Txduc

That's good thanks for the update. 👍

3 hours ago, throet said:

Oh wow! I hadn't ventured over there in quite a while. That's very surprising! @El Gringo would know for sure. 

Bummer last time I was over there was pre-monsoon early May the 10th and the drops, jumps and unfinished whale tail were all still there.

5 minutes ago, Kobra Kai MTB Guy said:

Still too wet. I rode the east end of DD with no pickup but it’s slicker than whale dicks. Went to the east entrance of quarter and it was real mushy. 

Thank you for posting this.  I was thinking that 1/4 was probably okay but will do some bike maintenance instead.  Hopefully no rain tonight/tomorrow so hopefully something other than the path will be rideable.  I know wishful thinking.  

+1 wondering the same thing as I'll be there the week before Xmas.  Will keep an eye here, keep looking and post up if I  find anything. 

51 minutes ago, TheX said:

I did a LOT of RideSmart days at MSRH, Cresson, TWS...Doing two days at Houston (Angleton) in August was a bitch, but we did it.

Yep Cresson in the summer can be brutal but never had any issues getting tire temps up though.  Come off the track dunk your head in the cooler throw a wet towel over your head and drink water until the next session then repeat.

11 minutes ago, gotdurt said:

Yeah, I don't know why there is such a regional difference in hiker attitudes, out there, but AZ hikers have overall always been really cool, even in groups (there's a group in one of my videos where they were clapping and cheering me on), but conversely in some places like CO, people do not want you on the trails, and the tension is palpable. This is especially true on trails close to Denver, like Apex Park and Dakota Ridge, and to some extent, even here.  CO hikers just don't want bikes on "their" trails, period, whereas here it just seems to be more about the inconvenience of having to deal with us.

The Colorado hikers vs bikes issue does seem to be mostly around Denver.  Only ever had one issue with an upset hiker between Breck and Dillon and none around Winter Park.  However along the foothills just west of Denver it's a different story.  Strangely never had any problems around Boulder though, I got more dirty looks when carrying in my rock climbing gear than when in my bike.  With Brushy you never know what you're going to get from the hikers and bikes some great people but a fair number for dbags. Maybe it's the proximity to metro areas.

11 minutes ago, Cafeend said:

Very Cool pic, Love it. The perspective is deceiving though. I'd fall down the rock face in your picture, in real life, not awesome. 

That's a fun section of trail.  Hope that nobody has actually gone off cause that would suck.

Hell yea I was already thinking about heading that direction next spring.

Exactly if no dropper then why not full rigid with 2 inch tires, rim brakes, 500mm bars, etc.  Not saying you couldn't do it but why would you want to?

I picked up a set of bibs from The Black Bibs for last weekends Bluff Creek Blowout and they were very comfortable and ~47.00 shipped.  Not going to use them regularly but will for all day and endurance events. 

I have knee and elbow pads but only wear them when riding park where I'm going to be pushing my limits.  For Knee pads I've got POC VDP and G-form.  I prefer the POC pads as they flow air better and are more substantial protection wise.  For elbow pads I have Forcefield armor pads. They offer great protection and have good airflow but are a bit heavy.  Sorry no experience with Leatt or local shops with availability of anything other than G-form.

1 hour ago, St.Bernardo said:

Dang.  I've seen turkey, fox, tarantulas, snakes, but no mtn lion.  Better keep my eyes open on my next lap.

Where do you think I saw it?

Last time riding there I came across a big hog.  I think it was as startled as I was.  Neighbors that also back to the open space have a game camera set up but they've just seen cows, coyotes, roadrunners, bobcats and of course the hogs.

4 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

This is what I was going to ask about.  This is my problem.  I'm forced to wear a much bigger helmet size than I need b/c of the head shape.  If I go by measurement, a regular L helmet (7 1/2 or so) would be enough.  But I end up having to find helmets that are 7 7/8 so I don't have the forehead pressure.  What is your head circumference and what size do you wear on both POC and Giro?

I'm a 7 1/8 and the POC is a M/L 55-58 and the Giro is a M 55-59.  

I really like my POC Tectal Spin also have had great luck with Giro.  As others have said it really comes down to head shape.  I tried a Bell super but ended up giving it away as the pressure on my forehead was painful and led to headaches.

4 hours ago, CrownKing said:

Just booked a house (2nd St) for first weekend in November, the host said it is just a couple houses down from Rich Drew.  Couple questions, good location?  Besides Slaughter Pen, what areas should not be missed?  Rich Drew offers trail experiences as well as clinics, anyone done these?  Worth the cost?  Favorite Restaurant, brewery, bars (that provide Covid precautions)?

