Official mountain biking thread

13075914:CheddarJack said:
You said your budget was around $1000. You'd be much better off buying a complete with that money. Or are you saying you'd be willing to spend more if you build a bike?
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All I was saying is I'd love to build a bike, not that I'm planning on it. I'm looking to buy something complete. Building one is more of just a dream idea at this point.

I was merely posing a fun question for everyone - IE: if you were to build your dream bike, what components/frame/fork/etc would you go with.
 
13075920:DingoSean said:
All I was saying is I'd love to build a bike, not that I'm planning on it. I'm looking to buy something complete. Building one is more of just a dream idea at this point.

I was merely posing a fun question for everyone - IE: if you were to build your dream bike, what components/frame/fork/etc would you go with.
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ah, sorry. I guess I misunderstood your question!
 
13075920:DingoSean said:
All I was saying is I'd love to build a bike, not that I'm planning on it. I'm looking to buy something complete. Building one is more of just a dream idea at this point.

I was merely posing a fun question for everyone - IE: if you were to build your dream bike, what components/frame/fork/etc would you go with.
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Building is an awesome way of doing it, but be prepared to spend more than you anticipate. Even if you aren't thinking of doing it; you will go over your intended budget.

Just finished up builds #2 & #3. I think we paid retail for 2 items and got the rest on sale or for very little cost. Still way over budget though. Took just about 3 months from start to finish for both bikes.

With that said, I'd much rather build a bike piece by piece than buying a complete. That's my own opinion however, as it's much cheaper/cost effective to purchase a complete and slowly upgrade parts over time.

My recently completed dream build that will have pictures uploaded a bit later this afternoon. My wife's build is nearly the same except for a few cockpit changes.

Frame: Knolly Endorphin

Shock: Cane Creek Double Barrel Air w/ Climb Switch

Fork: Rock Shox Pike RCT3 150mm Solo Air

Headset: Chris King

Headset Spacers: Hope

Handlebar: Chromag Acute

Grips: Lizard Skins Moab

Stem: Thomson X4

Seatpost: Thomson Elite

Seatpost Clamp: Salsa Fliplcok

Saddle: WTB Devo SLT

Shifter: SRAM X01

Rear Derailleur: SRAM X01

Cassette: SRAM X01

Crank: Race Face Sixc 175mm

Bottom Bracket: Chris King on backorder; currently running cheap Shimano Hollowtech to hold me over

Chainring: Race Face Narrow/Wide: 30t/32t/34t

Chain: SRAM XX1

Pedals: Shimano XTR Trail/Race Face Atlas

Cable/Housing: Jagwire Mountain Pro

Brakes: Shimano XT

Brake Rotors: Shimano RT-86 Icetech 180mm

Rims: Stan's Flow EX

Hubs: Chris King with XD Driver

Spokes: DT Swiss

Tires: Continental Trail King 2.4 Protection

No idea on weight, just got the new tires mounted up. I'll have to track down a scale at some point.

If you can build up a bike, definitely do it. Awesome way to unleash your inner bike geek and obsess over parts in your head while trying to fall asleep. Eyes open though.
 
13075930:Sh4dow said:
Please tell me asap if this is a good buy, I'm probably going to look at it in a few hours. Thanks
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I went to look at this bike today. Overall it's great but I am concerned about one thing. It has tubeless tires, I have never had a bike with tubeless tires and know nothing about them. The owner of the bike said that they are low on sealant so they lose air fast. After just a few minutes of test riding the front tire was very low on air. Is this normal for a tubeless tire? He hasn't ridden the bike in two months and he told me right away that it's low on sealant, I just want to be sure it only needs sealant and is not damaged. If I end up buying the bike I'll inspect it more closely before I pay, but as long as there's no visible punctures or anything in the tire, does that mean it just needs sealant?

The owner also told me that if a tubeless tire is punctured it will not go flat, just bubble up or something like that. From what I read online sometimes they can go flat, and a tube can be used to ride them back to the car/home before doing more repairs. Is it true that tubeless tires will oftentimes not go flat if punctured?

Thanks
 
13075930:Sh4dow said:
Please tell me asap if this is a good buy, I'm probably going to look at it in a few hours. Thanks
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idk 4k is a hefty price for 2009 unless it has been kept in pristine condition.
 
probably just needs sealant and possibly needs to be reset on the rim.

as for punctures yes and no. pick up some thorns or goat heads it should be no problem. get a bigger gash and you will need to throw a tube in there.
 
