Official mountain biking thread

[division.bell]

So I never did get out on my second ride this weekend. It rained and sleeted pretty hard here so I just hid inside...

As far as Farley vs. Fatboy goes, I really don't think you can go wrong with either. I liked the Fatboys I had seen at one of my LBS but in the end I couldn't resist the killer deal on the Farley from my regular shop. The one nice thing about the Fatboy is it's frame capacity for the much larger 4.7" (I think they're that big) tires.

As far as Pro vs. Expert goes, they're both of similar spec to the 8 vs. 6. I went with the 8 because I was considering having the bluto on the bike so I could ride it comfortably year round, and the sram 1X11 system as you know is a dream. It was a better deal to. Other than that the 6 was still a pretty nice bike all things considered and I wouldn't have hesitated to buy one if I didn't want as many features.

You still need to get some pictures up of your beast!

Yeah, they come with 4.6" tires but have the clearance for 5". I have some ideas for winter biking here in the WA Cascades and the extra wide tires the Fatboy's come with is very appealing.

I'd prefer to get the Pro as it has all of the brakes, drivetrain and suspension upgrades that I would eventually go with on the Expert. I'm not sure I really need a suspension fork on my fatbike, but I definitely want one.

With the Expert, I would ditch the shitty brakes in favor of XT's, and for sure the gripshift and 2x10 in favor of an expanded 1x10 with X9/X0 trigger shifter and possibly a Bluto if the price was right.

It comes down to the price though as I in all reality have to buy 2 fatbikes, one for myself and one for my wife. On top of the fact that I still desperately need a road bike...fuck.

 

[JuliusJ]

honestly, new chain and cassette is probably in order. low end hubs can be suspect for crap bearing but more likely you just have a stretched chain and worn cassette.

this. check your chainrings too to see how worn they are as well.

 

[division.bell]

Trails are absolutely swamped right now, muddy butts right now

This morning was the muddiest I have been in a long time. Low 40's, light rain, 30mph+ winds with puddles and leaves everywhere this morning. The trails are so damn fun right now.

 

[ModMommy]

Got one last ride in before the wether takes a turn for the worse. Trials were frozen wih the occasional not solid mud patch. What a way to end the season.

 

[cwillygood]

Killer ride yesterday outside Bozeman!

Rippin' down the bottom half of Wheeler Gulch Trail today on an awesome/ muddy/ gnarly ride with the crew! #mtb #outforarip #mountainbiking #bozeman A video posted by Chris Goodhue (@skicgoody) on Nov 11, 2014 at 5:07pm PST

 

[cwillygood]

[video]http://instagram.com/p/vKPN2cvfyn/?modal=true[/video]

 

[gapersarefriends]

sweat my balls off on the ride this morning in shorts and a t shirt. i guess the upside for having to drive six hours to ski means i can ride all year long

 

[gapersarefriends]

sweat my balls off on the ride this morning in shorts and a t shirt. i guess the upside for having to drive six hours to ski means i can ride all year long

 

[division.bell]

Well, I just drunk ordered a frame, so I guess I'm building a single speed now. Fuck yeah?

Hardtail for sale, inquire within.

 

[ModMommy]

Well, I just drunk ordered a frame, so I guess I'm building a single speed now. Fuck yeah?

Hardtail for sale, inquire within.

Ooo what frame?

 

[division.bell]

Ooo what frame?

I'll post some pictures once I have it in hand. I am still trying to plan out the component build, I have some ideas but haven't committed to anything yet.

Pictures are much more effective than words; patience please. Fucking stoked...more beer now.

 

[kung_powpow]

Finally got around to trading the Iron Horse 7point3 for a lighter bike. I traded it for a Fuji outland 2.0 with some upgrades, it's gotta be under 30lb but I haven't weighed it yet. Upgrades on both tires to swamp thing and high roller, front fork to 150mm w/ lockout, 150mm rear coil instead of air, carbon fiber bars, DT swiss e2200 rim. Next upgrades will be a shorter stem, 2 chainring crank, and rear derailleur. I haven't taken it up into the mountains since skiing has taken up most of my time but I'm real excited.

