Vikb profile

A few months later I'm liking the Tannus' insert in the rear tire of my HT. I don't notice the weight any longer and the ability to ride the back end of the bike as hard as I want [average rider here - no rockstar] is really nice. 

It's a keeper.

Following up after a few months of riding the Tannus insert in the rear tire on my hardtail. I'd say it delivered as promised.  I can run lower pressures for better traction/comfort with no issues with tire/rim damage despite riding with less attention to the rear end of the bike. The extra weight at the rear tire doesn't jump out at me as an issue and I am one of those weirdos that likes to climb. I don't have any negatives to note really.

That said I can run 14-15psi in my front tire 29 x 2.6" without an insert and I have no issues rolling that tire, damaging the rim/tire nor any lack of traction. So I am not motivated to put that 2nd insert in the front of my hardtail. The rear tire with insert does "feel" different. Not really better or worse than running without an insert so I'm not feeling that I need to change the ride quality/feel of the front tire with an insert. 

I'm also not motivated to put that 2nd insert in the rear of my FS bike. At least here in Coastal BC I can ride that bike as hard as I want without damaging the rear tire/rim. I could see myself throwing a Tannus insert into the rear of my FS bike before heading to the SW desert for a road trip. Speeds are higher there and square edges are frequent.

I'm glad I read this review and tried the new Tannus insert. It definitely changed the rear of my hardtail for the better.

Tannus' new inserts give good sidewall support and are easy to install and light. The only downside I can see is they don't run flat as well as an insert like CC Pro.

The bike looks nice. The one time I dealt with the Transition folks at a demo they were super nice. I'm sure I'll end up on a Transition one of these days. Giddy Up! ;-)

Almost all "lifetime" warranties are the service life of the product not the purchaser's lifetime or as long as you own it. Warranties are only for manufacturing defects in any case and those usually present themselves in the first few years of use so a "lifetime" warranty and a 3-5 year warranty are pretty much the same thing. A company would investigate how the bike was used and what the problem is as they determine if/how the warranty applies. 

Warranties are really just a rough guide to what will happen if you have a post-sale problem. Nothing stops a company from providing free help post-warranty and in a lot of cases a company can deny a warranty if they really are not motivated to help a particular person. 

I'm mostly interested in the type of company I am buying products from than the exact wording of their warranty. Being polite and having reasonable expectations I've never been denied help even when my issue was not, strictly speaking, covered by a warranty.

The other thing about steep STAs I don't understand is you can easily slide up your saddle several inches for those brief uber steep climbs to get an "effective" STA that's a lot steeper than your normal riding position. You can't slide backwards off the back of the saddle to do the opposite. So it would seem to me a middle of the road STA for the normal riding position makes sense since that gives you a useful range of adjustment.

I just boxed up my GF's DPX2 and sent it to Vorsprung for a full service. Shocks are easy to ship.

I'm kind of hoping the bike industry would just get to 90 deg STAs soon so that they can then unleash new and improved slacker STAs as features in their up coming bikes. ;-)

Ya maybe 9.8 would provide a setback dropper for review?...assuming the seated reach to the bars still works if you move the saddle 1" backwards.

When I bought my last FS 29er [GG Smash] I had to decide between large with a steep STA and straight dropper or medium with setback dropper and somewhat tamed STA. I went with the later and am glad I did.

FWIW - the Titan looks great and I appreciate all of Banshee's attention to detail. I've spent some time ogling the raw Phantom V3. The long CS and steep STA give me pause though. I do get tempted back to their site though and in a moment of weakness I could see myself undertaking an expensive demo.

I tried out a pair of the NW Clans. I love everything about the shoe except the sole's grip. Unlike Dave my experience was they were quite a bit less grippy than my usual 5.10 OG Freeriders. So I've relegated them them to less demanding use like urban riding and bikepacking where a super sticky sole is not that important.

I got the black version and they look great. They are well made. I want to love them, but they need a 5.10 sole transplant to really make me happy.

This is why we closed the border.

I ordered in spare chains and brake pads for our bikes. I already had spare tires and enough random parts to keep our bikes going. I had no plans for a new bike in 2021 so the lack supply doesn't affect me on that end and I have 3 mountain bikes [FS + 2 HTs] so in a pinch I can keep rolling the whole of 2021 by canabalizing parts off of one for another. It's only taken 30+ years, but my bike hoarding tendencies have paid off bigly!

