Page 1 of 6 1 2 3 4 5 6 LastLast
Results 1 to 25 of 148
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Treading Water
    Posts
    6,683

    Winter 2017 Random MTB Talk Thread

    It's winter. Other than folks getting boners for their Fat Bikes and a scattered few with desert locale bragging rights, there's just not that much to keep Sprockets running.
    So yea, I rode in the snow today. It was fun. It was cold. Dog had a blast. It was a one off.
    Click image for larger version. 

Name:	IMG_3088.jpg 
Views:	283 
Size:	1.86 MB 
ID:	196709

    Thinking about spending the winter overhauling all 5 of our bikes. Piece by piece. Need heat in the garage though...
    However many are in a shit ton.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Feb 2007
    Location
    Cuntecticut
    Posts
    1,814
    Quote Originally Posted by jm2e View Post

    Thinking about spending the winter overhauling all 5 of our bikes. Piece by piece. Need heat in the garage though...
    Insulated at all?

    Best thing I ever did was taking a couple days a few winters back to throw in some insulation into ours. Had/has a nice insulated inner and outer door, but there were air gaps all over the place around the outer one, and no insulation at all in the long exterior wall, or the ceiling/roof.

    Bought a bunch of mid-r-value stuff in bulk. Put that in the wall and ceiling, paneled over it all, sealed up the gaps around the outer door, and the two windows on the side. Excellent!

    Without any heat going, and so long as I don't open the outer door, it stays around 40F even when single digits outside. A small space heater gets it comfy in short order. Was time and money well spent! I mean, it ain't Bermuda. I still need to bundle up a bit, but it's comfy enough. Even when opening up the outer door, so long as I don't leave it open too long, it gets back up to temp pretty quickly as well.
    Florence Nightingale's Stormtrooper

  3. #3
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    People's Republic of OB
    Posts
    4,407
    Any downtime I have is usually spent researching new places to go ride or new ways to link things together for bigger rides or variety.

    I am one of the lucky ones, we did 45 miles today in the desert in perfect shorts and t-shirt weather.


    What is the riding season in NC? I may have to go out to our FL office in the next month or two and was thinking of a stopover at Pisgah/Brevard for a few days on the way out or way home. Won't be doing it while it is cold though.

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    none
    Posts
    8,334
    Why one off? Dog had fun, you had fun.

    We're out the door in a few minutes.
    Yesterday was 3f. Today's a balmy 17.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    none
    Posts
    8,334

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Jan 2009
    Location
    Saratoga Springs, NY
    Posts
    1,629
    My riding buddy has been trying to convince me to get a fat bike since he finally broke down and bought himself one for christmas. I can't quite bring myself to do it though, given that I'm most likely to be skiing on any given weekend and winter night riding just sounds f'ing cold.

    So in the meantime, I'm shopping non-fat bikes and calling my bike shop once a week to try to figure out why they "can't seem to get a hold of Rockshox" about my reverb warranty. I know it's off-season and *I* don't need it back any time soon, but going on 4 weeks now with no progress.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Three-O-Three
    Posts
    15,418
    Quote Originally Posted by radam View Post
    My riding buddy has been trying to convince me to get a fat bike since he finally broke down and bought himself one for christmas. I can't quite bring myself to do it though, given that I'm most likely to be skiing on any given weekend and winter night riding just sounds f'ing cold.

    So in the meantime, I'm shopping non-fat bikes and calling my bike shop once a week to try to figure out why they "can't seem to get a hold of Rockshox" about my reverb warranty. I know it's off-season and *I* don't need it back any time soon, but going on 4 weeks now with no progress.
    That's the ONLY thing I liked about dealing with KS for their warranties.... go on their website, fill out a warranty form, and send it in along with their shitty dropper post. RS/SRAM is obviously a way bigger company, so they have to make things as difficult as possible.

    FWIW, I had to warranty two Fox posts this fall and I had those back in under three weeks. My shop is awesome though.

  8. #8
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    cow hampshire
    Posts
    8,295
    Quote Originally Posted by radam View Post
    My riding buddy has been trying to convince me to get a fat bike since he finally broke down and bought himself one for christmas.
    I've had one now for 3-4 years. My two ski/bike friends just bought fat bikes and it's been pretty damn fun. It's just different compared to riding dirt. I equate it to going for a skin. Nothing like being in the snow covered woods with a long line of sight and no people. Then add beers and maybe a fire. It's just all good. You stay plenty warm. That is probably the hardest thing to overcome...not overheating. Hands and feet are the only issue, but you can get that dialed.

