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prom candy posted:pulled out the protractor and said my leg angle looked good but I've consistently felt like it was just a bit too low. Today I raised it up about a half inch and it feels better. Should I stick with the professional opinion or does "feels better" trump that when we're talking about fairly small adjustments? What crank length are you running? Kind of an extreme thing to test, but a shorter crank might help — at the same saddle height, you’ll get a more obtuse angle at the most cramped part of the stroke.
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Jun 14, 2023 03:46
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| # ? May 26, 2024 00:42 |
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The way I usually do it is put my heel on the pedal when it is at the bottom of the stroke and sit down. Leg should be pretty much straight. But yeah listen to your body and try it for a couple rides.
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Jun 14, 2023 12:36
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kimbo305 posted:What crank length are you running? Kind of an extreme thing to test, but a shorter crank might help — at the same saddle height, you’ll get a more obtuse angle at the most cramped part of the stroke. I'm not sure actually, whatever comes standard with the Roscoe 7. I don't know if I'm at "change my cranks" level yet though. Speaking of the Roscoe, their marketing department is doing a hell of a job because I'm seeing people riding them all over town constantly. I saw two the other day, one on a ride I was out on a couple weeks ago, and when I went to pick it up from the store there was another guy picking one up at the same time.
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Jun 14, 2023 17:52
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I think it was your post that encouraged me to get one!
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Jun 14, 2023 19:09
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Quizzlefish posted:I think it was your post that encouraged me to get one! Hopefully you like it!
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Jun 14, 2023 19:13
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When you’re admiring your bike halfway through a ride then realize - oh poo poo - my water bottle fell out somewhere over the last 5 miles 🤣😭
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Jun 14, 2023 23:49
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Is that Fox Factory and Reverb AXS on a hardtail? I love it Edit: and belt drive? What is this bike? WHERE MY HAT IS AT fucked around with this message at 00:49 on Jun 15, 2023 |
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Jun 15, 2023 00:46
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WHERE MY HAT IS AT posted:Is that Fox Factory and Reverb AXS on a hardtail? I love it It is a Spot Rocker Single Speed. It is hella fun. Especially if you hate money.
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Jun 15, 2023 01:00
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It would be nice if someone came up with a belt drive double speed. Just something that could switch between a climbing and descending gear with minimal mass.
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Jun 15, 2023 03:28
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Nohearum posted:It would be nice if someone came up with a belt drive double speed. Just something that could switch between a climbing and descending gear with minimal mass. I keep waiting for a two speed, wide range IGH but all the 2-3 speeds models have tiny gear ranges that seem to be meant for flat land cruising.
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Jun 15, 2023 03:41
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Nohearum posted:It would be nice if someone came up with a belt drive double speed. Just something that could switch between a climbing and descending gear with minimal mass. Oh man that would be awesome. I’d love to try and take this thing bikepacking but any flat on road stretches make you feel pretty silly spinning like crazy and going like 11mph. Flat dirt isn’t that bad luckily.
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Jun 15, 2023 05:05
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Decade-long roadie looking at my first MTB purchase, mainly to tackle mountain logging roads and not-too-technical trails in southwestern PA and WV. Been looking at used bikes online to save some money and a friend sent me one he believes is a great buy. 2020 Giant Fathom 1, appears to be very lightly used. Seller is asking $600 USD. My biggest concern is the size. The bike is a Large and I see Giant sizes up through Extra Large. I'm 6'3" with a 33" inseam. Of all my bikes, the one that fits me best is also the cheapest: a 61cm Dawes Streetfighter track bike. Guides at the time recommended 59cm for my height but I was in need of a bargain ride quickly and took the closest BikesDirect had available. The thing is bone stock except for tires and I can ride it all day. Friend who linked me the Giant says "Don't worry mountain bike sizes are different. It'll fit you just fine." The Giant sizing guide has me right on the line between L and XL. So given that my "too big" track bike is perfect for me, how likely is it that I'm also going to be wishing I had gone for the bigger size on the MTB? CaptainCourteous fucked around with this message at 07:18 on Jun 15, 2023 |
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Jun 15, 2023 07:16
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CaptainCourteous posted:Decade-long roadie looking at my first MTB purchase, mainly to tackle mountain logging roads and not-too-technical trails in southwestern PA and WV. You absolutely need an XL at 6'3". I'm 6'2" and ride an XL. There's some differences between brands but they don't make XL bikes for people 6'4 and up lol.
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Jun 15, 2023 15:21
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VelociBacon posted:You absolutely need an XL at 6'3". I'm 6'2" and ride an XL. There's some differences between brands but they don't make XL bikes for people 6'4 and up lol. Appreciate it. I'll go sit on a few at my LBS to get a better idea.
