mack_turtle

I think this is if you take it to a shop and have your suspension serviced and pivot bits replaced by the manufacturers' service schedule. no one does this, and it's probably over-zealous to do so. however, most people let their suspension parts go to crap until it's too late. there's probably a healthy middle ground, and you can do most of the work at home. if you spent NOTHING on servicing your suspension over the course of a year on a bike that is ridden regularly, you're probably doing it wrong.

I am sure it all costs a lot more than any calculations we can make. Cost of helmets, gloves, glasses, and special shorts, additional laundry and bathing from being all sweaty, trail tools, cost of gas to drive to different trails, trips to the bike shop, tools and maintenance, and it costs a lot more if you don't maintain your bike at all, or if you take it to the shop for every little thing. or if you don't take it to the shop and break stuff by ham-fisting your bike. it's good to keep a rational budget in mind, but something that makes you happy and keeps you active and socially connected is priceless.

what about when you destroy a wheel on a hidden bowling ball-sized rock at the bottom of a hill? the first few hundred miles were free, but that last 5 feet cost me 500 bucks!

Ordering something new today. It'll be a looker!

I think you meant to share this link: https://www.austin360.com/entertainmentlife/20190508/the-pros-mix-with-joes-why-central-texas-cyclists-like-gravel-grinding

Looks like a Twin Six Standard Rando is in my future. 650b tires maybe!

I was surprised to see that Grim Donut was not a total disaster. seems like it's probably really good at one thing though.

without seeing it in person, I certainly can't diagnose it. depending on how much you ride, I'd think it should last longer than that.

the clutch is adjustable and needs to be touched up every now and then. look up the service instructions for your derailer.

I've ridden that 100 times and I always fail that last boulder. nemesis! I need to really study the line options there, but the low-hanging branch does make it difficult.

this might be one of her last voyages! far south end of SATN

yes! if you track your rides on a map and segments of the map have a concentration fo squiggles in one spot, you're doing it right. It's best to do this kind of riding solo with just one or two other riders. no group of 4+ people wants to wait around while one rider sessions the same spot over and over. might be useful to just ride with one other person as a spotter and to analyze your attempts. There are some segments in SATN and Barton Creek Greenbelt that I'll go ride and just ride them over and over until I clean them. There's a "ramp" of boulders just south of Bowie HS and the Bowie Stonewall segment down here that are good for that. Cheesegrater is another segment I like to session but I am pretty close to being able to clean all of it without a second try. the harder stuff is deeper in BCGB. I am spoiled to have so much trail right out my front door, but I still need to go ride Emma Long. that seems like a good "session" trail. I'm down for this kind of riding if anyone wants to join me.

new Stormchaser color, please!

I rode a drop-bar bike with gears off an on over the past few years. the gears always felt annoying and limiting to me. just a preference, but I have zero use for them. if I lived near mountains, I'd probably set up a dinglespeed. If i was going to do an actual "adventure tour" loaded down with camping gear and riding for day after day, I'd probably want gears. some people do Tour Divide on a SS, but where I draw the line for nutcase status. Riding a 100k gravel route on one gear is fine. I also put a 1x10 on my mountain bike for a little while and rode the BCGB with it. I could not climb or ride any technical features with any more confidence than I could with a singlespeed. I cleaned the same features and walked the same sections. and my quads were on fire at the end, which never happens when I stick to one gear. with the limited options available right now, I've resigned myself to just waiting. if I buy anything now, I'll regret it when new options become available in a few months after the supply chain has caught up. the money is burning a hole in my pocket but I'll just wait. if you're familiar with the Marshmallow Experiment, I'm the kind of person who would never hope to make it to marshmallow #2 and it's agonizing to have to wait that long.

That was my first choice. 100% out of stock until sometime next year. There's a pattern forming here.