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HAIL eSATA-n posted:Duthie hill (and the XC trail across from it), Black diamond, Swan Creek. There are more but I've forgotten the names. Open Trailforks and zoom out to find local spots. Yup, 6m30s from the road to the metal barrier at the top. Salt Fish fucked around with this message at 15:03 on Aug 16, 2023 |
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Aug 16, 2023 14:58
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 that's a fun challenge. There's an event every spring called Stinky Spoke that gives out medals and shots at the top
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Aug 16, 2023 15:03
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Salt Fish posted:I just rode Tiger Mountain last week, just the Iverson trail (blue square difficulty) up to the fire road, and then up to a summit on that which kicked rear end. I was eyeballing Crystal Mountain next, but I know I must be missing a ton of excellent rides. You would probably enjoy a few other rides at Tiger. In particular, you could climb to the summit on Master Link -> Quick Link -> Power Link, then descend on East Tiger Summit until you reach the start of Preston. From there Side Hustle will take you down to Iverson, which you can take back to the parking lot. The climbs are all smooth and very well built. Power Link is a great workout. The descending trails are flowy with some small root drops and other small features. Side Hustle has a bunch of rollable jumps but they ride great with zero air. Expect pretty loose/dusty conditions this time of year. The other descending trail to consider is Extra Terrestrial. It's similarly flowy but less focused on jumps. The bottom of this trail is in the middle of nowhere though so you'll either need to pedal back to the end of Northwest Timber (and then back to the lot) or climb to Fully Rigid -> Joyride which might be too chunky for your tastes. Edit: Also, I live 25 minutes from Tiger and ride there once or twice a week. I'd be happy to show you around.
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Aug 17, 2023 05:02
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How much is a ‘22 Fox Factory 36 worth?
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Aug 17, 2023 23:54
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Are the Tallboy or Ripmo still good choices in 2023?
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Aug 18, 2023 00:52
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Ropes4u posted:Are the Tallboy or Ripmo still good choices in 2023? I think so. Not sure that they are direct substitutes for each other though.
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Aug 18, 2023 02:18
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Yeah Tallboy is on par with the Ripley while the Hightower is similar to the Ripmo Reviews point to all 4 models still being good
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Aug 18, 2023 02:47
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vikingstrike posted:I think so. Not sure that they are direct substitutes for each other though. Sorry for that, I think the ripely / Tallboy is what I need, efficient pedaling uphills and adequate downhill. Eejit posted:Yeah Tallboy is on par with the Ripley while the Hightower is similar to the Ripmo That is what I have seen but wanted some confirmation, I will buy on price when I trade in my Thunderbolt. Been recovering from an injured rotator cuff / torn bicep since February and it looks like I’m about cleared again.
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Aug 18, 2023 03:01
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Ibis and SC make great bikes within the various categories. Don’t think you could go wrong either way. Buy what works for your budget and you want to ride imo
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Aug 18, 2023 03:12
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I recently got a ripley so it's either the best or the worst choice
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Aug 18, 2023 05:37
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HAIL eSATA-n posted:I recently got a ripley so it's either the best or the worst choice AF or Carbon? did you happen to ride both?
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Aug 18, 2023 16:18
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If you have the budget, 100% go carbon on the Ripley. For a downcountry-ish bike where you're not sending it to the moon, if you can afford carbon that's absolutely the way to go.
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Aug 18, 2023 16:30
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I’ve been riding an outdated geometry Pine Mountain 1 for the past 4 years and I made the mistake of Looking At Bikes and have looked directly at a Marin El Roy with a slacker CroMo frame, awesome colorway and a nice build. What a serious misstep. 
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Aug 18, 2023 16:41
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LeeMajors posted:I’ve been riding an outdated geometry Pine Mountain 1 for the past 4 years and I made the mistake of Looking At Bikes and have looked directly at a Marin El Roy with a slacker CroMo frame, awesome colorway and a nice build. What a serious misstep. Do it!
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Aug 18, 2023 16:56
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vikingstrike posted:Do it! Devil on my shoulder.  I rode a modern geometry FS giant in Colorado last month with a remote dropper (I put an after market lever dropper on my bike due to weird seat post diameter, which is kind of a pain) and I’ve been jonesin ever since. I don’t need full squish down here but the ride quality was noticeably different w the slacker frame.
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Aug 18, 2023 17:12
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We are all enablers here. Hard not to encourage new bike day.
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Aug 18, 2023 18:55
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Setec_Astronomy posted:You would probably enjoy a few other rides at Tiger. In particular, you could climb to the summit on Master Link -> Quick Link -> Power Link, then descend on East Tiger Summit until you reach the start of Preston. From there Side Hustle will take you down to Iverson, which you can take back to the parking lot. I did the exact Side Hustle loop you described about 3 weeks ago, and then did the road up and Side Hustle -> Iverson down last weekend. The East Tiger Summit descent was in good condition but Side Hustle was definitely not. The brake bumps are pretty bad throughout right now. Other than that it's a great route and I'm looking forward to riding it when its in better shape. I'm thinking about checking out the Raging River trails this weekend. Any advice on an intermediate route? The "Up, then flow" route on trailforks looks pretty solid. The only part that I'm not sure about is how difficult the Poppin' Tops upper section is.
