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New to mountain biking. Looking for a 27.5" hardtail. I've rented both a 27.5 and 29 and the 27.5 just felt more comfortable. Probably because I'm used to a 26" BMX. The 29 just felt huge and hard to flick around. I have my eye on a Marin San Quentin 2. What's the consensus on it? I like the 65 degree head tube angle as I think I'll be doing a fair bit of downhill runs. I live next to Coler in Bentonville so will be riding there a lot. Any other suggestions are welcome.
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Oct 7, 2022 04:53
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| # ¿ May 10, 2024 15:02 |
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 New bike day! Ended up getting the Marin San Quentin 2. First mountain bike I've ever owned. Felt great but really have no frame of reference other than the 26" bmx bike I've been riding. Having suspension and gears is such a game changer. Rode this same route yesterday on my bmx and today on the SQ2 and it was night and day difference. Didn't have to walk the bike one time which is awesome. I think I'm hooked on this mtb thing already. 
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Oct 13, 2022 02:07
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Here's a probably asinine question from a someone new to mountain bikes and dropper posts. Why don't they make dropper posts with linear actuators that allow up and down travel without having to use your body weight to lower them? A nifty electronic switch could be fitted to eliminate the need for a cable as well like electronic shifters and could be programmed to hit exact lowering/raising increments. They make fast linear actuators these days and one that small would seemingly be fairly affordable. No doubt it would still be expensive but on race bikes and things where cost is no object I'm surprised such a thing doesn't exist. Downside would be added weight potentially but not sure how much more a linear actuator would weigh than a normal dropper post with cable. Anyway, there's probably a glaringly obvious reason this idea is dumb. What is it? Edit: Oh. https://wheelbased.com/2020/12/14/motorized-dropper-post-assembly-by-trek/?amp=1
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Oct 25, 2022 02:54
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Well cool that my thoughts weren't idiotic. Perhaps idiotic to think that bicycle engineers weren't already 27 steps ahead on the idea. 😃 Look forward to several years when that technology trickles down to affordability.
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Oct 25, 2022 03:08
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 Got some Deity High Side 80mm rise bars for my San Quentin 2. The stack height is super low in stock form and my old back isn't a fan. I ordered the 35mm because Marin lists the stem as 35 only to find out the stem is 31.8. Found a new Race Face Turbine locally so I swapped that out as well. (The parts swap addiction has begun.) I'm sure it'll make climbing more difficult. I can already tell the front tire is easier to bring up on flat ground. But, hunching over was killing my back. I rode all of Esther's Loop today without putting my feet down or for a rest for the first time. Really bad at riding a mountain bike but getting better. This poo poo is hard. https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/arkansas/esther-s-loop
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Oct 28, 2022 04:17
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PolishPandaBear posted:I've been looking at these for a few months. I'm 6'7 so I just need a gently caress ton of stack height, even on my XXL Fuel EX. They seem more stiff than the stock bars but hard for me to tell. I've only just put them on tonight and ridden around the street with them. There were lots of climbs on my ride today and I did that with the stock bars. Plan to do the same route tomorrow for direct comparison so I'll let you know.
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Oct 28, 2022 05:06
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Rode the same 5 mile loop today with the Deity 80mm rise bars. Verdict: I freaking love them. I honestly didn't notice the front end coming up any more easily on the climbs. My wrists and back feel a million times better with the more upright position. The new stem I put on is 50mm so it pushed the bars forward a tad from the stock stem. The height of the bars brought them back so I think it was pretty much a wash. The result is the reach being the same but the stack height being much higher. Not sure if it would work as well for others but I won't go back.
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Oct 28, 2022 20:34
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Aphex- posted:I went the opposite way and have a 35mm stem and 20mm rise bars because my head angle is so slack, I need to be forward to weight the front as much as I can so I keep grip on the front. I hate front wheel washouts. Being new to riding, I'm not going fast enough for this usually to be an issue but I could see that when you're taking fast turns. My headtube is 65° so definitely could be a problem in the future if I get better at riding.
