Official mountain biking thread

RockShoxToraYou can also get a 10-42 10 speed cassette!
The typical 11 speed cassettes are still 11-32/11-36 unless you're willing to shell out an arm and a leg.

For the time being, I, like yourself, can't warrant the expense. There hasn't been much that my 1x10 couldn't conquer (11/36 w/ 32 front). Just makes you a stronger rider!

kirbstopperYou are wrong, 11 spd cassettes either come in 10-40 or 10-42.

NinetyFourOn this I believe Shimano's 11spd cassettes come in 11-40 (XTR) and 11-42 (Deore XT) while SRAM's 11spd cassettes are 10-42 across all models. I'm just splitting hairs though.

byuboundEnded up just booking around soaring eagle for an hour or two cause I had some family stuff to do. The Spartan is an absolute bear there, haha.
That's pretty neat. I would love to eliminate a pack from my riding entirely, who knows what we might get in the future.

division.bellWhere'd you ride today? Another ridiculously sunny day on the bike today in this summer of nothing but sun.



SWAT = Stores Weed And Treats right? At least in this state it does...

At first glance when I originally demo'd the 2016 Stumpy back in May, I thought it was neat, and original, but nothing other than a gimmick that adds 200 grams to the frame. After getting a few rides in on my own 2016 Stumpy now, and after today's adventure, I am definitely sold on the concept and will utilize it more on longer rides.

I'll use today as my example as it was my first real usage of the SWAT storage unit and the SWAT wraps. Today's plan was a larger local ride just under 20 miles with 3500' of forest road climbing in 6 miles after the intial 6.whatever miles of gravel road to the start of the climb all before topping out and getting ready to descend.

I always ride with a hydration pack anyways, but needed to plan for a longer ride in the 80-90+ degree temps. So I was able to use the SWAT wraps to store a tube and additional tools inside my downtube, which allowed more space in my pack for food and water, which was a damn good thing with the heat in the mountains today. And I did throw an extra bottle in the cage since it was just sitting there empty anyways. Good call as we did need the extra water in the end.

It's not for everyone, just like the included chainbreaker tool inside my top cap does nothing for me, but it definitely comes in handy in certain situations and I will try and use it more in the future. Shit, with the tube and tools already inside and on the bike (chaintool in the top cap, and a multi tool that sits in spot above the rear shock, I don't need to carry anything but food/water in my pack on long rides which is a huge plus.



I've had nothing but great luck with Race Face's Narrow Wide chainrings. I have many of their rings, 30t/32t/34t in both bolt on and direct mount applications. I don't bother looking anywhere else for chainrings.

I have two bikes with 30t chainrings and 10-42t cassettes and one bike with a 32t chainring and 10-42t cassette. Your ideal chainring size will need to based on your riding ability/stamina and what the climbing requirements are in your area.



The appeal is losing the least effective and most problematic piece on a modern bicycle, the fucking front derailleur. Not to mention cleaning up space on the handlebars for a dropper post, or losing .5-1.0lb in weight when converting, or having all of the gears you will use on one shifter rather than carrying the 2x10 setup and only using 13 or 14 of those gears.

Have you even ridden a 1x11 drivetrain? I'm curious as most people new to the concept are exceptionally critical and hesitant. Understandably so, but for real, just give it a try as I'm sure you'll be surprised.

As mentioned directly above, I do have 3 bikes with 1x11 drivetrains all running Sram's 10-42t cassettes, and I won't ever transition back to a front derailleur for mountain biking. I live in Washington State and climb as often as I can. More 1x11 for me please...!



Sram's new GX line brings 1x11 wide range cassette with a clutch derailleur and the remainder of the drivetrain; crank, BB, shifter, chain, and chainring for $564 MSRP. For people moving on from 3x9, 2x10, 1x10 setups, especially those not running clutch rear derailleurs, this is a huge upgrade at not much cost. Obviously you could possibly use an existing crank/bb setup and find a cheaper chainring than Sram's, but this technology is here to stay and will only become cheaper and spec'd on more new bikes.

I'm curious what 11 speed mountain cassettes are you seeing that are 11-32 or 11-36? I just searched quickly and didn't see anything for mountain bikes.

Brocka_FlockaThanks for the 1x11 answers!

And yea i think im going to purchase the race-face narrow wide with the rest being xt. I've just never had a good experience with SRAM.

