crazyt

Woom. Seems like lots of non-cycling people know about them now. They have a great product in their niche

14 hours ago, Sluggo said:

Suggestions on a small, low profile handlebar bag for a mountain bike?  

my daughter has this one and really likes it.   

On 7/22/2020 at 8:57 AM, AustinBike said:

When I bought my Niner RIP 9 (used) it had an angleset headset. Worst. Piece. Of. Crap. Ever.

The idea that you can simply "dial in" your proper headset angle is offset by the idea that you can "dial out" your proper headset angle.

And it made a ton of noise. Put in a Cane Creek and was done with it. Never again.

the canecreek anglesets that let you pick an angle are known to be bad, but the works components that let you add a fixed amount work well.

just as a reminder, looking for people who are interested in updating trail conditions. It is a quick spreadsheet update. And if you dont end up updating it is no big deal, someone else will. 

Would be helpful if you updated the trails you ride most, dont need to be trail steward.

rode walnut starting at 7:30pm on sunday and it was a bit chilly in the shade. Also have been doing short rides on cat, down then back up around 4pm and it has been fine in the shade.

We got a new dog so Ive been too tired to ride in the morning, but this morning at 6am was amazing.

3 hours ago, AustinBike said:

Yeah, I'd say auto shops are *generally* not scams. You can always do ANYTHING yourself cheaper, from cooking a steak to putting on a new roof, but that does not mean something is a scam. There is overhead in a business and you are paying for expertise.

In the case of brakes for a car, I could pay the $220 and do it myself. It would probably take me 10 hours and then I would spend the next two years wondering whether I did it right. I'd assume that if I did it wrong I wouldn't realize it in a parking lot but instead when some idiot cuts me off and I have to slam the brakes on.

I do a lot fo tech work for people, generally free, but they are willing to pay me hundreds of dollars to fix things they can't because I have the expertise and they don't.

When I take my car to the shop I am paying to have it done fast, right, by someone that has done that same thing hundreds of times and gets it right every time. I have never been scammed by an auto shop. I did have one put water in my radiator instead of coolant, but they eventually refunded that service.

Same with bike shops. I do 90% of my own work, but when I do take it to the shop I gladly pay for their expertise and know it will be done right.

I do everything except press headsets and bottom brackets. Ill gladly pay $20 for the 5 minutes it takes to press a headset because I dont want to destroy my 3K carbon frame.

13 hours ago, Big_papa_nuts said:

Have you ever been to a restaurant?

burger restaurants are a total scam. I can buy awesome wagyu beef for $6/pound and make a 1/4 lb burger that is so much better. It only takes like 8 minutes to make a burger that would cost like $15 instead of $2.

@AustinBike If you want to add it to your site, I can give you the iframe code for it.

39 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

If you add Slaughter Creek, I could update that by just checking their FB page. it's pretty cut-and-dry.

drop me the email you use to authenticate to google apps and Ill give you access

30 minutes ago, Tree Magnet said:

Dude...that's sweet!  If it was maintained and I could get to it from my phone, I'd be all over that.  A simple green or red is all I'm generally looking for when it comes to a trail conditions report.

it shows up fine on mobile. You can make a bookmark to the site and make it an icon on your phone

9 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

perfect! I don't know if you were inspired to do this by my posting on the FB group, but this is exactly what I had in mind.

technically, I think most of SATN is always "open" but it might not be a good idea to ride if it's wet. there's no specific rules to enforce about that.

however, Slaughter Creek Nature Preserve has only one entrance and a gate that is closed when the land managers declare it to be closed, so I would add that to the list and consider keeping that status updated to be very straightforward. the land managers have a FB page where they regularly update the open/closed status.

100% because of your post. The hard part is finding the people to maintain it. I can partially do it.

i threw something together last night at https://austintrailconditions.com

If any trail stewards are interested in maintaining it, let me know and I can give you access. 

figured something out. dont need it any more.

LOL everyone too scared to like this..