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Oct 29, 2022 00:42
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Do you guys have a recommendation on a bike repair stand that you like? The Park Tool stand is like $300 but I'll pay that if it's that much better than the other options.
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Nov 2, 2022 18:41
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About to make the move to an emtb. Rented a Canyon Spectral:On CF8 last weekend and put in 50 miles of mainly trail in one day. It was so fun. Looking at the Canyon Spectral:On CF8 or the Fezzari Wire Peak Pro. I'm going to rent the Wire Peak Pro as well. The big con on the Fezzari to me is the 504wh battery. That just seems way too small for a full power emtb these days. Most other bikes have a 700wh and the Spectral:On CF8 has a 900wh. The Fezzari is on such good sale right now, though, that I could buy an extra battery and still be cheaper than the Canyon. The logistics of riding home in the middle of a ride to change out the battery seem bad though even though I'm usually within a couple miles of home. The Spectral is also full carbon but I'm not sure how much I care about that as emtbs are super heavy no matter what. If anyone has any thoughts on either bike (or even other emtbs that are similar cost) I'd love to hear.
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Nov 10, 2023 00:06
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n8r posted:900wh is like a whole weekend bike for lots of people. I would think 500wh is fine if you’re ok with using eco more. The issue really is who are you riding with? If you’re riding with people with bigger batteries and using lots of trail/turbo you might run out of battery. The Fezzari is a ridiculous deal right now. TL;DR: Canyon Spectral:On CF8 great. Fezzari Wire Peak not the one. Bought a Nukeproof Megawatt 297 from LBS. I ended up renting a Fezzari Wire Peak Saturday. It simply didn't work for me. I wanted it to because it's such a good deal right now. The reach is too short. Like really short for a large. I felt like I was way out over the bars on jumps and steep downhill sections. Could move to an XL but then even with the seat post slammed, the seat was too high with dropper extended. Could go to shorter dropper but honestly, the bike as a whole just felt "OK" to me. The Canyon Spectral:On CF8 felt so much better in every aspect. I was fairly set on buying the Canyon but went to a LBS just to see if they had anything new. Ended up walking out with a Nukeproof Megawatt 297 Elite on a good deal. I love it! Even though it's an enduro bike, it rides just like the Canyon to me. It's so fun. Took it out for the first full day today and rode 25+ miles and ran out of battery a mile from home. (Another endorsement for not getting the Fezzari that only has 500Wh). The Nukeproof has a 630Wh and will be fine for almost any day. I just went crazy today because the bike is new and weather was perfection. Only downside of the Nukeproof is the shenanigans going on with their parent company. Slight risk that they could go out of business but highly unlikely. Someone will buy them. Really fun bike with the mullet setup and huge 170/170 travel. 
Scrapez fucked around with this message at 06:37 on Nov 13, 2023 |
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Nov 13, 2023 05:51
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Dropper is a mandatory piece in my opinion. If you buy a bike without one, I'd try to save for one and get it on there as quickly as you can. It really makes a huge difference on descents.
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Nov 14, 2023 01:34
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LeeMajors posted:What is the thread-recommended half size tailgate pad? I was using towels but somehow stilled chipped my paint at the pinch points. I have a Raceface full pad and no complaints but have no experience with any others. You might check marketplace. I picked mine up "used" for $75. The guy had bought it and then realized his ebikes were too heavy for him to lift.
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Nov 20, 2023 06:15
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Looking to upgrade my hardtail. There's a Canfield Yelli Screamy for sale locally. It's the updated 2022 version and I love the look of it. Anyone have experience with this frame? I've watched the Hardtail Party review and he seemed to really like it which is compelling. Have a Marin San Quentin 2 now but want to move to a 29er and better components.
