Mountain Bike Thread

[The Venerable Bogatir X]

I think people should learn to use clip in pedals the same way everyone should learn to use a belt squatting. It's instructive and will teach you a lot about the right way to pedal without the clips.

Spot on, but one caveat (based on advice you gave me)-- if you can't ride decent hills relatively easily, you aren't ready for clipless. Sweet bike.

My psoriasis and its pal psoriatic arthritis has thankfully been in remission for 6 months now, so I'm a tad more nimble getting on/off the bike. The pedals I bought have the clipless shoe option and I have cried uncle to all my bike nazi friends, who universally agree I need to use those shoes. I have promised myself to do a 100 miler this year without the clipless shoes, however, so learning the clipless thing will be a fall endeavor.

[Turdacious]

I think people should learn to use clip in pedals the same way everyone should learn to use a belt squatting. It's instructive and will teach you a lot about the right way to pedal without the clips.

Spot on, but one caveat (based on advice you gave me)-- if you can't ride decent hills relatively easily, you aren't ready for clipless. Sweet bike.

My psoriasis and its pal psoriatic arthritis has thankfully been in remission for 6 months now, so I'm a tad more nimble getting on/off the bike. The pedals I bought have the clipless shoe option and I have cried uncle to all my bike nazi friends, who universally agree I need to use those shoes. I have promised myself to do a 100 miler this year without the clipless shoes, however, so learning the clipless thing will be a fall endeavor.

I have double sided SPD petals on my daily rider, and generally wear DZR Minnas when I ride-- got them both to learn to ride clipped in. I seldom clip in these days (too much city riding, doesn't make sense), and the biggest regular benefit to the shoes is that they look decent for when I'm off the bike and they're more waterproof than the other shoes I wear to bike. Maybe I ride more efficiently with the stiff sole than without-- I haven't noticed a difference.

Learning to ride clipless was not fun, especially with my balky ankle. Definitely had some benefits over the long run that I only understood later though.

[The Venerable Bogatir X]

You bring up a good point I've been meaning to ask bike nazis at large, but I'll just start here:

The shoes I typically wear are well worn Merrill minimalist shoes. I also have worn my Chuck Taylor's. My Nike XTrainers were not a lot of fun and I won't even bother with the cushy running shoes. For non-clipless riding, what's the lie-man-bike-nazi consensus on the best type of shoes?

[nafod]

I think people should learn to use clip in pedals the same way everyone should learn to use a belt squatting. It's instructive and will teach you a lot about the right way to pedal without the clips.

I ride clipped in on my cross bike, and I rode for about 30 years with old style cages on my mountain bike. In fact, I had so perfected the motion of pulling the foot out backwards from the cage, dabbing, and tapping the pedal to stuff it back in, that when I put the SPDs on, it was just too annoying to try to unlearn that motion and pick up on the heel twist. But every now and then I think about giving it another go.

I find that riding clipped in is forgiving of foot technique. You can just honk on the pedals and not worry about the connection. Riding on platforms, particularly on technical terrain, even more particularly on uphill technical terrain, you have to maintain some awareness of foot pressure and pedal position at all times. Much easier to bunny hop.

I guess it is instructive in that you get a sense of what maximum transfer of power feels like.

My new problem is some kind of nerve thing (Morton's neuroma?) in my foot, which gets aggravated by riding clipped in since the pressure on the bottom of the foot is locked in. No problems with riding the platforms.

[Turdacious]

You bring up a good point I've been meaning to ask bike nazis at large, but I'll just start here:

The shoes I typically wear are well worn Merrill minimalist shoes. I also have worn my Chuck Taylor's. My Nike XTrainers were not a lot of fun and I won't even bother with the cushy running shoes. For non-clipless riding, what's the lie-man-bike-nazi consensus on the best type of shoes?

I'm no expert on offroad riding, but cycling shoes tend to have a very stiff sole.

[Alfred_E._Neuman]

My go to shoes for riding on flat pedals are Chrome Kursks

http://www.chromeindustries.com/us/en/f ... pro-2-grey

They remind me of a VERY stiff Adidas Samba. The sole is made specifically for pedaling, so it's rigid with just enough give to be able to walk when off the bike without that "cycling shoe" feeling. And they have a pocket for SPD style pedals if you ever want to run them.

[Mickey O'neil]

I think it all depends on what type of riding you do. I am a pretty aggressive trail rider and I can't imagine riding in soft soled shoes. Of course, Kyle Strait rides in Vans and he's one of the top freeriders out there. But he's an exception.

[Turdacious]

They remind me of a VERY stiff Adidas Samba. The sole is made specifically for pedaling, so it's rigid with just enough give to be able to walk when off the bike without that "cycling shoe" feeling. And they have a pocket for SPD style pedals if you ever want to run them.