6 hours ago, ATXZJ said:

With 100* days here again I've given up on riding until cooler fall temps are more common. In the past I'd usually be at the gym during this time but with coronageddon, there's no way I'm doing that. So, we're looking at a smart trainer/zwift for the family to use. Any pointers for best bang for the buck and setup? With the exception of the trainer, we should have all the necessary hardware to make the MTB zwift work with a few tweaks.

This is the trainer we're currently considering. Any thoughts on this one?

https://www.kurtkinetic.com/trainers-products/rock-and-roll-control

someone had a brand new wahoo kickr and kickr climb on bicycle sell and trade austin (facebook) for 1K earlier this week. It was a screaming deal. I got my kickr (2nd gen) used for $500 which was a good deal, I dont really understand the climb. I put an old bike frame on it and use zwift. I dont care for the simulation  but trainner road was more expensive and I just need simple programs which zwift has. I dont have a wheel on it, I just took a fork mount and attached it to a wood structure and mounted the fork to the wood.

I use a commercial speaker stand with a laptop tray to hold my computer. I mainly just watch tv and ignore zwift. I put zwift into power mode and keep my cadence up and it automatically adjust resistance.

I can tell the future of bikes is going to be electric shifters where you set the power output you want and the bike automatically shifts for you.

For a 29er. Prefer a higher end fork, not an entry level

Thanks!

4 hours ago, The Tip said:

The employee might be only making $15/hr but that is not the bottom line to the employer.

The easiest additional cost to peg is for FICA. They pay 7.65% on top of that $15 for FICA. So that's $1.14. The employer also pays worker's comp insurance based on hours worked. That rate is based on how likely an injury will be for each class. I would guess a mechanic rate is higher than an office workers. Vacation pay? Even the smallest business will give something. So that cost is amortized over a year into an hourly cost.

So we are creeping very close to that $20/hour employer cost. And this is not including any traditional benefits like health insurance And your rate was six years ago. AND when the demand for wrenches was not what it is at this particular time.

Oh, and you probably weren't very good.  JUST KIDDING!!  😄

 I was including fica, workers comp, unemployment insurance etc. For a typical company with salaried employees, I use 30% benefits on top of pay.

7 minutes ago, mack_turtle said:

hold up, are you saying that bike shops would pay a mechanic $20 an hour?

before leaving the industry after six years, I worked briefly at a shop where I talked the owner (reluctantly) into paying me $15 an hour in ... an affluent part of town. no benefits whatsoever.

at REI, I think I was making $13.75 and the hours were often not full-time. the benefits were relatively generous, though, for a retailer.

they could pay you more per hour but only when you worked on bikes or they could pay you less per hour just to be there.  Did you work on bikes the whole time?

someone selling new 27.5 carbon rovals for700 on bicycle sell and trade austin. Almost bought them for a future bike but im sitting on too many bikes right now

I would think of it as two main cost factors -  utilization of square footage and utilization of resources.

A reasonable retail location probably costs about 30-45/square ft/year (utils included).  How many square feet do you need for service bays? Lets say you need about 100 square ft for a service bay and you can operate 8 hours/day (if you can run in shifts you can be a lot more efficient). A typical charge would be around $60/hour and pay rate would be $20 hour + about 20% benefits (payroll taxes etc). So the gross margin is $35/hour.

2 Bikes in storage need about 15 square ft (racked above each other). Lets say on average a station can turn around 8 bikes/day (1 hour on average per service ticket) so you need about 60 sq ft of  storage per station, maybe a little more depending on how fast customers pick up bikes. If they pick up bikes right away then you dont need as much storage. If the pickup time averages 3 days, then you would need 180 square ft of storage per station.

So 160 sq ft/station that costs 45/sq ft so $7200/year for the station. At $35/hour gross margin, you can expect revenue of about 70k/station/year at full utilization. At the longer pickup time you need 280 sq ft per station and a station costs 12,600/year.

Startup costs are maybe $500 per station for a full set of tools and a full set of common inventory of parts. Perhaps 50K for inventory of common wear items of average cost $50.

Your breakeven point for a station is only 205 hours of labor, not including markup on parts.

