Official mountain biking thread

[Leafman]

Couple of recent pictures

Summer solstice back in June on East Summit at Tiger, shot around 9:30 PM

Knoble Knob above Ranger Creek looking at Mt. Ranier

Tiger Mountain, Joyride/Fully Rigid intersection

Looking into the Lost Creek basin above Ranger Creek

Wildflowers on Kachess Ridge

Alpine meadow entering the Silver Creek Basin on Kachess

Chesapeake Saddle, Entiat Valley on the left, and the 25 mile basin on the right, nearing the devils backbone on the pot peak

Pot Peak trailhead, 20+ miles and 4500 feet of vert, and 50 feet of visibility

Madison

Bridget

 

[division.bell]

Doing Sun Top tomorrow afternoon followed by a night run across the valley at Ranger. Should end up around 10,000 feet of climbing in a day with Skookum. Possibly doing Crystal Mountain the next morning to complete the cascade triple crown. Reckon it'll be pretty good.

Been trying to nab all the Washington epics before I head to New Zealand. Got Pot Peak last week and Devils Gulch the week before. Check out Kachess Ridge, it's not far from the eastside and a much more fun descent than Tiger in my opinion. I've been riding Tiger a lot at night too, rode all the way up by moonlight a few weeks ago, ended up hot lapping till 2 am. Bikes are pretty neat

Fuck yeah. The 410 trails have been on my must-ride list as well. Waiting for a good time when my father in law can show us around as they are his old stomping grounds. I did hear some complaints of the trails getting a little torn up after the enduro race.

What was the trail conditions of Devil's Gulch when you rode it?

Have you ridden Angel's Staircase? That's one I'd really like to ride, but I need to get my wife a bit more conditioned before I take her on something like that.

Awesome pics by the way, thanks for the stoke!

Yup, bikes are neat.

 

[howlongcanausern]

Chesapeake Saddle, Entiat Valley on the left, and the 25 mile basin on the right, nearing the devils backbone on the pot peak

Pot Peak trailhead, 20+ miles and 4500 feet of vert, and 50 feet of visibility

whoa dude. don't think i've known anybody else to ride these trails...some backwoods shit right here

 

[JuliusJ]

Specialized stumpjumper evo or enduro? I can get more or less EP pricing and am split on it. I ride a lot of xc/all mt stuff but want to do more freeride stuff. xandu kinda stuff for you WA homies.

 

[bakedpow]

galbraith, glacier if you have time, what b-runge mention is snake mountain im pretty sure (has lots of different names). there is biking on orcas island that you can shuttle as well.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Bridget

I would ride Bridget so hard

 

[erica]

hooray for new rockshox gold 30 fork on ma bike

 

[division.bell]

hooray for new rockshox gold 30 fork on ma bike

View attachment 730114

Congrats! Any rides on it yet?

Now how about a picture of the entire bike?

 

[erica]

Congrats! Any rides on it yet?

Now how about a picture of the entire bike?

headed out saturday! and will do tonight

 

[cydwhit]

So, My reign got stollen back in July, I'm hoping to get some kind of all mountain bike to replace it next spring, until then, anyone have any experience with fat bikes? This is gonna sound funny but my local walmart had one and I mobbed it around the store and had a ton of fun. Super different riding experience that I actually liked. Then I saw the two fat bike videos on pinkbike today and was thinking it might be fun to grab a cheap one for $200 from walmart just to use and abuse over the winter, hit some snow, try to mob the local DH trails and sand dunes. Anybody have an opinion?

 

[JuliusJ]

So, My reign got stollen back in July, I'm hoping to get some kind of all mountain bike to replace it next spring, until then, anyone have any experience with fat bikes? This is gonna sound funny but my local walmart had one and I mobbed it around the store and had a ton of fun. Super different riding experience that I actually liked. Then I saw the two fat bike videos on pinkbike today and was thinking it might be fun to grab a cheap one for $200 from walmart just to use and abuse over the winter, hit some snow, try to mob the local DH trails and sand dunes. Anybody have an opinion?

there are 200 fatbikes? i mean im sure they are shitty but would be fun to rip the shit out of for shits and gigs

 

[ModMommy]

there are 200 fatbikes? i mean im sure they are shitty but would be fun to rip the shit out of for shits and gigs

I swear I've seen a mongoose fatty before.

