Taz123 profile

The semblance to "Cable" from Deadpool 2 is uncanny. :)

I managed to snap my Achilles about 5 yrs ago while stepping forward in a warm up for a volleyball game. I'm in the 30-50 range, in good shape - bike, workout, ski and no history of achilles issues. Apparently the largest percentage of achilles injuries happen from stepping out of the house onto your deck - its totally random.

I did the surgery route at Lionsgate - it all went ok. I had a full detachment (the Thompson test made be scream). 4 weeks in a half-cast, 8weeks or so in a boot where you start with heel-lifts and take one out each week. Getting the stitches out was the biggest pain for me of the whole ordeal. The biggest win for me was getting a "iwalk". Yes you look like a pirate, but you have pretty awesome mobility and two free hands for beer and wings - you can even go up/down stairs. Forget the scooter, get the iwalk. Showers are a bad idea until you can stand...

Recovery - 2 months and on a trainer while wearing the boot (I looked cool), month 3 unclipped on the trainer, clipped at 4-4.5months (being clipped was very helpful in reestablishing flexibility). 5 months on the bike (light road) and 6 was a gentle ride on Bobsled. In my case the damaged leg was my "rear" leg while riding, so the bouncing of mountain biking on flow trails with a full suspension bike was good stretching rehab. Month 6 included lots of laps of highschool league, Bobsled, empress bypass and eventually JD and Expresso - the jank is hard on the leg, so I took it really slow. I had written off the ski season (and putting my new-shaped ankle area in to a boot the first time the next October was excruciating). I got back to some light low-leg workouts at month 6 (i.e. weights), but took it very slow.

I was back to full strength in ~10 months, flexibility took time. My calves and lower leg shape are now different left to right "I'm unique", but I've managed to get strength fairly balanced. Wobble-board or bosu were very helpful (or even standing one-footed on a pillow) was good to do while watching tv.

Good luck in the recovery - feel free to message or PM me for any advice or recommendations.

Such a good beer!

I've got 2 years on a set of 30mm Turbines...and I'm not a twig, nor do I pick the best lines. 

The rims are solid and very durable. I run ARDs and have had no issues with the rim aside from the odd dent that can be worked back into shape. 

The wheels track really well (when the spokes are tight). As for the hub, the engagement is great and I have to admit they are very easy to maintain. I rode them for over a year without the weather seal, because I damaged it (not recommended). I just replaced the pawls and freehub body after they were skipping due to wearing away from grime (remember no weather seal) and it was an easy process.

Good note about side-load risk on a shock. 

I don't think that is an aspect that many folks think about when selecting a bike and/or shock. An editorial about the forces a shock sees may be of interest. Which suspension design places extra stresses (not uppy-downy ones) on the shock assembly vs. others? Why is coil better than air for side-loading? Do we assume the shock spec'd with the bike is the best design for longevity and not just riding performance? What are some signs to watch out for? I'm sure there are other questions that newbs all the way to expert riders would appreciate.

Running dual Nukeproof ARDs on Assegai/DHRII (EXO+) no issues for my 220# Clydesdaleness on the shore. I did shorten them a bit as they do swell a bit.

The only flat I've had was due to a snapped spoke pushing through the rim-tape...not an insert-related failure.

I discovered this hack a few years ago - adult elbow pads can also be cheaper than kids knee pads.

I agree with a previous comment though, soft-pads (a la D3O) are better than hard shells. Depending on the design and strap locations, I have found having my grom wear tall socks help manage hot-spots. 

The other key aspect is for parents to be the example - wear your knee pads and show how they don't bother you - your little-un will want to follow suit...cause you are still cool in their eyes.

it looks "slabulous"

Where on the shore is that giant slab?

Waiting for the DVO solution :) the bolt-on one included in the fork is just too short.

Thanks everyone - the ones I was looking at is by waist size - would you call it true to size or should I size up/down?

Does anyone have first-hand info on the "Forbemk" amazon pants - aka Commencal pants? Looking for a backup pair and curious about quality and sizing.

Vans or DC (high tops are good for ankle support and offer some padding). We get them from "The Shoe Company" and they last.

Chromag Trailmaster

My 10 yr old (quite tall for his age) is on a 26" older Specialized XC bike. The downside is the seat-tube height on older bikes are quite tall - so ensure your kids have adequate standover.

Before the FS XC, he was on a 24"+ hardtail - which was perfect in providing a softer ride. Now finding replacement tires was impossible, so I ended up finding some larger-volume minions which was saweet (and paid a pretty penny for them).

The stoke is worth fanning.

I have a fluid cyclo-ops with a cross-bike mounted (trainer tire is critical for those not using a hub-mounted trainer. It is great and I have used sufferfest vids and a simple interval timer to get the sweat shack in full-stank. We put the "nice" tv in front of the trainer/treadmill - so if you want to watch crap, get on the bike/treadmill and have at er.

If I know I only have 30mins, the trainer makes for a lovely pain-cave.

Yeah, it is TINY...so looking for an alternative. the DVO adapters look to be soldout everywhere - and Mudhugger can't ship overseas at the moment. So I may be heading the zip-tie route for now to get further coverage.

an expensive and long-winded game...

Two last things; swapped out all the hardware for new (caliper bolts + rotor bolts) and the sound was less frequent.

Final move was to have the brake mounts + adapter re-faced - seems to have done the trick for the most part.

Has anyone found a good bolt-on solution for DVO forks? I'd rather direct mount where possible - and the mini-fender included with the Diamond isn't really shore-adequate.