Official mountain biking thread

GANDALFAnyone know why my damper keeps coming loose? No matter how much I tighten it, it always seems to come loose eventually. It definitely shouldn't be able To loosen at all.....kinda a major concern haha. I don't really wanna pay a bunch of money to have my fork serviced.

Staticfat bikes suck anywhere but a groomed xc ski trail

Staticfat bikes suck anywhere but a groomed xc ski trail

TingaI would agree. Good thing here in northern MN 6 months out of the year everything is basically a groomed ski trail

ericaBeen riding my hardtail on Teton pass and in the JHMR bike park the past month and I'm getting stoked on riding and getting stoked on my riding. yew!

JuliusJHeading to JH soon, stoked to get some riding in!

RockShoxToraFat bikes + fat tires = fat surface area.

Their purpose is for sand, loose dirt, shale, and snow - essentially anything that needs that wider foot print or extra inertia to roll over.

Here in AZ, they are becoming just as popular as 29'ers. I ride with plenty of guys that swear by them. Most ride them rigid with clunker conversions...Totally different culture then I care for, but whatevs.

To say their only purpose is groomed dirt is undermining this new jump in bike tech. Does your opinion differ on 27.5+ tires? Same principle, slightly smaller package.

People said the same thing about 29'ers 6 years ago. Look at us now...

StaticDude, you can't compare a 4" wide tire to 26/27.5/29. Have you actually ridden a fat bike? They are sluggish as hell, townie level bike fun.

RockShoxTora27.5+ =\= 27.5.

Im telling you right now this "trend" is here to stay.
Salsa, Surly, Vassago, On-One, etc have all introduced a fat model this past year. More companies are jumping on board too.

NinetyFour+1 to that. My ass would be destroyed trying to nose that saddle for steep climbs to. Since you're riding an epic though you should probably just do the pro thing and set yours up like Jaroslav's:

NinetyFourFrom Lenzerheide today:

Nino is the sickest fucking dude going.

RockShoxToraTo say their only purpose is groomed dirt is undermining this new jump in bike tech. Does your opinion differ on 27.5+ tires? Same principle, slightly smaller package..

Tingagroomed ski trails are usually snow, not dirt.

Fat bikes are fine and people are having fun on them then keep it up.

For me personally When I am trail riding I like to go faster and you just can't do that on a 4" tire like you can on a 2.3" tire.

I am also not in favor of the 27.5+ I think it's a trend no one was asking for. I have yet to ride one and would gladly take the chance to ride one but I don't see myself selling my current trail bike for one.

RockShoxTora27.5+ =\= 27.5.

Im telling you right now this "trend" is here to stay.
Salsa, Surly, Vassago, On-One, etc have all introduced a fat model this past year. More companies are jumping on board too.

kirbstopperJust because lots of companies are hopping on board doesn't mean it's here to stay. Bike companies have been creating these trends to make a quick buck off consumers who believe they're on the wrong wheel size or width, the wrong drivetrain ratio, the wrong size suspension, etc..
When in reality all these modern bikes will do everything your asking it to and more.

Fat bikes in particular are cool but only if youre on snow or sand. They're just inefficient elsewhere. So yes they have their purpose but I've been riding my bike in the winter commuting my whole life and have people still tell me I should only be using a fat bike.

Fat bikes will stay but the hype is already dropping on them.(see it first hand, work in a shop in whistler). 27.5+ and 29+ will die as its already been tried with a different wheel size. We've already found the most efficient width 2.2-2.5. But if your having fun on a chubby tire, more power to you.

Long story short, ride what you want it's all mountain biking.

kirbstopperFat bikes in particular are cool but only if youre on snow or sand. They're just inefficient elsewhere.

division.bellQuit fucking hating and just enjoy riding your own damn bike.

division.bellI'm obviously quite biased as I do own a fat bike and enjoy a regular (once a week) ride on dirt with my fat bike, because I think it's a complete blast and is far more versatile, efficient (it's a rigid bike with a massive traction patch combined with low pressures and tires that measure out to a 29" diameter. What inefficiency are you possibly referring to?)