 

[division.bell]

I swear I've seen a mongoose fatty before.

Yup, everyone's jumping on the fatbike bandwagon. Here's a Chris Akrigg video from today on his Mongoose fatbike.

[video]http://vimeo.com/107826210[/video]

Mongoose doesn't necessarily mean cheapass Walmart bike though. They were a real bike brand back in the day and sold out, not sure if they are trying to rebuild their image or what, but they definitely are not as prestigious as they once were.

I'm hoping to get a fatbike purchased or built up before next winter, they are so damn fun.

 

[NinetyFour]

Yup, everyone's jumping on the fatbike bandwagon. Here's a Chris Akrigg video from today on his Mongoose fatbike.

Mongoose doesn't necessarily mean cheapass Walmart bike though. They were a real bike brand back in the day and sold out, not sure if they are trying to rebuild their image or what, but they definitely are not as prestigious as they once were.

I'm hoping to get a fatbike purchased or built up before next winter, they are so damn fun.

Yeah, Chris is sponsored by Mongoose and there's no arguing he's equipped just fine for any of the riding he does. The bike he was riding in that edit though is the Argus, coming next year priced at $1000:
http://reviews.mtbr.com/first-look-2015-mongoose-argus-alloy-framed-fat-bike

As far as the Beast goes, the $200 Walmart machine. I probably wouldn't buy one for the fact that it would need some work to make it somewhat capable; out of the box it's a singles speed, geared tall, with a coaster brake, and I think it weighs in the neighborhood of 50lbs. Might be some scary shit in the winter especially. I'd personally look for a beat Surly Pug.

Here was the other fat bike edit out today:
http://www.pinkbike.com/news/24-fat-bike-shredding-video-2014.html

Pretty cool rig, being 24" and all. On One makes beautiful stuff to. That's a mobbing bike right there.

 

[division.bell]

Yeah, Chris is sponsored by Mongoose and there's no arguing he's equipped just fine for any of the riding he does. The bike he was riding in that edit though is the Argus, coming next year priced at $1000:
http://reviews.mtbr.com/first-look-2015-mongoose-argus-alloy-framed-fat-bike

As far as the Beast goes, the $200 Walmart machine. I probably wouldn't buy one for the fact that it would need some work to make it somewhat capable; out of the box it's a singles speed, geared tall, with a coaster brake, and I think it weighs in the neighborhood of 50lbs. Might be some scary shit in the winter especially. I'd personally look for a beat Surly

I know he has some nice bikes. I'm sure they still make some good stuff too. Problem is your reputation goes to shit in the cycling world when you start getting in the low end market ala Walmart or Kmart/target like Schwinn did. Their bikes used to be awesome. I'd still love an old homegrown factory hardtail frame. The sparkle paint was so sick for its time.

Regarding the fat bike, I agree and would not recommend the walmart bike. It would be fun and cheap while it lasted. And wouldn't be worth upgrading the frame with better parts or replacing the parts when they inevitably go to shit.

Cy, check out nashbar's website. I've heard some good things about their bikes. The house sells some inexpensive fat bikes too under a brand I'm not too familiar with. Do some research on MTBR's fat bike sub forum. Good info on getting into fat bikes on a budget. With the bigger name bikes you are looking at a grand or so for entry price.

 

[cydwhit]

Thanks for all the input guys, I was actually looking at the $240 one, it has disks and gears, I realize it is a crappy bike but I have had some great times on terrible bikes. Basically looking for something to abuse. Yep, this were the edits I saw today, so good, Chris always kills it and that 24" is so sick. I have wanted one of their all mountain steel hard tails for a long time. If I'm gonna spend more than like $400 I might as well save up for another 6" bike, I grabbed my reign for $1300 and it was soooo perfect for what I wanted, still super bummed it's gone, this is the first time in 8 years I haven't owned a mountain bike. I've been rallying my hipster single speed beater on the mountain to make up for it but it's just no the same. I'll definilty be checking out those sites, thanks!

