New to the PNW. What bikes should I buy?

[jacob_dbu]

That’s a good deal! Just throw a $40 160 air shaft in there and you’re there.

I didn't know that was a thing! El Chup, I might PM you in a bit. Still not sure where I'm landing on this. I'd need it shipped to Seattle though bear in mind.

[El Chupacabra]

I didn't know that was a thing! El Chup, I might PM you in a bit. Still not sure where I'm landing on this. I'd need it shipped to Seattle though bear in mind.

Shipping is no problem. I have a RockShox box for it. I put "no shipping" on the Craigslist ad because I don't want to ship to the random public, but maggots are different.

[jacob_dbu]

Ok so a 2019 Pike RC 160mm has been acquired with boost spacing...which makes a little trouble for myself, but it was a slick price and its got Debonair and the Charger damper so I think I'll like it. I think I'm going to buy some used wheels for this and use the carbons elsewhere. My Stans on there are centerlock which makes going boost up front a PITA.

[El Chupacabra]

Nice!

A Pike with a Charger damper is why I replaced the Revelation I'm selling.

[SchralphMacchio]

Why wheels, plural? Why not just a 27.5 boost front?

What’s the IW of your current wheelset?

It would be less cash outlay to just get a boost front wheel and get the benefit of the wider fork.

Of course I’ve never tried running mismatched internal width on wheelset - not sure how noticeable it would be, since I often run higher volume tires up front anyways.

[jacob_dbu]

Why wheels, plural? Why not just a 27.5 boost front?

What’s the IW of your current wheelset?

It would be less cash outlay to just get a boost front wheel and get the benefit of the wider fork.

Of course I’ve never tried running mismatched internal width on wheelset - not sure how noticeable it would be, since I often run higher volume tires up front anyways.

I'm a bit OCD and would like to have a matching set. In addition, I can use the current wheels on my gravel bike so I'd rather not have one wheel just sitting around. If I was going to use the rear wheel anyways, I might as well get a boost spacer and centerlock adapter for the front - it's like a $100.

Instead I think I'm going to spend ~$400 for a set of EX471s + DT350s and move the more expensive carbon wheels (which I don't have first owner warranty on) onto the gravel bike.

The IW on the current wheelset is 25, but given that the rear bike clearance isn't more than 2.4inches I think it's not the worst. Maybe I'm wrong though?

[SchralphMacchio]

Yeah, that all makes sense ... like I said, you opened the rabbit hole ... fork, headset upper, stem (though that will be easy to find), wheelset, and probably new rubber? Lol.
25 mm is fine for 2.3-2.4". I've been happy with Maxxis DHF/Aggressor combo for summer riding on PNW loam. For winter I've been surprisingly happy with Spesh Butcher Grid.

Next question is rotors, ideally at least 180 F & R for the Trance ... and if you weigh more than 175 lbs you probably want to up one of those to 203. That said with all these updates you should be good for a couple of seasons of use to learn the trails in the 3 hours surrounding Seattle, and demo other bikes along the way etc.

Now, the ultimate question is what's it going to take (in terms of hospital admission rate, N95 & surgical mask production, etc) to release social controls enough so that Gifford Pinchot trailheads open up to bike riding again ... I need to get up there this summer for some riding. Fingers crossed.

[jacob_dbu]

Yeah, that all makes sense ... like I said, you opened the rabbit hole ... fork, headset upper, stem (though that will be easy to find), wheelset, and probably new rubber? Lol.
25 mm is fine for 2.3-2.4". I've been happy with Maxxis DHF/Aggressor combo for summer riding on PNW loam. For winter I've been surprisingly happy with Spesh Butcher Grid.

Next question is rotors, ideally at least 180 F & R for the Trance ... and if you weigh more than 175 lbs you probably want to up one of those to 203. That said with all these updates you should be good for a couple of seasons of use to learn the trails in the 3 hours surrounding Seattle, and demo other bikes along the way etc.

Now, the ultimate question is what's it going to take (in terms of hospital admission rate, N95 & surgical mask production, etc) to release social controls enough so that Gifford Pinchot trailheads open up to bike riding again ... I need to get up there this summer for some riding. Fingers crossed.

Well the good news is I already have a DHF/Aggressor in the 2.3" variant. I also have an extra headset laying around as well. Stem should be easy enough to find and I'm excited to play with the fit a bit.

