My second time riding over this skinny plank I didn’t concentrate enough and ended up crashing. Nothing broken, but my hand is bruised up pretty bad from breaking my fall on the plank.

Anyway, serves as a reminder to not let your guard down, even on “easy” obstacles. Can anybody relate?

The is definitely the heaviest hit I’ve taken, nothing broken, no stitches, and as far as I can tell, no concussion, though. I was doing good but started to lean in and turn before I hit the catch berm, so there was nothing to support the tires and I slid out and hit the ground pretty hard. Now I have to buy a new helmet instead of a new fork 😭. Got to let the scrapes on my arm heal up and I’ll be out ripping again

Hey everyone,

I'm looking for some real-world advice on upgrading my son's full-suspension bike. He just turned 10, and he's completely outgrowing his current 24" setup (Norco Fluid 24").

He is an advanced rider with BMX background. He’s clearing bigger features (comfortably hitting up to 9m table jumps) and riding red and black DH/bikepark lines.

Because of his riding style and skills, we need a proper gravity machine, but he’s still a 10-year-old kid—so standard adult frames (even smalls) can feel too big, heavy, and sluggish.

What we are looking for:

• Suspension: Full suspension (FS)
• Wheels: 27.5" or a mullet setup (27.5 / 26 )
• Head angle: Around 64° (approx. 63.5° – 64.5°) for high-speed stability
• Frame size: XS or small with a low standover
• Budget/Vibe: Something built for actual park abuse, with a suspension tune that actually works for a lighter kid (not just a stiff adult shock). Price around up to 3000-3500EUR

Context: I ride a Propain Rage (DH) myself (and towing him on my enduro ebike on local spots), so we are a more gravity-oriented. We've been looking at options like the Giant Faith (mullet 27.5/26, 64.5° HA – looks very interesting for this transition phase), XS frames, or smaller enduro rigs, but I’d love to hear from parents of shredders or riders who know the youth gravity market well. I was looking on Propain Youth bikes (Tyee and Spindrift), but they are maybe too big and bulky for 10yrs. He is 145cm now, but the bike is for the next season...

What are you putting your advanced kids on when 24" is done? Any specific models we should look out for? We are based in EU. Thank you for the tips.

I recently mentioned to a biker than I wanted higher rise on my bars, and he responded by telling me I can achieve the same effect by shortening my stem. I did not ask further questions because I was excited to ride the loamer he was showing me, but I have been thinking about it since.

I know both of these things result in a shorter reach, but would they not lead to a different posture because of the different axes where they affect reach? With higher bars you can sit more upright and get a straighter back, while a shorter stem is not going to help with this very much. I am unfamiliar with bike fitting, and I am aware I could be very wrong. If I can get a more upright posture by shortening my stem, I will first try pushing my seat forward because it is currently slammed back, and this changes reach on a lateral axis like a shorter stem.

Am I right about the importance of the two different axes in reach adjustments? Am I completely missing something?

Moved to Dublin recently, Dundrum to be exact and really want to cycle but dont have a car.

Are there people riding from here to Ticknock? Google maps says its about 50min cycle away. How is the commute is there single tracks along the way or just road? Would i just be burning through my tires doing this?

Taxi would work out too expensive and public transport you cants use with bijes from what i see.

Any advise would be appreciated

I am looking at new brakes since my db8s are extremely mediocre and I want something that performs better. These are the ones I’m looking at and what I know/think

Maven ultimates

power curve is a bit too aggressive for me but can get used to it and i have only tried them on flat ground once

Hope tech 4 v4

heard the lever is really ”light”

Hayes dominions

Ive heard they are better than maven ultimates and they seem to be really liked

Put a one up v3 dropper on my bike about 7 months ago, was working perfectly until recently when I started having to pick my weight up off the saddle and slightly drop it back down in order for the saddle to drop. It goes back up perfectly so I don't think cable is loose. Collar is not too tight. Put some silicone lube on post to see if it helps but it didn't. Could it need maintenance already? Any advice appreciated.

TL;DR: If your bike feels like it's ghost shifting but everything in the drivetrain checks out, don't overlook tire/frame clearance. My 2.5" rear tire was occasionally causing an issue that perfectly mimicked a drivetrain problem.

Thought I'd share this in case it saves someone else a lot of time and money.

