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Enjoy the Ride

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Time for a quick post in this thread: May was the wettest May since 189?. It made for great dirt between storms, but it also made for huge new ruts. I actually don't mind the ruts because they give the trails new character. The grass is about three feet tall along some trails now though.

It has been a coyote spring. I see at least one on every ride. One day the adults were teaching the pups how to communicate across a draw and it was part amazing and part haunting. I watched two small coyotes give a large, aggressive boxer a lesson in dog spinning and hammy biting. The owners thought that it was funny until it was clear that their dog was in trouble. I was going to (somewhat) politely ask them to respect nature, but a trail ranger did it for me.

June has been great for riding and raptor watching!
 
Re:

jmdirt said:
I've had a lot of great rides this spring, but I've had to wear more kit than I'd like. Thursday was 71 and yesterday was 79 and it felt great! :D

glass, how is the 5010 treating you?
so far it's been awesome, really fun bike to ride. but going from 22/32t to 32/42t uff, some of the climbs are really painful. might end up with 30t up front till my legs get stronger :eek:
 
Re: Re:

glassmoon said:
jmdirt said:
I've had a lot of great rides this spring, but I've had to wear more kit than I'd like. Thursday was 71 and yesterday was 79 and it felt great! :D

glass, how is the 5010 treating you?
so far it's been awesome, really fun bike to ride. but going from 22/32t to 32/42t uff, some of the climbs are really painful. might end up with 30t up front till my legs get stronger :eek:
What cogset do you use with that monster crankset? I use 26-36 with an 11-40 cogset. Its looking pretty likely that my next bike will be a 1X. Shimano is still making a double with their new 8100 group but bike manufacturers aren't designing bikes with the possibility of a front derailleur. I guess I will have to get my mind past the crazy chain angles and extra friction soon! :lol:
 
Re: Re:

jmdirt said:
glassmoon said:
jmdirt said:
I've had a lot of great rides this spring, but I've had to wear more kit than I'd like. Thursday was 71 and yesterday was 79 and it felt great! :D

glass, how is the 5010 treating you?
so far it's been awesome, really fun bike to ride. but going from 22/32t to 32/42t uff, some of the climbs are really painful. might end up with 30t up front till my legs get stronger :eek:
What cogset do you use with that monster crankset? I use 26-36 with an 11-40 cogset. Its looking pretty likely that my next bike will be a 1X. Shimano is still making a double with their new 8100 group but bike manufacturers aren't designing bikes with the possibility of a front derailleur. I guess I will have to get my mind past the crazy chain angles and extra friction soon! :lol:
i'm riding Sram 1x11 32x(10-42t) :D
42t is max (recommended) for my rear derailleur so I'll need to "go smaller" in front. might go up until 46t or 50t (eagle) but will have to change the RD too. not going back to 2 chain rings system - i hate that front mech/chain rattling when going downhill...
there are 44t alternatives (e*thirteen 9-44T) but those are expensive AF :mad:
 
Re: Re:

glassmoon said:
jmdirt said:
glassmoon said:
jmdirt said:
I've had a lot of great rides this spring, but I've had to wear more kit than I'd like. Thursday was 71 and yesterday was 79 and it felt great! :D

glass, how is the 5010 treating you?
so far it's been awesome, really fun bike to ride. but going from 22/32t to 32/42t uff, some of the climbs are really painful. might end up with 30t up front till my legs get stronger :eek:
What cogset do you use with that monster crankset? I use 26-36 with an 11-40 cogset. Its looking pretty likely that my next bike will be a 1X. Shimano is still making a double with their new 8100 group but bike manufacturers aren't designing bikes with the possibility of a front derailleur. I guess I will have to get my mind past the crazy chain angles and extra friction soon!
i'm riding Sram 1x11 32x(10-42t) :D
42t is max (recommended) for my rear derailleur so I'll need to "go smaller" in front. might go up until 46t or 50t (eagle) but will have to change the RD too. not going back to 2 chain rings system - i hate that front mech/chain rattling when going downhill...
there are 44t alternatives (e*thirteen 9-44T) but those are expensive AF :mad:
:lol: AHHH, I see! 32x42 is still a hulk! The front der rattle is mostly gone with clutch rear der and a little rubber damper on the front der.
 