Another big benefit Lienap-- off the bike you don't sound like you're wearing tap shoes with this shoe style. I haven't gotten around to putting the part of the sole covering the clips back in (clips are always exposed), and still have never accidentally clipping in when on the bike. I've also walked many miles in them with no issues.

[Fuzzy Dunlop]

I've been riding these Forte Converts w/ chucks. I'll prob get a pair of five tens or something when these wear out but they're fine for now. They're def better than the borrowed flats I was using when I demo'd bikes. Clipping in to a mountain bike seems retarded to me but I've never done it so I'm just talkin out my ass.



I am interested in hearing about that dropper post. I have short ass legs so it's tough for me to get behind and maneuver behind the saddle when I want to take a gnarly downhill.

One thing I do wish I had was a remote fork controller, I've had to pull over on a few downhills to turn on the squish.

[The Venerable Bogatir X]

They remind me of a VERY stiff Adidas Samba. The sole is made specifically for pedaling, so it's rigid with just enough give to be able to walk when off the bike without that "cycling shoe" feeling. And they have a pocket for SPD style pedals if you ever want to run them.

Another big benefit Lienap-- off the bike you don't sound like you're wearing tap shoes with this shoe style. I haven't gotten around to putting the part of the sole covering the clips back in (clips are always exposed), and still have never accidentally clipping in when on the bike. I've also walked many miles in them with no issues.

Before I started biking, I always assumed cyclists were galactic douchebags on trails and coffee shops because they had to wear gay shorts and shoes that 'clip clopped', which made them grouchy fucksticks worthy of getting clocked upside the head with their own helmet. Turns out, I was right.....that, and monkey butt.

[nafod]

I've been riding these Forte Converts w/ chucks. I'll prob get a pair of five tens or something when these wear out but they're fine for now. They're def better than the borrowed flats I was using when I demo'd bikes. Clipping in to a mountain bike seems retarded to me but I've never done it so I'm just talkin out my ass.



I am interested in hearing about that dropper post. I have short ass legs so it's tough for me to get behind and maneuver behind the saddle when I want to take a gnarly downhill.

I have a GravityDropper post that has three positions. Full up, about an inch down, and what I call clown car. Full up for gravel fire road climbs and whatnot, down a little for all technical, and all the way down for downhills. Super convenient, and I use it all the time. Kind of pricey, though.

Just picked up a bleed kit to bleed my hydraulic brakes, which are seriously spongy. Will ride this weekend. Yeah.

[Turdacious]

They remind me of a VERY stiff Adidas Samba. The sole is made specifically for pedaling, so it's rigid with just enough give to be able to walk when off the bike without that "cycling shoe" feeling. And they have a pocket for SPD style pedals if you ever want to run them.

Another big benefit Lienap-- off the bike you don't sound like you're wearing tap shoes with this shoe style. I haven't gotten around to putting the part of the sole covering the clips back in (clips are always exposed), and still have never accidentally clipping in when on the bike. I've also walked many miles in them with no issues.

Before I started biking, I always assumed cyclists were galactic douchebags on trails and coffee shops because they had to wear gay shorts and shoes that 'clip clopped', which made them grouchy fucksticks worthy of getting clocked upside the head with their own helmet. Turns out, I was right.....that, and monkey butt.

Heh-- you're not wrong. My cycling douchiness extends only to wearing one of these bad boys:

Works wonders for keeping sweat out of your eyes and rain off glasses.

[The Venerable Bogatir X]

Jeeze Turd. Do you shave your legs, too?

[Turdacious]

Jeeze Turd. Do you shave your legs, too?

Only before Texas camping trips.

But seriously, I wouldn't ride in a monsoon or do a hard ride on a summer day without it. Plus they're Badger and Cannibal approved.

[Fuzzy Dunlop]

Went out for a solo ride Wednesday afternoon. I'm climbing up a fire road and notice that there's a single track on the ridge above me. Sweet! I'll be taking that down I say to myself knowing that it wil be cool even if I have to ride my brakes down. So I take the first sidetrack off the fire road and its fuckin rad. I'm talking big man made jumps and berms, many with blind landings. It's a well ridden trail and this ain't no high school kid w a shovel shit. Not that I was actually hitting the jumps, fwiw. It was a fun ass ride anyway.

Then today I go on the "shop ride" with the place I bought my bike at this morning and mention the spot to one of the guys. He goes "oh,that's where Curtis Keene rides,check out the redbull video". I don't know who the fuck this Curtis cat is but he can shred. This doesn't do justice to the track but there are some good moves
http://www.redbull.com/us/en/bike/athle ... rtis-keene

[youtube]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BZN6DNeOuKc[/youtube]

[terra]

Currently riding a fairly modified 2012 Giant Anthem X0 29er. Will post a good pic up soon.

Mostly used on trail riding, XC and some all-mountain. Our local trails get fairly technical for an XC set-up but it's mostly doable and at my (light) weight, the Anthem can handle most of it.

Been riding clipless since the first 737 SPD's came out. Use to ride MTB with toe clips before that.

