andy-eunson profile

I hear you Ryan. I don’t think the sweep is that much of a difference rolled back. I eyeballed this recently on my workbench and bars certainly sweep back more when rolled back. But you lose rise too as well as a bit of reach when rolled back.  I guess it’s just convention to measure bars this way.

What they indicate is sweep and upsweep when the rise is set perpendicular to the ground. If you roll the bar back until the bar grip area is horizontal with no upsweep, you’ll have a bit more horizontal sweep and a touch less reach. Roll forward enough and you could eliminate all back sweep and have only upsweep. Most people run their bars with the rise perpendicular to horizontal. Listing the angles this way makes it consistent so you can compare bars. It’s important to note that there is no one correct way to run your bars. You adjust the roll to fit the rider.

The big one is almost my size. Almost.

Some places in the world, like Moab, have shops that are open all night to do repairs overnight. In tourist Mecca’s it’s very different because travellers only bring basic tools if any. I always thought that in the thick of riding season this overnight service made sense.

There was this one time, in June, on a Saturday, when buddy comes in with a pair of wheels that needed a true. “Could these be done today? Shop goes silent. A case of a dozen beer is pushed forward on the floor by the customers foot. “I’ll ask the head mechanic”. I said. Asked the head mechanic who wore his glasses at the end of his nose to see. “Are you daft?” he says. I reveal the case of beer. Moment of silence. “3 o’clock OK?

At times we would indicate that the bakery two doors down from West Point had delicious coffee rings. And there was a cookie shop across the street. Food and beer greased our wheels when I worked at West Point in the early 80s.

Really enjoyed this. I’m gonna have to read it again and again to fully comprehend it.

It’s not a make or break deal for me. I did damage a brake hose once when I did a bar spin, well my bike did a bar spin as I tumbled down a slope.

This would negate the function of the Trek nock block on my Remedy. But the extra height at the bottom would negate the need and provide clearance. Tempting.

I did a test on a chain I was retiring. I installed the new chain, XO1 eagle, and noted the force it took to connect the new link. Then I reconnected and removed the used link in the old chain a number of times. It took less force to reinstall the used link than the new one but it did t seem to change much after a several repeats. So my take is that there is a change but the question is, does that matter? I don’t know. I have reused SRAM links in the past because I messed up the chain length and didn’t die. But I won’t make it a habit. For me, chains go on when new and come off when worn. I may remove a chain mid life span if I need to for some maintenance reason but that’s rare.

Yeah. I’m trying to wrap my head around the difference between a “slow take up hub” and this slow take up crank.

Posted by: boomforeal

Perhaps bike tires are the same and any tire store will take them.

again, they're not and they don't.

Oddly enough, I was throwing some tires out at the Function Junction garbage and recycling site. The attendant told me I was not to throw out tires there. They had no place at all for me to toss them. They told me to take them to a local bike shop which I did. The shop said they had no recycling option and they tossed their used tires in the garbage.

Posted by: tashi

I use clothes that are unwearable (mostly socks and t’s) cut into rag size and toss ‘em when they’re too dirty to use. I haven’t run out or washed a rag in years on this system.

Same here. Old sheets are great as rags. T shirts seem to absorb better though. I have lots.

You found my sack of bitcoins?

Posted by: Znarf

Posted by: andy-eunson

Posted by: craw

It might be hard to appreciate if you've been riding super short chainstays forever. For me the big difference is not having to struggle so much climbing because I'm positioned in the middle of the bike, not hanging off the back, so I don't have to do so much body english to not flip over. Manualing is the same, it just has a different balance point. I don't have any issue getting up and over obstacles on technical climbs. The only trick is having to be super precise on uphill switchbacks - my bike is really long so there's usually only one rideable arc through a tight corner. But that's a price I'll happily pay for a balanced position for the other 98% of the ride.

If you're tall chances are you've been living with a rearward weight bias forever while most M/L people have not since bike geometry was optimized for them (not you!). Being on a new geo bike was eye opening. I think my G1 is the first bike I've ever had where I'm positioned correctly. That's after 20+ high end bikes over 30+ years, this is the first bike that feels balanced.

Yes. If short rear centres allow one to manual easy, do they not make being centred more difficult? As a thought experiment, how would a bike like a Pole ride if the bb was pushed forward to make a 74 ish seat tube angle. Same wheelbase. That would make weight through the feet a more centred thing.

That seems a bit contradictory to me, I'm not sure I understand...

Wouldn't that also effectively shorten the front centre and make the bike feel old-school again with the over-the-bar sensation? =)

(effective)Reach is tied to the bottom bracket to bars/headtube distance and mingles with stack. So either you lengthen the wheelbase of a Pole by adding chain stay length and slacken the seat tube angle (and seat tube angle is only relevant for seated riding), reach isn't affected, stack neither. If you go too far the bike will ride well while standing, but you'll be stretched like a suspension bridge when seated. 

I think JonesBikes kind of do their geometry like what you are suggesting...  something about absorbing the hits more with your hips and through the legs, therefore not needing suspension...

Or you move the BB forward, lengthen the stays with the same wheelbase, but then you'll shorten reach.

