Let's see your bikes!

[6L6]

October 1956... me and my new Schwinn Corvette bike. I was one very lucky kid that day!

[jmat]

Originally Posted by clintj

Thanks. I still remember calling the guys at IF several times, consulting over size, geometry, and even paint colors. She's basically a slightly stretched 54cm in Reynolds 853 tubing. Wicked fast handling, stable at over 50mph on the steep mountain roads here, stiff where it counts, and with the high end steel a lot of the vibration from the endless chip sealing of roads here gets soaked up. She tips the scales at a hair under 20 lbs, and could go lighter still if I upgraded the components and wheels again.

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I know how you feel! I have a ti crown jewel and it is an awesome piece of craft. When I am on it there is no doubt I am on *my* bike.

[Long Jon]

Originally Posted by Long Jon

DANG YOU ALL !

Getting hard to find the guitars amongst all the bikes in my eBay watch list now !

Strangely , bikes and guitars are almost exactly the same price. Spooky, eh ?

Originally Posted by imwjl

And interesting how the plastic ones are full of so much precise labor when many associate that with a custom metal frame.

I need to stop watching this because I'm set for life with guitars but modern MTBs are consumables and with my bio clock ticking I'm going for all I can. I really want a bike like my wife's Remedy 29.

OK, y'all made me do it.
I just bought a lightly used 2014 Cannondale CAADX Ultegra on eBay, it's a cyclocross bike, so kinda like a mountain /road hybrid with drop bars. Weighs in about 9.5 Kilos (20 lbs.)

Pichurs here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cannondale...vip=true&rt=nc

Had it for a couple of days now, coincided with a nice little heat wave here so I have already done a few miles.

Man! This is some tiring work compared with the Kalkhoff speed pedelec I've been spoiled by for a while now!
I'd forgotten what a slog it is going up hill , or into the wind. (Or worst of all, up hill and into the wind.)

It's all good though. There is a very righteous, hard earned satisfaction to the exhausted pain I am now feeling.
Prolly need more porridge and bananas... and ibuprofen...

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by Long Jon

OK, y'all made me do it.
I just bought a lightly used 2014 Cannondale CAADX Ultegra on eBay, it's a cyclocross bike, so kinda like a mountain /road hybrid with drop bars. Weighs in about 9.5 Kilos (20 lbs.)

Pichurs here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cannondale...vip=true&rt=nc

Had it for a couple of days now, coincided with a nice little heat wave here so I have already done a few miles.

Man! This is some tiring work compared with the Kalkhoff speed pedelec I've been spoiled by for a while now!
I'd forgotten what a slog it is going up hill , or into the wind. (Or worst of all, up hill and into the wind.)

It's all good though. There is a very righteous, hard earned satisfaction to the exhausted pain I am now feeling.
Prolly need more porridge and bananas... and ibuprofen...

Nice. It will get easier and be careful about not overdoing it at first or at least give some time for rest too.

Ride on!

[Dirk Hofman]

Weeeeeellll, this showed up at my door today.



Got a few rides left on the Ripley before I transfer everything over.

Evil the Following 29er. Supposed to be quite the monster truck rig on the downhills. Looking forward to putting it through its paces.

[perttime]

Originally Posted by imwjl

Nice. It will get easier and be careful about not overdoing it at first or at least give some time for rest too.

Ride on!

"It never gets easier - you just go faster"

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by Dirk Hofman

Weeeeeellll, this showed up at my door today.



Got a few rides left on the Ripley before I transfer everything over.

Evil the Following 29er. Supposed to be quite the monster truck rig on the downhills. Looking forward to putting it through its paces.

Sweet. I was not able to try one of those when we got the 2016 Remedy 29. The delayed gratification and all the hands on trials got me more than ever wanting to make sure I tried before the buy.

Those bikes developed a really great reputation for their performance, and they started a lot different than dual suspension MTBs.

