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Barry

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Posts posted by Barry

    New bike time...a deep dive

    in Mountain Biking Discussion

    Posted

    5 hours ago, kpomtb said:

    DeVinci and Ibis demos available at Velorangutan in South Austin.

     

    I demoed an HD3 for 2 days while visiting Rochester last summer. Indeed this is the bike that got me on my short cs kick. The ease with which you can pop up the front end is just fun. But the bike is steeper and higher than a bike I want to put 3k offroad miles per year on. And the cs and bbh on the HD4 = nope.

     

    The Troy is also very close with nearly identical geometry to the HD3. But it appears to weigh more than a pound more than its contemporaries. 

    2018 Enchilada Buffet pre-rides

    in Ride Calls

    Posted

    3 hours ago, TAF said:

    the sole of my shoe came off after I slipped into a gully (sorry, into a trail feature)

    Funny, my shoe separated at Thumper during last year's EB as well. Good chance I also cracked my Spitfire there. 

    New bike time...a deep dive

    in Mountain Biking Discussion

    Posted

    40 minutes ago, ATXZJ said:

    No offense but I gotta tap out when it comes to spreadsheets and bikes. Get it close, ride it. Gotta have that soul.

    The spreadsheet is about the fact that there are a shit-ton of 27.5 trail bikes out there. I'm trying to get close. Or at least narrow down the field. 

     

    Just now, throet said:

    Was thinking the same thing given his preferences. They really should deliver that bike in a carbon frame.  

    The 2017 Scout in carbon is still available as a new bike. Unfortunately that was before the most recent geometry update. I came really close to buying one a few months ago when I last broke the Spitfire. 

     

    https://www.evo.com/outlet/mountain/transition-scout-carbon-gx-evo-complete-bike?image=135238/571278/transition-scout-carbon-gx-evo-complete-mountain-bike-2017-gravel-grey.jpg&pt_source=googleads&pt_medium=cpc&pt_campaign=GSC_Bike_Complete&pt_adgroup=PLA_Bike_Completes&gclid=CjwKCAiAu_LgBRBdEiwAkovNsMGowlHBhxEoGAMbwZ9c-vYd99aFwabvKFva9AJWh3Q715ZQznBUcRoCOJcQAvD_BwE

     

    New bike time...a deep dive

    in Mountain Biking Discussion

    Posted

    47 minutes ago, AustinBike said:

    For instance, a 17" chainstay vs. a 17.5" chain stay will probably not be noticed because there is a degree of difference in the head angle, yada, yada, yada.

    I agree that much of it seems like minutia, but in my opinion a 0.5" chainstay difference is huge, and you can (or I can) feel it when poping the front end up 200 times in a ride. Try poping up the front end of a bike with a 16.5  v/s a 17.5 chainstay without a pedal kick to see what I mean. Then do it for 4000 miles. I know you brought up chainstay as a for instance and your point applies to all geometry particulars, but all of my preferences are based on a lot of bikes I've ridden over the years.

    Irrespective, your point about demoing bikes is well taken, and indeed I plan to do so. But my spreadsheet will keep me from wasting my time on things that are not even close to my preferences, like a Norco Sight, or a Yeti SB5, for example. And my spreadsheet has "disqualified" (for example) the Intense Recluse, but at least it is close, so if I get a decent chance, I'll demo one. 

     

    47 minutes ago, AustinBike said:

    It's like wine. I drink it but I don't know shit about it.

    We're different there. For one, whisky, and two, I like to know everything possible about it. If I don't like one, I need to understand why. Same way with bikes. 

     

    59 minutes ago, AustinBike said:

    All of that being said, my short list right now (all carbon) are Santa Cruz (Tallboy and Hightower), Pivot (Mach 429)

    @Jessica demoed the Hightower and the Pivot 429 Trail, and very much preferred the Hightower. She didn't try the Tallboy because she wanted the option to run 27.5x3.0 tires, but she is running 29x2.35 on it now and may not ever go back. For her preferences, it's an amazing bike.

    New bike time...a deep dive

    in Mountain Biking Discussion

    Posted

    1 minute ago, ATXZJ said:

    Crap, didnt catch that but 13.5 isnt too bad. What height are you looking for?

    13.5 isn't crazy-town, especially for a 140mm travel bike. But my Spitfire is 140mm with a 13.1 bb, and I really don't want to go much higher. My perfect bike is listed on the spreadsheet, including tolerances. For bbh I've called it 13" +0.3 / -0.2. 

     

    New bike time...a deep dive

    in Mountain Biking Discussion

    Posted

    On the old site, one of you mojoans said something to the effect of, "wanting a new bike is like getting hungry on a ride. Once you notice, it's too late to do anything about it." So now it's all about deciding what I want.

    • As close as possible to the Spitfire's geometry. Long, slack and low, except for...
    • A much shorter chainstay than the Spitfire's 17.2. 16.5 is perfect, and I'm not considering anything over 16.8.
    • Carbon fiber: I've broken 11 aluminum frames and even a steel frame. So it is time to try something different.
    • Lifetime warranty...or at least 4+ years. This 2 year business doesn't cut it. And a decent crash replacement program would be nice too. 
    • Full suspension trail bike. So 120-150mm. My joints, back and more than 4k miles of rocky trails demand it of me. I love hard tails and even rigid bikes, but I'm not going to put thousands of miles per year on one. 
    • 27.5. I don't hate 29ers like I used to--they've come a long way. But my primary trail bike is going to be 27.5. 
    • ...with room for mid-fat tires up to 2.8. Typically I'll run 2.35-2.5, but the mid-fat option is nice for some locations. 

    So here is my big damn list of bike geometry numbers and notes: https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1f86kDOByxic1CTz76IQXJNSw_lrQ3E-c2BbVfJqGeCM/edit?usp=sharing 

    On the list, the magenta color is a disqualifying geometry number, so any bike with magenta has likely fallen off my list of possibilities. The only 3 carbon fiber bikes that didn't have disqualifying numbers are the new SC 5010, the Rocky Mtn Thunderbolt, and the fairly obscure Cube Stereo. I'm pretty sure I can build the 5010 to just over 27lbs. 

    So what am I missing? What obvious bike have I left off my list? What geometry number or detail am I obsessing over that just wrong for your preference. Let me know!

     

     

    Tire sizes and Austin Trails

    in Mountain Biking Discussion

    Posted

    12 minutes ago, cody said:

    I ran 27.5+ on a Santa Cruz Hightower for a little over a year. Several tires, all Schwalbe or Maxxis, mostly 2.8 but a few 3.0. It was a fun experiment, but I switched back to 29x2.4-2.5 about a year ago and don't see myself going back.

    The main problem I had with 27.5+ was durability. The rocks around here are too prevalent to be charging them with low-pressure tires. Your mileage may vary. Somehow CBaron is having way more luck than I ever did.

    I had to look twice to confirm my wife didn't write this. Same bike, same starting tires and same ultimate conclusion. 

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