I Rode My Bike Today...

As promised, took the newly rebuilt fork out for a spin. Up the rough steep ST it was very active in the open mode while seated pedaling. Probably a combination of new oil at the seals/foam rings and the adjusted shims. Very smooth over everything. The lock out did it's job as well but I preferred to have it active for today's climb, you can see why.
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Vince and I would session some drops along the way. Here I would test dialing up some rebound damping to keep from bouncing up. The damping range I now have seems to work!!! No bounce, I think I'm going to keep this tune. Unfortunately, on the other end, I bottomed the crap out of the rear shock on the pictured drop. It hit so hard with a bang I thought I broke something. Vince said I overshot the landing, so add a couple more feet beneath the pic. Something else to work on if I want to continue big drops, sigh.
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After working our way down, We climbed up a second time further up the mountain to do a longer run. Vince hit everything.
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I still bypassed a few gaps. I'm just happy my fork is more plush than ever and it can still soak up the landing like a cat when needed.

10/2800
 
Grego said:
As promised, took the newly rebuilt fork out for a spin. Up the rough steep ST it was very active in the open mode while seated pedaling. Probably a combination of new oil at the seals/foam rings and the adjusted shims. Very smooth over everything. The lock out did it's job as well but I preferred to have it active for today's climb, you can see why.
View attachment 61660

Vince and I would session some drops along the way. Here I would test dialing up some rebound damping to keep from bouncing up. The damping range I now have seems to work!!! No bounce, I think I'm going to keep this tune. Unfortunately, on the other end, I bottomed the crap out of the rear shock on the pictured drop. It hit so hard with a bang I thought I broke something. Vince said I overshot the landing, so add a couple more feet beneath the pic. Something else to work on if I want to continue big drops, sigh.
View attachment 61661

After working our way down, We climbed up a second time further up the mountain to do a longer run. Vince hit everything.
View attachment 61662

I still bypassed a few gaps. I'm just happy my fork is more plush than ever and it can still soak up the landing like a cat when needed.

10/2800
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That doesn't look like The FLoop.
 
I’m trying to ride this demo as much as possible, so despite the temps being in the 20s w wind chill, I headed up to GE
It was crazy cold, even climbing I was freezing, but the frozen scenery was spectacular! It was too cold to continue after the first climb so I turned around and headed back down the singletrack. #WORTHIT!

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Courtney and I rode Blackstar yesterday before the Super Bowl. I rested where needed and walked it all between Beek's and the doppler beating down what's left of a seasonal cold. We had a great ride- There were many other riders and hikers about enjoying the day. On days like this definitely no ripping back down the mountain. I felt really good when I got home. 18.5 mi/ 2,500 elevation

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Stkx66 said:
Courtney and I rode Blackstar yesterday before the Super Bowl. I rested where needed and walked it all between Beek's and the doppler beating down what's left of a seasonal cold. We had a great ride- There were many other riders and hikers about enjoying the day. On days like this definitely no ripping back down the mountain. I felt really good when I got home. 18.5 mi/ 2,500 elevation

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Very nice, Steve... You're lucky to have your kids to ride with. Mine hit the teen years and left me in the dust. :cautious: :p
 
Not today, ‘twas yesterday for a roust about down in Laguna. Hadn’t been out there in a long time. Rolled up to Ridge Park and HOLY FAK!!!! Sooooo many cars, more than I’ve ever seen. People waiting for spots. I got lucky and swooped a spot when no one was looking. Put on my game face and headed towards lizard’s first. Lots of humans out, WTF! Dropped into Lizards all excited and cocky, and quickly skidded off trail within the first hundred feet or so. Chickety checked myself before I wrecked myself, and off I went for a much smoother run to the infamous rock. HAB the rock and at the top I see a moto (ebike) coming towards me from the bottom. The dude cleaned the whole section with such ease, it was amazing to see. For those that don’t know. This as a gnarly section that only a few riders can clean. I’ve never even thought of attempting the top part. He didn’t even flinch as he passed me and kept going. It was so effortless, I was baffled. His buddy that was not to far behind him wasn’t so lucky. He got up the bottom section easily, but fell over in a half assed attempt at the top big rock. After that my ride was pretty uneventful. From lizards I went laurel to Camarillo to stagecoach and up Willow. Lots of hikers on all those trails. Oh yeah, the Hightower is rocking and rolling muy bueno. Kick ass run down BVD and Emerald Canyon. Lighting up PR’s all around. Even the climb out of Emerald was PR’d. Onto bommer and went towards the coast. Was going to go to (?) cow trail. I stopped for a drink at the Laguna Ridge trailhead. And, decided to see what all the fuss is about the TNA (T&A?) trail people rave about. First time ever down this trail. I’ve never rode it, always thinking I needed to follow someone down. Not yesterday, gave it a go and what a hoot!! Lots of speed, some good flow up top. Chunk overkill down low. Stopped at the big rock section near the bottom, but only cause I didn’t know the line. Once I saw the line, feet were on the pedals. That’s a fun trail and I’m looking forward to the next time. Back up Willow for the second time. And, over to fenceline for an always fun run back to Ridge Park. Good times are always had. The Hightower continues to impress me. Even knowing I still have some tweaking to do. It’s got me thinking that maybe the ‘ol Nomad never fit me as well as I thought it did.