There is a little section of trail that is steeper than most anything else in the lower Boise front with three large earthen water barriers and a drop-away (ski jump style) at the bottom. I absolutely nailed every launch today! About 100m past the drop-away there were several guys standing there blocking the trail so I came to a stand (hello, can I get through?!), then put a foot down.
Guy 1: just wait, when you get older you'll quit flying like that.
Me: how old are you?
Guy 1: 47
Guy 2: 49 (big grin)
Me: I'm 51
Guy 3: No way!
Me: (channeling Wayne's World) WAY!
Guy 1: F*CK, there goes my excuse! (big grin).
Me: Enjoy!
 
Re:

jmdirt said:
There is a little section of trail that is steeper than most anything else in the lower Boise front with three large earthen water barriers and a drop-away (ski jump style) at the bottom. I absolutely nailed every launch today! About 100m past the drop-away there were several guys standing there blocking the trail so I came to a stand (hello, can I get through?!), then put a foot down.
Guy 1: just wait, when you get older you'll quit flying like that.
Me: how old are you?
Guy 1: 47
Guy 2: 49 (big grin)
Me: I'm 51
Guy 3: No way!
Me: (channeling Wayne's World) WAY!
Guy 1: F*CK, there goes my excuse! (big grin).
Me: Enjoy!
heh, cool story.
kinda related one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQoOwl4zfgI
 
Re: Re:

glassmoon said:
jmdirt said:
There is a little section of trail that is steeper than most anything else in the lower Boise front with three large earthen water barriers and a drop-away (ski jump style) at the bottom. I absolutely nailed every launch today! About 100m past the drop-away there were several guys standing there blocking the trail so I came to a stand (hello, can I get through?!), then put a foot down.
Guy 1: just wait, when you get older you'll quit flying like that.
Me: how old are you?
Guy 1: 47
Guy 2: 49 (big grin)
Me: I'm 51
Guy 3: No way!
Me: (channeling Wayne's World) WAY!
Guy 1: F*CK, there goes my excuse! (big grin).
Me: Enjoy!
heh, cool story.
kinda related one:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YQoOwl4zfgI
AWESOME!
 
Re: Re:

glassmoon said:
jmdirt said:
I've had a lot of great rides this spring, but I've had to wear more kit than I'd like. Thursday was 71 and yesterday was 79 and it felt great! :D

glass, how is the 5010 treating you?
so far it's been awesome, really fun bike to ride. but going from 22/32t to 32/42t uff, some of the climbs are really painful. might end up with 30t up front till my legs get stronger :eek:


Need to find a Euro shop to get me that Chameleon 29" alu frame, in order to add it to my fleet :(
 
Re: Re:

Black Betsy said:
glassmoon said:
jmdirt said:
I've had a lot of great rides this spring, but I've had to wear more kit than I'd like. Thursday was 71 and yesterday was 79 and it felt great! :D

glass, how is the 5010 treating you?
so far it's been awesome, really fun bike to ride. but going from 22/32t to 32/42t uff, some of the climbs are really painful. might end up with 30t up front till my legs get stronger :eek:


Need to find a Euro shop to get me that Chameleon 29" alu frame, in order to add it to my fleet :(
GB based (yeah, I still consider them part of the EU ;) ) https://www.biketart.com u could prob give them a call (or email them) if it's not listed. They're cool shop (got great deal on my 5010 over there).
 
Re: Re:

glassmoon said:
Black Betsy said:
glassmoon said:
jmdirt said:
I've had a lot of great rides this spring, but I've had to wear more kit than I'd like. Thursday was 71 and yesterday was 79 and it felt great! :D

glass, how is the 5010 treating you?
so far it's been awesome, really fun bike to ride. but going from 22/32t to 32/42t uff, some of the climbs are really painful. might end up with 30t up front till my legs get stronger :eek:


Need to find a Euro shop to get me that Chameleon 29" alu frame, in order to add it to my fleet :(
GB based (yeah, I still consider them part of the EU ;) ) https://www.biketart.com u could prob give them a call (or email them) if it's not listed. They're cool shop (got great deal on my 5010 over there).

