ackshunW profile

Yes! The sad tale of “no free lunch”

Thanks for that. And congratulations on 100 comments Re: an article about the (from an outside perspective) infinitesimal difference between two ways to put oil on something! Your articles are always interesting and a good read.  :)

Hahaha I’ve definitely used squidulous application of WD-40 (shhhh!) to get family member’s crusty bikes up and running (non-serious neighborhood-type rides). But in that context it works better than I would have expected, having consumed a lifetime of Big Chain Oil propaganda. 

Dumond is exceptional, but indeed hard to find. Will look out for the WolfTooth stuff as well. 

It takes being in the right mindset, but watching those single drops of the perfect-viscosity oil drop into and envelop each chain roller can be very... satisfying? Therapeutic? Don’t know. But I’m with you.

What about those squidulous pedals?

I am certain I’ll never afford ENVE wheels, but this review is definitely full of beautiful photos and awesome gnarly riding. Nicely done!

Great article! Yes, the stats on the acceleration of the planetary use of plastic is insane. And, no, the utility and use of plastic in modern life is basically unavoidable——— but use of plastic single use packaging is one CLEAR area we should all stop tolerating! Even if stamped with some note about “recyclable”, there’s about a 0.5% chance your local municipality can sort it appropriately. Nice work Ochain!

Still not convinced about what Ochoa’s does for riding, but I’m looking forward to the review.

Nice review! I always found flats much much more difficult on the rigid single speed in technical terrain. Maybe time to give it another try!

Can you relate the fit and sole stiffness to, say, a Five Ten Freerider? (Tough, I know, you say you e been away from 5.10). A different benchmark shoe will suffice :)

Hahaha yeah I think it’s critical to get that right, and the little ones don’t have the experience or vocabulary to recognize when it’s wrong. 48lb 6 y.o. on 2.25” 20’s at 10 front 12-13 rear. Seems to be a good compromise. Been as low as 7 in the front and that seems to work well too but I want to keep it above instant-folding territory

Oof ugh, I guess it’s true that I’m really behind the times. $550 for a bargain fork with no compression adjustment sounds like a lot to me! Slowly recalibrating my value gauge....

“Plushness air forks can only hiss about.”  —— pure gold!

Now these were nice clamps! When I had my singlespeed set up with cable disc and these levers— the best! Nothing at all hanging out behind or under the bar to snag your knee on, just two little 2mm thick bands of aluminum. Those were the days. 

I also like 4 clamps in order to keep my brake levers really inboard, for 1-finger braking and a good grip on the bar. And honestly all the adaptor talk sounds like a foreign language to me. Way too many standards with basically the same name!

I’m wondering the same—- to me it looks like the carrier necks down in diameter ~100mm from the top. So maybe it would fit? One up’s site is usually pretty good about that stuff, I’ll be scouring the FAQs later.

Thanks everyone for the responses, I’ve got some research to do on Fitz trail, Sprockids Park, and Roberts Creek. 

I know it’s kind of a BC mecca, but I didn’t imagine hitting whistler, I’m not much of a downhiller. That said LOTS and top of the world look like exactly my thing. 

Thanks again,

Eric

Hi all,

First forum post - I’m a member that comes here for the really incredible reviews and general sense of like-mindedness vis a vis the mountain bike world. I live in Brooklyn NY far from the north shore, but have always been fascinated by the riding there. Growing up riding in Trumbull CT we were heavily influenced by what we heard was happening up on the “shore.” :)

Fast forward a millenia and now I’m looking into BC for a family vacation this summer. Hoping you all can give me some direction about where we should look for our home base. Would like to air BNB (or similar) a cabin.

-Definitely going to do some riding but probably not all-day epics —- hoping for a location where I can get out for a morning blast then meet up with the family for the rest of the day.

-Would love to find an area that has a lot to offer for biking and other activities for non-mountain bikers. We want to also fit in some hiking, surfing, sightseeing, art if possible.

-I’ll probably fly with my bike but we may try a rental for my wife for a day or two. She used to ride a fair bit but she’s not up to black diamonds I’m sure. An area with a good rental shop and also has good medium difficulty trails would be awesome.

-Even better would be some recommendations for trail riding my 5-year-old daughter could tackle on her Early rider. 

I appreciate any advice, and I really look forward to seeing your part of the world!

Thanks,

Eric