2023 Mountain Biking

[nay]

We had some sun yesterday. It was weird.

 

[nay]

My experiment with the mullet setup is over. The big hoop is just too cumbersome in lower pitch tech riding in tight spaces that are more defined by erosion than any type of trail building - and that’s mostly what I ride. The lower travel fork that comes with a 29’er hoop (if you are preserving stack height) doesn’t help, either, and paradoxically it felt like it was struggling over variable weird rock edge terrain. I was also running a more XC focused tire so multiple variables.

Out with the new, in with the old.

With 27.5 back in business along with the 170mm Mezzer, and still sporting the new SRAM HS2 rotors that I quite like with the RSC code brakes, today was a day to open it up more. So much so that I earned myself a hand punch into a tree branch on a drop I have ridden a hundred times (looking ahead…not at my skis) and I couldn’t recover and went down pretty hard. I stayed ‘in the bike‘ and my right pinky took a bad crush between the handlebars and rock. Kneepad did its job, hip is good.

The culprit tree is not the closest in the pic, but the next one on the right up the trail. I seem to have this thing with clipping trees these days .

Anyway, since my times where going to be slow, I took some vid once the shock of eating it wore off.

And this building storm stayed just north and rumbled and grumbled but didn’t head my way so I got in a long enough ride to hurt myself. Not bad for a Saturday in June.

 

[splitter]

Sandwiched a ride in between son’s lacrosse game, daughter’s ballet recital, and intense t storms.

Ballardini Ranch-Sierra Front. Pedally and rocky.

 

[Tom K.]

and my right pinky took a bad crush between the handlebars and rock. Kneepad did its job, hip is good

Talk about burying the lead! Good to hear. No more crashing this season.

More fun for the kiddies. Clinic #3 of 4, and the crap weather rearranged its schedule to suit us nicely.

 

[4ster]

June showers bring June flowers ? Crazy weather we’ve been having with almost daily thunderstorms for the past month! It sure keeps the dirt nice & riding great as long as you don’t get caught by it…

Some new views after the Caldor fire

& of course my nieces lifelong game of “beat uncle Jim” continues

I think she won about 10yrs ago !

 

[nay]

Talk about burying the lead! Good to hear. No more crashing this season.

I haven’t gone down on the bike in awhile. And that’s definitely it, rubber side down. My pinky hurt enough that I didn’t catch the pedal to back of calf damage until I rubbed it later that afternoon and thought “huh, got muddy today” .

Managed to find an hour between storm warnings, flood warnings, etc. to get out today. Really looking forward to some sun, but then watching the wildfire smoke on the east coast this sure does feel good. Bike is feeling really good, a high end coil with longer travel front is just the money setup on this bike.

 

[Tom K.]

Bike is feeling really good, a high end coil with longer travel front is just the money setup on this bike.

I forget if you're also coil up front? I couldn't believe the improvement in my OG Slash when I bolted on a Z1 Coil (vs. the custom valved Grip2 w/VVC).

The simple Grip damper is so darn good on small, chattery stuff, and suits my current stage of life which I'll call Go Medium and Go Home In One Piece.

I know of guys that push harder who have apparently retrofitted a Grip2 damper into the Z1 Coil chassis, but that would be counterproductive for me.

 

[Wilhelmson]

June showers bring June flowers ? Crazy weather we’ve been having with almost daily thunderstorms for the past month! It sure keeps the dirt nice & riding great as long as you don’t get caught by it…
View attachment 205495

View attachment 205496

View attachment 205498

Some new views after the Caldor fire
View attachment 205499

& of course my nieces lifelong game of “beat uncle Jim” continues
View attachment 205502
I think she won about 10yrs ago !

Thats a pretty rad jump

 

[4ster]

Thats a pretty rad jump

 

[nay]

Oh it takes a lot to be comfortable with big gaps, that’s awesome.

 

[nay]

I forget if you're also coil up front? I couldn't believe the improvement in my OG Slash when I bolted on a Z1 Coil (vs. the custom valved Grip2 w/VVC).

The simple Grip damper is so darn good on small, chattery stuff, and suits my current stage of life which I'll call Go Medium and Go Home In One Piece.

I know of guys that push harder who have apparently retrofitted a Grip2 damper into the Z1 Coil chassis, but that would be counterproductive for me.

Air up front with the Mezzer. I’m sticking with 3 chamber air going forward because of the ability to dial in low pressure small bump compliance with progressive resistance for bigger hits. I run 45 PSI in the main chamber and it could be less.

Maybe one day will go coil front, I still weight weenie this bike because it pedals well at 31 lbs given the downhill chops. That EXT e-storia is money, though.

 

[Wilhelmson]

Oh it takes a lot to be comfortable with big gaps, that’s awesome.

There was one about that size over a creek this winter. Pretty easy looking but I was alone way out in woods around 3pm. And last time I did a big air on my bike I landed friontwheel first in a pit, broken collarbone, two mile hime a bike.

 

[4ster]

There was one about that size over a creek this winter. Pretty easy looking but I was alone way out in woods around 3pm. And last time I did a big air on my bike I landed friontwheel first in a pit, broken collarbone, two mile hime a bike.

That’ll make you think twice for a while!

One of our local trails has a jump line with a series of 10 to 20ish’ table tops & I am fine with those, come up a bit short & no big deal but come up short on a gap….

At 67yo you gotta weigh risk & reward

 

[nay]

Had a sunny day on Wed...but mostly it keeps snowing up high.

Didn’t last, managed to squeeze in a ride this morning with my son before the deluge returned this afternoon.

 

[nay]

This afternoon.

 

[4ster]

No hail or rain today, just a little wind & haze…

 

[Tom K.]

Love the tech clips @4ster!

 

[4ster]

Love the tech clips @4ster!

Thanks but what are “tech clips”?

 

[Tom K.]

Thanks but what are “tech clips”?

Just the little video clips you post of riding technical stuff.

I am absolutely certain there is a better name for them that old guys like me aren't familiar with?

 

[4ster]

Just the little video clips you post of riding technical stuff.

I am absolutely certain there is a better name for them that old guys like me aren't familiar with?

Doh , that makes sense. Thanks