I have been dream building a couple new bikes now and again, but things being out of stock have ensured I couldn't drink one beer too many and make a snap decision my credit card would later regret.

I did want a 2nd pair of MTB pants and haven't managed to find any in stock in the correct size. I tend to do my online stuff early in the day and I seem to get the restock notification emails in the evening so by the time I click on the link the pants are gone. I'll keep working on it. Even if I end up with a 2nd set in the summer I'll be ready for next winter. Mentally I'm assuming we are not half-way through this pandemic. So I'll just hunker down and keep my head in the long game.

Posted by: Ouch

Hahaha......when I look too far down the trail it's a bit blurry, so I started looking 5-10 ft away too! With glasses today I was able to look way down the trail.

Apparently my vision isn't bad enough for touch up laser eye surgery either, and contact are not an option either.

If you go the Oakley Rx route I'd like to hear the details.

Posted by: Ouch

Legally I can drive without glasses, but I didn't realize how my vision had slowly deteriorated......damn 50's!

They say you are supposed to look down the trail and not right in front of your tire. I have no problem with that. I can't focus on anything closer than 5' away these days. ;-)

I'm probably going to get Rx glasses at some point or contacts for riding. My eye doc didn't think a second round of laser surgery was worth it for me given my eye sight is not bad...just not as great when as when I first got lasered 20+ years ago.

Posted by: Ouch

Those that use riding glasses, any issue with fogging?

With the Jawbreakers rarely. On the wettest days after a big climb if we stop for a break I'll get a little fogging. I just take the glasses off for the break and as soon as there is some airflow they clear up. While riding I've never had any fogging issues.

Posted by: RAHrider

No experience with goggles. My oakley glasses get no special treatment. I often use my jersey to wipe off grit mid ride. They aren't perfect but after 3 seasons, they are still very acceptable. I think they are a harder plastic and may even have a scratch proof coating?

I'll second the Oakley lens durability. I wear my Jawbreakers every ride and after 2 years there is no noticeable damage. I use the cloth they provide to do most of the cleaning, but on the trail I'll just my glove or jersey to get some mud off.

My current day to day sunglasses are a pair or Oakleys that are over 15 years old and look great. I'm sure I could find a scratch if I inspected them closely, but in actual use I can't perceive any damage.

I made a pump condom and this pump was like new after a whole winter of splashing from the front wheel. I had access to a bag sealer at the time which was handy, but that's not essential.

Posted by: GreyHead

I so like this bike that I  bought a Rocket Max Full suspension frame last year and that's been another amazing experience as well, but mostly, I'll unconsciously choose the Hardtail for my ride. I have to be focused to select the Full suspension bike for a ride!  this replaced an early Honzo Process 111, a very nice bike,  that I never gelled with. 

I'm glad you are enjoying the SolarisMAX so much. We'll definitely need a full report on the RocketMAX though. ;-)

I got out on a long ride on my Daambuilt yesterday in the fine weather. Having been riding the Cotic pretty steadily over the winter it was fun to get back in tune with this fine machine. When I started riding this bike it felt pretty long/aggressive, but after months on the BFeMAX it feels like a playful trailbike. With all the rain we've had lately there was a lot of standing water and mud to get through, but the lack of other people on most of the route made it worth the effort to get out and enjoy the day. I'm staying in my local area in accordance with public health guidance. I'll be stoked when we can move around BC again and I can load this bike up with camping gear for some adventures further from home.

Posted by: FLATCH

PNW.   

Put down the Reverb and step away.

Yes. If you can just keep using a Reverb as is I get not wanting to spend the $$ on something else, but if you have to spend any serious $$ on a Reverb I'd prefer to get something else.

I just installed a Mudhugger fender on my friend's RSD Wildcat V2. This is the new "large" version. It's ~4.5" longer than the old "29er" version on my Cotic posted up-thread. They also changed the size of the ziptie slots so you can use normal zipties instead of hunting for thinner ones. I think the new "medium" fender is the same size as the old  "29er" fender, but I haven't verified that yet.