throet

4 hours ago, Chief said:

I have carbon bars on both my bikes. No issues.

Me too. Less vibration than alloy. 

My plan is to do a single, chill morning loop on Monday. My goal will be to not get lapped by any of you bad asses. 

I'm sure some of you will be moving so fast it doesn't matter, but the horseflies were relentless out there yesterday when Albert and I were clearing trees between Cedar Breaks and Crockett Gardens. If you ride slow like me or plan on frequent stops, some Deet might be in order. 

Great ride this morning despite the humidity. HoneyBadger even earned an Eagle Scout patch for administering first aid to a bloodied and bruised rider we came across who took a nasty spill on Rim. 

Once again the guys at Monkey Wrench came through big for me. With one bike in need of major work and the other needing replacement parts from two separate manufacturers, these guys turned both bikes around in just a few days. I would have been thrilled to just get one bike back for the weekend, but instead returned home with 2 bikes and a big smile. These guys really rock! Can't imagine getting more personalized service anywhere.  

So far we have @throet, @Chief, and @Cafeend confirmed for 7:30am under the 183A overpass. We'll meetup with @HoneyBadger at 8am in front of Mulligan. @Albert was a maybe when I last spoke to him yesterday. Anybody else joining can meet at either the starting point or the Mulligan rendezvous point.  

16 hours ago, Albert said:

Throet and I got back out there today and cleared the remaining trees between Cedar Breaks and Crockett Springs.  Trail should now be good to go between Cedar Breaks through Cedar Hollow.  Hopefully there aren't any more trees down beyond that, but there may be some elsewhere on the trail.  We also cleaned up the trail across the small creek shortly before Crockett Springs (heading west). 

The more of this work I do, the greater appreciation I have for the many folks who do way more of it than I do. 

4 hours ago, Ridenfool said:

Maybe an Armadillo with a Texas state-shaped brand on its hind quarter and a mountain biker perched high on its arched back, one foot down, seat lowered, hands on bars, checking the view before rolling on.

+1

7 hours ago, endo_ said:

My last run at Snail Trail on the old bike.  One of these drops broke the Carbon Fiber!  Loving the warranty replacement!  

Wow that's crazy! Where exactly did it break? 

32 minutes ago, HoneyBadger said:

I'd like to join you in the morning. I could meet you guys is 8:00am. Is there a point I could meet you guys at along your route? 

How about meeting over by mulligan around 8? We can just work our way over there. 

58 minutes ago, MrTheCatLady said:

Yeah, I think I've decided to keep my dropper.  Ideally I'd upgrade to one of the KS Lev CI models, and take comfort knowing I have the lightest dropper I can have.  But they are super f*cking expensive, especially when you start looking at the ones with longer drop.  So I'll just keep my cheapie Brand-X Ascend 120mm that weighs 550g for now.  BUT I am SERIOUSLY considering buying an e13 TRS+ 170mm dropper in the not-so-distant future.  Maximum drop, the reliability/serviceability of a SPRING, and 10g lighter than my current dropper.

Again, thanks for all the replies.

-cls

I have a 125mm on one bike and a 100mm on another bike and have always wondered why so many people want 150mm or 170mm. On my 125mm even if I drop it all the way down, my bad knees can barely get me back up. 

I noticed that the Camp Eagle Classic is this weekend. Anybody going? Is it always scheduled this early in the year? Suspect it will be mighty hot out there. 

17 minutes ago, Cafeend said:

7:30 AM Fri Morn? Same place as last week?

Sent from my LG-LS997 using Tapatalk
 

I should be in. Just need to make sure I can get one of my bikes back. 

I might try to make it but I'll be on foot since my bikes are in the shop. 

The missing part of the state may as well be Oklahoma anyway. 

1 hour ago, tomreece said:

After 5pm on weekdays and anytime weekends.

I'll PM you 

1 hour ago, tomreece said:

I'm a newb on a Specialized Rockhopper. I ride Brushy Creek daily. I would love to meet some people to learn from and try to keep up with. I live right across the road from the Twin Lakes YMCA so I can hop on the trails fast.

