Ridenfool

Yes! Thanks. My first guess was the route that shows. If conditions look good that seems a more fun route than riding the road all the way.

This is what I see when going to that link.

Which is why I bailing from work at noon to get in a ride today. The rest of the weekend looks shot for a ride.

I can't see Strava routes as I'm not a member, but I think I know what you are talking about. It probably uses a section of Grey's Way I built when Grey asked to reroute the trail up Ike's Peak (he thought he would build a cabin there). This new section starts where Grey's Way from the Upper Campground comes close to the road and makes a hairpin to the right. About midway up that newish section there is a bail to the right onto Fat Chuck's. There are a few off-camber spots on that section that might be problematic if still wet from seepage. Or, it could be the bail before the Carpet Bridge on Mini-Me that also cuts over to Fat Chuck's. My plan is to take the road (Grey's Highway) all the way up to intersect Fat Chuck's between those two bails described above, and take a left and do that last climb up to Water 1. My mistake last time was in attempting to take SuperSecretSwitchback, which goes through several clay layers on that hill. That, and running a 3.0 front and 2.8 rear that loaded up quickly. Once on top my experience has been that the trails are pretty good after a rain. Mostly gravel and sand with much fewer clay spots. Getting up to Water 1 has always been the determining factor for getting the ride started after a rain. (I could also sneak in the back entrance by the 512 area, but that always feels like cheating)

Apparently not. On occasion I have gotten lucky and found a way, just not so much during this Monsoon season. Though I've been seeing vehicles with bike racks parked there on the way home from work each day this week and am hoping this is a good omen.

Hopefully I make it to Water 1 this time. After which things should be okay. Last attempt around New Years the clay bands crossed on the way up were quite adhesive and stopped my wheels. That day there were two other riders I found and was guiding them to avoid the muck best we could. One was on a new bike, and he was blamed for causing the conditions. The other was from Aridzona where such things as rain is a rarity. They pressed on where I turned back. There have now been a slew of days without precip for it to have soaked in, if that is possible at this saturation level. The tried and true Gopher Mound test in the yard is rendering mixed, but promising results. Keeping fingers crossed a ride can be had today as near half an inch is expected overnight.

Notice that the smallest one in the photo has a "spinner" sitting atop the bulbous handle.

I've always wondered if there were a screwdriver that actually fit the screws I keep rounding out. This 'splainz it nicely. Thanks!

All threads are about convincing people to change ... ... the original topic of the thread.

This is why IMBA's Trail Solutions book has chapters dedicated on how to approach and deal with the powers that be as an integral part of the trail building process.

Likewise to TheX, I ride mostly solo, and I haven't paid much attention to what others are using. I rode clipless for at least two decades before trying (New and Improved) flats and liking them so well I've no desire to go back to clipless. To further the list of links to consider, here's another one from BikeJames that may be particularly interesting to racers, as the test was conducted on the course in Italy on which Sam Hill won 2nd, riding on flats ... https://www.bikejames.com/strength/more-proof-that-flats-are-better-than-clipless-pedals/ I particularly liked the bits regarding the rampant denial experienced by the clipless advocates who were the subjects of the tests that demonstrated flats performed better for them, specifically. Fortunately we don't have any of that going on here.

This

I'm saying that racers are a very small percentage of the overall mountain biking community. Maybe 2%, if that, are racers. The majority of people who ride mountain bikes from beginners to occasional recreational riders to those avid riders performing at levels that span intermediate and expert, and who do not race are riding flats of some sort. That is what I'm saying.

Likewise, most mountain bikers (all riders) probably ride flats. Pondering upon the why works here too.

More a technical advantage for some riders than power as you describe it. Same reason toe clips were invented. But they didn't have 5Tens and pins on the flats back then either. There are certainly applications for either or both pedals. They are interchangeable in the realm of most common MTB applications and personal preference seems to be the most significant deciding factor, rather than some clear advantage of one over the other.

I just started on my coffee, I'll wake up in a couple of hours.

It must be a blissful experience to only ever consider the lowest common denominator.

You probably think that riding ten miles of road equals riding ten miles of trail as well. This might help explain your perspective.

Have never experienced cramps when I down a scoop of Hammer Nutrition Recoverite in water after a ride. When I forget to, I have all the aches and pains and sometimes cramps. Writing about it reminds me, it's time to buy another jug of that stuff. Recently been doubling up with a scoop of Lloyd's of Leadville CBD Protein Powder in the same glass. Better living through chemistry and all that ...

I'm holding out until TDF riders start riding mountain bikes. Otherwise there's not much to compare between what they do and what I do. Apples and Oranges.

Agreed, a portable power monitor measuring the rider's effort over a specific section of trail would be optimal. One pass with each pedal each day (with an hour break between rides), for ten days, Alternating between which pedal is ridden first on each day. That would be a practical test that might reveal any significant difference.

FWIW https://pedalinginnovations.com/does-this-video-really-prove-that-flats-are-more-efficient-than-clipless-pedals/ and https://www.mbr.co.uk/news/clipless-versus-flats-359866 The first is a power test that flats won, the second is a power test that clipless won. In reality, there probably isn't any significant difference with a rider that is comfortable and familiar with either pedal. What you like will work best, for you. Further, the tests did indicate that a clipless rider will benefit from riding flats as that will break them of the power-robbing habit of pulling up on the backstroke, this is a fact that was discovered in the first test, above. In the second test the difference between the two was about 6%, which could be accounted for as an acceptable margin of error. There was no indication that the test results were from multiple passes with each pedal, averaged. Same with the first test. If both were based upon a single pass on each pedal the results appear to be close enough to be considered equal.

That photo looks like some weird pair of glory holes for those who enjoy Prostate exams.

Considering how the Rhythm can use volume spacers it may just be grease from assembly in there.

Some do use a big wad of grease as a volume spacer. Add or remove grease to change the volume. Or, buy the volume spacer kit from Fox. (Edit: if available for the specific model of fork or shock) Either way will achieve the same result.