View attachment 736821

 

[ModMommy]

I jsut had to save my bike from the advancing snowstorm. I'm sorry baby, I'll never leave you out there in those conditions again.

 

[B-runge]

Sunny and beautiful day in Bellingham to go for a pedal yeeeeee!

It's so nice out, I feel like I haven't seen this much sun in a month! I already went out for a big 9-1 ride today. I rode from town to the top of the towers then Evo>Uline>adog>mullet>SST and home. It was so nice and sunny that I just couldnt stop doing defferent loops on galby whereas I usually only ride one of them. The trails are a little slippery right now, I think they froze last night and melted in the morning. We should shred sometime if you live in bellingham, I ride every day rain or shine!

I wish my phone camera wasnt broken because the view of baker and the san juans was crystal clear today. I sat up at the view point for at least 15 minutes just staring at the mountains. Seeing all that snow got me real stoked to go skiing

 

[dmski]

Calling all Seattle people. Does anyone know what trails/bike parks are in this video. I know that the skate park is on beacon hill somewhere, but how about the DH riding area, XC and DJ spots?

 

[Tinga]

well it just snowed and it looks like it's going to be staying the season. biking season over.

 

[hippy.]

I'm looking to get back into biking any suggestions on a cheap place to buy a complete bike for a local trail rider who managed to snap his frame falling off a bridge

 

[m-tang]

Well OP's Banshee is now mine and she shreds like a champ. Snow's supposed to fly Thursday so I think I'm gonna get out for a Tres Hombres lap or two tomorrow.

 

[byubound]

I'm looking to get back into biking any suggestions on a cheap place to buy a complete bike for a local trail rider who managed to snap his frame falling off a bridge

Local bike stores are always good, and then you get better deals on service, however, you can find better deals at price point or chain reaction cycles online. Completes there require assembly though.

 

[bakedpow]

Well OP's Banshee is now mine and she shreds like a champ. Snow's supposed to fly Thursday so I think I'm gonna get out for a Tres Hombres lap or two tomorrow.

woah thats cool, no idea you were a newschooler. glad you are getting her out there. i wish i had more time to bike right now

 

[bakedpow]

You get a different bike? Lets get out sometime, I have been riding as much as I can lately!

nope not got another bike, iv borrowed a buddies a few times when i was jonesing. soccer season just ended so now im more free to go out. hopefully it gets freezing and snowy soon so i wont need to think about biking. but the way fall has been im not betting on any snow too soon

 

[JuliusJ]

I'm looking to get back into biking any suggestions on a cheap place to buy a complete bike for a local trail rider who managed to snap his frame falling off a bridge

Cheap is all relative haha, are the parts on the frame salvageable? Or buying a whole new bike?

What kind of riding do you like to do? (trails/all mt/freeride/downhill)

What kind of bike would you like and would be best suited for that style of riding? (rigid/hardtail/full suspension)

Whats your budget?

 

[NinetyFour]

just notched maybe my 5th day skiing this season. i want to ride my fucking bike.

thats all.

Have you considered buying a fatbike at all? Minnesota is basically the fatbiking capital of the universe. I guess if you are only particular to park riding, or are tight on cash, then I could see why you would shy away from one.

And sorry for still not having tossed any Farley pics up yet. The weather has been miserable so I'm holding out until we've got some good snow to start riding it again. Hyped to rip snowy city streets, frozen rivers, and wherever else it may take me.

 

[division.bell]

Last night was my first real taste of night riding with a borrowed bike light. Temps were in the upper 20's, trails were dry and frozen with minimal mud or flowing water to contend with. It was interesting not having an additional light on my head for all of the blind or tight corners. I'll be purchasing some lights soon to continue the night riding.

The experience was fun as fuck, but I got my ass seriously kicked by my co-workers, almost got taken out by a buck that crossed the trail right in front of me, and then my shock decided to lose air pressure causing my bottom bracket to be so low that I was hitting any undulation in the terrain with my crank arm. Inefficient and exceptionally frustrating. Guessing it's going to be a few weeks until my shock is fixed and I'm able to ride that bike again.

