12/4/13 10:04 PM

This Norwegian guy.

http://youtu.be/9QNdx2hs0n4

12/5/13 6:31 AM

It simply begs the question: What's the point?

I find this type of riding more interesting:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5z1fSpZNXhU

Granted, much of that is somewhat pointless, too, but at least there are some techniques and bike handling skills involved that might actually be useful.

12/5/13 7:29 AM

yeah but how well can he climb?

12/5/13 8:36 AM

Just because you can't ride your bike backwards doesn't mean it's pointless for others to do so. Otherwise, the arguement drivers use that cyclists should get the hell off any narrow mountain road will be just as valid: it's dumb and pointless to ride a bike (whether it's going forward or backward) on a curvy mountain road!

The fact that he can safely go up to 80kph is an indication of his skill, just as it is for any of you to go FORWARD down that same road at equal the speed

12/5/13 9:47 AM

"It simply begs the question: What's the point? "

My reaction as well, so I will agree here.

"The fact that he can safely go up to 80kph is an indication of his skill, just as it is for any of you to go FORWARD down that same road at equal the speed"

I get that, the impact / lack of it remains, nil.

Last edited by Sparky on 12/5/13 12:11 PM; edited 1 time in total

12/5/13 12:02 PM

quote:

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but at least there are some techniques and bike handling skills involved that might actually be useful.

---

12/6/13 7:46 AM

...however, it's not surprising considering the risks he and other trials riders take. I hope he makes a complete recovery, but considering that he's still in a wheelchair, that doesn't seem too likely.

12/6/13 10:39 AM

Live by the knife, etc. Always sad to read of this eventuality. Hope he has the best possible recovery.

12/6/13 11:14 AM

I admire trial riders for their skill, however pointless their feast are.

While I don't pretend to understand what goes through their mind when they do these highly dangerous stunt, I suppose one perhaps "get used to" doing this kind of stuff if one suceeds often enough?

I often wonder about that when I'm cruising on some 2-lane rural road in morning/evening traffic driving to work. Both directions are typically travelling at 60-70mph, separated by a yellow line! All it takes is one distracted driver and life will be changed forever! Yet millions do that daily and it's not considered a dangerous sport...

12/6/13 11:55 AM

@ my age and how easy I seem to crack anymore, no allure to me what-so-ever. Now when I was a younger man, like the day in 2006 of the tib/fib..

My brain finally figured out I was not 25 anymore after that one. Maybe I can get through the rest of my life without another 'crack', not totally optimistic though.

Last edited by Sparky on 12/7/13 10:46 AM; edited 1 time in total

12/7/13 10:00 AM

I concentrate on enjoying riding, whether it's the effort, the roads or trails, the scenery, the camaraderie of other riders, or whatever. It's been a while since it's been about the adrenalin rush of taking risks and surviving. I also understand that any skill improvements will be incremental and slow in coming, so I don't push my limits as much, often not at all.

Lately, I've been enjoying riding my new 29er (thank you BikesDirect.com), but I've also been not-so-gently reminded of the risks inherent in mountain biking. At this point in life, it's better to temper my enthusiasm and concentrate on just having fun.

12/7/13 10:49 AM

+1, no rock gardens for me anymore. Tough on every thing anyway...

Which bikesdirect machine did you get?

12/8/13 12:20 PM

The name rolls right off the tongue, doesn't it? ;-)

They had a deal on pre-orders for $2799 and I had been considering it for the past couple of years. For 2014, they changed the frame design somewhat and switched to a through axle fork, which combined with the price break, was enough for me to pull the trigger.

Overall, I really like it now that I have it dialed in for the local conditions. It handles at least as quickly as my full-suspension 26" bike and once I realized that I could run low tire pressures (28 psi, possibly less), the ride is really smooth. Frankly, I haven't missed the suspension, as it rolls better over roots than the 26er does. I actually find that I lock out the fork pretty frequently too, which makes me think that the folks running fully rigid 29ers may be onto something...

My 19" framed bike was actually a bit lighter than the specified weight for a 15.5" frame, which was a nice surprise!

The front shifting is fantastic compared to a triple; one click up or down, no trimming involved and zero chain rub. Sweet!

There were some minor assembly issues:

- The seatpost is too short and it slipped in the frame. BD couldn't do anything about the length, but after a few pleasant and helpful emails, they offered to pay for the a Surly Constrictor seatpost clamp. I replaced the 350mm post with a 375mm Thomson. All is good now.