 

[NinetyFour]

I grabbed my reign for $1300 and it was soooo perfect for what I wanted, still super bummed it's gone

As far as stolen bikes go, do any of you guys have your bikes tagged onto you or your parents home insurance? And have any of you tried discretely placing a tracking device like Tile to your bikes in the event they ever were stolen?

 

[ModMommy]

Cy, check out nashbar's website. I've heard some good things about their bikes. The house sells some inexpensive fat bikes too under a brand I'm not too familiar with. Do some research on MTBR's fat bike sub forum. Good info on getting into fat bikes on a budget. With the bigger name bikes you are looking at a grand or so for entry price.

Nashbar is a really good recommendation actually. They have their own fat bike, and I've ridden one and while it's not an expensive as hell machine (like 900 something, it got the job done and was a fun ride. Check them out or even the Framed Minnesota 3.0 (maybe thry and find a 2.0 used) if you're willing to spend a little more.

 

[cydwhit]

As far as stolen bikes go, do any of you guys have your bikes tagged onto you or your parents home insurance? And have any of you tried discretely placing a tracking device like Tile to your bikes in the event they ever were stolen?

No, but next time, let me tell yah, it's gonna be bristling with tracking devices...

 

[division.bell]

Framed Minnesota 3.0 (maybe thry and find a 2.0 used) if you're willing to spend a little more.

Yeah, this is the brand I couldn't remember that The House sells.

Here's a thread on MTBR's fatbike forum about the Minnesota 1.0 and 2.0;http://forums.mtbr.com/fat-bikes/minnesota-1-0-2-0-fatbikes-886521.html

Here's the MTBR fatbike forum for reference;http://forums.mtbr.com/fat-bikes/

 

[ModMommy]

Yeah, this is the brand I couldn't remember that The House sells.

Here's a thread on MTBR's fatbike forum about the Minnesota 1.0 and 2.0;http://forums.mtbr.com/fat-bikes/minnesota-1-0-2-0-fatbikes-886521.html

Here's the MTBR fatbike forum for reference;http://forums.mtbr.com/fat-bikes/

I've ridden the 2.0 as well, it isn't as stiff as the nashbar. It's a good introductory fatty that doesn't quite skimp on some of the compotes. If it were me, I'd go with the Minnesota, even the older one's are awesome.

 

[Leafman]

Fuck yeah. The 410 trails have been on my must-ride list as well. Waiting for a good time when my father in law can show us around as they are his old stomping grounds. I did hear some complaints of the trails getting a little torn up after the enduro race.

What was the trail conditions of Devil's Gulch when you rode it?

Have you ridden Angel's Staircase? That's one I'd really like to ride, but I need to get my wife a bit more conditioned before I take her on something like that.

Awesome pics by the way, thanks for the stoke!

Yup, bikes are neat.

We ended up doing Suntop the first day followed by Crystal to Deep Creek at night the next day. Came out to like 12,500 feet in two days. Definitely going for the one day triple crown next year. Crystal is heeps of fun, even had a little snow near the top. I rode ranger a month ago and there were only some brake bumps on the high speed sections leading into hairpins before the horse shelter. The race went down palisades which I usually avoid and keep going down Ranger so it might be more beat up down there. Those enduro clowns should have just lapped all of Suntop, Ranger and Palisades to make it a little more interesting climb

Devil's Gulch itself was very dry. Missed the first turn a mile up the road since it's now blocked and proceeded to have the most righteous accent ever. Had to navigate old farming roads, bush whacking to find other farming roads, and riding an exposed ridge to get to the trail. The trail itself is a lot of fun. In retrospect I would have gone to the very top of the mission ridge trail and ridden that. My friend had his dog and she needed water so we choose the creek bed down the gulch. Mission stays on the ridge itself and you get more descent and seems more flowy. Google map the area if you do go, I can't imagine we were the first to miss the road.

I have not ridden Angels staircase yet. I've eyeballed it for some years and just haven't planned a trip there yet. There's a lot of controversy on which route to take and whether to go to the top or not since there is a serious hike a bike section. The trail looks awesome and the Methow Valley will be somewhere I'll be riding more next summer. Starvation mountain and Uno Peak or on my list in that valley.

