Official Mountain bike Thread!

Originally Posted by ara

If it's covered with a good cover, what's the difference with a shed? No room for shed and against city by laws to build something on terrace

The concerns outside that I can think of are moisture, sun, hot/cold, critters, organic material like tree sap, and inorganic materials like pesticides/smog.

If you get a bike bag, or just a plastic tarp and enclose the bike outside, you can pretty much eliminate or at least drastically reduce everything except the hot/cold and all but the most determined critters.

Constant temperature cycles (forgive the pun) from very cold to warm will first break down/rapidly wear out the chain lube, bearing greases and soft parts like the tires, grips, cable housings, brake pads, etc. Eventually constant exposure to daily temp swings will take a toll on the wheels, frame and other hard parts.

That's not to say you can't store the bike outside, but it's going to require a more intense maintenance routine to keep it rideable. Inside is much mo' bettah if there's any way to do it. Maybe a ceiling hook to minimize the amount of room it takes up? Think about Seinfeld's apartment.

A quick google search turns up: http://www.zerustproducts.com/bicycles/bicycle-cover

http://www.bikebags.com/bicycleprotector.html

http://www.performancebike.com/bikes...06_-1___400245

Alternatively, you could get plastic sheeting from a hardware store and wrap the bike yourself.

Originally Posted by DavidDee

Do not leave it outside. It will go to **** very quickly. Get a shed or something

Sent from my DROID X2 using Bimmer App

He lives in a real city, a shed is not feasible. Just cover it and clean and lightly oil

it would only be outside during the warm months in spring/summer/fall. Winter back at my dad's heated garage or in storage locker.

thoughts on this new 650b/27.5 bike... Hard to tell if this is a big deal or just another fad but it seems to makes sense to me, e46esque of mountain bikes?

http://altitude.bikes.com/en/story/

Just got back from a ride to this on the ride back

Originally Posted by Miko_10

thoughts on this new 650b/27.5 bike... Hard to tell if this is a big deal or just another fad but it seems to makes sense to me, e46esque of mountain bikes?

http://altitude.bikes.com/en/story/

I am FAR from an expert, either riding or about bike designs/industry. But in the last year, I've ridden both 26" and 29" wheeled bikes.

It wouldn't surprise me if the 650b bikes turn out to be more than a fad. I think they offer a middle ground between 26" and 29" wheels. Not as light, nimble and stiff as 26", not as much roll-overability and gyro effect as 29", but some combo of both. With carbon frames becoming more available, and more full suspension bikes being available at reasonable prices, I could totally see there being room in the market for the major mfgs to utilize the 3 wheel sizes across their models.

What sucks is that pretty soon if you have a bum a tube off someone out on the trail, the odds of them having the one you need will be less. Used to be just "presta or schraeder?".

BTW, RMB makes a lot of cool promotional vids. This one shows some nice riding, but check out the test rigs at 2:20 to 2:40:

Originally Posted by serdar255

Just got back from a ride to this on the ride back

LOL, thought I was the only one that found roof-racked-bike-shadows fascinating.

Rode Fullerton Loop today shortly after, and partially in, a light drizzle.

It was cool to feel the difference in traction with the dirt just a little moist and tacky. Most of the times I ride that route, it's bone dry and dusty.

There were a few mud spots today, but not too bad.

The sandy bits, however, seemed to me to be even more wiggly with a little moisture in them than they usually are.

kinda kooky looking

Originally Posted by Fisch330ciTopasBlau

kinda kooky looking

damn that is stupid. WHat benefit does it have.

This is going to be completely unremarkable for many of you. But almost all my riding has been in SoCal, southern AZ and Vegas. Which means dry and dusty.

Did a ride in Laguna Beach this am, started out riding in a cloud bank from Alta Laguna Park. So there was a ton of moisture in the air, and the dirt was kinda moist for most of the ride. Also rode through one short water crossing.

Still, I was really surprised to see how much dirt got stuck to the bike.

I ordered a Road ID earlier this week.

I'd been on the fence about it for a while because I usually have my wallet with me when I ride. But I finally decided to get one simply because I don't carry any contact info for my parents in my wallet and they're not local. So if something happened to me, it might take a while for someone to get in touch with them.

I got the Wrist ID Elite in red. Decided not to get the interactive version, since I'm mostly healthy with no allegeries.

http://www.roadid.com/c/RoadID

If any Fanatic wants to order one, I have a coupon code that will save you a whopping $1! PM me if interested.

Originally Posted by Xcelratr

Rode Fullerton Loop today shortly after, and partially in, a light drizzle.

It was cool to feel the difference in traction with the dirt just a little moist and tacky. Most of the times I ride that route, it's bone dry and dusty.

There were a few mud spots today, but not too bad.

The sandy bits, however, seemed to me to be even more wiggly with a little moisture in them than they usually are.