I have been riding Peddler's Pass and Mulligan a lot since I started in July. I'm trying to build up to riding the more difficult trails.

I haven't made any mountain biking friends yet and my coworkers are sick of hearing about my fun, so let's ride together. Teach me some stuff!

Sounds like we're in the same hood. What time of day are you riding over there? I usually ride Brushy 4 times per week, mostly Deception. 

18 minutes ago, Morealice said:

The other good use for it is when/if you stop you can comfortably chill on the bike with the saddle slammed. That’s what I miss.

No doubt! 

On ‎8‎/‎27‎/‎2018 at 5:18 PM, ATXZJ said:

The only thing that would concern me about the mondraker would be the near 49" wheelbase on the large.  My old process 111 was 48" and was an absolute tank on tight trails like deception.

 

That blue one is sexy as f@ck though..... 

 

 

I see that now, and the cockpit is massive, both seated and standing. Would be interesting to get a leg over one. Maybe Medium is the new Large. Both of my local bikes are out of commission right now, and I've been salivating over all the new models being introduced. With 2 mid-travel FS 29ers and a traditional XC 29er HT already in the stable, I think anything new for me would come in the form of an aggressive 650B HT, something like the Transition Throttle that would be fun on the trail or as a dirt jumper.       

10 minutes ago, JRIDER said:

I should have never chimed in.  My loaner dropper just failed after riding down spongebob.   Had to low ride it to the bailout.

Looks like I'll be dropperless for the labor day weekend rides.  

 

That sucks! Has only happened to me once. My backup bike has a mechanical dropper; so even when it fails you can get it back in either the middle or high position by hand. Wish they all worked that way. 

I was just checking out Bike Radar's Top 5 Enduro / Trail bikes for 2019, and not surprisingly there wasn't a single bike in there that I would consider a traditional mid-travel trail bike. That said, the new Mondraker Foxy Carbon 29 is one of the finest looking bikes I've ever laid my eyes on. When I went to their website to check out the specs, I found that they have their bikes listed as DH, Super Enduro, Enduro/AM, Trail, and XC. Seems that previously Trail and AM were becoming one classification, but now we're essentially seeing 2 separate enduro bike classifications, at least from one manufacturer. Pretty crazy, but perhaps a sign of how popular Enduro and Park riding are becoming. As much as I'd love to add a 150/160 bike to my stable, I just can't see it given the type of riding I do. For me 130mm travel still seems to be the sweet spot. 

@MrTheCatLady You really came off the edge nicely and even seemed to land clean, possibly still a little too upright upon landing which brought your weight forward coming over that second little ledge. Anyway, this is why I like to come over with less speed and a controlled front wheel lift, landing well ahead of that second little drop.  

25 minutes ago, Albert said:

Which feature is Sponge Bob?

Not a great pic but here it is. You go down it riding E-W and up it riding W-E. I like to use a mini-manual coming down it and really don't have to worry about line choice. You can certainly huck off of it too but I prefer not to carry that much speed coming off of it, as the landing could get sketchy (this was demonstrated very nicely by the OP here in a video posted on the old forum - the artist formerly known as Clysmith).   

9 minutes ago, notyal said:

This is the argument people always bring up against droppers that I find just plain wrong. Somehow you are more skilled if you don't use a dropper? I call bullshit. 

The first thing they tell you to do in coaching clinic is drop your seat. It puts you in a better position for riding anytime you are not pedalling (not just jumps and drops). Practicing riding with the seatpost full extended is like "improving" your golf swing by practicing on one foot. Practicing in a forced compromised position does not improve skill. It just makes you better at something that doesn't really have a practical application anymore. 

If you really want to improve your riding, get better at using the dropper. If you want to shed 1 lb. from the bike at the expense of push-button access to better weight distribution and rider position, ditch the dropper. Just be real about your motive. 

Couldn't agree more. I can't imagine trying to manual a bike with the seat at an optimal peddling height. Suppose it depends on what riding style you prefer, but I prefer fun and flicky. 

7 minutes ago, Yosmithy said:

I'm looking forward to the edropper

Or perhaps the rocker-recliner? Do manuals in an instant without even trying!