Ride.DMC profile

I wish there was somewhere I could buy Long Live Chainsaw merch...

Same here - plus, the Trigger is lighter, has an adjustable visor, and has the same ratcheting dial that can also be moved up/or down.

The only feature that this has over the IXS Trigger FF appears to be the removable mudguard - which is admittedly pretty cool.  That and the whole Virginia Tech certification - I have no idea how the IXS has been rated by Virginia Tech.

Normally I'd agree with you on this, but after recently upgrading to MaxGrip rubber on the front I can understand those who would want similar wet weather traction on the rear of the bike.

That said, having never run a MaxGrip on the rear I am not taking into account the numerous downsides associated with doing so; slower rolling resistance, increased wear, etc.

It could be one of those things you try once and then realize it was a $120 mistake.

+1 for Arcade belts.  I bought mine from a BC Ferries gift shop - and even I presume I paid more for it because of this it is still a very good value proposition.

A buddy of mine who prefers riding in shorts year round will use the waterproof sock & Goretex riding shoe combo - but being someone who prefers to wear riding pants (especially September - June), I get by just fine with wool socks & goretex riding shoes.

I have been riding in the 5-10 Trailcross GTX for a couple winters now (this will be winter #3, I think).  I can tell you that they are probably equally difficult to slip on...  

One of the most underrated aspects of these GTX riding shoes - or at least the part that doesn't get talked about much but is really appreciated once you try it is the ability to just blast yourself with the garden hose after you've hosed down your bike to get all the mud off of your riding pants, and still have dry feet.

After really sloppy rides I sometimes just get the kids to hose me down.  They get a kick out of it and my wife appreciates that I am getting 99% of the mud off before tossing my entire wet weather riding kit (aside from the shoes) into the washer.  The shoes go on the shoe dryer.

Not a fan of the Volt (not sure what size came stock on my last bike, but i didn't get on with it).  Replaced it with a Chromag Trailmaster, which i think may be wider, definitely longer, with more padding.

Add Maxxis High Roller 2's to the list of classics for me - although I cannot tell you if their tread pattern has changed or not.

Just out of curiosity how did they disguise the bars to make them indistinguishable from one another visually?

I can tell the difference between my OneUp bar and Rental bar from across the room, let alone when I am holding onto them.

What you posted allows for a fun game of "fill in the blanks".  I'm not involved with or plugged into the local scene in any way (and don't care to be), but because the North Shore is one of my local riding areas I have a pretty good idea of the locations you are referring to, but not the people.

A caption for one of the above photos reads:

The Sooke Bike Club is a well-organized group of folks who flat out love riding and building great trails. Like most trail orgs, they started 'underground' and fought for - and won - legitimacy, and are now building something special in Hartland.

As mentioned by Island Life in his comment, the trails at Hartland are maintained by SIMBS.  I think you meant to say Harbourview.

There are some other cool spots to ride in Sooke as well (or at least there used to be), but I am not sure if they are sanctioned yet or have been lost to development - but Harbourview is getting better every time I go back to visit.

Congrats!  I was oh so close to pulling the trigger on a Tyaughton or a Rootdown on 'Black Friday' but my son had an orthodontic appointment the following Tuesday and so I waited - and thankfully I did because the funds I had saved for a 2nd bike were quickly used on a set of braces!

Hopefully at some point in 2024 my hardtail dreams will come true.

Mine was their more traditional riser bar and it broke right at the edge of the stem...  It is entirely possible it was all my fault - I did not know what a torque wrench was back in those days, let alone use one.  I most likely overtightened the stem.

Posted by: craw

Back in the day (I think it was 2001) I broke an Azonic bar just riding along. Which is to say that a crack inside the bar decided to find its way to the surface and fail completely when I dropped off a curb one afternoon. I managed to stop with the right half of the bar in my hand the left hand and both feet still on the bike. I've been a bit leery ever since then but the rate at which I swap bikes or experiment with rise and backsweep means I rarely keep a bar for more than a couple of years. If a bar gets a major scar I tend to get rid of it pretty soon because you can never really know how bad the damage is. 

