Dem bicicletas, doe

Health, fitness, and nutrition freaks, lets see those gainz.
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troyguitar wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 11:57 am
[user not found] wrote:
Find a local bike shop, see if they'll let you rent or demo a bike for a day.

Also, you're going to encounter some rocks on the trail. :doomed:
Some rocks is fine, I just don't want to do the bike equivalent of :jeep: rock crawling at 0.5 mph with 2 winches... Bunny hops were fun when I was 12, now I just wanna go fast without being run over by an F150 or getting speeding tickets.
Find a park with lift service. You ride the chair lift up and haul ass down. Repeat until you’re wasted.
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Lift service, like skiing? :yikes:

I can see the appeal but that's well out of my comfort zone (I'm a :pussy: about heights, cannot do ziplines or any kind of lifts), I'd be more interested in attacking flat trails. Like a rallycross track or rally stages pretty much. Just give me a lap timer and I'm good to go.
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[user not found] wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 12:13 pm
Johnny_P wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 12:10 pm

Find a park with lift service. You ride the chair lift up and haul ass down. Repeat until you’re wasted.
:dat:

That's the ticket.

Also :mahtroy: totally gets it. I'm in the same boat - I find bikes more fun and liberating than driving around constantly being worried about :narc: pulling me over.
Yeah dude. 100%. Lift service I think is the way to go for Troy. Maybe ebike lift service :death:
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troyguitar wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 12:47 pm Lift service, like skiing? :yikes:

I can see the appeal but that's well out of my comfort zone (I'm a :pussy: about heights, cannot do ziplines or any kind of lifts), I'd be more interested in attacking flat trails. Like a rallycross track or rally stages pretty much. Just give me a lap timer and I'm good to go.
Yeah that's the thing. They're usually on ski mountains. There are easy and hard trails, easy will be a dirt road type thing. Hard will be boulder jumping. Anything in between and minimal pedaling required because gravity. FUN shit mang and with all the ski mountains near you there HAS to be some lift service in the area.
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[user not found] wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 1:06 pm
troyguitar wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 12:47 pm Lift service, like skiing? :yikes:

I can see the appeal but that's well out of my comfort zone (I'm a :pussy: about heights, cannot do ziplines or any kind of lifts), I'd be more interested in attacking flat trails. Like a rallycross track or rally stages pretty much. Just give me a lap timer and I'm good to go.
Get a Wahoo GPS unit, make a segment out of a local section of trail on Strava, and get shreddy.

What you're describing is short track cross country. Probably one of my favorite things to do, too.
I think Troy would love Nockamixon. Probably would love Belmont too after some log-over skillz.
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[user not found] wrote:
troyguitar wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 12:47 pm Lift service, like skiing? :yikes:

I can see the appeal but that's well out of my comfort zone (I'm a :pussy: about heights, cannot do ziplines or any kind of lifts), I'd be more interested in attacking flat trails. Like a rallycross track or rally stages pretty much. Just give me a lap timer and I'm good to go.
Get a Wahoo GPS unit, make a segment out of a local section of trail on Strava, and get shreddy.

What you're describing is short track cross country. Probably one of my favorite things to do, too.
:word:

That sounds about right. I'm still trying to figure out all of the terminology and gear. Apparently I'm looking for the equivalent of trackdaybro with pedals, which likely means a simple hardtail "XC" bike like JP was selling vs a full suspension hardcore :waxer: rig.

There's a good chance that if I get something it'll also do 50% of its mileage doing errands around town or as a pit bike at race tracks. Do you guys get insurance on these bikes that cost as much as cars and can be stolen in 10 seconds?
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troyguitar wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 2:40 pm
[user not found] wrote:
Get a Wahoo GPS unit, make a segment out of a local section of trail on Strava, and get shreddy.

What you're describing is short track cross country. Probably one of my favorite things to do, too.
:word:

That sounds about right. I'm still trying to figure out all of the terminology and gear. Apparently I'm looking for the equivalent of trackdaybro with pedals, which likely means a simple hardtail "XC" bike like JP was selling vs a full suspension hardcore :waxer: rig.

There's a good chance that if I get something it'll also do 50% of its mileage doing errands around town or as a pit bike at race tracks. Do you guys get insurance on these bikes that cost as much as cars and can be stolen in 10 seconds?
That first Kona hardtail that JP posted is what I would look at first in your shoes.
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troyguitar wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 2:40 pm
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Get a Wahoo GPS unit, make a segment out of a local section of trail on Strava, and get shreddy.

What you're describing is short track cross country. Probably one of my favorite things to do, too.
:word:

That sounds about right. I'm still trying to figure out all of the terminology and gear. Apparently I'm looking for the equivalent of trackdaybro with pedals, which likely means a simple hardtail "XC" bike like JP was selling vs a full suspension hardcore :waxer: rig.