Some early E-MTBs (I haven't ridden any and am not inclined to do so) from HAIBIKE have 470mm or longer chainstays. They couldn't fit the motor or something =)

They are steep and short in the front center though and really long in the rear. Also high BBs. They seem to handle awful, mainly because the front center/headtube angle etc. isn't sorted.

Another really curious geometry concept: the new GHOST Enduro and Trail Bikes. They are HUGE in horizontal Top Tube length. They kind of do what you suggest. Long reach, tall stack, longish stays, slack(er) seat tube angle. My frame size would be 5cm longer in TTH, which would kill my wrists and neck for seated riding, I think. Riding out of the seat should feel similar to my Madonna. Wild!

The over the bar feeling (or actuality) is related to ones centre of mass in relation to the front contact patch. That stays the same as you move your arse back to find that balance. In the old school days we had short bikes so moving back vis a vis the front end moved the COM too much over the back wheel resulting in less front wheel traction. I think a lot of riders started sizing up so that a proper short stem could be used and not screw up seated pedalling. But long reach became a selling feature so if long was good longer was gooder. But then top tube length was too much so steeper seat tube angles fixed that and allowed manufacturers to keep short chain stays for all sizes which keeps costs down.

Recently I received an email from WORCA. The weekly update and invite for the virtual toonie. The image of the route from Trailforks showed four unsanctioned trails in grey. These trails do not show up on the regular Trailforks App so I assume that there is a special version for trail associations. Some of the trails shown are pretty well known but only to those that are “in the know”. I also know from speaking with certain people that WORCA is not happy with a few of these trails because of where they are constructed and who has authority on those sections of land. I know of these trails because I hike around off trail a lot and I see things, hear chainsaws and go look.

Posted by: craw

It might be hard to appreciate if you've been riding super short chainstays forever. For me the big difference is not having to struggle so much climbing because I'm positioned in the middle of the bike, not hanging off the back, so I don't have to do so much body english to not flip over. Manualing is the same, it just has a different balance point. I don't have any issue getting up and over obstacles on technical climbs. The only trick is having to be super precise on uphill switchbacks - my bike is really long so there's usually only one rideable arc through a tight corner. But that's a price I'll happily pay for a balanced position for the other 98% of the ride. 

If you're tall chances are you've been living with a rearward weight bias forever while most M/L people have not since bike geometry was optimized for them (not you!). Being on a new geo bike was eye opening. I think my G1 is the first bike I've ever had where I'm positioned correctly. That's after 20+ high end bikes over 30+ years, this is the first bike that feels balanced.

Yes. If short rear centres allow one to manual easy, do they not make being centred more difficult? As a thought experiment, how would a bike like a Pole ride if the bb was pushed forward to make a 74 ish seat tube angle. Same wheelbase. That would make weight through the feet a more centred thing.

I carry spray now too. A good friend of mine was hiking MacKay Creek trail a few weeks ago and had to deploy his spray at a bear that was too interested in him. I have a “case” for the spray that allows me to carry it in a bottle cage or ass pack with a bottle holder. I’ve seen a lot of bears here in Whistler this spring. More that usual. Plus a loaded bear banger. One bear I was warned of while walking had bluff charged the guy who warned me. I crossed the road to give the bear space but he came down the road sort of at me, banger out, but my dog barking, on leash, and an escape rout for the bear and it was a non issue. I’ve been working in wilderness or hiking and biking for 45 years and never had an incident.

Great time to sell off old parts. I sold an old Next SL crank and bb, pedals, Guide brakes and gave away an old fork in no time at all. Sale of my road bike pending too.

Posted by: Kenny

Honestly, what you're feeling is air. When you pump the lever once and then pump it again that bubble is temporarily compressed and the bite point happened sooner.

A good bleed will fix it. For a (possibly short) while.

If you've ever bled the brakes on a car after replacing a caliper or master cylinder, you know what I mean. The way brakes "pump up" is exactly like what the wandering bite point feels like.

Of course that makes sense. I wonder if that wandering bite point has any relation to how we store our bikes? I hang mine by the front wheel. Will that make any air in the master cylinder move into the piston area? While storing upright won’t?

Posted by: martin

It's hard to explain but it's just the general feeling that I get from the riding vibe and their social media posts/interactions. There is so much attitude and big egos here... at one particular spot, everyone ends up at the top of the hill and the club guys just look at your bike and look at you without saying hi. Most people riding there are like that unfortunately. It might just be me but it feels like everyone is looking and judging people by their bikes and kit, and acting like if the trails going down were a downhill race. It's like an attitude contest. It's so serious, I can't stand this.

On social media, their posts reflect the same vibe, and if someone dares to say a constructive comment or something  not in the same school of thought, it doesn't take a second before this person gets insulted or made fun of by some club members. Then they expect people to come help dig and say "no dig no ride" all the time, but it really does not feel inviting at all for people who are not in their tightly-knit group of pretentious-feeling people.

Sorry for the rant!

I’ve seen it worse than that where some folks disparaged riders because they don’t “contribute “ by doing trail work. That particular victim had shoulder issues so she wasn’t able to. I can’t do heavy work for long because by back says no. I do clear deadfall and slide alder overgrowth but no one knows because I just do it. I also contribute more funds as did my shoulder injured friend. There are different ways to contribute.