Got out this morning on my hardtail on the same trails and it was in the mid to upper 30's with ice and frozen patches everywhere from the below freezing temps overnight. Nice and dry for the most part, but super crunchy and slick in the shade. I love being able to ride year round here.

Still, snow didn't stop me from riding our local trails year round in MN.

 

[ghosthop]

Night riding with a crew is so much fun, it really adds an interesting new element to the ride. I was at gbm last week and we did a night ride on the slickrock with a full moon overhead, it was spiritual stuff.

 

[byubound]

Calling all Seattle people. Does anyone know what trails/bike parks are in this video. I know that the skate park is on beacon hill somewhere, but how about the DH riding area, XC and DJ spots?

I'm thinking those djs are the jungle, which is a private/secret spot. See here:[video]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gzqG7yy5oQw[/video]

 

[dmski]

I'm thinking those djs are the jungle, which is a private/secret spot. See here:[video]http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=gzqG7yy5oQw[/video]

Ah that would be them! Those are pretty sweet but no way people like me will get in haha! How about the dh segment? Exit 27?

 

[bakedpow]

Iv got a 1000 lumen headlamp Thad awesome for night riding. Going to use it sooooo much this ski seaso too.

 

[Tinga]

got out on a borealis echo last night. Super fun to be back out on a bike again. kinda weird though. dropper post seat doesnt work below freezing and rock shox doesnt recommend riding the bluto below 31 degrees. What the hell is the point?

 

[DIPED_IN_SAUCE]

Any advice on some good 7-8 mile bike rides around Seattle? I've been riding Soaring Eagle park for a quick workout. Any other good trails I should know about?

 

[NinetyFour]

I tHonk Rockshox offers cold weather parts and thinner oils for the Bluto so that it will operate smoothly below freezing. I'll be doing either that or buying a Salsa carbon fork for when shit gets too cold.

 

[NinetyFour]

i think fatbikes are stupid.

I will admit, it's a quintessential form of transportation for any hipster who lives where it snows any decent amount. Reading the PYLP on the fatbike MTBR forums it's quite apparent as EVERYONE who posts in there is buying fucking temp gauge stem caps that don't even really work, or some high-class glass table syrup looking thing that's actually their water bottle. So yeah, I could somewhat see why it might be an easy group/trend to hate.

For me, just being able to spin the legs and get out of the house on weeknights is the real beauty of it.

 

[byubound]

Any advice on some good 7-8 mile bike rides around Seattle? I've been riding Soaring Eagle park for a quick workout. Any other good trails I should know about?

Try to get to tiger for a really good fire road climb and super fun descent. It will close soon though. Tokul is a similar type of trail. Grand ridge is good, but it is not an out and back like the others, so you need a car on both ends. Hit me up if you want to ride some time. The eagle is like 2 minutes from my house.

 

[division.bell]

Any advice on some good 7-8 mile bike rides around Seattle? I've been riding Soaring Eagle park for a quick workout. Any other good trails I should know about?

Try to get to tiger for a really good fire road climb and super fun descent. It will close soon though. Tokul is a similar type of trail. Grand ridge is good, but it is not an out and back like the others, so you need a car on both ends. Hit me up if you want to ride some time. The eagle is like 2 minutes from my house.

Duthie is the closest to Soaring Eagle and has a good mix for every type of rider.

Grand Ridge is definitely an out and back and can be ridden in a variety of ways. I will either park at duthie and ride south through the park to link up to Grand Ridge to the retention pond near Central Park and back hitting up the dual slalom course on my way back through duthie. Or I will park at Central Park and ride north to duthie, do a few laps and head back.

You can literally ride from Soaring Eagle to Duthie to Grand Ridge to Tiger and back if you want to. Lots of good riding up there.

Tolt, both Tokuls, Paradise Valley and others are not far away either.

