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Singlespeeds are stupid. I'm going to buy a FS e-mtb and be done with it. What should I get? See ya on the trails next week! Or rather, you'll see the back of me as a brap away. [Edit: happy April 2.]

Beat me to it! The visuals are great, but the smell is amazing.

We had about 70 folks start off. Good turnout for an iffy weather day. But the rain held off until the very last. Good event

Damianita and Annual Pennyroyal for those keeping score at home.

🤡 Their first ride will be intense.

Gotta take care of our peeps.

If you haven't been out on Sub Ninja in recent weeks, get out soon. The dirt was amazing today and bluebonnets have taken over the areas from the fires last August. It's beautiful.

Amazing. Life returning after the fire.

Another great year for bluebonnets at Muleshoe!

The festival itself was fun. I had some good times watching the events like the bunny hop contest, the whip off, the last man standing contest where you can't go outside the circle or dab, and the Big Wheel race. The best part was the demos and chatting with people I follow on YouTube. Lenosky was super nice, Jeff Kendal-Weed sat down at my table and ate lunch with me. He was very friendly and down to earth. Mo and Hannah were friendly but having to deal with having to talk to everyone there. Understandable. Heather Munive was getting hit on by every dude there. I felt bad for her. Normal Mountain biking guy (300+lb) was really fast, he passed me on a trail ride like I was standing still. I wasn't there to meet those people, I could care less about that aspect, it was just a small venue and you almost didn't have a choice about it. The bike demos were great and kind of surprised me as a bunch of the big names were conspicuous in their abscence. Both Trek and Specialized were not there. Giant was there but stuck in a back corner. Revel was up front and probably the most popular at the festival. I got to ride the Rascal and it didn't dissapoint. The rear end rode the fine line between short and just long enough to provide some stability at speed. The Gates Belt Drive crew had a booth they shared with Zerode and I got to ride one of those. It worked absolutely amazing but was heavy as hell. There was a bit of drag from the drivetrain when coasting, but not enough to make a real difference. The biggest drawback was the weight. The Haniwha Trail I rode was right around 38 pounds with only about 150mm travel and not that burly of a build. The Pivot Trail 429 was awesome. Great on climbs and going downhill. The biggest surprise for me was the Polygon Siskiu T8. It's just over $2,000 and kept up quality wise with bikes over triple it's price. Climbed very well, stable on high speed descents and would do very well here in Austin. It handled square edge hits better than the Zerode and as well as the Pivot. It was a bit heavy(35 lbs) and the Tektro brakes sucked. It comes with tubes so going tubeless will take some weight off right off the bat. The brakes were the only thing I would have immediately changed component wise besides contact point things like saddles and grips. The trails themselves were crazy good. The best trail marking I've seen. World class views around every corner. I rode three different trail systems, Adobe Jack, Mescal and the Scorpion to Pyramid loop. The Mescal to Canyon of Fools loop was so freaking good. Loads of janky off camber slickrock on Mescal to a killer descent through Canyon of Fools that went through a 6-7 foot deep ditch where there were a ton of wall rides, whoops and g-outs. My next favorite was the Scorpion to Pyramid loop. Do this one counter clock wise. Scorpion was a solid blue trail that basically loops around to the backside of Pyramid mountain and joins up with the Pyramid trail. Nothing too crazy tech wise and has a bit of climbing as it loops around to Pyramid proper. Once you get on Pyramid, the easy going blue very quickly changes to a gnarly black descending trail. Holy crap this was fun. I spent a solid two hours sessioning a steep maybe 3-400 foot descent. There were some parts of it I still couldn't clean. Adobe Jack was a trail loop/system that was rideable from the festival itself. Solid blue with a few black parts. It reminded me of a red rock version of the Lakeway and Steiner Ranch areas here with less flow killing switchbacks and more slickrock. This is where the guy from the Norml Mountain Bike youtube channel passed me on a climb like I was standing still. Here I also got to meet an (former now based in Flagstaff) Austin guy named Hojo. I had met him a few times years ago on trail work days and he recognised me as I was pulling a stick out of my wheel next to the trail. Nice guy. All in all I think it was well worth going to. Bring a bike as the demos may be all out when you get there. When the festival opens, there's a mad dash to all the bike tents and you may not get one in the size you need. After that it's a crap shoot depending on when the riders before you return their bikes. The food was fine, there was a good mix of band and all the vendors had a bunch of stuff to give away. The trails themselves were world class. It's also much higher in elevation than I realized. Most of the trails were over 5,000 feet which is on par with Denver. I was super gassed that first day with headaches that night. Nothing an asprin and a trip to the dispensary can't solve. The next day was fine. Food there was fine but overpriced outside of a few places. The pizza at Pisa Lisa was good, the tortas and burritos at Tortas Del Fuego right across from Thunder Mountain Bikes were killer. Cheap too. The Coffee Pot was a good breakfast diner.

