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rockcity posted:My wife is looking to get a bike to start joining me on some trails. Probably mostly bike path and gravel path type stuff, but I want to find her something that could tackle some easy singletrack. What should I be looking for on an entry level bike that could handle a variety of terrain? I’m figuring a basic hardtail with maybe a less aggressive tire that would be ok on pavement too, but I’m trying to do some research before going into some shops with her. A Giant Talon 3 has served me very well, it was $550 new 1.5 years ago. I ride it everywhere, streets, concrete, gravel, dirt, rocks, grass, mud. neato burrito fucked around with this message at 00:03 on May 19, 2021 |
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May 18, 2021 23:57
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| # ? May 26, 2024 16:45 |
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Polygon (bikesonline.com) has had some bikes in the $500-$1000 range on stock lately. Used entry-level mountain bikes around me have been either at or above new prices though. All the shops are constantly sold out of everything that's not an e-bike.
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May 19, 2021 00:10
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thatguy posted:until yesterday it was basically sunny morning with hail or rain for 10 minutes in the evening. And other than the flow I'm working on now, soils are well-drained mineral sandy/rocky and they're going to ride better wet or in the kind of stuff we have now. Last night dumped a bunch but it drains very quick, you see dry crust by noon and stuff will start to break apart again by the afternoon. Rad. I'm excited to try it out. I popped a spoke over the weekend, so waiting on that repair.
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May 19, 2021 00:23
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neato burrito posted:A Giant Talon 3 has served me very well, it was $550 new 1.5 years ago. I ride it everywhere, streets, concrete, gravel, dirt, rocks, grass, mud. Similarly, I found the Trek Marlin 5 to be incredibly versatile for a similar price.
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May 19, 2021 01:34
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vote_no posted:Similarly, I found the Trek Marlin 5 to be incredibly versatile for a similar price. Yeah, those two are on my short list for her to look at and probably close to where I think she’d be comfortable spending.
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May 19, 2021 01:57
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FYI Giant changed the numbering scheme for their models (0 is now the best one, it's so dumb) so a Talon 3 which used to be a good 'I want a cheap MTB but I don't want it to be loving horrible' bike is now, well, loving horrible. Get the Talon 2. Don't get any bike that has a freewheel instead of a cassette and/or a Tourney rear derailleur.
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May 19, 2021 02:44
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deong posted:Rad. I'm excited to try it out. I popped a spoke over the weekend, so waiting on that repair. It is good and you should be psyched. I look like a dork  This guy less dork 
spwrozek fucked around with this message at 05:40 on May 19, 2021 |
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May 19, 2021 05:36
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spwrozek posted:I look like a dork Ever figure out the bike noise? I have one again. I redid the pivots and I'm pretty certain it was the headset all along. Needs way more preload than I expect. Only 1000 miles on mine so far though, bb still seems quiet.
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May 19, 2021 12:38
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rockcity posted:My wife is looking to get a bike to start joining me on some trails. Probably mostly bike path and gravel path type stuff, but I want to find her something that could tackle some easy singletrack. What should I be looking for on an entry level bike that could handle a variety of terrain? I’m figuring a basic hardtail with maybe a less aggressive tire that would be ok on pavement too, but I’m trying to do some research before going into some shops with her. Ideally for a great starter bike that you can keep riding for a long time, you want an air spring fork vs. coil, 1x drivetrain, and hydraulic brakes. Depending on how steep your trails get and how much you want to spend, the brakes would be the last thing I'd compromise on out of that list.
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May 19, 2021 14:09
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VacaGrande posted:Ideally for a great starter bike that you can keep riding for a long time, you want an air spring fork vs. coil, 1x drivetrain, and hydraulic brakes. Depending on how steep your trails get and how much you want to spend, the brakes would be the last thing I'd compromise on out of that list. I got this advice too, even the barest researcg into MTB will get you this advice and I just wanna say . . . Such bikes are basically impossible to find in stock anywhere right now, and none of that is actually necessary to have a good time. If someone is gonna be tackling a lot of pavement with the bike I suspect they aren't planning to shred the gnarliest trails in the world Not that I'm disagreeing with you, just on other sites they would basically be telling you 1x and air fork or don't bother OctaMurk fucked around with this message at 15:24 on May 19, 2021 |
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May 19, 2021 15:22
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OctaMurk posted:I got this advice too, even the barest researcg into MTB will get you this advice and I just wanna say . . . Such bikes are basically impossible to find in stock anywhere right now, and none of that is actually necessary to have a good time. If someone is gonna be tackling a lot of pavement with the bike I suspect they aren't planning to shred the gnarliest trails in the world As with most things in life, there are trade-offs and it depends entirely on what you want. If you want a pavement cruiser more than anything sure, but if you want to have something better for trails over the long term those features will be nice to have, especially the brakes (probably brakes, fork, and gearing most important in order). He also never said that you must have those things to have fun, but to make the purchase most worthwhile. You can have fun on a Wal-Mart bike and it will probably fall apart on your second trail ride.