I used to be there very often (I live a mile away) but now it's just once a month (if I am lucky). I was there last Sunday, though...

Originally Posted by Camicia

I used to be there very often (I live a mile away) but now it's just once a month (if I am lucky). I was there last Sunday, though...

Right on. I rode it Sunday, too. Started about 9 am.

Takes me about 1:15 to 1:20 to do it, but I bypass the last hill right by the dam. That's still too steep for me to tackle.

If you want to meet there and ride it sometime, let me know. I get over there about 2 or 3 times a month.

Originally Posted by Xcelratr

Right on. I rode it Sunday, too. Started about 9 am.

Takes me about 1:15 to 1:20 to do it, but I bypass the last hill right by the dam. That's still too steep for me to tackle.

If you want to meet there and ride it sometime, let me know. I get over there about 2 or 3 times a month.

Absolutely
I used to do it in a little over an hour but now I believe I would have a hard time keeping up with you. I am old and broken...

Yeah we ride Fully Loop as well, not as much as we should though.

Mainly ride Santiago Oaks, as its pretty much our backyard, and awesome. A Saturday a month or so, we'll head to Cars & Coffee early as s!it, then Aliso Woods after. Goodtimes! Lastly Chino hills for some nice fireroads etc..

Did a sick MTB trip last week to Downieville in north Tahoe. Check out my vid:

Originally Posted by Camicia

Absolutely
I used to do it in a little over an hour but now I believe I would have a hard time keeping up with you. I am old and broken...

Yeah, lemme tell you how laid back I am when I ride. I take it nice and easy, no bomber stuff for me (looks nervously in kuksul08's direction).

Buddy of mine went over the bars in BC last spring, broke both his wrists. After watching what he went through with his parents and bro washing him and dressing him and all that crap, and all the surgeries he went through, and what it takes to heal at our age, my first priority is bringing all my bits and pieces home intact. The paycheck's about the same whether it takes me 1:15 or 1:45.

So I'm TOTALLY fine going out for an easy cruise.

Originally Posted by Stanc3

Yeah we ride Fully Loop as well, not as much as we should though.

Mainly ride Santiago Oaks, as its pretty much our backyard, and awesome. A Saturday a month or so, we'll head to Cars & Coffee early as s!it, then Aliso Woods after. Goodtimes! Lastly Chino hills for some nice fireroads etc..

I'm doing Tour de Cure tomorrow, signed up for the 20 mile road/10 mile mtb combo. The mtb ride is (I think) in Aliso Woods. I just did a ride 2 weeks ago from Alta Laguna Park, down the hill and back up, not sure the names of the trails, though.

Let's ride boys. I'm SO not a stud rider at all. In fact, it's only very recently that I have been strong/skilled/courageous enough to pedal the entire Fullerton Loop and not walk any of it. So if you're super fast, I cannot keep up.

But if you guys are up for a nice easy lap of Fullerton Loop, lets set up a Fanatic ride.

This weekend is already booked for me, but I could ride Saturday the 6th or Monday the 8th (it's Columbus Day). Whatcha think?


Stanc3, I need a place that's like a 0 on a technical scale of 1 - 10 to take a very very beginning rider. I tried to take her on Fullerton Loop but she was so nervous on dirt that before we even got to any bumpy stuff, she was overwhelmed, so we rode around on the pavement for a while. I think an entire ride of fire roads would be just what she needs. Got a ride in Chino Hills you can recommend that you'd take a total newb on?

Originally Posted by kuksul08

Did a sick MTB trip last week to Downieville in north Tahoe. Check out my vid:

Yeah, I used an online calculator to figure out that you're 482.6 times ballsier than I am.

You're not invited to our Fullerton Loop Fanatic ride, you crazy mofo.

Kidding of course. Looks like a great place to ride and you handle that trail really well. Thanks for posting the vid.

Originally Posted by kuksul08

Did a sick MTB trip last week to Downieville in north Tahoe. Check out my vid:

Want to ride that someday. My friend races there.

Originally Posted by Xcelratr

Yeah, I used an online calculator to figure out that you're 482.6 times ballsier than I am.

You're not invited to our Fullerton Loop Fanatic ride, you crazy mofo.

Kidding of course. Looks like a great place to ride and you handle that trail really well. Thanks for posting the vid.

I went with my uncle last year and he handled it just fine, I'm sure you could do it. It had been a whole year since I rode MTB at all, and it reminded me just how sketchy and dangerous it is.

Originally Posted by JaaPee

Want to ride that someday. My friend races there.

I have a couple friends who raced it, I could never do it. The longest stretch I did was the whole third divide to the road without stopping and it pretty much killed me. You can even see me stretching my fingers in the beginning of the vid cause it hurt so bad, and this was near the beginning.

Originally Posted by kuksul08

Did a sick MTB trip last week to Downieville in north Tahoe. Check out my vid: