might go out the window. Time to re-learn how to fall.
    3 points
  6. We lucked out with the weather on our trip. We arrived late on Friday afternoon (5/28) and were able to ride Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and Monday without any significant rainfall. The rain started Monday evening and continued throughout Tuesday, but we had a day full of non-bike related activities planned so it worked out well for us. There were a few trail closures (especially at Coler) due to earlier storms, but there's so much to ride we just moved on to the next thing on our list. We hit a couple of new places (Huntley Gravity Zone, South side of Coler, gravity/flow trails at the south end of Bella Vista Lake trails) that were amazing. We also explored some new parts of Slaughter Pen like Red Barn and Barn Burner, which were really fun. Sessioned Hammer Down (especially the big step up at the end) a few times. We also went back to a few of our Slaughter Pen favorites like Boo Boo, Choo Choo, and Schroen Train. I hit quite a few features that I haven't had the courage to do before, but my biggest victory was hitting the big rock step up at the bottom of Bone Yard. I'm already thinking about my next trip up there...
    3 points
  7. You cannot know what is enough until you know what is too much.
    2 points
  8. Can I just say this type of banter is going to keep us all sane through the tsunami season that has descended upon us. Carry on. Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
    2 points
  9. Kicking back with some local scotch ale after a damn good ride.
    1 point
  10. I think I’ve made a garrote. Once I’m done if anyone wants to borrow it let me know.
    1 point
  11. Not necessary this exact item, but something similar to this. You could screw the clamp down to exactly where you want it on the square rod, and then screw down the measuring rod to hold it in place. Bracket Clamp
    1 point
  12. That's how I make lots of adjustments! Go too far and dial it back...
    1 point
  13. I'm kidding. I'm up 10 pound for the last year, with lower body fat. Thank gawd for already having a home gym.
    1 point
  14. Whoa, that's intense. See what I did there? By august we'll all be fat and lazy...
    1 point
  15. Just saying: I've been using the terms "effective reach" and "effective stack," and trying to get people to think in terms of RAD/ spread/ room/ effective down tube in the same context for years. Since no one lists EDT on bikes, I have an old spreadsheet comparing several frames I was considering at the time, partially based on calculating the EDT as a starting point. I have bike fit paperwork from 2017 where I had Frank at ATX Bike label the "eR" and "eS" on my fit labeled. Glad to see it's finally catching on. Saddle-handlebar drop is indeed mostly poppycock. Hot take: Most people have their handlebar too high so they can sit up high and pretty like a beach cruiser. Take that or leave it. But if you ride with me and I smoke you on a climb, it's not all the fiber in my diet that's doing the work. Maybe the farting gives me a boost. I can't seem to get my handlebar low enough to be confidence-inspiring!
    1 point
  16. Cloudcroft was our original mountain bike destination back in the late 80s. We camped a few miles outside of town near Weed (there is no such thing as a coincidence) and rode Forest Service roads and ATV trails. My wife and I spent a few days in and around Ruidoso last year about this time and had a good time.
    1 point
  17. You'll get used to it. Then you'll love it but not really realize it until you get back on a 2X or 3X drivetrain and you have to "think" about shifting. 1X is still the best "innovation" to come out of recent MTB tech.
    1 point
  18. I had a feeling. I loved Joe's vibe I gotta make a point to go over and see him Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
    1 point
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