    So, my friends bought relatively inexpensive Framed bikes. IMO you don't need an expensive bike for rollin a fatty. I suppose now that Highland is opening with groomed trails and raked out berms, a nicer bike would be important, but we just cruise our local trails for fun.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Posts
    141


    On non ski days I get the family out on the fatties. We do 10-15 Miles on snowmobile trails and our local trails. It's a ton of fun and quite different. The night rides are nippy but so bright with the snow. Way better than the shit on tv.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Apr 2013
    Location
    Goulder
    Posts
    891
    Quote Originally Posted by radam View Post
    My riding buddy has been trying to convince me to get a fat bike since he finally broke down and bought himself one for christmas. I can't quite bring myself to do it though, given that I'm most likely to be skiing on any given weekend and winter night riding just sounds f'ing cold.
    It's a tough call. It can be fun, and phad bikes can be had for cheap. Sometimes its type 2 fun (cold, tough going) with good friends, which is really type 1 fun. Sometimes its just for the therapy aspect.
    Get a cheap bike and all the other equipment (layers/gloves/boots) you already have. The times I get out it's fun as sh1t, but conditions can suck (slush) and your beer might freeze. (true story)

    Then the snow melts and I don't look at the clown tire bike for 9 months, and I wonder why I put any money into winter riding. Then, I see people riding fat bikes on dirt and proceed to make disparaging comments.
    the drugs made me realize it's not about the drugs

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Southeast New York
    Posts
    11,766
    Quote Originally Posted by lotsarocks View Post


    On non ski days I get the family out on the fatties. We do 10-15 Miles on snowmobile trails and our local trails. It's a ton of fun and quite different. The night rides are nippy but so bright with the snow. Way better than the shit on tv.
    What a great shot. Looks so peaceful.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
    Location
    none
    Posts
    8,334
    I ride every day and it's generally wet and soft. A fat bikes just the best tool for the job here.

    Last night we got an inch of snow and this morning it was pouring rain, 37f with winds gusting to 25.
    I was sore, coughing up lung cookies and just didn't feel like going outside.
    But my dog made me and we ended up having a great ride!

    Sometimes just getting your ass out the door is the hardest part.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Treading Water
    Posts
    6,683
    Quote Originally Posted by scrublover View Post
    Insulated at all?
    Right! It's even a new construction. We've been in it 5 years and I wish I'd insulated it. But we were completely maxed out when be got this house and convincing my wife to upgrade to an insulated garage door would not have worked. We'll only be here for another year max, so definitely not worth the effort.

    Quote Originally Posted by evdog View Post
    What is the riding season in NC? I may have to go out to our FL office in the next month or two and was thinking of a stopover at Pisgah/Brevard for a few days on the way out or way home. Won't be doing it while it is cold though.
    I'm 4 hrs away from Pisgah, and we get up there 12 months a year. The mountains don't get shit tons of snow, and when they are snowy the trails are still good. I think it helps that what we're riding these days is "enduro" style trails; Uphill on access roads for 1-2 hours and then mostly downhill technical stuff for the rest of the ride. The only thing that I won't do anymore is 30-45 deg and raining. Can't stand the uphill slog in the rain and it just gets colder as you go up. But otherwise it's game on.
    Quote Originally Posted by Shredhead View Post
    Why one off? Dog had fun, you had fun.
    Good point. We're 4 hrs from the mountains, and the local riding isn't to die for when dry. We only get a handful of days with snow here every year, then it turns to horrible soupy mess, which is way less fun on level ground than when downhilling. So we need the perfect weather pattern of sustained sub zero for a few days to prolong the snow riding fun around here.
    Quote Originally Posted by Shredhead View Post
    Sometimes just getting your ass out the door is the hardest part.
    Sig worthy
    However many are in a shit ton.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Posts
    536
    I reeely want a new carbon Warden...so so bike mag review but they really didn't go into details and they didn't have time to dial in the suspension/fit I take it. Everything I've heard from members of this site indicates its a rad bike. Thoughts?

    Im in Idaho, so obviously ride some smooth trails, some not so smooth , and have to climb/earn it, but the descent/fun is priority and i'd give up a little efficiency on the up to cream on the downs. Im currently on an sb66c...

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Treading Water
    Posts
    6,683
    However many are in a shit ton.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    cow hampshire
    Posts
    8,295
    The accents make it funnier for me...then yelling at the sheep to shut up. Pretty funny!

  17. #17
    Join Date
    May 2002
    Location
    Halfway Between the Gutter and the Stars
    Posts
    3,807
    Quote Originally Posted by Shredhead View Post

    Sometimes just getting your ass out the door is the hardest part.

    I recently relocated to Vernon and although there are tons of riders and trails I know no riders and few trails. It is soooo much easier to get motivated when you've got friends to ride and drink/puff with.
    You are what you eat.
    ---------------------------------------------------
    There's no such thing as bad snow, just shitty skiers.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Feb 2015
    Posts
    141
    That was great. between the accents and zaps it was like they had terrets.

