dorse's posts

Posted by: blackfly

Posted by: craw

Posted by: blackfly

Posted by: craw

We are fully in a golden age of bikes. Amazing, varied, great pedalling, light, reasonably durable, and a huge range of options? Yes. Affordable, no.

Golden age is past.  I remember  when any BB could work in any bike, you only worried about 26" wheels, whether it was high pivot or 4 bar link and it ran a front derailleur so you could use pretty much any rear cog and rear derailleur.  Most high end frames were hand welded in Canada or the US, and copious amounts of CNC machining was the norm.  But a bike for life doesn't make the industry much money, does it.....

I am building a new bike now with all new parts, and it seems the more compartmentalized you can make it, the better.  I can't understand the thinking behind fat bikes, although I like them, in the fact that:  where are you going to find tires, parts, hubs and all of the ancillary specific parts in 5 years?  10?  Being a fan of Hope, they have a fully Hope bike that uses its own hub standard and Hope fitting.  Nice to begin with but not very sensible long term.  I remember a time when the long term part was a given,  if that sounds a bit naive.

Even if a bike could last forever would you want to ride it forever? Technology, attitudes, skills and trails evolve. There are plenty of bikes from the 90s still around but likely you're not riding one every day for one of these reasons.

I get a new bike every 2-3 seasons. That's about as long as it takes me to wear it out, and that's about as long as it takes each batch of new ideas to solidify. My current bike is by a wide margin the best bike I've ever had. Better than any XC or DH or freeride bike I've ever had. Not only is it better in all of those respective categories but it's lighter and more reliable too.

I don't really get fat bikes either but then again I don't live in Minnesota or Michigan, where they have a huge scene built around fat bikes. For some people in some places they are clearly awesome. 

Maybe you weren't working in shops in the early 90s when shops stocked 68/78 shell BBs in a dozen axle widths and before that they were dealing with a mix of old road standards. Or when 6 speed freewheels switched to 7 speed cassettes then 8,9,10 and beyond. And then Gripshift then SRAM showed up. We have never had drivetrain interchangeability.

It is funny you would challenge the statement with "weren't working around shops etc...".  I was around.  At least then you could cook something up to make it work, and usually just fine.  Now, adapt or nothing works.  Convenient marketing.  Moreover, when everyone had 26" wheels, it was easy and a given that the tire would fit, and to find tubes (I prefer them for the longevity).  My current bike has Suntour XC Pro 8 speed shifters on them:  why?  They work and don't break, and how old is that?  (I have a spare set just in case).  

There was a time when you could mix something old with something new and it worked, worked fine and perhaps better than what is out there, but now it is all about new, and it is not so much for the "better" factor but to get you to buy new.  

FWIW:  just think how many good older frames are now obsolete if 27.5 or 29 is the norm.  Consider a Chris Bailey handbuilt, fillet brazed thunderbolt but alas, no 26 inch wheels.  Progress?

You can still get 26 inch carbon rims from China and Lightbike. They have four 26 inch offerings.

https://www.lightbicycle.com/carbon-mountain-bike/carbon-mountain-bike-rim/26er.

Very light and half the price of Stan no Tubes carbon rims.

Posted by: g_k

Hi,

Help me out. The comment section of a certain pink web page is cooking over of hate towards SRAM on releasing DUB. Why? Not getting it.

a.) It is only about bottom brackets, not the end of the world. Nobody gets killed using or not using it.

b.) It is not the only bottom bracket in the world, nor are people forced to buy it.

c.) Regardless what people say, looking back now on 1990 when I started riding MTBs, bikes have never been that good and that affordable as today (Disclaimer: Of course you can spent 12000 CAD on a bike, but a third of the money gives you the same riding experience)

Why the hate?

Mostly only industry folks uses the the word hate. Mountain bikers might use disappointed. What ever word you use, the fear and the reason for it are real. I hear all the time you do not have to adopt the new standards. Everything is better now than it was X years ago. Truth the new 27.5 and 29 inche bikes are heavier. They have to be they are bigger. And the biggest fear! You do not build tires, untapered steer tubes or even 26 inch forks. Although you can use a 27.5 on a 26 frame if it has a tapered head tube.

It is obvious they are discontinuing older standards to force us to spend money to upgrade to standards that are not better and in some cases inferior. I mention the press fit bottom bracket. So industry talking heads stop using the word stiffer nobody ever notices. We just keep having fun.

Still running 3x here. I run 22-32-44, and a 11-36 cassette. The big summer alpine rides demand it. 4 hours with 4-5k of climbing need a granny gear. Never had much problem with front derailleurs. Plus the occasional road spin to complete a loop or get to a trail you can just hammer out with a big ring. Shit, I am not giving up my 22 little ring! I value the flexibility of having more gears. I think it's really terrain dependent. Flat or mellow climbing? 1x for sure. But big vert climbing means I want lots of small gears. And long ass rides I want my 22.

I'm with you. I also run 9x 22.32.44. And many place I never switch out of the 32 ring. But there are times the 22 x 36 is all I can do. I hate getting off the bike to push. It is physiologically damaging. I ride to and from my closest trail system and the 44 is the tool. I don't have trouble with the front derailleurs.

How tall is your girl friend?
You could get a carbon fibre Pivot Mach 5.7 for $2000 or an aluminum one for $1500.

There has been other suspicious deaths in that jail in Spokane, that were ruled suicide. It is very unlikely a kid who just got his helicopter licence would kill him self in the first days of incarceration.
Sad story all around.

Yes cannabis prohibition causes more problems than it solves.

At Red, a loop we like to do is Mill pond, rod and gun by-pass,road to Crazy-8, to Hells Bells, to Valley View climb to Mastodon. Back along Dewdney Trunk to Mill pond.

Funny you should say you would need a size up with the pivot. I went from large Santa Cruz's heckler, blurLT2, Nomad. To a medium carbon Pivot mach 5.7 I have been riding the 5.7 for 3 years now. Super climber, fast descender. I have this bike built as light as possible with Easton Carbon Heavens. Between 23 and 24 pounds with a lev seat post.
I'm not a fan of the press fit bottom brackets

I'm looking for some one to ride with in Williams lake. I'm working in town for the summer and I need some help finding Shangrila. email me mike@heli.net

PS I heard about the free shuttle but don't know where the south side is.

We rode Red March 31st and there was no snow. Crazy 8s, Big Red, Red Rider, Momentum, Moth, and By-Pass. All good.:banana:

What time do you normally ride at?

Normally I ride in the after-noon. Tomorrow I'm riding with a buddy at 11:00. We will be at the tile gap. That is at the end of West-view Blvd. West-view Blvd. is East off of upper Watcom.

I'm riding in Abbotsford Ledgeview Sumas Most days If anyone would like to join in.

The dry dead birch on Knob is cleared. RM used a hand saw while I changed my broken derailleur hanger. Talk about perseverance, That tree was like stone. Good job Roy.
The yellow cedar on Emma Peel is still down. It is about 14" through and will require a saw.

Sethimus is right that is an old Microsoft business model still valid I think. Except now with Windows 8. They have hidden the steering wheel. But don't worry Microsoft knows where you are going. LoL

The whole internet is getting like Microsoft.
If Ford had Microsoft's business model? When they came out with a new truck. They would hide the gas pedal hide the clutch. Make you hire a bunch of guys to teach you how to drive again.