Thanks, I'm sitting in the other direction. I've got a one bike quiver that I like, but it's more on the perfect to a bit underbiked for where I ride. I've got a Ripmo (V2) that's a pretty great all...

Come on now, next thing you'll be telling me I'm not faster after installing my Greg Minaar signature bar ends and my Wyn Masters Edition Manual Trainer isn't what he practices on off camera.

Now that Bluebird's kid is taken care of, summit, tell me more about your Spire. What sort of use are you putting it through? What size are you on?

Seems like an awesome bike. Hope he (and you) enjoy it!

I've also (cross my fingers) had good luck with my X2. It's only been 5-6 months, but I've put probably a few hundred miles on it on some of the rockiest terrain you'll fine and it's held up. I have...

They do have some slightly cheaper models that also look good: the Rockshox version of the expert is $600 less (with select+ level suspension) and the allow with Fox Factory suspension is a few...

I haven't ridden either of the bikes in question on trail (though I lust after a Spire as a second bike), but how much is he going to be riding park vs. other trail systems? The Spire probably...

That's good to know. I'd emailed ibis when they had the spring right above and right below my weight in stock and got a very generic "we recommend the spring that is assigned to the weight on the...

I love my desert riding, but looking at LeeLau's pics makes me miss riding bikes in the woods.

452959

Edit: I don't know why I have so much more trouble with picture orientation with my new phone. Both the phone and Google Photos reads orientation just fine, but TGR keeps turning vertical...

I've had this open on my computer for months now. Guess I should have put it in my cart.

My hesitation is that I'm a bit under weight for the biggest spring (600lb is 215 to 230, I'm maybe 210...

Strictly in service of this thread, I knocked off work slightly early today and went out and rode Diva.

It also reminded me that I forgot about Sidewinder, the climbing trail that goes up to the...

It actually may be Hourglass bow that you mention it.

And man, I'm amazed anyone was down for anymore after warming up with the comparatively friendly sounding Ginger and then seeing what it was...

Yeah that's the thing with Bootleg. There are a lot of trails that aren't THAT difficult, but you really don't want to fall. I think it kind of limits its audience as its less crowded than you would...

Another trail I forgot: Spine Tingler -it's in the easy intermediate category despite the name. It comes off Imba midway and goes down some of the lower dirt spines like a kids version of Reaper. I...

I've heard it called Keyhole, but I'm not sure how widely it's called that.

I walked down it a little while back. It seems doable to me, especially if you cleared some of the loose stuff on the...

As we start this section I will note that I'm an adequate - but not particularly great - rider on a 147mm bike. The trails below are at the upper level of my abilities, so my feelings might be...

Just to build on this: Power Pole is pretty manageable. It's basically the next step up from East Leg or Boy Scout after you get past the entry chute, which is nasty simply because 90% of the time...

I found a better link with race info while I was trying to find the course map so as to plan my own riding for Saturday: https://www.desertdash.com/blood-sweat-beers

Looks like the award...

Found the race: https://ultrasignup.com/register.aspx?did=99782

It has a 50k ultra and is advertising "free camping" (in an area that's always free if they aren't there) so it might bring a lot...

One thing that might complicate things is that there is a trail race at Bootleg on Saturday. I suspect it will be done by late afternoon, but I don't know the details and there might be more folks in...

It's my time to shine! I live in Boulder City.

You can camp in the Bootleg parking lot or venture up the access road a bit and camp off to the side or at the middle little parking lot. I see...

I don' think anyone has mentioned Woom's Off Air line for the hardtail. My son is 6 and on the Off 4 (rigid, not the Off Air). It's a great bike and I prefer it to the Prevelo he had previously. That...

I can see the pics now. I couldn't yesterday. I really think that Lake Mead and the Mojave preserve are wildly underrate areas. I think they get compared to Joshua Tree/Grand Canyon/Zion/etc and...