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Jun 15, 2023 18:19
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Baby's first mtb and N+1 arrived and thankfully the rain stopped enough to take it for a spin. I've ridden literally thousands of miles on my road/gravel bike but I feel like I'm learning how to ride all over again. I'm sure it'll take some getting used to but man, it felt so weird not really being confident on what should be a more than capable bike. Sure looks great though.       I added a PNW Cascade dropper post and Loam lever, flats and grips in orange for a pop of color contrast, plus some cheap cages I found on Amazon that fit the theme. Saddle got replaced after the ride because it felt awful and seemed like it was trying to perform a vasectomy no matter how I adjusted it, which is weird since I am used to riding a road saddle for hours at a time. Since there's no braze ons or anything to secure the dropper cable on the top tube I tried velcro wraps and zip ties first, which just kept slipping around since it's a tapered tube. Had an idea to make some non-slip zip ties by running a bead of hot glue down them and that seems to have done the trick, at least in quick testing at home.   Now to ride it as much as I can and either drop a bunch of weight real fast (I'm pushing 300 :/ ) or ride this coil fork until it explodes and replace it with a Rockshox Yari or similar.
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Jun 15, 2023 18:38
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charliebravo77 posted:
Is that a coil fork? Looks like a fox (34 rhythm maybe?) which is air.
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Jun 15, 2023 21:24
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Suburban Dad posted:Looks nice. I'm using a lot of the same PNW stuff and it seems decent. That nose looks wayyyyyy high and may be part of the problem. Shoot for level or nose up a couple degrees at most. I'm half an idiot and didn't realize the saddle could pivot as much as it does, there's really not any adjustment on my road bike. I replaced the saddle with something that was a little more ergonomic anyway. The fork is a SR Suntour XCR X1 32, which is coil and pretty bottom of the bin. It at least has preload and rebound adjustment and a lockout but it's probably going to go eventually.
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Jun 15, 2023 21:30
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Going to MTB from road is such a weird feeling. I’m three seasons in and my brain still doesn’t like how loose things feel on the MTB and can’t comprehend that drifting and sliding a bit is totally okay.
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Jun 16, 2023 02:11
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WHERE MY HAT IS AT posted:Going to MTB from road is such a weird feeling. I’m three seasons in and my brain still doesn’t like how loose things feel on the MTB and can’t comprehend that drifting and sliding a bit is totally okay. New saddle is a huge improvement and I got the suspension set up a bit better for my weight. I feel way more comfortable on it now but even coming up on small exposed roots and limbs my brain is all "oh god brace for impact" and probably will be for a while. Excited to find ride some trails actually intended to be ridden with a MTB soon though, as opposed to the overgrown poison ivy filled bullshit I have accessible nearby.  Also, in addition to Gorilla tape, paracord, gaffer's tape, zip ties and electrical tape, bulk elastic cord is a DIY gear essential item. 
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Jun 16, 2023 02:19
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Did that bike come with an external dropper or did you add it?
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Jun 16, 2023 02:45
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vikingstrike posted:Did that bike come with an external dropper or did you add it? I added a PNW Cascade dropper and Loam lever.
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Jun 16, 2023 02:53
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I took my cross bike out the other day and maybe it's just the newness factor but I think I prefer my roscoe even for path and gravel riding. It's not as efficient I guess but for a lunch time ride I find the riding position more comfortable and the brakes are night and day. Might sell the cross bike.
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Jun 16, 2023 04:41
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Jun 16, 2023 06:30
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charliebravo77 posted:but even coming up on small exposed roots and limbs my brain is all "oh god brace for impact" and probably will be for a while. Might be an obvious skill to anyone who has been biking, but this video helped me enjoy the rooty, chunky XC trails in my neighborhood. Just launch over it. He's got really great videos on body positioning and staying 'heavier in your feet' that clicked with me also, but I hadn't ridden a bike as an adult so I probably needed the schooling. That's a beautiful bike and those photos are great.
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Jun 16, 2023 12:49
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You might split the difference on your saddle tilt and try it out with the top level to the ground and make very minor adjustments from there.
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Jun 17, 2023 06:21
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CaptainCourteous posted:Decade-long roadie looking at my first MTB purchase, mainly to tackle mountain logging roads and not-too-technical trails in southwestern PA and WV. I'm about your size and I haven't ridden a Large that I didn't feel cramped on. XL 4 lyfe!
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Jun 17, 2023 06:22
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casque posted:You might split the difference on your saddle tilt and try it out with the top level to the ground and make very minor adjustments from there. Yeah I actually tipped it back closer to level last night. Going to hit some real trails Monday and really get it dialed in.
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Jun 17, 2023 18:59
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Hit a proper trail today for the first time. It was nice and empty so I could take my time. I find myself leaning down on my handlebars a lot which I think can't be right. Maybe I need to make them higher? Also walked the bike over the gnarliest bits. But I think I'll soon go back to the same trail to try it again.
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Jun 18, 2023 00:31
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Quizzlefish posted:Hit a proper trail today for the first time. It was nice and empty so I could take my time. I find myself leaning down on my handlebars a lot which I think can't be right. Maybe I need to make them higher? Work on core strength and keeping your shoulders and traps low, with the muscles on and around your shoulder blades engaged. May also need the stem/bars higher though. Is your stem a positive or negative angle right now? If it's negative, flip it. One thing that is taking me a minute to internalize, which I gleaned from Ben Cathro videos: just session a bit of trail. Just because you rode a trail doesn't mean you can't stop at any point, walk/ride back, and ride it again till you feel better about it. There's a handful of bits on trails I'm working on lately that I have no confidence in myself on, so when I ride them I'll do it a couple two three times.
