HC Bike/Cycling Thread

[tyrion]

Nice Nate! I think I have JP thinking mtb.

[Dreadhead]

Awesome

[swt61]

^ This!

[n_maher]

Holy shit this much fun shouldn't be legal... So I got the trailhead around 2pm and got rolling quickly. My usual riding partner had other things going so this was a solo trip. The first section is a short, gravelly downhill followed by a pretty decent, rocky, rooty climb (called Hamburger Hill). Being the excited idiot that I was I forgot the start the Garmin until I was nearly at the top of the climb. Anyway, my initial impression is that even a somewhat well setup and sorted suspension makes a giant difference. Holy smooth ride. Good tires help too. The stock Hans Dampf tires gripped great in the loose stuff and held well even on the loose leafy crap that is all over the place post-Sandy. I took it pretty easy for the first few miles getting to know the bike and just how different it reacted to things that I'd ridden a few times on the Gary Fisher. But towards the end of the getting to know you period it was clear the bike and I were bonding. I came up to a tight, technical uphill turn that is very rocky and I was going too slow. So slow that when my front time hit the last rock I just stopped. But rather than unclip I simply paused for a second, adjusted my line and rode through it. HOLY SHIT! I would have eaten it hard on the GF or at least been forced to stop, dismount and then continue. So I gained a bit of confidence and was promptly bitten in the ass for it. Approaching an obstacle that I've previously had no issue with, a short segmented-stone water crossing I eased up to it. Too easy. Burried the front wheel in a divot and smacked down on my left side. Oh well, the bike got its first scratches. I was fine and laughing at the stupidity of it. So I lined the obstacle up again and rode through it with little difficulty. Most of the rest of the loop was a ton of fun. I was riding over stuff that I previously would stop and walk over. Which isn't to say that I conquered everything. There are still a few things on this trail that I won't even try. But I was really happy and having a hoot of a time. I was doing great until I was on the final downhill section. I was flying, eating up the bumps and even taking a few jumps when I looked ahead and saw that there were two hikers coming up the trail at me. They started to head off to their left side of the trail so I did likewise. In this section there's a small rock jump in the middle of the trial and there appeared to be a similar one on the left side of the trail so I took it. Oh fuck. Right as I was about to go airborne I saw the 4" diameter tree that was across my side of the trail a good 6' beyond the jump and 12" off the surface of the trail. Fuck, fuck, fuck. So I put as much as I could into it and managed to get the front wheel over it. The rear, not so much. You can see this even on the ride data below. It's the abrupt lowering of my speed in a otherwise high speed section at about 5.6 miles. I ate it hard going full ass over tea kettle. Thankfully I managed to unclip in mid-departure so the bike didn't get tossed any worse. Doubly thankfully I landed in a pile of leaves. Minor scrapes on my knees, a bruise on a forearm and a cut on an ankle were the sum total. I pretty much rolled out of the fall and got back up. Much to the surprise of the 80+ year old man and wife staring at me. I muttered something like, "the wonderful thing about tiggers..." and the guy said, "What'd you say?" I moved the tree out of the trail and took a second to wonder if Sandy or some asshat put it there... at least I'll be the last one who hits it for a while. Anyway, I finished the last little section without further drama and there was no real damage to the bike and it definitely still ranks as the best time that I've had out there. I'm really hoping to get one more ride in after some rear shock tuning.

Ride Data

[CD44hi]

That sounds like a lot of fun! I am glad to hear the bike is a great match and fun to ride. Congrats!

[MexicanDragon]

Nate, that rocks! I'm interested to see how you're going to like it when you get a Trigger next year too

Aren't you tired of that silly road riding now?

**BRENT**

[HeadphoneAddict]

In this section there's a small rock jump in the middle of the trial and there appeared to be a similar one on the left side of the trail so I took it. Oh fuck. Right as I was about to go airborne I saw the 4" diameter tree that was across my side of the trail a good 6' beyond the jump and 12" off the surface of the trail. Fuck, fuck, fuck. So I put as much as I could into it and managed to get the front wheel over it. The rear, not so much. You can see this even on the ride data below. It's the abrupt lowering of my speed in a otherwise high speed section at about 5.6 miles. I ate it hard going full ass over tea kettle. Thankfully I managed to unclip in mid-departure so the bike didn't get tossed any worse. Doubly thankfully I landed in a pile of leaves. Minor scrapes on my knees, a bruise on a forearm and a cut on an ankle were the sum total. I pretty much rolled out of the fall and got back up. Much to the surprise of the 80+ year old man and wife staring at me. I muttered something like, "the wonderful thing about tiggers..." and the guy said, "What'd you say?"

Glad you didn't get hurt worse. I think when I took that digger at Steamboat in July I might have had a hairline fracture myself. My hip swelling was much worse than the huge bruise, and it's still swollen almost 4 months later although much better. I'm still very point tender over the hip too.

For me, scratching a new bike would drive me nuts, which is one reason (other than cost) why I bought a used bike that's pre-scratched to hell already. (I should only buy used iPads too)

[MexicanDragon]

You gotta scratch a new bike. It's a rite of passage.

FWIW, I still have a couple light scars on my arm and possibly a thorn embedded in my lip re: September's NJ Biscuit Boy Bush Battle.

It's amazing how quickly "falling properly" comes back. Nate, I'm really super excited for you, and can't wait to see your adventures for next year.

**BRENT**

[MexicanDragon]

http://www.airborneb...-hobgoblin.aspx

Frame 7000series Hydroformed Aluminum Dual Suspension 29" with 100mm of travel

Fork RockShox Reba RL 29 Dual Air w/Lock-Out, tapered steer, 100mm

Headset Ahead Sealed Cartridge 1 1/8" to 1.5" tapered

Rear Shock RockShox Monarch RL with lock-out

Brake Levers Avid Elixir 3

Brakes Avid Elixir 3 Hydraulic Disc

Rotors Avid 180mm front, 160mm rear

Shifters SRAM X-7 2x10

F Derailleur SRAM X-7 2x10

R Derailleur SRAM X-7 2x10 Mid-Cage

Cassette SRAM PG-1050 11-36T 10-Speed

Chain SRAM Powerchain 1051

Crank SRAM X-7 2x10, 38/24 rings

Bottom Bracket SRAM PressFit30

Pedals NONE

Rims WTB SpeedDisc XC Alloy Double-Walled with eyelets

Hubs KT HiFlange Sealed Bearing 32H

Spokes Black 14g Stainless

Tires GEAX AKA 2.2"

Handlebar AIRBORNE Alloy 640mm wide, 15 degree rise, 5 degree sweep

Stem AIRBORNE Alloy +/- 7 Degree Rise, size specific

Saddle Selle San Marco Ponza Power

Seat Post AIRBORNE Alloy 31.6mm Diameter, 350mm Length

Extras Owner's Manual, Clear Coat, H20 Bottle Mount

Not bad for 1749$ shipped.

**BRENT**

[boomana]

Sounds like a blast, tree and all. Glad you're out and about on your new bike.

[shellylh]

Sounds great Nate!

"the wonderful thing about tiggers..."

[pigmode]

Epic fun had today. More later, time to make enchiladas. I love this bike.

Sweeet!

The new equipment is uber cool, and I would love to have a totl full suspension bike, but my mtb days are over. Somewhere along the line I lost the bike handling skills, from when I had a Cannondale Beast of the East with Pepperoni fork (talk about rigid). Its the bike I was riding when I blew out both my knees on Sierra Rd in San Jose.

[n_maher]

The thing that I like about this area is that there are many obstacles that have multiple lines so you can sort of challenge yourself by choice and take a less technical line. Granted, there are still some areas where you're chosing between gnarly and insane... And as I said it my little writeup, I'm man enough to admit that I walk some sections that just aren't in my comfort zone.

[Dreadhead]

I need to get back out on the bike! This cold managed to keep me off through the nicest weather for months and is just hanging on way too damn long...

Edited November 14, 2012 by Dreadhead

[tyrion]

[grawk]

nice huffy

[Dreadhead]

Did you buy it Mike?

[tyrion]

I dig Huffy's. I didn't buy it yet. If I do it will be at the end of the year. It looks pretty well decked up for the money but I will wait to hear what others have to say.

[Dreadhead]

Cool. Seems like a pretty good deal at full retail. Not that I really have a clue.

All my parts are in for when my Calfee gets here but no word on it shipping yet. Fingers crossed it ships soon. Really hoping to ride a bit over the thanksgiving week. Went a bit nuts and got matte carbon bottle cages to match the frame:

[tyrion]

That should look good on the bike Chris. The turn around on your bike has been blazing fast. I hope you have it for the T'giving weekend.

[deepak]

It has good components. But this is my 2c- I would personally spend an extra $500-700 to get a similarly (or more likely a better spec'ed) big brand bike from an LBS with the off season discounts on 2012 models. You will get a lifetime frame warranty as well as support if stuff breaks. Think of the times you have had to get help from your shop with a road bike then compound that many times since the mtb will be getting dumped/seeing rougher terrain/etc. Also Airborne aren't without their teething issues like tire clearances on the rear bracket, etc. I could deal with that stuff on a sub $800 bike, but not more than that.

I've seen great deals on Treks, Giants and Specialized bikes from 10-25% off that I would take over that Hob.

Not a Huffy hater, I'm thinking about riding a Guardian for one season until 650B makes its way to the big brands.

I just looked at Airborne's page with the bike comparison. The Airborne is actually about $1870 once you pay for shipping. Besides not being a fan of the colors Trek uses on their bikes I would take the Trek Superfly over the Hob (then replace the tires on it), especially if they can be had for ~ $2000.

http://www.trekbikes.com/us/en/bikes/mountain/cross_country/superfly_100/superfly_100_al/#

[tyrion]

Thanks Deepak. I need to hear this stuff. I'm likely not buying until the end of the year so I probably should spend some time looking at LBS's to see what is available. I am all over the place with this stuff and need to focus. I'm still waiting to hear from DeSalvo about possibly switching the bike I have on order to either a Ti hard tail or suspension (650).

[n_maher]

Mike,If you're looking for a less expensive option now is definitely time to talk to dealers about not only the leftover stock that they already have but what is available to order. I think my LBS had a leftover Flash 29'er Carbon 3 for around $2,000, about a 30% discount off full retail. Another one to look at would be the Jekyll 4. There's a boat load of those left in Cannodale's inventory and your LBS should be able to negotiate a very good deal, maybe a few hundred more than the Airborne but pretty damn close. The 2012's 4's had the fully adjustable suspension but the 2013's don't for some weird reason. [edit] There's a pretty good review of the Jekyll 4 online as well and the case is made that the 4 is worth buying for just the frame and is worth upgrading more over time. I'd agree with that statement.

[Augsburger]

Cool. Seems like a pretty good deal at full retail. Not that I really have a clue.

All my parts are in for when my Calfee gets here but no word on it shipping yet. Fingers crossed it ships soon. Really hoping to ride a bit over the thanksgiving week. Went a bit nuts and got matte carbon bottle cages to match the frame:

I did as well and those look very similar to mine nice choice. Hard to justify choosing aluminum cages for a carbonfiber bike, kind of like using MDF in a butcher block cutting board.

[aerius]

Found a bike park. Had some fun. There will be a video.