Thanks in Advance.  Hoping weather will be good that weekend.

Just a couple of things to add to the responses above.

I would recommend the new trail next to Ozone that's called Hammer Down.  It's got a a drop, fun jumps and a big wood bridge that you can jump or catch air on the backside if you choose to.  it meets up w/ ozone so you can use that to climb back to the start if you want to do loops.  If you choose to continue down Ozone look before you hit the line with the drop as it's not small and you'll want to scope the landing and run out.  Also I really enjoyed the red barn area in particular Barn burner (gap jumps and berms).  Masterpiece is short but fun and an easy climb back up to session.

I did take the Rich Drew Jump clinic.  It takes place in a park using the MTB hopper ramps.  The class lasted 4hrs 8-12 and everyone got a ton of reps on the different ramps.  It's not cheap (~380 w/ taxes) but I highly recommend it if you want coaching and lots of practice.

As far as restaurants go.  be aware that most of the restaurants in Bentonville are closed on Sunday's.  Last Sunday the choices were pretty much Peddler's Pub, Tavola, 8th street market or Tusk and Trotter (great brunch and bloody mary flights).  The speakeasy in the basement of Preacher's Son was pretty empty on Friday night but I had a great old fashioned there.  Most places are doing indoor and outdoor seating.  Oh and the bartender at Pressroom said that Monday's are even quieter than Sunday and did say there were a lot more options in Fayetteville on those days.  

5 minutes ago, CBaron said:

Really?!?  I had no idea there were FLW houses in that area.

-CJB

I think there's just the one on the museum grounds.  It was moved from somewhere in New Jersey.  I was in Bentonville last weekend and the FLW house is closed to entry due to COVID.  The Museum is open though and the trails were great.  I took the Rich Drew jump clinic and had a blast but wish it would have been a bit cooler and less humid.

3 hours ago, chuckt said:

Looks like Sallie Barber.

Yes it is.  Today I hit Aspen Alley for the 1st time.  It's definitely a must hit if you're in the area.  Also Sidedoor is great but the climb is a bit of a grind.

Pic from yesterday mornings ride.  Long climb but nice cool temps.

2 hours ago, AustinBike said:

Honestly, bike geometry is "learned". Geometry really matters for the first 10 or so rides, and then after that, your body learns how the bike handles and it compensates. A great example is people who talk about pedal strikes on their bikes. This is a really common problem on new bikes but then it goes away. Your muscle memory takes over and you learn how to ride it. 

At a micro level every bike is different and every bike has its own handling skills, but at a macro level, you get used to 80-90% of the variances.

Truth.  When I got my new bike I was pedal striking on 1/4 and DD quite a bit even though BB height was almost identical and the slacker HT and longer fork made steering feel different.  However, after a couple of weeks no more pedal strikes than on the old bike and steering felt natural.

Also different forks with differing travel, sag and compression/rebound settings will feel different cornering depending on speed, terrain etc. Also you don't have stem length or handlebar width for bike 2 unless they are the same that would also impact how a bike feels cornering. 

9 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

I tried this.  Be prepared to have a strong mint flavor in your camelback.  Do they make other flavors? I just remember buying the cheapest generic Walgreens denture cleaner I could find.  LOL!!

I mean, it's probably better than the chlorine flavor from the camelback tablets which is I don't do either unless absolutely necessary.  With the Osprey bladders it's easy to wash and scrub all the inside so I have less of a need for tabs on those than on my camelbacks.

I've not had that issue with the generic HEB tablets just a bit of mint smell but will make sure I stay away from the Walgreens stuff. I do like chuckt's beer idea though. LOL

Denture cleaner works well for cleaning bladders and is dirt cheap.

I've been hitting Brushy for a few hours from about 7am  on the weekends and ~7pm during the week and it has been hot but not unbearable other than the hike and bike being crowded on weekend mornings.  As others have said acclimating to exercising in the heat and hydration are key but I would be lying if I said I was not looking forward to spending a week riding in Breckenridge at the end of the month. 

Have you considered picking up a frame/fork and building it up how you want it possibly using some of your existing parts?  I went that direction because every stock build I looked at ended with a list of upgrades so I finally elected to build exactly what I wanted.

I don't think you can go wrong with anything on your list, the Revel looks like a sweet bike and I think the blue is gorgeous.   I ended up going with an SB130LR and I absolutely love it. Climbing traction in the chunky stuff is incredible, if you liked the SB5 I think you'll feel the same with the SB130 but again everything on your list is going to be good.

I rode pretty much everything at Brushy yesterday and the trails were not wet at all but down south it may be different. The dust was not a problem but the humidity was 98% at 7am yesterday.  I'm hoping that this afternoonwill be better.