skooks profile

I really don't understand people's angst when it comes to 157mm hubs. It's not like they are hard to find. I am hub-size agnostic and will happily run whatever works with my latest bike of choice. I will admit it is nice to have wheel compatibility, which did somewhat factor into my choice of a hardtail frame (well done Knolly).  I guess if you have a collection of nice wheels that can't be converted to 157 it wouldn't make sense to switch?

I'm getting close to standardizing the fleet. *All* our bikes run Shimano brakes and drivetrains. All MTB's are 11-speed HG standard, and all road bikes are 10-speed.  My wife runs 27.5 wheels, but they use the same rotor size as my 29er wheels.  I am a Knolly fan, so all of my mountain bikes run 157mm rear hubs. All the dropper posts in the fleet are OneUps.  It definitely makes it easier to keep things rolling when you have lots of cross-compatibility.

Couldn't agree more about how awesome it is watching kids progress Andrew. And then seeing them get better/stronger/faster than you will ever be!

"May you find traction in the roots, clean snow on the peaks, shafts of sunlight amid the rainstorms, packed sand in the desert, tailwinds on the dirt roads and the grace to drink it all in like it is the last ride you’ll ever take."

Wise words Mike. I try to appreciate every day I get out of bed, and as I get older I am very aware that the number of rides left is finite. I'm trying to get outside and do as much as possible before that happens.

I enjoyed that, thanks. Great Friday-afternoon distraction from work.!

I have the Select+ version of this fork without the buttercups. I'd love to try an Ultimate version just for comparison. I do like the way this fork rides higher in its travel than the Charger 2.1.  Feels noticeably more supportive and composed.

Riding with kids and watching them progress and eventually get better than you is the best!

I can relate to that after over doing it on a trail day today...

Nothing wrong with that. I don't think I am "getting better".  I'm definitely getting slower and more risk-averse as I age.  And I am perfectly okay with that. I am having just as much fun and enjoy riding just as much as I ever have. Riding with friends, watching other riders progress, hanging out in the woods, and occasionally doing things that scare me never get old (unlike me). I know that one day I may no longer be able to ride, and this motivates me to get out as much as possible. Every day on the bike is a win!

I think bike shops offer one of the very few opportunities for kids to learn technical skills. Not everyone is going to be a bike mechanic, but if you are interested and willing to learn its a great background for other technical jobs. My first job was as a shop grom, and my kid did the same thing when he was 14. Both of us ended up in engineering/technical careers.

Posted by: syncro

Posted by: Squint

Yes this. I like the 98% vehicle; it does what I need for almost all of the time. For the odd occasion, I'll just get delivery or rent a pickup or van ($20 for 4 hours). 

I had a great compact pickup for years, sure was good for getting the motorcycle to a track day but overall was not the right vehicle for the vast majority of the time.

Same problem with EV’s right now, too many are high end luxury vehicles, which equals a lot of weight to haul around and is inefficient for what most people need in day to day transport. 

IMHO the best route is to have a two vehicle solution, something like a Mini or Honda Fit that is electric for day to day commute and a bigger vehicle the odd camping/hauling jobs. I pretty much guarantee that overall it would be cheaper to operate two vehicles like that than to have one higher end vehicle. 

For example FO could have bought a slightly used Leaf or something similar for day to day use and an older truck/suv for weekend exploits and spent less money overall. Plus there’s the convenience of having two vehicles.

That's my solution. My DD is a base model Chevy Bolt, which was actually (relatively) affordable with sale and rebates, and a very old, paid-for Honda Odyssey.  When the Honda finally dies I will likely buy some sort of hybrid van or truck.

For me the One Up dropper is by far the best value for $$. Decent initial cost, easy/cheap to service, parts are cheap and readily available, and performance is excellent. It goes up/down when I push the lever and stays in position, and that's all I need in a dropper.  The adjustable air pressure is a nice feature as well.  PNW would be a close second for all of the same reasons, and you can even re-build the cartridge if you want to.

