NSMB - 2024 - Hardtails Leaning Against Stuff Thread

Posted by: burnskiez

Posted by: fartymarty

I get why Stooge don't do 44mm HTs (due to aesthetic reasons and maybe purity) but it would be cool to stick a bouncy fork on the front of a Stooge.

Tristan - there is a ton of overlap but all very different uses - could you get the same uses out of a Scambler with wheel / bar swaps?

YESSS this!!!!!   God I wish I could put a decent squish fork on my stooge.  Its the only reason I'll be picking up another hardtail in the future and turning the stooge into a monstercross rig or selling to a friend.  The bike punches way above its weight class but its for exactly that reason that I know I'm gonna break that beautiful biplane fork at some point.  I like to hit the local blue jump line every now and then and it'd only be a matter of time.

After my ride last night i'm beginning to wonder if I really* need a squishy fork.  We rode a local area with some steep tech jank which was super fun on the Cotic Klunker.  It made me ride things slower and pick lines rather than plow (which I even do on the HT).  The -2 headset was the unsung star of the show - it just gets the fork in a great position where going over the bars doesn't seem like it's ever going to happen.

*slightly tongue in cheek as it's good to have the option.

Sometimes I find that with more bike setup options (rigid vs squish fork, multiple wheel sets, tires galore, brake options) I have a dramatically higher chance of being unhappy with what I have that day. 

Like no matter how well reasoned my choice I find myself thinking “I really should have run the less grippy tire today”

Simpler when the bike is just the bike.

Posted by: mrbrett

Sometimes I find that with more bike setup options (rigid vs squish fork, multiple wheel sets, tires galore, brake options) I have a dramatically higher chance of being unhappy with what I have that day. 

Like no matter how well reasoned my choice I find myself thinking “I really should have run the less grippy tire today”

Simpler when the bike is just the bike.

That's why I like having a single middle-of-the-road mountain bike that's set up to be "good enough" anywhere and everywhere. Just grab the bike and ride.

Less suspension (hardtail or rigid) is one interpretation of "less is more" but another is less options to choose from. Of course you can also combine those for ultimate minimalism.

I agree that the Stooges would be a totally different thing if designed around a suspension fork. They have a high offset/low atc fork that isn't replicable with a suspension fork I know of. But I haven't ridden one.

I have a gravel bike, full suspension, and now hardtail, but I could still totally see getting one of those stooges to fit the little gap between the hardtail and gravel bike, especially for long rides with a mix of singletrack and dirt roads. I did the one mountain bike thing for years but it's nice to have two now while one is down for repairs.

I get all the above points and agree with them for the most part.  My scrambler is pretty perfect as is, been riding it for a just over a year now and its been the perfect companion for the sloppy north coast winter conditions as well as cross country days in perfect redwood forest conditions in spring and summer, absolutely zero complaints performance wise.  

Its just that its too fun and I love the low maintenance nature of the singlespeed hardtail rig, I want to ride it on all the trails around here in the winter and I know the front end wouldn't be long for this world.  Now I could buy one of those burlier stooge forks I'm sure, but the current biplane fork is such an integral part of the bike's character.  I'd just like a little squish to throw on for those extra dumb days.  I'm sure it wouldn't ride exactly as Andy intended, but you're talking to a guy thats been throwing -2 anglesets on his bikes from day 1 and loving every minute of it. 

I promise I won't throw an angleset on the stooge :p

Posted by: [email protected]

Posted by: mrbrett

Sometimes I find that with more bike setup options (rigid vs squish fork, multiple wheel sets, tires galore, brake options) I have a dramatically higher chance of being unhappy with what I have that day. 

Like no matter how well reasoned my choice I find myself thinking “I really should have run the less grippy tire today”

Simpler when the bike is just the bike.

That's why I like having a single middle-of-the-road mountain bike that's set up to be "good enough" anywhere and everywhere. Just grab the bike and ride.

Less suspension (hardtail or rigid) is one interpretation of "less is more" but another is less options to choose from. Of course you can also combine those for ultimate minimalism.

Niels - I do like your suggestion of N=1.  Saying that it would most likely be a HT but I would still have a rigid fork to satisfy my serial tinkering tendencies.  

There was a stage before I got the Murmur (nearly 5 years ago now) when I had a Krampus as my only bike.  However I was constantly tinkering with it.

I'm trying to get to a place where each bike is "done".  I'm getting close with tyres - MM / HD, Burgtec pedals, ODI pushing grips, Trailmaster LTD saddle, Ergotec bars, Chromag stems and the 10Zee drivetrain.  There are a few bits to go but then can.yiu ever be done?

Such a good back story - http://stoogecycles.co.uk/2023/08/30/we-need-to-talk-about-trackers-the-forgotten-heroes-of-dirt/

The bent TT makes sense now.

Posted by: fartymarty

Posted by: [email protected]

Posted by: mrbrett

Sometimes I find that with more bike setup options (rigid vs squish fork, multiple wheel sets, tires galore, brake options) I have a dramatically higher chance of being unhappy with what I have that day. 

Like no matter how well reasoned my choice I find myself thinking “I really should have run the less grippy tire today”

Simpler when the bike is just the bike.

