JRIDER

360 is actually pretty nice if you hit it early on the weekends before traffic picks up. The worst part about 360 is crossing over the entrance\exit ramps. I'll stop and wait for an opening if needed. I try to avoid two lane roads with no shoulders like Spicewood Springs . That is my least favorite stretch of road on the EB route.

I did the 60 mile inaugural ride this year and it was a lot of fun. Registration for 2022 is now open. https://www.gravellocos.bike/

Apologies in advance for not having a Facebook account. I used to be able to browse the EB FB page, but the new EB FB group requires a FB account. Just have a few quick questions.. 1.) Is the EB still happening this Saturday? 2.) How are the trails looking for this weekend? 3.) Latest gpx please? 4.) Any major changes or anything to lookout for or consider? 5.) What's the rollout time? Thanks!!

Will there be DragonSlayer jerseys available for purchase? Thanks!. Found this in the participants guide: "The Dragonslayer jersey is only available to those who completed all three laps in under 15 hours." The jersey must be earned, not just bought.

In for at least 1 lap.

Get a full suspension if you can afford it. Especially if you're nearing or over 40. Your body will thank you. And keep the hardtail as a backup bike and for walnut rides. The longer you ride the hardtail, the faster your skills will improve. But it will be painful and if you're middle aged, you might want to just enjoy more pain free miles on the full suspension. And if you like Brushy trails, you'll find yourself riding at Lake Georgetown. More reason to get a full suspension.

I rode out there once at night and it seemed much harder to navigate in the dark compared to brushy. Parts of the trail are not as defined because it's just rock . I had to stop several times to backtrack to find the trail again.

I've riden about 1/2 mile of trail there but did not realize there was more. But I do have a road as well so that's my excuse.

I started with 2.4 in front and back. Been happier with the handling each time I got up a size. Currently at 2.5 rear and 2.6 in the front. I wont win any races with that setup, but it feels real smooth on trails around here.

so my Dirt hubs have failed after jus a few hundred miles of riding. I'm 230 with riding gear and mostly ride Brushy with this bike. I don't dent rims, but have busted somewhere around 5 hubs in as many years. I want to run anywhere from 29" 2.4 - 2.6 tires on this bike. The Santa Cruz Reserve wheels have a max tire recommendation of 29*2.5. Not a deal breaker, but that kinda sucks. The I9 101 hubs seem like a good mix or durability\engagement. Any recommendations for a good solid carbon wheel\hub? I'm looking for hubs that have decent engagement, but more importantly need to handle a lot of torque. My mechanic recommended the NOX carbon rims so I might look at those. Thanks!

What time is the first rollout today? Was hoping to start with the faster group to see how long I can hold on.

I bought a 29x2.6 Mazza for my front tire and it seemed noticeably skinnier that my 2.6 specialized Eliminator. Rode rougher than normal on a recent lake Georgetown loop, but I hadn't figured out the tire pressure sweet spot. Cornering is pretty good, but not a good as my Eliminator was.

That would make a cool zwift course. If you like suffering and boring.

How much trail are you trying to clear? A few hundred feet or miles worth? A skid steer might be more handy to have around. It won't run over trees like a dozer, but it will get the trees out with a little work. You can get a nice used 75hp skid steer for about 20 grand or get a smaller one for even cheaper. We've used a 50hp skid steer to clear cedars without any problem. Plus you can add all kinds of attachments to a skid steer. A dozer will definitely knock down several acres in a day, but then you have a big mess of trees that you can't pick up to move. You can push the trees into piles, but that pile accumulates dirt as you move it so then you have a big mound of dirt and trees. With a skid steer you can use the bucket to knock down a section of trees then switch to a fork or graple attachment to pick up the trees and move them to a trailer or burn pile. Plus skid steers are easy to work on and can be towed with a light duty truck. You need a semi to move most dozers.

I have a Fuel and a Procaliber. The Fuel is a great all around bike for Austin terrain. I'm sure there are better options, but you can't go too wrong with the Fuel. Having Trek dealers in Austin should make it easier to get frame parts if needed. And I've broken several frame parts over the last few years and bss got it turned around within 2-3 weeks for me. My biggest problem with the trek stores (and all the local stores for that matter) are the limited hours. Now that I wfh and have child dropoff duties after work, I can't make it to the store by 6pm. I have to go during my lunch break and peddler is much closer to my house. I used to stop by bss on the way home from work, but that doesn't work for me in the covid\wfh era.

I tried this search, but it still listed the bss stores so I don't think its reflective of the specialized stores after the Trek\BSS shakeup. Went ahead and picked up some Vittoria Graphene 2.0 Mazza Enduros. Hopefully the sidewalls hold up.

Anyone know which stores sell Specialized MTB tires in the north Austin area? I've really liked my Specialized Eliminator Black Diamond 29*2.6 up front and wanted to get another one. Or can someone suggest a similar Maxxis option? Looking for strong sidewalls and lots of side knobbys. Thanks!

I was thinking the same amount. It doesn't have to be extremely level. I'm more than happy to go take care of it.

Why not just fill it with dirt? Put a small mound on top of the part not caved in so it will level off once it caves in. Or bust up the section not caved in and level it off. I can help with that in the next week.

There is a tree over the trail on the west end of Deception. Not sure of the trail segment name, but it's just before you get to the jeep road. Also another tree down at the top of snail. I can take my chainsaw over there Friday or Saturday and take care of it if that's ok with upper level management.

Just ride about 6" to the side of the wet line on the first roller and it's not that bad. About halfway down roller you will end up in the middle of the algea, but it's much easier to control the bike from that point. I ride this about once a week and its had water\algae lately. Just too much fun to pass up. Love the rollers and hammering through the ditch. Cant upload my pic here, but I uploaded to my ride from last month. https://strava.app.link/98kz3C7rMdb

It's not backwards. Front wheel drive is the latest tech for getting maximum traction.

Looks like the geo and travel suck...

Thanks for posting about this. Was thinking about riding it this year, but covid kept me away. But this ride is definitely on my to do list.

This is where a break controller helps. I was towing a 10,000lb bumper pull travel trailer to west texas (f350 diesel) and the trailer started swaying on me going down a long descent, causing the truck to shake as well. I've never had to do this, but I used the brake controller to slow down the trailer. I kept one hand near the controller for the rest of that trip. Like others have already said. Tow ratings are for ideal conditions and dont account for emergency maneuvers or extreme road conditions like long descents and strong crosswinds. And make sure to change your tranny fluid more often if you tow regularly. Most trucks driver's manuals state this, but I'm not sure if manuals for other vehicles would state this.