cyclotoine profile

I pulled the trigger on a pair online in size 46 (US 12) and they compare well in size to size 46 Freerider pros (US size 11.5) so if you go by US sizing I'd day these are slightly smaller than same size 5.10. I will report back for anyone reading this in the future trying to decide to buy these or not. Out of the box they don't feel anywhere as comfortable as freerider pros but hopefully they'll break in. The added height around the angle, the strap and the walking tread all won me over. I also appreciate that they're black and grey whereas my freerider pros are black with a bit of white that instantly gets trashed. Will report back on stiffness and grip later in the season. the trails are in their isothermal snow covered phase (read no fat biking and not mountain biking so hit the road or grind some gravel for the next 2-3 weeks).

I first saw it here:

https://cyclingtips.com/2019/02/knipex-pliers-cone-wrench/

Maximum is Canadian Tire's attempt to make a quality tool the is differentiated from the budget Mastercraft branded tools. I believe the Maximum stuff carries a lifetime warranty and my experience is that, while not top of the line, Maximum branded stuff is better than Mastercraft. I'd also feel more comfortable having them machined into the ultimate cone wrench, since I still work on a lot of old bikes too.

I am thinking of buying the mastercraft ones and taking them to my local machine shop with a box of dougnuts and asking them to shave them down for use on cones. How I'd love to donate all my cone wrenches to the bike co-op or some aspiring mechanic.... cone wrenches suck and wear fast. Knipex cone wrench would be amazing. I know there are people offering this as a service but they're like $150 USD to buy the Knipex ones machined down.

I goofed. You are right I misquoted, but my point is your assessment was kind of the opposite of some other reviews to sum it up "not too stiff, just right, and not too sticky, just right" whereas some others said they were too stiff and didn't grip. I on the other hand prefer as stiff as I can get them. Freeriders pros are great for me and some people find them too stiff.

The patent must have expired on the knipex. Has anyone noticed these: 

https://www.canadiantire.ca/en/pdp/maximum-pliers-wrench-10-in-0581692p.html#srp

might be a good alternative if you can't stomach the cost of Knipex.

When the Wolf Tooth tool was released I can say I immediately loved the idea and want one, but I don't carry a tool around now. Do I really need this? No not really, but wolf tooth knows how to make me irrationally purchase tools.

Reviews on this shoe are mixed. 

I read another review that said the soles were just too stiff and the grip wasn't very good (admittedly better than many others but just not up to 5.10 levels). You seem to have the opposite experience... almost as good as 5.10 and plenty stiff. I like a stiff shoe with lots of grip. This seems like it might be in the running if I am willing to sacrifice a little grip compared to a freerider pro. Would you say that is the case and can you compare stiffness to a freerider pro?

I like it because I want something with a modicum of walking traction. But I deviated from freerider pros (not the primeblue which I've heard only bad about the grip) and tired some ride concepts and it was like going from Maxxis Minions to michelin wildgrippers. I had to sell them at a huge loss and now I'm scared to try anything else. I recently picked up some Freerider EPS for cooler weather and am quite happy with them but again don't think about walking on anything with an ounce of muck as they are instantly packed.

I'm over 6'3" and I have the opposite experience. steep STAs and longer chainstays give me traction and the ability to climb things I could rarely get up on short CS and slack STAs.

The only cable that should go in the frame is the dropper cable. Pole has some of the best routing out there on their hardtails. it's a nice straight line, fully housed. I think they could have gone one step further and just externally rooted the dropper to the seat tube, but this isn't that bad. It's the same routing on my Tagia fat bike. My privateer is also all external aside from dropper and I love it.   

Same, fat bike with 26x 4.6 or 4.8” in winter and running 29x3” DHF and DHR in summer with cushcore. Heavy AF but it makes it ride so much better on chattery roots. I had tried some rekon 29x2.6” but they suffered the lack of support mentioned above. Maybe with inserts they could have been fine but so be it. It’s not my main bike but it’s fun to switch it up and it’s a great back-up of my main ride needs work. Also, it’s a Pole Taiga which has modern geo so I can ride pretty much everything I can on my FS trail bike.

pretty much agree with everything craw says. and while I am riding 75+ degree ST angle bike now, my next bike will be a Pole, because I want it steeper. My partner really appreciated the climbing benefits when she went from a 73 degree ST trail bike to a 75 and she is a hair under 5'8". So maybe 75-76 is good for average sized riders and it needs to be adjusted from there.

