Ask the experts

[toast2266]

Realistic temperature changes over the course of a ride can change your fork pressure by 10 psi. Once you come to grips with that, it's a lot easier to not fret so much over small inaccuracies in the inflation process.

[XXX-er]

interesting thoughts for sure. could def use a better system

which would require a built-in guage ( something else to weigh grams & fuckup ? )

so I can't measure how much air is in the shock after the fact I can only measure what i put in

I know that 165lbs of air will give me a 19mm weighted sag measurment on the shock o-ring so if i got 19mm on the tell-tale O-ring I probably still have 165lbs of air so I consider the O-ring is the guage

I don't need to know how much air is in there exactly, I just need it to work right

[summit]

Short torso for height, long legs/arms for height

Size up or down on frame for height?

[toast2266]

Short torso for height, long legs/arms for height

Size up or down on frame for height?

Up.

That more or less describes me. Among other issues, I find that if I size down, I end up having a ton of seatpost exposed. That means my raised saddle position ends up being pretty rearward, especially on bikes with slacker actual ST angles. I also find that having longer limbs means I can move around on the bike a bit more, so having a bigger bike feels a little less cumbersome than it might if I had stubby little arms and legs.

[Andeh]

Concur, size up. I'm the opposite proportions-wise (especially inseam), and would size down when I'm not smack in the middle of size charts.

[carlh]

Any secret sources for bearing? I want to do my i9 hydra rear hub and enduro shipping is pricy.

[toast2266]

Any secret sources for bearing? I want to do my i9 hydra rear hub and enduro shipping is pricy.

Lots of places carry enduro bearings. Jenson, etc. You can probably find some with free shipping.

[Andeh]

The issue with Hydra bearings is they use a few funky sizes in the rear hub that only they use. You can buy a bearing kit directly from i9 or other shops.

[climberevan]

I acquired some wheels for my Krampus, and the seller didn't note that the front hub had the stupid "torque caps". So.... they are both now 21.5mm +- .1mm.

[smmokan]

I'm a huge fan of wearing the Camelbak Chase Vest for long'ish rides where I don't need to carry a ton - super comfortable and I barely know it's there. Has anyone tried out a larger-capacity running vest for all-day rides where you carry a bunch of stuff with you (tools, jacket, lunch, etc)?

Bumping this... I bought a larger Camelbak vest (the Octane 10) and tested it out over the weekend with a heavier load. Specifically, I put in about 2L of water, air pump, small first-aid kit, water filter and my relatively small mirrorless camera/lens combo. I have to say, I'm not a fan of how the shoulder straps dug in with more weight- it was significantly less comfortable than the Chase vest. I'm currently using the Lab Austere USWE-sytle pack, courtesy of Marshal, and it was a much better option. I'll definitely stick with that for now since it's been tough to beat.

[summit]

Up.

That more or less describes me. Among other issues, I find that if I size down, I end up having a ton of seatpost exposed. That means my raised saddle position ends up being pretty rearward, especially on bikes with slacker actual ST angles. I also find that having longer limbs means I can move around on the bike a bit more, so having a bigger bike feels a little less cumbersome than it might if I had stubby little arms and legs.

Concur, size up. I'm the opposite proportions-wise (especially inseam), and would size down when I'm not smack in the middle of size charts.

Make any difference if it is for a novice female rider?

[toast2266]

Make any difference if it is for a novice female rider?

In that case, I'd probably go down. By that I mean, if she's on the line between sizes, go with the smaller one. But if, by her overall height, she's squarely on a size, stick with that size - don't go with a bike that's too small.

[Sandbox]

Thinking of booking a trip with the family to Arizona Early / mid April. Never been. Kid is just over 4 so looking for a family friendly ( vrbo with a pool) area but also one that has some decent biking close by. What area should I be looking in that has places I can get to relatively quickly for some biking but also close enough for some light hikes and typical food / shopping style stuff for the fam?


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[rideit]

Sedona/Flagstaff/Grand Canyon.

[alewi11]

The desert in the Hawes trail system is super pretty that time of year. There are some family friendly rides as well as some really good techgnar. Also some pretty good hikes. Sedona would be fun but an absolute zoo that time of year. Airbnbs in Sedona would be multiples of what something in the PHX valley would be. You could consider Prescott. I think most of their trails would be riding by then.

[Sandbox]

Thanks for the suggestions. In all honesty I’ll probably do 3 small ish rides and then it’s all family and pool time.

For the kid thinking just some small hikes, doubt I will get her on the bike but I guess you never know.

Would love to check out the Grand Canyon as I never have.

I think I’ll save Sedona for a dedicated bike trip.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[east or bust]

Thanks for the suggestions. In all honesty I’ll probably do 3 small ish rides and then it’s all family and pool time.

For the kid thinking just some small hikes, doubt I will get her on the bike but I guess you never know.

Would love to check out the Grand Canyon as I never have.

I think I’ll save Sedona for a dedicated bike trip.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

What style of riding are you looking to do? South Mtn in PHX is pretty dang good for some chunky downhill and more technical riding, and it's all on trailforks. Best trailhead is Pima Canyon IMO. There are other areas to ride in the valley but are more oriented towards XC. I also know a decent jump spot if you're into that kind of thing.

By mid April temps start creeping up into the mid 80Fs and some 90F days towards the end of the month. It's more than manageable if you ride in the AM. It's also a dry heat. PHX gets a bad rap but I enjoyed living there when I did. If you've never been to the desert the drive up into Tonto National Forest via Apache Junction is pretty sweet.