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May 19, 2021 16:24
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vikingstrike posted:As with most things in life, there are trade-offs and it depends entirely on what you want. If you want a pavement cruiser more than anything sure, but if you want to have something better for trails over the long term those features will be nice to have, especially the brakes (probably brakes, fork, and gearing most important in order). He also never said that you must have those things to have fun, but to make the purchase most worthwhile. You can have fun on a Wal-Mart bike and it will probably fall apart on your second trail ride. Yeah, that was the order of priority in my mind. I doubt I can get her to spend the amount of money needed for a 1x drivetrain, but I definitely want to look for an air fork and hydraulic disc brakes. I did some scouring around online last night and stock is definitely low right now as expected but there are a few places with some entry level bikes out there. Realistically, the trails she’s going to want to ride will be super mild. I don’t expect her to ever want to ride anything with a lot of fast downhill or super technical trails. More of the rolling scenic green trails. She could probably do it on a rigid bike but I think she’d be more comfortable on something with a fork suspension.
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May 19, 2021 16:38
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rockcity posted:Yeah, that was the order of priority in my mind. I doubt I can get her to spend the amount of money needed for a 1x drivetrain, but I definitely want to look for an air fork and hydraulic disc brakes. I did some scouring around online last night and stock is definitely low right now as expected but there are a few places with some entry level bikes out there. If you find a used bike that is in a good price range for you and checks many boxes for you, you can always find a used fork later on (or 1x drivetrain).
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May 19, 2021 17:03
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Need a small bag for keys, multitool, etc; is a small seat bag the right choice or should I try to find a small under top bar frame mount bag?
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May 19, 2021 17:22
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PCjr sidecar posted:Need a small bag for keys, multitool, etc; is a small seat bag the right choice or should I try to find a small under top bar frame mount bag? You have a few options depending on your set-up. Could use a small saddle bag to keep things. Another option is a frame bag like the one made by Wolf Tooth https://themtblab.com/2019/08/wolf-tooth-components-b-rad-mini-roll-top-bag-review.html or a small top tube bag. For top tube bags there are smaller ones that sit next to the seat post (https://www.ovejanegrabikepacking.com/collections/top-tube-bags/products/snack-pack-top-tube-bag-small) or one that goes near the stem (https://www.ovejanegrabikepacking.com/collections/top-tube-bags/products/snack-pack-top-tube-bags-large-xl). A final option might be a tool bottle that sits in your bottle holder if you're wearing water on your body (https://www.specialized.com/ca/en/keg-storage-vessel-16oz-with-tool-wrap/p/155355?size=16+oz&color=228943-155355).
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May 19, 2021 17:33
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The Wolf Tooth is great because you can put it anywhere. It’s just big enough to hold my probiketool pump too
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May 19, 2021 18:04
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One thing I forgot to mention earlier is that if you have a dropper post and want to use a saddle bag, make sure to check for clearance.
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May 19, 2021 19:22
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What's the best portable pump/inflator combo? Inflator should have a push-switch, and pump must have a hose.
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May 19, 2021 20:16
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Suburban Dad posted:Ever figure out the bike noise? I have one again. I redid the pivots and I'm pretty certain it was the headset all along. Needs way more preload than I expect. Only 1000 miles on mine so far though, bb still seems quiet. It is probably the headset. I redid all the pivots so....
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May 20, 2021 00:06
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It's always that on my bike. Hopefully the frame isn't hosed up from running too little preload and the bearing slapping against it repeatedly. Hopefully test it out again tomorrow.
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May 20, 2021 01:09
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vikingstrike posted:You have a few options depending on your set-up. Could use a small saddle bag to keep things. Another option is a frame bag like the one made by Wolf Tooth https://themtblab.com/2019/08/wolf-tooth-components-b-rad-mini-roll-top-bag-review.html or a small top tube bag. For top tube bags there are smaller ones that sit next to the seat post (https://www.ovejanegrabikepacking.com/collections/top-tube-bags/products/snack-pack-top-tube-bag-small) or one that goes near the stem (https://www.ovejanegrabikepacking.com/collections/top-tube-bags/products/snack-pack-top-tube-bags-large-xl). A final option might be a tool bottle that sits in your bottle holder if you're wearing water on your body (https://www.specialized.com/ca/en/keg-storage-vessel-16oz-with-tool-wrap/p/155355?size=16+oz&color=228943-155355). Thanks; I think the Wolf Tooth is what I’m looking for. I saw a similar dakine product buy the reviews were terrible.