I think Forbidden is a great example of where the industry is going. Riders want more choice and we will increasingly see these small brands eat away at the custom and big brand market because they will offer bikes that have semi-custom geometry off the shelf with different seat tube angles and rear centers in each size. It means some bikes will get even more expensive, but we have seen that people are willing to pay for it. I would take a size-specific geometry alloy bike (Pole just happens to be making what I think will work best for me at 192cm) with a nice GX build over a carbon superbike any day (and then put really nice carbon wheels on it). That is what is going to be the best performance to cost ratio for me.

So I think we're going to see more of what Forbidden is going in terms of geometry offerings.

I also think tire damping is a thing and we will see more tire companies launching their ideas for it in the next few years. I think there is likely a lighter way to incorporate damping into the tire and that will be the way it goes, but we'll see.

I also think we reached peak hardtail popularity and it will not begin declining in popularity but always maintain a low-level market share.

Posted by: bmak

Anyone ridden the new Instinct?

I guess you mean BC edition since this is a long travel thread, but yeah I am riding the new A70 and I think it is a great value. As a super tall dude I wish it had more reach, but it's not bad with a 60mm stem and a bit of rise. I had a 2015 BC edition previously which was a great bike, the new bike is way nicer. Climbs better and more fun/agile than the old bike. I won't comment on the suspension since I went from XFusion -which was great for the price point- to Fox performance elite and of course it's way better in every aspect. 

Posted by: craw

I'm 6'6" and tried 180s for a while. I liked the way they rode but the clearance issues were enough that I switched back to 175. 170 just felt too small. 175 is a good compromise for me.

Damn! What do you ride at that height? I would think almost all production frames are really too small for you?

I'm 6'3.5" and most XL bikes are not big enough for me. We still have a ways to go on reach. I need it longer. Pedal strikes keep me from riding longer cranks but I would not give up 175 mm cranks. I run 185 mm cranks on my monster cross and 180 mm on my other two road bikes. I have 180 mm cranks for touring too. I love the power of the longer leaver and at my height I don't have to worry about closing out my knee angle on the top of the stoke, it's just a non-issue. 

So it comes down to personal preference. I see everyone here has a full range of preference.

Fixed gear I have run 165 mm but prefer 170 mm and I have run 172.5 and 170 mm on the boards. I even have 177.5 mm cranks on one vintage road bike.

I have the Dainese trail skins, the first ones. The second ones look like they address my only grip with the originals in that they are more formed to the knee cap. They stay in place. have side protection, move well and aren't irritating, but the fit it a little awkward as they are not cupped enough to fit nicely on the knee. I would recommend them and figure the new ones are the way to go if you can find them. I live in the North so I pretty much have to buy online anyway since local options are extremely limited.

Pretty happy with my riders thorn anti-fog photochromatic glasses. They're a bit big but the anti-fog really works and I can't live without photochromatic lenses anymore. I lost pair of specialized berm's which were photo chromatic last winter on a back country ski trip. I was super bummed. Those were my favorite all time MTB glasses.

My partner road a giant dropper on her 2014 trance for three seasons. Never serviced, worked like a charm and sold the bike this spring (the black stanchion one). My friend had the older version with a gold stanchion and it wore out. Some people clamp their post too tight and damage their droppers. I did it with my first X fusion and didn't make the same mistake twice. My partner got a new trance this year with another giant dropper and I hope it holds up as good as the old one. I like the performance of my Xfusion better but it does need more frequent service.

Posted by: mrock

Posted by: shoreboy

Ordered about $500 of parts and apparel from them on Apr 3rd.  Shipped out Apr 4th, delivered in Vancouver Apr 8th.  I always choose the Canada Post option.  I got charged $9.95 handling and another ~$22 in taxes (which is lower than what it should have been).  Fast and cheap, no complaints at all here.

I'm at 18 working days now, and nothing has showed up for me. Ordered about $200 worth of Shimano drive train parts. My first order with CRC as well, and it's taking wayyyy longer than I expected. Hopefully better luck on some future orders, or better yet, I hope this order even shows up!

Don't start to worry yet. It can often take 3 weeks.

Is there hard evidence that wider makes you faster? Shouldn't we first ask how tall the rider is and if they have broad shoulders? 

It seems like everyone is going wider and wider and riding similar bars, but bars should be sized to suit the rider. I'm 6'4" with broad shoulders and am happy with 740mm bars though I do ride some tight trees. 

I had to put narrower bars on my girlfriends bike because the stock ones are ridiculous for a 5'7" women for trail riding.

Also keen, are they available currently? Sending PM.