throet

1 hour ago, mack_turtle said:

who do we think is going to enforce that?

Here's a candidate - remember her? Believe she may still be looking for a job.
 
Lake Georgetown park worker fired following viral video of her screaming at driver | kvue.com

4 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

I can’t watch rampage because I hate seeing injuries, but also after learning how they’re not compensated enough for what they do I am even less inclined to watch it.

I watch it mostly to grasp what is within the realm of possibilities on a mountain bike. Honestly I'd be fine if they left the slopestyle stuff out of it and just highlighted the absolute bike control that is required on steep terrain and massive drop offs, with the ability to manage high speed in some situations and control speed in others. Hell I'd probably shit my pants just dropping off that platform! 

1 hour ago, ATXZJ said:

TVS and the other injuries was just a reminder that this event needs to be rethought. Southern Utah is our old stomping ground so we watched what we could, but between the commentary and crashes, couldn't finish it.

Riders are beyond skilled bordering on superhuman. They need to be compensated as such. 

 

Damn! Just now reading about the injuries TVS sustained. I saw the crash live and knew they carted him off to the hospital, but had no idea it would be as bad as it was. Wondering even if those will be career ending, which would be really unfortunate for such a great competitor. 

The reality I suppose is that it could have been even worse, and frankly I'm surprised that nobody has died doing this stuff. Semenuk's interest in rally racing might be due to better sponsorship / pay opportunities than what these guys can make strictly on MTB. As you stated, if you're going to risk your life making a living, it should at least be lucrative.  

Rode Snail, Rim, Bob Ross, DD, 1/4 Notch, and Picnic this afternoon. All were fine with just the few expected muddy spots.  

1 hour ago, ATXZJ said:

Anyone heading out to RPR? Thinking of hitting it tomorrow since trails down here seem to be a no-go and the weather is too good not to ride.

I was thinking the same thing. Would definitely consider meeting you out there. 

Tried these locals for the first time while watching Red Bull Rampage. Both are excellent! 

Definitely missed having this in 2020! Watching live now. Two runs in and not disappointed at all! 

I finally got a chance to ride an eBike. It wasn't an eMTB, although it did have a suspension fork. What amazed me is the level of power assist you get! I started out in the middle setting and then tried the turbo setting. Sure you have to pedal, but a mere press on the pedal kickstarts the motor and sends you flying. Even in a high gear you could start from a complete stop without any problem because of how quickly the motor engaged. I'm not sure if eMTBs operate in the same manner, but I just can't see how riding something like that on the trails around here would be challenging (or fun). 

There are countless use cases for eBikes and even eMTB. I just wish the advertisers / resellers would focus on those specific use cases vs. portraying them as an evolution of MTB. It doesn't even bother me to see able bodied guys riding them on the same trails I ride - I just shake my head and ride on. If we ever get to the point though where manufacturers lose interest in engineering bikes that are 100% pedal power because there's too much money to be had selling motorized versions, that will be the time for me to give up MTB and spend more time on the golf course, where I prefer to ride in a motorized cart anyway.       

8 hours ago, WLemke said:

It happens sporadically. @throet will usually blow the horn and we’ll assemble under the 183 bridge on the concrete trail. 

I'm good for this Fri if things dry out, but the prospect of that happening is not looking good. We had rain here during the night and there's a possibility of more rain this morning. 

6 hours ago, Taco Man said:

TBH though if I see something Im hesitant about I will take one foot out of the clip in case.

I used to do the same thing when I rode clipless, and inevitably, it would be the opposite foot that I should have released. 

7 hours ago, WLemke said:

I am on team crank bros. 

I don't ride clipless often, but when I do ride clipless, I ride Crank Bros. 

8 hours ago, Kobra Kai MTB Guy said:

I'm successful ~90% of the time on that step up.  One thing I noticed on your original picture is that your wheels is already on top of the ledge.  Try focusing on your front wheel making contact about ~85% of the way up the ledge so that the front wheels is rolling up the ledge as you shift your weight forward.  This gives you more time to react.

Yeah I think that original pic is misleading. I didn't actually place my front wheel on top of the ledge. From the video it appears I did make contact about 85% of the way up the ledge as you suggest. I think my problem is that I'm just not thrusting up and forward nearly quick enough, possibly a symptom of being a 63-yr old drunkard. I might just stick with that cheater line of stacked rocks on the right! 

12 minutes ago, AustinBike said:

I may pass you guys, heading out in a bit. I'll be the slow one.

Looks like I'm going solo. Should recognize your Orbea though if I see you there. If so, will stop and say hi. I'll be on a red/orange Intense. 

7 hours ago, Barry said:

I'm an absolute master at step-ups and certainly never fall to the side. 

https://photos.app.goo.gl/xhYLziLdSZfNRpGr5

 

 

That was actually pretty impressive. Was your intention to hop off sideways or to wheelie drop the exit? 

Late notice I know, but anybody going out this morning? I'm gonna try and hit the trails around 8:15 this morning. 

