Bicycle Brahs Part 3 - Riding is our leg day (literally bicycle)

[ChewYourFood]

Good lord!

I've got about 7 weeks before a big tour and need to start upping my mileage. I'm tempted to do all of the crit clinics coming up but I think that will fuk me in the longterm. Any big spring training plans? Tours?

What’s the ride? Days / miles.

[HMFIC_BROWSIN]

fuuuuuarkkkkk

feel bad for snowcels. We're looking at 80 degrees and sun all week again.

Went out to some FUN single track yesterday on the hardtail and SLAYED the berms. They are the most beginner trails in Phoenix but they are an absolute riot if you're on the right bike - the kind of stuff that has you yelling out loud while rolling through lmao. There is a set of probably 5 or 6 soft rollers that I came very close to riding a manual through all of them; if I ever get someone to film I'll give it several attempts and try to get it on video. The tracks are so smooth you can hold a manual for DAYS out there.

I have a 2 degree angled headset coming in the mail today. I'm steepening my headtube by 2 degrees because it's too slack. My guess is that the small adjustments this 2 degrees makes will set the bike almost perfect for me.

Going riding again today on my home trail, then again on Tuesday to the same stuff I rode yesterday. Literally want to ride every single day, so why not.

[redraider86]

What’s the ride? Days / miles.

Topping out at 75 miles a day, but mostly in the 50-65 range. Wee bit terrified of the +7000 climb one day but fear is the mindkiller

Going to take the mountain bikes out this weekend and not worry so much about distance, just climb climb climb

fuuuuuarkkkkk

feel bad for snowcels. We're looking at 80 degrees and sun all week again.

Went out to some FUN single track yesterday on the hardtail and SLAYED the berms. They are the most beginner trails in Phoenix but they are an absolute riot if you're on the right bike - the kind of stuff that has you yelling out loud while rolling through lmao. There is a set of probably 5 or 6 soft rollers that I came very close to riding a manual through all of them; if I ever get someone to film I'll give it several attempts and try to get it on video. The tracks are so smooth you can hold a manual for DAYS out there.

I have a 2 degree angled headset coming in the mail today. I'm steepening my headtube by 2 degrees because it's too slack. My guess is that the small adjustments this 2 degrees makes will set the bike almost perfect for me.

Going riding again today on my home trail, then again on Tuesday to the same stuff I rode yesterday. Literally want to ride every single day, so why not.

I am so jealous of that weather. I want to tackle some single track in Phoenix one of these days!

[ChewYourFood]

fuuuuuarkkkkk

feel bad for snowcels. We're looking at 80 degrees and sun all week again.

Us snowcels get it in as long as there is no ice on the pavement. Not too bad once you get the right gear. Fleece skullcap, balaclava around the neck, fleece jersey, fleece pants, bibs, wool socks, windproof gloves, sunglasses. Kind of annoying how much chit I have just to ride a bike tho.

On the same note - Sometimes the amount of technology is redic - headlight, radar tail light, gps, speed / cadence, powermeter, phone, earbuds, HR strap. First ride of the year I spent 10 minutes changing those coin batteries in everything.

Topping out at 75 miles a day, but mostly in the 50-65 range. Wee bit terrified of the +7000 climb one day but fear is the mindkiller

Going to take the mountain bikes out this weekend and not worry so much about distance, just climb climb climb

Those distances in a group are easy peasy. When I ride with just one other person the miles fly by, when Im with a big group the ride always ends way sooner than I think it will.

Climbing aint that bad once you embrace it. Back when Eriktheelectric posted in here, he said something that made me switch my perspective. I used to avoid hills, now I go out of my way for the steepest / longest hills. One of my favorite workouts are hill repeats - they make me better at everything.

I like hills so much that I am planning on feet in the Pacific to peak of Haleakala ~10k ft in ~35 miles just for fun.

[HMFIC_BROWSIN]

73° and clouds today.

Had a great time out there. Made some progress on my hardtail today, clearing a couple step-up tech climb features I had only done on the full suspension before. Its amazing how much more efficient the hardtail pedals on smooth surface; feels like a damn tail-wind almost.

Back out again tomorrow HNNNNNNGGGG

[dopamine72]

Damn bro - I think that would have done it for me... Sounds miserable...

Still going same as before bro

Yes.
The benefits of good wheels is more than just strength. My hope pro-4 hubs will likely never fail on me for my lifetime. The rims don't bend, and because they are stiff, they basically never go out-of-true. Stiffness also makes them more accurate through turns. They're also lighter than crappy rims.
I put off buying nice wheels for a long time, glad I finally pulled the trigger. I smashed them through serious gnar last Sunday, and they were exactly as straight at the end of the ride as they were at the beginning.
Buy once, cry once. They're the most important component on a mountain bike when it comes to maintenance.

