I Rode My Bike Today...

Redman said:
Got out to the local Santiago Oaks today for the second spin on the new to me Hightower. :bang: Ugggghhhh! This bike is an 11 speed, my Nomad is/was a 12 speed. :thumbsup: The 11-42 cassette had me dragging up the climbs today. The bike climbs better than the nomad, just not used to pushing that gearing. The Nomad gearing was 9-46. No worries though, I'll gladly deal with it.:cool: I switched out the Reverb dropper for a OneUp V2 dropper 180mm, oh yeah! That thing is like butter, soooo smooth. Cable actuation made the install effortless. Dropping the saddle has never been so easy.
Got a chance to push this bike a bit today on the short downhills the oaks has to offer. I can definitely feel the loss of travel. However, I think the larger wheels make things seem a bit smoother than they really are. I think I'm going to have to run higher pressures in the shocks. Bottomed out several times, even once or twice without even leaving the ground. This bike is a lot more fun and comfortable to ride. The cock pit is set up about 20mm longer than the nomad. Maybe that attributes to it? I dunno, but it feels more natural than the nomad setup. Jumping on these wheels is a bit awkward at first. By rides end, all was normal. She likes to fly too. The Guide RSC brakes felt a little mushy coming in hot a few times. Any one know of a fix w/o going to Shimano?
Can't wait to get out get this bitch more dialed in. Me's thinks we's gonna get alongs just fine! Bikes are fun, newer bikes are funerer!

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You get used to the 29er wheels....in the air.

Just run the recommended sag in the suspension....it is a little less travel, so you have to ride lighter.

Try a fresh bleed on the Guides, it should help.

Good to see you getting along with it.
 
scan said:
New years day ride decision made ,skipping backbone due to distance from home, opting for Oaks/Weir. Me, @NinjaDon , ken (termin8r), Jason and Francisco started out fine. About 1/2 way around the Weir loop with some good speed on hero double track I come up on Ken, who was down. Looked like a loss of traction with a right turn , loose over hard. Poor Ken had a small chunk of his right elbow taken out and R knee/shin skinned pretty well. Fortunately no broken bones or concussion. Did some wound care and bandaging and followed him out part way to get back to the car. He ended up getting stitches on his elbow. Ken rides Intense, literally. Check out some blood on his bike! The rest of us continued on for some nice hero dirt, several other riders and hikers out and ran into @Fueledbyex8, we chatted some. Other than the crash, great New yrs day ride!!

15.5/ 2650K elev

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He's still smiling... Even after the cheese grater got him! :eek: Glad it wasn't worse...
 
Double header SS ride today.
Was going to do a big ride but sleeping in was also in order. Started late for a Coal Cyn-Beeks-Skyline loop. Up Coal is a bitch on the SS but other than the ruts, the dirt is best here a few days after the rain, so I had to get some. Chugged along while several other bikers were coming down. Took a break at Sierra Peak. Heard gunshots in the near distance. Found the guys shooting while moving on towards Beeks where I took another break. Contemplated riding Troy Lee, but not on this bike. Down Skyline - Foothill back to the truck. Lots of broken window glass on the ground in several spaces at the Green River lot. Didn't see any actual broken windows on any vehicles.

Rocky is still here
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Still some daylight left, I ventured down the way to check out a secret spot.

More in a moment
 
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2 rides today. Did a quick roadie with the wife this morning on the San Luis Rey river trail. 15 miles and a whopping 243 feet. Sunny and almost 70 degrees out. Not bad for January. Then hit Daley Ranch with my neighbor Jim. Other than a few puddles, we had hero dirt. 12 miles/2,042 feet. Again blessed with perfect riding weather. I really like riding this time of the year.
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Really nice New Year’s Day ride with @Danimal this morning. Had to cut out early due to time constraints so only made up to about halfway up to Old Camp. Only a few bikers on the trail, unlike last Sunday’s festival. Best ever Luge ride for me, the bike feels so planted with appropriate amount of air pressure.

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Second ride, not really much of a ride but more of a sight to see. I've only heard of this place but didn't know much about it. The entrance is kind of tricky but I lucked out. As I approached, there were some hikers going in, so this was the right spot. Follow the colored stones and you're on the right path.
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Holy sh!t o_O Not quite sure what to make of it. :confused: Where's Waldo?
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I am amazed a place like this exist.:facepalm: At least it's colorful.;)
 
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Grego said:
Second ride, not really much of a ride but more of a sight to see. I've only heard of this place but didn't know much about it. The entrance is kind of tricky but I lucked out. As I approached, there were some hikers going in, so this was the right spot. Follow the colored stones and you're on the right path.
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Holy sh!t o_O Not quite sure what to make of it. :confused: Where's Waldo?
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I am amazed a place like this exist.:facepalm: At least it's colorful.;)
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What the F---?
 
