mack_turtle

On of these days, the SATN witch some of us have met is going to be on the headlines for something like this.

On that note, Tommy Ketterhagen's killer is going away. https://www.flobikes.com/articles/6449156-davison-sentenced-to-10-years-in-ketterhagen-death

What kind of rear derailer do you have?

Florida is a place where you can do anything if you're driving a truck or slinging a gun.

If you want to be proactive about it, tell the editor of Gear Patrol how you feel. As someone who writes stuff like this, I know that SEO research says that a beginner mountain bike for $3000 is not what people are Googling.

I'll never get over the image of old fart McGoo deep-throating one of his company's plastic axle pegs.

Looks quite a bit long. I have a reliable formula for sizing those loops at home.

Are they back already? I like to session that one Rocky Hill because I can't clean it constantly. All bets are off when the horseflies are biting.

Bad ass. One more thing about those brake posts- it's possible for the brake arm fixing bolts to get stuck to the post, so the post will thread out if you have to remove the brake. If you still can, apply some heavy thread locker to those posts and/ or tighten the crap out of them.

Did I make a factual mistake? You said I made something up. What, specifically, do you think I made up?

Chunk Truck is in the middle of the Latta Creek Greenbelt, just west of Dick Nichols Park. To get there, turn right at the tree with the big rock next to it.

That's pretty tone-deaf. It's common these days for the mtb media to write stuff that assumes that everyone have money coming out of their ears. I have written a few of these types of articles and I always categorize "first bikes" as less than $1500, and strive to find a recommendation under $1K. I mean, you can buy a carbon fiber 26" hardtail with crappy components for $400 and then put $600 worth of components one it over the next six months and at least end up with a passable XC bike. I've been mountain biking for over a decade (not that long, I know) and I don't think the custom-built hardtail with a boutique rear hub would cost more than $2000 if I had to start all over.

I like it. My experience has been that those screw-in brake posts can be hard to find of the manufacturer used a weird size. If anyone has something that weird, it would be YBP.

Color me confused. What part of that did I make up? Tourney cheese is a real, patented Shimano technology. Just watch that video of his "drop test." What else could that derailer be made from? Hyperbole aside, did I make a factual mistake? Maybe I misread the spec list on that X-Cal.

No horses, but can I walk my pony on this trail? How about a mule?

Actually, I should have a cool GT BMX bike to pay forward in a few days. It's something I would probably break if I were to actually jump it, but would be a great kids bike.

I love the DIY ethic. Just be careful about telling other people to do likewise, because what seems like a fun bicycle project to you will be a giant waste of time and money to people who just want to ride their bike.

Yes, that project is the perfect application of the colloquialism regarding cosmetics and hogs. The $1k X-Cal comes from a bike shop with Shimano hydros, wide-ish handlebar, a 2x9 drivetrain with a clutch-equipped derailer, a tapered fork, etc. And you get to keep your warranty if you change anything. Twice the price for four times the value. Anyrational person would be better off saving pennies for another month or two and buy something like that than buy a POS that needs to be torn down and rebuilt in order to have brakes that work, a rear axle that won't snap when you sneeze on it (ever seen a freewheel-equipped bike with a snapped axle? I've seen dozens), a fork with rebound adjustment, and a drivetrain that's not machined out of a block of soft cheese.

Most people would be far better off saving their money and buying something that does not require doubling the cost to make it not suck. If I may, this tells me a lot about our culture. People feel entitled to buy whatever they want right now and settle for cheap junk rather than save for it and buy some better the first time. Penny wise, pound poor Buy once cry once That never sinks in. There is no such thing as "cheap food" or a cheap bike. Corners are cut to lower the price, but we pay for it one way or another in the long run.

It sounds like he spent $400 on the bike, then replaced the wheels, fork, brakes, cranks/ BB, handlebar, grips, shifter, derailer, cassette, chain, etc (basically everything but the frame and a few minor parts) at a cost that was close to what a decent new bike would have cost. He was only able to keep costs down because he already had some of the parts laying around unused. It would have cost most people a lot more than that. I the process, he voided the warranty and ended up with a flexy, heavy bike with mediocre parts, and a pile of parts that most people would throw in the trash rather than taking the time to find a use for them. He enjoys riding it and that's great. But anyone interested in spending a similar amount of money could get a better bike for the same, probably less money. Sure, there's upgraditis in the culture, but the flip side of that culture is the half-assed "built not bought" culture of people who slap together junk and tell themselves it's better because they "made" it. There's a happy medium- buy mid-range decent stuff and be happy with it rather than putting lipstick on a pig. There's no law against that, but it does make one look foolish. Anyone is just as free to make stupid decisions as I am free to judge them for it. The video was an interesting experiment, but not a good prescription for the average person to take on.

That's what we were all hoping would not happen. Bartman, and your rants. I watched the videos above with the guy who customized the Hyper Carbon X. I am glad he did that for the sake of documenting it, but it sounds like a waste of time for general riding. It sounds like the bike was predicatably sucky at first. He managed to spend as much on that project as a decent modern bike would cost, but only because he had a bunch of spare parts to use already. Unless you have a bike parts boneyard and really like to tinker like that, it sounds like a money pit and a waste of time.

It's only fun for you. It's assinine, sophomoric, and irritating to everyone else. It's like talking to an 11 year old boy all hopped up on Mountain Dew and in that "I'm right and everyone is wrong" stage. I know, I was the kid... when I was 11.

Are you OK? You were living life and not spending all morning ranting about stupid stuff for a while there, but you're back at your quest for self-martyrdom. There must be more constructive ways to deal with whatever is bothering you than annoying your peers this way.

Get down from that cross. Some else will make better use of the lumber.

I'm exhausted from just reading all that rambling. Hot dogs are gross, but strawman.