As for the rotors, I currently have RT81s 180/160mm. Stopping power with my SLX brakes have been average, so I'm not sure what is going on but I'll try the usual suspects first (bleeding, rotor wear, checking the pads). I as thinking about upgrading rotors to 203/180 if I was going to get new wheels, but a wrench in my plan is that I found I can get a boost centerlock spacer kit for only ~$20 on eBay. This seems like a more straightforward approach than a new wheelset.

I really hope things take a turn for the better, but it's not looking promising at the moment.

[caulfield]

use this time to explore the city by haanjo

nwslider touched on it, but many Seattle roads are basically gravel. I could give a shit about gravel grinding, but the high volume tires are worth the resistance in town for me. And 650b drop bar bike with WTB senderos is an underrated party unit on dry singletrack

I'll second Cy's recommendation, but my 2 bike setup would be smuggler and rove LTD (this really was my setup for a couple years). But I feel the same about bikepacking as most these guys do about gravel, so don't listen to me if that's a key use case.

[jacob_dbu]

use this time to explore the city by haanjo

nwslider touched on it, but many Seattle roads are basically gravel. I could give a shit about gravel grinding, but the high volume tires are worth the resistance in town for me. And 650b drop bar bike with WTB senderos is an underrated party unit on dry singletrack

I'll second Cy's recommendation, but my 2 bike setup would be smuggler and rove LTD (this really was my setup for a couple years). But I feel the same about bikepacking as most these guys do about gravel, so don't listen to me if that's a key use case.

Cool! Do you have any recommendations for gravel routes originating from downtown Seattle?

[caulfield]

Cool! Do you have any recommendations for gravel routes originating from downtown Seattle?

Well I meant the roads are fuckered, not that there are cool routes. For exploration, you can leverage the green bike route signs the city has posted everywhere. Any bike lane will eventually take you to a list of route options, follow whatever arrow you fancy.

[jacob_dbu]

Well I meant the roads are fuckered, not that there are cool routes. For exploration, you can leverage the green bike route signs the city has posted everywhere. Any bike lane will eventually take you to a list of route options, follow whatever arrow you fancy.

HAHAHA yes I've noticed how crappy they are, but I'm from the midwest originally so it's nothing new. I thought maybe there was a secret stash of gravel I didn't know about...

[NW_SKIER]

HAHAHA yes I've noticed how crappy they are, but I'm from the midwest originally so it's nothing new. I thought maybe there was a secret stash of gravel I didn't know about...

It's in the bottom of the potholes. Watch out for it.

[nwslider]

Cool! Do you have any recommendations for gravel routes originating from downtown Seattle?

Eastside Rail Corridor Trail is gravel from Gene Coulon Park in Renton til around Newcastle on the east side of the lake. Nice views of the lake all around. The gravel section is usually well maintained and empty, at least in the pre-Covid era. A loop of south half of the lake going south on Lake WA Blvd around the south end by Renton Airport, up the Eastside Rail Corridor Trail and back across the I-90 or the 520 bridge is a nice loop leaving from the city.

[jacob_dbu]

Eastside Rail Corridor Trail is gravel from Gene Coulon Park in Renton til around Newcastle on the east side of the lake. Nice views of the lake all around. The gravel section is usually well maintained and empty, at least in the pre-Covid era. A loop of south half of the lake going south on Lake WA Blvd around the south end by Renton Airport, up the Eastside Rail Corridor Trail and back across the I-90 or the 520 bridge is a nice loop leaving from the city.

Thanks for the beta, will check this out. Loops out of the city are about all is allowed right now. It's a bummer, but for the greater good!

[Jason4]

I'm fast on my way to gaining my quarantine-15 or maybe even COVID-19 (pounds!) and got desperate for some exercise so I recently bought a modern shred machine. The last time I was really committed to spending any time in the saddle was ~10 years ago when I had a summer pass to Whistler. New geometry is amazing, the dropper post is a game changer, and 29" wheels seem to be ok (coming from 26s). I ended up with a 29", low/slack, carbon, mid-travel ripper. It suits the trails across the street from my house very well. I had been tempted to pick up a gravel bike since this is "just for fitness" but I'm glad I got back on a mtb.