I think that minus a major impact or visible damage I think a modern bar should be good for 3+ years. But I tend to buy a new bike every 2-3 years and that almost certainly involves replacing the bar to improve fit so I naturally end up on a shorter timeline, which I have no problem with.

I had the exact same thing happen with an Azonic bar of that vintage - mine broke on the up stroke of a drop off a curb. I fell/dismounted off to the side but was otherwise unhurt.

Posted by: kavurider

Still loving the Kona Humu Klunker. Took it down some technical stuff today, handled it fine. Might need a slightly easier gear than 32-18 (or I need to get much stronger). Cleared almost everything but it was a struggle.

That's not a rear tire I would trust off-road!

Posted by: Hepcat

Rear brake is getting the dreaded wandering bite point despite bleeding, but still, it's the Codes that I'd replace if anything...

I don't know how anyone can tolerate the wandering bite point - the Shimano brakes I've tried have all had this "feature" and I find it terrifying. Not sure if this is universal but its only been the rear brakes that have had this, which is how I lived to complain about shimano brakes another day... :)

Posted by: syncro

Still trying to convince myself on a Chromag - leaning more to Rootdown than Stylus as I can pull the front end off and run my Warden mullet if I want to. Waffling on a M/L vs a L. Only one more day for the sale.

It's worth throwing a leg over both sizes if you can.  I read somewhere that hardtails typically feel about 15mm to 20mm longer in the reach department than a full suspension and was expecting a M/L Rootdown to fit me perfect with its 463mm reach (my full suspension fits great with a reach of 468mm) and I was surprised how small it felt.

I still think the M/L is probably the right size for me - but I would like to try an L before purchasing for sure.

I'm pretty sure there will be more sales coming soon; boxing day, new years, lunar new year...

You climb No Quarter in 45 minutes?  That's pretty damn good.  I think I can get from the parking lot to the top of 7th in about 45 minutes (but no less), but taking No Quarter from Braemar to Mountain Highway takes me ~60 to ~70 minutes.

This is with a full compliment of gears on a 170mm enduro bike.

I'd like to think i could shave some significant time with a hardtail and clipless pedals but that's all hypothetical at this point.

Pretty sure I had one of their crowns/arches so that I could run a Gazzi 3.0 tire in my Marzocchi fork...

Posted by: mrbrett

I think LR overreacted just a bit to that. 

The original comment in the PB Pod wasn't about beginner riders - was about beginner YouTubers. Kind of agree. Is a Participation Award still an award? Marty's post for example - a well made Chromag hardtail video is great to watch. Still well above my riding skill, but very relatable to view and subjectively much better than some of the hacky YTers you see adjusting cams on the side of the trail.

I think he over reacted on purpose in an effort to spark outrage amongst his viewership to drive engagement in the comments section, which feeds the YouTube algorithm, which drives clicks & views and therefore the profitability of the video.  This is his career so it's in his own interest to act outraged even if he's not.

Pinkbike wins out of this as well.  I bet they've tripled their podcast traffic from like 6 downloads a week to 18.

I consume a metric tonne of youtube MTB content and 95% of it is from really small channels with fewer than 100 subscribers.  It's mostly because I'm so spoiled for choice with where to ride and have such limited time to actually get out and ride that I like to check out what's going on at Burke/Eagle/Fromme/Seymour/Thornhill/Galbraith/Sumas/Vedder/Ledgeview/Woodlot/Bear and then see if anything catches my eye to go ride at any of these locations.

Posted by: mrock

Also, a little known tidbit about 5:10's that I recently learned from a buddy is that the Addidas outlet in Richmond (or maybe Tsawassen? Can't remember) has 5:10 shoes at half off. So if you need to try stuff on, then head out there if you have patience for suburban style parking lots!

If it is Tsawassen Mills you're in luck - that mall & parking lot are super spacious and super empty. All. The. Time.  I also find it incredibly bizarre that for every 4 or 5 stores there is a place that rents ride-on toys/vehicles just to get around the mall.