iPd Cameron Posted November 7, 2016 Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 Now that the clocks changed and I get to commute home in the dark the nice bright lighting will make it much nicer: 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmsgltr Posted November 7, 2016 Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 What light(s) did you end up going with? I am doing 1-2 hours every Monday night lately in some technical trails in the dark and its a blast. I have a handlebar mount light and a helmet mount light now and it's such a great set up! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
flyfishing3 Posted November 7, 2016 Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 thats great output cameron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iPd Cameron Posted November 7, 2016 Report Share Posted November 7, 2016 2 hours ago, gmsgltr said: What light(s) did you end up going with? I am doing 1-2 hours every Monday night lately in some technical trails in the dark and its a blast. I have a handlebar mount light and a helmet mount light now and it's such a great set up! The front is a Light & Motion Urban 400. It's impressive. The light itself is super small considering the output. Lithium Ion battery and recharges with a USB cord. Really impressed with it so far and 400 lumens is more than enough for night riding in the city. I also like that is has little yellow LEDs on each side to boost side visibility. I mounted the front down mid-fork blade and like how the light casts from lower than the handlebars. It does cast a shadow though from the wheel but your eyes get used to that quick. The rear is a Planet Bike light. Night riding is definitely a lot of fun when you can see properly! I haven't done much night time trail riding but I'm sure it's a blast as long as you have enough light. 1 hour ago, flyfishing3 said: thats great output cameron. Makes such a difference in confidence riding fast after dark too. I don't feel like stuff "sneaks" up on me like it can feel like with a dimmer light. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
iPd Cameron Posted November 8, 2016 Report Share Posted November 8, 2016 25c at 95psi is not particularly ideal for rocky dirt paths but still nice to hit a little dirt on the way to work. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
matt b Posted November 14, 2016 Report Share Posted November 14, 2016 I absolutely love your riding pics Cameron. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Burn-E Posted November 17, 2016 Report Share Posted November 17, 2016 Best afternoon of the year for a ride without aquestion. 70 degrees and no bugs. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmsgltr Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 looking for some advice from the MTB crew on 3 things I want to address on my hardtail 29er Trek X Caliber this winter. Some notes... im a casual rider, about 6-2 and 180lbs, riding maybe once a week at most. I have had the bike for a year now and its suited me well. My biggest complaints were the grips and pedals and I have corrected them already... -Stem: Currently have Bontrager Race Lite, 31.8mm, 7 degree 100mm long - I want to try something stubby... anything in particular I should look for? Obviously I can save some weight here too but that isn't really my concern... -Tires: Stock Bontrager tires suck. 2.2 front and 2.0 rear, they are already a bit worn but the tread pattern is weak, they are fast rollers for sure. would like to go 2.25 on front and rear, maybe even a 'tad' wider up front. I have tubeless ready rims but im not sure I need to go tubeless yet... I don't get pinch flats, and I don't have thorns etc. where I ride. -Front Shock: Front Suntour Spring Shock upgrade to Air... ideally using the Suntour loyalty upgrade program (I would save $100-150 and free shipping https://www.srsuntour.com/pages/upgrade). I don't want to put too expensive of a front shock on a $900 bike lol so I think just the Suntour upgrade program will be a big enough upgrade for me for some time. I definitely get the pogo stick action from the current spring front shock lol. I was thinking of the Raidon XC Lo R Air... its only $199 and they take my old crappy fork... Thoughts? Thanks, Greg Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudge_Brownie Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 Stem: I just went from an 85 to a 60 and I should have done it sooner. But if you do a lot of climbing or hard-pack XC type stuff I'm not sure it's a good idea. But it makes choppy descents so much better, and surprisingly improved fast berm-type turns. I think that last one might be an issue more specific to me/my setup though. Bringing the stem back, you also have to factor in rise relative to the distance. 