blangshaw profile

+1 for Richard also being an awesome dude to ride with.

How much rain has the Conspiracy been exposed to? I live in Alberta (aka no-rain land) and have the RaceFace Nano jacket - it is a supreme disappointment in that it is completely useless in even the slightest rain, and not worth much of anything as wind protection. Between that and really disappointing quality of other raceface clothing in recent years I had given up on them as a brand. Curious to know if others have had similar issues?

As a current AB rider and past Dumonde user, I think Dumonde is great for AB conditions.
I also concur with WPL comments regarding how it is an absolute magnet for alberta dust, and should not be used in this province under any circumstances.

I've just started the chain waxing thing. I'm using Molten Speed Wax for my road bike and mountain bike.
I live on the other side of the rockies, so less exposure to wet but much more dust. Waxed chains are SLIGHTLY louder, but literally zero gunk gets attracted onto the chain even after some absolutely marathon rides (180+ km road for example). If it does somehow attract anything, pouring hot water over it instantly cleans the chain. I will note however that my Sram x01 drivetrain doesn't shift quite as smoothly (though that may be user error) while my shimano 105 shifts perfectly, if not better.
Past lubes used were the above dumonde tech for mtb and Silca NFS for road. Another plus is that when working on my chain, i literally never get any gunk on my hands or elsewhere.

Where in North America can you buy them?  Been looking for someone to sell me some!

I'm gonna suggest the Vittoria Mezcal in 29x2.6.  It has a shockingly large amount of grip for how little the knobs are, does great when leaned over, and rolls very nicely.

Exactly, instead I'm joining the cult of backsweep bars and have ordered both the 12 and 16 degree sweep SQLab bars (in aluminum) to try for myself.

I definitely want to get the linkage upgrade, but I guess at $400 it doesn't seem like a high priority at the moment. Id rather upgrade the bar (RF 35mm are stupidly over stiff) or brakes (dang wandering bite point) at the moment.

I am on the 2019 model, but sized up to an XL. It fits great and adds some extra reach (I'm 5'10 and can fit a 200mm OneUp dropper). I'd also like to echo its incredible pedaling capabilities, especially on big days like Seven Summits - the high anti squat (tied with Bird Aeris for perhaps highest on the market) gives it phenomenal pedaling, especially out of the saddle. For those concerned about pedal kickback related to the high anti-squat, I honestly have never noticed it even on the techiest and jankiest trails I could find - but perhaps thats related to the relatively low engagement DTSwiss hub I'm running.

As an environmentalist, yet also mountain bike trail designer/builder, I have long been torn over e-bikes.

Recently, my 72 year old (partially disabled) father bought an e-bike.  Cycling is his life, its the only real sport he can do given his injuries, and for the first time in 15 years I am able to go mountain biking with him.  He is not crushing single track, he is not pushing limits of speed, and he isn't thrashing berms.  Yet he still uses many trails that are identified as mountain bike trails, and has the potential to have both positive and negative trail encounters with other user groups. Without an e-bike motor he is basically incapable of climbing most hills (road or trail) given his disabilities and injuries.

Now, do we ban my father from mountain bike trails? It's just not that simple.

This is about the only sport he can, and wants to do (other than some road riding). Discriminating against someone like him is able-ist, without a doubt. Do we make e-bikes a different classification (as many winter riding areas have done with fat bikes versus snowshoes/x-country skis)?  I think this is our best bet.  Is it simple? No, but it means we avoid a lot of pitfalls of trail access, legality, engine definitions, ableism, etc.

If anyone has a better idea, I'm all ears.  As a government employee in the natural resource management field, trail advocate, trail builder and son to a disabled e-bike user, I can and will be taking feedback I get to various levels of Canadian government for consideration.

For what it's worth, I wrote the following for IMBA Canada a little while back:

https://imbacanada.com/imba-canada-and-e-bikes/

It is a little dated now that the Feds have repealed their ebike leigslation - leading to the wild west chaos we're now seeing, but I think we all stand firm on the definition we used, and our reasons for doing so.  I know there has been some friction between IMBA and some trail groups, but this kind of policy for guiding e-bike use I think is a great tool to help figure out how to manage and regulate things.