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Do You Mountain Bike?

Got a question, please answer with personal experience:

Being a surfer we generally don't surf when there's lots of rain because of biological and chemical run-off (think "poo water").

So, I'm thinking of doing some trail riding, including some good downhill sections, at Montana De Oro this afternoon but I'm unsure if conditions like heavy mud and an excess of running water make this even possible. Have you ever gone for a ride in the pouring rain of right after and what was your experience?
 
It's doable, especially down there with all the rocks. Some people look down upon it because it wears out the trails, but sometimes ya just gotta get your fix! It will definitely cake your bike up good, so after every muddy ride, ya gotta clean your bike, lube the pivots, and seals, clean and lube the chain, etc etc.

Go for it!

(be careful if the rocks are wet though, they get real slippery)
 
Beauregard said:
Got a question, please answer with personal experience:

Being a surfer we generally don't surf when there's lots of rain because of biological and chemical run-off (think "poo water").

So, I'm thinking of doing some trail riding, including some good downhill sections, at Montana De Oro this afternoon but I'm unsure if conditions like heavy mud and an excess of running water make this even possible. Have you ever gone for a ride in the pouring rain of right after and what was your experience?
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During and after, It can be miserable. It is a fun ride being "alone", but that depends on the trail condition. I think dog, horse, and cow poo, are all you need to avoid as they'll be wet and splash your face.
 
Depends a lot on the soil. Places that are sandy are pretty good. Clay is miserable and pretty much unrideable - the stuff just clogs up between your tires and frame / fork.
 
immortal said:
i'm addicted to biking! i just bought another frame to build up, a banshee wildcard. i already have all the parts for it, most of them off of the moto.
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Solid bike, I had a morphine. unbreakable
 
Yeah clay sucks! You can bet thought that any place with a lot of rocks is going to be made up of decomposed rock which helps drain after a lot of rain, which is why I'm going to Rockville tomorrow :)
 
fawndog said:
Solid bike, I had a morphine. unbreakable
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sweet, i'm stoked for it. it'll be my little back up bike, hopefully my build to around 33-35lbs.

i am loving my perp right now though, even at 40lbs i can climb with it. i went to pacifica today. i havent tried crack/911 or one other super crazy looking trail i saw on google earth that's a little bit past 911, but i will soon.

here's a lil clip from my ride:

http://www.pinkbike.com/video/121567/
 
Looking for fork advice.

I have a 11 year old Moots YBB (ti softail). I'm adding a new Avid mechanical disc brake so I need a new(er) fork with disc mounts. I already have a new disc compatible wheel.

Looking for a reliable, affordable, 100mm travel XC fork. What are some decent options? I have read a lot of bad reviews on MTBR...FOX, Rock Shox, all kinds of forks having all kinds of problems. Are most folks problems due to lack of maintenance, or are all these $800 forks just poorly made, or ???

My old Marzocchi Superfly has been pretty good to me all these years, I've changed the seals and bushings a few times, that's about it.

Any killer deals on last years models? Anybody upgraded and has something to sell?

Thanks,

Peter
 
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peterhively said:
Looking for fork advice.

I have a 11 year old Moots YBB (ti softail). I'm adding a new Avid mechanical disc brake so I need a new(er) fork with disc mounts. I already have a new disc compatible wheel.

Looking for a reliable, affordable, 100mm travel XC fork. What are some decent options? I have read a lot of bad reviews on MTBR...FOX, Rock Shox, all kinds of forks having all kinds of problems. Are most folks problems due to lack of maintenance, or are all these $800 forks just poorly made, or ???

My old Marzocchi Superfly has been pretty good to me all these years, I've changed the seals and bushings a few times, that's about it.

Any killer deals on last years models? Anybody upgraded and has something to sell?