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Nov 22, 2023 03:06
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PSA: The Polygon Siskiu T8 is on sale for $1799 for black Friday. https://www.bikesonline.com/polygon-siskiu-t8-dual-suspension-mountain-bike~21415 Hard to find anything else that even comes close to the component level on this bike for the money. Fox shocks and Shimano SLX drive train
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Nov 23, 2023 21:50
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kimbo305 posted:I've been tracking short travel full suspension bikes for a while, where the T8 is on the high end of travel for what I want (Polygon has a D7 with 120mm travel, $1200, but the spec is worse). Great write up and comparison. Agree on all points you made. I looked at all the same bikes for my wife and came down to the Canyon and Polygon. There was a well spec'd Fezzari in the mix as well. She'll be staying with stock suspension so that was the key that tipped it in the T8's favor plus being a couple hundred dollars less. FWIW, her T8 was delivered today and had the Schwalbe Hans Dampf tires. I'm very impressed with the bike for the money. Like it's absurd really how good of a bike it is for the money. The purple paint is sick as well. I'll post some pictures tomorrow as I got a new to me used hardtail today and it's sick. There was no time for pictures today as we hit the trails immediately.
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Nov 26, 2023 01:55
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I run Leatt knee pads and really like them. They have perforation that allows air through to your legs which really helps with heat. Can't speak to their protective properties as I haven't crashed in them yet.
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Nov 28, 2023 03:44
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 Picked up this beauty Saturday. 2022 Canfield Yelli Screamy. Nice build that a local shop mechanic did. Grabbed it for a very fair price and it looks to have been barely ridden. Really loving the bike. Being a 29er, it rolls over things so much better than my Marin San Quentin did. Much higher spec components throughout. Just feels like a quality bike.
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Nov 28, 2023 03:50
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FogHelmut posted:I'm looking at a Salsa Timberjack XT 27.5 for my first mountain bike while it's on sale. If you're looking at hardtails, it's worth watching Hardtail Party on YouTube. He reviews a ton of bikes and is very knowledgeable.
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Dec 3, 2023 00:59
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FogHelmut posted:I'm looking at hardtails because of the better components for the price. But truthfully, I didn't mind the components that my gravel bike came with - the upgrades were a result of a domino effect of going to hydraulic brakes from mechanical disk, and then wanting a bigger gear range because everything around here is big climbs. Then a dropper post, and I started researching suspension stems, and I realized I was building a mountain bike. Definitely get better components for the money going with a hardtail. If you're doing a ton of climbing, the hardtail is great for that. The full suspension shines in chunky descents and jumps/drops.
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Dec 3, 2023 02:28
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FogHelmut posted:The thing about climbing is that you have to come back down. Doesn't a locking rear suspension help with climbing efficiency or is it not as good as a hard tail? They seem to be on higher end bikes though? You have to descend but not "spiritedly" if you don't want. Full suspension are definitely more capable at fast descents. Yes you can lock out the rear shock. Problem is a full suspension bike as well specd as the hardtail would be $1000 more. I also fully endorse a hardtail for a first mtb. It makes you a better rider.
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Dec 3, 2023 05:04
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Setec_Astronomy posted:An "aggressive enough" hardtail is sufficient to ride essentially every trail on Earth. Full suspension buys you comfort and a margin for error, but MTB geometry and front suspension get you most of the way there. It will be night-and-day versus a gravel bike. Agree completely with this. The new aggressive hardtails with a 65ish degree head angle are slack enough to ride really anything downhill. You'll certainly be able to do so faster and more comfortable on a full suspension but it won't be like "dang, I can't ride trail x because I'm on this hardtail" It's a tough choice because you get so much better components on a $2000 hardtail versus a $2000 full suspension. All that said, my wife just got a Polygon Siskiu T8 and for the $1800 price tag, it's specd pretty incredibly for a full suspension.
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Dec 4, 2023 01:04
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Rode 30 miles on the ebike until the battery died and then grabbed the hardtail to finish the day. 36 miles in total. Fantastic 63 degree December day in Bentonville.   