If you can keep a station utilized at 50% and only pay people for the hours they work, you can still make a solid gross margin and profit/station. A fully utilized station can support the entire inventory and 2 additional stations for growth

Obviously marketing will be a big expense, but from a gross margin point of view it seems like it could be a reasonable business.

17 hours ago, WLemke said:

Hope everyone had a safe and relatively fun holiday weekend.

So I'm slowing narrowing in on a new bike. I'm currently riding a 2016 Diamondback Catch 2 (Fox 34, RS Monarch R, GX 11spd that I upgraded to a GX 12spd, Guide R brakes - $2,000). It's an ok bike. Definitely punches above its weight in relation to what I paid for it. We've had a good 3,500 miles, 2 EBs and 1 dragon slayer together but I think its time to move onto something a little nicer.

I've got three bikes in mind for my new ride. I've got my heart set on a medium travel full suspension with a carbon frame and 29ers. My budget is in the $5,000-$6,000 range but I'm trying to stay closer to the lower end. 

Well, without further ado, here are my top three (not in a particular order):

Yeti SB130 C1 (Fox 36 & DPX2, GX groupo, Guide R brakes) - $5,399

• Pros:
  • Great climber
  • Fairly light weight for its price class
  • Love the signature Yeti Turquoise color
• Cons:
  • Yetis are not the best value. You are definitely paying extra for the switch infinity as a trade off for some lesser components
    • Not crazy about Guide R brakes.
    • DT Swiss M-1900 wheelset isn't bad but isn't great.
  • Do I really want to be a part of the "Tribe"?
• Other notes: I've demoed the predecessor to the SB130, the SB5, in Colorado. It was an amazing bike. Climbed like a mountain goat, was a monster on the descents and was comfortable over 30 miles. I'd imagine that the SB130 is no different.

Ibis Ripmo SLX (Fox 36 & DPX2, SLX groupo, SLX 4 pot brakes) - $5,199

• Pros:
  • Another great climber
  • Also light weight for its price class
  • Solid component line-up
• Cons: 
  • IDK. I guess I don't like the placement of the water bottle mounts
• Other notes: I've demoved a V1 ripmo in Idaho. Another amazing and comfortable bike.

Santa Cruz Hightower C S (RS Lyrik & Super Deluxe, GX groupo, Code R brakes) - $5,199

• Pros:
  • Can't go wrong with the VPP platform
  • Best component line-up of the three
  • Love the highland blue color
  • Great water bottle mount placement
• Cons:
  • A bit on the heavier side 
  • DT Swiss 370 hubs are the weak point of this bike
• Other notes: Have not demoed this bike yet but I've got one reserved for my trip to Tahoe in late August. 

So there you have it. What would you pick? I'm open to other options but I'm weary of buying a bike without being able to ride it out on the trails first. I did that with my current diamondback and have found that after 20 miles my lower back starts to hurt. Did not have that issue when I demoed the Yeti and Ibis, and hopefully the highetower will be the same when I demo it in August!

I personally dont love VPP, there is just a little too much pedal bob for me compared to the ibis dw-link. On the downhills VPP is more plush. In areas where they have extended non tech climbs, locking out the VPP is fine. On our up and down technical trails, locking out is annoying. Because of this I would mainly look at pivot, ibis, and giant (maestro ripped off dw-link). I ended up with a ripmo v1, but am still trying to decide if I like the really steep seat tube angle. There is a lot of weight on my hands.

I would buy a frame and build from scratch using better parts than what you could get on a build. I typically by an older model frame at a discount. For example v1 ripmos were on sale for a while for 2300 at backcountry, which is what I got. 

Also you can build a bike up for a lot less if you are willing to get a used fork from pinkbike.