'Close enough' was fine for me. Tires: Depends on what you're riding. You may want to consider a better, but still faster roll tire in the rear, and knobby up front. Too wide with too narrow a rim can be a little awkward. I still haven't gone tubeless and I'm not sure I ever will. But I fill the tubes with sealant instead. If pinches and thorns haven't been a problem I'm not sure I'd be in a hurry to do tubeless. I put on a 2.4 Conti Trail King up front earlier this year and even though my rim might be a little narrow for it I love it. But it's probably overkill for long hardpack rides. With a 2.4/2.2 Trail King combo, I broke most of my personal bests. Front fork upgrade is tough because to buy new is so expensive, but it's such a meaningful part. Those suntour prices are tempting, but I'd be concerned that it won't have enough improvement. I'm not familiar with their line up though. When looking at forks, you need to consider several things but the major is hub width and axle size. Some hubs can get different end caps for different axle sizes but I bet yours don't offer that. Probably 100x15mm axle or 100x9mm Quick Release. Any rebound knob on your shock? That or upping the preload with some spring spacers might be able to correct some of the pogo. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dick Dastardly Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 Short stem if you have a longish top tube. Rock Shox Pike. Nuff said Schwalbe Knobby Nic. Good all around off road tire 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mesoam Posted November 30, 2016 Report Share Posted November 30, 2016 short stem, longer travel fork, setup for tubeless and wider tires will change the bike dramatically 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmsgltr Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 Thanks guys! I'll find a shorter stem that offers some weight savings too but not too short. Currently have 100mm which is basically 4" so I'll find something 60-75mm and try it out! ill grab those tires Mike. They look great, have great reviews and seem to be on sale too! Just gotta look into the sizing and if going from 2.2 to 2.35 up front is ok and from 2 to 2.25 in rear will clear. Also, there are tons of different choices for the knobby nic lol... jenson doesn't explain the differences on mobile :( the rs pike is just too expensive for this bike. It's a $800+ shock lol. It sure is beautiful tho. The suntour raidon comes out to $200 with the upgrade program and should be a huge improvement over my stock shock (suntour xcm) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudge_Brownie Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 I probably wouldn't worry too much about weight savings on the stem. If anything, I might be more interested in strength for reduced flex. Either way, it's not that they're irrelevant, but there's better things to focus on. I certainly wouldn't spend more than a couple bucks to save 20 grams. Go to Schwalbe's site for explanations on tire options. That kinda stuff is usually poorly covered on different reseller sites. Maybe keep your eye out for a used fork? You can probably find a few year old Float for $250-300. Or how bout some ebay new-old stock? A Recon or Reba? I don't have opinions on either model, but who doesn't love some options. If you're chasing weight, I suspect any air fork is going to be a good bang for buck weight savings over a sprung model. Don't hold me too it though, you'll have to look it up. I found those from this search - I'm pretty sure you have a straight 1-1/8th steerer tube, threadless. All modern MTB are threadless, and it doesn't look like yours has the steerer tube that bells out to 1.5in at the bottom. Double check though. 29in, 100mm, and then pretty sure you need QR aka 9mm dropouts, and hub width is probably the default up until like this year of 100mm but measure. You could go a little longer and chopper the bike out a bit but that raises the bottom bracket up too, and will slow steering. Don't buy a used fork before measuring the minimum length you need from the steerer tube. Some might be too short for your bike. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gmsgltr Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 Ok, the stem I got figured out. The tires I could take some advice on... https://www.schwalbetires.com/bike_tires/off-road_tires/nobby_nic_hs463 Wire bead or folding bead? I am not going to go tubeless at this time... For the shock, I think my initial idea was my best option for the time being. Use the Suntour upgrade program to get a ~300-400 front air fork for $200! I think the "RAIDON XC LO R AIR $199.95" is my best option for an affordable and noticeable upgrade. Here: https://www.srsuntour.com/collections/forks/products/raidon-xc-lo-r?variant=27529039299 So with a new stem, tires, and front fork im spending less than $400 and gonna have basically a brand new bike lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fudge_Brownie Posted December 1, 2016 Report Share Posted December 1, 2016 Folding bead will keep rotational unsprung mass down. The tires I just bought are folding. Though I found at low-ish pressures they do feel a little bouncy and noodle-y and wonder if wire bead would have improved that. It's pro/cons. I think most downhill tires are still wire, while most trail tires are folding. If you want pedal efficiency, I'd lean towards folding. They're also easier to get off the rim for a tube change. Oh and in the Nobby Nic's case pretty much all their tire configurations are folding. If you go wired, you can't go bigger than a 2.25. I say go wide - and that implies folding if you want the Nic. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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