Will have to get then. Thx.

I absolutely crushed my ride on Saturday. Came home and I could not believe how high I felt - it was amazing. My wife looked at me and said 'what is wrong with you,' and my response was 'sorry I feel really really really fkn high right now.'

I got burned out on riding at the end of last racing season - I was at the track a minimum of 3x a week and road riding for recovery. When I hung my track bike up at the end of the season I didn't even think about riding other than sporadic rides on beautiful days. Took the whole winter October-Feb off and fully expected to lose most of my cardio / fitness. The first ride was a bitch, struggled, had hip cramps, broken kneecap caused all sorts of issues, and it confirmed my hypothesis. 6 rides later I feel like I never missed a step and I picked up my first PR Strava segment of the year and a few top 3's (all segments that I have targeted over the years for PR's and I was right up there just on a spirited ride). Averaging 22mph through 45 minutes - I am gassing out at the end of my rides, but I think even that will come around after a few more rides.

If you're getting that high (like me) you will probably never stop either lol

Nice work on the comeback

[redraider86]

Those distances in a group are easy peasy. When I ride with just one other person the miles fly by, when Im with a big group the ride always ends way sooner than I think it will.

Climbing aint that bad once you embrace it. Back when Eriktheelectric posted in here, he said something that made me switch my perspective. I used to avoid hills, now I go out of my way for the steepest / longest hills. One of my favorite workouts are hill repeats - they make me better at everything.

I like hills so much that I am planning on feet in the Pacific to peak of Haleakala ~10k ft in ~35 miles just for fun.

That's good encouragement, thank you! I'm not great at hills but I've got the grit to get them done, and I like to smile while I do them!

Played in the woods with some single track over the weekend. My watch wouldn't STFU with fall alerts lmao. I'm sure an actual mountain bike with suspension would be more comfy but my gravel bike gets it done, I was impressed!

[metroins]

Started riding again this week while wearing an ankle brace. Helped a lot. Hoping to hit some downhill trails this year; I also bought a rotator cuff brace because I noticed my injure was hampering my ride.

I also got passed by like a 60 year old on a e-bike. That was kind of depressing.

so who all has a $7k bike but cant ride worth chit?

Me.

Got back on the horse after my accident, already bent the front wheel going downhill on trails I guess...Its slightly rubbing against the fork. What wheel can I get that will be more durable?

Jeez.

That's good encouragement, thank you! I'm not great at hills but I've got the grit to get them done, and I like to smile while I do them!

Played in the woods with some single track over the weekend. My watch wouldn't STFU with fall alerts lmao. I'm sure an actual mountain bike with suspension would be more comfy but my gravel bike gets it done, I was impressed!

What part of TX do you ride in? I am assuming TX, if you're in another part of the country let us know.

73° and clouds today.

Had a great time out there. Made some progress on my hardtail today, clearing a couple step-up tech climb features I had only done on the full suspension before. Its amazing how much more efficient the hardtail pedals on smooth surface; feels like a damn tail-wind almost.

Back out again tomorrow HNNNNNNGGGG

Hardtails are so much fun, glad to see you out on yours.

[TakeTheLift]

hey guys.

Thinking of doing up my Giant mtb/hybrid frame as a city bike for my commutes.
Currently using my Canyon Road bike but I'd prefer not commuting on it and want a hack bike.

Im thinking of going 1x11.

Was wondering if a "SRAM Rival 1 GXP 11 Speed Road Chainset" (42t) would work with an MTB rear derailleur like "Shimano SLX M7000 Shadow Plus 11 Speed Rear Derailleur".

Im not to hot on cross compatibility of brands let alone across Road to MTB gear.

Any advice would be appreciated.

[HMFIC_BROWSIN]

I had the road bike out for a flat 36 miles yesterday and it kind of whooped my ass lol. Tried mountain biking today and felt like i was dragging an anchor. My endurance fitness is well below my all-time-best, but ive been PRing some MTB segments on strava without targeting them so that has been a big morale boost. Its been over a year since ive seen PRs like that on my home trails.

As we get into hotter weather, I'll start gravitating back to my road bike. Summers here force me to start my rides before 5:00am (ya really) so adding a 30 minute drive to a trailhead doesnt jive well. Not to mention that getting stranded in the middle of the desert in 100°f+ is kind of terrifying.

hey guys.