Thanks,

Peter
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I'm sure Cody will argue, just 'cause thats what he does :teeth but out of all the 100 mm forks out there I definitely think, overall, that the Fox F series (Float) 100 is the best feeling, longest lasting fork out there. That said, not the cheapest. Out of the 50+ bikes I've had pass through my garage over the years Fox has always felt the best and broken the least. The Rock Shox (Sram) feel nice when they work but I've needed dampers replaced (not cheap) in over 30% of them. Manitou is a decent fork for less money but doesn't have the quality feel of more expensive forks. Old Marzocchi's were nice, new ones suck butt. ....
My 5 cents :wtf

PS. If you decide you want to spring for a Fox, let me know. I probably have one. Just not too cheap, but you get what you pay for. :thumbup

.
 
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Great, thanks for the advice. I've always been partial to Fox, used em on my motos, they sponsored my old roadrace team, etc. And good to know about old vs new Zokes.

Do you have any good used forks? I've already got a good hookup for new stuff, so may go ahead and do that.

I assume the F100 base models are fine, not sure I need lots of bells and whistles, but if the thing is really plush I guess the remote lockout would be nice. Looking at the website, the Floats are 150mm. I think anything I get is gonna be so much better than what I've got. The ol' Superfly is supposed to have 80mm but I get about 70 maybe, and its a bit sticky.

Thanks again!

Peter
 
peterhively said:
Great, thanks for the advice. I've always been partial to Fox, used em on my motos, they sponsored my old roadrace team, etc. And good to know about old vs new Zokes.

Do you have any good used forks? I've already got a good hookup for new stuff, so may go ahead and do that.

I assume the F100 base models are fine, not sure I need lots of bells and whistles, but if the thing is really plush I guess the remote lockout would be nice. Looking at the website, the Floats are 150mm. I think anything I get is gonna be so much better than what I've got. The ol' Superfly is supposed to have 80mm but I get about 70 maybe, and its a bit sticky.

Thanks again!

Peter
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Float just means the "Air" models. They come form 100mm (maybe even 80mm) all the way up to 160mm.
I strongly recommend NOT getting the base model which is just labeled as "F" (with an R for rebound) or "Float - R," but to get the middle of the line which will have the "RL" (REbound/Lockout) attached to the name. Even if you don't think you're gonna use the lock-out you'd be surprised just how handy it will come in. I will PM you the prices. Let me know if you are interested.
 
My suspension guy just told me the the fox forks "are better than motorcycle stuff, and miniturized" . Makes me feel better about all the money I've spent.
 
i rode down the crack today... haha holy shit that was fun. climbing that fire road gets a bit easier everytime i do it. takes me a little under 30 minutes to get to the junction with that sign post.

what a gnarly trail though.

edit: lame clip of me being a gimp.. i was confused as to where to go at some points haha.. i'll have to make another clip much better next time.

[youtube]BNKnhjA-PoI[/youtube]
 
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Just purchased this 03 Specialized Rock Hopper! Looking to get some riding in very soon! :ride
 

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immortal said:
i rode down the crack today... haha holy shit that was fun. climbing that fire road gets a bit easier everytime i do it. takes me a little under 30 minutes to get to the junction with that sign post.

what a gnarly trail though.

edit: lame clip of me being a gimp.. i was confused as to where to go at some points haha.. i'll have to make another clip much better next time.
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Hard to tell from the video but is that like a Nomad trail (6.5 inch travel) or would a full DH rig be better suited for the job.

PS. The run looked pretty good to me. No body to dirt/cliff/rock/tree contact is always a positive in my book. :thumbup

.
 
I dont like how those wideangle cameras make everything look sped up, not saying you weren't tearing it up but I've seen other vids too where everything looks like its on crack (no pun intended lol) I guess there isn't anything else that comes close but its weird watching those vids, where it goes from standing still to twitchy warp drive in a matter of a second :wtf

On another note, isn't mountain biking fun? As much as I love track riding, its so much more accessible, cheaper, and relaxing.
 
Harpo said:
Hard to tell from the video but is that like a Nomad trail (6.5 inch travel) or would a full DH rig be better suited for the job.

PS. The run looked pretty good to me. No body to dirt/cliff/rock/tree contact is always a positive in my book. :thumbup

.
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Crack/911....DH bike!

Last time I rode it on a Nomad, and it was not fun:| Everyone else I rode with had V10s, and 8" travel bikes.

I thought about heading there in the next couple of weeks to test out the DHR:)
 
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