Bushpilot profile

+1 for the Houdini.   Pretty decent water resistance, tough, weighs nothing, ok breathability and goes for $125 brand new (and you can often find a sale price).

"...hammer my one gear up No Quarter out of the saddle".  My body aches and I feel like barfing just reading that.

Very thorough and much appreciated.  The Öhlins fork is on my shortlist to replace what I’ve currently got. I haven’t ridden one yet though so I’m glad to see it’s on the list!

What are the other forks on your top three or four list?

I recently put on fresh Magic Marys in Super Gravity casing.  I'm using the purple Ultra Soft compound both front and rear in 29x2.35 (with cushcore on both ends).  They're definitely heavier and slower to climb but the grip and damp / comfortable ride are mind boggling.  While it takes more energy to move them, the extra grip does help with those steep tricky climbs this time of year.  I will definitely switch to a faster rolling rear tire when the days (and rides) start to get longer in April / May.  But for a winter slip 'n slide season dedicated setup this is the most sure-footed combo I've tried to date.  FWIW my winter rides are mainly Fromme and Seymour.

Also, this tire combo can be had for dirt cheap if you're willing to order from overseas and wait a couple weeks.

Looks like that's the Canadian price on their website, which is on par with ($29 more than) a Rootdown.

Glad to see a nice short seat tube on the large.

FWIW the 29x2.4 TRS A/T MOPO tire weighs 1068g on my digital kitchen scale (rather than the 1015 claimed by E13).

Are these tram bars available somewhere in the lower mainland?  Would like to try.  Great list BTW.

I have a Shift LT I use for ski touring. I also use it riding but, admittedly, the fit is a bit baggy on me for that purpose. But if you bought one with the intention of making it a dedicated riding jacket, you might be able to size down accordingly and get the right fit. Overall I am quite impressed with the jacket and use it for all but the nastiest days.  323 grams for a size large BTW.

Posted by: Chris_Mitchell

About to purchase a Chromag Primer. I was sad to notice the press fit BB - but realized I don't really care as long as it is quiet! (A noisy bike drives me mental). Anyone have any experience/ issues with this on a Primer? Also, I'm a 5'11'' rider going for a size M/L, but was curious if I should size up. Any insights or advice would be appreciated!

I’m just shy of 5’11” and currently ride a M/L 2019 Rootdown. I have shorter legs and a longer torso. The M/L feels very short (reach of 457mm) compared to my full suspension bike (reach of 476) any time I’m out of the saddle and the trail turns downhill or gets janky. I am replacing it with a 2020 Rootdown in L. That’s a fairly big jump In length but I’m pretty confident it will be a better size for me. If just general trail bike I think the new M/L (which grew in length a bit from 2019 models) would be great. But if you’re riding much chunder then the L is probably worth a think.

Also, FWIW I have two other buddies around 5'11", both riding size Large Rootdowns (2019 and 2017) and both seem very happy with their sizing.

Last thing: no bb creak or noise to speak of to date.

Posted by: niels@nsmb.com

Posted by: craw

A couple of the switchbacks on GSM need some extra precision but they're totally doable.

How about those three consecutive switchbacks on R&R? I find those much more difficult on long bikes than the ones on GSM.

Lol...these are exactly the switchbacks I have in mind when marinating on whether a G1 might be a bit too much...

Plenty of trails in the Robert's Creek area fit that description.  Pinkbike did a complete guide to riding on the Sunshine Coast in May of this year.  Check that out.

Posted by: Xorrox

Has anyone run into the new E*thirteen 2.4" TRS A/T Race MOPO tires for sale anywhere locally (North Van / Van) or online? I'd really like to try the 29" version on the front. 

Otherwise maybe I'll try the wide and sticky DHF instead of my usual wet weather go to, the Magic Mary Snakeskin Soft TLE Soft.

I ordered mine direct from e13 and had them shipped to Point Roberts. Arrived in two days and I don't think I paid for shipping.

I rode the Rock Razor in 29 speedgrip but I shredded the sidewall in about 5 rides.    I love the way that tire rode. I could only find that size in the snakeskin casing.  Way too thin for me.   Unfortunately they don’t seem to make the rock razor in a 29 in the supergravity casing.

Dear Maxxis,

Please make the Minion SS in a 29x2.5 wide trail in Exo or DD.  That is all.

-Summer

Renthal Apex stem has rise and is available in 35mm. Also, Renthal Fatbar Carbon is available in rise up to 40mm and Chromag BZA goes up to 35mm rise.  Those options should tick all the boxes in your post.

Posted by: grambo

Posted by: Bushpilot

Thanks for the comments!  I'm going to stick with my 2.5 DHF EXO and 2.5 Aggressor DD combo, add a bit of tire pressure and extra sealant and resolve to suffer on the climb back up to the lodge at the end of the ride.  Sounds like it will be mostly downhill until the big grind back up to the lodge at the end of the day.

Are you guys going with Tyax or just getting a float plane drop? If you go with Tyax they shuttle you back to the lodge at the end of Gun creek if you want... we took it, lazy/spoiled city slickers wanting to get back to apres sooner :).

We're getting the float plan drop at Warner and our ride is unsupported / self-guided so we'll have to grind up the road at the end.  We may just leave a couple trucks at the bottom of the road the night before if there's space to park so we can avoid the slog.  Anyone know if / where we can leave our trucks so we can self-shuttle back to the lodge?

Thanks for the comments!  I'm going to stick with my 2.5 DHF EXO and 2.5 Aggressor DD combo, add a bit of tire pressure and extra sealant and resolve to suffer on the climb back up to the lodge at the end of the ride.  Sounds like it will be mostly downhill until the big grind back up to the lodge at the end of the day.

I'm doing the Warner Lake to Tyax ride in a few weeks and am wondering about tire choice.  I'm on a 150mm travel 29er and currently ride a DHF 2.5 WT in Exo (front) and an Aggressor 2.5 WT in Double Down (rear).  I haven't been to the Chilcotins before and suspect my current setup might be heavy / overkill / make me work harder than I should for this 45km ride.  Internal rim width is 30mm.  Thoughts / suggestions from those who've done this ride much appreciated.