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Dec 2002
    Location
    cow hampshire
    Posts
    8,295
    Fun ride last night, but at the same time it was an epic fail on my part.
    In one day we lost all of our snow. I still had studded tires and flats on my fat bike with no time to swap it out. The flats were fine...kinda of...but the studs are brutal on granite slab climbs! Then the amount of leaves an debris they pick up is enough to drive you batshit crazy! I'm exaggerating a little, but it was annoying and it just became funny. When we did stumble upon some leftover ice it was epic!

    Safety meetings ftw

  20. #20
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Treading Water
    Posts
    6,683
    Can anyone tell me why it's such a big deal when a rider gets a Red Bull helmet? Seems kind of like a pinnacle of sponsorship for a lot of guys. Money? Stability? Chicks? Free mini cans of sugar water?
    However many are in a shit ton.

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Aug 2007
    Location
    United States of Aburdistan
    Posts
    7,281
    Quote Originally Posted by jm2e View Post
    Can anyone tell me why it's such a big deal when a rider gets a Red Bull helmet? Seems kind of like a pinnacle of sponsorship for a lot of guys. Money? Stability? Chicks? Free mini cans of sugar water?
    Money, money, and money. And some random chicks because of it. Nobody likes the product, even if it's free. Nobody.

    That electric fence video is FKNA awesome. Side note: would fat biking in the cold without safety meetings be worth it? Kinda like listening to the Dead?

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Apr 2008
    Location
    Treading Water
    Posts
    6,683
    Favorit mud spike? Magic Mary vs Dirty Dan vs Shorty ..............
    Looking for a good option when dense mud/clay clogs up the tires so bad they stop turning until you jam a stick up in the fork brace and dig out the muck.
    However many are in a shit ton.

  23. #23
    Join Date
    May 2008
    Location
    On a genuine ol' fashioned authentic steam powered aereoplane
    Posts
    16,803
    Quote Originally Posted by zlatham View Post
    I reeely want a new carbon Warden...so so bike mag review but they really didn't go into details and they didn't have time to dial in the suspension/fit I take it. Everything I've heard from members of this site indicates its a rad bike. Thoughts?

    Im in Idaho, so obviously ride some smooth trails, some not so smooth , and have to climb/earn it, but the descent/fun is priority and i'd give up a little efficiency on the up to cream on the downs. Im currently on an sb66c...
    I was on the regular warden for over a year and have been on the carbon warden since September until it got too cold in November. I will say that the carbon warden fucking rips hard. It is efficient as hell for a "bigger" trail bike. Climbs really well. Obviously it rips going downhill.

    There are definitely times though that I wish it was lighter and/or more XC when doing normal trail rides. Enduro racing it is great though.

    I have only dealt with them from the internet via grassroots, so I got a great fucking deal, but man do they seem grossly understaffed. Both bikes I have ordered from them were 3-4 months late on delivery. Now they don't have a DH bike at all in their lineup, no slack 29er which seems bananas to me, seems like huge turnover in corporate, etc. I guess that's a smaller bike brand for you?

    Supposedly "something big is coming in 2017". I would have to think its a carbon 29er. The fact that they waited this long seems insane to me, but what the hell do I know.

    Anyway, the carbon warden does fucking rip really hard. Just order it now and expect to wait a little while.

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Oct 2009
    Posts
    536
    Really appreciate that WG, this insight and real world saddle time reviews on this frame (albeit limited) have me thinking it will be my next platform. I haven't seen one in these parts and would be good to try something new.

    It does sound like the company will b around and is solid so that's reassuring even though they take forever on delivery and they aren't necessarily keeping up w the jones/YT/Yeti/others on the longer travel 29er. Gotta be a result of a small company with a narrowish vision that isn't concerned with staying up on the latest yearly change in trends?

    Was looking at their complete builds but i would go for the frame/shock and then build it i think as i think i could make that happen with similar components/suspension than the complete.

    Hard to spend $$ to move away from the sb but it will happen at some point. Its just so paralyzing and frustrating looking at all the killer options out there not having saddle time on them or to know whether or not a particular option will fit/feel right. Its a great problem to have i guess as I don't think one can go wrong in the 5-6" category these days. Was also looking at an evil (paint job chips) or a patrol or an sb6c as alternatives...

  25. #25
    Join Date
    May 2012
    Location
    People's Republic of OB
    Posts
    4,407
    I've been wavering on bike replacement for a couple years now...

    I've always liked my Delirium but the thing got too freaking heavy to be fun to ride for anything but a shuttle, and I don't do much of that anymore. I put an air fork and shock on it which dropped it to 36lbs but it's still a beast. Its too bad because the thing climbed so well on techy stuff but would suck the life out of me on long climbs. Carbon warden might be a good option to replace. I've looked at HD3, RFX and Nomad too. All seem to climb *ok* meaning they'll get me to the top. But I'd still want an xc bike for times when there isn't a rowdy descent. How does the warden do on bigger hits?

Posting Permissions

  • You may not post new threads
  • You may not post replies
  • You may not post attachments
  • You may not edit your posts
  •