pjs32000

29 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

I looked that up, and that's among the methods that the CDC says specifically NOT to do. I learned to use heat or baby oil or petroleum jelly and the CDC specifically warns not to do those either. it's amazing how much silly folk wisdom sticks around until you look it up.

You piqued my curiosity so I had to look it up.  It seems they say not to do this because you don't want any time to elapse while you wait for the tick to detach.  In my experience, albeit from 30+ year ago, ticks would detach in seconds after nail polish remover was applied.  I could understand not waiting to find some polish remover if you don't have any of it readily available, but unless there's some other risk I'm not sure why the CDC would advise against it.

1 hour ago, mack_turtle said:

no photos, but I found a tick on my shin after a SATN ride yesterday. This can happen any time, but some of the trails are so heavily over-grown that you cross paths with more critters than ever right now. I applied insect repellent to my legs before the ride, so somehow this sucker still got to me.

contrary to folk wisdom, oil and heat are not good ways to remove a tick. get some tweezers, grab it by the head, or as close as you can to the skin, and yank that bastard off!

It's been ages since I've done it, but as a kid my family always used nail polish remover.  It would cause the ticks to back out on their own and then they could be easily removed.

9 minutes ago, Tree Magnet said:

I've never looked at Smith before but it's good to hear something positive.  I've really been happy with my Kali because of the rail on the top used to mount my light.  Seems like a simple feature but I'm on my second Kali for that feature alone.

I'll add that Smith has a solid reputation in skiing helmets and to my untrained eye cycling and skiing helmets seem fairly similar.

20 minutes ago, ssorgs said:

None given, but no ask.  I may have been a little sensitive to the timing, but it is my only helmet and didn't want too many rides on the busted one...

If I had to guess, the fact that it separated and that the helmet's only two months old could have been factors.  If was older and/or 'just' a divot or something, seems more likely the 30% route.

Will say I do really like the helmet. Has an adjustable visor, which allows me to keep it in middle position for most trail rides so I have better visibility and am less likely to smack my bucket (esp at night).  Then I can lower when on road during full sun beatdown.  I often removed the visor on my previous Smith Venture because even occasional smacks sucked...

Thanks for additional info.  I was eyeing the Smith Mainline lightweight full face.  I've tried on a few in this category and just haven't found the right fit yet.  The Mainline features aren't my perfect unicorn, but if it fits well that's probably the one I'll get.  The TLD Stage also seemed nice but has annoying pads that cover half of the ear and that pressure on a long ride would quickly turn to pain for me.

35 minutes ago, ssorgs said:

Smith helmets have worked well for me: fit, ventilation, weight...and now warranty.  Had a wreck last week and didn't even think I hit my head and only noticed a day later. hard to tell but inside of strap frame separated, too.

I submitted my crash replacement claim online and called a day later bc I hadn't heard back. I was told they typically offer 30% msrp from their site, but they ended up sending a $150 voucher to use on their site for a replacement helmet.  This Engage has a $110 msrp, though was on sale.  Cost me about $11 for shipping and tax.

Not bad.

As someone considering a Smith lid that's encouraging.  What was the reason for them making an exception and giving you a larger credit?  Because they didn't respond timely?

1 hour ago, TheX said:

People used to tell me I didn't need all the gear I wore riding my Ducati on the street. I was thankful for every single piece of it when I got hit. Gear is a personal choice, and *need* to one person is not the same for someone else. No reason to judge people for it.

Amen.  Motorcycling history usually has me in an ATGATT mindset.  There's no reason that mountain bikers wearing lots of protective gear should be judged.  Better safe than sorry and risk tolerance is a personal choice.  I'd rather see someone excessively geared up than not wearing anything.

1 hour ago, Cafeend said:

Gandolf

Sent from my SM-N960U using Tapatalk
 

Is that the stuff about halfway up the side of the hill/cliff?

11 minutes ago, throet said:

Have you considered the Fox ProFrame? I've got one (Size L) that has been used once that can be had on the cheap. It comes with 3 different size snap-in chin cushions that assure a snug fit. Color is black-and-white. 

It was on my initial list, but I've seen several reports online of the chin bar on the ProFrame breaking off which caused me to rule it out.  I realize that this may be rare and that negative reports generally outweigh the positive when it comes to online reviews, but when it comes to my brain I tend to not take chances.  Thanks for your offer though.  A large likely wouldn't fit me regardless, I'm usually in a medium.