- The crank wasn't fully seated in the bottom bracket, but it's a simple matter to tap it into place and tighten the preload ring. It required a front derailleur adjustment, too.

- The two small derailleur hanger screws weren't tight, but a little Loctite will prevent them from loosening again.

- The rear wheel required some minor truing.


I've already made some modifications:

- The Small Block 8 tires are pretty useless on loose surfaces, like the leaves, pine needles and sand that are common here, but I expected that. I replaced them with Schwalbe Rocket Ron 2.25s (TL, snakeskin) that are fatter, have much more aggressive tread and only added a total of 12 grams to the weight. The difference in traction is night and day.

- I switched the trigger shifters out for XX Grip Shifters, which I prefer. They have a much lighter action than older twist shifters.

- I reversed the brake lines to put the front brake on the right.

- I installed crank boots for protection against rock strikes and some protective tape to prevent heel rub.

- I changed the saddle to the same type I use on my other MTB.

- I installed a pair of Eggbeater SL pedals that I had on-hand.


I wanted a second set of wheels and the stock ones weren't tubeless, so I picked up a set of lightly used Stan's Crest wheels that cost less than I could build something comparable for. I've already put studded tires on the stock wheels for winter rides.

With the new wheels and tubeless Rocket Rons, it weighs 22.7 pounds.

Although the trend in MTBs is to super-wide handlebars, the stock bars on the Fly are too wide for our tight local trails. Rather than cut them, I ordered some narrower Easton carbon bars that were on sale cheap and will knock another 100+ grams off the bike.

Even with all of the modifications and additions, I figure I've still spent over a grand less than buying something comparable from one of the big brands.

Hmmm, I guess I rambled a bit, eh? Can you tell that I like this bike?

12/8/13 12:38 PM

Nice x-mas present. ;)

I sold a guitar amp last night so I could finish paying off my buying out the Scott Addict LTD. I went 1/2s originally with a buddy to resell, and decided to make it my #1. Funny that I always was jones-ing for a Parlee, and it occurres to me the Scott is pretty much there.


I see the XX ti is 2999.99 now, so I guess the pre-order got you that lower price. How is the SID 29er as compared to the FOX platform offering I wonder?

Grip shifters? Really? To each his own, you know what you want... I always shifted those when I did not mean to... Still have some x-ray 8s in a box I think. Once I touched a rapid fire it was all over...

12/8/13 2:30 PM

The XX Gripshifts are a whole new product, and quite extrapensive I might add.
I think they run on ball bearings(?).

Is this bike 10 or 11sp in back?

I like the snap of a full-rigid 29er, but confess I don't like not having the reserve travel that a locked-out suspension usually affords. I once got put "in the air" traversing a large-ish rockpile at speed, and lucky to have regained control on the full-rigid that day.

12/8/13 7:23 PM

...but you don't see the discounted price until you add it to the shopping cart. It appears that they have everything in stock except the 15.5".

I've never ridden a Fox fork, so I can't give you any comparative impressions. The Sid XX is a huge improvement over the Reba on my other bike and the Solo Air system make it a snap to set up. I just experimented with the pressure until I was using ~85-90% of the travel on rides where I didn't take any huge hits. I may bump it up slightly after spending more time on it. The rebound is set per the factory recommendations and I left the Gate setting slightly soft, though its possible to adjust it to eliminate all fork movement when it's locked out. I can't honestly say that I can distinguish the effect of the through axle, but the fork does feel very solid and predictable.

Yes, the XX Grip Shifters do run on ball bearings and the shifting action is incredibly light. The main benefits to them are that they're faster when shifting multiple gears at once (they're like Campy road shifters in that regard) and you never have to take your thumbs off the bars in order to shift. A couple of bonuses to to the GSs are that they're lighter than triggers and ridiculously simple inside, making them really easy to service.

The bike is a 2x10. The only 11 speed MTBs are the 1x11 setups. They're all the rage at the moment, but I'm not convinced that they'd work well for me. You give up some gearing range and end up with huge jumps between gears, which is something I don't like. The front shifting is so fast with a 2x10 that it's hard to see much advantage to the 1x11.

Thanks for the feedback on fully rigid 29ers. I'm not in any hurry to give up the Sid and I need to stop spending money at some point! :-)

Last edited by Brian Nystrom on 12/8/13 7:33 PM; edited 2 times in total

12/8/13 7:30 PM

"I need to stop spending money at some point! :-)"

Tell me about it...

Guess that was also my point about selling off an amp to pay for something I already have been riding. ;)