If I make another purchase I'll probably stick with evolution of the Remedy 29. Trek engineers, product managers, and even world-wide MTB manager have joined the digger posse I've been in and they're doing incredibly good stuff.

Originally Posted by perttime

"It never gets easier - you just go faster"

That's true in a sense, but with my MTB passion I've worked at technique a lot and some things really do get easier. A climb or overall fast ride is always a level of work but one that's worthwhile.

Full disclosure. For any advances, this is a sport (at least MTB) that's always humbling.

Unfortunately there's been enough rain and I'm on call all weekend so no epic trail rides today.

[perttime]

Originally Posted by imwjl

...
That's true in a sense, but with my MTB passion I've worked at technique a lot and some things really do get easier. ...

I suppose Greg LeMond's (former pro road rider) quote fits race oriented riders, and particularly road racers.

In MTB, technique certainly helps. Crossing obstacles in a smart way conserves energy too. It is up to the rider to decide what to do with the conserved energy...

[Dirk Hofman]

Originally Posted by imwjl

Sweet. I was not able to try one of those when we got the 2016 Remedy 29. The delayed gratification and all the hands on trials got me more than ever wanting to make sure I tried before the buy.

Those bikes developed a really great reputation for their performance, and they started a lot different than dual suspension MTBs.

If I make another purchase I'll probably stick with evolution of the Remedy 29. Trek engineers, product managers, and even world-wide MTB manager have joined the digger posse I've been in and they're doing incredibly good stuff.

I've heard nothing but great things about the Remedy. There's a bible of the bike test where they are over the moon about the 9.8 IIRC.

Nowhere to demo Evils where I am, but the geometry and reviews indicate it's much more what i'm looking for than my current bike. Longer, slacker. Suspension is supposed to be incredible, and the low position puts all the weight at the BB.

Looking forward to getting it done. Would love to try a Remedy at some point. Just started hearing about how good they are very recently.

[imwjl]

Originally Posted by Dirk Hofman

I've heard nothing but great things about the Remedy. There's a bible of the bike test where they are over the moon about the 9.8 IIRC.

Nowhere to demo Evils where I am, but the geometry and reviews indicate it's much more what i'm looking for than my current bike. Longer, slacker. Suspension is supposed to be incredible, and the low position puts all the weight at the BB.

Looking forward to getting it done. Would love to try a Remedy at some point. Just started hearing about how good they are very recently.

IIRC, an earlier Ripley is not as slack as current.

Several Trek MTBs are all changed up between 2016 and 17 model years. Closest thing to the Remedy 29 that was so respected and loved is a Fuel EX. New model has more travel and only a 650B plus or 29r. Now Remedy's 27.5 and Slash is wagon wheels. The engineer who did the new Slash is a digger in my posse of diggers and riders.

When we got the 2016 Remedy 29 I was on a ride with engineers pedaling some prototypes. I suspected the changes coming. There was a burly 29r already a painted white prototype and a raw aluminum bike more like a Fuel or Remedy but with space for wider tires. Add, prototype of the controversial e bike.

I used to not care for Trek MTBs. Now there's no problem being loyal to some associates and the local company. They've made incredible improvements and I see the prototypes and testing. Those Line 30 wheels are really on my wish list.

A few weeks ago I saw a prototype I suspect will be a next generation XC or racer. My associate purposely spray painted his bike black to buck the usual white. These guys are as passionate bad ***** riders as they are top engineers.

[Greg Rappleye]

Originally Posted by 6L6

October 1956... me and my new Schwinn Corvette bike. I was one very lucky kid that day!

This is about my speed. With regard to all the tech-talk, fancy frames, etc., I have no idea what you guys are talking about.



Greg Rappleye

P.S.: there area lot of you fancy riders going by the house this morning!

[Neil K Walk]

Originally Posted by Long Jon

OK, y'all made me do it.
I just bought a lightly used 2014 Cannondale CAADX Ultegra on eBay, it's a cyclocross bike, so kinda like a mountain /road hybrid with drop bars. Weighs in about 9.5 Kilos (20 lbs.)

Pichurs here: http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Cannondale...vip=true&rt=nc

Had it for a couple of days now, coincided with a nice little heat wave here so I have already done a few miles.

Man! This is some tiring work compared with the Kalkhoff speed pedelec I've been spoiled by for a while now!
I'd forgotten what a slog it is going up hill , or into the wind. (Or worst of all, up hill and into the wind.)

It's all good though. There is a very righteous, hard earned satisfaction to the exhausted pain I am now feeling.
Prolly need more porridge and bananas... and ibuprofen...

Amen! I think the wife and I are due for new bikes. We don't do much together but she's got the fitness bug in her midlife crisis and I have had to dial way back on my riding over the past decade to accommodate her career and tend to the family.

[clintj]

I had an epiphany yesterday while riding down one of the local large hills. My new trail 29er is a few inches taller than my old XC race 26" rig. That doesn't mean much uphill and on the flats, but it hit me that the height difference puts the wheels' contact patch further out to the side during fast corners when the bike leans over, relative to my body position. Once I started making a conscious effort to pick a line 2-3" closer to the inside edge on every corner, descending got real smooth and fast in a hurry. 20+ years of riding taught me where to have my body placed to corner smoothly, and now I need to adjust and relearn. Old dog, new tricks, yada yada.

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[imwjl]

Originally Posted by Neil K Walk

Amen! I think the wife and I are due for new bikes. We don't do much together but she's got the fitness bug in her midlife crisis and I have had to dial way back on my riding over the past decade to accommodate her career and tend to the family.

Its' been great to have my wife riding with such passion again. New gear and trail building techniques have made all the difference.

Originally Posted by clintj

I had an epiphany yesterday while riding down one of the local large hills. My new trail 29er is a few inches taller than my old XC race 26" rig. That doesn't mean much uphill and on the flats, but it hit me that the height difference puts the wheels' contact patch further out to the side during fast corners when the bike leans over, relative to my body position. Once I started making a conscious effort to pick a line 2-3" closer to the inside edge on every corner, descending got real smooth and fast in a hurry. 20+ years of riding taught me where to have my body placed to corner smoothly, and now I need to adjust and relearn. Old dog, new tricks, yada yada.

I'm not sure that's getting you on the edge of your tires. I've found the secret is drop the dropper and get those wheels leaned over. Remember to ride "light hands heavy feet".

My first 29r epiphany was leaning it over and getting the space to do it so that's meant riding wide in corners.

Leaned over is also a must to to pump your turns.

[clintj]

Originally Posted by imwjl

Its' been great to have my wife riding with such passion again. New gear and trail building techniques have made all the difference.



I'm not sure that's getting you on the edge of your tires. I've found the secret is drop the dropper and get those wheels leaned over. Remember to ride "light hands heavy feet".

My first 29r epiphany was leaning it over and getting the space to do it so that's meant riding wide in corners.

Leaned over is also a must to to pump your turns.

My problem was not getting the tires on edge, it was that I kept finding myself creeping up onto the edges of the berms in corners and occasionally sliding over the top. The bike is taller, so riding a line that I felt would keep the bike well planted had the tires too far to the outside. My moving in let the tires get a good solid bite on the trail so I could confidently lean the bike and rip around corners like I should.

On a side note, the intermountain west has trail riding unlike any other place I've lived. East Coast and Puget Sound are somewhat similar in that they're heavily forested and can get soupy when it rains. Wet roots are nasty, too. Here, the soil dries extremely fast after a downpour - dusty riding a day after a thunderstorm, like yesterday. The grassland trails tend to wear into a deep C shape, and rocks abound. Some of the stuff I rode Saturday was literally rock slides that they had kicked enough rocks off of to make a sonewhat flat path through. 29ers roll so well through that stuff, and the short stem and wide bars give great control. I'm sold on the new geometry, finally. It took a couple of adjustments on my part to make it happen.

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