throet

I've been through more of those nights than I care to recount. What always amused me (in the worst kind of way), was that 9 times out of 10 the failures were a result of a failsafe mechanism not working. The story I would get was that the system didn't fail in the right way to invoke the failsafe. Hope you had a good outcome at least.

The biggest thing I had to get used to was staying planted when accelerating hard up a hill. Seems I'd be fine adding thrust to gain momentum ahead of the climb, but as soon as I hit the incline a foot would go flying off the pedal. That resolved itself within a week or so. I also hadn't graduated to jumps or drops prior to switching from clipless to flats. Learning to do jumps on flats was challenging, but I suppose it was best that I learned that way vs. having my feet connected to the pedals.

I bit the bullet and just ordered a new Renthal Carbon Lite bar to replace my 2-yr old banged up Renthal Carbon bar. I hated spending that kind of money to replace something that's technically not broken, but there seem to be plenty of solid opinions that carbon bars, especially ridden hard and crashed multiple times, should be periodically replaced. The post above regarding a ticking noise really got me concerned too, as I generally haven't paid attention to the many noises that my bike makes. It's hard for me to distinguish internally routed cable rattle from other sounds, but I was definitely hearing a distinctive ticking sound coming from the cockpit on rough terrain. I put an old aluminum bar on the bike for a couple of rides, and didn't seem to hear that same noise. Could just be that this thread has gotten in my head. Might be interesting though to slice my old carbon bars in half length-wise to see if there is any apparent damage. Side note - on just those two rides with my old aluminum bars the harshness was quite evident. I wish there was a better selection of titanium bars on the market, which apparently are stronger than both aluminum and carbon, yet better at reducing vibrations than either of the alternatives.

I've really only used 5-10s since switching to flats a couple of years ago. I did try the new Afton MTB shoes, but the soles tore up pretty quickly. I had bought a pair of 5-10 Sleuths on sale for like $45 a while back and just broke them out recently. They have a different sole pattern than what I was used to with the FreeRiders. The uppers are completely canvas, very minimal, and I bought them thinking I would just wear them now and again for quick rides. They have quickly become my favorite shoes though. Unfortunately I can't find them now for under $100. I read part of the flat-pedal manifesto before making the switch to flats, but was never sold on needing a humongous pedaling platform. I've never experienced foot pain issues either though, on clipless or flats, except for the times I've smashed my feet on rocks and roots.

Or we could beg TFS's dad to let him get back online!

The difference I think is that like Mojo before it, this site is still equipped to create true community within the broader community. I've met, rode with, and done trail work with a dozen or so folks who I've encountered through Mojo and now AMB. We can also still spread news more easily about local events, local shops, local trail conditions, etc.

I rode early this morning before any rain and finally got to check out your additions. Very nice. Trail was in great shape, although much damper than Deception and Picnic. Might have just been an accumulation of morning dew. The humidity this morning was suffocating when I started out on Double Down.

We could still get lucky for tomorrow.

I'm game but not sure about 7:30am. How about 8 or 8:30 tomorrow?

The evenings really haven't been that bad at all. I rode Deception the last three evenings and it felt great to be riding hard without suffering too much. Suppose that 5:30 is the new 7:30.

With Friday starting to look questionable with more rain possibly moving in tomorrow night, I'm going to get a ride in tomorrow (Thu) morning if anybody is interested in joining. I'll ride Fri morning as well if conditions permit.

Didn't see any mini-bikers but did witness a dog taking a dump on the BCRT, which was equally disgusting.

Rode Snail, Rim, and all of Double Down tonight and everything was good. Somebody put the rocks back on Squeeze Play. I just left them alone since I really don't care one way or the other, but I know others have complained that they like to know whether they are there or not.

Rode Snail, Rim, and all of Double Down tonight - all GTG.

I think we're over the hump on the horrendous heat too. Don't get me wrong - it's still hot as hell. However, I rode for 1.5 hours yesterday starting at 5pm with a fairly fast run on 1/4 Notch, and it really wasn't that bad. Going back out today around the same time and will likely tackle Double Down.

I'm definitely riding today and tomorrow!

1/4 Notch and Picnic were good yesterday evening although still tacky in some areas. With another day of sunshine on the way, everything should be primo by mid-day. Saw other posts in the Brushy thread indicating that Mulligan was good and that Peddler's probably needed another day to dry out.

Yep same piece posted above by ATXZJ. Great guide!

For sure unless it rains between now and then. I'm planning to ride.

1/4 notch is mostly dry with several shaded areas still tacky. Nothing sticking to tires though and no slick rocks. Haven't checked anything else out here. EDIT: Rode Lower Picnic and Picnic X and both were fine, although another day of drying out will make conditions ideal. A lot of leaves covering the trail, but nothing slick. Only a few spots on 1/4 Notch and Picnic showing evidence of riding during wet conditions - nothing too terrible.

I'm getting ready to head out to see how things are looking. Generally if anything's going to be OK it is 1/4 Notch. I'll go in on the west end, climbing up the Swag Bail. Assuming everything is OK going up the climb, which I'm sure it will be, then I'll know within about 500 yards or so how the rest of the trail is going to be. Assuming I'm not having too much fun, I'll stop and post a report.

I rode the regional trail between the YMCA and Brushy Creek Lake Park. Didn't see any interlopers on the trails, and actually from what I could see, things were looking pretty good for possibly mid-day tomorrow. Then I got home and it started pouring down rain again - damn! Hopefully I didn't anger the trail gods by sprinting up and down the jeep road and the other climb up to Avery Ranch where the old Deception entrance was. Both of those sprint tracks were in fine shape.

Hopefully another day or two of sunshine will get things dried out sufficiently.

While Bend, OR would be a great place to spend a few days riding and checking out the great vibe, Hood River offers a better option for a quick ride if you're not wanting to stray from your route. The vibe in Hood River is great too. It is home to Full Sail Brewing, but the town is loaded with great places to check out all within a few blocks. For local mountain biking check https://www.hrats.org/trails/trails.