Cedar Park had a "kaleido-spoke" festival on Friday night. It was an impressive event for being free. Great for kids.

https://www.cedarparktexas.gov/521/2024-Parks-and-Recreation-Master-Plan Parks and Recreation Master Plan Pop-In Information Session #2 Wednesday, April 24, 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm City Hall – Multi-Purpose Rooms 450 Cypress Creek Road, Building 3

YouTube has saved me hundreds in refrigerator repairs. Now that I am mostly retired, I'm willing to try a lot of things because I have the time to putter around with them. Since I still do a little bit of consulting, I know what my "per hour" rate is so I can judge that against the amount of time and effort to get someone out to do things for us. I still find that, despite having a decent bike workshop in the garage, I still take my FS to Bicycle House for anything suspension related. Or anything requiring me to remove the crankset because a.) it is impossible to get off even with a breaker bar and b.) DUB sucks. My next bike will definitely not have a press fit bottom bracket, that is the devil.

Man, I really shouldn't have inserted myself into this discussion. I don't have a dog in this fight...except for the fact that I spent the night at a holiday in once. I don't know the names, levels, details, categories or anything as such for these bikes. I just (think I) know that there are lightweight ones that give a little extra assist and then more robust heavier ones that have a higher output ability. (I think there are also throttle ones, but that doens't seem relevant to much of this). I was riding an Orbea Wild with the 750 watt motor, I think it weighed 52 lbs. I was riding it on some of the most techincal trail I could find. It was the day after a hard 70 mi ride for me. All I wanted to do was putter around the steep ups and steep downs. I was not trying to go fast. I truly found the experience to be closer to the way I ride my KTM 250cc enduro motorcycle. Bunny hopping was near impossible, lofting the front wheel took real effort and timing, getting the bike going on steep ups requires dirtbike type technique, and the extra power/velocity through the tight trees/tech makes this a skill all of its own. YMMV. I came away from the experience with the feeling that this activity was really a completely different sport all together. It just took place on our local mountain bike trails. And I'm not saying this as a hater, it was a fun experience, I can understand why people buy them. But it was simple NOT the same activity that I've been doing there for nearly 20 yrs. It was very much akin to if my FS MTB had a baby with my KTM MX bike. Cheers, CJB

Wear long socks.

A little fun in Northwest Arkansas. Today should be the last warm day here for the remainder of my trip. It has been warm and muggy but also crazy beautiful! Dogwoods and columbines are blooming.

I just saw this on MTBR: This is an interesting take. I had not considered the "finesse" that you can get from a bike that is just not present with an e-bike. So much of my riding over the years has become much more about feeling the bike through tight obstacles, rock gardens, etc. My Orbea Occam is exceptionally adept at helping me finesse my way through features, to the point where I often tell people to give me a little space because I have the ability to slow a climb to insanely low speed to slips through the appropriate line instead of just getting a head of steam and trying to power up something. The singlespeed really taught me this skill but the Occam lets me literally track stand in the middle of a climb or a rock garden and sneak through with the least effort.

when I worked at REI, every Diamondback bike we assembled came with a "fork direction" sticker, but it was not affixed to anything. I started collecting them and now I have a decent stack. I like to keep one in my pocket and stick it to forks at Target, Walmart, Academy, etc. There was a fat bike at Target with a backwards fork to which I adhered one of these stickers, and I came back to check on it every few months. it was still there, with the backwards fork, for several months.

They pulled the mask off and it was poison ivy. And he would have gotten away with it if it wasn't for those meddling kids.

Kudos to @St.Bernardo!!!

Thanks for the pics, it inspired me to get on my bike after more than a week off. I guess fire activates the seeds because that is where the bluebonnets are epic. Also, at red horn having a beer outside and what kind of jerk plays smashing pumpkins on his laptop for everyone to hear? People suck.

After riding yesterday we got back to our campsite and I promptly locked the bikes to a picnic table before realizing that I didn’t have the keys with me. Fortunately the camp host texted the LCRA maintenance guy that night and he came by camp the following morning as I was finishing my second cup of coffee with his new bolt cutters and cut the padlock for me. It is always a little disturbing to see how easily a lock can be removed.

Did you see any cool EVs? 😄 seriously, thanks for the report! It’s on my list of places to visit but I’ll probably avoid crowds…and you know who, please don’t litter this thread with that stuff. I just made myself laugh, hope others got a good chuckle too.

I've been off the bike since January 1 this year with a shoulder injury. Riding any bike in any configuration is agony... until now. As I'm working my way through rehab, this is my new ride. Built around a Univega beach cruiser I found at Yellow Bike, I ditched most of the parts and started over. I had to buy the bottom bracket adapter cups and a shim for the handlebar, so I've spent less than $25 on it.

Still in Patzcuaro, Mexico. Yesterday’s ride was 10.2 miles with 1,510´ of climbing.

I rented one once. Let's just say that it can hold its own against a deer.

I had a Forester for a few years. After owning an Impreza for several years. Both were great for MTB trips. The AWD will get you places you wouldn't expect to drive to, and through rain, snow, etc. if need be. Subaru have changed their drivetrain since then, Better mpg, but I have no experience with anything recent. Might check if there are still discounts for IMBA members. If so, join Austin Ridge Riders for IMBA benefits.