Bikes are fun! Can I do it again soon please?

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Redman said:
Not today, ‘twas yesterday for a roust about down in Laguna. Hadn’t been out there in a long time. Rolled up to Ridge Park and HOLY FAK!!!! Sooooo many cars, more than I’ve ever seen. People waiting for spots. I got lucky and swooped a spot when no one was looking. Put on my game face and headed towards lizard’s first. Lots of humans out, WTF! Dropped into Lizards all excited and cocky, and quickly skidded off trail within the first hundred feet or so. Chickety checked myself before I wrecked myself, and off I went for a much smoother run to the infamous rock. HAB the rock and at the top I see a moto (ebike) coming towards me from the bottom. The dude cleaned the whole section with such ease, it was amazing to see. For those that don’t know. This as a gnarly section that only a few riders can clean. I’ve never even thought of attempting the top part. He didn’t even flinch as he passed me and kept going. It was so effortless, I was baffled. His buddy that was not to far behind him wasn’t so lucky. He got up the bottom section easily, but fell over in a half assed attempt at the top big rock. After that my ride was pretty uneventful. From lizards I went laurel to Camarillo to stagecoach and up Willow. Lots of hikers on all those trails. Oh yeah, the Hightower is rocking and rolling muy bueno. Kick ass run down BVD and Emerald Canyon. Lighting up PR’s all around. Even the climb out of Emerald was PR’d. Onto bommer and went towards the coast. Was going to go to (?) cow trail. I stopped for a drink at the Laguna Ridge trailhead. And, decided to see what all the fuss is about the TNA (T&A?) trail people rave about. First time ever down this trail. I’ve never rode it, always thinking I needed to follow someone down. Not yesterday, gave it a go and what a hoot!! Lots of speed, some good flow up top. Chunk overkill down low. Stopped at the big rock section near the bottom, but only cause I didn’t know the line. Once I saw the line, feet were on the pedals. That’s a fun trail and I’m looking forward to the next time. Back up Willow for the second time. And, over to fenceline for an always fun run back to Ridge Park. Good times are always had. The Hightower continues to impress me. Even knowing I still have some tweaking to do. It’s got me thinking that maybe the ‘ol Nomad never fit me as well as I thought it did.

Bikes are fun! Can I do it again soon please?

View attachment 61687
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Bravo! That's a manly effort right there! :thumbsup: And so glad to hear you so stoked about the Hightower. :cool: I wish I had one. :(
 
Redman said:
Not today, ‘twas yesterday for a roust about down in Laguna. Hadn’t been out there in a long time. Rolled up to Ridge Park and HOLY FAK!!!! Sooooo many cars, more than I’ve ever seen. People waiting for spots. I got lucky and swooped a spot when no one was looking. Put on my game face and headed towards lizard’s first. Lots of humans out, WTF! Dropped into Lizards all excited and cocky, and quickly skidded off trail within the first hundred feet or so. Chickety checked myself before I wrecked myself, and off I went for a much smoother run to the infamous rock. HAB the rock and at the top I see a moto (ebike) coming towards me from the bottom. The dude cleaned the whole section with such ease, it was amazing to see. For those that don’t know. This as a gnarly section that only a few riders can clean. I’ve never even thought of attempting the top part. He didn’t even flinch as he passed me and kept going. It was so effortless, I was baffled. His buddy that was not to far behind him wasn’t so lucky. He got up the bottom section easily, but fell over in a half assed attempt at the top big rock. After that my ride was pretty uneventful. From lizards I went laurel to Camarillo to stagecoach and up Willow. Lots of hikers on all those trails. Oh yeah, the Hightower is rocking and rolling muy bueno. Kick ass run down BVD and Emerald Canyon. Lighting up PR’s all around. Even the climb out of Emerald was PR’d. Onto bommer and went towards the coast. Was going to go to (?) cow trail. I stopped for a drink at the Laguna Ridge trailhead. And, decided to see what all the fuss is about the TNA (T&A?) trail people rave about. First time ever down this trail. I’ve never rode it, always thinking I needed to follow someone down. Not yesterday, gave it a go and what a hoot!! Lots of speed, some good flow up top. Chunk overkill down low. Stopped at the big rock section near the bottom, but only cause I didn’t know the line. Once I saw the line, feet were on the pedals. That’s a fun trail and I’m looking forward to the next time. Back up Willow for the second time. And, over to fenceline for an always fun run back to Ridge Park. Good times are always had. The Hightower continues to impress me. Even knowing I still have some tweaking to do. It’s got me thinking that maybe the ‘ol Nomad never fit me as well as I thought it did.

Bikes are fun! Can I do it again soon please?