13076016:division.bell said:
Building is an awesome way of doing it, but be prepared to spend more than you anticipate. Even if you aren't thinking of doing it; you will go over your intended budget.

Just finished up builds #2 & #3. I think we paid retail for 2 items and got the rest on sale or for very little cost. Still way over budget though. Took just about 3 months from start to finish for both bikes.

With that said, I'd much rather build a bike piece by piece than buying a complete. That's my own opinion however, as it's much cheaper/cost effective to purchase a complete and slowly upgrade parts over time.

My recently completed dream build that will have pictures uploaded a bit later this afternoon. My wife's build is nearly the same except for a few cockpit changes.

Frame: Knolly Endorphin

Shock: Cane Creek Double Barrel Air w/ Climb Switch

Fork: Rock Shox Pike RCT3 150mm Solo Air

Headset: Chris King

Headset Spacers: Hope

Handlebar: Chromag Acute

Grips: Lizard Skins Moab

Stem: Thomson X4

Seatpost: Thomson Elite

Seatpost Clamp: Salsa Fliplcok

Saddle: WTB Devo SLT

Shifter: SRAM X01

Rear Derailleur: SRAM X01

Cassette: SRAM X01

Crank: Race Face Sixc 175mm

Bottom Bracket: Chris King on backorder; currently running cheap Shimano Hollowtech to hold me over

Chainring: Race Face Narrow/Wide: 30t/32t/34t

Chain: SRAM XX1

Pedals: Shimano XTR Trail/Race Face Atlas

Cable/Housing: Jagwire Mountain Pro

Brakes: Shimano XT

Brake Rotors: Shimano RT-86 Icetech 180mm

Rims: Stan's Flow EX

Hubs: Chris King with XD Driver

Spokes: DT Swiss

Tires: Continental Trail King 2.4 Protection

No idea on weight, just got the new tires mounted up. I'll have to track down a scale at some point.

If you can build up a bike, definitely do it. Awesome way to unleash your inner bike geek and obsess over parts in your head while trying to fall asleep. Eyes open though.
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damn thats a solid build. definitely been thinking about building a bike for a while but never had the cash. i think thats actually what im going to do next. just slowly over a year or so until i get a bike i can operate for a while.
 
13076303:Bakerpow said:
idk 4k is a hefty price for 2009 unless it has been kept in pristine condition.
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$4k new, he only wants $1575, and it looks to be in great condition

13076304:b-kul said:
probably just needs sealant and possibly needs to be reset on the rim.

as for punctures yes and no. pick up some thorns or goat heads it should be no problem. get a bigger gash and you will need to throw a tube in there.
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Alright, thanks. Is reseting the tire on the rim something I could easily do myself, or at least that I could have done cheaply at a bike shop?
 
13076251:b-kul said:
why a king headset? just to match the other ck bits?
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I've always run Chris King headsets on my bikes; it's been my standard. No issues, no doubts. As much as I like Cane Creek, I just prefer Chris King.

And I'm supporting a local PNW company.
 
13076310:Sh4dow said:
$4k new, he only wants $1575, and it looks to be in great condition
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Going off of looks alone, and my rudamentry knowledge of mountain bike things - the tires/frame/what I can tell of the components - that thing is pretty demon for 1600ish. Even if it is 5 years old.
 
13076310:Sh4dow said:
$4k new, he only wants $1575, and it looks to be in great condition

Alright, thanks. Is reseting the tire on the rim something I could easily do myself, or at least that I could have done cheaply at a bike shop?
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yeah, it just means re seating the tire beads on the rim. can probably be done with a hand pump.
 
Need some advice....

Looking to get a bike for ripping around nyc. Have a nice full suspension trail bike which ill occasionally ride around the city but way to prone to theft so I usually only use it on weekends on trails.

Looking to pick up a solid cheap bike for ripping around...maybe a dirt jumper? Any other nyc riders? Do not want a single speed
 
13077039:KravtZ said:
Need some advice....

Looking to get a bike for ripping around nyc. Have a nice full suspension trail bike which ill occasionally ride around the city but way to prone to theft so I usually only use it on weekends on trails.

Looking to pick up a solid cheap bike for ripping around...maybe a dirt jumper? Any other nyc riders? Do not want a single speed
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For city riding? Cheap? Get an old ten speed road bike on Craigslist. If you're worried about it getting stolen, lock the frame with a u-lock and the wheels with a chain lock. The best locks are the Kryptonite Fahgettaboudit series (u-lock and chain lock) but you don't really need that for a cheap old ten speed. There is also something you can put on the bolts on your bike that requries a hex wrench so it's a lot harder to steal the seat, wheels (if not locked), etc.

On the subject of mountain biking, look what I got today! +k to all who gave me advice.

V1UxoKa.jpg
 
dude, that is sick, congrats man! gonna be tons of fun, just adjust the angle of the seat or you will be sore.
 
13077321:b-kul said:
dude, that is sick, congrats man! gonna be tons of fun, just adjust the angle of the seat or you will be sore.
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I didn't even realize I could adjust the angle, lol. I did raise it though. I just got back from riding in Little Cottonwood Canyon. 10km road riding to get there, with a lot of uphill, which went well. Then 4.5km uphill on Little Cottonwood Trail which was pretty difficult, not just tiring, but technically challenging. Having to always switch to the right gear at the right time or end up coming to a stop, rolling backwards if I don't brake, and having to walk my bike to a flatter spot to start riding again. My front wheel lifting off the ground. Difficult and an interesting experience, but I'm sure it will get easier as I get more comfortable on the bike. It was the first time of my life doing true mountain biking. The downhill was super fun, especially all the ridges to jump off, I think I'm going to go to Snowbird soon, maybe even tomorrow, to ride the tram and do some real downhill. Overall I'm really happy with the bike, it's a lot of fun. Thanks again to everyone who gave me advice.
 
13077455:Sh4dow said:
Also maybe a stupid question but what direction should I adjust the seat? Point the front of it more upward or downward?
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I would front up a little, probably
 
13077645:.MASSHOLE. said:
This guy is a riot

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I love this dudes videos! The one in South Africa is hilarious as well! Can't believe he talks the whole way though. I'd be dead after a downhill run alone, much less chatting away like he does.
 
When I took my bike to the LBS right after buying it they said the brake pads are fine. I took it out on the trail and the rear brake has much less stopping power than it should. I have never had a bike with hydraulic disk brakes before. Is it something I can fix myself or should I take it back to the LBS? The brake pads look close enough to the rotor, I don't think that's the issue.
 
13078819:Sh4dow said:
When I took my bike to the LBS right after buying it they said the brake pads are fine. I took it out on the trail and the rear brake has much less stopping power than it should. I have never had a bike with hydraulic disk brakes before. Is it something I can fix myself or should I take it back to the LBS? The brake pads look close enough to the rotor, I don't think that's the issue.
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might need to bleed them
 
13078819:Sh4dow said:
When I took my bike to the LBS right after buying it they said the brake pads are fine. I took it out on the trail and the rear brake has much less stopping power than it should. I have never had a bike with hydraulic disk brakes before. Is it something I can fix myself or should I take it back to the LBS? The brake pads look close enough to the rotor, I don't think that's the issue.
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13078820:Sklar said:
might need to bleed them
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i'll second this. looks like you have avids? if you have no experience bleeding brakes id bring them to your lbs. getting frustrated and punching a hole through your door isn't worth a few bucks. plus the lbs should do a much better job than you if you were to do it yourself and get lucky.
 
Thanks for the suggestions. I was going to take it to a LBS, but upon riding it more I think the brakes are fine. On pavement they're extremely responsive. I'm just not used to riding on steep terrain with loose rocks and sand so I think I mistook skidding on the terrain as unresponsive brakes.
 
Does anyone here know how warm mountain bike full face helmets are compared to ski full face helmets? Right now I wear an open face helmet for mtb but as I get more into dh and get better and faster I'll probably want a fullface. I have a Giro Remedy ski helmet, I could use that, but if mtb fullface helmets are significantly cooler I would get one.
 
Is Deer Valley or Park City better for dh? Nothing too intense, I'm still new to it, but I was fine on the blue trail at Snowbird. I would be open to any green/blue and maybe start trying some black as long as there's no mandatory drops/jumps.
 
13080066:stupendous-man said:
Had a sick first time camping and riding at Black Rock, probably gonna edit something up shortly but here's a raw clip

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that was so cool!
 