[Sandbox]

What style of riding are you looking to do? South Mtn in PHX is pretty dang good for some chunky downhill and more technical riding, and it's all on trailforks. Best trailhead is Pima Canyon IMO. There are other areas to ride in the valley but are more oriented towards XC. I also know a decent jump spot if you're into that kind of thing.

By mid April temps start creeping up into the mid 80Fs and some 90F days towards the end of the month. It's more than manageable if you ride in the AM. It's also a dry heat. PHX gets a bad rap but I enjoyed living there when I did. If you've never been to the desert the drive up into Tonto National Forest via Apache Junction is pretty sweet.

I’d be into more mellow riding, never rode in the desert before. I’m very familiar with tech and chunk living in the Rockies. But since it’s a trip and I’m out of country I don’t want to get too aggressive with it ( I do have travel health insurance but I’d rather not use it).

Also any good beta on bike shops to rent from?? We will for sure have a car so driving isn’t an issue.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[joetron]

Any of you curly bar enthusiasts have a suggestion for a road wheelset or rim in the following parameters?
Carbon, hooked, tubeless, disc,21-23mm internal, <35mm tall
I’ve been poking around, but haven’t really been able to find anything.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[jamal]

I'd assume LB, farsports, hunt etc make something along those lines? Trek does 37mm deep if that's not too tall. the aeolus pros retail for 1500/set and have dt350 hubs. 21mm internal. Reserve has that 34/37 set, and then there are probably zipps and enves that are fairly low profile.

I've had a set of nox rims for a couple years now and they've been good. I got the lightweight "XC" rim that's hookless but they have a hooked version with similar dimensions:

https://www.noxcomposites.com/citico

Mine are the skyline rim to dt 240 hubs, 28h and brass nipples and they still are like 1400g. 1420 maybe? Also have vittoria inserts in them. Have done a lot of gravel riding on rough forest roads, singletrack, gravel racing, cx racing, etc. Probably have at least 6-7k miles on them, always true when i put them in the stand. Couple other guys at the shop are on their stuff too, plus they've helped out with the cx team. Don't really see much about them. maybe they need an instagram person or something. They could probably also make some newer, wider profiles across the board- the XC mtb rims are only 23 or 26mm wide.

[carlh]

Rock shox lowers service (zeb) how important is the exact oil for this? I want to give my fork a quick freshen up and not sure if I need to buy the rock shox oil or not. I pay someone else to do the full damper service.

[toast2266]

Rock shox lowers service (zeb) how important is the exact oil for this? I want to give my fork a quick freshen up and not sure if I need to buy the rock shox oil or not. I pay someone else to do the full damper service.

Not that important. Rockshox oil is always just rebranded stuff from someone else (currently Maxima). I usually get oil from the local moto shop because it's cheaper and almost always in stock. I believe the recommended oil for the lowers in a Zeb is roughly 7.5wt at normal operating temps, so I'd probably be ok with using any decent quality synthetic suspension oil between 5-10wt.

[XtrPickels]

I’d be into more mellow riding, never rode in the desert before. I’m very familiar with tech and chunk living in the Rockies. But since it’s a trip and I’m out of country I don’t want to get too aggressive with it ( I do have travel health insurance but I’d rather not use it).

Also any good beta on bike shops to rent from?? We will for sure have a car so driving isn’t an issue.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

Riding in Tucson last year and when people say "chunk" in Arizona it's on a whole different level. Riding was very polarized with many high-speed XC bike miles on the desert floor weaving around cacti on smooth singletrack punctuated with lots hike-a-bike that was likely rideable if you were familiar with the trail whenever you were on a hill / mountain side.

[Dee Hubbs]

Any of you curly bar enthusiasts have a suggestion for a road wheelset or rim in the following parameters?
Carbon, hooked, tubeless, disc,21-23mm internal, <35mm tall
I’ve been poking around, but haven’t really been able to find anything.

Entry price point for quality carbon road rim is Shimano's Ultregra:

Shimano Ultregra WH-R8170-C36-TL.
21 inner, 36 tall, Carbon, hooked, good hubs, cup and cone bearing.
1488g / pair
Is Center lock okay? No SRAM freehub.
Retail at $1400 pair, can be found for $999 if you hunt.

The DuraAce WH-R9270-C36 has a nicer hub/freehub. and lighter spokes
1350 grams, and retail for $2100

If I'm spending $2100 I'd by DT Swiss:
DT Swiss ERC 1400 DICUT 35mm
$2400 Retail.
1380g, 22mm inner, 35mm deep, hooked.
DT 240 hub, any freehub body, DT Swiss spokes and nipples, not proprietary components.

If I am totally blowing this way out of the budget:
Shimano 105 version: WH-RS710-C32-TL
21w, 32h Carbon clincher version.

[joetron]

Thanks is for the suggestions y’all. I’m running sram drivetrain, so gotta be XDR. Those DT Swiss look tempting, but are pricey - even at cost. I need to call and see if they do EP…I’m not sure since GJ is mainly for repair.
It’s ridiculous that I’m looking, b/c I have 303 Firecrest, which are super sick, but a little wide. My 28c (which are the narrowest tire they suggest) measure at 30 and the clearance on my bike is real tight, especially at the fork. I’m also a bit leery of the hookless and the short list of acceptable road tires.
Ideally I’m looking for something I could put a 25 on that would measure 27/28.
The Hunt Carbon 30 is tempting and wicked cheap.
Also considering Reserve 34/37 or maybe even building those rims around a 240 or 180.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums