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Some friends have been bugging me to get into this sport for a few years but I've resisted because I didn't have enough time to justify the steep entry price. My schedule is finally clearing up so I pulled the trigger on a specialized fuse when it came in stock near me randomly about a month ago. Been reading the thread so I have my bike, pedals, gloves, helmet, bike rack for the car... what do people wear for clothes? I'm reading there are mountain bike specific shorts and jerseys. Jersey seems less important with tech shirts but what are thoughts on shorts? The length and stretchiness make it seem like a worthwhile accessory. Confused about if I need a liner or not though. I have cycling shorts from road biking. Do people go liner free shorts plus cycling shorts? Or just get shorts with a liner? Or do you not need a liner at all? If not, what do you wear underneath? I live in the northeast and rides will probably be 2 hours +/- of some combination of XC and all mountain.
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Mar 11, 2021 13:38
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Nur_Neerg posted:So I'm looking for a two bike rack for my station wagon; I have roof racks for kayaks now. Would it be better to get a compatible set of racks for the roof or a trunk rack like the Saris bones or similar? Mainly considering I'm intending to replace the car later this year and get a hitch rack at the time, so I don't want to spend tooooo much now, but not sure how annoying bikes on a roof rack are? Just a heads up that bike racks are experiencing some of the same supply chain/availability headaches as the actual bikes. I got my bike in January and figured I'd cruise craiglist and find something by the time the weather got warmer. Wrong. Everything on craiglist was crappy, over priced or gone quickly. I had 3 different uhauls push hitch install dates to the point I just cancelled my order. Rack Attack said hitch for my car was on back order with no estimated in stock date. 1Up racks are currently 6-8 week wait. I ended up buying new clips for a discontinued yakima roof rack that I had in storage... that I found in Hawaii. Ebay sellers for the same clips used were 2x retail. Pricier hitch racks were otherwise available but you get the idea. Putting bikes on the roof of a sedan is fine, much better than putting it in the trunk with the seats down like I did for a month. On a side note, curious if people wear their wedding rings riding. Had my first good OTB crash this weekend and just had a few bruises except for a piece of skin missing on my ring finger. Wondering if that's a common occurrence or just a fluke. My ring has a tiny bit of play but not much and I was wearing gloves so struck me as a fluke.
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Jun 14, 2021 18:43
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Can someone explain the used parts market to me? Got into riding with a specialized fuse comp 29 earlier this year and been having a blast. This came with a rockshox recon RL 130mm. Recently rode a buddies Commencal Meta HT race, which has a fox 36 performance 150mm, so I obviously felt a big difference. I'm enjoying the bike a lot so starting to think about some upgrades as I get into some bigger stuff. Is it ever worth scouring pinkbike for fork upgrades? Up the page it was mentioned that people are constantly upgrading bikes/builds so it seems like there would be a robust market... but I can see on the flipside that you never know the true condition of internals and if you are due for a service, then the cost savings might not be worth it over buying new. A lot of parts might not be worth the trouble of selling vs just having a backup but for suspension, if you calculate resale into the equation your budget goes up. Any info is appreciated.
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Aug 6, 2021 15:55
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stratdax posted:There are a lot of variables to consider with over-forking your bike. The bike's geometry and sizing is built for a 130mm fork and 29" tire. Would a 150mm 29" tire even fit, or if it did would it completely gently caress up the bike's balance? It would certainly change head tube angle, BB height, reach, etc. Good point, I'm only just scratching the surface and I was only thinking of the dollars and cents. The whole geometry component adds a whole other layer. One option would be to just get the same fork as the next trim level up, which would be the fox float 34 rhythm on the expert trim... but if I'm going to do that I might as well just get the expert bike to Suburban Dad's point as its only $500 difference. Some stuff to think about about. Thanks for info.
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Aug 6, 2021 18:41
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n8r posted:Any recommendations for bikes similar to the Canyon Stoic 4 or the Commencal Meta HT Essential? I have an idea of riding a hardtail for my local trail system that is mostly blue square level terrain. Sort of related... I posted earlier in this thread about the Specialized Fuse Comp 29, which I've been riding the last year and had a great time on. Its not quite as slack as the two bikes you mentioned but its great all around and I never felt uncomfortable on descents here in Massachusetts with it's slightly less slack but still pretty modern geometry. I actually just threw it up for sale on PB as the one downside is its kind of expensive to come with a rockshox recon, which I think I've pushed to its limit in just one season. Been looking around for secondary market forks but my local specialized dealer has one fuse expert in stock in my size, so I'm debating making the switch. Only thing on my mind is how the 2021 Santa Cruz Chameleon had a pretty similar geometry to the fuse and the 2022 model just got an update to be more similar to the Canyon and Commencal you mentioned. It feels like everyone is trending in that direction for HTs... Disclaimer: I'm still learning about all the different geo dimensions and how they affect things. Its kind of overwhelming which is why I'm considering just staying with the fuse. I rode a friends Commencal Meta HT AM Race and didn't like it as much as the fuse except for the fork (fox 36) which I loved... ha.
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Jan 23, 2022 20:58
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kimbo305 posted:One thing I didn't appreciate on slacker hardtails is that the angle of the head tube is relatively dynamic compared to on full suspension. This isn't just for slacker hardtails right? Any hard tail will experience this once compressed? I'm in metrowest. I ride a few of the smaller places like landlocked forest, Russel Mill, Rattlesnake Hill, Callahan State Park. The fuse is great for these types but I only realy know my bike. I've also been to Vietnam a handful of times and I'm the only person I've ever seen riding a hard tail there... Its good for 95% of the terrain though. The more I research the more I think I need to try some bikes with that HTA... but the Fuse Expert I was eyeing just sold and they were impossible to find last year. Its a hard time to buy a bike...ha. Homers BBBq fucked around with this message at 14:11 on Jan 25, 2022 |
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Jan 25, 2022 13:40
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kimbo305 posted:
I ended up pulling the trigger on the fuse expert because I rewatched the hardtail party review for the 2020 fuse (same geo) and he reminded me that the geometry on paper is a little misleading and it rides closer to the slacker HTA bikes. I also hate money. I was probably focusing too much on that one dimension but its really hard to compare without riding so at least I know I'm comfortable on the fuse and the fork is a big upgrade. This will hold me over for a few years until I can get real silly with a FS. Now to sell the comp... Can people throw out some flat pedals they are using and like? There are so many choices out there... Currently riding on some composite crank brother stamp 1s and I'm not totally thrilled with them.
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Jan 29, 2022 17:24
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A while back someone posted that getting a private lesson was a good investment. I'm getting to the point where an advanced lesson on trails I actually ride would be really worthwhile. So... where do you find a good instructor? I'm in Massachusetts so I checked the NEMBA website and didn't see anything listed. I also checked a few of the bigger LBS websites and didn't see anything specific either. It's not like skiing where you just go to the mountain... ha. Any advice or local resources? Start with a class? I have a few buddies who would chip in for a private ride, which I'm guessing would work well for our skill levels.
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May 15, 2022 00:22
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funkymonks posted:Depending where in Mass you are, Highland in NH has lessons available. Thanks guys. Looking at Highland and reached out to JRA cycles as well.
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May 17, 2022 13:50
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spwrozek posted:On trails with quick dips a lot of the time it is about knowing the trail and what is coming. When to hold speed or pedal hard, what gear to be in. This stuff just comes with practice. As a relatively new rider, I've been surprised how much the fun factor increases when you know a place well. Trailforks is a great tool but once you know a place so you can plan exactly the type of ride you want and hit all the features without missing a beat... its just the best. At the same time, I've also been surprised how unfun it is to ride a new place by yourself. Constantly checking the map, casing features to make sure you have the right speed and attack angle, getting lost... I know people like the exploring but I'm usually working with tight windows so I want to avoid any down time. I've explored a lot of places within 30 minutes +/- of me so if I'm venturing beyond that, I definitely want to ride with someone who knows the place.