Happy riding

 

[division.bell]

We ended up doing Suntop the first day followed by Crystal to Deep Creek at night the next day. Came out to like 12,500 feet in two days. Definitely going for the one day triple crown next year. Crystal is heeps of fun, even had a little snow near the top. I rode ranger a month ago and there were only some brake bumps on the high speed sections leading into hairpins before the horse shelter. The race went down palisades which I usually avoid and keep going down Ranger so it might be more beat up down there. Those enduro clowns should have just lapped all of Suntop, Ranger and Palisades to make it a little more interesting climb

Devil's Gulch itself was very dry. Missed the first turn a mile up the road since it's now blocked and proceeded to have the most righteous accent ever. Had to navigate old farming roads, bush whacking to find other farming roads, and riding an exposed ridge to get to the trail. The trail itself is a lot of fun. In retrospect I would have gone to the very top of the mission ridge trail and ridden that. My friend had his dog and she needed water so we choose the creek bed down the gulch. Mission stays on the ridge itself and you get more descent and seems more flowy. Google map the area if you do go, I can't imagine we were the first to miss the road.

I have not ridden Angels staircase yet. I've eyeballed it for some years and just haven't planned a trip there yet. There's a lot of controversy on which route to take and whether to go to the top or not since there is a serious hike a bike section. The trail looks awesome and the Methow Valley will be somewhere I'll be riding more next summer. Starvation mountain and Uno Peak or on my list in that valley.

Happy riding

Thanks for the insight!

You definitely give me motivation to get away from my normal, closer to town rides and head farther out to the less populated and traveled areas.

I usually ride solo if I go for longer days so I stay closer rather than adventure rides. I then ride with my wife and father in law typically on the weekends for a few hours at a time. I'd like to start getting out on some of the epics around here.

Maybe I'll see you around some trails in our area at some point.

 

[.MASSHOLE.]

First day using the new MTB. Great day right until the end where I lost control after hitting a smallish drop and hit a tree, breaking my SLX brake housing. Whoops.

MTB is fun, quite different from road biking

 

[bakedpow]

just got back from a ride in glacier borrowing a buddies gambler, i cannot for the life of me get one corner. tried probably 4 times today a total of 10 maybe in the past weeks. small little stump drop that leads you straight into a tree you have to turn around and avoid another tree feet behind it and drop maybe 5 feet right after that turn. nearly fucked myself good today. ditched the bike and ended up bear hugging the tree a few times.

 

[.nasty]

MTB is fun, quite different from road biking

talk about stating the obvious hahahaha

quick jaunt up baldy before work... top layer of dirt is frozen, made for some super fast ridin

 

[division.bell]

Just got back from a quick ride with my wife. Colors are starting to turn here in WA and the trails are in primo shape due to a little recent rain and our unusually dry and warm summer.

Looking forward to riding my Knolly all winter long. Will be a welcome change from riding only hardtails for the last 5 or 6 years.

 

[.MASSHOLE.]

So is getting more confident on a mountain bike like anything else, doing it a lot? Besides being balanced and centered, is there anything else I can do to improve my riding and confidence?

 

[dom_daq]

So is getting more confident on a mountain bike like anything else, doing it a lot? Besides being balanced and centered, is there anything else I can do to improve my riding and confidence?

Yeah it's obviously all about riding a lot, just like skiing or anything else. Some tips to improve confidence at speed especially is to always keep your eyes down trail. Know what's coming and don't get caught up in the terrain you are on top of. And just stay as light and loose as possible.

 

[californiagrown]

Yeah it's obviously all about riding a lot, just like skiing or anything else. Some tips to improve confidence at speed especially is to always keep your eyes down trail. Know what's coming and don't get caught up in the terrain you are on top of. And just stay as light and loose as possible.

Its really similar to skiing IMO. You know how you carve on ice- roll your ankles but keep your upper body over the skis instead of laying way over in the turn? similar to biking you put the bike tires on edge but keep your upper body over the top of that edge as much as possible.

Turn with your hips and shoulders, not with your bars, get used to trying to place your tires into grooved ruts and edges when making a turn.

If you are coming into a turn too fast, brake hard, but as soon as you start to turn let your tires run wide open. Braking pulls you upright, and doesnt allow your tires to grip.

