craw profile

I thought that when the wheel compresses the rider is hanging off the top spokes while the bottom spokes become detensioned. Can someone call Jobst Brandt?

I guess now we're trying to figure out just how not-stiff we want our carbon wheels to be.

This thread is the soul of bikepacking. And moustache wax.

You can replace individual panels when they get scuffed.

What an incredibly thorough review.

Those look promising. Are they open-ended or not? It's kind of hard to tell from the photos on the site.

The Vittoria one isn't. https://www.competitivecyclist.com/vittoria-air-liner-tire-insert?avad=193258_b14e98fdd

The Nukeproof ARD look promising too but have yet to be in stock. https://www.chainreactioncycles.com/ca/en/nukeproof-horizon-advanced-rim-defence-ard-pair/rp-prod172999

I ran a rear Huck Norris for a while but it really didn't seem to do much for my 220lbs except become a major nuisance when I tore my tire and had to use a tube to get home (and carry my sloppy Huck Norris on my pack). I switched to DD casing and that brought an immediate and noticeable improvement to ride quality. I'm now running slightly lower pressures, get good compliance, no rim strikes and no sidewall tearing (which I would do 1-2 times a year with EXO). 

I think inserts have been a good proof of concept: modern tires need a little extra something. Now it should be up to the tire manufacturers to bake these requirements into the tires themselves. There's always going to be a place for inserts as an accessory for extreme use but it seems for most they're overkill. Surely there's a relatively lightweight happy medium.

Now that we've shown the value of these tire liners maybe the tire manufacturers can move towards improving the casing so that these things aren't necessary, and probably for less weight too.

That cutaway was really cool. It would be interesting to learn more about this, how/why different brands use different fibers and techniques. 

That electric moto really does look like the worst of all worlds given that it costs as much or more as a proper e-moto.

I never saw a Bow Ti in real life though I've always been fascinated with them. I did ride a Szazbo a few times back in the day and can confirm that it would stinkbug as badly as you'd expect. I still search Ebay for Szazbos and Bow Tis once in a while. 

John Castellano, who designed the Szazbo and Bow Ti recently (2009) created the Son of Szazbo. Weirdly I want one. http://www.castellanodesigns.com/Zorro.html

Posted by: legbacon

I went from a RF SIXC to the OneUp bar and now have enough rides to comment.  It has reduced vibration and hand numbness for me.  The bar feels perfectly normal but my hands are more comfortable.  Good job OneUp.

How much do you weigh? Trail bike?

Posted by: syncro

Posted by: craw

I think it's interesting that you think these e-bike-making companies, almost all of which refuse to vary seat tube angle and chainstay length by size, are suddenly qualified to tell me that I need a motor on my mountain bike.

qualified to tell you what you need? nah, that's not what I was thinking -  it was a tongue in cheek comment. what is curious though is most of the reasons being put forth against ebikes seem to be focused around trail damage or user conflict and not about an individuals preference to actually pedal and do the work themselves. imo i think that's probably the most key determinant in whether someone will eventually end up on an ebike if/when they become more socially acceptable.

I totally took your comment as tongue in cheek. TBH I'm not against ebikes necessarily. I just don't like how they've chosen to build and promote them. I wish manufacturers made them less powerful and less obviously about to morph into e-dirtbikes.

I haven't seen one that even comes close to something I'd want to ride, let alone fit me. I've never been motivated by making riding easier; I want my rides to be longer, steeper, tie more loops together, crazier technical climbs. I like climbing precisely because it's difficult. I don't like chairlifts and shuttling precisely because removing climbing removes a key source of pleasure and satisfaction from my riding experience. How can you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat??

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n5diMImYIIA

Posted by: syncro

Prediction - the previous four posters will be on ebikes before I am.

I think it's interesting that you think these e-bike-making companies, almost all of which refuse to vary seat tube angle and chainstay length by size, are suddenly qualified to tell me that I need a motor on my mountain bike.

Posted by: pete@nsmb.com

Posted by: Stuminator

Played golf & rode on the same day. Life is good. (Did a lot better on the bike, lol)

As someone who loves golf and used to pack them both into a day on a regular basis, that is good living indeed. 6 or 7 am tee time, done before noon, ride in the early afternoon and retire somewhere with a bit of sun and a beer.

Had a quick thought about the second part of your post - that you did a lot better on the bike - and that made me think 'yep, that's me too these days'. But part of that is the quantifiable nature of golf. We don't HAVE to keep score, but we always do. The bike equivalent would be to monitor your speed in real time (a la Strava premium) and judge ourselves 60+ times over the course of a ride ("you suck! what kind of line was that?", "Damn I'm fat and slow" would be 90% of the time, and every now and then: "I am the greatest rider this trail has ever seen (at least in the last hour)").

Which made me go even further down the rabbit hole. Part of the misery of golf is that we obsess with keeping score all the time, but it's not necessary in some ways - and in mountain biking, we're free to enjoy ourselves and play like kids and not worry about bogeys or double bogeys (or losing $5 on a hole). Is this an inherent advantage of a sport like mountain biking? Yes, I think it is.

And lastly, a round of golf for the average hacker can involve a lot of bogeys, double bogeys, etc. Is there an equivalent in golf? If a par is making it through a section of trail according to an arbitrary standard (fairly smooth and fast, no mishaps) then a birdie would be hitting it faster or smoother than usual, or nailing a section you don't normally expect to ride clean. But a bogey, or worse, a double bogey? A come-off, and one with consequences. 

Good thing we don't have that many bogeys on a mountain bike ride.

I love keeping score on my bike but it's mostly personal. Using the ride tracker on Trailforks is way tidier than Strava. It just records your route and a few key metrics.

But even the scores don't tell the whole story. There are days where it feels like I'm riding really well but the numbers aren't great. Or vice versa. Or I think I'm riding great and some white haired detrained-looking person just blows by me on the climb. All this mismatch reminds me not to take it seriously. The important thing is to keep going out and keep trying a little harder each time, link up sections without a dab, make a climb without stopping, etc. The ongoing process of tiny improvements is what yields real results.

Posted by: Brocklanders

Posted by: tashi

Think of all the laps you could get in!

And did you know, technical climbs are easier with a motor too?  Amazing!

Whatever the bike industry tells me to ride or promote, I will slurp that shit up at the trough.

Anyone who doesn't obviously hates fun.

Definitely ride Ned's.

I've got a leftover Wreckoning hanger if you want it. Trade me for some beers?

People feel entitled to go fast.

Posted by: heathen

I bought one. Couldn't pass up the price and chance to try something new.

So how is it?

Looks like I found a solution. I warrantied those Issi Trail 3s and got a pair of the new XTRs with the big platform (M9120). They're awesome. I forgot that I still had the Issi cleats on my shoes and these have added just enough extra resistance to make it all work.