View attachment 61687
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Haha, great ride report! TFP :)
 
Redman said:
Not today, ‘twas yesterday for a roust about down in Laguna. Hadn’t been out there in a long time. Rolled up to Ridge Park and HOLY FAK!!!! Sooooo many cars, more than I’ve ever seen. People waiting for spots. I got lucky and swooped a spot when no one was looking. Put on my game face and headed towards lizard’s first. Lots of humans out, WTF! Dropped into Lizards all excited and cocky, and quickly skidded off trail within the first hundred feet or so. Chickety checked myself before I wrecked myself, and off I went for a much smoother run to the infamous rock. HAB the rock and at the top I see a moto (ebike) coming towards me from the bottom. The dude cleaned the whole section with such ease, it was amazing to see. For those that don’t know. This as a gnarly section that only a few riders can clean. I’ve never even thought of attempting the top part. He didn’t even flinch as he passed me and kept going. It was so effortless, I was baffled. His buddy that was not to far behind him wasn’t so lucky. He got up the bottom section easily, but fell over in a half assed attempt at the top big rock. After that my ride was pretty uneventful. From lizards I went laurel to Camarillo to stagecoach and up Willow. Lots of hikers on all those trails. Oh yeah, the Hightower is rocking and rolling muy bueno. Kick ass run down BVD and Emerald Canyon. Lighting up PR’s all around. Even the climb out of Emerald was PR’d. Onto bommer and went towards the coast. Was going to go to (?) cow trail. I stopped for a drink at the Laguna Ridge trailhead. And, decided to see what all the fuss is about the TNA (T&A?) trail people rave about. First time ever down this trail. I’ve never rode it, always thinking I needed to follow someone down. Not yesterday, gave it a go and what a hoot!! Lots of speed, some good flow up top. Chunk overkill down low. Stopped at the big rock section near the bottom, but only cause I didn’t know the line. Once I saw the line, feet were on the pedals. That’s a fun trail and I’m looking forward to the next time. Back up Willow for the second time. And, over to fenceline for an always fun run back to Ridge Park. Good times are always had. The Hightower continues to impress me. Even knowing I still have some tweaking to do. It’s got me thinking that maybe the ‘ol Nomad never fit me as well as I thought it did.

Bikes are fun! Can I do it again soon please?

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Solid ride.
 
mountaingirl sara said:
RIPMO!! :whistling: This bike is one sexy beast, I honestly don’t know which bike I’d choose :thumbsdown:
The Ripmo climbs almost as well as the Ripley, but of course it descends much faster. No pr’s today as I’m slow on Wednesday’s due to working late, but I could see ripping any terrain on this bad boy:rolleyes::inlove:

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If you don't plan on spending hours in the saddle I think the Ripmo is a great bike for you. You would definitely get the most out of it.
 
mountaingirl sara said:
RIPMO!! :whistling: This bike is one sexy beast, I honestly don’t know which bike I’d choose :thumbsdown:
The Ripmo climbs almost as well as the Ripley, but of course it descends much faster. On the first mile of DH I thought I’d be bounced right over the side, then I realized the tire pressure was really high, the rest of the DH was a dream.
No pr’s today as I’m slow on Wednesday’s due to working late and I like my sleep, but I could see ripping any terrain on this bad boy:rolleyes::inlove:

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Question;
On the Ripley there was a lot of chatter on the DH, is this normal for carbon bars?
 
mountaingirl sara said:
Question;
On the Ripley there was a lot of chatter on the DH, is this normal for carbon bars?
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I'm gonna say 3 things contributed.
1st suspension tuning. You said the 1st time you rode it it was way too stiff and you stopped and let air out. I have never ridden a demo bike that wasn't set up way too stiff for my liking. I'd also bet it had at least a couple volume spacers in the fork which probably would not be needed at your lighter weight.
2nd some carbon bars ride WAY better than others. I had a pair of Enve DH whatevers and the were horribly stiff. The Santa Cruz branded bars on my Hightower are better but still pretty stiff and send lots of vibes thru my hands. My old Ripley had Easton Havocs and those were dreamy and crazy comfy.
3rd carbon wheels. They ride stiffer and just like bars some ride too stiff for normal riders.
 
Voodoo Tom said:
I'm gonna say 3 things contributed.
1st suspension tuning. You said the 1st time you rode it it was way too stiff and you stopped and let air out. I have never ridden a demo bike that wasn't set up way too stiff for my liking. I'd also bet it had at least a couple volume spacers in the fork which probably would not be needed at your lighter weight.
2nd some carbon bars ride WAY better than others. I had a pair of Enve DH whatevers and the were horribly stiff. The Santa Cruz branded bars on my Hightower are better but still pretty stiff and send lots of vibes thru my hands. My old Ripley had Easton Havocs and those were dreamy and crazy comfy.
3rd carbon wheels. They ride stiffer and just like bars some ride too stiff for normal riders.
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Great info guys, thanks! I was hoping it would be something fixable and it sounds like that’s the case :) @DangerDirtyD @SnakeCharmer @UPSed
The Ripmo didn’t have the chatter and I loved the Cush ride:inlove: But the way the Ripley climbs is just outta this world:inlove:
 
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