Started off the year with a great ride in laguna. @tbarnesarc and I started at willow at 830. Not a lot of cars in the lot. Up that, down lizards. A few slick spots at he bottom but otherwise the dirt was great, still tacky. Up laurel spur to the top and down bvd, that one is super fun these days, and not a lot of rain damage. Then up old emerald, dodged a few guys going down. So far not a lot of people out but folks started showing up as we were heading to tna around 11. Fun run down tna, it’s in great shape; but at the crux moves near the bottom 2 large groups of hikers stymied our flow (not complaining; it happens). Some lines are a tad sketchier from the rain. Taylor hasn’t ridden in 2 months but he did great both up and down.
 
Grego said:
Double header SS ride today.
Was going to do a big ride but sleeping in was also in order. Started late for a Coal Cyn-Beeks-Skyline loop. Up Coal is a bitch on the SS but other than the ruts, the dirt is best here a few days after the rain, so I had to get some. Chugged along while several other bikers were coming down. Took a break at Sierra Peak. Heard gunshots in the near distance. Found the guys shooting while moving on towards Beeks where I took another break. Contemplated riding Troy Lee, but not on this bike. Down Skyline - Foothill back to the truck. Lots of broken window glass on the ground in several spaces at the Green River lot. Didn't see any actual broken windows on any vehicles.

Rocky is still here
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Still some daylight left, I ventured down the way to check out a secret spot.

More in a moment
Click to expand...


Coal on the SS is a grind and a half. Dirt should be good now.....Saturday it was still soft.

There is always broken glass in that parking lot....I don't know why people park there.
 
scan said:
New years day ride decision made ,skipping backbone due to distance from home, opting for Oaks/Weir. Me, @NinjaDon , ken (termin8r), Jason and Francisco started out fine. About 1/2 way around the Weir loop with some good speed on hero double track I come up on Ken, who was down. Looked like a loss of traction with a right turn , loose over hard. Poor Ken had a small chunk of his right elbow taken out and R knee/shin skinned pretty well. Fortunately no broken bones or concussion. Did some wound care and bandaging and followed him out part way to get back to the car. He ended up getting stitches on his elbow. Ken rides Intense, literally. Check out some blood on his bike! The rest of us continued on for some nice hero dirt, several other riders and hikers out and ran into @Fueledbyex8, we chatted some. Other than the crash, great New yrs day ride!!

15.5/ 2650K elev

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Heal up... Some nasty dirt rash...

And folks ask me why I wear pads almost all the times these days... Pretty high comfort/protection ratio... Saved me on my last wash / wipe out...
 
We have been doing a NYD Group Social the last 6 or 7 years. The last several years we have hit up Monroe TT.

This year we decided to mix it up and headed out to Vail Lake in Temecula. Our gang was a bit bigger up to a couple days ago....when we lost a couple.

@horsebikerider , @cajun , @H20_Chick , @guywhodoesntdoforums , Barb and Richie. Hugh and his clan hiked.

I only know my way around via the different 12hr race courses I have done....so we started off with the loop that goes up the Dam Hill climb. When we got up to the weather station, while waiting for Barb, we saw a couple of riders head down a ST. We continued on our intended route. By the time we made it over to the fast flowy ridgeline DH, the dirt was tacky, but had a slippy sensation. The trail had lots of new ruts, mostly on the backside of jumps and blind drops. We'd get off course and climbed back up to the upper fire road. So we figured we'd drop down the Bridges climb. Well, we made another turn and dropped into a more techy descent....fun. We worked our way back over to the cars for lunch....lots of good things to eat.

Afterward @cajun and I headed back out for another short loop. Got lost and ended up climbing up the Bridges climb...it was rough with full bellies. We climbed back up the fire road back to the weather station and headed down the ST we had seen earlier. Long trail down. Some chunk, some flow....super fun. From there it was back to the rest of the gang hanging out.

Fun times out on the trail. Good times with the peeps. Good grub.

16 / 2100’

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Zion loop today with @redwoods . The techy climb up Wintercreek was fun but once we turned up towards Zion it got bad. Lots of HAB. The wind tore this place up! So much over hanging debris and downed trees. The back side was a little better . Got some flow but not much till we got half way down. Thanks to @rossage and Mike for clearing up some ahead of us. 9.8 and 2059. Beautiful in there.
 
What a glorious day on the trails...

LCWP solo excursion today. Up Willow, across Missing Link/Fenceline, down Rattlesnake, push back up Rattlesnake, down Lizard, up Laurel, down Camarillo, across Stagecoach, up Willow again, down T and A. 17 mi 2700' chunky and flowy wonderfulness at 65°. A few pucker moments as I came around the bend on Rattlesnake - deep ruts and much more chunk. That's OK, the bike was up to the task.

Not much to report - just really fun, and my bike was fantastic!