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Dec 4, 2023 01:26
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Platystemon posted:Someone tell me what’s wrong with the Polygon DSE. Only have limited experience with the T8 but fit and finish seems good. I know they had some frame integrity issues a couple years ago but everything I've read seems to indicate the issues have been remedied. If you're looking for an entry full suspension XC bike, I wouldn't see a problem with picking one up. The D7 is well spec'd
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Dec 4, 2023 04:05
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FogHelmut posted:Pulled the trigger on the Polygon T8. Couldn't turn down the spec for the price. Quality control may be a gamble, but seems to have improved a lot over the last two years. Other negatives I've seen in reviews - heavy wheels, may not ship with advertised tires/cassette, brakes may need bleeding - are lesser concerns or things I can easily remedy. Congrats. My wife just got the same bike. It did come with the Hans Dampf tires so hopefully yours does as well. The Fox suspension is really nice and the purple fleck paint is awesome.
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Dec 4, 2023 09:15
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FogHelmut posted:Mine just arrived, haven't assembled it yet, but it came with Vee Tire Flow Snap tires. It does have a Deore cassette though, I know some people said theirs came with a Suntour. If I don't like the tires, that's okay, because reviews say they don't last very long anyway. If you're looking to change tires right away and go tubeless, this is a great tire combo for cheap. Front: https://planetcyclery.com/maxxis-mi...CxoC09cQAvD_BwE Rear: https://planetcyclery.com/maxxis-minion-dhrii-29-x-2-40-tire-folding-dual-compound-exo-tubeless-ready-black-yellow And yes... The dropper lever is atrocious. Put a PNW Loam dropper lever in purple on the wife's bike.
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Dec 8, 2023 05:44
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That Wolf Tooth one just looks awesome. I would have bought one just for the look had I known they existed.
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Dec 8, 2023 21:52
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My bike came with Maxxis Assegai front and rear and tubes installed. I've had difficulty maintaining enough speed on downhill hardpack flow/jump lines. My hardtail rolled so much faster. Today, I changed the rear to a DHR II and went tubeless and it made a HUGE improvement. I went to one of the trails I session often and wasn't even trying to go fast and broke my Strava PR by 8 seconds. Did it in 49 seconds and previous record was 57 seconds going as fast as I could. I don't know if it was more a product of going tubeless or the rear tire change. Likely a combination of the two. Feels so much better now. I'm excited to get out on some of the trails where I was casing jumps due to lack of speed to see if this will help. Bonus pictures of this weekends adventures in Bentonville:       
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Dec 12, 2023 04:22
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Wistful of Dollars posted:Go home rhino, you don’t belong in Arkansas Interestingly, the rhino sits atop The President Bush Push. Is this some sort of veiled shot at the former president being a RINO (Republican In Name Only)? Guessing just a coincidence. 
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Dec 19, 2023 03:29
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Agrinja posted:Is Super Rider a good channel to learn from? Are there any good learning channels for fundies I am missing? The a ride Series has some good fundamental videos: https://youtube.com/@richdrewtherideseries?si=YDi1NETvA404IPcx For jumps, this video helped me a lot: https://youtu.be/s9w2zSvuaGM?si=NsBcCpzmCjTZqepg
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Dec 20, 2023 06:34
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Figured out my problem with not having enough speed/clearing jumps on flow trails on my Megawatt. Took it into a suspension shop today and the shock is blown. The shop said it's a known issue with the Fox Float X2 Performance Elite. Fox will replace it under warranty with a Fox Factory shock. Sucks but at least maybe I don't suck at riding as much as I thought. I'm heading to Texas to visit my inlaws next week and planning to hit Spider Mountain on the way. The suspension shop jacked up the pressure and compression so that I can limp it through so hopefully it holds up. If anyone is running that shock, I'd keep an eye on it.