This is what I did:

Works 1 degree angleset - $70

Used 160mm lyrik - $350

Used I9 torch hubs (I tend to collect these in anticipation of eventual new builds) - $350

chinese carbon rims (xiamen 30mm wide) - $300 (130 each + 50 shipping)

sapim laser spokes from dans comp - $64

XT 1x11 drive train from merlincycles - 250

XT brakes from merlin cycles - 200

one up 210mm dropper - 200 (actually had one, but it didnt have enough travel)

wolftooth lever - 60 (had one but decided to upgrade to the wolftooth)

stem - $40

seat - had one

bar - had one

grips - had some

pedals - had some

tires - had some, but also got some from the pay it forward thread

So about 1900 for parts + whatever for the frame (eg 3K for a ripmo v2, 3.3K for hightower, 3.5K for yeti). Whatever parts you already have decreases the price and you get to recycle parts and save the environment. Even if you dont get a used fork and hubs, the new prices only add about $700 to the build.

i ended up selling my old tallboy LTc for 1800 and an old frame/fork for about 350, the net out was about 2400 for a ripmo v1 full XT build with carbon wheelset.

A pirate ship leads you to enlightenment but not to god

Follow the marbles to the mother id like to fuck, try not to shoot your whole wad

This cactus has thorns so don't fall

You can be a champion if you do it all

Have your cake and eat it too

But if you talk about it, Ill have to kill you

8 hours ago, Michael Bevilacqua said:

 

Wrong, Barry?  If I never crash and can massacre a corner on this loose over hard shit, does that make me wrong? That back tire is everything. 

Wow, maybe I don't have the chops ATXZJ and Barry do, but I'd never "put as much weight as I could on the front tire when things got weird". That's ridiculous. And it doesn't help the OP (see below):Keep that weight on the back tire, seat down and lean back when you turn. The foot positioning is down on the outside of the turn and foot up and ready go down on the inside. Practice this. We are talking trail riding right? Not XC or roadie. Learn to love that back wheel and you'll never wash out again. BTW, teaching proper technique on the Internet is not how we learn 😄

I think you are probably wrong here, but maybe you also arent paying enough attention to what you are actually doing. As you enter the corner you weight your front wheel. As you exit the corner your front is in the direction you want to go and your rear is turned, so you can shift weight to your rear. So maybe that is what you are feeling.  But entering the turn there is no way you should weight your back wheel, you will wash out your front which is catastrophic. Washing out your rear is no big deal.

Quote

For me it always helps to put much more weight over the front so that my front wheel won’t wash out, like on an open grass corner for example.

Braking points is something that really shouldn’t be underestimated. When I rode my 29er for the first time I realized that I’m often pulling the brakes too late into the corner. As a result, I couldn’t lean in properly and didn’t go around corners well. Then I ‘relearned’ that I ideally had to be done with braking before the corner lean in and push or do a pedal stroke at the apex of the corner. That works a treat for me when I get it done properly!

Raphaela Richter

Quote

Don’t hang your butt over the rear wheel. Steep or flat, if you’re hanging off the back of the bike you’re not going to get around the corner. Stay centered and keep weight on the front wheel so that it can guide you around the turn.

Owen Franssen, Emerald MTB

Quote

Symmetrical Platform MTBs like to be ridden from the center (neutral position). A Mixed Wheel platform enables a rider to free up their body. As a result, we can position ourselves above front wheel/ front hub when entering corners and move towards rear wheel when exiting.

This enables the front wheel to dig in and track while enabling the smaller rear wheel to simply follow.

Less gyroscope = less force vectors that are being applied to the front wheel resulting in a minimal “push” effect (as compared to the symmetrical platform).

Mike Vidovich, Mullet Cycles co-founder

Quote

Balance the weight, make sure your front wheel has weight to get traction to pull through. Then take the chance like a jump and fully commit. It’s like a jump, just sideways instead.

Julie Baird, Specialized enduro athlete

18 hours ago, gotdurt said:

FYI, I had to replace the PicnicX log again last night, and of course Snaggle had been knocked down again.... I'm really getting irritated with these idiots.

If it is daily, maybe get a group to watch for a day or two, taking 2 hour shifts. Alternately I have a game camera with cell access that you can use to monitor the area.

Is he on here?

On a mountain bike

Here is his channel

https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC8iE--f8m7ex462ohuCVuiw/