Non mountain biking friends (in the 60 to 70 yr old range) who have done extended bike touring in Europe, New Zealand, Japan bought e-bikes this past year. Their bikes are Specialied S-Works somethings, they swapped out the drop bars for flat bars and added about 1.9" tires with a smooth rolling tread. They set it up so the battery is external and not inside the frame. This lets them pack the battery in a carry on when they fly with their bikes. Also, one can just carry the battery inside a hotel room for charging. We did a partly gravel (caliche!) road ride with them in the Round Mountain area a few weeks ago, and I picked up one of the bikes -- it's 30ish pounds, if that -- feather light. They are in Spain/Portugal right now and reported that the bikes did great on some incredibly steep roads. Side note: Google "e-bike + solar panels". Lots of interest on the topic of charging e-bikes with solar panels.

🤣

https://www.mtbatx.com/bigassride2024 April 20, 2024 - 8:00 AM Rainout Date: April 27 This is a social ride around South Austin Trail Network (SATN) focused on the east theatre, open to everyone, with no registration, entry fee or donation required… this is just for fun! There are 2 routes totaling 42 miles: a 16-mile loop with Mary Moore Searight as the most westerly point. Or the full big east loop of 26 miles. This event is organized by volunteers from the SATN community and sponsored by Fast Friends Beer. The purpose of the Big Ass Ride is to share the joy of The South Austin Trail Network. Not only the 130 miles of single track, but also the fantastic SATN community of mountain bikers! Schedule 8:00 AM: Ride begins; please be ready to roll at this time. Do Not start early! 12:00 PM: Food, Brew, and prize drawing (sponsors announced soon). Location Fast Friends Beer313 N Interstate 35 Frontage Rd NB Austin, TX 78744 Routes TBA? I don't know, I'm out of the loop and just copy-paste stuff from the website. Im mostly stoked that I might be back on the bike in time to join, and Fast Friends is my current favorite spot in Austin for drinks and food.

Had an electrical company come out to give me a per-job bid on this. The cheapest was $688! However, during my conversation with him on the front-end prior to the quote, I gleaned enough basic info to further my own troubleshooting. With that and yet another YT video regarding GFCI outlets, I GOT IT FIXED! The wife was impressed and thats truly all that matters. (I wouldv'e lived without the electricity in the bathrooms) 🙂 Cheers, CJB

The weather doesn't look perfect, but it looks like it might work. So it's happening. Fast Friends is going to give all participants a dollar off their first post ride beer. Hey, it's something.

I checked it out yesterday. Pretty great for what it is ~ 9 mile xc race loop with basically zero rocks. You can get super fast on some of the straightaways. lots of nice turns. And plenty of challenging berms. On the back side there is a section built by KOM with some pretty cool features, but i found it hard to carry speed through. i would need to session it before i really trusted those berms. This seems to be Todd Eric's baby for now. He said its his buddy's property. It is not generally open. He's been opening it up Saturday morning's when Todd can make it out there to supervise. They need to get more tires on the dirt to help bed in the trails. There is a group on the facebook that seems to have the most up-to-date info.

Thanks. Let me know what he says.

It's Back!!! 🤬 I was checking out some mystery trail and ended up doing quite a bit of bushwacking last night. Looks like the dish soap will be in the shower for the time being. 😐 Funny that the original post was also on March 29th.

Yes, locks don't stop dedicated bike thieves. They only prevent thefts by opportunity.

I have a buddy that has a Kuat Transfer V2 Rack with a 2" receiver. Hardly ever used, probably less than 10 times. If you are interested ping me and I can put you in touch with him. Here's more info on the rack: https://www.rei.com/product/187294/kuat-transfer-v2-2-bike-hitch-rack There is nothing wrong with it, but they have 2 e-bikes and need a heavier duty rack to handle the extra heft of a battery bike.

Meanwhile back at the ranch, the madrones are in bloom!

No, you are not being too cheap. Check out swapping the front and back. I have a a regimen for my tires, the good bike gets the new ones, passing down its tires to the singlespeed, and then the singlespeed tires go to the urban bike for the final grinding down. I get years out of a set of tires across multiple bikes.

LoL at hearing the crowd cheer when he gets into police reform. APD is short 500 cops so crime will just worsen regardless of what this pencilneck says/does.

I rode BMX Loop last week and there was a crew cleaning out all of the camps! Glad to finally have this trail back.

Patzcuaro, Mexico

I have struggled with cholesterol for years. It's a hereditary thing because I have tried everything and can't seem to bring it down. For a while I had a doctor pushing me to get on statins because my overall number was well over 200, which is why I tried everything to avoid statins. My new doctor was much more pragmatic. Her position was that as long as my LDL was less than 160 I was fine to stay off statins. Because I ride every day, my HDL was high and my eating/drinking habits kept my Triglycerides in check. 7 years ago I had a calcium scan and the score was ~25. Just had one in January and my new number was 140. Statins it is. Step aside lifestyle this is a job for science.

Let's take it back!