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May 20, 2021 01:58
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Suburban Dad posted:It's always that on my bike. Hopefully the frame isn't hosed up from running too little preload and the bearing slapping against it repeatedly. Hopefully test it out again tomorrow. You feel any play in it? I kind of hate the “learn to do it by feel” nature of preloading bearings
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May 20, 2021 02:00
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You can always buy a torque wrench and torque things to spec.
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May 20, 2021 03:43
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There really isn't a torque spec published for most headsets. Some might have a maximum but basically it's "tighten until there's no play but not enough that the fork starts to bind". It's one of the things you just sorta do by feel. It gets really annoying when expander plugs for carbon steerers don't come with a torque spec. That's always fun.
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May 20, 2021 03:54
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1.5-2 Nm
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May 20, 2021 04:23
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meowmeowmeowmeow posted:You can always buy a torque wrench and torque things to spec. If you like biomechanical feedback, torque wrenches are lovely. turn turn turn turnclick. yesssssss
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May 20, 2021 14:41
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Man...now I got to get a torque wrench? I always just kind of wing it... Installing Cushcore is for sure a fun time... Partial Octopus and I got it done though.
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May 20, 2021 15:12
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I recently got a small torque wrench for regreasing all my suspension pivot bolts. I think it's worth it to know they are done up to the right amount of tight. My bike also finally does not creak on the climbs again. Win win. I just bought a basic 1/4" off of Amazon and it seems to do the job well enough.
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May 20, 2021 16:00
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spwrozek posted:Man...now I got to get a torque wrench? I always just kind of wing it... Wrenching on motorcycles has taught me that torque wrenches can be useful but mostly aren’t necessary. And sometimes they’re actively harmful, like I’ve snapped a bolt because I dialed in the wrong torque and stupidly kept cranking on it. If I had been using a regular socket wrench I would have stopped at the point my intuition/experience told me yeah that feels tight enough. There are critical bits where it’s good to have the torque just right, and maybe this is one of them. But if you have some wrenching experience you can probably judge torque by feel in most cases. (I realize this is very unhelpful advice for someone with no wrenching experiencing and thus no feel. Maybe for those a torque wrench and lots of care can be a good way to learn.)
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May 20, 2021 17:29
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With lots of carbon parts being clamped etc with bikes it's still probably a good idea to use a torque wrench even if you believe you have good feel
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May 20, 2021 19:01
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ought ten posted:Wrenching on motorcycles has taught me that torque wrenches can be useful but mostly aren’t necessary. And sometimes they’re actively harmful, like I’ve snapped a bolt because I dialed in the wrong torque and stupidly kept cranking on it. If I had been using a regular socket wrench I would have stopped at the point my intuition/experience told me yeah that feels tight enough. There are critical bits where it’s good to have the torque just right, and maybe this is one of them. But if you have some wrenching experience you can probably judge torque by feel in most cases. Lmao
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May 20, 2021 21:10
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ought ten posted:I dialed in the wrong torque and stupidly kept cranking on it. I wonder what the issue is with these whackadoo wrenches.
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May 20, 2021 21:25
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Levitate posted:With lots of carbon parts being clamped etc with bikes it's still probably a good idea to use a torque wrench even if you believe you have good feel Oh that’s a good point, I have not dealt with carbon in any machine h3r0n posted:I wonder what the issue is with these whackadoo wrenches. It’s me
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May 20, 2021 21:56
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ought ten posted:Oh that’s a good point, I have not dealt with carbon in any machine I mean for mtb it's probably like stem clamps on bars, and dropper posts to make sure you don't tighten them too much and impact the function, and I'd probably do pivot bolts as well just to be on the safe side but like pedals, cassettes, etc, nah
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May 20, 2021 22:21
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Torque specs are for pussies. Just crank that poo poo down and shred! Over-torque everything!
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May 21, 2021 01:22
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Just torque carbon till you hear the first crack and you know it's good
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May 21, 2021 02:29
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Bottom Liner posted:Just torque carbon till you hear the first crack and you know it's good until you hear a crack and then back off 1/4 turn is the usual advice
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May 21, 2021 03:45
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I almost didn’t ride today because it was cold and snowing. That would have been a big mistake. I need to ride in snowstorms more often, conditions were amazing. Way better than riding in rain.   
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May 22, 2021 04:41
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Some of the best rides I've had are the ones where the forecast didn't look good but I went out anyways.
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May 22, 2021 05:52
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-s9bHEfLjE nate hills came out tuesday, did a vid reel for comba for the two downhills we built for the city we got open right now. I'm working on the third one, gonna be mostly flow with not much rock except at the top. That one may be ready by Memorial Day.
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May 22, 2021 06:30
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