Anita Handle

Same here, except I was out there Tue/Wed/Thur late at night over the summer. After getting the kids down, I'd take off at 830 or 9 from the Duval and 183 area, ride through Balcones Woods and the Domain and then head down to the bike path and on to Walnut. Really nice to have that path complete out to MOPAC. The only strangeness I saw was on the bike path where it intersects a paved path to some apartments, as I was approaching I saw a guy in long pants and a heavy flannel. He kept his face pointed directly *away* from me such that I wouldn't be able to see it. It was probably upper 90s still and he was wearing a flannel jacket and he was in the pitch dark just standing there. Make me feel a little exposed as I rode away from him. Also saw a "guy" once during the day and once at night who l'm pretty sure was wearing a long white t-shirt, thong panties and a garter, some makeup. A little like Frank N. Furter but not nearly as cool as Tim Curry. Oh, then there was that thing that looked like a very pale skinned child in an old fashioned night gown that ran on all fours and make pig/groaning/creepy giggling sounds.

I like the concept, using 100% reflected, directed light to create the beam pattern. Would be cool to see how it really looks. I go slow enough to ride with a candle, honestly.

PLEASE DISCLOSE ALL PERSONAL FINANCIAL INTERESTS IN THE LINKED COMPANY. VOID WHERE VOIDS ARE PROHIBITED.

Instructions on how to add contact info to the splash page. https://www.dcrainmaker.com/2013/08/display-number-garmin.html Sent from my LG-H810 using Tapatalk

I have Strava beacon turned on so, in theory, it should show the last place my Garmin sent in a location before it became disconnected from my cell phone. Locating a lost unit might be another benefit of the beacon feature. Sent from my LG-H810 using Tapatalk

That sucks. One thing I figured out that might help me get my 520 back if I ever lose it is that you can add a text file to the root directory of your Garmin when connected to a pc or Mac which forces text to appear during power up. You can also tell it how long to display. So now my Garmin shows my name and cell number above the Garmin splash screen at boot up. Sent from my LG-H810 using Tapatalk

It seems like a missed opportunity that Garmin doesn't have a feature to make the Garmin beep loudly via bluetooth. Place Garmin connect app in "find" mode and then go riding around until it connects. Or hell, just let the app notify you when it connects. Assuming it is still alive, of course... Jeez, SOMETHING to help find a $300-700 device that has GPS and bluetooth connectivity!

I'm working on this. Finally got Old Man Fruehe out of state for a bike trip. We'll coerce him into riding Utah and Colorado and New Mexico too. But I would say that there is nothing within 9hrs that comes close to the volume and variety. At 12 hours, you're now in the Rocky Mountains...

What's your budge, @tomreece? The range of bike prices suggested here is pretty wide with Yeti's starting out at $6k for a complete SB100.

Is it possible that the "+" sized tires made the bike feel sluggish?

enriched with... what?

that sorta blows my mind. efficient from an operations perspective and impressive that they can make the geometry work from 120mm to 160mm, 29 and 27.5.

man, you are science-ing the hell out of those brakes!

Did you eliminate the possibility that they are experiencing the issue that Shimano recalled brakes over? Do the recall symptoms match your symptoms? Sent from my LG-H810 using Tapatalk

OH HELL YES.

The new Trance 29 looks pretty badass, imo. Short travel rear (115mm) but trail geometry and 130 up front. https://www.bikemag.com/gear/mountain-bikes/riding-the-new-giant-trance-29-in-the-italian-alps/

To the OP, what do you not like about your current bike? If the geometry doesn't work well for you, no amount of upgrades will help. If you like the "feel" of it on the trail, then there's no harm in a few fun upgrades. Given the level of components that it likely has, you can probably lighten it up quite a bit with cheap/used aftermarket stuff. A set of wheels from Craigslist might run you $150-$300 and could change how fast it accelerates for you, how heavy it feels. Tires can make or break a bike. As can converting to tubeless. Forks are a bit more questionable as an upgrade since a good one is expensive and you might not be able to use it on your next bike. On the other hand, if your current fork is boat anchor heavy and has crap damping and adjustability, then a fork could be a huge improvement. Again, a used CL find could be key here. Going 1x could be pretty cheap if you just throw on a narrow-wide chain ring. I honestly don't think that "improves" the way a bike rides that much. Plus if you're still getting into shape, that granny ring can be the difference between staying out a bit longer and feeling so tuckered that you've got to quit early. Weigh your seat, seatpost, stem and bars. If you've got reasonably light components, and they feel good, just leave them. If your seat weight is way higher (say, 150 grams more) than a $60 or $70 seat, and it isn't comfortable, that might be a good upgrade. You *can* move that to a new bike. Droppers are pretty damned pricey but there are a few cheaper ones that are getting good reviews. GIven that you might not be able to use it on a future bike, or that a future bike will likely have one already... I'd be cautious with buying a dropper. Spend some time tuning your cockpit, your air pressure and certainly your fork, if it has any adjustability. Work on manuals and drops, and going up ledges and across rock gardens. Pick something that kicks your ass and session it. Try all sorts of stuff. YouTube some how-tos. Go back and kick that things ass. Have fun!

F*ck all the hacks that don't ride pennyfarthings in the gnar.

the protective rubber has come off of the clamps of my stand so I just hang it from the tip of the seat. Once in a while, if I only have a partial bike (lighter), I'll pad the clamp with rubber or thick cloth and clamp the dropper post. I see people clamp the dropper post stanchion/shaft on YouTubez all the time.

those Viral bikes are beautiful works of art! Very much a niche, with them being titanium, hardtails with internal gearboxes. Not much more niche than that in today's mountain bike world. More power to them. If the reliability of off the charts, I could see certain users seeking them out. Rohloffs are heavy but have proven themselves to be extraordinarily reliable.

Nicolai has been integrating Pinion gearboxes into their full suspension frames for a while now. Expensive, but a lot of nice things are expensive. One of our friends has a hardtail Nicolai with the Pinion gearbox. I think he likes it but not as much as his multiple bikes with Rohloff hubs on them. https://en.nicolai-bicycles.com/gearbox-ride/

I've never learned to lift weights. Neither proper form, nor how to dose for a given goal, nor which things to do as a good basic plan. I think a lot of cyclists could benefit from it but most don't do it. What's a good resource for a basic plan and technique?

yeah, a three month old Specialized should have a warranty from a shop. I would def look into that since you might need a brand new bottom bracket and it might be free under warranty. Sometimes creaks can sound like they're coming from one place but are actually coming from a different place (like your headset or the cranks instead of the bottom bracket). Like Ridenfool say, cranks are generally pretty easy to check out with just a set of allen wrenches. I would not simply tighten them. I would loosen the bolt that keeps the cranks assembled, remove the cranks, clean and grease what needs cleaning and greasing, check the chainring bolts/retention device by lightly turning in the removal direction just to see if they're loose. Reinstall the cranks. If you still have noise, either remove, clean, grease the bottom bracket or take it in and pay to have it done. If you get tools, get a torque wrench too. Park tool website and youtubez have lots of how-to videos.

ooh, now you're thinking. go macro, ride on the moon. also can go micro, bike inside of someone's intestines with colonoscopy footage! "OMG WATCH THE POLYP!"

I think I would find the scenery more entertaining and with VR, more immersive. Maybe it wouldn't be that great but I'd love to look over to the right and see the exposure on Porcupine Rim and Castle Valley down below. See natural objects, landmarks, rivers, valleys, etc rather than low-res 3D generated graphics.