Ask the experts

[Tailwind]

At a fast pace it’s an hour from the main lot to the top. Head up Tabeguache from the main lot (or Ped) then take that until you hit little park road. Spin up the road.

Gunny loop is fun if you want something easier.

Windmill is the best trail in the area (by a big margin in my opinion) but takes 3ish hours and is tiring.

Don't want to start a thread for such an oddball question, wondering if anyone could tell me how one accesses the Ribbon trail at Lunch Loops? Travelling solo so can't shuttle it. Looked at local bike shops and don't see anyone offering shuttles. Trailforks shows it's a one way down trail so can't ride up it..

Confused emoji.

[Iowagriz]

The one time I didn't shuttle, we rode up Tabeguache to Holy Cross to the paved road (Little Park Road). I remember a few steep punches, but that was a long time ago.

Then maybe 4 miles of easy pave to the Ribbon trailhead.

But agree that finding a shuttle person should be easy from the lot, or once in Little Park Rd.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

[Thaleia]

Holy crap sincere thanks everyone! Wasn't expecting so many details for such a granular question. Greatly appreciated.

[Iowagriz]

I'm amazed that you got 5 answers in agreement.

Sent from my SM-S908U using Tapatalk

[skaredshtles]

And FTR, unless something has changed recently, you *can* ride up The Ribbon... though it's probably inadvisable.

[Thaleia]

Yeah poking around online I got that sense, but damn that doesn't sound enjoyable at all.

At a fast pace it’s an hour from the main lot to the top. Head up Tabeguache from the main lot (or Ped) then take that until you hit little park road. Spin up the road.

Gunny loop is fun if you want something easier.

Windmill is the best trail in the area (by a big margin in my opinion) but takes 3ish hours and is tiring.

Really intrigued by this suggestion, thank you. Having a closer look on it currently.

[rideit]

And FTR, unless something has changed recently, you *can* ride up The Ribbon... though it's probably inadvisable.

*Cough* ebike at night*cough*

[Falcon3]

Ok folks, anybody know how to keep straight pull spokes from spinning while riding? Wheel was professionally build and trued, used spoke prep on the nipples, tension was per mfgr recs. But the damn straight pull bladed spokes continue to twist. Today half of one side came completely loose on a super chunky jank backcountry trail. Luckily no damage and had a spoke wrench with me to tighten things up for the big descent but obviously this is an annoying thing to have happen.

I'm thinking maybe LocTite or whatever WRG is putting in his headset might work? (on the hub-spoke interface not nipple). What I really should do is build a J-bend 32H enduro set and keep this straight pull, bladed 28H set for a lighter travel bike I'm not smashing all the time.

[sfotex]

How about the sram steel chainrings? What's the actual weight difference? I like how cheap and durable they are and don't care much about weight unless it's a major difference

A steel 32t Sram sync 2 with 6mm offset weights 141 grams, and a generic aluminum one I have with the same specs weights 68 grams.

[joetron]

TLDR

Ok folks, anybody know how to keep straight pull spokes from spinning while riding?
What I really should do is build a J-bend 32H enduro set and keep this straight pull, bladed 28H set for a lighter travel bike I'm not smashing all the time.

Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[jm2e]

Ok folks, anybody know how to keep straight pull spokes from spinning while riding? Wheel was professionally build and trued, used spoke prep on the nipples, tension was per mfgr recs. But the damn straight pull bladed spokes continue to twist. Today half of one side came completely loose on a super chunky jank backcountry trail.

In my experience, Unwinding spokes has nothing to do with whether they are straight pull or bladed. It has everything to do with the wheel builder allowing a bunch of wind up during the build and not aggressively detensioning.
Adding glue to nipples after a build is unpossible and wouldn’t address the actual problem.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[VTskibum]

^^^ Completely agree.

If you had a local shop build them, I'd take them back there if you think it was an oversight. Otherwise, probably worth taking to a different shop, especially one with a good wheel building reputation.

[toast2266]

In my experience, Unwinding spokes has nothing to do with whether they are straight pull or bladed. It has everything to do with the wheel builder allowing a bunch of wind up during the build and not aggressively detensioning.
Adding glue to nipples after a build is unpossible and wouldn’t address the actual problem.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

Agreed, although if someone wound up bladed spokes that bad, they really have no business charging money for wheel work. It's pretty damn obvious when blades are wound up.

If the whole wheel detensioned, I kind of wonder if the spokes weren't seated into the hub correctly, or something like that. But I'd be really surprised if the nipples loosened themselves.

[XXX-er]

When I had loose spokes I would turn them all an extra amount while tensioning ( might have been 1/2 turn or might have been 1/4 ) and then I would back off that amount which unwound the spoke

the new wheels seem to be so good I havent even had to tension anything and i do check them

Back in the day I read something about using a loctite that seeps into a loose spoke thread which i did not try

it was green so you don't want to get this mixed up with sleeve & bearing retainer which is also green

[Falcon3]

THanks, to be clear, I've been running the wheels since June, with lots of miles on them. This is the first near-catastrophic de-tensioning I've experienced. The spokes are not twisted from end to end- they're bladed CX-Rays and it would be quite obvious if the blades spiraled. I've had them trued a couple times since new.

What I'm guessing is happening is the same that happens with j-bend when nipples come loose, but it's exacerbated because the spoke can spin on both ends. Wheel hits something big, deforms, creating slack in the system, nipple can slowly come undone after many hundreds of impacts. My question on bearing compound or loctite or whatever was for the hub end, not the nipple end.

[XXX-er]

hey its just something I vaguely remember reading, check it out carefuly before you put any flavor of loctite on spokes

[bagtagley]

Don't want to start a thread for such an oddball question, wondering if anyone could tell me how one accesses the Ribbon trail at Lunch Loops? Travelling solo so can't shuttle it. Looked at local bike shops and don't see anyone offering shuttles. Trailforks shows it's a one way down trail so can't ride up it..

Confused emoji.

Maybe I’m alone in this, but my first time riding Ribbon I was solo and it was an exercise in frustration, where I was either going fast and getting off-route or going slow and not having much fun. Next time I rode it I followed someone familiar with the trail and had a blast. So, I guess the takeaway here is, the shuttle/don’t shuttle argument is a subterfuge, and if you can’t find someone to follow, be ready to do some route finding the first time around. And, maybe watch some videos to try and get familiar.

[Thaleia]

Hey thanks for that. I've watched a handful of videos but would likely still mess it up.

Didn't realize it has some exposure. And if I'm being honest the toilet bowl has me a bit concerned. And the last section isn't exactly my style. Kind of second guessing this one. I'm not the most technical rider and when riding solo my confidence level drops (safety concerns).

Hopefully I can tag along with someone if I end up doing this one.

[skaredshtles]

Hey thanks for that. I've watched a handful of videos but would likely still mess it up.

Didn't realize it has some exposure. And if I'm being honest the toilet bowl has me a bit concerned. And the last section isn't exactly my style. Kind of second guessing this one. I'm not the most technical rider and when riding solo my confidence level drops (safety concerns).

Hopefully I can tag along with someone if I end up doing this one.

Don't worry too much about the exposure - you'd kinda have to get off-route for there to be any. And the toilet bowl is easily walk/scoot-able. There's no requirement to ride it...

Do be a bit careful at the waterfall portion.

[Tailwind]

95% of the trail is pure intermediate. There are maybe three or four hard parts but none surprise you and they’re all easy to walk. I’ve ridden down to the toilet bowl on my gravel bike.

The toilet bowl line is down and left for the easy route. Not a bad one to walk if you’re solo and nervous.

Don't worry too much about the exposure - you'd kinda have to get off-route for there to be any. And the toilet bowl is easily walk/scoot-able. There's no requirement to ride it...

Do be a bit careful at the waterfall portion.

[Thaleia]

Greatly appreciated.

Not getting the waterfall bit though.

[toast2266]

Greatly appreciated.

Not getting the waterfall bit though.

There's a short steep rocky bit right near the bottom. The trick is to go fast and pull up.

[smmokan]

I asked this a while ago, but my current MTB shoes are falling apart after a few years so here goes:

Looking for a new pair of MTB shoes.... would like them to be light (~400g), fairly stiff, and not look horrible. I ride mostly aggressive trail/enduro, never really full-on DH. I kind of like the Specialized Roost, but no velcro strap along the top is a deal breaker.

[rideit]

Flats?
I am looking for replacements for my terraduros. (Clipless)

[toast2266]

I asked this a while ago, but my current MTB shoes are falling apart after a few years so here goes:

Looking for a new pair of MTB shoes.... would like them to be light (~400g), fairly stiff, and not look horrible. I ride mostly aggressive trail/enduro, never really full-on DH. I kind of like the Specialized Roost, but no velcro strap along the top is a deal breaker.

For my foot (on the narrow side of average), the Ion Rascal Amp fits pretty well. They're not particularly durable though.