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Jul 6, 2022 20:49
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Need some wheel advice as I fall down the rabbit hole. Relatively new rider on 2022 Specialized fuse expert hardtail. Getting faster, going bigger. Over the last month or so I've dented my rear wheel in multiple places, knocked it out of true, had a shop true it up and on the last ride discovered it leaking tubeless sealant at those dents for the first time. The shop said it was ok to keep riding when they trued but it would eventually need to be rebuilt. The leaks sealed themselves but since they are bad enough to leak in the first place, I'm thinking the wheel isn't going to last much longer as they are getting worse... and I don't want to ride it if its going to fail. The specs on the fuse list the wheels as just specialized alloy. It looks like this but based on dimensions I don't think its the same (148x12 vs 141x9). Maybe the 148x12 is unavailable at the moment? Either way I need a replacement and not sure if that hub is an upgrade or downgrade. Also, I've posted about this before but I think I'm definitely going to graduate to a full suspension in the near future (that pivot last page looking super nice...) as its better suited for the riding I'm doing, so I was looking to just do an OEM replacement for eventual sale. Since that isn't as easy as I thought, I could upgrade both wheels with something to take to a new rig but then I still need something for sale. I could replace just the rear then look to sell but then I have two different wheels. I could look into having the wheel rebuilt but is it even worth it as it's relatively cheap if I can get the right size? Lot's of choices. Google is turning up lots of results. Any advice on where to start reading or advice on a best path forward?
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Jul 11, 2022 14:48
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spwrozek posted:Side note, I did not know Spec sold $3000 hardtails! Thanks guys I appreciate the feedback. I've been running 23 psi +/- front and back just based on experimenting and feel and I'm 195lbs. Based on my reading that's not terribly low but definitely puts me at risk for dents so I'll probably run a little higher in in the future (on the next rim).
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Jul 11, 2022 18:49
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Here is some classic mountain bike logic that made me lol as I work through the options for my dented rim. New rim + rebuild is going to cost me $300 plus time and effort => If I'm going to spend that on a new rim, I might as well spend $350 and just get a new M1900 rear => If I'm going to spend that on just a rear wheel, I might as well spend $600 and get a new front as well. => If I'm going to spend that on a borderline entry level wheelset, I might as well spend $1200 on some nice wheels => if i'm going to spend that on new wheels, I might as well just get a new bike => New bike day!
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Jul 13, 2022 20:44
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I haven't ridden the Scott or the Kona but I just looked up the Scott and looks like new it was only $2,500. I would not want to pay $2k for a 2 year old bike unless it was brand new. Also important to ask about service on the shock and fork because after 2 years, those would both be due and that could be costly. Otherwise, I've been reading a lot on the "all mountain" category the past few months and you would be comparing to the Hightower in the SC lineup, not the Bronson. https://bikeinsights.com/compare?geometries=5f9f35cf8978f70017a6ce4f,5d1c209663bde8001707dede, This is the geo comparison between the two with a 2020 hightower. The seat tube angle on the SC is steeper, which is supposed to make it a better climber. The seat itself on the Scott strikes me as pretty high as well and I can't find the dimension on the dropper but it will probably leave a little to be desired. One other thought... Scott completely redesigned the Genius for 2023 while the Hightower barely changed at all from 2020 to 2023. This tells me the Hightower is closer to the mark based on current trends. The Scott looks like it will be fine to get into the sport and test the waters if you get a good price... but if you enjoy it a lot you will be looking to upgrade pretty quickly.
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Jan 6, 2023 14:11
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I recently had to change vehicles so I'm going from a roof rack to a hitch and tray rack. I'm all good on the tray rack but what should I do with the old roof stuff? I have the yakima Q tower and round bar system with two fork mounted bike mounts. The Q towers were universal but you need the clips and pads to fit your vehicle, which appear to be discontinued. The towers were made from 2004-2011. Also looks like manufacturers are only making aero bars now and round bars are a thing of the past so even the fork mounted carriers are obsolete. I checked facebook market place and there are a ton of old rack items for sale in my area and all for low dollar values. Probably not worth the time and effort for the small chance someone needs my exact setup. So, is this stuff destined for the dumpster? I can recycle all the metal at my local transfer station but the plastic is probably trash. Feels bad to throw out a perfectly good rack. Any other options I'm missing?