1 hour ago, Chongo Loco said:

Look at the feet and pedals. Jeff's pedals are level, you've gotten into a position were it's a little harder to do, but one foot up it's hard to punch without getting your momentum a little off camber.  Then you suck up some inertia trying not to fall to one side.  Also feet, Jeff's feet are toes down.  That flick down as you spring up with the legs does a ton towards shooting your momentum not just up, but up and forward.  

Haha funny you mentioned trying not to fall to one side! Here's the ending to that attempt. Felt fortunate to have a tree to grab onto. 

2 hours ago, mack_turtle said:

where one of the teachers occasionally punched a child in the face

Had a teacher who used to slap me around pretty regularly. Knew better than to tell my Mom though, since I would have just got a double dose from her! 🤣🤣🤣

11 minutes ago, ATXZJ said:

A lot of this stuff reminds me how hard it was to learn ollies on my skateboard. Seemed like the impossible at the time and yet 30+ years later I can still do them with my eyes closed. Just takes time 

Haha reminds me of golf! Once you have to start remembering more than one or two things through the execution, you end up just playing as life-long hack! I just don't have the patience.  

13 hours ago, AntonioGG said:

Captain Ahab, Moab, UT

I'm very damn envious! 

EDIT - BTW how's the new bike doing out there? 

17 hours ago, ssorgs said:

Note the difference in saddle height!  Maybe it's 'allowing' you to stay compressed too long.  Personally, I approach seated, lean back to manual, then stand and punch.  I know I don't need my seat lower to go up, only down.

That's a really good point. In in Lenosky's video he states that the two big benefits of using the punch vs. a bunny-hop to get up ledges are 1) can be done at slower speed, and 2) no need to lower the seat. I tend to lower my saddle any time I come into a technical section, but perhaps that is hurting me more than helping me in some situations. I'm going try some different approaches.    

I've gotten pretty good over the years at getting up ledges with a front wheel lift and lunge forward (punch), but now as I'm trying to tackle bigger ledges, I'm seeing how messed up my form really is. In one of Lenosky's videos, you can see that at the point of his crank approaching the ledge, he has just completed a pedal stroke and is already fully extended high above the bars. With that movement, his rear wheel is instantly thrust upward to a height nearly equal to his front wheel. Contrast that with my body position as I'm getting close to making impact, and you can see that I have absolutely no chance of even clearing my chain ring, let alone the rear wheel (yes this ended badly).@Morrishas demonstrated the proper technique on this same ledge that I'm trying to clear. For me, the timing of the move just seems incredibly tricky, or possibly I'm just not coordinated enough to put it all together. I'm able to clear the ledge at Huck Finn that is slightly shorter, but even then manage to ding my chainring half the time. Definitely need to put in some practice time to perfect this move. 

1 hour ago, Shinerider said:

Ugh, that and the Avery Ranch intersection is my way to Brushy from the house.  Wonder what happened?   There is a solid crosswalk at both intersections.  I only cross "in the lane of traffic" vs. on the crosswalk.

Agreed will be glad when the Ped bridge goes up.  They are currently building the park on the west side of S. Bell, and this will happen more often as people try and travel between the parks.

Yeah really hard to know. I suspect my wife will get more details off the NextDoor App over the coming days, but I doubt we'll get any further details from the local news. I may be using the term "cyclist" loosely, and perhaps should have just said bicyclist. My wife said the man was lying on the ground shirtless, but I don't know if he was riding his bike shirtless (and perhaps helmetless), or if they cut his shirt / jersey off of him as they were attending to him. Anyway it goes, it is really sad. 

Really unfortunate incident that occurred yesterday very close to home. My wife had driven through that intersection after the cyclist was struck and saw that he was still laying on the ground with EMS attending to him. Not sure how the actual impact occurred, but for those of us living west of the YMCA, this is the crossing used to get over to the Brushy Creek trails. I've seen many car accidents at that intersection as well, some with cars getting hurled into the area where pedestrians could be waiting to cross.

The first phase of Lakeline Park is supposed include a pedestrian bridge crossing S. Bell; so I'll be really glad to see that completed. 

Bicyclist dies from injuries sustained in crash in Cedar Park (fox7austin.com)

2 hours ago, gotdurt said:

Used the last of my 32 oz bottle of Stan's that I paid $24 for on Amazon (Stan's store), only to find it has gone up to $50...?! Checked Jenson and CRC and it's $34 (+shipping). Orange Seal is up too.

Looks like you can get Bontrager Sealant from the Trek Store for $30 for 32oz and it's in stock. I've used it before and don't recall having any issues. Wouldn't be surprised if it is just Stan's under another label. 

Went out on an exploratory ride last night and from all appearances, the trails need some more time to dry out. I'd guess that by late afternoon, 1/4, DD, Rim, and Snail will be GTG. 

Is there an option to get the previous/next page buttons back vs. having to type in an actual page number?