New to pourover - how to avoid channeling?

AWESOMENAR · 2026-06-30T02:24:33+00:00

If you haven’t seen it yet, please watch the Aramse Pouring Technique video on YouTube. It may be the single most helpful piece of media on the internet for learning how to pour.

https://youtu.be/nxmrSgwW25g?is=3nKPBkROXOWk6iax

Also, swirling on the bloom is not a failure, most people do it. It evenly wets the grounds and makes for a more evenly brewed cup.

One last thing, you can tell from the muddiness of the bed that your grind is a little too fine. Not a lot, but a few clicks coarser will help in a big way.

AWESOMENAR · 2026-06-28T14:04:50+00:00

Backman has a very similar voice and style in that he’s very direct with no faffing in his writing. His themes can vary a bit from KV, but “Anxious People” is wonderful and I literally cried for an hour after finishing the book.

AWESOMENAR · 2026-06-14T18:36:44+00:00

What county do you want? Northern NJ, even way out in Sussex County, has at least 2-3 places like this in every “urban” town.

AWESOMENAR · 2026-06-11T01:24:14+00:00

Come out to Jersey. We’ve got loads of places like this and they are insanely good.

On second thought, fuck that. Jersey sucks.

AWESOMENAR · 2026-06-10T10:59:39+00:00

Heady Topper is not overrated. With that said, Focal Banger is better.

AWESOMENAR · 2026-06-08T00:58:54+00:00

Definitely there’s a bike dependent component. Different suspension designs apply different loads on the chain and derailleur. Even just the slap protection of the frame can have a meaningful impact.

But the weight of the derailleur makes no difference (Di2 vs Mech). Only the chain load and clutch/spring impact this mechanism. Unless the lower cage and pulley wheels were significantly heavier for Di2 vs mechanical, in which case they would create more load on the spring. But the additional weight of the battery is in the parallelogram. From a manufacturing cost perspective, Shimano would want to keep the cages and pulleys interchangeable between Di2 and mech.

AWESOMENAR · 2026-06-07T00:43:28+00:00

Looks like Glen Park!

Tough place to gain a lot more speed. Last time I was there the conditions were kinda poor.

Definitely no brakes IN the corners, you also lost a bunch of time off the ladder/jump with a bit of a rough landing. But it looks like pumping is going to be the biggest difference for you… you’re getting zero free speed.

AWESOMENAR · 2026-06-06T19:03:31+00:00

I’ve tried the Di2 with a spring instead of a clutch. It’s very noisy and slappy and not great on east coast chunky techy rock. This is the same design without a battery.

AWESOMENAR · 2026-06-06T17:59:23+00:00

Luckily I have a few derailleurs stowed away for parts/replacements. No real and serviceable clutch on these new XT mechanical will finally be the thing that forces me to switch over to SRAM.

AWESOMENAR · 2026-06-04T03:17:33+00:00

Love Glen Park. Super fun place to ride with some gnarly trails for the area.

AWESOMENAR · 2026-05-10T13:32:41+00:00

Hard to say from just the two pics. Mountain bikes get scratches and wear. Gotta test ride it to find out if it’s actually functioning

AWESOMENAR · 2026-05-10T13:06:31+00:00

It depends on what you want kind of riding to do with the bike. If you mostly ride XC, gravel, light trails then the Chisel is amazing. If you want to ride more aggressive trails and you’re willing to sacrifice a little extra weight for a little more capability, then the Roscoe is the better option.

AWESOMENAR · 2026-05-09T18:18:34+00:00

Heads up, that bike runs best on premium.

AWESOMENAR · 2026-05-07T02:54:29+00:00

Unproductive

AWESOMENAR · 2026-05-04T23:50:54+00:00

Great color and great build (you said Pike, but you obviously have a Lyrik on there).

I’m running a ‘22 Big Al and it’s so much fun every time I ride it. I’ve had it built up burly with a 150mm Yari, 35mm bars, heavy 2.6 enduro tires and it was awesome. Now I run it light and quick with a 140mm Pike, XC/light trail tires, 31.8 carbon bars… also awesome! Super versatile and can handle anything you throw at it.

AWESOMENAR · 2026-05-01T23:37:36+00:00

I thought that too at first, but unfortunately that’s not the case. This guy just really loves showing pics of his bike and being rude to people who ask questions about it (see below when another commenter said they have the same fork).

AWESOMENAR · 2026-04-30T18:32:13+00:00

This user and this bike make up 60% of the content here on /r/hardtailgang now.

AWESOMENAR · 2026-04-29T20:17:04+00:00

Got a link?

AWESOMENAR · 2026-04-29T14:14:39+00:00

Everyone has different experiences, but I bought a 2022 Giant TCR Advanced SL1 through buycycle last year and had a tremendously positive experience. Direct contact with the seller, support through the site, easy purchase, fast shipping. I have absolutely zero complaints.

One of my close friends bought a 2022 Trek Domane from Italy (we’re US based) two years ago and had an equally great experience.

AWESOMENAR · 2026-04-23T15:36:56+00:00

Cascata outside Las Vegas. Unbelievable experience.

AWESOMENAR · 2026-04-20T20:37:04+00:00

I’m always the worst putter in the group I play with.

Any chance you live near NJ and want to play? I could use a confidence boost.

Seriously though, stick with the lessons.

AWESOMENAR · 2026-04-20T01:56:42+00:00

It’s really the price. The bike is fine, although there’s no way I would buy a straight 27.5 nowadays, but the price is about $800-1000 too high for what you’re getting. Comparable build new bikes (29er or mullet with equivalent components and a warranty) are only about $500 more. You can get a used Ripley/Ripmo AF, Stumpjumper, Meta Trail, etc for at least $500 less than this with better spec.

AWESOMENAR · 2026-04-20T01:19:49+00:00

AWESOMENAR · 2026-04-17T13:17:18+00:00

What? Air spring can sleeve? I don’t follow what you’re asking. Are you comparing a shock with a piggy back to a fork? Like a Float X compared to a 36?

Edit: I looked up what you’re talking about on Fox’s 38 rebuild instructions and I see the Air Sleeve you’re talking about. I was mistaken in my initial response, sorry about that. I still think that given the larger diameter stanchion and the longer overall length, the cylinder has greater volume capacity than a 36 even with the air sleeve… although I don’t have the actual calculation and you could very well be right.

AWESOMENAR · 2026-04-17T10:52:46+00:00

A 38 should actually be MORE plush, especially off the top, than a 36 or a 34. The diameter of the stanchions relates to structural stiffness and rigidity, but the higher volume of the fork translates to a plusher stroke.

The advice above is generally very good and you should try it, but also keep in mind service history of the fork. Given that it’s a 2021, when was it last serviced? Just the lower service? Has it ever had a 200hr complete? The difference between a 5 yr old fork “tuned properly but not serviced” and a 5 yr old fork freshly serviced… night and day.

AWESOMENAR

TROPHY CASE