mack_turtle

Me too. Good times indeed!

Giro Carbide shoes, size 9-1/2/ 42.5. black with 3 Velcro straps. A bit chewed up up still useable. They are a bit too small for me. (Fitbit Surge is gone)

Weird, but thanks for that link! We've been cruising CL and Facebook ads and found a few candidates so far. Yeah, she needs a XS or a women's frame for sure. She's gotten on a few "small" frames and they still seem huge. We have not tried Yellow Bike yet and there's probably something there for her. She really hates visiting YBP and I don't blame her. Let me know if you happen to see something there.

Knowing her, five bucks! Seriously though, I would be surprised if she's willing to shell out $500 for any bicycle. She's well aware of how little bike that will get her on the new market so we're definitely considering used bikes. A 10-15 year-old XC 26er with Deore level stuff and a 80-100mm fork could work just fine.

Not sure if this helps, but have you watched the past few Seth's Bike Hacks videos?

Looking for a relatively modern XC hardtail with 650b or 26" wheels, disc brakes, and a decent suspension fork. Must be basically the smallest size frame made for a 5' tall adult. My wife has taken an interest in riding with me. Her mid-90s Cannondale M300 is a fine neighborhood cruiser but it's holding her back on trails. I can't find a worthwhile 1" threadless suspension fork for it (not that I expected to!) so it's new-ish bike time! She's not interested in technical trails but something that inspires confidence in a timid rider on stuff no more advanced than Walnut Creek would be terrific.

Are you bringing your own bike? McAllister Park, Leon Creek, and Salado Creek in San Antonio should keep you busy without leaving the city. Ifyou come to Austin, I'd get a guide to show you around Barton Creek Greenbelt. Austinbike.com has tons of info.

Gone

I started mountain biking because of that park and McAllister when I lived in San Antonio. OP is in the middle of a very long trail system along Leon Creek. There's a paved path and tons of trails along it. Nothing very technical. Not sure if it's worth driving all the way to SA, but fun for certain. You can also check out McAllister Park and Salado Creek trails while you're there.

Not for me, but are those things all 27.5 specific?

I've had these a few years and concluded they're just a bit too small for me. Pretty beat up on the outside but still functional. Free to a good home. Would be interested in a trade for something just a bit larger like a 43-44, which is probably labeled a 10 in the postmodern American wich-washy shoe sizing schema. I've been riding flat pedals mostly for the past year but I clip in for riding the "road" bike.

I always go by Euro sizing for consistency. 43, maybe 44 fits me. That might be a US size 9 to 10.5 because that sizing system is whack.

I'm 160 pounds riding a 140mm hardtail with 29x2.4 tires on 25mm rims (narrow by today's standards) no inserts. No hucking but I seek out chunky stuff to crawl over. Mid-high 20s for pressure. Anything under 25 results in rim strikes and sliced tires. I don't know how people pull off lower pressure for Austin rocks

My wife has recently expressed some interest in cycling. I got a hold of a x-small, 170mm trail FS bike and took her on a short loop of relatively mild trails and she was quickly overwhelmed. I'd like her to try a mixed terrain ride on a lightweight gravel or XC bike to see how she likes that. Anyone have a bike that will fit a 5' woman like that which we can take for a spin?

This should be perfect for my new career in retiring renegade replicants.

The Sofirn was too heavy for my liking on my helmet. I moved it to my handlebar with a TwoFish Block and it's been great so far. I have not had any need for the highest setting after a few rides with it. I put the MiNewt on my helmet with the battery pack in a jersey pocket just to get the weight off my head.

There's a yawning gap between "vintage" and "old junk". Many people fail to understand the distinction.

I attempted all three Social routes. I did South and East just fine. I knew I would have to ride fast to finish the North route before the 3 p.m. cutoff, so I didn't go back to my car and refill my water and grab another Cliff bar. That was a mistake. By the time I reach Reproductive Cycle, I was spent. I rode into Sunset Valley turned too early, then just limped back to ATX Bikes on the VCT. I think only two people completed all three: Andy and Jackie? Singlespeeders, naturally. Trails were great! A few slippery spots but most of the dirt was fine. After-party was lovely and it made me really jealous of the kids who are growing up with so much support for cycling.

http://www.austinbike.com/index.php/north-of-austin/16-cameron

I live in the middle of SATN. My back yard was a muddy mess this morning. I doubt any of the trails will be GTG tomorrow.

$80? But Walmart sells shoes for less than half that!

I was up north at work today near Walnut and it was cold and rainy all day. Walnut will not be OK to ride by Saturday. I assumed the weather 20 miles south was just as dismal. Hopefully it was less crappy on the south side. I just don't want everyone who lives on a cloud of optimism to assume the trails will be fine and not plan ahead.

I've used shoes like this for food service jobs. They don't slip on tile floors and other hard, slippery surfaces. That's not the same thing as not shredding and slipping on spikey pedals. The reason why Five Tens stick so we'll is that they have a tough material in the sole that is soft enough for pedals to dig in but resist tearing. I've shredded some sneakers on mtb pedals (I bought some Giro Jackets and they were useless after fewer than a dozen rides) and Five Tens last much, much longer. Inexpensive short term, expensive long term. Those food service shoes might be cheap enough to be worth an experiment, but I would not expect much. My experience tells me that most riders will go through several pairs of cheap shoes in the time that a single pair of Five Tens would last, making cheap shoes a poor value and create a lot of waste to boot.

Any idea what a Plan B for this might be? Weather is looking grim.

Anyone can ride a bike down a hill. Riding up is another story: https://youtu.be/Uw4PqO7cABU