Has anyone seen any Smith Mainline lids around town?  I'm in the market for a lightweight full face and this is the next one on my list to try.  I've already tried the Troy Lee Stage and didn't like how the liner covered and put pressure on the lower half of my ears.  I also tried the Leatt DBX 4.0 and while it seemed to fit comfortably, I was able to slide the helmet around too much on my head (not enough friction in the liner?), it just didn't stay put for me to be comfortable it wouldn't move in a crash.  Perhaps as a motorcyclist my expectations are too high for a full face, I'm used to a helmet not being able to move around much at all and if it does that means it's not the right fit.

5 minutes ago, Barry said:

Saw 2 tiny black baby opossums at WC last night, and a few bunnies. I also saw something about the size of a 30-40 pound dog scurry of just out of sight before I could get a good look.

Probably a coyote, there are a lot of them in the WC area and surrounding neighborhoods.

1 hour ago, notyal said:

How often are you guys losing or breaking glasses on the trail? Ok, I can see taking them off when you stop for a snack and riding off without them, but even then, I think I'd notice in enough time to ride back to the last place I stopped. As far as breaking, they are on your face. Last time something on my face broke in a crash, it was my teeth, and they were NOT cheap to replace. I am a certified cheap-ass (which is why I don't wear $250 Oakleys), but $50 to see the trail better? That's something I'm willing to pay for.

My likelihood of breaking or losing them is directly proportional to the purchase price.

I also have a pair of Tifosi glasses.  Not what I'd call cheap, but not too expensive either, I think they were about $50-ish and came with 3 lenses and a hard case.  I like them a lot.  With the flexible rubber nose and ear pieces they stay put when I'm sweating and changing the lenses is very easy.

This is a timely post as I'm in the market for a lightweight full face as I start to progress my riding into more challenging features but am not near a level where I'd need a full on downhill lid.  These helmets are also so light I might just wear them daily, despite the dumb looks I'm sure to get.  More protection is almost always a good thing.

I've narrowed my options to the TLD Stage, 100% Trajecta, IXS Trigger and Leatt DBX 4.0.  All of these are in the lightweight and breathable category but many are still downhill certified.  The Leatt is a bit heavier than the others but looks like has a bit more of a downhill flavor, hence the weight tradeoff.  I'm leaning Leatt since I think an extra half pound or so is a small price to pay for more protection.  The Stage is very popular, I just got back from Bentonville and it was obviously the full face of choice there.  But it has a weird pad design where it contacts the lower half of the ears and I found that quite uncomfortable and in my opinion when it comes to helmets fit is everything.  The Fox Proframe seems to be the 2nd most popular but there are some pretty mixed reviews on it out there, with some saying the that helmet breaks too easily on impact.  I partially attribute this to the fact that negative reviews are usually more prevalent online, and that these helmets are likely designed to break on impact and then be replaced, but there was still enough chatter about it for me to look elsewhere.  The Proframe shell also appears to have a break right where the chinbar meets the rest of the helmet which makes me question if that's a possible structural weak point, but I'll admit the shell design may not match the structural design underneath on any helmet so it's hard to tell.  Now I'm trying to find stores with generous return shipping options to try on the 3 I haven't found in stores yet.

I also immediately ruled out any lid with a removeable chin bar.  This is purely a personal decision but is based on my thought that anything removeable can't possibly be as strong as a permanently affixed chinbar, and the fact that I witnessed a motorcycle accident by someone wearing one of those flip up chinbar helmets and the chinbar completely separated from the rest of the helmet immediately upon impact.

On 11/7/2020 at 6:55 AM, Morealice said:

Looove that beginner friendly line out at Snail. Usually I just do the climb up to the top of Snail, do the loop at the top, then back down the same line I came up, but the beginner one is badass for wussies like me who are really only into keeping wheels on the ground anymore. Saw the biggggg F’ing drop out there. Y’all are crazy AF. Just hitting this wood feature scared the crap out of me the first time. It gave me that feeling I haven’t had in quite some time since the old days of hitting things like Basket for the first time ever at night. Thanks for putting in a line for dweebs like me. 
 

I've only been to Snail once and got very confused on the best paths for practicing beginner / intermediate friendly features.  Care to elaborate?  Is there a "safe-ish" way down the feature lines that allows for bypassing the gnarly stuff, that still allows for hitting moderate features and keeps one off the big lines and out of the way of anyone that might be going full send?

