Ridenfool

A thread to share your faves. Fiskars: The best thing about this brand is a lifetime warranty. Send them a photo and they send a new tool or the parts needed to repair it. 15" PowerGear Titanium Lopper $23 at HomeDepot This tool's power gear makes cutting things a breeze. It's blunt ends make it easy to slide the handle into a waist belt on a pack and carry it on a ride. It is lightweight and very unobtrusive. I've ridden with one like this for over a decade without a mishap. I always carry with the plastic anvil against my body. I'm hard on these tools and have received several replacements over the years without a qualm from Fiskars over any claim. This is my most-used trail maintenance tool. 10" Power Tooth Folding Saw $20 at HomeDepot This one is an improvement over earlier models. The blade is a thicker gauge and doesn't bend as easily as other saws. The teeth are amazing in how fast they can cut. Fits easily into most packs, and has a hole to string accessory cord through for other carrying and storage options. Also, the blade has three locking positions, Stowed, Regular Cut (shown) and Undercut where it flips another 90 degrees to have the teeth up. 54" EZ Reach Stick Tree Pruner $40 at HomeDepot You can quickly cut things like Yaupon near the ground without bending over each time, and you can reach branches high overhead in order to cut them back further. It is lightweight, durable, and guaranteed for life. This tool is magical in making quick work of trimming as it easily slides into thick brush to get to that difficult to reach branching point without getting poked in the eye trying to wrangle loppers in a tight space. Eliminating all the bending and squatting that cutting at ground level usually demands will allow you to get more done without wearing you out. A truly amazing tool, best for those days when you are walking in as it would be challenging to attach to bike or pack due to the length. The lopper and the pruning stick are capable of cutting up to 1.25" diameter. If you want to maximize the reward from your efforts, use tools like these to make it easy to clear the corridor and sight lines back enough to last for years. Oddly enough, these tools can all be used around the yard at home too. Though I can't imagine anyone spending their prime trimming time on yard work when there are trails to maintain. What are your faves and what makes them so?

Advancements in bleeding edge technology have resulted in the ultimate device to offer relief for those riding in the rain blues.

SOLD!

There seem to be a veritable plethora of spokesmen for this activity.

The "brutal" aspect was intended to accent the humor. It was a ballsy move.

Well, to be brutally honest, and speaking only for myself, this really isn't ever the question. 😱 YMMV

There is still that grey area where they made it and walked away, but their balls are bleeding.

Absolutely. Just doing comparison shopping against other lift access places I've been. Considering how the value compares with driving someplace further away, but with a longer ride to lift ratio.

Looking at Trail Forks and considering the time reported for riding down the longest run on the hill, it appears that even if there is never a line to wait for the lift, riders will be spending more time riding the lift than they will spend riding any given trail. Five minutes up, and three to five minutes down.

Damn Nando, that is a sweet looking ride! Here's some bacon for El Chupacabra amigo.🥓🥓🥓 Only got the slightest of drizzles at RHR, so the impact has been minimal, so far. (probably shouldn't have mentioned that ...)

That trail was a lot of work to build. I have a scar on a fingertip from getting it pinched between a couple of slabs. The crew I was on hauled a lot of large, flat rock slabs into a particularly nasty bog section to armor it. Good times! I've never made it out there to ride the trail once it was completed. It is another on a long list to eventually pick up some day.

Well, you kinda went overboard with prep for the second pic. But, yeah, you met the mark. It happened! Good work. Um, er, and heal up quick there ...

Pics, or it didn't happen

Most erosion concerns regarding trails can be addressed through application of the 50% rule and of rolling grade dips in the trail design. Armoring, ladder bridges, and other methods are also available to the trail builder who places sustainability high on their list of design criteria. The same techniques can be applied to repair and improve existing trail, along with maintenance of trail tread to promote sheet flow across the trail, rather than water being channeled into a narrow path following the trail. The fact that IMBA's preeminent tome on sustainable trail construction provides chapters of information specific to addressing this very topic quite literally speaks volumes to counter arguments toward these environmental concerns. Additional studies have shown how MTB tires rolling on a trail actually help address damage done to the trail surface by nature, as well as that done by equestrian and human use, and further exemplifies how mountain bikes contribute to sustainability and erosion prevention in concert with a sustainable design. Lastly, the significant impact of the biking community in volunteer efforts for construction and maintenance of trail systems when compared to participation by other user groups further places mountain bikers at the pinnacle of desired users for any trail system.

The thing about integrity is how consistent integration of thought and action are paramount in order for such a state of being to be recognized.

Wait. Are those the only choices in this vote?

I can attest that stainless steel ain't cheap to have installed and removed either. But the weight savings is more significant than titanium, upon removal.

I'm picturing people in Ski wear riding the lifts with their bicycles behind them.

Peru-ty cool, indeed!

Perhaps it is a bike owned by a Semi-Tractor driver who enjoys having a ridiculous number of gear combinations with lots of shifters to fiddle with.

Mouse over the avatar of the person you want to ignore, then choose "Ignore User"

Water variety, as they mention boat rental. Though a good once-a-century Winter storm could make use of the lift for a few days of snow skiing ...

Would it be wrong for me to hold out for their providing bike wash station, post-ride showers, food and drink onsite for the day trippers? 🥓

I did find this on their site, hitting the alternate revenue stream angle. https://www.spidermountain.com/ " Spider Mountain Bike Park offers a variety of trails for all abilities - with an aggressive plan to add more trails regularly. Once you've had your fill of gravity-fueled thrills, sample our lake resort amenities where you'll find lodging, camping, SUP and boat rentals at our private marina and more. " After zooming in on GoogleMaps Satellite view I found a link to a resort with the same address as Spider Mountain website references. Thunderbird may be what they purchased, and the resort site provides some additional info on amenities that may be a part of the overall plan. If so, I'll say that their business plan may offer more elements than are shown on the SM website so far. It seems to be better thought out than the impression the SM site paints. EDIT: Same link is on the SM site as "LODGING" at the top of each page. http://www.thunderbirdvacation.com/

If some part of a person's goal is fitness, then, pedaling and lifting more weight to store the bike would be a better workout, wouldn't it? At least that is the best excuse I have for only riding long travel full squishy bikes for the past fifteen years or so. (rode a mid travel Salsa Big Mama for a while, but it got sketchy on fast descents when it ran out of travel. Now it hangs lonely and forgotten on the shop wall.) But, I'm old, tall, heavy, and came into MTB from a dirt bike background where I'd learned to appreciate the effects of lots of squish as Moto suspension and handling vastly improved over the decades from when I initially transitioned from bicycle trail riding to motorcycle trail riding in the 70's. I'd rather have ten extra pounds on the bike in components needed to provide this benefit and focus on losing ten (or more) pounds of body weight by pedaling to compensate, than suffer the ride a hardtail frame provided me back in the 90's. I really started riding longer distances on trails only after converting to a full suspension bike. My rides are rarely under two hours long and are usually done on weekends. If a person's average ride is an hour or so after work, and, they can spend a lot of that time out of the saddle, a hardtail might be a great fit. Different strokes for different folks. Gotta take into consideration how you will use the bike to best select the right one.