Posted by: AndrewMajor

Posted by: Sethimus

do you have it in the middle = 0° position? they advertise like 5 different configurations to mount

does it really feel like the saddle has more drop in the downhill position or does it just equalize the amount it adds to initial saddle height?

The Middle position is a neutral/flat position. From there you have two other positions on the current unit, one (climb) that drops the nose -10° and one (descend) that raises the nose +12°.

Assuming you do not change the amount of drop your post has (e.g. 170mm post becomes 170mm post + Switchgrade) it does feel like an increase in drop on steep descents. Yes, this does require you to insert your dropper further into your frame, but the amount of increase from DH mode feels like a greater amount of bike-body separation than the extra height the clamp adds if that makes sense.

I didn't use the nose-drop climb mode much as I prefer my saddle ~ level and run my bars fairly high, but I did really enjoy the downhill position. I'd like a two-position Switchgrade that was just neutral and descend. 

https://nsmb.com/articles/aenomaly-constructs-switchgrade-saddle-angle-adjuster/

I would also like a 2 position Switchgrade, but just the neutral and climb modes. Trade you my downhill mode for your climb mode?

I don't actually mind the descend mode, it just seems less useful to me on a long travel dropper.

The switchgrade definitely works for making steep climbs easier.  It gets less comfortable as the climb flattens out though.  I find that my saddle feels like it is angled up after switching from the climb to neutral position, even though it's at my normal dead flat setting. This feeling doesn't last long though.

Here you go..

Posted by: tashi

Hey dudes, it’s finally new bike time for me and could use a little input. 

If you were looking for a lively feeling 140/150mm bike would you snag a Fugitive 138, Fluid FS with a 150mm fork or a Fuel EX?

The price has me leaning towards the Fugitive, which is priced well enough that I can probably snag a hardtail from them as well when my current bike sells. The Trek and Norco are attractive because I’d be getting them from my LBS but the pricing isn’t anything special there so I probably wouldn’t be able to snag a hardtail as well  

What say you NSMB?

I have both the Fugitive 138 (in Tequila Sunrise colours!) and a steel Tyaughton hardtail.  Both are super fun and capable bikes and I love riding them. It's nice having bikes that provide different riding experiences but can handle all of the same trails.  The Fugitive is such a great do-it-all bike and works very well for me on North Shore and S2S trails.  If you really want something more 'playful' you could look at the new Endorphin, although it's going to cost quite a bit more.

Posted by: Sethimus

how much did you need to lower the post for the same seat height?

Approx 14 mm.

Got a chance to try out my new Christmas present today. Overall I like it.

Dropping the nose feels very comfortable on steeper climbs. I cleaned Warden's today, which I haven't managed in a while. Coincidence? Probably, but the steeper seat angle sure didn't hurt.

Raising the nose on descents seemed less useful to me since my 200mm dropper gives me plenty of clearance already. The unexpected benefit was that it was easier to push the bike around with the inside of my legs against the tipped up saddle. Going to keep using it on the downs for this reason.

The unit is smaller and far more stealthy than I was expecting. I would actually prefer the lever to be a bit longer and easy to activate. In a perfect world I would prefer a bit less downward angle. I think this would make the switchgrade more useable over a wider range of climbs.

Would I spend the money to buy one? The jury is still out on that question. I do plan to keep it on my bike though

Switchgrade

https://www.aenomalyconstructs.com/collections/switchgrade-saddle-control-device

Posted by: Stuminator

Maybe someone thought this was a case of "dumbing down the shore", and ripped it out? Even if that person was of that opinion, they should still respect the time / labor it took to complete the work & leave it alone. If the person responsible for the vandalsim was so concerned, they should have discussed the changes with the nsmba.

Maybe, but it's an intermediate level trail ffs! And it did look like the more challenging lines were left in place.  Whoever did this had zero respect for the work the trail builder put in.

I hear the province is putting in legislation to mandate increased density zoning everywhere. This should increase housing units, but will it have any effect on affordability?