When going over rough stuff at speed, it is exactly like straightlining moguls- stay light and loose and try to skim over the top, but be ready to absorb some heavy impacts.

Also, crashing on a MTB is way more painful and pretty much every crash has repurcussions(broken parts, gashes, generaly getting hurt). Im much more likely to kill myself or have a catastrophic injury while skiing because of the speed and terrain, but nearly every crash ive had biking has at the least resulted in a cut that needed butterflys.

Take it slow, there is no reason why you need to get super rad on a bike immediatly. I know the terrain and speed seem superr mellow compared to what you ski, but you also have far less control. Take it slow, find your tires limits and your own limits in incremental steps.

 

[NinetyFour]

So is getting more confident on a mountain bike like anything else, doing it a lot? Besides being balanced and centered, is there anything else I can do to improve my riding and confidence?

What kind of terrain are you riding as well? Because there are a lot of things that apply to XC bike handling that may not cross over to DH and vice versa. Same goes for hardtails vs FS bikes.

 

[.MASSHOLE.]

What kind of terrain are you riding as well? Because there are a lot of things that apply to XC bike handling that may not cross over to DH and vice versa. Same goes for hardtails vs FS bikes.

I am riding a lot of single track on a hardtail in northern VT. So a lot of roots and leaves, few rocks, stumps, and drops. It is probably pretty mellow compared to what you guys ride out West.

 

[erica]

This is Jasper. He's my first off-road bike and we ride the single tracks around minneapolis together. We got a little dirty today

 

[division.bell]

Regarding Galbraith, you guys have a recommended loop or specific trails to ride or avoid? Looking for a good mix of tech single track, flowy trails, natural terrain features and not so much manmade features.

I may head up some morning this week on a solo mission.

 

[NinetyFour]

I am riding a lot of single track on a hardtail in northern VT. So a lot of roots and leaves, few rocks, stumps, and drops. It is probably pretty mellow compared to what you guys ride out West.

I'm in the Canadian prairies riding all XC and singletrack. What the others have said is all pretty on point, the biggest thing being easing into riding. You'll get faster with time and practice.

As far as tips relevant to XC riding goes, this weird old Australian guy has it nailed down; here's a good video for hardtail bikes in fast bumpy stuff:

He has a lot of other good stuff to that should apply to pretty much all kinds of biking like:

He's basically a homegrown version of GCN for mountain biking. Aha, I really wish GCN had a mountain bike portion to their channel.

 

[.MASSHOLE.]

Awesome. Thanks for the advice everyone. I often found myself staring right in front of the bike, not down the hill. Should I aim for 6-10 feet ahead, or even further? Any suggestions on how to handle switchbacks (if that is the right term) with berms for turning?

 

[division.bell]

Awesome. Thanks for the advice everyone. I often found myself staring right in front of the bike, not down the hill. Should I aim for 6-10 feet ahead, or even further? Any suggestions on how to handle switchbacks (if that is the right term) with berms for turning?

Farther ahead. Obviously it will change depending on the trail and if you are leading or following someone else. But you will be far less likely to get tripped up by an obstacle if you are looking past it. And don't look at the things you want to avoid...you'll end up hitting them. If you are moving faster, you'll need to be looking farther down the trail.

Concerning berms and switchbacks, it can change depending if they are uphill/downhill/flat or how much speed you are carrying. If you are moving pretty quick you need to be looking through to the end of the berm.

Uphill can be much trickier especially for tighter switchbacks. It will take time to get used to how much you need to turn with your bars versus body English and pedal strokes.

Best advice is if you don't clear a section of trail, go back and try it again. Things start to make sense when you start unlocking the small critical skills and movements.

That's all I have for now, time to go ride.

 

[.MASSHOLE.]

Farther ahead. Obviously it will change depending on the trail and if you are leading or following someone else. But you will be far less likely to get tripped up by an obstacle if you are looking past it. And don't look at the things you want to avoid...you'll end up hitting them. If you are moving faster, you'll need to be looking farther down the trail.

Concerning berms and switchbacks, it can change depending if they are uphill/downhill/flat or how much speed you are carrying. If you are moving pretty quick you need to be looking through to the end of the berm.