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Dec 20, 2023 17:33
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Welp. My Shimano Ep8 motor lasted 2 months in my Nukeproof Megawatt. Have to send it in for warranty. I was riding yesterday, went through the smallest puddle imaginable and suddenly no assist and just a weird gear drive noise. Not positive it was from water, could have been coincidental but happened immediately after. I'd read about problems with EP8s for guys riding over in Europe where it's wet more often. Pretty concerning for the long term. It's super fun but disappointing it broke like that. Hopefully a fluke and not an ongoing issue.
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Jan 4, 2024 21:36
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Shimano warranty is two years from purchase of bike. I bought it from a LBS so they are handling things. If you buy from an online direct vendor, I think Shimano just needs original receipt to verify age of bike. The lovely thing is that even though Shimano sends you a brand new motor, the warranty doesn't reset. Still 2 years from purchase of bike.
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Jan 5, 2024 07:09
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in a well actually posted:Looking at an open box Intense 951 XC; 120/120 and 28.5 lbs, $2700 w/discount. Any better deals for an equivalent bike out there now? More of a trail bike than xc but the Specialized Status 140 is on sale for $2250 if you can find your size. https://www.specialized.com/us/en/status-140/p/199765?color=320385-199765 Edit: Even crazier deal is the Nukeproof Reactor for $2100 at Planet Cyclery. Sram GX level components but again a trail bike. Scrapez fucked around with this message at 02:59 on Jan 8, 2024 |
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Jan 6, 2024 07:56
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I just used Stans tape and it worked great. Or are you saying the rims/tires aren't technically tubeless compatible so you have to do something non-standard?
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Jan 13, 2024 06:36
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Arishtat posted:There is a special place in hell for people that use Gorilla tape. I've had to re-do two wheelsets that were DIY tubeless'ed with Gorilla tape and cleaning up the residue one the rims was a non-trivial process. It's still better than stripping old tubeless sealant off the inside of tires though. I don't understand why people wouldn't just buy tubeless tape. It isn't much more expensive than gorilla tape. Like a few dollars. I just sold my Canfield YelliScreamy. I really loved the look of the bike but riding it beat me up. Combination of a stiff frame and hardtail was just murder. I was intending to buy a full sus trail bike but before I could pull the trigger, the Nukeproof Reactor Pro sold out at Planet Cyclery. I ended up buying a Nukeproof Mega 290 Carbon Elite instead. Even though it's an enduro bike, it's a "mild" enduro. (64 degree HT angle, 160mm rear travel, 1251mm wheelbase in large.) The price to spec is unbeatable so I went for it. One thing I like is that the size is exactly that of my Megawatt which fits perfectly. It'll be a little harder pedaling this bike uphill than a true trail bike but should be OK. Just hope it's still fairly lively on singletrack. We'll see. Also hope Nukeproof doesn't go under now that I own two of them. 😳 Scrapez fucked around with this message at 19:35 on Jan 17, 2024 |
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Jan 17, 2024 19:33
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prom candy posted:Outdoor water's all turned off and hoses put away for the winter. Maybe I should just take up skiing. Muc Off makes a waterless cleaner that works well. I'm sure there are others as well. I use that in the winter.
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Jan 19, 2024 05:40
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What do you guys use for wall hanging helmet storage?
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Jan 23, 2024 22:31
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New bike day! 2022 Nukeproof Mega 290 Carbon Elite. Need to cut off some excess dropper cable and convert tires to tubeless. The brakes also feel squishy so I'm going to have to bleed them. I was looking for more of a trail bike but the price on this one was too good to pass up. It's not a super aggressive enduro geo so hopefully it still pedals reasonably well. Weather is crap here but should be able to get out tomorrow to ride it. 
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Jan 26, 2024 21:16
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| # ¿ May 10, 2024 15:02 |
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Levitate posted:you ain't lyin, dang Yeah I had them assemble it. They have to leave it long enough for someone that runs the seat post at minimum insertion but holy crap. Even at minimum that cable would be a foot too long. The bike feels just like my Megawatt as expected fit wise. That was a big driver in getting it. The bike fits me perfectly.
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Jan 27, 2024 01:49
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