TingaRolling resistance is a huge inefficiency of fat bikes. with wide tires and low pressure, rolling resistance is huge. That's just physics.

Why do you think road tires are super skinny and run high pressures?

If you put a fat bike next to a bike with 2.3 tires the 2.3 bike is going to roll faster.

now some people aren't always looking for all out speed and that's fine. it sounds like they really enjoy the fat bikes and that's great. Just realize that fat bikes aren't going to be winning any races in the near future.

RockShoxToraEver tried climbing with tires pressurized to 40PSI vs one pressurized to 22PSI?
But I would win on the 22PSI despite said increased rolling resistance.

Same for the decent. You might get more speed on concrete running a straight line with firm tires, but the increased resistance gives you more responsive traction which will you give you more control in loose conditions.

Fat bikes have their purpose.
It's impossible to excel in every category. Period.

californiagrownOn another note, I'm really thinking about picking up a 2015 giant reign off PB. it's a lot of money, but its also a lot of bike. Maybe too much?

TingaThe reign is a great bike for what it was intended to do. What do you intend on doing with it?

It's great for climbing and descending. particularly descending.

GANDALFhere's me eating shit today

https://www.newschoolers.com/watch/775371.0/Eating-shit-on-my-mountain-bike?c=13&o=10&t=6#AJ1wWSDykSGj5KlI.97

californiagrownI want a bike I can pedal up, but is really good at descending. I live in the pnw so descents can get rowdy, and I'll also be taking it to lift accessed stuff a few times a year.

BUT I'm hesitant to get a bike I have to go mach Looney on to enjoy. I still want to have fun on mellow trails and I'm afraid the reign is too geared towards ground hugging speed down gnar.

Basically I want a slack trail bike with 6+ inches of travel that can climb okay, handle the steep, fast, gnarly stuff, can handle the bike park well, but is also playful enough to flick around a little bit.

It's also gotta be a 29 or 27.5 because I'd plan on keeping it for quite a while and don't want to have to search out rare 26" parts.


I'm 6'4" 200lbs, currently ride a 2011 stumpy fsr and would classify myself as upper intermediate for the pnw, maybe advanced.


Thoughts?

californiagrownThat angle makes it look like you were trying to manual-pump througg the rollers and back tire slide out?

You okay? More importantly, is the bike okay? Haha

californiagrownBasically I want a slack trail bike with 6+ inches of travel that can climb okay, handle the steep, fast, gnarly stuff, can handle the bike park well, but is also playful enough to flick around a little bit.

californiagrownI want a bike I can pedal up, but is really good at descending. I live in the pnw so descents can get rowdy, and I'll also be taking it to lift accessed stuff a few times a year.

BUT I'm hesitant to get a bike I have to go mach Looney on to enjoy. I still want to have fun on mellow trails and I'm afraid the reign is too geared towards ground hugging speed down gnar.

Basically I want a slack trail bike with 6+ inches of travel that can climb okay, handle the steep, fast, gnarly stuff, can handle the bike park well, but is also playful enough to flick around a little bit.

It's also gotta be a 29 or 27.5 because I'd plan on keeping it for quite a while and don't want to have to search out rare 26" parts.


I'm 6'4" 200lbs, currently ride a 2011 stumpy fsr and would classify myself as upper intermediate for the pnw, maybe advanced.


Thoughts?

~Gotama~One more question:

I usually ride XC, but sometimes I like to mess around on pumptracks and small jumps. When I do, I find that my seat post gets in the way and doesn't go down very far like it would on a jumper. When I have it up for normal trail riding, there is about 7-8 inches of post inside the tube, and I'm thinking about trimming it shorter so that it can function both as an efficient trail bike and passable "fun" bike. Are there any blatant issues with trimming down the post? How much should I leave below my highest riding height? What's the best way to do it?

division.bellA pipe wrench, or a hacksaw with guide are your best bets. I have used both and they work well. I personally have a pipe wrench that I picked up cheap from Home Depot.

californiagrownI want a bike I can pedal up, but is really good at descending. I live in the pnw so descents can get rowdy, and I'll also be taking it to lift accessed stuff a few times a year.