Uphill can be much trickier especially for tighter switchbacks. It will take time to get used to how much you need to turn with your bars versus body English and pedal strokes.

Best advice is if you don't clear a section of trail, go back and try it again. Things start to make sense when you start unlocking the small critical skills and movements.

That's all I have for now, time to go ride.

Uphill I can handle a little easier, its the downhill that concerns me. As of right now I go slower just due to apprehension of what is on the other side and not knowing the trails too too well but in the end I would like to go faster. If it is a full 180 degree switch back that is blind, then does the same still apply?

Enjoy riding, wish I could today.

 

[californiagrown]

Uphill I can handle a little easier, its the downhill that concerns me. As of right now I go slower just due to apprehension of what is on the other side and not knowing the trails too too well but in the end I would like to go faster. If it is a full 180 degree switch back that is blind, then does the same still apply?

Enjoy riding, wish I could today.

If its bermed, try to dive into the been, look where your exit is, and pull up like you want to manual as you start to exit.

If its flat, you just go slow. When you get comfy on the bike start working on lifting the back tire up and bringing it around. At first you will need to lock the front brake to get it off the ground, but eventually you will get the hang of weighting and in weighting it.

 

[division.bell]

Regarding Galbraith, you guys have a recommended loop or specific trails to ride or avoid? Looking for a good mix of tech single track, flowy trails, natural terrain features and not so much manmade features.

I may head up some morning this week on a solo mission.

Bringing this to the new page.

Uphill I can handle a little easier, its the downhill that concerns me. As of right now I go slower just due to apprehension of what is on the other side and not knowing the trails too too well but in the end I would like to go faster. If it is a full 180 degree switch back that is blind, then does the same still apply?

Enjoy riding, wish I could today.

If it's an actual sculpted berm and not just flat dirt, you need to be looking for the end of the berm, regardless of whether you can actually see the end or not. I wouldn't worry about trying to carve too hard, or rail the berm until you get used to where you need to be looking.

Just to see how it works, try what you have been doing back to back on the same berm with making yourself look for the end of the berm. It may feel awkward at first, but before long you'll be carrying speed through the entire berm rather than braking intermittently and possibly losing your line and ultimately balance. Once you are comfortable with your adjustment, then you can start focusing on adding technique to rail the berms.

Switchbacks in my experience don't have sculpted berms, there may be some degree of banked terrain, but not man-made. Riding switchbacks downhill is mostly about speed control, read; proper braking technique. If you're skidding, you are not riding, but most importantly doing damage to the trail. Switchbacks aren't usually meant to be taken at speed in my area, unless you are powering up them on climbs.

 

[gapersarefriends]

so i currently have a specialized hardrock, but i'm lookin at buying an enduro-type bike for around 1000-1500 bucks. any suggestions?

 

[.nasty]

so i currently have a specialized hardrock, but i'm lookin at buying an enduro-type bike for around 1000-1500 bucks. any suggestions?

Well that much isn't gonna get you any sort of current style enduro bike. But that doesn't mean you can't find a good light full suspension, try looking for an older giant reign or trance. Also an older specialized enduro frame with some more current upgrades can be worth the money.

 

[division.bell]

Enduro is such a stupid fucking fad/word.

You could get more bang for your buck by going with a used bike. That budget could get you something decent if you look around. Pinkbike would be a good start.

Some manufacturers, kona is one, are starting to push out some budget friendly trail bikes. I think the entry model is just above your budget though.

 

[LC.]

So I had my first ride clipped-in today (XT Trails & Teva Pivots). Feeling really good, not too "locked-in" at all like I thought I might be.

Just a cruise around the winter XC ski trails to get the feel of them, then home past the first jumps. "Maybe just one hit" on the small tabletops turned into 5-6 laps, feeling more comfortable in the air than I normally do. I'm sold.

I had them pretty much on the lightest tension and unclipped once in the air but got away with it. Should I just crank them up? A lot of my riding is very very technical so planting a foot ocassionally (or at least knowing that I can unclip easily) is very useful. I can twist out of ski bindings at 11 standing still, so shouldn't have a problem, but when you're about to bail off a bike while thinking "oh shit this is going to hurt", is the unclipping motion still instinctive?