Thanks, will probably email them!
 
Re: Re:


i'm riding Sram 1x11 32x(10-42t) :D
42t is max (recommended) for my rear derailleur so I'll need to "go smaller" in front. might go up until 46t or 50t (eagle) but will have to change the RD too. not going back to 2 chain rings system - i hate that front mech/chain rattling when going downhill...
there are 44t alternatives (e*thirteen 9-44T) but those are expensive AF :mad:
These guys might be able to help you out:
https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/collections/components
The Goatlink extends the cog range of rear ders, and they also have several cog and chainring options.
 
These guys might be able to help you out:
https://www.wolftoothcomponents.com/collections/components
The Goatlink extends the cog range of rear ders, and they also have several cog and chainring options.
yeah, those setups exist indeed. thing is, my RD is 42t max so I have to use smaller chaining if I don't want to change the RD as well. I've swapped 32 for 30t yesterday and will see how it'll go. Local stuff I can ride with 32/10-42 setup (it's pain but I'm getting stronger at least :) ) but I'm going to Alps in two weeks and there I would definitely need bigger gear. I'll probably upgrade to 1x12 along the way (just waiting for some good deal) anyway and something like 34t/10t-50t will give me plenty of range.
 


They didn't have the frame color and size I wanted (L brown-blue lettering) when I've checked it and it was 650 + 100 shipping! (Now is 617 GPB, I don't know how you get 500, I guess it has to do with some finance options you are suitable for as a local). I'm not in a hurry, because I already have an XC hardtail and a trail 27.5+ (both alu but with expensive upgrades). I need that chameleon because it's like a dream for me to own an affordable iconic brand with a geometry between XC/trail and going completely with no shimano components on it ( I'm between hope/magura and Sram), just to be able to formulate my own opinion on these brands.
 
They didn't have the frame color and size I wanted (L brown-blue lettering) when I've checked it and it was 650 + 100 shipping! (Now is 617 GPB, I don't know how you get 500, I guess it has to do with some finance options you are suitable for as a local). I'm not in a hurry, because I already have an XC hardtail and a trail 27.5+ (both alu but with expensive upgrades). I need that chameleon because it's like a dream for me to own an affordable iconic brand with a geometry between XC/trail and going completely with no shimano components on it ( I'm between hope/magura and Sram), just to be able to formulate my own opinion on these brands.
ah sorry, i didn't notice the price is color/size dependable. 500 was for M - slate blue. There rest is indeed 617 (still far from 1000). IMHO it's a fair price for SC (you won't be finding much better, unless used) - SC aren't really known for being the best in value ratio category ;)
I must admit, the brown/blue looks the best.
Happy hunting.
 
Currently shredding the trails in Aosta, La Thuile, La Rosiere and Les Arcs. Beautiful weather and totally different trails in each park. I like La Ros and Les Arcs the best - flowy, jumpy and easy on the breaks. Hope we can make it to Verbiere next.
 
I look at December and January as no ride months (due to weather and lack of daylight)* , but its been pretty dry and warm so the trails are OK. Saturday and Sunday were both ~50 degrees so I was able to get some great rides in. Two rides won't make my legs any better but they sure are good for my head! :D

*Back in my race life, I took December off for mental reasons...to recover from a long hard season and to prepare for the misery of January and February to come (I sure don't miss cold, wet rides and stationary hours!).
 
Picking up from my last post, January and February were pretty good, I got out Saturday and Sunday every weekend! Once the time changed I had enough daylight to get some weekday dirt too, and then I started working from home because of C19 and got 18 rides in 19 days. Unfortunately, the last three days have been really wet so the trails are too sloppy, and its spitting snow now.

EDIT: It is hailing so hard that I can barely see my neighbors house!

Did I mention that we had a 6.5 earth quake yesterday?!
 
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I've created a couple of masks that hook to my helmet straps for easy cover/uncover while riding. In the lower foothills single track I just keep it on because I know that I will see people, but once I get farther up I go 15-45 minutes without seeing another person so its just hanging from my helmet. This mask with a zipper might be an option...zip it for snot blocking, unzip it for more free breathing.

Mask
 

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