circuitbreaker

silly question here. Do yall have any tips for crimping cable ends? what tool do you use?

i've done it plenty, but i always feel they come out 'ugly'.

On 5/20/2020 at 9:48 PM, Yosmithy said:

this in your hood

https://communityimpact.com/austin/lake-travis-westlake/parks-recreation/2020/05/14/lost-creek-limited-district-to-begin-charging-fee-for-access-at-its-entrance-to-barton-creek-greenbelt/

 

different neighborhood, but same story. i can understand why these neighborhoods are getting perturbed. 

https://www.kxan.com/news/local/austin/destruction-left-behind-in-neighborhood-hugging-austin-greenbelt-on-memorial-weekend/

after looking at the map, this is actually the HoL entrance off scottish woods. 

here is the bkxc playlist from the chasing epic st. george trip:

more info here:

http://chasingepicmtb.com/trips/our-locations/st-george/

after being with T-moblie and sprint for years, i finally switched to Verizon last summer before my trip to Colorado. the coverage is insane. it seems like i always have signal.

i'm on the prepaid $35/month plan and its hard to beat (not unlimited). My wife has basically the same deal on ATT through Cricket. its really good coverage too. 

if you're planning on keeping the czar, go with the ripmo, that way you have a big bike and an xc bike. pretty awesome combo.

i have never ridden an evil, so i can't help on that front. for some reason i didn't love the 429 trail (i was expecting to). but the mach 5.5 is a super fun bike (not 29er)

1 hour ago, Yosmithy said:

this in your hood

https://communityimpact.com/austin/lake-travis-westlake/parks-recreation/2020/05/14/lost-creek-limited-district-to-begin-charging-fee-for-access-at-its-entrance-to-barton-creek-greenbelt/

 

i have never used an entrance in lost creek, but this is a disturbing trend none the less. hopefully traffic is down by the time the pilot ends, and they don't renew it.

there's a little video here, doesn't look particularly interesting:

https://santaritaranchaustin.com/hike-bike-nature-trails-parks/

maybe a great place to take the wife and kids, but i assume this is meant to be residents only (although i don't see that explicitly stated on the signs).

can i ask how tall are you, and what size did you get?

23 hours ago, Barry said:

First world problems. But I'll be damned if this isn't the single most frustrating thing in cycling. I'll check, and double check, and still 1 of 10 times, I install the tire in the wrong direction.

If you're running Maxxis, the white writing goes on the drivetrain side (not the disc brake side) makes it pretty easy. but yes, when installing my conti road tires, it take me like 20 minutes to get the direction correct. although there is probably a similar easy cheat on those. i just don't install them often enough to know.

7 hours ago, Dan said:

How does Thumper difficultly compare to Double Down? I’ve been wanting to check it out but have been slow to leave the comfort of known trails.

I would say similar riding level, but as Antonio suggests its a different kind of difficult. Just a bit of warning, it is really confusing the first 3-4 times until you figure out which way to go. I could possibly give you a tour. (and you'll still be lost the second time you go out there.)

18 hours ago, natas1321 said:

Curious if city park is open at the moment, would like to ride it tomorrow morning if it is.

Sent from my moto g(6) using Tapatalk
 

yep, its open, rode it last week. nice and quite out there.

is the skinny finished? i haven't been out there recently.

On 2/2/2020 at 8:46 AM, mack_turtle said:

The ledge in question is the staircase in front of my front tire. I plugged the puncture in the middle of the tread but also got a small puncture right by the bead that I could not get to seal and leaked slowly. Limped to HEB to meet my wife because it was getting late and I have a craving for avocadoes.

Anyone have tips for repairing a sidewall/ bead area puncture? The rim took a ding but it's just on the top of the rim. The bead seat area seems fine.

unfortunately, if you got a bite in your bead area, you were running too low pressure, even  with the ARD. Reminder that these systems are not full proof. i have broken a carbon rim with cushcore installed.

I have heard from antonio that you can suture tears. I think that would be the best solution in that area, but have never tried it. suture kits are on amazon.

10 hours ago, cxagent said:

Rode it/them yesterday. Told others how to find them. Then went and saw a "Closed" sign. Will be checking on why that sign was there. Will post if they are open or not.

This was the first time I rode them on a bike. Maybe I'm just getting old but I think everyone should do a sighting run before they send it. There are consequences for coming up short on some of the jumps. 

 

Apparently Pace Bend and Reimers were closed today due to over crowding.:

3 hours ago, RidingAgain said:

I've been watching some jump videos that tell you to compress into the face... But looking at these riders I'm not really seeing them do that — or at least it doesn't seem that they are. Particularly off the drops... They just seem to be riding off and maybe pulling up a bit when in the air. Am I missing something here?

i think compressing for jumps can be a pretty slight movement. probably hard to see at speed. 

on drops, you don't need to jump if you have the right speed, you just ride off the edge and push the bike out in front of you.

Guess i should change the title to "Portable Bike Tire Inflator"

you can see the dropzone clearly at the end of this video:

2 hours ago, taco_junkie said:

. RIP Blackburn pump 😞

Yep, that looks similar to mine. I think it probably actually still works, but i lost the spinny cap to hold the valve engagement pieces in. And mine is shaped a bit like a banana, because i've landed on my back a few times.

right now the topeak mini morph is at the top of my list.

thanks for all the recommendations. 

do you think you'll have any issue running the big ben's tubeless? i've never tried running random commuter tires tubeless.

1 minute ago, ATXZJ said:

I have 2 hand pumps i dont use. lemme know if youre interested

Thanks for the offer, but i think i'd rather just buy the right one new. (and hope it lasts another 20 years)

20 minutes ago, Tree Magnet said:

I used a CO2 cartridge and it was awesome.  If I wasn't tubeless, it would be too expensive but I'll pay for the convenience. 

Yeah, i've never used CO2, because i always ride with a pack and my pump has always worked. i've ridden with other people who have used CO2 on rides, and i've seen kind of mixed results, but that may have been user error. 

So my 20 year old blackburn hand pump finally died. Wanted to see if yall have any recommendations on a good hand pump. The pump will live in my full sized hydration pack, so size is not an issue. Primary concern is just a good pump that works well when i need it to. Also, i ride rode on occasion, so it would be nice if it cold handle higher pressures. Weight would be a secondary concern.

Texas State Parks will begin reopening for day-use only April 20

Due to limited staffing, weather conditions and continuing construction projects, some state parks will not be open at the current time. Park visitors should check the Texas State Parks Alert Map regularly for the latest information about the status of individual parks.

Operational changes still in effect at parks include the suspension of all transactions at parks, equipment rentals and in-person interpretive programs. All group-use facilities, visitor and nature centers, headquarters and other enclosed spaces where people congregate will also remain closed.

https://tpwd.texas.gov/?utm_campaign=spupdates&utm_medium=email&utm_source=4.20.2020

here are a couple used options in your price range:

https://austin.craigslist.org/bik/d/austin-xl-275er-kato-fs-ghost-2019/7089243166.html

https://austin.craigslist.org/bik/d/austin-mountain-bike/7104095868.html

In general, the answer to this question: What travel do you use for Austin trails?

i think the answer is 130 is plenty.

But if you want a smash, get a smash, they are awesome bikes. and the weight penalty is minimal. If you're into long rides, and pedaling more, than TrailPistol might be a better fit.

Either way you're getting an awesome bike, that will be able to handle more than you can throw at it.

Just had another great ride on Thumper. Thanks for clearing out those trees! I feel like its running quite well.

There are still two trees down after the second creek crossing. But they aren't really a big deal.