I just found this thread so here's a video of my homie who made the Pinkbike homepage yesterday with this video:
 
Just returned from spending nearly a week's pilgrimage in Bend with my freshly built Knolly Endorphin. Sram's X01 1x11 kicks ass. I'm so glad to finally be done with front derailleurs. I only ran out of gears on the low side during a 7 mile road ride back to the city during a strong headwind. I never had to touch the large rings during any of the climbing we did. We rode Shevlin Park/Mrazek, a bunch of trails at Phil's, and the highlight was a 26.something mile ride starting at Edison Sno Park and ending up back in the city; riding Dinah Moe Humm, Tyler's Traverse, and some fun parts of the Deschutes River Trail.

The new bike rides better than I could have hoped for. Was able to get a small shakedown ride in right before the drive down to Bend. Second ride on the bike I endo'd on a sketchy rock section and landed directly on my elbow. After inspecting the new wound and bits of flesh dangling from my arm, I grabbed my bike to continue the descent to find out that my back wheel refused to turn. Turns out I landed not only on my elbow, but even more so on my rear brake rotor. The wheel would not turn, the caliper, pads, and brake adaptor were all shifted from their original position, on top of the rotor being so mangled it should have snapped in place. After pulling the wheel and rotor on the trailside, all the while watching blood continue to drip from my elbow, I was able to get back on my back...without a rear brake. The next 4 miles, all downhill, were a bit sketchy to say the very least.

I have some bike pictures ready to upload, as well as some scenery pics from my recent adventures that will get posted this weekend. Need beer, then sleep.
 
13085546:division.bell said:
After pulling the wheel and rotor on the trailside, all the while watching blood continue to drip from my elbow, I was able to get back on my back...without a rear brake.
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I'm drunker than you but at least I can spell bike, not back. Lots of good beer, campsite bike maintenance, and quality trails. Fuck yeah.
 
13085572:division.bell said:
I'm drunker than you but at least I can spell bike, not back. Lots of good beer, campsite bike maintenance, and quality trails. Fuck yeah.
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I'm drunker than you and I know that you're drunker than yourself to quote yourself being drunker than your post of you being drunk.
 
13085546:division.bell said:
Sram's X01 1x11 kicks ass. I'm so glad to finally be done with front derailleurs. I only ran out of gears on the low side during a 7 mile road ride back to the city during a strong headwind. I never had to touch the large rings during any of the climbing we did.
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Good to know. Hopefully the X1 setup rides just as nicely, as it is equipped on this bad mofo:

2015-trek-farley-8-fat-bike-1-600x450.jpg


HEAVILY considering ordering one. That bike goes above and beyond what I'm looking for in a fatbike and I've got the funds for one...
 
13086184:B-runge said:
Why would you want a fatbike?
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This, not having ridden one i cant judge, im more just curious what makes them fun. just looking at them they seem fun as hell, but the second i think about what it'd be like to have to pedal and lug that thing around im like "meh"

They do need to start making snow bike parks though, build snow jumps and features on mtb trails in winter, THEN i could see it being fun.
 
Having never ridden a DH bike, I may be overestimating this course, but Windham looks a lot harder on a bike than on skis.


It looks so different in the summer too. Hopefully its a success. Apparently last time they held it there more than 15,000 people came to watch. I could be way off on that figure. I have heard 30,000 came as well so who knows.
 
13086184:B-runge said:
Why would you want a fatbike?
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I can see them being really fun, but for me it wouldn't be a ton more than a novelty. If I had spare money I could see myself buying one (among other things haha) for kicks and gigs ...
 
13087072:*cgski* said:
Do i spend 250$ on a Reverb dropper post or use that for spending money at school, decisions decisions
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Hold out til you can find a used one for a good price. I got the specialized command dropper for 40+30 for cable/lever/installation. Worth the wait.
 
As promised, here are some pictures of my new bike and some scenery shots from my recent bike trip to the Bend area. Can't wait to go back already, so many more trails to explore.

My Endorphin prior to first ride.

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With my wife's Endorphin on the drive down to Bend

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Recent fire damaged area on the Mrazek trail

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Bikes on the Mrazek trail

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On the way up Ben's at Phil's

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Fire damaged area on Grand Slam at Phil's. That fire hose was dragged out there quite a ways to keep this area contained by the looks of it.

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Value of bikes far exceeds the value of the truck. Shuttle ride to Edison Sno Park

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View of Mt Bachelor on the drive up

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View of Mt Bachelor from Dinah Moe Humm. I could not get the Zappa song out of my head the entire time I was on this trail.

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^Sweet looking bike.


I imagine many of you have seen this video, but I have a vizsla and she used to do this in her younger years (12 now) with my dad.
 
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