grambo profile

Check with Kinetik in Coquitlam? I pre-ordered my new Patrol in June and got it mid August. When I had my bike in for some work in mid September they had a bunch of Patrols and Spires on the shop floor. North Shore Bikes had some stock as well, not sure if it's sold through yet though.

My kids are still young (3 and 4 months) but reading stuff like this makes me think of potential fun times in the future, well written.

As a Shimano/Fox guy, the XT spec is just bang on... was one of the things that convinced me to put a deposit on a Patrol XT :).

I should clarify my first comment in that I fully agree we need a better approach to addiction, mental illness and systemic poverty in Vancouver/BC/Canada. We need a holistic approach to give people a real chance to improve their lives including access to housing, medical, counseling etc. services and that a lot of people dealing with these issues have had a shit life with no hope.

At the same time the status quo of shrugging shoulders are property crime and having no consequences cannot continue. There was a video on Vancouver reddit the other day of a dude with a baseball bat going after a homeless looking guy who just stole something of his. We are going to see more vigilante justice like this and it isn't good.

Career/professional criminals stealing high end bikes is another issue, those guys need serious consequences when caught given value of bikes these days which is what I interpreted this situation as (is it really a DTES addict hiding in the bushes at Parkgate to steal a new Altitude? Doubt it).

I follow Jono on instagram and was super stoked when he got his bike back... but the part of the whole ordeal that sticks with me is the VPD basically saying "don't bother" pressing charges against people who stole a ~$10k bike. Something needs to change in our judicial process, theft of high end bikes needs to result in years of jail time.

This. Enthusiasts looking at spy shots already know if the bike company is running 2/3/4 year product cycles and when an update is likely due. The people walking into bike shops to buy from the floor inventory and use the advice/expertise of shop staff are probably not looking at spy shots or anticipating new models (and because bikes are so good, they probably don't care much if a revision comes out next year, too busy enjoying their sweet ride).

The reaction is overblown here. I still don't understand why they don't do testing at a more low key riding area on weekday mornings? If they want to do shuttle runs could just go to Cypress on a Tuesday morning or out to Vedder, unlikely anyone will be taking pics then.

Also that Norco has had full pro high res shots from races going back to Psychosis, NZ DH series etc.

Any bigger guys have experience on the Sight? I'm about 225lbs geared up to ride and have read about problems with getting the X2 setup properly. Is a DHX2 an option?

Been using an Osprey Talon 6L fanny pack for two years now, the Savu wasn't out yet or I would've gotten it. Love it so much more than a backpack. Has held up great as you would expect (I also have an Osprey backcountry skiing pack that shows minimal wear after hundreds of days). 

I like to drink a lot of water in the summer especially on 4+ hour rides, so having 2 bottles on pack plus 1 in the frame is awesome. I've only used my hydration backpack when riding in the California desert heat.

The athletes with the RAD 38's and the new RAD air/coil shocks won't talk about them if you ask :)

Pant design looks good, have not worn riding pants before for some of the reasons outlined above (fit mostly, stubby/big legs here). Have been thinking about checking out NF and knowing the company story I am more motivated now... factory is 7 min from my house in Mount Pleasant so I'll drop by some time!

Birth rate has fallen off a cliff since mid-90s. Yes, immigration numbers are high and it certainly feels like an issue, but the system is predicated on population growth. The biggest issue is immigration funneling into lower mainland/GTA/Montreal and not spreading out.

Posted by: Sethimus

Posted by: grambo

Anyone with inside knowledge know if/how many new trails will open in Creekside this summer? Rumours at least?

https://ridemonkey.bikemag.com/threads/whistler-2022.294932/post-4695340

Good stuff, flip with the inside knowledge, thanks dude. Stoked to see the new stuff especially what they build off TOTW toward MON/Kashmir. There's enough going on now that a full day on Garbo/Creekside with no Fitz is pretty appealing to me (previously would do one TOTW into Khyber, RDS or MissFire/Delayed/BC's). Just have to decide if the trail bike is up for a Garbo smashing haha. 1199 drop looks beyond my comfort zone but hopefully can ride the rest of the track.

