mack_turtle

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

The folks who hang out of under Wm Cannon are super chill. There's a young guy with facial tattoos- I can't remember his name now, but his dog's name is Brian.

The bridge under William Cannon just east of Brodie (Taco Bell) is the only one where I have seen people camping so far. I would not ride out there alone at night for a variety of reasons. I am not to worried about homeless folks though.

My problem is finding a helmet that fits the shape of my head. Giro small helmets are pretty consistent. I have tried Bell, Fox, Kali, and a few others, and they all give me a headache.

https://www.meaforensic.com/when-should-i-replace-my-helmet/ https://www.meaforensic.com/bicycle-helmets-stand-the-test-of-time/ Sorry, atmospheric issues apparently do not affect modern bicycle helmets. It's a marketing BS ruse from Snell and the helmet manufacturers to get you to buy a new helmet. That said, I replace mine every few years just to try something different and for peace of mind (and brain) in case I dropped my helmet or pinged it off a tree branch one too many times. It takes a significant single impact to truly damage a helmet.

There's some marketing BS that says you have to replace a helmet every two years because the foam breaks down because chemistry or something. It is a ruse to sell more helmets. No helmet lasts forever, but there's no reason other than a crash to replace a helmet that often.

Is there some reason a helmet needs pads? They get funky and tear over time. Pads rarely out-last the useful life of a helmet (which is a lot longer than whatever marketing BS you've heard). I removed mine, along with the velcro bits that hold them in place. I always wear a cap of some sort inside the helmet. Are there any potential safety risks with this?

I dunno, folks. If green veins start popping out of my arms I think it's time to lay off the almond milk/ kale smoothies.