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Aug 19, 2023 01:54
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LeeMajors posted:I’ve been riding an outdated geometry Pine Mountain 1 for the past 4 years and I made the mistake of Looking At Bikes and have looked directly at a Marin El Roy with a slacker CroMo frame, awesome colorway and a nice build. What a serious misstep. Do it because
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Aug 19, 2023 02:36
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LeeMajors posted:I’ve been riding an outdated geometry Pine Mountain 1 for the past 4 years and I made the mistake of Looking At Bikes and have looked directly at a Marin El Roy with a slacker CroMo frame, awesome colorway and a nice build. What a serious misstep. Wouldn't you rather have a nice FS mountain bike? Not going to yuck people's yums but a hardtail... is it for bikepacking?
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Aug 19, 2023 02:37
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Bought some Hope Tech 4 V4s because First ride tomorrow hopefully, I’ve been down with COVID for about a week and was travelling for work before that so I’m jonesing to get out.
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Aug 19, 2023 02:41
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WHERE MY HAT IS AT posted:Bought some Hope Tech 4 V4s because I'd love to ride hope brakes, the bigass DH ones on my friend's bike in the early 00s are still the strongest brakes I think I've ever ridden.
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Aug 19, 2023 02:42
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VelociBacon posted:I'd love to ride hope brakes, the bigass DH ones on my friend's bike in the early 00s are still the strongest brakes I think I've ever ridden. I was between them and Formula Cura 4s, ended up on these mostly because parts availability locally was much better for Hope than Formula. Blue on Black ended up very matchy matchy with the rest of the bike. 
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Aug 19, 2023 02:48
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VelociBacon posted:Wouldn't you rather have a nice FS mountain bike? Not going to yuck people's yums but a hardtail... is it for bikepacking? I believe he lives in a pretty flat, not technical area.
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Aug 19, 2023 03:09
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VelociBacon posted:Wouldn't you rather have a nice FS mountain bike? Not going to yuck people's yums but a hardtail... is it for bikepacking? Coastal SC. We have more technical stuff within a few hours in the midlands, upstate and Western NC but my closest trails are relatively flat. If anything FS would be great for the roots but it also feels like overkill and less efficient on flatter parts. But I’m still very much a beginner so what the gently caress do I know.
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Aug 19, 2023 03:29
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LeeMajors posted:Coastal SC. We have more technical stuff within a few hours in the midlands, upstate and Western NC but my closest trails are relatively flat. You would probably be pleasantly surprised at how well xc fs bikes pedal. Blur xc 100/100 would be an example of a fun af bike for where you are imo.
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Aug 19, 2023 03:31
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Fair enough maybe I need to recalibrate my thinking on it. I need to beef up my fitness level in general it’s been murder this summer. But I’m determined to get there.
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Aug 19, 2023 03:36
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LeeMajors posted:Coastal SC. We have more technical stuff within a few hours in the midlands, upstate and Western NC but my closest trails are relatively flat. Ugh, SC is so lovely for MTB. I accidentally rode the naval place near where I was working, and found out later I could have gotten in deep poo poo if they felt like stopping me as you're supposed to get some background check and pass first. For a trail that is right next to a major road. Also another place I went to that shut down at 6pm even though there was still 2 hours of daylight left. Just pure hatred for public riding down there.
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Aug 19, 2023 03:52
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oXDemosthenesXo posted:I did the exact Side Hustle loop you described about 3 weeks ago, and then did the road up and Side Hustle -> Iverson down last weekend. The East Tiger Summit descent was in good condition but Side Hustle was definitely not. The brake bumps are pretty bad throughout right now. Other than that it's a great route and I'm looking forward to riding it when its in better shape. That's too bad; thanks for mentioning it. I don't ride Side Hustle much as I'd rather ride ET or NOTG, so I didn't realize it was so beat up right now. quote:I'm thinking about checking out the Raging River trails this weekend. Any advice on an intermediate route? The "Up, then flow" route on trailforks looks pretty solid. The only part that I'm not sure about is how difficult the Poppin' Tops upper section is. This is the basic intermediate loop, yeah. Poppin' Tops upper is easy (and no harder than the lower parts of the trail) with the exception of one very large banked turn that is steeper than anything else on the trail. It can be walked if necessary but I seriously doubt you'll have any issues if you rode Side Hustle. I rode this trail a few weeks ago and it was in good condition. Everything else at Raging is at least a step up in difficulty from there. CCDH is an incredible ride but it's loose and somewhat technical. Tons of small root drops, loose off camber turns, etc. Not crazy steep anywhere but steep enough. I wouldn't recommend this for a solo ride -- parts of the ride have poor cell coverage and are way out in the middle of nowhere. Above CCDH you've got No Service, Invictus, Physical Therapy, and Actual Physical Therapy in increasing difficulty order. There are also a TON of unsanctioned trails nearby but they are generally on par with Physical Therapy difficulty-wise (or way above that; there's some serious pro line poo poo hiding out there).