Big fan of a mullet on the shore. I'm 5'10" but have shorter legs/long torso, I found demoing 29ers I would buzz my ass from time to time (would probably go away if I rode one full time). Mullet I am confident on the steep tech and the bike is easy to push into/out of corners. It might be a bit slower climbing, and worse on tech climbs, and probably slower than a full 29er going down rough stuff but I'm not fussed about those things. I have a Transition Patrol (160mm/160mm). I think Steed does demos of Santa Cruz? You could try a Bronson or Nomad which are both mullet now.

Anyone with inside knowledge know if/how many new trails will open in Creekside this summer? Rumours at least?

Thinking I will grab a Springdex as an upgrade later this year. I have a 2023 SD Ultimate coil, currently running a 550lbs RS steel spring which is a touch stiffer than I was expecting (27% sag). I actually ordered a 600lbs thinking the 550 might be too light but in reality I probably want 525ish. Was debating some of the third party Ti springs but the Sprindex isn't much more at $200CAD and the adjustability seems pretty cool, plus it's still 110g lighter than my RS 550# (561g).

Reverse mortgages are bad, avoid them (rates are way too high). HELOC is superior, the one challenge is you need income to quality, so get one locked in before you retire. Even HELOC isn't great when rates are 6-7% though, that will add up fast if you are not making repayments. Selling the house, investing the equity in a diversified ETF portfolio (with appropriate risk for your time horizon) is probably the best bet in terms of generating reliable cashflow, especially if you have TFSA/RRSP room. You might even be able to use the new FHSA once you sell your house. Obviously there are downsides to renting, depending on the market you are in.

PSA (TSX ETF) is another decent option for cash you don't want to take any risk on. Similar to others the AUM are just cash deposits at big Canadian banks where Purpose has negotiated higher HISA rates than you get at retail due to scale. As long as you are moving decent chunks of money in/out the $6.95/tx fees don't matter too much.

The idea with WB (and any big resort) is disincentivize day trips through high ticket window prices and get people buying season passes/cards before the season starts. Assured revenue regardless of conditions/weather/traffic/life etc. WB can still be awesome for casual skiers with an Edge card, once you are actually skiing. Biggest problem in my view now is the highway/traffic whenever it snows. Significantly worse than 5-10 years ago, seemingly due to more inexperienced drivers on shitty tires.

Nice selection of Banshees on display here. I've had my 2022 Patrol for about 18 months now and am still loving it with no plans to change. Last year after two Fox Float X2 failures I bought a 2023 Super Deluxe Ultimate Coil which was a big improvement in ride quality (and reliability, so far). The HBO on the shock is great for a heavier guy like myself. The only downside is the weight, which reminds me I need to weigh it with the coil shock as it has to be pushing 38-40lbs now with pedals on. I've said I'll treat myself to a WeAreOne wheelset upgrade if I can destroy the stock DT Swiss EX1700/350's but so far the are holding up amazingly well, even after several days of dustbowl Sun Peaks thrashing last fall.

Changes from stock XT/Fox build: 2023 RS Super Deluxe Ultimate Coil (550lbs spring), Maxxis Assegai MaxxGrip DD 2.5 + DHRII MaxxTerra DD 2.4, Renthal Fat Bar Carbon 35, DMR Deathgrips, Fabric Scoop saddle, Time Speciale 12 pedals, OneUp EDC in steer tube, Topeak Racerocket MT pump on Specialized Zee cage, Wolftooth B-Rad cage with Pirelli P-zero Smarttube + levers + co2.

On tire pressure gauges, anyone using digital ones? I bought the Topeak D2 on sale for $30 a few months ago and was surprised that it reads lower than my Joe Blow floor pump (that I've been using since 2014) by 4-5psi or so.  I had thought I was running 25/29psi (Maxxis Assegai/DHRII DoubleDown, mullet setup, 215lbs before gearing up) but seems more like 21/25 which seems low given I don't hear my rear rim all that often. Not sure if the Topeak is off or not. I am leaving it in my shed where it's cold so maybe that impacts it?