There's a good chance that if I get something it'll also do 50% of its mileage doing errands around town or as a pit bike at race tracks. Do you guys get insurance on these bikes that cost as much as cars and can be stolen in 10 seconds?
You can get insurance on it if you want. Many times homeowners or renters insurance covers it, if you declare it.
If you're riding it around town yeah a hardtail might work best. Full suspension is nicer off road though, soaks up a lot of impacts and you get rattled around far less.
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Apex wrote:
troyguitar wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 2:40 pm :word:

That sounds about right. I'm still trying to figure out all of the terminology and gear. Apparently I'm looking for the equivalent of trackdaybro with pedals, which likely means a simple hardtail "XC" bike like JP was selling vs a full suspension hardcore :waxer: rig.

There's a good chance that if I get something it'll also do 50% of its mileage doing errands around town or as a pit bike at race tracks. Do you guys get insurance on these bikes that cost as much as cars and can be stolen in 10 seconds?
That first Kona hardtail that JP posted is what I would look at first in your shoes.
:waxer: :doe:

What's the Miata of XC bikes? JP's was like $400 which is way more tempting than 4 figures as an impulse toy. I'm pretty sure the wife will essentially :nope: out on the idea of anything $500 or more.

Also - can these things be left outside? I've got nowhere to store a bike besides the back yard.
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troyguitar wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 2:56 pm
Apex wrote:
That first Kona hardtail that JP posted is what I would look at first in your shoes.
:waxer: :doe:

What's the Miata of XC bikes? JP's was like $400 which is way more tempting than 4 figures as an impulse toy. I'm pretty sure the wife will essentially :nope: out on the idea of anything $500 or more.

Also - can these things be left outside? I've got nowhere to store a bike besides the back yard.
You'll want to store it inside, especially during the winter. Chains and stuff will rust. Aluminum frames and wheels are fine but the rest will get destroyed by weather if left out to sit in it. If you have a shed or rain cover that's probably fine.

Miata of XC bikes...... look for a used 26" hardtail I guess. Or an older domestic brand like Trek, Specialized, Giant, Cannondale. I'd recommend larger wheels either 27.5 "plus" or 29 on a hardtail, they smooth out the trail better. But a 26er would be fine really. Guaranteed to be cheaper.
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Ballz. Still need a damn garage. Maybe I can get something disposable for $100 and leave it outside NFG. In theory I could leave it on the front porch but that's still mostly open air and is inviting theft.
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troyguitar wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 3:27 pm Ballz. Still need a damn garage. Maybe I can get something disposable for $100 and leave it outside NFG. In theory I could leave it on the front porch but that's still mostly open air and is inviting theft.
Well...it's more about keeping it in working condition than caring about the condition. Chain will rust, deraileur will get shitty, all will ruin the biking experience.

They don't take up much space, can you just put it in a bedroom off to the side or something?
Desertbreh wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:40 pm My guess would be that Chris took some time off because he has read the dialogue on this page 1,345 times and decided to spend some of his free time doing something besides beating a horse to death.
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There's already ~2400 sq ft of stuff in our 1100 sq ft place, plus it's light beige carpet 3 feet from the door. Ain't no :mahtroy: bringing a filthy bike in there, nor hosing it down and drying it off after every use. I'll have to think about it. Nothing is ever easy.
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Detroit wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 3:34 pm
troyguitar wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 3:27 pm Ballz. Still need a damn garage. Maybe I can get something disposable for $100 and leave it outside NFG. In theory I could leave it on the front porch but that's still mostly open air and is inviting theft.
Well...it's more about keeping it in working condition than caring about the condition. Chain will rust, deraileur will get shitty, all will ruin the biking experience.

They don't take up much space, can you just put it in a bedroom off to the side or something?
I did this in an apartment and I had 3 bikes at the time NFG on the carpet and all.
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Johnny_P wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 3:59 pm
Detroit wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 3:34 pm
Well...it's more about keeping it in working condition than caring about the condition. Chain will rust, deraileur will get shitty, all will ruin the biking experience.

They don't take up much space, can you just put it in a bedroom off to the side or something?
I did this in an apartment and I had 3 bikes at the time NFG on the carpet and all.
:dat:
My bike is stored in a closet that I have to wheel up the carpeted stairs of our second floor apartment. I keep a pack of baby wipes at the entry door for a quick wipe down if there is a bunch of Six-Mile dirt on there.
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Johnny_P wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 3:59 pm
Detroit wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 3:34 pm
Well...it's more about keeping it in working condition than caring about the condition. Chain will rust, deraileur will get shitty, all will ruin the biking experience.

They don't take up much space, can you just put it in a bedroom off to the side or something?
I did this in an apartment and I had 3 bikes at the time NFG on the carpet and all.
Same. I never brought the bikes in with wet mud, carpet was fine.
Desertbreh wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:40 pm My guess would be that Chris took some time off because he has read the dialogue on this page 1,345 times and decided to spend some of his free time doing something besides beating a horse to death.
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:sass:

I guess I can vacuum every damn day and sell off my :stig: racing simulator that I haven't turned on in 2 years to make space and create a budget.