Thinking of doing up my Giant mtb/hybrid frame as a city bike for my commutes.
Currently using my Canyon Road bike but I'd prefer not commuting on it and want a hack bike.

Im thinking of going 1x11.

Was wondering if a "SRAM Rival 1 GXP 11 Speed Road Chainset" (42t) would work with an MTB rear derailleur like "Shimano SLX M7000 Shadow Plus 11 Speed Rear Derailleur".

Im not to hot on cross compatibility of brands let alone across Road to MTB gear.

Any advice would be appreciated.

It wont work well if the mtb is boost-spacing, and the road gear isnt.... I have mixed them before, and it WORKED, but it didnt work WELL. If youre just using it for a commuter, it should perform fine.

[ChewYourFood]

hey guys.

Thinking of doing up my Giant mtb/hybrid frame as a city bike for my commutes.
Currently using my Canyon Road bike but I'd prefer not commuting on it and want a hack bike.

Im thinking of going 1x11.

Was wondering if a "SRAM Rival 1 GXP 11 Speed Road Chainset" (42t) would work with an MTB rear derailleur like "Shimano SLX M7000 Shadow Plus 11 Speed Rear Derailleur".

Im not to hot on cross compatibility of brands let alone across Road to MTB gear.

Any advice would be appreciated.

I need to do something like this with my old mtb. I only ride it when the kids want to ride to grab some ice cream. It has a triple + 8. It never leaves the big ring. Still has the original wheels / chain / hubs and honestly needs to be totally disassembled and rebuilt. I suuuck at the compatibility of different configurations but I’d love to make it something like a gravel bike / chitty weather trainer bike.

[HMFIC_BROWSIN]

I need to do something like this with my old mtb. I only ride it when the kids want to ride to grab some ice cream. It has a triple + 8. It never leaves the big ring. Still has the original wheels / chain / hubs and honestly needs to be totally disassembled and rebuilt. I suuuck at the compatibility of different configurations but I’d love to make it something like a gravel bike / chitty weather trainer bike.

Oh yeah.... Ive had this recurring dream to build a rigid mountain bike, with gravel-esque tires, flat handlebars, 1x drivetrain, and a dropper post... Basically a road/gravel commuter that I can send down singletrack if needed.

I was ranking the 12 bikes ive owned since middle school and the top 2 were just absolute dreams to ride, i rode both frames until they cracked, and neither were even remotely high-end.

Kind of want to just build a soul-bike like that again. My current fleet just doesnt have that 'magic'

[redraider86]

What part of TX do you ride in? I am assuming TX, if you're in another part of the country let us know.

Yeah! White rock, Roanoke and Duncanville in DFW and then Palo Duro Canyon. I also do a lot of riding in Northwest Arkansas, Stillwater, and Guthrie OK. The mid south is so slept on it's ridiculous and so nice to drive just a few hours away. Y'all are missing out if you're not riding the Ozarks, srs.

[HMFIC_BROWSIN]

Oh yeah.... Ive had this recurring dream to build a rigid mountain bike, with gravel-esque tires, flat handlebars, 1x drivetrain, and a dropper post... Basically a road/gravel commuter that I can send down singletrack if needed.

daaayyyyyyummmm.... Is this it?

the geo seems to blend gravel road bike and mountain bike.... Looks fun AF. Just swap tires for the road/dirt.

[NearlyBigAngus]

Move over boyo's and make room for another one - just got myself a vintage steel framed touring bike (Dawes Horizon with Reynolds 501frame/531 forks).
Plan to use it to get some cardio done as I tend to skip it due to the boredom factor of indoor cardio. Figure actual cycling will be more fun so more likely to happen.

[ChewYourFood]

daaayyyyyyummmm.... Is this it?

the geo seems to blend gravel road bike and mountain bike.... Looks fun AF. Just swap tires for the road/dirt.

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas itttttttttt.

Put some drops on it and thats what im talkin' about.

[HMFIC_BROWSIN]

Daaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaas itttttttttt.

Put some drops on it and thats what im talkin' about.

I'd keep em flat. absolute fun bike imo.

[skier!]

Anyone ever build a bike up from a frameset? Got so lucky, was on Specialized's website today and got a 56 cm Allez Sprint disc frame. Already sold out.
Going to be my 4th bike. Will do Ultegra 12 speed wireless components.

https://www.specialized.com/us/en/al...=319029-189820

[HMFIC_BROWSIN]

Anyone ever build a bike up from a frameset? Got so lucky, was on Specialized's website today and got a 56 cm Allez Sprint disc frame.