Two photos as I climbed back up Rattlesnake:
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Dragged/begged/cajoled first born and middle child out for a spin. First born took off and I didn't see him for an hour or so, so hope he had fun! Middle child stayed with me and pushed through to the top of Jedi! That was her idea so I said I guess...
Couple of dismounting incidents due to new SPD pedals and getting used to that whole thing. But no tears, so that's a plus! Her fourth ride in two years, and she's killin' it!!!

https://strava.app.link/QuCcEwD2V2

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Got in an unexpected ride at Whiting today. I’ve done that trail at least 20 times since I started riding a few months ago and I never tire of it. Startled a couple of deer which is always cool. I even got to take the super secret locals only back trails (thanks @Danimal) back home. That Santiago peak is calling, can’t wait for this ride. https://www.imtbtrails.com/forum/threads/joplin.9008/

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Ocpop said:
Got in an unexpected ride at Whiting today. I’ve done that trail at least 20 times since I started riding a few months ago and I never tire of it. Startled a couple of deer which is always cool. I even got to take the super secret locals only back trails (thanks @Danimal) back home. That Santiago peak is calling, can’t wait for this ride. https://www.imtbtrails.com/forum/threads/joplin.9008/

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If you get @DangerDirtyD to climb for an extra 2-3 miles past the Joplin turnoff to bag the peak, I'll be impressed! It would be worth it, though... We could point out all of the trails that are closed. :(
 
Ocpop said:
Got in an unexpected ride at Whiting today. I’ve done that trail at least 20 times since I started riding a few months ago and I never tire of it. Startled a couple of deer which is always cool. I even got to take the super secret locals only back trails (thanks @Danimal) back home. That Santiago peak is calling, can’t wait for this ride. https://www.imtbtrails.com/forum/threads/joplin.9008/

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*cough, cough*

https://www.imtbtrails.com/forum/threads/time-to-step-up-joplin-trail-work.9014/#post-203822
 
I rode with @horsebikerider last night......

Decided to just stay local.....which for us means Oaks.

3:30 start would mean a short'er ride.

SS's were the bikes of choice.

Up Oak, down Yucca, up Coachwhip, down Barham, down Cactus, up BumbleGoat...Suz would head to the barn, I climbed up Goat, down Cactus, up BumbleGoat down Waterfall. Hadn't been down that in years.

Got home after dark.

15 / 1800'

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Faust29 said:
If you get @DangerDirtyD to climb for an extra 2-3 miles past the Joplin turnoff to bag the peak, I'll be impressed! It would be worth it, though... We could point out all of the trails that are closed. :(
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Ocpop said:
I hope that’s the plan. Bagging that peak is definitely one of my goals for this year.
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When in doubt...climb! The only thing that could follow is more DH.:thumbsup:

Bagging a peak is mandatory for all that work. We just might have to bring lights to do it. Lemme know if you need to borrow lights.

FYI, I cannot start this ride in the early AM; I won’t get to OC until around 11, so it’ll likely be a twilight ending for the Nuggets.
 
Redman said:
Got out to the local Santiago Oaks today for the second spin on the new to me Hightower. :bang: Ugggghhhh! This bike is an 11 speed, my Nomad is/was a 12 speed. :thumbsup: The 11-42 cassette had me dragging up the climbs today. The bike climbs better than the nomad, just not used to pushing that gearing. The Nomad gearing was 9-46. No worries though, I'll gladly deal with it.:cool: I switched out the Reverb dropper for a OneUp V2 dropper 180mm, oh yeah! That thing is like butter, soooo smooth. Cable actuation made the install effortless. Dropping the saddle has never been so easy.
Got a chance to push this bike a bit today on the short downhills the oaks has to offer. I can definitely feel the loss of travel. However, I think the larger wheels make things seem a bit smoother than they really are. I think I'm going to have to run higher pressures in the shocks. Bottomed out several times, even once or twice without even leaving the ground. This bike is a lot more fun and comfortable to ride. The cock pit is set up about 20mm longer than the nomad. Maybe that attributes to it? I dunno, but it feels more natural than the nomad setup. Jumping on these wheels is a bit awkward at first. By rides end, all was normal. She likes to fly too. The Guide RSC brakes felt a little mushy coming in hot a few times. Any one know of a fix w/o going to Shimano?
Can't wait to get out get this bitch more dialed in. Me's thinks we's gonna get alongs just fine! Bikes are fun, newer bikes are funerer!

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I've switched to Ice Tech rotors on all 3 of my bikes. 180 front and 203 rear. I'll eventually go 203 on both combined with my various versions of Sram Guide brakes. @ Redman I have 2 Ice Tech RT-86 180mm slightly used rotors you can swap out and test. Yours free! Send me a PM and we'll get them over to you. ( I sent Redman a PM to make sure this post doesn't get lost. )
 
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Stkx66 said:
I've switched to Ice Tech rotors on all 3 of my bikes. 180 front and 203 rear. I'll eventually go 203 on both combined with my various versions of Sram Guide brakes. @ Redman I have 2 Ice Tech RT-86 180mm slightly used rotors you can swap out and test. Yours free! Send me a PM and we'll get them over to you. ( I sent Redman a PM to make sure this post doesn't get lost. )
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I'll take them! You are the man!!!! PM responded to.
 
Stkx66 said:
I've switched to Ice Tech rotors on all 3 of my bikes. 180 front and 203 rear. I'll eventually go 203 on both combined with my various versions of Sram Guide brakes. @ Redman I have 2 Ice Tech RT-86 180mm slightly used rotors you can swap out and test. Yours free! Send me a PM and we'll get them over to you. ( I sent Redman a PM to make sure this post doesn't get lost. )
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180f and 203r?
 
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