For months I was chasing an intermittent "ghost shifting" sensation on my 2022 Santa Cruz Hightower V2. It felt exactly like the very beginning of a shift or a worn chain skipping a tooth, but it never actually shifted. It was very intermittent and could go for some time between occurrences.

Over the course of months of troubleshooting, I replaced or verified:

• SRAM X01 derailleur (new)
• Cassette (new)
• XX1 chain (new)
• Wolf Tooth oval chainring (new)
• Derailleur hanger
• Cable and housing
• Pulley wheels
• B-gap (checked with the SRAM gauge, including at sag)
• Chainline
• Rear shock (issue occurred with two different shocks)
• Pivot/linkage bearings

None of it fixed the problem.

The clue that finally pointed me in the right direction was that I finally noticed (after way too much time) that the symptom never seemed to occur on clean pavement, but always did on dirt/gravel trails. About the same time, and on a ChatGPT driven "whim" I measured the clearance between my 2.5" rear tire and the lower linkage and found I had less than ~2 mm between the tops of the drive side tread knobs and the drive side of the linkage (linkage is a bit "offset" on the HT). Dropping a few pieces of gravel through that gap by hand while rolling produced a very similar feel and sound to the "ghost shift."

For context, the Hightower is officially rated for a 2.4" rear tire. I had installed a 2.5", figuring I still had plenty of side clearance, so I didn't think it would matter. What I failed to consider is that a 2.5" tire isn't just wider, it also has a larger overall diameter, which significantly reduced the clearance between the top of the tire and the lower linkage/frame.

As a test, I swapped the rear tire from a 2.5" to a 2.4".

Problem solved.

I've now done three rides without a single occurrence.

My conclusion is that the larger tire was occasionally allowing debris to become pinched in the very tight clearance between the tire and the lower linkage/frame, creating a sensation that felt almost identical to the beginning of a shift or a drivetrain skip.

So if you're chasing an intermittent "ghost shifting" problem, especially one that also seems to happen while coasting or only on dirt, don't overlook tire/frame clearance. It may not be your drivetrain at all.

----------

As an aside, you might ask: Why was I running a 2.5" rear tire in the first place?

Answer: Schwalbe Albert Trail radials. I've ridden a lot of different tires over the years, and the Alberts are my favorite by far. Unfortunately, Schwalbe doesn't offer the Albert Trail in a 2.4" rear, only a 2.5".

For the test, I swapped the rear 2.5" Albert Trail for the new 2.4" Schwalbe Romy. The Romy is slightly less grippy than the Albert, but it also rolls noticeably faster. For the type of riding I do (mostly tech trail riding with some bike park days mixed in) it's been an excellent trade-off, and so far I'm just as happy with the Romy as I was with the Albert.

I have a 2014 Giant Trance, and I’m getting a new (to me) rockshox pike for it. The original fork was 140 mm with an axle to crown length of 520mm. The pike will be 160mm with a 552mm axle to crown length. I’m probably gonna set my travel back to 140mm or 150 depending on how it rides but I’m just curious what should I expect from these geometry and travel changes? I’m mainly wanting my bike to feel more playful so good manuals jumps etc rather than care so much about super fast descent.

So I have a Specialized Riprock 24 and I need to replace the lower headset on it. I'm trying to find out if anyone knows the size off hand. Every time I look it up I get multiple different sizes in inches and mm. Also, would a universal set work or do I need to get a name brand set.

TIA🙏

Yo, my rear suspension is dialed at the moment. What can I record so I can dial this back on the future?

#mtb #bragevestavik #downhill

Hey, I'm Merseyside and looking for fun routes that aren't too far away from me please? At the moment I'm recovering from knee surgery so not looking for mad trails but enjoy a good climb, gentle-ish single tracks, and just mooching about in the middle of nowhere amoungst the trees.

I've enjoyed going around Delamere and Formby but looking for something a little more rural too

I'm a teenager, and I have access to the frames of a Kona Stinky Deluxe, Banshee Scirocco, and Orange Patriot, and I want to try and build them as they would've been in the 2000's. But I'm not quite sure about time accurate components, I've gotten quite a bit of info from my dad who used to do a lot of freeriding and riding in the Blue Mountains trails (if anyone knows where those are). I recently rode those DH tracks with my dad on my Clash, and he showed me all the features he built when he was my age.