On 11/6/2020 at 9:29 AM, June Bug said:

REI might be a good source, especially if they are having a big sale.  They had a sock sale last year and I stocked up on SmartWools, but I think Darn Tough were on sale as well.  

REI runs sales on Darn Tough 1-2x per year.  I think they do the same on Smartwool socks, but usually staggered with the Darn Tough sales.  I have some Smartwool skiing socks that have lasted me forever and basically still look brand new.  I only recently got some Darn Toughs for hiking and biking.  So far I really like them, but one has developed a hole near the top so I plan to test their warranty.  If all goes well I'll likely start buying more of them in slow phases to spread out the high cost a bit.

Just got back from Bentonville and encountered a number of deer that showed little concern for humans or bikes.  These guys wouldn't move until you were more or less within arms reach of them, and even then they'd only go a few feet away and resume their foraging.

On 10/26/2020 at 8:59 PM, WLemke said:

Looks like the big log on the East end of Picnic flew south for the winter. Anyone know what happened to it?

Holy cow, mind sharing your light setup?

3 hours ago, AustinBike said:

Here is the house:

https://goo.gl/maps/WLKYaXTXyegyeNeS9

As you can see it's right at the crossroads of the trail. To the left you go down Tristan's and to the right you go down Ozone. It was a great location. We did several rides right from the house and we also were able to easily pedal into town for dinner/drinks.

Thanks.  We'll be staying on the west side of Tristan from this location and I don't think our property is going to back right up to it like this one does, so we'd have to cross private property (we won't) in order to drop in right on the trail.  We'll have to ride around to a nearby trailhead which still isn't bad, it's only a half mile.  Since that's the only trailhead nearby we're likely to begin every day on the N. Bentonville trail near the dog park and kids bike playground and go from there.

On 10/16/2020 at 9:06 AM, AustinBike said:

We stayed at a house that backed up to Tristan's and Red Barn. Great location. There was a pump track-type of trail on A street that we would mess around on while waiting for Welton to get his act together. They're up there now, wish I could have made the trip this year.

I'm staying in a rental in that area soon, off Oakwood/Almand, it will be my first trip to Bentonville.  From looking at the maps I'm not seeing any direct public access to Tristan from there, it looks like the closest is off of N. Walton to the north.  Were you able to find a public access point there or were you just in a property that had private access?

47 minutes ago, circuitbreaker said:

i didn't wear knee pads for 15 years, till i did my first enduro. Now, like a helmet, i feel a bit naked if i'm not wearing them on a trail ride. These a pretty comfy:

https://www.pocsports.com/us/products/joint-vpd-air-knee/20440.html

Also, i've never tried pads with plasticky bits in them. And i've never felt like i needed them. the VPD air feel like they give me the protection i need. And because they're comfortable, i wear them more often.

I have read good things about the POC pads in general, the VPD system knee in particular but it's very expensive.  I think them being comfortable is going to be very important because if they aren't I likely won't wear them as you also found.

https://www.pocsports.com/us/products/joint-vpd-system-knee/20377.html?dwvar_20377_color=Uranium Black&cgid=mountain-biking-armor#start=1

For my typical riding, I've never worn pads.  The most challenging local trail I ride is probably 1/4 notch and most of my riding is at Walnut or Brushy.  I'm also not much of a jumper but would like to progress into some smaller jumps and drops.  I'm old, and unlikely to ever be hucking the big stuff.

That said, I'm considering trips to Spider Mtn in my future as well as a trip to Bentonville.  This has me thinking of getting some pads.  I'm was thinking of lightweight pads (Leatt Airflex Pro caught my eye) because they should be comfortable during my usual riding given the heat and amount of pedaling.  I am worried about the lack of plastic on these style pads and getting caught and pulled off when sliding though, so I thought the Leatt 6.0 might be a good compromise with the split in the hard armor possibly allowing for better pedaling.  On the flip side since I may only wear these on days when I decide to push my limits or go to Spider perhaps a more burly pad makes sense and I make sacrifices with airflow and comfort.  Thoughts from those of you that own pads?

I've read that fit on pads is supremely important.  Are there any shops in town with a good amount of inventory to try on, specifically a Leatt dealer since that's one I've been eyeing?