 

[.nasty]

Enduro is such a stupid fucking fad/word.

You could get more bang for your buck by going with a used bike. That budget could get you something decent if you look around. Pinkbike would be a good start.

Some manufacturers, kona is one, are starting to push out some budget friendly trail bikes. I think the entry model is just above your budget though.

I assumed he was looking for used anyway considering the price range. There's only maybe some decent hard tails for that much.

I don't much like the word either, but it's an easy way to describe a light all mountain bike with around 150-160mm of travel that crushes everything.

I myself am gonna sell my trek scratch and getting either a heckler with the R build or the cannondale Jekyll 4 (with the pike not that bogus looking lefty, Idc how it performs it looks goofy haha).

 

[division.bell]

So I had my first ride clipped-in today (XT Trails & Teva Pivots). Feeling really good, not too "locked-in" at all like I thought I might be.

Just a cruise around the winter XC ski trails to get the feel of them, then home past the first jumps. "Maybe just one hit" on the small tabletops turned into 5-6 laps, feeling more comfortable in the air than I normally do. I'm sold.

I had them pretty much on the lightest tension and unclipped once in the air but got away with it. Should I just crank them up? A lot of my riding is very very technical so planting a foot ocassionally (or at least knowing that I can unclip easily) is very useful. I can twist out of ski bindings at 11 standing still, so shouldn't have a problem, but when you're about to bail off a bike while thinking "oh shit this is going to hurt", is the unclipping motion still instinctive?

Nice man! How did the cleat installation go? Were you able to dial it in the first time, or did it take a few spins around the block and minor adjustments to get it all settled?

Hearing the "not too locked-in" part makes me think you went the right direction with SPD's rather than Times/Crank Brothers.

With experience the motion will be instinctual. If you're feeling pretty good about the effort it takes to unclip and you have experienced some "pre-release" turn it up a bit. You can always turn it right back down. There are two tension adjustment screws on each pedal. I run mine set equally on each side.

Many years ago, back in the days of V-brakes, I was following a friend of mine on some private homebrew trails and he bailed in front of me so I veered out of the way. When I realized I should be paying attention to where I am going, rather than my friend still tumbling down the trail, I came face to face with a 4 foot diameter tree. The only thing I remember is my front tire hitting the tree dead center and my bike launching me forward. Somehow I was able to unclip with both feet and turn sideways in the air allowing me to literally fly past the tree and end up in the brush below.

I assumed he was looking for used anyway considering the price range. There's only maybe some decent hard tails for that much.

I don't much like the word either, but it's an easy way to describe a light all mountain bike with around 150-160mm of travel that crushes everything.

I myself am gonna sell my trek scratch and getting either a heckler with the R build or the cannondale Jekyll 4 (with the pike not that bogus looking lefty, Idc how it performs it looks goofy haha).

With 2015's on the way, or already in shops, I'd look around to see what kind of deals are still around on past model years before spending any money on a bike that I couldn't personally inspect before payment. Again, there are damn good deals out there on used bikes though. Just be careful if you do go that route.

Haha, don't read into my post too much though. I'm about as incoherent I could possibly be post ride. It was a good day, but I hit the wall way too early. My rear brake had a sticky piston and I was apparently riding with unwanted resistance until I noticed being way more exhausted on the climb than I should be. Enjoyed a much needed breather and fixed the brake to satisfaction. It definitely took it's toll on the rest of my day though.

Enduro...riding uphill at a leisurely pace, enjoying the scenery, chatting with your friends or fellow riders and/or passerbys on the trail. Getting to the top or start to ride as fast as you can, push the limitations of your self and your equipment. All while trying to out-do the competition and bragging rights among your slow friends.

...yeah, that sounds like normal mountain biking to me. Call it what you will, but the "enduro" specific products these days are too much. Specialized not included in this opinion, as their Enduro model was around before this nonsense really caught on.

Agreed, 140-160mm of travel with your choice of 26"/27.5" wheels (depending on preference) is perfect in my opinion for most peoples' general mountain biking. Trail/All Mountain; however people can actually distinguish between the two. Whatever, it's biking. Marketing and fads sell shit. End of story.