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Jun 18, 2023 01:40
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Rode my bike over a bit of trail that I walked over last time! Also had my first almost wipeout going over a root while climbing. Luckily I got a foot down and just kinda leaned into a tree beside me.
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Jun 18, 2023 01:41
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For folks that have no trails super near (I have some really good stuff an hour away, but also 3 kids so) I have a background in road racing and have been focused on mtb for about 4 years now? I have been hitting weekends hard for a this period, good number of clinics, downhill parks, rides with groups, etc I do ride a lot in the week between, but largely flat and/or gravel bike due to where I live. So: What, if anything, did you do at the advanced-beginner/intermediate stage to level up bike handling skills - namely, I think repetition is my weakness here. I can go to a jump clinic for a weekend, but to practice jumps on a half-decent I'm looking at 1.5hr drive each way (just an example) Should I be finding related flat/grass drills to work every week? Pick up a few ninja ramps (I have a decent bit of space, but my property is mostly flat and packed sand and/or so I'm not building any jumps)? I'm seriously considering a week-long camp to get some repetition in and/or picking up a Ninja Coach, but am super open to other suggestions.
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Jun 18, 2023 12:13
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HenryJLittlefinger posted:Work on core strength and keeping your shoulders and traps low, with the muscles on and around your shoulder blades engaged. May also need the stem/bars higher though. Is your stem a positive or negative angle right now? If it's negative, flip it. V helpful thanks. Will give this a try. Maybe a dumb question but positive angle means brakes pointing towards the floor?
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Jun 18, 2023 12:29
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Quizzlefish posted:V helpful thanks. Will give this a try. Maybe a dumb question but positive angle means brakes pointing towards the floor? Positive angle means you stem is pointed up not down. On shorter mtb stems the difference might not be that much. Nothing to do with brakes
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Jun 18, 2023 12:41
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Did a quick Google - I get ya. Will take a look when I get home
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Jun 18, 2023 13:31
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What's the best way to take advantage of my dropper post if I'm riding trails that aren't just straight descents? The system that's close to my house has a lot of ups and downs, should I just be dropping the seat for the descending bits and then rising it back up for climbs? Or should I be keeping it down pretty much the whole time? I will say I feel pretty uncomfortable with the seat down. I think I probably need to work on my riding position in general. Also thanks for the tips on pedal replacements, loving the pink and teal and these chesters feel way more stable than the pedals the bike came with 
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Jun 18, 2023 14:49
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prom candy posted:should I just be dropping the seat for the descending bits and then rising it back up for climbs?
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Jun 18, 2023 15:36
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prom candy posted:I will say I feel pretty uncomfortable with the seat down. I think I probably need to work on my riding position in general. Has anyone pointed you at the Ben Cathro videos yet? I looked through the last couple pages and didn’t see it, but they’re super worth checking out. His body positioning one will probably help a ton if you haven’t seen it: https://youtube.com/watch?v=iVLJIuYwW_g
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Jun 18, 2023 16:18
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prom candy posted:What's the best way to take advantage of my dropper post if I'm riding trails that aren't just straight descents? The system that's close to my house has a lot of ups and downs, should I just be dropping the seat for the descending bits and then rising it back up for climbs? Or should I be keeping it down pretty much the whole time? In general I think standing over the bike while riding is not something that is super intuitive if you're coming from an entire lifetime of sitting down riding and it does take a little bit of time to internalize. I think it's good to keep in mind (while you're riding) what the benefit actually is of standing up over a dropped saddle, as this will encourage you to take advantage of the position:
On a bike with a dropper you can basically use it every time you sit back down to pedal. If you're doing short standing sprints (ie to get up an upcoming crest) that's very reasonable but you shouldn't be standing up during prolonged pedaling.
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Jun 18, 2023 16:33
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Great stuff, thank you. I hadn't seen that Pinkbike video yet, really good and I'm going to watch the rest of the series.VelociBacon posted:In general I think standing over the bike while riding is not something that is super intuitive if you're coming from an entire lifetime of sitting down riding and it does take a little bit of time to internalize. When I was a kid riding bikes in the neighbourhood we used to stand up pedalling all the time because it looked cool but the positioning was a lot different. I'm definitely in the habit of having my feet at 12 and 6 when I'm standing and cruising. Holding them at 3 and 9 is something I've never done in 30+ years of riding bikes, but I learned why it's important yesterday when I grazed a root with my bottom foot. Luckily it didn't catch.
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Jun 18, 2023 18:11
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Walked posted:For folks that have no trails super near (I have some really good stuff an hour away, but also 3 kids so) If you end up with one of the ninja ramps, please do post a trip report. I've had my eye on a coach+extension for probably 2 years but never pulled the trigger. Also, two birds with that stuff, it'll be fun for the kids too if they're into bikes.
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Jun 19, 2023 07:28
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