This guy just posted two small bikes that seem like they might be OK. I don't know how to read spec sheets - Is "standover height" what I want to be my inseam size?

https://scranton.craigslist.org/bik/d/s ... 14290.html

https://scranton.craigslist.org/bik/d/s ... 15153.html

The specs for the Breezer size Small show 787mm standover height which is basically my inseam size with shoes on - 31" - maybe I should be looking at Small vs Med frames, on the two size charts I've seen so far I'm right at the top of the Small and the bottom of the Med ranges.
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Detroit wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 4:05 pm
Johnny_P wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 3:59 pm

I did this in an apartment and I had 3 bikes at the time NFG on the carpet and all.
Same. I never brought the bikes in with wet mud, carpet was fine.
I'd leave them out to dry up any mud or dirt and then brush it off and bring them in. I don't ride if its raining or excessively muddy though.
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troyguitar wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 4:11 pm :sass:

I guess I can vacuum every damn day and sell off my :stig: racing simulator that I haven't turned on in 2 years to make space and create a budget.

This guy just posted two small bikes that seem like they might be OK. I don't know how to read spec sheets - Is "standover height" what I want to be my inseam size?

https://scranton.craigslist.org/bik/d/s ... 14290.html

https://scranton.craigslist.org/bik/d/s ... 15153.html

The specs for the Breezer size Small show 787mm standover height which is basically my inseam size with shoes on - 31" - maybe I should be looking at Small vs Med frames, on the two size charts I've seen so far I'm right at the top of the Small and the bottom of the Med ranges.
Usually you want about an inch or so of space between the top tube and your :balls:
Desertbreh wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:40 pm My guess would be that Chris took some time off because he has read the dialogue on this page 1,345 times and decided to spend some of his free time doing something besides beating a horse to death.
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Johnny_P wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 4:13 pm
Detroit wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 4:05 pm
Same. I never brought the bikes in with wet mud, carpet was fine.
I'd leave them out to dry up any mud or dirt and then brush it off and bring them in. I don't ride if its raining or excessively muddy though.
:dat:
Desertbreh wrote: Tue Oct 10, 2017 6:40 pm My guess would be that Chris took some time off because he has read the dialogue on this page 1,345 times and decided to spend some of his free time doing something besides beating a horse to death.
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This is an hour from my house. I just need to nut up and go get shreddy. This trail looks like stupid fun.

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coogles wrote:This is an hour from my house. I just need to nut up and go get shreddy. This trail looks like stupid fun.

That looks badass.

So what kind of trail/bike is that called? That looks exactly like a longer version of the same kind of stuff we used to ride on back in middle school... except we were on 20" BMX bikes. What makes it need 29" :ramz: and full suspension and multiple gears and 2+" wide knobbies? Is it just that I'm 33 instead of 13?

I went to the local little bike store today. They mainly sell Trek and the guy knows all of the local riding options - he seemed to think that a more hybrid or even road-ish thing would be better for 95% of the trails here. For new stuff his best guess was a DS or FX from the Trek lineup depending on whether you want the front shocks, around $600 locally.
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Things that I don't know the meaning of:

Trail, enduro, MTB, hybrid, cross, gravel

No fucking clue about any of this really. The video posted looks like the most technical thing I'd have any interest in riding on - anything else would likely be wider and smoother with less elevation. Is that a mountain bike trail?

I wrote "hybrid" thinking something somewhere in the spectrum between a full on 10 lb carbon fiber road bike and a full on trick suspension mountain bike... but apparently I don't even know what the fuck a "mountain bike" is - Is that different from a trail bike, an enduro bike, a crosscountry bike, a gravel bike, a hybrid bike? This shit is fucking complicated.

:iono: :whocares: :csb: :derp:
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coogles wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 9:32 pm This is an hour from my house. I just need to nut up and go get shreddy. This trail looks like stupid fun.

Man that trail is so smooth. I'd ride that on my cross bike. Ride to the trail, ride the trail, ride home. Actually we have a downhill in Belmont that's similar to that, well groomed and smooth as hell. Cross bikes absolutely rip on it.
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troyguitar wrote: Wed Jul 10, 2019 9:53 pm
coogles wrote:This is an hour from my house. I just need to nut up and go get shreddy. This trail looks like stupid fun.

That looks badass.

So what kind of trail/bike is that called? That looks exactly like a longer version of the same kind of stuff we used to ride on back in middle school... except we were on 20" BMX bikes. What makes it need 29" :ramz: and full suspension and multiple gears and 2+" wide knobbies? Is it just that I'm 33 instead of 13?

I went to the local little bike store today. They mainly sell Trek and the guy knows all of the local riding options - he seemed to think that a more hybrid or even road-ish thing would be better for 95% of the trails here. For new stuff his best guess was a DS or FX from the Trek lineup depending on whether you want the front shocks, around $600 locally.
Just make sure he's not talking about rail trails or something like that. For a mountain bike trail, the suspension amount you need is dictated by the terrain you ride. So if its all flat or well groomed (like that video the trail is super smooth) you could do no suspension. If you're riding over roots and rocks you'll want some front travel at least so you're not getting super rattled around and you can go faster over the chunk.

Around Philly we have a lot of roots and smaller rocks. Hardtails are fine here. Rigid bikes (no suspension) can be done but you won't want to do all the trails as they'll just rattle you to death especially as you start to pick up speed.
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