mack_turtle

Well damn. I guess that's another option to scratch from the list. Horrendous customer service.

I have two large i-bolts screwed into a stud. The bolt i-ends are just far enough apart that they could be screwed in and a u-lock can fit through. You can't unscrew them with a lock through both at the same time. A determined theif would just cut the lock, but that would take a whle and make a lot of noise.

Riding a Canyon ebike on pump track sounds like a hoot.

Marino already got back to me. Here's the first version. Elijah says I need to add a bent seat tube for tire clearance, which I expected.

Actually, quite a bit of gravel. No trails though.

Convert it to 650b.

the seat tube angle on that design is so slack that I would not be able to ride it sitting down. also, standover clearance that I need to not smash myself completely disappears on the large size. Surly designed that bike to fit correctly—with a "long" stem and tight handling with a super-short wheelbase. I don't have any trouble controlling it, but it's not inspiring at speed.

Noted, @CBaron. I kind of like my BB to not be too low as I like that nimble bmx feel. That be 65mm drop that is so in right now just feels deep. I'm trying to adapt to lower though. I noticed that the Chumba Sendero has a high bottom bracket, probably for handling purposes less than rock strikes. Here's a drawing I made of what I might look like. adding in the details of a suspension fork was cumbersome, so I drew it with a rigid fork for simplicity. There are "sagged" numbers for a 120mm 29er fork. I'm still on the fence. on one hand, I can get a unique custom bike for very cheap. I'll probably have to wait a long time for it and there's a possibility that I've designed a monster that I won't like or they might make a mistake. I could also buy a Esker Hayduke or Santa Cruz Chameleon for about 2x the cost, but I can afford it. not the "perfect" custom bike, but something designed well and with stateside support.

It's been a year since we had foster dogs. picked up two new guests yesterday. Pickles is a dachshund/ chihuahua mix, probably two years old. Very affectionate. Jonas is a dachshund with pointy ears. loves to get into everything. He was found on the street and needs to gain some weight.

Marino has tons and tons of bikes in the wild, and while communication is not perfect, it sounds like everyone gets their bike eventually. I'll wait to hear if they ever get back to @gotdurt before i put any money down, but I'm designing something in the meanwhile. It's that or just keep riding the old bike until I break it, which is unlikely. Is it possible that they've just had the frame all this time and were waiting for you? It sounds like they build a ton of custom bikes all the time. Bad customer service for sure, but everyone makes mistakes. Like I said, I'm waiting to hear what you find out before I proceed.

here's the custom bike I am sitting on right now. it's basically a steel Specialised Fuse, medium size. all the dimensions are a nod to modern trends, but not extreme: longer reach than an XC bike so I can use a short stem, mid-travel fork 120-130mm, slack-ish HTA, adjustable sliding dropouts with a range of 420-435mm so I can tension a singlespeed drivetrain and experiment if I want a longer wheelbase, short seat tube so I can use a long dropper post, low stack. subdued teal pain with bright blue. for another $150, I can get a matching steel fork A friend has been considering building a backpacking-type bike from them, so if we do this, we'll ship two frames together for $150 instead of one frame for $110.

It seems like most people have had good experience with Marino so I'll give it another look.

I have zero interest in anything longer than 120. a 490 or so rigid fork would work just fine for me as well. personal experience tells me that I'm not going to ride anything where I would "need" more travel than that and the weight and movement is a liability at that point. I ran the numbers and a Middlechild with a fork that I'd want would have the BB dangerously close to the ground and the seatpost at flagpole steep.

I have a long list and RSD is not on it because I don't need anything with a fork that long. putting a shorter fork on it would do some whacky things to to geo. It's just a ginormous bike. trust me, I've looked at everything under the sun and I can't settle on something I like. it's neurotic and I probably should not have brought it up.

ugh, that's disappointing. I can't believe that there was never a follow up. if I take that risk, I'll be bikeless for the long term. I'll just stick with what I have.

bringing this thread back from the dead because Marino is back on my radar. after nearly a year of searching for jobs, I FINALLY got something to stick. I'm starting a technical writing role that will pay a bit more and involves less traveling. woot! new job, new bike. I want something that's a little longer and more "modern" than my Karate Monkey to handle a 120mm 29er fork (~495mm a-c) with short chainstays, a not-so-low bottom bracket, longer reach for a shorter stem, and a slightly longer front-center/ head tube angle. it has to have some sort of singlespeed capabilities and preferably steel. I have a long list of options and all of them have sub-optimal geometry for my desires or they cost a lot more than I can shell out. Chumba Sendero or Neuhaus Hummingbird, but I'm not making that much more money. Esker Japhy is to long-and low and the Santa Cruz Chameleon and Spec. Fuse are aluminum. nope, custom it is! The pricing on these bikes is a no-brainer. custom geo, Reynolds 725, sliding dropouts, custom add-ons, and I get to pick the color for less than the cost of a Surly frame? I just have to wait? that's fine. The hardest part will be nailing down the geo to exactly what I can confidently say will work for me. when I'm honest with myself, the only thing I don't like about the KM is that it's so compact that I need to use a "long" stem for it to fit me at all, and even then, it's compact. if I finally do this, I'll document it for you all.

On a 120mm hardtail, I think I have two tokens in my Fox fork. Without them, my choices are to ride with so much pressure that the fork is harsh, or take some pressure out and the fork bottoms out on everything. Adjusting the volume is essential!

I used to assemble a lot of Diamondback bikes at REI. Each one came with a "fork direction" sticker, with a diagram showing how to orient the fork. I have a few dozen of those stickers in my collection now. I usually have one with me. Costco on the south side has some bikes on display that at least got the fork right, but they're otherwise horrible looking.

If nothing else, keeping it as a secondary bike is worth it. Think of your FS bike as your main ride, but make the hardtail enjoyable for days you want to challenge yourself more, when your FS bike is out of commission for service, or when the trails are wet and you want a gravel path/ urban adventure bike. Tubeless tires would be a good start, but keep the spending reasonable on the secondary bike.

Incoming HBO series based on The Last of Us. https://youtu.be/rBRRDpQ0yc0

Ilse? 🔥

a few among the ASS crew ride rigid bikes with big tires, but most of them have adopted dropper posts over time. simple bikes are great but you ca do so much more with the saddle "out of the way." if you want that simple feel, there's the KS ExaForm that has a lever under the saddle instead of a handlebar lever.

I really enjoy Mike Ferrentino's writing in general, but this is pretty spot-on. https://nsmb.com/articles/the-luxury-of-hypocrisy/

Not sure why this is a problem, but I take my bike into park bathrooms with me all the time. seriously, I'm not leaving it sitting there where someone can grab it unless I have a posse with me.

I'll be sure to bring my skateboard when I get around to visiting. I should go on a school day in the morning to avoid the crowding too.