GANDALFI'll be moving to bend Oregon in a couple months. Anyone know of any downhill in the area? Lots of xc, and bachelor bike park, but I wanna find some fast shit with minimal pedaling.

californiagrownI think i might grab a 2015 Specialized Enduro 29er comp tomorrow. I can get a really good deal on it, and it seems like a bike that'd fit my terrain pretty darn well.


anyone ever been on one?

AKskiaSo I've always had a fantasy about owning a Kona Stinky since they're one of my all time favorite bikes, and there is an older one on the local Craigslist for $500 in eh condition. But I kinda want to purchase a new mountain bike first, something to do cross country riding and racing on before buying the Stinky or another downhill bike. What do you guys think I should do? Should I go ahead and buy the Stinky?

https://fairbanks.craigslist.org/bik/5099217696.html

division.bellJust pedaling around on pavement, but no dirt. I've been seriously considering an Enduro to complement the new Stumpy. They are awesome bikes that fit perfectly out here for the guys that need big bikes and are actually pedaling to the top.

Where's the bike at and how much is it going for?

californiagrownI think i might grab a 2015 Specialized Enduro 29er comp tomorrow. I can get a really good deal on it, and it seems like a bike that'd fit my terrain pretty darn well.


anyone ever been on one?

californiagrownAt a shop near Bham - $2500. Id have to buy a dropper, but that would be the only upgrade i can imagine getting as literally everything on it is a significant step up from what im riding now haha. So all told + tax it would be right at $3k.

I really want a bike that i can start taking into rowdier terrain ie. the new tiger descending trail and shuttle trails around the area.

Im not coming up with many reasons not to pull the trigger.

cydwhitHahah!

Dude, I was exactly the same way, I used to lust over those Stinkys so hard. mmmmmmm that 2008 Stinky Supreme ... I wanted it so bad.

Don't do it. Save your $$$ and buy something more modern and versatile. That one is not going to be much fun on any trail and looks reasonably beat...

byuboundOh hey, I goproed the entire tiger dh line a few weeks ago. Ill post a little bit tomorrow

division.bellStill waiting on some footage of Eastbound and Down...

byuboundGonna try to ride around here tomorrow and the next day. Hit me up if youre interested in joining

division.bellWhere you planning on riding?

I'm down in Bend riding for the next several days but will be planning on a big local WA ride when I get home later this week.

byuboundMaybe kachess ridge. Bummer, I leave town on Thursday.

division.bellThat's a good one to ride. Things are definitely loose up there, but worth the effort.

You going to ride it or shuttle it?

byuboundShuttle up.
Also, evening grand ridge laps are life.

division.bellKachess just doesn't feel anywhere near as epic when shuttling though.

Which GR route were you running there?

~Gotama~Went out for a ride at Frick Park in Pittsburgh yesterday and encountered a really old mattress stuffed with dead babies. Not pictured: several dozen other dead baby parts scattered around the woods.

~Gotama~Went out for a ride at Frick Park in Pittsburgh yesterday and encountered a really old mattress stuffed with dead babies. Not pictured: several dozen other dead baby parts scattered around the woods.

matt.radAh the slags. Some really good riding and within the Pittsburgh city limits too.

division.bellBend, I love your warm sunny conditions, laid back vibe, miles of trails, copious amounts of quality beers and food as well as the endless amount of jumps and berms.

A toast; I may have just departed, but I'll see you again soon my friend.

NinetyFourA quick rant and word of advice. If you suck at building jumps or are building on a clearly established and travelled singletrack/trail don't fucking do it. With that if you do plan on doing something talk to the trail crew/stewards before hand to.

Basically I've been looking after this 6KM XC track inside my town and sometime since Monday somebody built these really shitty lips down a section of trail, digging monster holes for dirt behind them. The worst part is, is that they're on a narrow part of singletrack with no place to pass them so you're force to roll over them and through the hole. You can't send them either because they all lack a landing along with them boosting your face into the trees...

Tingaouch. amateur hour.

GANDALFWhat trails did you ride?

~Gotama~I've never felt so incompetent.

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ericaThis is funny cause strava claim but I beat my Queen of the mountain time by 26 seconds and I'm #3 all time overall. and it's my first day back in 3.5 weeks after my bad crash !

Tingayeah strava is funny like that.