pedalhound profile

Agreed...but running 300mm+ of exposed post is ludicrous....lol.

No snapped posts, but I have broken every full suspension bike I have owned. You put together long limbs and heavy weight and I am a punisher of bikes...lol. My Thomson post was longest lasting..never had an issue with it, but it was a 125mm travel on a full 520mm seat tube. On my KS dropper before that...it rarely lasted a month or two before it would stop working. I am now running a OneUp 170mm dropper (on a 530mm seat tube and still have 3" of post showing) and it's having some issues...so I would say I have seen some shit...lol.

I have been running Shimano shoes for many years now Starting with the AM41's and they were great..lasted about 5 years. I replaced them with some AM7's and I wore through the sole in a year (Vibram outsole)...kinda shitty for shoes that cost over $200. I thought about going over to 5.10 but they just don't fit my feet...so I rolled the dice and picked up some GR7's and I really love them. It's been almost a year and they are still holding together well and the Michelin outsole has a good amount of grip, not super sticky but with my plastic Kona Wah Wah 2's I never feel like I need more grip.

Short seat tubes may work great for some, but those of us with long legs are putting a ton of strain on our frames which will cause frame/seatpost issues. Even with a 520mm seat tube and a 170mm post I still have 3" of post showing....and with being a bigger guy the extra leverage that this creates is huge. It may be great for those upsizing frames...but for those of us with long limbs...it is an issue.

Hopefully, Jordie can get in next year and stay healthy for the event, I was really looking forward to his run.

While I don't think Brendan's run was a winning run, it deserved better than 10th...you know...maybe 8th. ;)

This year was a nice mix of the gnarly and the built stuff. I think people forget that before the built landings people were eating shit pretty hard and injuring themselves. The event this year was a great mix of the gnarly and the slopestyle.

I used to use normal Stans and it was okay...not great. Earlier this year when I built up my Chromag, I tried the Finish line sealant...and it did not get along well with my Conti TK's with hookless rims, probably mostly to do with the tires but when I took them apart they were dry and this was only after a few months. On one ride I had to stop and pump up my tires 4-5 times...no holes in the tires either. It was easy to clean the Finish Line out though, so that was good. I then went to Orange Seal as I heard it really does a good job of coating the inside of the tires/rims with latex and since I changed over have not had to touch the pump hardly at all.

They look like good shoes so far...I would love to try 'em out and see how they fit my feet and riding style (or lack thereof). 

As for riding on flats, when I moved back a few years back it took a while to get used to the feeling...but now I feel more glued to the bike than I have in a while...and I am riding a HT too. Give it some time, and you too can ride without the crutch of being clipped in. ;)

I love my Auron too..best for I have ever owned. I have the same wish though, I run my HSC wide open, it would be nice to have more adjustment there.

Also called ghetto tubeless, where you take a smaller tube and slice it open on the outside seam...and use it like a liner.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kx_yvln1Kus

The more I ride with the Diety Knuckledusters the most I like 'em. I would also love to try the ODI Elite Pro and the DMR Death Grip.

Posted by: Kenny

Posted by: DemonMike

Ya the RAAW Madonna is a want on my list . Weird they won,t ship to NA , they claim liability reasons . MTB is a dangerous sport to begin with .

Swarf cycles makes the same statement on their website. Plenty of small UK brands ship frames internationally, so seems a wierd policy. But I guess I'm not a lawyer...

Interesting, never heard of this before. I love what they have done with the Raaw Madonna...just a beautiful bike, but that damn seat tube is too short. #tallguyproblems

The sites are listed right there...why not take a look for yourself?

I have an Evoc pack for big days or if I am leading a group so I can carry enough food and first aid for people, and a Dakine fanny pack for those in between rides, but lately I have been riding with no pack...minimal tools/tube on the bike in a dry bag and a pump mounted to the side of my bottle cage....this has been a great setup.

Posted by: shoreboy

Im going to say there is a big difference in terms of durability between a CK hub and a Hope hub.  I have several sets of CK hubs that are 10+ years old and still on their original bearings.  Maybe the Pro 4s are better than the Pro 2s, but ive never know a set of Hope bearings to last anywhere near that long.

Agreed, any hub with pawls will be way less durable than a CK. While I have not ridden a hope hub yet I have exploded many others and when I went to CK...all that went away. Worth it!

Posted by: robnow

Scott has never been on my radar but minus the Twinlock, I'm not seeing anything wrong with the new Ransom.  I must be drinking the KoolAid from the reviews I've seen so far (Vital, Bike, etc.).

Yeah, it looks amazing. I would probably see if I could remove the twinloc from the fork and put on a better fork, but keep the adjustment for the rear and see if I could figure out how to an underbar dropper paddle.

Posted by: wee-slurguy

I'm really close to pulling the trigger on a Wreckoning but have heard some shifty stories about (more than usual) cracking frames and customer service. Any one care to comment. Legitimate concern or just keyboard warriors ranting into the interwebs?

I remember them having problems with their first run, but have not heard much since then.

Posted by: Hepcat

Only downside is if you run Exo, Specialized doesn't have an equivalent light casing.

I gave Specialized a go for a while, Grid casings just don't cut it. Similarly thin to Schwalbe Snake Skin. World's better than WTB light casing, but that's a pretty low bar. 

I'm back to solely Maxxis for light casing tires. In a league of their own in this category.

I dunno about that Hep, I find the Conti sidewalls to be tough....since I started running them I can't think of one time I have had issues with ripping a knob out, or ripping a sidewall...and I run pretty low pressure for a big boy. After multiple issues with Specialized grid casing tires I moved to Trail Kings and have not looked back. Too bad as I like their tires and the new one looks pretty great.

I am 260lbs naked and the only place I really feel flex is in the wheels/tires or if I am on a flexy frame I can definitely feel it. I have been running SixC cranks and bars for a bunch of years...with no issues. I am thinking about contacting Race Face as I did find some circular cracks in the back of the cranks this year though, replace with Turbines maybe?

Posted by: Vikb

I've run the 2.4" Conti Trail King as a winter tire the last 6-7 years on Van Isle. Great traction. Rolls fast.

THIS!