Oh yeah. I only build my own bikes since middle school (serious)

If you can build a bike from ground up, youll never need a mechanic again.

[skier!]

Oh yeah. I only build my own bikes since middle school (serious)

If you can build a bike from ground up, youll never need a mechanic again.

You roadbike, what would you do if this was yours?

[HMFIC_BROWSIN]

You roadbike, what would you do if this was yours?

Just be very specific with all your sizing.

Think back on your favorite crank length, favorite handlebar width, favorite stem length, favorite brand of components, prioritize where you want to cut weight, and where its less important to you..... You can literally make it exactly based on your experience.

No one can recommend anything because my opinion of a perfect build is probably miles different than yours.

For example, im putting flat handlebars on everything LMAO. This makes me very odd.

[skier!]

Just be very specific with all your sizing.

Think back on your favorite crank length, favorite handlebar width, favorite stem length, favorite brand of components, prioritize where you want to cut weight, and where its less important to you..... You can literally make it exactly based on your experience.

No one can recommend anything because my opinion of a perfect build is probably miles different than yours.

For example, im putting flat handlebars on everything LMAO. This makes me very odd.

Current roadbike which is basically all custom:

Only thing original is frame, saddle and cables. Ultegra components and SRAM Red carbon crank. Love this bike. Full carbon cockpit yet stiffness of aluminum. ENVE stem and aero bars

[HMFIC_BROWSIN]

Current roadbike which is basically all custom:

Only thing original is frame, saddle and cables. Ultegra components and SRAM Red carbon crank. Love this bike. Full carbon cockpit yet stiffness of aluminum. ENVE stem and aero bars

[img]https://i.imgur.com/BpL42M1.jpg[/ig]

Oh yeah sick build.

Dt swiss + shimano. GOAT.

Edit: not miron saddle bag + reflector

[skier!]

Oh yeah sick build.

Dt swiss + shimano. GOAT.

Edit: not miron saddle bag + reflector

Ha ha dude bag is lame I know but I gotta put my ID in there and phone for when I get run over. Live in CA and basically anytime I go out, I almost get hit. Also need the reflector in case I get hit and survive, defense attorney will say no reflector on bike.

[TakeTheLift]

It wont work well if the mtb is boost-spacing, and the road gear isnt.... I have mixed them before, and it WORKED, but it didnt work WELL. If youre just using it for a commuter, it should perform fine.

Think I'm going to keep it all road now but get a flat bar shifter.

I need to do something like this with my old mtb. I only ride it when the kids want to ride to grab some ice cream. It has a triple + 8. It never leaves the big ring. Still has the original wheels / chain / hubs and honestly needs to be totally disassembled and rebuilt. I suuuck at the compatibility of different configurations but I’d love to make it something like a gravel bike / chitty weather trainer bike.

Looking forward to building it, just getting round to buying all the kit now! Will hopefully build next weekend.

[TakeTheLift]

Glad to say my new build is complete!
1x11 gravel bike build.

I had planned to build up an old mtb frame I already had but unfortunately although the bottom bracket was compatible, the chain stays were too wide for the 1x chainring.
Managed to snag a good deal on a 2nd hand Kinesis Gravel frame. Very happy with how it turned out. I can now leave my canyon road bike just for nice sunny days, and use this as my work horse.
Components are Sram Rival Chainset, Sram Apex rear derailleur and shifter. Shimano SLX disk brakes. £400.
Frame is Kinesis Tripster AT: £390 (RRP £800!)
Total build under £800 for a bike that retails for around £2k with similar kit.

https://imgur.com/a/trawyjo

[Procta]

35 miles in the woods on the trail Saturday, full squish
25 miles on single speed BMX yesterday

[HMFIC_BROWSIN]

I have an old steel raleigh road bike I'm going to strip the paint off, then intentionally rust the steel, and clear coat it. Might swap it to a 1x drivetrain as well because I don't really use it for any hardcore road riding. Looking forward to the project as that bike has gotten a bit stale.

Glad to say my new build is complete!
1x11 gravel bike build.

SICK!

A gravel bike will be my next bike.

25 miles on single speed BMX yesterday

u wot m8?

[ChewYourFood]

https://imgur.com/a/trawyjo

Das it!

[jwtiger69]

Just a pretty sweet upgrade to my hardtrail. Swapped out the Diore 2 piston brake calipers to XT 4 pistons. I left the levers alone for now but will come back and replace them later on so they match. Now currently looking into some new tires. Want to try out something other than Maxxis and am stuck between the Schwalbe Nobby Nics or the Hans Dampf.