niels@nsmb.com profile

Don't forget EU pricing includes VAT which is 19% in Germany. They list discounted prices incl. and excl. VAT on https://www.raawmtb.com/madonnabike. However, their online shop doesn't seem to have been updated yet for ordering outside EU. Probably best to contact Raaw before ordering.

I've also heard good things about Newmen rims. According to their website, they have a Canadian distributor.

Weekday rides are awesome and I consider myself a lucky bastard that I often have the entire mountain to myself. But even on weekends it's fairly easy to avoid the crowds on the Shore. Just choose your time and trails smartly. Don't tell this to anyone else but Seymour is often blissfully quiet on Sunday afternoons around ~3pm.

I think the main point Dave is trying to make is that many helmets, even those with one of these new technologies (that may or may not help in some situations), don't fit many people's heads properly because they only come in a small number of sizes, each of which is supposed to cover a wide range of head shapes, and instead relying on the retention system for 'fit'. Therefore it seems logical to prioritize finding a helmet that actually fits your head properly because a helmet that doesn't stay on your head when you hit the ground certainly won't protect you, no matter what advanced technologies it uses.

Would be interesting to test that upgraded '11 Slayer in a modern day context!

FWIW, I unintentionally went from 46 to 42 mm offset on the same (27.5) bike due to an emergency CSU swap on my Pike. I think I did notice a very small difference in steering on the first ride (a bit calmer if that makes sense) but it was not really significant and by the end of that ride my brain had totally adapted to that small change and I can't say it had any lasting impact on my riding.

So I'd say that in isolation it doesn't really matter. But maybe combined with many other small changes in geometry the total sum of those changes can be significant?

Fixed

Being expensive is one of the main selling points of a boutique brand 😉

I retrieved your removed comment from the bin ;-)

Ah, missed that, thanks!

Posted by: craw

A couple of the switchbacks on GSM need some extra precision but they're totally doable.

How about those three consecutive switchbacks on R&R? I find those much more difficult on long bikes than the ones on GSM.

I've never really understood why hitch-mounted bike racks in North America don't have their own plate and duplicated lights like they do in Europe.

What do you guys think about throwing rocks at bears to scare them off?

A couple of years ago on a solo ride I ran into a bear blocking the trail on Severed. I stopped, kept my distance and talked to the bear for a bit ("yo bear"). Bear completely ignored me so I stood there for a while letting the bear do its things and kind of enjoying the moment, when a group or riders came up behind me. I stopped them and pointed out the bear and they immediately started yelling and throwing rocks at the bear. They kinda chased it halfway down Severed that way until it went off into the trees. I was flabbergasted.

My thinking is the rock throwing is unnecessary and could even piss off the bear which is not what you want. In all my (black) bear encounters, I've always just given them space (slowly backing up if necessary) and let them do their thing.

Yeah I don't care about the time either but every once in a while I try to clean it bottom to top without putting a foot down. Think I only managed twice so far. Most of the time I just take it easy, take a couple of breaks, and enjoy being in the forest.

Posted by: mammal

I also have a great appreciation for the climbing route, as it stands now. I respect the challenge that organizers and builders faced with piecing together a route that 1) allows a much different ride flow than was available before, and 2) allows as large a % of riders as possible to be able to use it. The landscape and existing trail network certainly limits the available routes to the top, and every one of the possiblilities would be a compromise.

I think that the recent efforts to fill in some of the tech sections were mainly intended to make the challenge more appropriate for a wider swath of Fromme riders. Even in this thread, we've got everyone from "It's not challenging enough" to "Man, I can't imagine wanting this more challenging". Yet, pretty much everyone here uses that route (and probably enjoys it, to some extent). This just speaks to how effective their route choice is. I can clean the trail, but if I'm knackered it pays to go a bit slower, and if I need a bigger challenge, I try to make it sub-40min. 

The one thing I would gripe about is the addition of soil in areas that are clearly heavy drainage areas. It was mentioned previously, but even in the summer there were soul-sucking mud pits that remained weeks after it rained. I don't think anyone has any fun with that, but even this type of complaint comes with a caveat that it's a learning process. Hopefully those areas can receive some alternate choices for drainage or a different choice for fill, in the future.

^This

(except I never made it under 45 minutes, let alone 40! 👍)

Posted by: Xorrox

Apparently the Maxxis DHF WT is available in an EXO carcass with Maxx Grip at least from some German Online stores; I would be interested to know how well that works on wet roots and rocks as well (as a front tire).

I like it a lot, works really well on wet rocks & roots & woodwork. Noticeable difference in grip with maxxterra. Also rolls a bit slower but not too bad.

When I park on Braemar Rd, I take either No Quarter, or I go via Dempsey Connector -> Hoskins Rd to Mountain View Park -> Griffen -> King of the Shore -> Mtn Hwy. Both take more or less the same time depending on my fitness of the day. Parking lot + road for a quick rip during the week. With so many options I'don't really see the need for additional climbing trails to be honest.

I really like No Quarter as it is right now. IMHO the "formerly challenging" bits were only challenging because they were energy and soul sucking, not because they were technically difficult. If I didn't clean a section, it was because I was tired. I enjoy it much more now that some sections have been filled in with dirt. I also like the short downhill sections because they allow me to recover a bit.

However, right now most of the top section of the climbing route has turned into tire-sucking peanut butter 🙄

The Sony RX100 series is pretty good. Best compromise between sensor size and portability IMHO.

It will still require some basic photography skills to get the best out of it.

That's like saying "I've ridden in both cities, and Vancouver is no model for Amsterdam's mountain biking future" 🙂

Amsterdam has been suffering from overcrowding over the last decade. That affects all aspects of life, including cycling. More people, more conflicts. Cycling infrastructure being an integral part of urban design, bicycles being the main mode of transportation, and cycling being very safe even without helmets, are still awesome and what I miss most from Amsterdam.

Just a note about Squid Line - it's a great trail but feels (to me) more like an XC flow trail, to make it really fun you need to pedal and pump a lot to maintain speed. Nothing wrong with that but if you don't expect to pedal it may be a disappointment.

Bear mountain has some really good trails too.