That's why I like having a single middle-of-the-road mountain bike that's set up to be "good enough" anywhere and everywhere. Just grab the bike and ride.

Less suspension (hardtail or rigid) is one interpretation of "less is more" but another is less options to choose from. Of course you can also combine those for ultimate minimalism.

Niels - I do like your suggestion of N=1.  Saying that it would most likely be a HT but I would still have a rigid fork to satisfy my serial tinkering tendencies.  

There was a stage before I got the Murmur (nearly 5 years ago now) when I had a Krampus as my only bike.  However I was constantly tinkering with it.

I'm trying to get to a place where each bike is "done".  I'm getting close with tyres - MM / HD, Burgtec pedals, ODI pushing grips, Trailmaster LTD saddle, Ergotec bars, Chromag stems and the 10Zee drivetrain.  There are a few bits to go but then can.yiu ever be done?

Yes for me N=1 is a FS at the moment but it could easily be a HT - I don't think there is anything I wouldn't ride on a HT that I already wouldn't ride on my FS. Just a bit slower / more careful. It's just that I have that FS and I don't see any reason right now to replace it. 

I think for many, tinkering is an important part of the hobby and there is nothing wrong with that. I'm more after an experience where the bike "disappears" on the trail which, once you have a "good enough" bike, is more of a mental exercise. I do a lot of tinkering in my day job (although on a computer) so maybe that fulfills my tinkering needs.

Posted by: fartymarty

After my ride last night i'm beginning to wonder if I really* need a squishy fork. We rode a local area with some steep tech jank which was super fun on the Cotic Klunker. It made me ride things slower and pick lines rather than plow (which I even do on the HT). The -2 headset was the unsung star of the show - it just gets the fork in a great position where going over the bars doesn't seem like it's ever going to happen.

*slightly tongue in cheek as it's good to have the option.

There are certainly features I'm more hesitant to hit on the Moxie when running the rigid fork vs the bouncy one. I don't mind being slower (and even enjoy being more precise) but without the safety net of travel, places with inevitable run-out speed get me a little clenched.

Still working on the flat pedals. I'm getting used to bouncing around on the descents but I step off the pedals frequently while climbing, especially when running SS. More practise I suppose.

My excuse for N>1 is to broaden the experiences available on those quick laps that can be squeezed in between the rest of life. The same trail(s) provide a very different experience on a fully-rigid single speed vs the FS rig.

Posted by: Jeh

Still working on the flat pedals. I'm getting used to bouncing around on the descents but I step off the pedals frequently while climbing, especially when running SS. More practise I suppose.

If I start having any foot retention issues with my flats on my HTs I check the pedals and shoes. Any combo of worn pins and worn soles can lead to poor performance exacerbated by the more active ride. Sorting out the issue returns my solid foot positioning. Might not be your issue, but worth a check as stuff like that sneaks up on you. Great looking Moxie. Enjoy!

Monday finally snow decided to show up Rootdown lean.

I can't argue with the obvious merits of N=1 and the rational logic behind it. Most of my riding buddies are adhering to it and it makes a lot of sense.

I am still a big fan of N>1, always have been and I don't see this changing anytime soon. To ensure they all get used, I believe you need to: 

- Avoid having too much overlap between bikes and choosing the right bike for the intended ride.

- Have comparable spec levels between the bikes. The bike with a crappy build will never get used when you have another option with top specs in the fleet.

- Be willing to ride these bikes for several years.

- Try to maximize cross-compatibility between the bikes.

I currently have a long travel enduro FS bike (for the big stuff and lift-access), a FS trailbike (on-going build project), a modern hardtail (to keep things real), a full-rigid classic XC hardtail (commuter), a BMX Race bike (Pump Track) and a road bike (winter trainer duties, mainly). They all get used and they are all nice min-maxed builds. There is an obvious  overlap between the FS trailbike and the hardtail, but I am a firm believer that having a hardtail is a must and it is the most fun bike I own. I also needed a trail bike for my son for when he wants to ride. His interest in biking is insufficient to justify buying a bike for him that may very well end up collecting dust, but I though it made sense to build a bike for myself that I will enjoy riding often and will be available for him to ride anytime he wants.

The lowest I'd go to willingly for mountain bikes is N=2 so I had a spare mountain bike I could ride when the other one needed maintenance/broke. The other factor you consider is how much you ride? My optimal N would be higher when I rode 3+ times a week vs. when I rode 1 time a week. Not counting my FS bike, which is really only around for sentimental reasons and because it's not worth anything in a sale, my mountain bike N=3 at the moment and that feels right. I ride everything regularly. I enjoy all the bikes I have. Since they are HTs/rigid with middle of the road/cheap parts their combined cost is about the same as N=1 fancy modern FS bike.

We had a decent dump of snow Monday. I did a fun trail run in the snow Tuesday as I needed to "train" **sigh** and been thinking at the time the riding would be fun. Today I made it back with my mountain bike to play in the snow. Hard to beleive it was 3 days after the storm and I still got first bike tracks on all the trails. Although I saw someone else post on our local MTB group just now and say the riding wasn't fun. Stay away.

I had a blast. Nothing more fun than flying off a small ledge drop into a snow drift and 2 wheel drifting around corners. Reminds me of riding when I was kid.