And sup is kinda bummed that spec stopped making 27.5 stumpys since that has been her jam for a few years. Kinda sad not many people are still making them.
Kinda got stoked on some one posted on pinkbike then saw it was 2k or more for a steel frame.
From the pinkbike 20 new hardtails post.
Santa Cruz Chameleon with 130 fork
Pivot LES 27.5
Diamondback SYNCāR Carbon 29 (29x2.4" as well as 27.5x2.6 compatible).
Okay, I was wrong. Some are still made.
I finally made it out to the trails in the dark to use my new light set. I had never been nighttime MTBing before. Its fucking great, once I get a little more settled in it I can myself riding at really similar trail speeds to daylight. Seeing everything I need to see and nothing I dont was very focusing.
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the tunnel vision is great. riding trails youāre really familiar with is rewarding because you can feel safe going fast but also get to see them in a completely new way. found lots of fun lines and little gaps etc just because all the sudden there was a shadow in a place that helped me see there were dots that needed connecting
also love getting spooked in the woods at night!
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I think seeing less makes you go faster because our big wagon wheels these days will roll over a lot of stuff that we think that we need to worry about but actually donāt. At least thatās the case for me.
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If you can make it over to tapeworm that is one of my favorite memories of night mtbiking. Especially with a crew of a few riders, it is really fun at night with everyoneās lights zig-zagging through the woods.
Edit for those that havenāt been there:
yeah, some of my dudes do Tapeworm on the regular. It was fun being out at tokul, it being pitch black in the trees and spooky AF pedaling around.
I am so jealous of the riding in Oly. I wish NWTA was even half as good as Evergreen.
Edit: different Tokul, I guess
Haha thatās New England trail density right there
Yeah Tokul up here is a big gravel pile that drains prodigiously gets logged frequently, and has lots of fun 2-3 minute descents that are just in that dark blue/black diamond level.
Evergreen is rad, they do so much. Their trails are getting a little routine though, there are a handful of illegal diggers making the good stuff out here too.
also, anyone know how shock performance changes in cold weather?
It was in the mid 30s last night and It felt like the damping on my shock was all outa wack, I ended up dialing the rebound down a bit to compensate but nothing really should have changed between last night and the last right I didā¦
IIRC I blow through the travel on big hits but small bump support feels sloooow. Shock just generally feels off like I do.
I do! Depends on the shock or fork. Find out for sure by leaving your bike out in the cold and checking spring pressures. I used to have a Reba that would eat its own travel at low temps because the negative spring would stay warmer than the positive one.
From this interesting document:
ā¢ Temperature change - As a damper is cycled, friction
is generated and the oil heats up. Heat reduces the oil
viscosity which reduces damping. Once the damper is at
rest, the oil cools down and returns to its original viscosity.
If the oil is cooled (cold weather), the viscosity is increased
which increases damping. Over time, the repeated heating
and cooling of oil will permanently break down the viscosity
and any other performance oriented properties of the
fluid. Once this occurs, the only way to restore the original
damping characteristics is to replace the oil.
Also now I understand how your example Jeffro would work.
i dont do a ton of super cold rides, but my shocks usually feel super slow when they get down below freezing, esp in below 20 or so, fresh off the bike rack.
usually they warm up and start to feel normal, but gotta ride a while.
ShartQ incoming
I decided to try to dial in air pressure in my fork (RS Reba RL 120) last night and used the process in this video
The fork didnāt sag at all under just my body weight in a neutral or standing position. I got it to sag 25% after dropping 20psi from the initial pressure based on my weight, but had to induce some compression, not just sitting/standing.
I guess the fork probably needs some service but maybe I donāt really understand the sag setup. Should the fork actually respond to just my body weight slowly moving around on the bike? I probably have 20ish hours on the fork but I bought the bike used last summer so who knows the service history
Yes, it should move with pretty much any transfer of weight. Might not get to sag if they are off in their numbers or you are light, but it will move.
Might be safe to assume that it was never serviced. Lower leg service is pretty easy, as is pulling the air spring out. Clean and re apply sram butter or similar to air spring, But since you need the oil and kit, dropping off at a shop might not be a bad idea, either.
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So after Iām done Faceās frame I think it would be nice to make myself a hardtail. Pretty much the same geo, long, lowish but not especially slack, designed around a 120mm fork but Iāll probably build it rigid to start.
Whatās the best value option for parts these days? 1x10 or 1x11. I have a buddy with a shimano account who can hook me up but is stuff actually in stock?
Shimano has nothing in stock until the end of time except like left road shakes.
Iām doing 1x11 on that new bike because I came up on a good deal for a takeoff dangler, cassette, and clicker.
Cassette options are kinda bogus for 1x10. 11s is a little better, 12s is best if you need big range. Big question is what kinda gearing and cassette body do you want?