 

[JuliusJ]

i think fatbikes are stupid. mostly because i'm an ignorant asshole. Probably gonna cave and throw some 2.5s on my hardtail and rip the trails come january. Also thinking about doing Ray's indoor park in milwaukee for some pseudo singletrack riding

definitely an option, but dude you live in minnesota, a fatbike would be so sick there. literally would be one of my first purchases if I ever happen to move back...

 

[dmski]

Duthie is the closest to Soaring Eagle and has a good mix for every type of rider.

Grand Ridge is definitely an out and back and can be ridden in a variety of ways. I will either park at duthie and ride south through the park to link up to Grand Ridge to the retention pond near Central Park and back hitting up the dual slalom course on my way back through duthie. Or I will park at Central Park and ride north to duthie, do a few laps and head back.

You can literally ride from Soaring Eagle to Duthie to Grand Ridge to Tiger and back if you want to. Lots of good riding up there.

Tolt, both Tokuls, Paradise Valley and others are not far away either.

Good options, also take a look at South Sea Tac (SST) and exit 27, and even collonade under I5 if you are into gravity related stuff. If not, tiger mnt and big finn st. park are good xc runs. I found that singletracks.com has a good list of locations under the washington trails section. Most of it is spot on for the popular stuff, but to find more hidden trails you kinda have to get in with a group who will tell you some secret spots.

 

[JuliusJ]

Any of you Seattle people ridden ape canyon by mt st helens?

 

[division.bell]

Good options, also take a look at South Sea Tac (SST) and exit 27, and even collonade under I5 if you are into gravity related stuff. If not, tiger mnt and big finn st. park are good xc runs. I found that singletracks.com has a good list of locations under the washington trails section. Most of it is spot on for the popular stuff, but to find more hidden trails you kinda have to get in with a group who will tell you some secret spots.

Good options, but not all of those are in the same vicinity as the trails listed above.

As far as looking at local trails online, check out www.evergreenmtb.org. They sponsor and build/maintain a lot of our trails and have a pretty comprehensive trail listing.

Any of you Seattle people ridden ape canyon by mt st helens?

Have yet to do that ride. Hoping I will check it off my list next summer. The views look incredible.

 

[DIPED_IN_SAUCE]

Duthie is the closest to Soaring Eagle and has a good mix for every type of rider.

Grand Ridge is definitely an out and back and can be ridden in a variety of ways. I will either park at duthie and ride south through the park to link up to Grand Ridge to the retention pond near Central Park and back hitting up the dual slalom course on my way back through duthie. Or I will park at Central Park and ride north to duthie, do a few laps and head back.

You can literally ride from Soaring Eagle to Duthie to Grand Ridge to Tiger and back if you want to. Lots of good riding up there.

Tolt, both Tokuls, Paradise Valley and others are not far away either.

Duthie looks like a lot of fun, thanks for that. Is it mostly constructed stuff like the google image searchers or is their some good dirt trails too?

 

[division.bell]

Duthie looks like a lot of fun, thanks for that. Is it mostly constructed stuff like the google image searchers or is their some good dirt trails too?

The 4 trails that create the perimeter of the park are the xc oriented trails; Bootcamp, Movin' On, Braveheart, Step it Up. They are all dirt with lots of sculpted berms, some rocks, logs, small wood bridges etc., there are frequent optional advanced features and lines if you want to deviate from the norm.

Boot camp is the beginner xc trail and is usually hard packed and free of mud. Once you get to the top of the climb you have 3 ways to get down. Each is fun in its own way. The dual slalom course is addicting.

Lots to ride there if you want xc, freeride, jumps, pump tracks, skill area with progressive drops and low risk skinnys.

 

[californiagrown]

What are the odds Tiger is open on TG and/or Friday? Im gonna head up there one of those days me thinks, then drive over to Snoqualmie pass to get to know the drive and take a look at Alpy and see where ill be skiing most this year.

Curiously, anyone here ever ridden down in the Bay Area? My local trails were at Skeggs and im just wondering how they fair in the grand scheme of things.

 

[division.bell]

What are the odds Tiger is open on TG and/or Friday? Im gonna head up there one of those days me thinks, then drive over to Snoqualmie pass to get to know the drive and take a look at Alpy and see where ill be skiing most this year.