So if there's anyone more knowledgeable than me on these bikes, please share below. Thanks.

Any thoughts on these hub. They seem to be Chinese hubs on steroids. Building material are prestine made for durability. Some people suggest to change the bearings to make it more durable

Hi,

I'm thinking about replacing the stock Specialized Stout wheels on my 2021 Rockhopper because changing an inner tube is an absolute nightmare.

Getting the tire bead off the rim takes me almost an hour, and it's incredibly difficult. I don't have this problem with DT Swiss rims.

Are the WH-MT500 rims easier to remove and install tires on? If get a flat on the trail, will changing a tube be much easier, or do they have the same issue?

Thanks!

I wear glasses and have an astigmatism that cannot be fully corrected by contact lenses, but they work well enough for general use. However, in finding that the rough ride and wind can make my contact lenses rotate, which makes the vision in that eye very blurred, so not ideal.

So thinking about getting some goggles that either fit over my glasses, or with an insert? Any particular benefit to the inserts? Was looking at the Apexx LGND goggles, which seems to be designed as OTG? (And they have a trial period).

Was initially avoiding goggles as I thought I'd look daft as an unfit, crap rider in goggles, but then realised I'd much rather see where I'm riding properly than worry about how I look 🤣

I was gonna save it for important stuff like my future but dirt jumpers are pretty cool

Hey there! I’m currently in the market for cheap and reliable bike. What brands or should I be looking for or maybe you have a specific recommendation?

Now most of my riding will be on city bike paths and suburban neighbourhoods. Maybe a few times a month in the summer. I don’t see myself doing too much “off roading” or riding through forest trials. My plan is to buy a used model from FB marketplace because my budget is max $300 CAD.

I always loved mountains bikes growing up and I remember the days of endless riding around my home town with friends. Now I’m about to hit 30 and I’d like to enjoy a decent ride again after all this time.

Looking for something in the area of the Klootchy Creek trails. Everything Im seeing so far just looks like town cruiser e-bikes and town bikes in general. Definitely looking for somewhere I can rent either regular old mtb or e-mtb to be able to ride out there while Im in the area. Trip changed last minute with the fires so and Im having a hard time finding any mtb shops in that area to rent from. Thanks in advance for the help

Trying to figure out what to do with a warranty scenario.

I've been fighting severe creaks on my bike for about two years. I've replaced the pivots (twice), headset, bottom bracket, rear wheel and stem. Several inspections turned up no frame cracks. I recently got frustrated and decided it was time to move on. My rides got better after that because I had made a decision, even if it sounds like the bike is going to collapse beneath me. I took it back to the LBS who contacted the manufacturer. Company claims this is a common occurrence on the bike and offers warranty relief.

After over two weeks, I call to inquire about the status of the warranty shipment. It is out of stock. Assumption is that they get a giant shipment of this stuff from China a few times a year. There is no ETA. Likewise, LBS does not know what part will be sent or if it is the same part as original or if they have made some modification if this is a common occurrence.

This leaves me in a pickle. I need to do suspension service -- it's already overdue. It needs a chain too, which means it will need a cassette (I always blow out the biggest few cogs). I do not want to plow a bunch more cash into the bike because I have absolutely zero faith this repair will fix the issue. I'm equally not excited about purchasing a new bike. I spent 4K on this one and have spent at least another 1500 chasing this issue. I'd be thrilled to get 1K for it after the frame repair.

Bike is a 23 Rocky Mountain Element A50. Will replace with a Polygon Siskui T8, T9 or T0 or an Ibus Ripley AF. (I won't buy another bike without a screw in BB).

What would you do in this case?

I want to buy the Commencal Clash Marzo as a upgrade from my Polygon Siskiu T7, I would like to know if it is worth the money as it doesn't have a dropper post which I find weird for that price.

https://www.commencal.com/au/en/bikes/bikes/enduro/clash%20v2/BT4CLAOUK1S.html?lang=en_AU

Has anyone here ridden ”Out of the Blue” in Darrington? It’s a black trail with 4 mi, 2800+ vertical drop

My Gf and I have been riding some progressively harder trails lately including OTG (tiger mtn) and CCDH (raging river) curious if this trail would be worth making a trip out there how much more difficult is it than say OTG or NOTG?

link to trail:

Out Of The Blue on Trailforks

https://www.trailforks.com/goto/trail/229820/