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Aug 19, 2023 04:51
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Eejit posted:If you have the budget, 100% go carbon on the Ripley. For a downcountry-ish bike where you're not sending it to the moon, if you can afford carbon that's absolutely the way to go. I will try to go carbon regardless of which I pick. Most of my riding is typical Colorado - pedal up hill - descend - start over. If my shoulder gets healthy enough some downhill park days.
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Aug 19, 2023 15:50
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Oh if it's CO then it depends on what you want to do. If you want ascending efficiency, go Ripley. If you want descending efficiency, go Ripmo. I have the Ripmo AF and it is stupid fun downhill, great on technical climbs, but not the fastest overall climber. Crushes the park, excellent on techy downhill, flies on flowy descents. I think I'd lean Ripmo if you don't care about PRing climbs. I appreciate the bike when I go to Grand Junction and ride Lunch Loops or Loma and it gets techy and chunky. It also is a fantastic bike for the park and eating up tech trails and jump lines. But if you're a bit more cross country and distance focused, the Ripley might be a better fit. Hobestly just depends if you want a short travel or long travel trail bike. If you're not sure, I'd do some demoing.
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Aug 19, 2023 16:06
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Setec_Astronomy posted:Riding advice Thanks for all the info. Now I just gave to decide if the smoke is too bad to ride or not 
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Aug 19, 2023 16:45
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VelociBacon posted:I'd love to ride hope brakes, the bigass DH ones on my friend's bike in the early 00s are still the strongest brakes I think I've ever ridden.
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Aug 19, 2023 21:58
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evil_bunnY posted:I've not tried their Tech4v4 but Maguras have always felt more powerful. Putting 2 fingers on the lever and givin' her wa they feel like you just yeeted an anchor overboard. I’m coming from MT5s with the HC3 levers. I never like two finger braking so having more leverage on the Hopes is nice. I did get out and break them in today, I can get just as much stopping power out of them with less effort at the finger which should be nice at places like Kicking Horse and Revelstoke where a descent is easily 40 minutes to an hour. For our local trails I think the Maguras were totally sufficient, I just found myself wanting to pull less hard on days in the park.
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Aug 19, 2023 22:37
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Ropes4u posted:AF or Carbon? did you happen to ride both? af - I wouldn't ride a carbon mtb unless someone else was paying for it
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Aug 20, 2023 00:07
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HAIL eSATA-n posted:af - I wouldn't ride a carbon mtb unless someone else was paying for it Durability concerns? My thunderbolt frame was cracked, replaced on warranty, when I crashed on a green trail so maybe I should reconsider
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Aug 20, 2023 02:38
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yeah, i don't want something I'm definitely going to crash to be as fragile and expensive as cf
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Aug 20, 2023 06:12
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HAIL eSATA-n posted:yeah, i don't want something I'm definitely going to crash to be as fragile and expensive as cf Carbon frames are likely much more durable than you give them credit for, but obviously don’t buy one if you don’t want one.
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Aug 20, 2023 13:31
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vikingstrike posted:Carbon frames are likely much more durable than you give them credit for, but obviously don’t buy one if you don’t want one. Yeah it's 1000 bucks more and maybe a pound lighter in most cases. It's not a great value pick. I started crashing less and only ride sissy trails so I bought one, though. I wouldn't be that concerned about them breaking vs aluminum. Anything that would crack carbon would probably dent the hell out of aluminum anyway.
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Aug 20, 2023 13:50
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Suburban Dad posted:Yeah it's 1000 bucks more and maybe a pound lighter in most cases. It's not a great value pick. I started crashing less and only ride sissy trails so I bought one, though. I wouldn't be that concerned about them breaking vs aluminum. Anything that would crack carbon would probably dent the hell out of aluminum anyway. I agree. The weight savings from carbon makes more sense if you’re buying an XC bike or something like that. I have carbon MTBs but when it’s time to replace my Hightower I’d consider all frame materials since it’s already over 30lbs.
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Aug 20, 2023 14:51
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vikingstrike posted:I agree. The weight savings from carbon makes more sense if you’re buying an XC bike or something like that. I have carbon MTBs but when it’s time to replace my Hightower I’d consider all frame materials since it’s already over 30lbs. Quick google says my ego wants to pay ~$2000 for carbon to save a pound. While both have a lifetime warranty but I could probably skip some ice cream and lose a pound cheaper.
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Aug 20, 2023 15:45
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