Charlie193

Out and back on Rudolph at about 3:45 and 4:15. Still clear. The Tip, your sign is still up and in decent condition at the Davis end. No response though.

As everyone is keeping an eye on Rudolph at the moment- it was all clear at about 12:45 today.

Dog’s wonky  hip means no trail dog potential on rides, she’s still good company for some trail exploration on foot though.

15 minutes ago, The Tip said:

Hopefully that is the remains of the vandal.

You think the vandal is/was Mr. Tumnus?

Be honest- whose been snacking and not cleaning up after themselves on the trail?

My local plant knowledge is dreadful. Anyone know what this stuff is? There’s a bunch round Whirlpool- not sure if it is the same for everyone or just a special treat for me, but this makes me super itchy almost immediately.

I could contribute and trim it back you say? I might do next time I’m out that way if I can get the enthusiasm together, and some loppers that will fit in my camelbak.

First day of socially distanced local-ish vacation in Ingram. First beer of the day was magical.

Shelter dog acquired. My cats are disgusted, hopefully they get over it.

Did you get lots of reasonable, well thought out responses from the wonderful people on Nextdoor for the headphone-mask comparison?

Made it out to Bluff Creek on Saturday- it looked like a storm came within about 500 yards of the property but didn’t quite get there, so it was bone dry. Pretty spot, and a nice change of scenery.

It worked pretty well as a place to take a beginner too, my friend’s main issue was probably fitness, think he had a good time overall though.

Not sure this is entirely the right place for this, but anyway- I'm planning on meeting a friend from Katy somewhere halfway to go for a ride. He's a beginner (I'm guessing he probably messed about on a bmx or mountain bike when he was kid, like everyone else). It looks like this would be a pretty good choice to take a new rider?

Also, the Bluff Creek Ranch website looks like it's just trails and camping out there. If I brought my family with me would there be anything for them to do (five yr old twins) while I went for a ride, or would it be best for them to stay home?

1 hour ago, Tree Magnet said:

That thing looks sweet! I can’t imagine how you could ride it with the saddle that high but if it fits, it fits.


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Guess I’ve got lanky legs and a short torso. When I get properly old and my spine shrinks I’ll end up being one of those old guys that look like they pull their waistbands up to the chest- there’s no escaping it.

17 minutes ago, AustinBike said:

I procrastinated on cutting brake cables until I did it. Then I kicked myself for waiting so long because it was so easy.

Yeah, I should just get it done. It doesn’t help that I still have my old bike so can still ride- finally switched the pedals and saddle over to the new one to force me to finish.  Hopefully the 1x11 drivetrain I bought from you last winter will actually start getting used soon.

9 months after buying a new frame my super-slow bike build is actually looking like a bicycle. Still need to shorten hoses and cables, which I’ll probably manage to procrastinate over for another couple of weeks.

25 minutes ago, Shinerider said:

Sure is. Do you want it as-is, or with mods. Your choice

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Awesome, thanks! As-is should be good.

22 minutes ago, Shinerider said:

PIF Specialized Epic. (Donated to me by Sugar-n-Spice from Mojo). My kids outgrew it quickly.

Spec: Size Small
Rear suspension has a very slight play (you can feel it when picking the bike up, but cannot feel it when riding)

Fox Float 80RL

Avid Juicy brakes (I think they need the "overheat and dont return piston sanding job. Easy to do, but i wont do it for a PIF unless you are the final owner and dont know how)

X7 3x9 spd

Basic 26er wheels, Nevegals, and schrader valves?? Not sure why, but I also have the adapters to change to Presta.

Brand new saddle, and everything else is no-name. I do have multiple stems/bars to adapt final user.

Perfect for a kid coming up into MTB and parents who dont want to spend a fortune if it doesn't work out.

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I’m interested if it’s available?

Charlie

Not sure if it’s the same sale, but 5 ten are also having a sale today because it’s 5/10. 30%-50% off I think.

1 hour ago, cxagent said:

I thought I was the only person who runs their brakes "moto style". 

I brought my bike over with me when I moved here and just kept riding with the UK set up. When I’ve borrowed/rented bikes in the US I’ve been fine with front left/ rear right the majority of the time, but the times I haven’t  have been in urgent/instinctive moments when I really didn’t want to get things the wrong way round. Maybe I could learn to be fluent with both set ups, but I’m not willing to grab a fistful of front by mistake the number of times necessary for me to learn that lesson.

Also, I sold my motorcycle a few years ago, but it seems like switching between front right/ left clutch and the US bike brake setup would be weird? Not sure as I’ve always had the front brake on the right in both cases.

Thanks for the input everyone- I went with Hope Tech 3 E4s in the end. Partly because I’m a disgusting Brit and I like supporting English companies when they make decent stuff.

Sounds like hidden fees are unlikely, plus the brakes will come set up moto style/front right rear left, like they should be, straight out of the box. Guessing I’ll probably have to alter the hose length anyway, but if there’s a chance it’ll save me any effort, I’ll take it.

9 hours ago, ATXZJ said:

I did pay $160 to customs for my commencal frame from canada. was not pleased

Yeah that would be pretty upsetting as a surprise fee- sorry. Still, assuming that’s the same commencal I think you’ve posted on here a while back- looks like a nice bike!

The Hope peer pressure group has me pretty close to caving in. Brakes will be paired with Hope Pro 4 hubs too, so it would all be very matchy matchy (yes, Teamsloan gets to reference Ferris Bueller, and I reference Peter f*cking Rabbit, which should give everyone a glimpse into what my life has become). Might still be swayed by Zees though if they come back in stock at the best sale price I can see.

For anyone who has ordered online from the UK, have you had any customs fees for deliveries? A couple of sites have a warning for international deliveries.

Thanks guys! The brake bleeding/ set up did put me off and I cancelled. There are some decent sales on Zees at the moment, or there would be if they were in stock. I am fairly biased towards Hope though- my current bike has a set of M4s I’ve had since 2005 and I like the look of the E4s- guess I’ll see what I can find the best deal on.

Does anyone use the Magura mt trail brakes with a 2-piston rear and 4-piston front caliper, and if so, do you like them?

I just ordered a set of the carbon version online but I’m thinking of cancelling, as after making a rash purchase decision based on sale price, it looks like the lever might be a little flimsy/plastic feeling, and they might be a pain to set-up well?

To help with my decision making crisis, do I stick with the order or get a set of Hope E4s instead?

If it matters, I tend to be in the 200lb-215lb range, and the brakes would be going on a 150/160mm travel bike I’m building to start riding more of the local trails I have been avoiding on my old 100mm travel xc bike.

Hope nobody has cabin fever yet. This seems like the most appropriate spot for this.

Don’t think I got the orientation of the rock right, but this is the spot by Convict Hill.