ShawMac profile

I was checking out your artwork yesterday. Nice! The upside down number plate is a nice touch.

I was thinking of putting together a team name. OFD Racing.. (Old Fat Dad)

In 2021, after the bike park closed, age 41, I bought the first DH Bike I have ever owned. A 2018 GT Fury Garbo, ex rental, but very well maintained. The reason? I had yet to own a "big bike", and eventually I am going to be too old to put one to good use. Last winter I lovingly stripped every bolt and axle out of the bike and built it back from scratch.

I have big dreams, stupid dreams, like maybe racing in the old man class of the Stevie Smith DH. I don't care if I am last, but it will make me feel like I am doing what I should have done in my 20s. Those events sound so much fun.

Does it make sense to purchase a DH bike in a town with limited shuttling, and not much time to go to Whistler? No it doesn't at all. But shit is it fun when I do take it out.

How narrow are these down at the calf/ankle? I like my old school 2002 fox shin pads, but I find they don't fit under modern mtb pants due to skinny jean syndrome

I really like it. It is pretty fast rolling, and I have the heavy duty casing so it is tough as nails. No issues with grip. I really wanted to try the Mazza/Martello combo, but finding a 29x2.4 Mazza the last two years is a needle in the haystack. That is the main issue, Vittoria has seemed to have supply issues worse than other brands. 

I don't think it would do well in mud, but I haven't really tested it. I haven't run many different tires through the years, but it definitely has more grip than the Rekon I used to run. I don't notice much difference to the DHR II, but perhaps a bit more uniform transition to side knobs.

I love my Der Baron as a front tire. I run it with a Vittoria Martello on the rear on my Trail bike. I am going to swap my previously worn Der Baron onto the rear for a double DB wet weather set up. 

I have a set of Kryptotals to put on in the spring and I am excited to try them. 

For my DH bike, I want to try a new conti on the front... need to decide if I want the Kryptotal as well, or try the Argotal.

"If your 'gravel biking' looks like this... you should grab a mountain bike and stop trying to justify the dropbars for this"

I have an older Diverge, much lower spec and I love it. I think I would be hard pressed to get larger than 38s on there, but if I went to 650b, maybe more.

This. This is what sets this site apart from all others. It's not about the new gear or the videos, it's the foundation of how a simple bicycle and the emotions we experience when riding it are integral to our lives. 

Thank you

Penny farthings are starting to make a comeback if we are going to scavenge from various existing wheel sizes. 

The mullet extreme

What's the point of testing the cooling ability at 40km/h? Let me know how well it cools at 5 km/h when I am grinding up to the next trail.