Check here for Tiger closures;
http://www.dnr.wa.gov/RecreationEdu...s/amr_south_puget_sound_region_rec.aspx#tiger

Still open, but they've been encouraging riders to give the trails a rest with all of this recent rain. No one will stop you from riding the trails. I saw some people parked in the lot loading bikes when I drove by on Monday.

 

[byubound]

There is a work party on tiger this Saturday. The free shuttle up is well worth a few hours of work imo.

 

[.MASSHOLE.]

 

[californiagrown]

Check here for Tiger closures;
http://www.dnr.wa.gov/RecreationEdu...s/amr_south_puget_sound_region_rec.aspx#tiger

Still open, but they've been encouraging riders to give the trails a rest with all of this recent rain. No one will stop you from riding the trails. I saw some people parked in the lot loading bikes when I drove by on Monday.

Yeah I've been checking the evergreen site and its hasn't been updated since last week. I know the closures are "suggested" not mandatory, but I just don't want to be the out-of-towner who fucks up the trails.

Any other similar options- long climb to the top, long descent back down. I've been at big Finn a bunch, but that's real quick intown ride, though still pretty fun.

There is a work party on tiger this Saturday. The free shuttle up is well worth a few hours of work imo.

I was thinking about checking one of those out, I'm new to the area and figured it would be a good way to meet some folks. Ur going Saturday's? I've got apple cup festivities that day, but I'm thinking about Friday or Sunday...

 

[byubound]

Yeah I've been checking the evergreen site and its hasn't been updated since last week. I know the closures are "suggested" not mandatory, but I just don't want to be the out-of-towner who fucks up the trails.

Any other similar options- long climb to the top, long descent back down. I've been at big Finn a bunch, but that's real quick intown ride, though still pretty fun.

I was thinking about checking one of those out, I'm new to the area and figured it would be a good way to meet some folks. Ur going Saturday's? I've got apple cup festivities that day, but I'm thinking about Friday or Sunday...

I wouldnt mind going to the friday one, as long as stevens or crystal doesnt open.

 

[division.bell]

Yeah I've been checking the evergreen site and its hasn't been updated since last week. I know the closures are "suggested" not mandatory, but I just don't want to be the out-of-towner who fucks up the trails.

Any other similar options- long climb to the top, long descent back down. I've been at big Finn a bunch, but that's real quick intown ride, though still pretty fun.

Officially the trails are still open. I wouldn't worry too much about fucking up the trails. They did a lot of work getting the trails to drain water compared to years past. Usually the trails close on October 15th, so get it while you can.

I've heard rumors that some trails (lower trails) will be open all winter but haven't seen anything to confirm or deny those rumors.

 

[dmski]

Officially the trails are still open. I wouldn't worry too much about fucking up the trails. They did a lot of work getting the trails to drain water compared to years past. Usually the trails close on October 15th, so get it while you can.

I've heard rumors that some trails (lower trails) will be open all winter but haven't seen anything to confirm or deny those rumors.

I've heard that too but keep an eye on evergreens website. Would be nice to ride all winter during the week and ski the weekends.

 

[QuantumMechanic]

Getting home for break this afternoon. Hopefully I'll be able to get a first ride on my new bike

 

[DIPED_IN_SAUCE]

The 4 trails that create the perimeter of the park are the xc oriented trails; Bootcamp, Movin' On, Braveheart, Step it Up. They are all dirt with lots of sculpted berms, some rocks, logs, small wood bridges etc., there are frequent optional advanced features and lines if you want to deviate from the norm.

Boot camp is the beginner xc trail and is usually hard packed and free of mud. Once you get to the top of the climb you have 3 ways to get down. Each is fun in its own way. The dual slalom course is addicting.

Lots to ride there if you want xc, freeride, jumps, pump tracks, skill area with progressive drops and low risk skinnys.

Went to duthie today, now at home bleeding with a few ice packs on. Best day of biking I've had in a long time, thanks everyone for letting me know about it!