1 hour ago, Barry said:

Right. That's the other thing that has changed with my technique over the years. I drop the saddle on pretty much every corner. With the saddle so high, it's harder to get into bike/body separation or especially hard getting your outside leg/knee forward to weigh the front tire. 

That's interesting.  I'm probably at a low intermediate skill level and almost never use my dropper at Walnut or Brushy except for downhills.  I'd think that using it for every corner with all of the tight switchbacks would be more cumbersome than anything (perhaps your subsequent lever recommendation helps), but droppers are relatively new to me so it's more likely I'm just not doing a good job of using it properly.

1 hour ago, ebflo said:

It's no mystery that these two bikes handle very differently. Two degree slacker head angle plus shorter fork offset combine to give bike 2 way more trail. Also, equal rear center but 7.5cm longer front center for bike 2 will distribute the riders weight much more toward the rear. The mystery to me is why these differences combine to make cornering on bike 2 easier to initiate. I would have expected the exact opposite.

That's interesting about the front center, I will have to look more into that.  When on bike 1 the front tire feels like it wants to wash out a bit which causes me to scrub a little speed in turns.  The front can feel more squirrely in loose over hard flat turns which I ride often (Walnut Creek moondust for example).  This could also be simply because the bike is more agile and reacts to steering inputs more quickly than bike 2.  I didn't get that losing the front feeling as much on bike 2 but to be fair I haven't had as much time in the saddle on bike 2 either.  I had guessed that may be my weight is more forward on bike 2 and keeps the front wheel more planted, which is the opposite of your suggestion based on the front center specs.  For reference bike one is running a Maxxis DHF tire and bike 2 a Maxxis High Roller II.

After the comments about fork offset above I read a couple of articles which stated that bike 2 with the shorter offset and more slack head angle has more trail which generally means "greater stability and lazier, slower steering" and longer offset or steeper head angle means "quicker steering response" (their words).  Bike 1 is definitely more twitchy and agile in steering inputs, the difference is that bike just doesn't lay over as effortlessly after the initial cornering input like bike 2 does.  I'm almost thinking that the offset might be causing the steering agility difference but the head tube angle might be making bike 1 a little less stable through the entire corner.  I also read that the longer trail generally pulls the tire back under the rider resulting in more rider weight over the front wheel.  Based on this I was relatively convinced that's what's driving the difference but I hadn't thought the front center or that bike 2 has more fork travel.

I'm not looking to buy a new bike right now, this is just something I wanted to understand better because (1) I see lots of online comments about bikes having a "good geometry" with little explanation of what that means and what makes it good and (2) if I can pinpoint some of the things causing bike 2 to be a little more stable in turns I may look into how to upgrade bike 1 to get a similar feel.

Here are the answers to many of the questions above.

• Bike 1 handlebars are 760, bike 2 are 780.  Bike 1 used to be 780 but were cut down, even at 780 it didn't feel like bike 2.
• Bike 1 tires are 29 x 2.3.  Bike 2 tires are 29 x 2.4.  Both inflated to about the same psi, ~19-20 front and slightly more in back.
• Rode both bikes on 0.6 loop at Walnut, an easy trail that I've ridden a lot and know well.  I noted the difference on flat corners.  I mostly ride intermediate stuff in town... WC, Brushy, SN, SATN, etc.
• Fork details are quite different.  Bike 1 is 120mm travel 51mm offset.  Bike 2 is 150mm travel 42mm offset.
• Bike 1 stem is 45mm, bike 2 stem is 50mm.

I swapped bikes with a friend the other day and noticed a couple of handling differences that stood out.  I'm a relative noob with this geometry stuff and being an engineer my brain is desperately trying to understand which geometry variables are resulting in the output differences I noticed.  I've excluded the models of the bikes to remove any possible biases.  These bikes are different sizes and price points so it's not a true apples to apples compare but I'm hopeful that those with a better understanding of geometry can help to educate me a bit which will go a long way when it's time for my next bike purchase.  The complete geometry specs that were available for each bike are attached.  Both are 29" full squish running tubeless.

Riding characteristics... bike 2 was slightly easier to initiate cornering.  Just after initiating a corner, bike 2 wanted to lean over the rest of the way very naturally into the corner with very little effort.  This was the most noticeable difference.  Bike 2 also felt a bit more planted and confident throughout the entire corner once leaned over.