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Nov 13, 2023 20:46
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Platystemon posted:I serviced my lowers. I'm trying to figure out my suspension service because there is so much conflicting information out there. Interested what others here do now that we are heading into the offseason. According to the fox website, the only service interval for my Fox 36 grip 2 is a "full service" at 125 hours or yearly, which includes inspection, damper rebuild, air spring rebuild, and bath oil and wiper replacement. Same for the shock. I'm coming up on 1 year but only had about 75 hours. Maybe I'm wrong but a full damper and air spring rebuild seems excessive as everything feels fine and I'm under the 125 hours by a good amount. I also don't ride in an extreme muddy environment and only had a few DH park days. The bath oil and wiper replacement makes sense as something to service at the 1 year mark as these can break down over time, not just by hours. This is the same as the "lowers" service correct? This seems reasonable to do myself. Similarly for the shock, air can service seems reasonable over a full damper rebuild at this point. Assuming I ride about the same amount in 2024, would it be reasonable to perform the bath oil and wiper on the fork and air can service on the shock this offseason and then send both off to Fox next year for the full rebuilds?
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Dec 15, 2023 14:39
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Aphex- posted:Yeah the general rule is a lowers service every 50 hours or so. Full services I take it to my local suspension servicing place, that's once a year. I appreciate the feedback but this is why I ask... as far as I can tell, the 50 hour lower service is outdated and a hold over from older forks that required that service at that interval. All newer fox forks only have the 125 hour full service interval I mentioned. Doing a lower service at 50 hours sort of feels like changing my car oil at 3000 miles even though the service interval is 10k. It can't hurt but may be overkill. Fox also claims they are the only ones who can do a full service: "Certified FOX technicians are the only suspension specialists in North America trained by FOX Factory and hold current FOX suspension accreditation." LBS I'm sure can do it and this is just marketing but you need to be clear what your local place is doing for the price.
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Dec 15, 2023 15:51
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Yeah I was thinking exactly like you said... lower service is to prolong the life of moving parts but I haven't done it to see how the performance improves. I'm going to pull the fork and shock and send it in to fox. I don't mind sending it in as we have a few months of off season here. I'll also plan to get the materials for the lowers service and do it mid-season next year to see how it feels as has been suggested. I just don't understand why fox wouldn't list the 50 hour service as optional in their literature. If you look back at old forks on their website, it mentions the oil change at lower intervals specifically. They deliberately eliminated it on newer forks but seems like many still swear by it.
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Dec 16, 2023 14:30
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MarxCarl posted:I currently have a RockBros shock pump, The pump screws onto the schrader valve pretty far, and then while unscrewing it seems like half the air escapes and I have to start again. I usually way overfill, and then adjust with my digital gauge. Is that the way to do it, or do other pumps not let a lot of the air out. I went down the shock pump rabbit hole once and almost all the low cost pumps are made in the same factory in Taiwan (iirc) and each company slaps different branding and finishes on it. The generic fox pump might even be the same pump. Save your money until it breaks and then upgrade or buy whichever one is on sale.
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Apr 9, 2024 17:36
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Yeep posted:I did an MTB duathlon at an old open cast mine the other weekend. Some of the puddles were over my hubs and there was a long section of riding on wet moss deeper than my tyres. It was great, filthy fun but I really need to get a front mudguard because above a certain speed all the muck from the trail gets thrown up in front of the bike and straight into my eyes. Are the neoprene guards that sit between the fork arch and crown any good or should I be looking for something more substantial? A mtb duathlon sounds fun as well. I need to find one near me in the USA.
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Apr 12, 2024 17:41
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