Yeah I don't know where the extra 100 lbs comes from between the the Royal Enfield and the 300L Rally (which has a listed weight with closer to as much fuel as the RE), but like any motorcyclist I'd...

The Himalayan gets surprisingly good suspension reviews, but there's no real way of getting around its extra weight and less travel. Outside of the price, the other advantage of the Himalayan is the...

This is probably the salty Madrid fan/English football press reader in me, but why would we have to say that Liverpool has been a much better team overall than Madrid? Madrid has won more UCLs, more...

Nice evdog! That's really cool.

I was about to pull my Mojave local card and contest desert names when I saw the saguaros in the first pick, but then I actually read/scrolled further and saw the...

Good info. I don't think an ebike is in my immediate future, but I'll potentially keep the dream of a 63 hta, 180mm bike in the back of my mind!

The using the brakes pedaling up is interesting. I'm sure I'd eventually adjust but it was definitely disconcerting. I was thinking about the sidehill issue though too as one potential use for an...

I rode an e-bike for the first time this weekend. There was a Giant demo day at my local trails and they only e-bikes available in my size when I stopped by, so I tried out an E-Reign.

It wasn't...

Barcelona have been officially charged with bribery of a referee (and several related crimes like document forgery) by the Spanish government. The charges that the Catalan prosecutors office laid out...

So we ended up with Goat Simulator and it has become a source of household tension. My son LOVES it and its chaos. My wife HATES it and thinks it is making our son a sociopath. Right now we're at a...

My first grade son was really trying to have perfect attendance this year. I think his teacher really drummed into him the importance of showing up (which I do believe in), and he internalized it. He...

I spent a summer living in Sinaloa, in a small town outside of Culiacan where I was teaching English. It was 2003 I think. I'd very much like to go back and visit folks at some point, but I'm a bit...

He's looking at it for $300, though, which limits the alternatives a good bit. I agree that for most cheap bikes I'd look without a suspension fork, but for $300 I think this might be hard to beat in...

Yep, with the really rough/chunky red and white rock I thought it was Bootleg at first.

Some good stuff being posted in this thread!

RaisingArizona, if that type of stuff is your jam, you really have to get up to Bootleg sometime.

Yep. It's one of the things that put me off the Sienna (and becoming a 2 minivan family). You have to pry off trim, unscrew things, etc. I just looked up though and someone has developed an "airbag...

The newest gen integrates their airbags into the middle seats and that involves hooking the seats into the electrical sensor system, so there is no way to easily take them out and if you do, it...

I don't think you were tanking the thread at all. I think that's the purpose of the thread. Being a parent is hard and really that's what the thread has been about form beginning. If it's just kid...

The academic research on schooling shows very weak evidence for age effects. It mostly looks at age of entry rather than grade skipping as there are more observations and more opportunities for quasi...

I don't think I did? Is it not still the dapper cheetah with the eye patch? You might have confused mine with something more striking. Ha

I understand the frustration with the extra steps on things you can do other ways, but I do believe in it. It's pretty akin to how most people who are good at mental math do it and there is a body of...

I think the thing is that in Rev's situation, his daughter won't be that young for her grade. She will be on the young side, but the majority of students with her birthday (in a non-Covid year) would...

I'm on Team Move given the circumstances, but do people think that age really matters that much for being bored with school work in later grades? I get it in elementary school where a lot of it comes...

Gorgeous bike.

I just bought a pair of Smith Wildcats. It's bright, windy, and dry out here in the desert so my sunglasses just keep getting larger and larger.

Yesterday a new dropper post came...

Yep. They reintroduced them in the early 1900s I think, but they only survived as a herd in the northcentral part of the state, mostly Elk and Cambria counties. They're cool to see.

Very cool. I've actually ridden very little in PA, save in Pittsburgh which has a really good urban trail system, as I didn't really get into it until after I moved away. The area north of State...

Colleges are somewhat smart in their forecasting, but:
1. There is actually a pretty big amount of uncertainty in "yield," the number of admitted students who decide to come. This makes planning...