Now using these shoes with Shimano XT SPDs on Anthem...



Can wear them in most technical stuff but the riding terrain is get more and more gnarly, so i'm considering a pair of Xpedo platform pedals and 5:10 shoes for the tougher trails (also looking into a dropper post).

[Mickey O'neil]

Yeah, that's a sweet video. Cool that you get to ride some of those spots!

Went out for a solo ride Wednesday afternoon. I'm climbing up a fire road and notice that there's a single track on the ridge above me. Sweet! I'll be taking that down I say to myself knowing that it wil be cool even if I have to ride my brakes down. So I take the first sidetrack off the fire road and its fuckin rad. I'm talking big man made jumps and berms, many with blind landings. It's a well ridden trail and this ain't no high school kid w a shovel shit. Not that I was actually hitting the jumps, fwiw. It was a fun ass ride anyway.

Then today I go on the "shop ride" with the place I bought my bike at this morning and mention the spot to one of the guys. He goes "oh,that's where Curtis Keene rides,check out the redbull video". I don't know who the fuck this Curtis cat is but he can shred. This doesn't do justice to the track but there are some good moves
http://www.redbull.com/us/en/bike/athle ... rtis-keene

[youtube]https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=BZN6DNeOuKc[/youtube]

[lasalle]

Any thoughts or opinions on this one? 29 inch Specialized Stumpjumper. Entry level-full suspension. About $1,900. Thanks!

specialized-camber-29-copy-212462-1.jpg (39.69 KiB) Viewed 8131 times

Details and sales pitch: http://mikesbikes.com/product/specializ ... tm#reviews

[nafod]

Any thoughts or opinions on this one? 29 inch Specialized Stumpjumper. Entry level-full suspension. About $1,900. Thanks!

specialized-camber-29-copy-212462-1.jpg

Details and sales pitch: http://mikesbikes.com/product/specializ ... tm#reviews

That picture is a Camber, not a Stumpjumper. Both are great bikes, good enough components. Google on the difference between them. Lots of threads here and there. I chose the Stumpie, mainly because the LBS I bought it from had them.

[Mickey O'neil]

I wanted a Stumpjumper for years before I ended up with my Trance. When it comes to bang for buck, level of components, etc., you can't beat Giant. Specialized makes great bikes, but the components are on the cheaper side for the same price you would pay for a Giant. Not repping Giant, just saying. That being said, I would still like to have a Stumpy Evo someday. Actually, I would really like to have a Specialized Enduro Evo. Those things are bad.

To tell you the truth, I am a really big fan of Santa Cruz bikes. I've been in love with the 5010 for a while now. That thing is a whippet of a bike and fun as all hell. But, again, the component package is below what would come on a similar bike from Giant. That shouldn't necessarily stop you though. You can always upgrade a little at a time.

Just so you know, Giant actually manufactures all of the frames for most of the major bike companies (Specialized, Santa Cruz, Trek, etc.). At least this is what the owner of the bike shop I go to told me. He actually sells BMC bikes, a Swiss company.

The Camber is a good bike as well, but I would get a Stumpy if I had a choice. Really, it depends on your style of riding. If more cross country type riding then I would go for the Camber. Aggressive trail riding then I would go for the Stumpy. That's picking from Spesh bikes.

[Blaidd Drwg]

Just so you know, Giant actually manufactures all of the frames for most of the major bike companies (Specialized, Santa Cruz, Trek, etc.). At least this is what the owner of the bike shop I go to told me. He actually sells BMC bikes, a Swiss company.

True. It's one big factory pumping out jillions of frames.

My last year on the road, the package was riding kit and bike were covered, but you could buy second frame and fork for manufacture cost to use as a rain bike. Scandium frame=$50 bux, $40 of that was paint and stickers. Carbon fork was dealer cost and less than $100.

Paint and finish on the welds is most of what you're paying for.

[lasalle]

Just so you know, Giant actually manufactures all of the frames for most of the major bike companies (Specialized, Santa Cruz, Trek, etc.). At least this is what the owner of the bike shop I go to told me. He actually sells BMC bikes, a Swiss company.

Wow-that's good knowledge. I always had it in mind that Giant was downmarket/somehow not as good as Santa Cruz and Specialized. My local independent bike shop stocks mostly Giants-would rather buy from him than a bigger chain like Mike's Bikes.

On that note, what advice on the maintenance packages? You get "free" tunes 1x per year for like 5 years for about $150. Is that a good deal or is it like rust undercoating on a new car?

[Blaidd Drwg]

"tuning" a bike in this era of sealed bearings is really pretty bone simple. There are a few tricks and special tools here and there but it's pretty dang simple if you follow the utubez.

[lasalle]

"tuning" a bike in this era of sealed bearings is really pretty bone simple. There are a few tricks and special tools here and there but it's pretty dang simple if you follow the utubez.

Excellent.

[TerryB]

I thought I locked this