olddbrider

C3T9 When I enter my code and click on the Bath Oil Volume Chart link, here's what I get: Looks like this type of oil is only used for forks with the GRIP damper...

Hi. I'm Eric and I have never had my fork serviced. Whew. Feels good to get that out in the open... Anyway, I'm thinking about doing this on my own but in doing some research I've got a question. According to Fox, I need to use 2 different types of oil. 20w for the Air-side Bath and 5w Teflon-infused for the damper bath. My confusion stems from the fact that Jenson sells a kit from Push industries that has all the seals and gaskets, but comes with 10w oil. Since they specifically market this for Fox 34 forks, I'm not sure why it comes with a different oil than what Fox recommends. Clearly, substituting 10w oil for one or both of the oils recommended by Fox is going to change the behavior of my fork. But in what ways? Could I just use the 10w oil in both sides? My guess is no, but I thought I'd solicit some advice from those who might have some firsthand experience with this.

Is Strava going to create a new category for e-mtb? Just sayin...

I said the same thing for a long time. Then I got a dropper. Now I can't imagine riding without one...

Do you recall which trails you rode at Lake Leatherwood? I saw the videos of 3 and 7 on your site, but wasn't sure if that meant those were the ones you rode. It's always hard to know what Blue or Black means in other parts of the country, so any advice on how they might compare to something around here would be helpful. Thanks for the write-up!

Dropper post installation is pretty straightforward, but I'd advise against trying to swap the fork out unless you have the right tools. It will likely involve cutting the steerer tube to the proper length, installing a star nut in the steerer tube, removing the crown race from the old fork, and installing the crown race on the new fork. It's definitely not rocket science, but without the proper tools each of those things I mentioned is difficult and could potentially damage the new fork.

I think the question you need to ask before you start replacing things is whether it makes sense to sink money into this bike. And if so, how much before it doesn't make financial sense. If she's riding around campus and hitting the occasional trail, these things might do the trick. But if your daughter is, in fact, getting serious about riding, even the upgrades you mentioned aren't going to appease her for long. No matter what options you go with in terms of a fork and dropper, you're probably looking at spending at least $500 once you pay for shipping and installation. That's a pretty hefty upgrade for a bike that retailed for just over $700. Does the frame have the ability to internally route a dropper cable? If not, your options will be somewhat limited and you'll have the added clutter of another cable running along the frame and up the seat tube. As mentioned above, does the frame have a tapered head tube (wider at the bottom than at the top)? Most decent forks these days have tapered steerer tubes, so you may be limited in what you can find that will fit this frame. Also, many forks these days do not use the 9mm quick release axles that are on this bike's wheels. Be sure to check the fork specs before you purchase. I'm not trying to be a wet blanket, just throwing out things to consider. I know I have been down this road myself and there's nothing worse than realizing the time and money you spent on a recent upgrade didn't really solve anything...

That ebay listing doesn't show how much it sold for, only how much someone was asking...

Thanks a lot AB! After checking out the new additions to your site I now know of ANOTHER awesome looking trail system in NW Arkansas. I had never heard of the Passion Play trails before but after seeing your review and doing some research, we are now considering splitting a day of our upcoming trip between there and Lake Leatherwood.

I think I started hearing about this run about 6 months ago, so yeah, fairly new.

I have a season pass, so my response to your question above is probably going to be different that someone who shells out $50 for a 1-day lift pass. When we go, we typically spend about 3 hours out there (that includes the time it takes to gear up, take at least one break, and get packed up while having a beer or two). Most days, we're able to get 8-10 runs in that amount of time. By then, we've usually hit everything at least once, most things a couple of times, and the stuff we really like a handful of times. For me, this is the right balance between getting in a good amount of riding and feeling like we're riding the same things over and over again. Having said that, there was a kid out there recently that must have been trying to break the single day record. At about 3 in the afternoon on a Sunday, he was on his 22nd (I think) run of the day. I'd say if you got there early and took a few breaks to rest and eat, you could easily get 15 runs in a full day.

We were trying to decide whether we could include this in our trip to Bentonville in May, but it's just not going to be practical given our time constraints... Let us know what you think after your trip.

Sorry, my earlier post was meant to be sarcastic. I should have included some kind of emoji or something, I guess.

I'm sure it's way easier when you jump over most of the technical features...

New lines at Pace Bend?

I swear I posted that before your last post came through...

I'm liking the loosening rear wheel/dropouts theory. It's really the only explanation that makes any sense given that the creaking seems to get worse over time and with increased torque.

Definitely Spider Mtn. I'm pretty sure that's on Recluse.

Price?

Biting Snakes, Never on Your Chest?

I'd be interested in the K2 for my wife. I'll send you a PM.

That's on our list for the trip in May. Can't wait to see your write-up!

Are you referring to Lake Leatherwood, or something else?

Looks like a Saris (unless Cody stuck a Saris sticker on a rack made by a different company, for some reason).