What aren't you liking about your Scratch?

 

[no_steeze]

I had them pretty much on the lightest tension and unclipped once in the air but got away with it. Should I just crank them up? A lot of my riding is very very technical so planting a foot ocassionally (or at least knowing that I can unclip easily) is very useful. I can twist out of ski bindings at 11 standing still, so shouldn't have a problem, but when you're about to bail off a bike while thinking "oh shit this is going to hurt", is the unclipping motion still instinctive?

The unclipping motion becomes instinctive after a little bit of time. I would recommend keeping them relatively loose at the beginning since it'll give you a bit more room for error in case you stop suddenly and have one of those "oh shit I'm going down in slow motion" moments. Just be careful throwing your back tire around on switchbacks and rock gardens when the clips are loose since you can sometimes twist out and nail your shins on the pedals.

When riding clipless it's better to master the track stand as opposed to taking a foot out and planting it. Generally once you're clipped in you want to stay clipped in. If I'm not sure how to navigate a section that doesn't require much momentum I'll stop and do a track stand while plotting my line and then go. Chances are when you're in the middle of it and you have to take a foot out you're gonna be walking up to a place where you can get going again as opposed to clipping back in and going, especially at the beginning. They're not like flat pedals where you can just throw your foot back on and immediately apply pressure, instead you have to make sure you're clipped in before you can really start pushing, so it's better to stay in them as much as you can

In terms of crashing, if you're flying over the bars or in a situation where it's gonna hurt, chances are you'll come unclipped as you fall. The idea that you're gonna be tumbling down a mountain with a bike still attached to you is pretty much a myth, at least from my experience. The falls that result because of the clips are stupid little crashes where you hit a rock, stop suddenly, and then forget how to unclip as you slowly topple over to one side. Those just happen at the beginning and everyone deals with them, but after a couple of those it'll become completely instinctive and you'll find yourself unclipping before you even know what's happening. I find sometimes now when I'm going over the front I unclip both feet, jump over the bars and land on my feet before having any idea what's going on.

 

[NinetyFour]

I had them pretty much on the lightest tension and unclipped once in the air but got away with it. Should I just crank them up? A lot of my riding is very very technical so planting a foot ocassionally (or at least knowing that I can unclip easily) is very useful. I can twist out of ski bindings at 11 standing still, so shouldn't have a problem, but when you're about to bail off a bike while thinking "oh shit this is going to hurt", is the unclipping motion still instinctive?

My XTs are maxed, I'm a really small guy to, like 145lbs and I've never had any troubles. I wouldn't worry about crashes, and I definitely wouldn't worry about them hurting your knees.

 

[Dustin.]

I assumed he was looking for used anyway considering the price range. There's only maybe some decent hard tails for that much.

I don't much like the word either, but it's an easy way to describe a light all mountain bike with around 150-160mm of travel that crushes everything.

I myself am gonna sell my trek scratch and getting either a heckler with the R build or the cannondale Jekyll 4 (with the pike not that bogus looking lefty, Idc how it performs it looks goofy haha).

"Enduro" seems to be the only way I know how to search for the kind of bike I'm interested in right now. I've demoed a bunch of nice downhill bikes and I'd love to have a dedicated Session or something, but I ride a lot of trail outside of the bike park too. Going home and meeting up with Chris and Drew on Rainmaker is the kind of treat I look forward too and a lot of the good DH riding in Europe is a decent drive from me. Can an "Enduro" kind of bike really rip like a DH bike? Could I feasibly climb and cruise through the rolling hills at home and take something like that on a full up DH course in the Alps on the weekends?

I'd 100% go for a DH bike, but 80% of my riding would be on trail out in the woods and those bitches are heavy.

 

[JuliusJ]

Can an "Enduro" kind of bike really rip like a DH bike? Could I feasibly climb and cruise through the rolling hills at home and take something like that on a full up DH course in the Alps on the weekends?

If its on the larger travel end of the "enduro" bikes, then yeah it can probably hang. You'll be picking your lines a bit more carefully than a 200mm travel DH bike, but for any flowy trails, you'll be rippin just fine.