BUT I'm hesitant to get a bike I have to go mach Looney on to enjoy. I still want to have fun on mellow trails and I'm afraid the reign is too geared towards ground hugging speed down gnar.

Basically I want a slack trail bike with 6+ inches of travel that can climb okay, handle the steep, fast, gnarly stuff, can handle the bike park well, but is also playful enough to flick around a little bit.

It's also gotta be a 29 or 27.5 because I'd plan on keeping it for quite a while and don't want to have to search out rare 26" parts.


I'm 6'4" 200lbs, currently ride a 2011 stumpy fsr and would classify myself as upper intermediate for the pnw, maybe advanced.


Thoughts?

byuboundYou really dont even need a guide. Nothing bad happens if your seatpost doesn't have a clean cut at the end.

californiagrownFrom what I've seen, fatbikes make unfun terrain more fun, and fun terrain less fun.

Seems like a good tool to have in the bag if biking is your thing- kinda like taking the pow skis out for a groomer day during a dry spell. It's good to mix it up sometimes.

Then again I gape hard on bikes so what do I know?

division.bell2016 Stumpy 650B has 150mm of front and rear travel and is a perfect bike for our area. I took the 29er version which has 140mm front and 135mm of rear travel to Tiger on Tuesday morning and didn't need any more bike or even use all of my travel on a ride from the top down OTG/FR/JR/NWT to the lot. I've ridden the expert carbon 650b, expert carbon 29er and elite aluminum 29er around here now and am a huge fan of both wheelsize versions and the overall platform in general, and will be ordering a high end 29er for myself when it becomes available, hopefully later this month. I know a lot of people that had their minds changed once they spent some time on this new Stumpy.

I'd also look at the Bronson and Nomad, both 650b with 150mm and 165mm travel respectively. I've ridden the new Nomad but not the Bronson yet. It didn't climb as well as the Stumpjumpers did, but I didn't expect it to either. Would be a killer bike for Tiger and other more lengthy and technical descending, but would not be my bike of choice for some of the more traditional and tight singletrack in our area.

I also know quite a few people running Enduros, both 650b and 29er's in our area. From mellow xc singletrack to Stevens riding, that bike can take it. Overkill obviously on mellower terrain much like the Nomad above, it also offers 165mm in the 650b form, but has 155mm for the 29er; but is worth it on the descents either way you run it.

I've also spent some time on the Tallboy LT 29er with 135mm of travel and was very impressed. I know a few people in Bend that are on this bike and ride it for XC and endurbro races with shit eating grins every time they ride it. Bummer that Santa Cruz is out of stock until early 2016 when they hopefully upgrade the frame with a new rear triangle and moved pivot bearings. There are some in stock at local dealers but ordering a new one is out of the question until 2016 from my understanding.

Lots of bikes out there worth checking into, but the bikes listed above are some of what I've ridden recently on trails in our area.

JuliusJ@californiagrown just buy a relatively new (2013 or newer) "trail bike." However, this is demo season, try your hardest to make it to some demos. Can really influence decisions in my opinion. I can talk Specialized/Salsa/Pivot bikes for days (and don't mind a PM about anything) but nothing is going to help more than just riding a bike.

Also, some shops will do a "try before you buy" or straight up rental program that could be helpful to make a decision.

californiagrownIdeally i would keep my stumpy but get new wheels(i constantly snap spokes on my rear wheel- im a big guy and the wheels are 2 years old), and then get a dedicated downhill rig. But then id have 2 older bikes and be out $3000. Id rather sell the stumpy, get a new/er "enduro" bike and be out $2000 instead haha.

ThaLoraxWhat you're looking for is an "enduro" bike. THe reign would be awesome for what you're describing, but then again, the Trance would be too. OR any bike with 5-6" of travel.

byuboundThis. It is pretty difficult to go wrong in that category, so many companies are making great enduro bikes nowadays. I will put in a good word for my spartan though. Super stable at speed, but not a bore on more jumpy trails. Has handled everything I've thrown at it with ease. Only place it struggles would be low speed, tight trails because of how long it is.