rockshins

Death to e-bikes! Seriously though there is a place for them. I haven't ridden one, but I think they could be a lot of fun. Can imagine passing some roadies on a hill climb would be great. Hans Rey likes them so there's that. RA, those are some sweet looking rides, wish I could afford a Yeti, so pretty!

I saw one on the pumptrack at Walnut a while back, I was so confused and perplexed I had no words. Not sure if it was a rental or their bike because they left right after I got there, but they are on the trails. Walnut in itself is a strange choice, but the pumptrack?

Solid shoes, had the older hellcats and rode them till the soles fell off. These feel slightly bigger than Nike's but I still run the same size.

Sure y'all saw this but pretty cool! https://www.pinkbike.com/news/connor-fearon-wins-regional-enduro-race-on-a-hardtail.html

I always wanted that bike! When I was ready to pull the trigger they had gone the superbike route.

I forgot they did a 2-9, yeah the Superlight was a flexy bike I just didn't know any better. Had huge tire marks on the chain and seatstays.

I had a full on single pivot Santa Cruz Superlight because I couldn't afford what all the cool kids were riding (Santa Cruz Blur 2006) and it was a good bike except for when you got into the gnar and started braking. Did not handle that well at all. Upgrading to a Special Ed FSR four bar was a big deal in that I could brake while hitting techy descents. A good rider wouldn't brake in those situations but I lack(ed) those skills. Linkage single pivots have fixed this for the most part, those Kona Process bikes rip!

Steel is perfect for a hardtail, just feels right, maybe it comes from riding in the heyday of chromoly bikes, but I think it is the best material for this kind of trail bike!

Steel Honzo is such a great bike. With the sliding dropouts, easy to get it running singlespeed and the Honzo's look so good. Damn thing gets me into trouble though, geo directs me into the chunkiest line and although steel helps, I realize real quick I am on a hardtail and pray for my rear wheel.

For sure get a hardtail, will make you a better rider by finding the right lines in the chunk and will be ideal at certain trails like Walnut

yeah no way someone is going to put down 9K for a used race bike.

I just came from riding a steel Honzo as my daily driver for a couple years and just got a full sus. Still have the Honzo but it sits unused and I am going to sell it. I think it has to do with the geometry and my riding style or lack thereof. What I don't like about modern hardtails is the super short chainstays, my new full sus has "non contemporary" long chainstays at 450 mm. But I can get around stuff and corner better at slow speeds than the Honzo. I am a big dude so I benefit from a long ass bike. I also take less of a beating on the chunk on a full suss. Hardtails made me a much better rider, but probably would only go back to one as a second bike.

Love that smell too, just smells like a bike shop, used to only use it, now only in the wetter months. Rock and Roll is great stuff as well. Using Muc Off Dry Lube as they gave me a tester when I bought the brake covers and really liking it, seems like a better version of the White Lightning dry waxy stuff.

Nice looking rig! My new bike came with those Michelin Wild Enduros, I am liking them quite a bit. Did that front hook up well at Cat MTN?

Okay thanks for the advice, I know they are mountain bikes and meant to be scratched up but I would like it to be me doing the scratching.