rockshins

On the bright side I've never eaten healthier, more greens than I ever thought I could consume. I am learning to properly cook and saving so much money. Lost 10 lbs. Bike is dialed, pivot bearings greased, brakes bled, balanced and was able to do a lower leg service all by my lonesome self. I've come to the conclusion that there are a lot more important things in life than mountainbiking (although lets not get too crazy, lol).

17 hours ago, Chief said:

Yeah I had my derailleur hanger come loose at Spider Mountain. Thought maybe it got bent on the lift but when I investigated I found the loose hanger. Glad you got it sorted out.

Appreciate the advice. I think the rattling around can easily make these hangers come loose, makes a lot of sense at Spider.

Thanks! Will love getting lost in more youtube tech!

So I checked the hanger and it was still straight, but when I took off the wheel I saw that the bolt to the derailleur hanger had come loose (not the first time, I am dumb). This time I used some loctite and nipped it up. I checked just now and everything was fine, although the jump to the 46 was not perfect, b tension has to be spot on. Think the loose hanger was messing with my shifts under load.

Thanks for the advice guys! Think I will just deal with the 11-46 for now and when I wear it out, look at a different 11 speed cassette or make the jump to 12 speed.  That budget Microshift 10 speed with the 48 tooth, might do the trick as well, lol.

https://www.microshift.com/en/advent-x/

Good to know, yeah not looking to add an XD driver to mix, Gabaruk is a pretty piece of kit, gonna seriously think on that.  Thanks for the advice!

So I am getting sick of my finicky Shimano 11-46 cassette. Have to get the b tension just right for it to shift into the 46 and even then it just doesn't feel that great everywhere else. Ran Shimano 10 speed for years and am I am missing the smoothness. 

@ATXZJ  1) I think you mentioned the 11-42 being a better choice for Shimano?  37 to 46 is a strange shift. 2) You seem to like the SunRace 11-46? Which one do you recommend for Shimano 11 speed?

@Barry you are running the e-thirteen 9-46, right? What are your thoughts on it? I feel like this one is interesting, better steps and that 9 tooth.

230-235 riding weight, running 30mm internal rims tubeless. Running Michelin 2.4's front and rear (about the width of a Maxxis 2.5 wide trail on 30mm internal rim). 25 psi in the front and 27 psi in the rear and I hate squirmy tires. 

great looking bike!

https://www.rei.com/product/170025/cannondale-trail-2-bike-2020

brand new one will be $300 more, plus I am sure you would get some tuneups for free on it.

1 hour ago, mack_turtle said:

at risk of starting a debate, not everyone sees full suspension as the main "upgrade" to which they aspire.

 

I learned everything I know from hardtails and rigid MTB's, I think everyone should learn on one first at the very least. I went back to full time on a hardtail in the last 4 years after I broke rear ends on full suspension frames. It was awesome and the maintenance was sooo much easier. However I learned I lack the skill for one as a daily driver (for the way I like to ride) and my injuries limited the amount of ride time my body could spend on one.  Wish I could be one of those rippers passing people on my chromag (or other badass steel frames). I think for certain riders there is nothing better than one.

42 minutes ago, Austin Smithey said:

I'm looking all over, sometimes it's great being 6'3" but also when it comes to stuff like this and like you said, buying shoes, options are pretty limited. But for sure I need an XL frame?

yes xl for sure, for instance I am 6’6” and almost all XL’s are too small, now I don’t mind it but if I could get a perfect fit I’d be so happy.

Try and get a decent entry level hardtail for around $1,500-2k, look for air suspension and hydraulic disk brakes. You will learn so much riding a hardtail and you can move up and spend more money on a full suss in the future. Specialized, Trek, Kona, Marin, Giant, CoOp Cycles (REI) etc. should fit the bill.

Lol looks like the Helltrack start

16 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

You only need to get one bad case of the flu before you stop putting off doing a flu vaccine.  I used to be very casual about getting the vaccine until I got the flu bad one time.

Sister-in-law is a nurse, I am forced to get one every year, but I get it now.

Not sure if this has been shared, but it’s a MTB perspective on this virus. Interesting he says he might have picked up the bug at the Sedona MTB fest

https://mbaction.com/longtime-mba-test-rider-battles-covid-19/amp/

I have been riding flats again. Using VP Harrier  pedals because I have huge feet and these have some of the biggest contact patch. Five Ten Freeriders for me as well. Have tried almost every iteration of 510’s and these have the best pedal feel (IMHO). 510’s have been going downhill in quality well before the adidas thing but their rubber is perfect. It wears down but just has such awesome grip. I am limited in shoe choices as not many brands make larger shoes. Would love to try Ride Concepts or some of the other new shoe companies, but they generally stop at size 13. 

I switch between clips and flats but really enjoy the flats. Clips make me faster, I can handle rocks gardens more fluidly and the ability to fully control the rear wheel in awkward situations is a great advantage. Flats are just so fun and bring out the hooligan riding style. Brings me back to the beginnings of learning how to ride and figuring out bunnyhops. More of a fun skateboard feel.

My hands have aged like 20 years in the last couple of weeks with all this washing. My dreams of hand modeling have been dashed.

After seeing what y'all had to say and reading this, has me scared, lol

https://nsmb.com/articles/yeti-sb150-bearing-swap-how-and-how-not/

Had a creak on my last ride so I took apart the frame and checked all the bearing pivots. Main pivot bearings were dry but in good condition. Went and checked all the other bearings and they were all fine, one bearing on the horst link style pivot was a little worse for wear but still moving well, packed all the bearings with grease and reassembled the bike. Creak is gone, but I know the bearing on the chainstay will have to be replaced somewhat soon. Thinking I will just go ahead replace all the bearings. Looking at bearing presses and pullers to get the job done at home.  

Have any of you successfully replaced bearings without having to run to the shop? Any suggestions on a decent bearing press/puller for a home mechanic that doesn't break the bank? Should I just pay a professional?

 They are probably right, but thinking I will follow Fox's directions and not worry about warranty issues in the future. Figured Push would have you walking away more confident about their kit. But at least it comes with almost everything you need.

Really liking these jumps on outer log loops! Thanks to the trail builders, awesome work!

On 2/21/2020 at 7:36 AM, mack_turtle said:

insufferable pedants

I love this! Gonna use this line on myself and friends, especially the fixed gear toe strap riders, LOL!

I've actually made it up some tech climbs on flats that I was never able to make with clipless, I figure this was due to concentrating on good technique instead of just sloppily powering through with clipless.

I remember the toe clips well, they seemed so high tech to me in the early 90's, I was all about bear traps, skate shoes and no skin on my legs. I was trying so hard to look like Shaun Palmer on the dual slalom tracks!

Thought this was relevant, worth it for the comments section alone.

https://www.pinkbike.com/news/video-clipless-vs-flat-pedals-the-pros-and-cons-of-both.html