Chief

On 9/13/2018 at 10:34 AM, MrTheCatLady said:

The sun came out yesterday afternoon after what has seemed like weeks of rain, and I took full advantage by going on a road ride.  I have a 20-mile route that meanders around the Great Hills area (should have been called the 'Suck-Ass Hills', amirite?) and then heads south on Spicewood Springs until the Yaupon junction, then heads north up Yaupon all the way to Oak View.  I had tried it once before and failed, but last night - thanks in part to the 75*F temperature - I made it all the way without stopping.  Not even at the top.

That hill is tough.  I think it may actually be worse than the one at the south end of Rain Creek, headed south, right before it meets Great Hills Trail.  I have made it up that one multiple times...it is steeper (I think) but shorter.

Anyway, just wanted to share.  Do any of you ride in and around the Great Hills area?  That area is fairly close to by my apartment, so it's where I do a lot of my road rides.

-cls

I've done Yaupon it's definitely a tough climb. Rain Creek? Do you mean Lime Creek heading towards Anderson mill? Thats a tough climb as well. On the triple bitch you get two spots were the road levels but they're not long enough for any recovery. Blew myself up the first time I climbed that. Don't forget Courtyard, Beauford, City park, Adirondack Trail, Bluffstone.... There's a bunch of great climbing in the Austin area if you have the lungs and legs for it.

3 minutes ago, throet said:

I haven't been on a bike in almost 2 weeks, and things aren't looking great for this weekend either. Just learned from a post on another thread that RPR is closed to the public this weekend, which I confirmed on their website. Although the rains have subsided some, it seems we're getting just enough every day to keep things really wet. In the 4 years I've been riding trails in Austin, I don't recall ever seeing such a lengthy period of wetness like this.  

Same here. Going nuts not riding. Fortunately I have a couple wheels to build to help stay sane.

I trolled Craigs list last year and found a Thule T2 XTR in like new condition for $175. Nice rack for the price. The price of bike racks is a bit exorbitant.

How am I not surprised.😂

The red wasps are the worst. Sting feels like someone is putting a cigarette out on your skin.

Rained pretty hard at my house last night. Have to think trails are f**ked.

I have a set of 3T carbon bars that got damaged due to a brake clamp not being as round as it should be. I replaced them immediately. After replacing them I tried breaking the damaged bars by hitting them on the floor of my garage and the brick corner of my house. They would not break. Once again I believe that these incidents are preceded by damage and ignorance. If carbon is failing it will usually be making noise before it happens. I had a carbon seat post on my road bike that was damaged and I wasn't aware until the post started creaking. Not saying we should ride with damaged carbon parts but carbon is exceptionally strong.

4 minutes ago, HoneyBadger said:

 

Are E-Bikes even allowed on County trails? 

My understanding is no. No motorized vehicles on county trails.

14 hours ago, gotdurt said:

Dude, don't ever go slow; that's how these things happen.

I used to roll off Collarbone instead of using the switchback between the rocks until onetime I rolled up to it too slow. I realized as my front tire was rolling off the edge that I was moving too slow and tried to ride it out. No OTB but lost control and landed on my left shoulder blade and felt something spear me in the chest. Tore the cartilage front and rear on my ribcage took about two and a half months to heal.

11 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

Which fingers get numb on your hands?  Since I got my new-to-me bike with wider Enve bars, I suffer terribly with all the fingers and thumb except the pinky.  Looking at anatomy books, I figured the only place this can happen is at the shoulder or neck.

My old bike had a narrower bar, and I think more back sweep.

About same as you. Sometimes it's worse then others. Usually goes away during ride. Like I said I blame the angle that my wrists are at. If you're sitting upright you'll see that your wrists are put at hard angle, but if you lower your body more over the bars you'll see that when your elbows move outward the angle at your wrists becomes less severe. The downside to too much back sweep is steering input becomes weird like a boat tiller because it starts to move your hands behind your stem if you're running a short stem.

I have the GA3's on my bike and like them a lot. As far as hand and finger numbness I attribute that to not having having enough back sweep on my handlebars. The less sweep on your bars the more of an angle your wrist has when holding the bars.

Carbon paste definitely helps. It allows you to get enough torque without slipping or over tightening. Something else to consider is how sharp the edges of whatever you clamp to your bars is. The sharp edges of clamps can damage the carbon in ways you can't see.

I had a set of Chromag bars for my bike. Didn't like them, way too flexy. My Easton bars are much stiffer.

I have carbon bars on both my bikes. No issues.

From what I read about it, it's locked out on smooth terrain and active when needed. I never lockout my fork or shock. Never really saw a need to.

I had an E-ten on my first bike. Lasted about eight months before it started acting up. I like the brand X I currently have on both my bikes. Over a year and still working like new. IMO best dropper for the price. 550gms isn't really that bad for a dropper, to get lighter then that you have to spend a sh*tton of money.

You'd probably be better off with a different shock. The RP23 is not a great shock. Speaking from experience. Manitou Mcleod is a great affordable shock.

What is the stroke on that shock? Measure the distance from the can to the ring if it comes up the same as stroke you're good.

9 hours ago, Cafeend said:

7:30 AM Fri Morn? Same place as last week?

Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk
 

I'm in.

More time on road or gravel bike with long peddling sessions mixed with MTB for tech skills.

I was using Stan's but they changed the formula and now it constantly weeps out the side walls of Schwalbe tires. Switched to Orange Seal and no more weeping. I know I need more sealant when I go to go for a ride and one of my tires is flat:) 

Good ride guys. Would be cool to get a few more people for a group ride.