Surely there’s a video somewhere of someone trying it, right?
|
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 01:27 |
|
|
# ? Jun 8, 2024 08:20 |
|
So follow up to me wondering if my 29er is holding me back from being able to get the front wheel up: no. Tried it on a 26 that's probably at least a size too small for me and I couldn't do it on that either. Just need to practice
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 02:27 |
|
prom candy posted:So follow up to me wondering if my 29er is holding me back from being able to get the front wheel up: no. Tried it on a 26 that's probably at least a size too small for me and I couldn't do it on that either. Just need to practice What if you put your seat up and start standing, crank hard and lean back and sit down on your seat. The issue is kinda always that the person isn't bringing their weight back enough, I know it's annoying to hear but when you finally get it you'll be like OH I had to get my weight back THAT much?
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 02:57 |
|
VelociBacon posted:What if you put your seat up and start standing, crank hard and lean back and sit down on your seat. The issue is kinda always that the person isn't bringing their weight back enough, I know it's annoying to hear but when you finally get it you'll be like OH I had to get my weight back THAT much? I've been able to get my front wheel up a little bit higher if I add cranking to it, like trying to wheelie instead of manual. But then I panic instantly and stop pedalling
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 05:14 |
|
prom candy posted:I've been able to get my front wheel up a little bit higher if I add cranking to it, like trying to wheelie instead of manual. But then I panic instantly and stop pedalling The key is going to be getting comfortable with your rear brake as a means of lowering the front wheel. Practice just getting the wheel to come up and then braking to bring it down, you'll get the reflex down and you shouldn't have that panic anymore.
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 06:17 |
|
Go practice in a field putting your rear end down and back in an L shape and keep your arms straight. I did this in a parking lot and ended up on my back. Grass is softer.
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 11:33 |
|
mashed posted:I found a photo from the top of it on trailforks. The landing is steep and very downhill. Still sketchy as gently caress.
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 11:36 |
|
Suburban Dad posted:Go practice in a field putting your rear end down and back in an L shape and keep your arms straight. I did this in a parking lot and ended up on my back. Grass is softer. This is what I did a couple weeks ago when I first asked if my bike is too big. I'll film myself next time and post the results for constructive criticism/mockery
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 12:50 |
|
If anyone's looking for riding pants, Costco has Orvis Tech Pants in now - https://www.costco.com/orvis-men%e2%80%99s-tech-pant.product.100891360.html. Looks like they'll work pretty well. Fabric feels like a stretchy version of some Nashbar shorts I've had for years. They will probably need some band around the ankle to hold the cuff in. Costco were also blowing out O'Neill shorts at my local, https://www.costco.com/o%e2%80%99neill-men%e2%80%99s-hybrid-short.product.4000026617.html which look to be the same material. If you have a Costco membership it may be worth a look.
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 16:12 |
|
I meant to post a follow up on some Costco Gerry (hiking?) shorts after riding with them so good reminder. They were like 15 bucks and felt very similar to my fox shorts but a little less ventilation and shorter length. Definitely wouldn't cover knee pads. I liked them, great for the price. I think it has one zipper pocket down on the side, the others are just normal pockets.
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 16:44 |
|
MarxCarl posted:If anyone's looking for riding pants, Costco has Orvis Tech Pants in now - https://www.costco.com/orvis-men%e2%80%99s-tech-pant.product.100891360.html. Looks like they'll work pretty well. Fabric feels like a stretchy version of some Nashbar shorts I've had for years. They will probably need some band around the ankle to hold the cuff in. oh dang I was about to go drop some coin on another pair of pearl izumi pants I’ll have to check these out
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 18:22 |
|
Hi thread, I'm new in here. I haven't been on a mountain bike in 30 years but I recently returned to a locale with actual elevation changes so I kind of felt obligated. I was in no rush but I saw a relic next to a dumpster with a "free" sign stuck to it so I snapped that up to get my feet wet. Put in some new tubes and put some miles on it when I noticed the brakes were rubbing. Dug into it and apparently this particular model of cantilevers were notoriously lovely and only available for a couple years. Fortunately they fail safe, the cracked rings only effect the brake return. But they had other issues because they felt progressively crappy the more I rode and figured it was time for some maintenance. So I ran to the bike store and was convinced parts were nonexistent so got some v-brakes to swap in and now the stopping part feels pretty great. I find it really comfortable to ride, it fits me about perfect and suits the trails I'm going to be doing so I'm debating what to look out for from here. Obviously no one rides anything like this anymore but I'm not sure I'm invested enough to drop a couple grand on something modern. But I'm also not sure it's worth putting more money into this one either. $100 in new parts on a free bike is worth it, but $200, $300? Not so sure. The front wheel has a slight wobble and the grips could use replacing too. The derailleurs seem fine but the gear selectors are kinda vague feeling, not sure I like it. The cables could certainly benefit from replacement but if I do that I'd consider new shifters. So I guess I'm wondering what y'all would do.
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 19:39 |
|
xzzy posted:
I don't know what the trails are like that you are planning on riding but I wouldn't put any more money money into that. You would be much better served with a more modern used bike or a fairly entry level new modern hardtail. It will have vastly better brakes and a fork with a bit of squish. The geometry will be much better as well.
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 19:53 |
|
I would immediately go buy a $7,000 carbon fiber bike bike with 180mm+ of squish at both ends before the teens at the trailhead roast me. Good on ya for getting out there. A lot of people on here talk about co-ops (we don’t have any) and that would be a good place to look for cheap vintage parts. They might be able to help you true or source better wheels without dropping hundreds on it. But I would absolutely not ride any recent/27/29er until I’ve come to peace with spending $$$.
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 19:57 |
|
It feels like we're in the place where 2k will get you a really nice bike that will last you a decade. I bought in a similar range in 2019 and I'm still super happy with my bike (except that I haven't ridden it in 5 months).
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 20:21 |
|
I wouldn't put more than $100 max into that bike. Preferably $0. You can get a modern hardtail for under a grand that will be both safer and waaaay more fun than that bike will ever be.
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 20:40 |
|
On the other hand: if it feels good on your trails, it’s fine to put up to a few hundred in consumables and ride it before the jump to a modern geo 29er. But as soon as something expensive or labor intensive breaks its time to release it back to its natural environment (the curb. )
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 21:00 |
|
xzzy posted:So I guess I'm wondering what y'all would do. Someone gave away an 820. I'm jealous, I had one for years, quill stem and all and rode the crap out of it and it just kept going, with minimal maintenance. I got rid of mine several years ago and still miss it. I just went through this updating an old 1996 Cannondale. Definitely set a limit of how much to put into it, and approx $100 is probably about right. I hit about $300 on my Cannondale, and that was $200 too much. Those look like GripShifts. If they are, and you keep them, RJ the Bike Guy has some videos on fixing them up - https://www.google.com/search?client=firefox-b-1-d&q=rj+the+bike+guy+grip+shift. If you keep the GripShifts replace the cables and housing, should be about $25 If you switch out the shifters, they should come with new cables, just change the housing. Make sure new shifters work with your groupset, has the same pull ratio. Microshift stuff is inexpensive and works really well, $18 for a Microshift set and then probably $15 for the housing. Then just replace the contact points you don't like, clean and grease the hubs, clean the drive train, lube it and ride it til something breaks. Then decide if it's worth fixing, or if you like doing it enough to buy a newer bike.
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 21:03 |
|
xzzy posted:Rad old bike I just restored two ancient bikes myself, and what I'd say is that it's absolutely not worth the money and time unless you have a decent cooperative/community/university bike shop nearby that have bins full of old parts and stands to work on the bike. There's tons of great old parts being sold cheap there that you'll get for $5-$20, that will be $30-$120 on eBay or whatever. If you do find a good co-op with volunteers that will help teach you how to fix your bike, make sure to thoroughly research the parts you're about to put on the bike before you do, digging through reddit and old forum posts and such on Google. But you can find some nice Deore/XT/XTR stuff in the bins if you're lucky for a fraction of the price, and get a quite nice bang-around XC bike out of the effort. You might also find a nice fork that's compatible with some front suspension, that'd be a good addition too. Think about what you'd want to put into it, $100?, $200? $300? Check your local used bike market, and see what's available for a used mountain bike at those price points as a sanity check. If you can get a much nicer bike for what you'll put into this one, well obviously just get that. Keep in mind, most older used bikes could use wheel trueing, new grease/bearings, brake pads, tires, and possibly housing/cable anyways, so I wouldn't factor the cost of that stuff in your consideration unless the $300 bikes are already freshly serviced with that stuff by the owner or a LBS or whatever. If the old bike is worth putting in the $100-$200 in your market and you're handy, then fix 'er up! You'll know the bike inside and out and you'll know everything is in good order. Or, you find a great deal on an even better bike and you can have fun riding that!
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 21:32 |
|
I would put Maguras HT11s on that instead of V-brakes, and then just keep up with maintenance. Save your pennies for the next bike.
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 21:48 |
|
Thanks everyone.. I've been convinced to keep this bike as is until next spring-ish when I'll re-evaluate. Or something breaks. The v-brake solution is already in place, and I've done rides with them. There's a fairly steep slope on my return loop and they seem to work fine, I can actually lock the tires up now if I want to. New brakes, new cables, new levers. If that's all I spend on it over the next 9 months that's $100 well spent because stopping seems important. mashed posted:I don't know what the trails are like that you are planning on riding Just some chill gravel loops around the south side of Denver, it takes me too long to heal to do gnarly stuff. But some of the climbs up to the butte are pretty rocky and washed out and I wouldn't feel comfortable taking my hybrid up there. Mostly because of the tires and I don't feel like swapping in more rugged options. monsterzero posted:180mm+ of squish at both ends
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 22:11 |
|
For chill gravel loops its probably just fine then. Suspension has improved significantly and with modern geometry you really don't get that much bob. Many designs also have various climb switches etc you can turn on to pretty much remove the squish for sustained grindy climbs. The amount of extra traction good suspension gives you through rough terrain is pretty massive.
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 22:19 |
|
xzzy posted:I'm kinda suspicious of bikes with suspension, but I should note that this is because I tried it out when the tech was pretty new and hated it. It felt like every time I pedaled half my energy went into compressing the shocks. I assume given the popularity of suspension it's been fixed, is that true?
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 23:01 |
|
xzzy posted:I'm debating what to look out for from here. Obviously no one rides anything like this anymore but I'm not sure I'm invested enough to drop a couple grand on something modern. But I'm also not sure it's worth putting more money into this one either. $100 in new parts on a free bike is worth it, but $200, $300? Not so sure. The front wheel has a slight wobble and the grips could use replacing too. The derailleurs seem fine but the gear selectors are kinda vague feeling, not sure I like it. The cables could certainly benefit from replacement but if I do that I'd consider new shifters. Truing the wheels is a skill worth learning and free minus the cost of some zip ties or tape I guess. I’d put new pedals on it because I hate those stock things. Bikes that old still used nine-sixteenths inch threads, I think, except when equipped with one-piece cranks. “MZYRH” brand on Amazon/Aliexpress are better-than-Chester knockoffs for less than twenty dollars. Get new grips if your hands are having any trouble with what’s on there. Same with the seat and your butt. Pedals, grips (subject to bar diameter), and seat are all transferrable if you ditch the bike. I’d keep it around as a beater after getting something with suspension though. I’m not a stickler for changing out cables annually regardless of condition, but if they need to be replaced, Shimano cabling long enough for both runs with housing is again twenty bucks and worth preventing an inconvenient failure. Oh yeah and check chain wear. Bike shop will do this with a tool, or you can measure it yourself if you can use a ruler and a calculator. Twelve links should measure six inches, pin center to pin center when taut. Six point zero six is a problematic amount of wear. If the chain is overly worn, it will quickly destroy the gears. It’s worth replacing a worn chain promptly if you plan to keep the rest of the drivetrain for any real time. Alternatively, if the chain is already severely worn (six point twelve would do it), it’s possible that the gears are so worn that a new chain would skip teeth, and the whole thing is on borrowed time.
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 23:13 |
|
xzzy posted:Just some chill gravel loops around the south side of Denver, it takes me too long to heal to do gnarly stuff. But some of the climbs up to the butte are pretty rocky and washed out and I wouldn't feel comfortable taking my hybrid up there. Mostly because of the tires and I don't feel like swapping in more rugged options. Are the tires newish? They look knobby enough, but age and rubber condition is unclear in photos. Supple tires are so much better than stiff old ones even if the tread depth is fine, but new tires are fairly expensive and don’t transfer to modern bikes. xzzy posted:I'm kinda suspicious of bikes with suspension, but I should note that this is because I tried it out when the tech was pretty new and hated it. It felt like every time I pedaled half my energy went into compressing the shocks. I assume given the popularity of suspension it's been fixed, is that true? Suspension is good now and the top reason to get a new bike.
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 23:27 |
|
Agree, modern suspension is great. Forks and shocks both. RockShox and Fox are the top 2 brands, but there are some other smaller companies out there doing cool and good things too
|
# ? Sep 18, 2023 23:48 |
|
Bought a phone mount but I realized I don't actually know what app I should run. Strava? Trailforks?
|
# ? Sep 20, 2023 20:01 |
|
Depends on what you want the app for - Trailforks is nice for route finding Strava is nice for ride tracking I wouldn't put a phone on the bars for mountain biking though as you're liable to crash and break your phone
|
# ? Sep 20, 2023 20:37 |
|
HAIL eSATA-n posted:I wouldn't put a phone on the bars for mountain biking though as you're liable to crash and break your phone that's apple's problem
|
# ? Sep 20, 2023 22:26 |
|
unless you're hurt and need your phone, yeah
|
# ? Sep 20, 2023 22:43 |
|
HAIL eSATA-n posted:unless you're hurt and need your phone, yeah oh yeah that doesn't sound like apple's problem at all. maybe i should just get a garmin
|
# ? Sep 20, 2023 22:49 |
|
it’ll wreck the camera mechanism too, even if you don’t crash
|
# ? Sep 20, 2023 23:22 |
|
I'm actually thinking of switching to an Apple watch now that it supports bike sensors. I'm really not a fan of my cheap garmin bike computer so I usually end up recording a workout on my fitbit paired to my phone which is in a pocket not mounted on the bike. After breaking my arm riding a couple of years ago I definitely would not want to break my one way of calling for help.
|
# ? Sep 21, 2023 00:35 |
|
e.pilot posted:it’ll wreck the camera mechanism too, even if you don’t crash Maybe if you’ve got a garbage suspension set up!!!
|
# ? Sep 21, 2023 01:56 |
|
Night riding season is back! Also mud season too.
|
# ? Sep 21, 2023 07:22 |
|
e.pilot posted:it’ll wreck the camera mechanism too, even if you don’t crash
|
# ? Sep 21, 2023 12:53 |
|
I switched from strava on phone to a garmin and gps accuracy went way up and i dont worry about my phone being damaged. Feel like its a good buy to just get a bike computer even if just a simple one. I forget to charge it sometimes and then its just a chill untracked ride and those are nice too.
|
# ? Sep 21, 2023 14:50 |
|
I use Strava but add 10% for mileage. It's always way lower than my buddy who uses a calibrated cyclometer.
|
# ? Sep 21, 2023 15:56 |
|
Nocheez posted:I use Strava but add 10% for mileage. It's always way lower than my buddy who uses a calibrated cyclometer.
|
# ? Sep 21, 2023 16:02 |
|
|
# ? Jun 8, 2024 08:20 |
|
xzzy posted:I find it really comfortable to ride, it fits me about perfect and suits the trails I'm going to be doing so I'm debating what to look out for from here. Obviously no one rides anything like this anymore but I'm not sure I'm invested enough to drop a couple grand on something modern. But I'm also not sure it's worth putting more money into this one either. $100 in new parts on a free bike is worth it, but $200, $300? Not so sure. Platystemon posted:Are the tires newish? They look knobby enough, but age and rubber condition is unclear in photos. At the very least, you'd want to make sure they're not dry rotted. They will be one of the wear and tear items that cost quite a bit. 26" might be cheaper than 29" but will have more limited selection, which I assume you'll be ok with, so that cost of ownership will still be better than a newer bike.
|
# ? Sep 21, 2023 16:08 |