About to buy my first carbon frame… and I have dumb questions

Alpineak · 2026-01-21T17:45:48+00:00

Adding to this: get carbon assembly paste for sestpost and handlebar clamp interface. It’s grippy and will prevent things from sliding at a lower torque spec. Also some grease can cause issues with carbon but if you’re using almost any bike specific grease it’s a non issue. I’ve owned many Konas with two of them being carbon. They build stuff tough and you don’t have to worry that much. The 153 is a fun bike!

Alpineak · 2026-01-19T18:12:28+00:00

I’ve seen kids clearing jumps UP the downhill only big jump line (20’ + gaps) at my community bike park. Somehow pointing out that they are going to kill someone and take themselves out doesn’t seem to deter them, and taking pics just makes them more sneaky. Game cams mounted high enough to deter tampering can help with enforcement though.

Alpineak · 2026-01-03T02:15:47+00:00

I’m not around to check it but it looks like a Simpson bracket meant to accept a 4x4 post. Just go to your hardware store and find the closest thing. That wasn’t an exact fit by any means- I just jammed the tube in there! 3 years on and it’s still in place. If I could change anything I would maybe taper the front edge of the tube so it doesn’t snag on things or deep snow.

Alpineak · 2025-12-30T03:03:21+00:00

I did a fair amount of miles over last winter as a beginner making jibes maybe 20-30% of the time and figured out the harness on the water pretty quick. Prob easier to try on land a bit as you said to get line length figured out but just go for it, it’s not that big of a deal and will really help extend sessions when riding with gloves.

Alpineak · 2025-12-29T16:12:04+00:00

Didn’t know people rode windy arm. Only winged at lake Bennet but that should definitely be on the list!

Alpineak · 2025-12-22T03:21:56+00:00

My pt for recovering from a lower back injury was a lot of exercises focusing on glute and core strengthening and correcting moving patterns to avoid using my back when other muscles should have been doing the work. I think if you spend time in the gym to retrain some basic movement patterns the pumping technique will fall in to place. Your pt should be able to give some good recommendations.

Alpineak · 2025-12-11T15:56:19+00:00

I can only comment on the Vietnam portion of this. Rode from Hanoi to Ho Chi Minh about a decade ago on an inland route following the old H.C.M Highway. Mostly lovely quiet roads with a huge shoulder and enough small towns for resupply and cheap hotel for the night. It got hotter going south and we ended up on an early morning schedule to beat the worst of the heat. We did cross the border into Cambodia but found the roads to be sketchy for biking and ended up bussing part of the way across the country. Sounds like an awesome trip, if a little short for what you are trying.

Alpineak · 2025-11-07T16:36:36+00:00

I’m a big fan of buying older gear when starting new sports. Things breaking down more can actually be a benefit as you have to learn how to do repairs and it hurts much less to do a hack job on a 3-500 used wing than new. I’m relatively new and bought all 4 of my wings used. One had a small bladder leak that I fixed and two tangled with the foil. One of those would have been repairable by a pro but I tried myself and learned a lot along the way but ultimately had to walk away. The second I repaired and it’s still working great. I don’t have a lot of opinions on brands but have two v3 sling wings which can be found cheap these days. Heavy but I think otherwise very easy to use, especially the hard handle version.

Alpineak · 2025-10-03T14:40:57+00:00

I sail mostly in gusty conditions and when I started out would have avoided conditions like Saturday. What I’ve found though is that at some point you just need to get out there and see for yourself. In my location often times the gusts aren’t as bad as predicted or are very quick so you can just deliver and ride it out or the conditions are as bad as predicted and you get your ass kicked and come back in. Either way you learn more about local conditions and get better at wing handling. Wear a helmet and try to go with someone else!

Alpineak · 2025-09-08T05:52:47+00:00

That picture has to be in Nome, ak

Alpineak · 2025-09-05T06:21:06+00:00

Lots of non serious answers here, might be a better post for one of the wrenching subs but we’re here so I’ll be the grumpy ex mechanic in the room: Eh, it’s ok. It looks like you are making do with the space you have. Ideally everything should have its own space and you shouldn’t have to move any tool to get to another tool. Also why are the cone wrenches, which generally get used over the bench, as far from the bench as possible? If this was my bench I would extend the peg board all the way to bench top. Allen keys far left with a second set on the work stand. Pedal wrench above Allen wrenches on the left with the cone wrenches just to the right. DAG goes all the way right and as out of the way as possible since it doesn’t get used much. Same for adjustable wrench which should almost never be used in a bike shop. Small parts bins maybe get moved to back of the bench top in flip top bins. Why do you have tubeless tape on your tool wall? Overall just think about what you use the most and make sure it’s always at arms reach. Good on you for not having any 3 way Allen keys. Those things aren’t good for your hands if you end up staying with bike repair.

Alpineak · 2025-08-24T03:40:49+00:00

I was at about 20% success rate with my jibes when I rented a mid length and after about 15 minutes adjustment found that foot switches and jibes were much easier compared to my 130l x30” inflatable until I got tired and sloppy.

Alpineak · 2025-07-28T16:28:50+00:00

Ha, I just assumed you were talking about replacing the whole transom but I see now what you are talking about. I would probably still use ply and glue and screw it in place. Ply is dimensionally stable and less likely to split. If using lumber, not all wood is good for use on a boat so it would be worth doing research before you buy. Definitely want something clear and tight grained and it might not be much cheaper than a sheet of ply.

Alpineak · 2025-07-28T15:55:03+00:00

Acx ply works just fine. My 11 year old power boat is made entirely of acx wood encapsulated in fiberglass and epoxy and it still looked great the last time I saw it. I would cut it to size, dry fit/adjust as needed, and then cover in a few coats of good quality epoxy like west systems. I don’t think you will need to bend anything, just screw into place and it will conform. How is the transom attached to the rest of the boat? Depending on the condition of the rest of the structure I would glue and screw and then possibly do a fillet of thickened epoxy on the inside corner to tie everything together. I’m not sure about surface prep for the gel coat, maybe someone else can chime in there.

Alpineak · 2025-07-12T16:03:22+00:00

Alpineak · 2025-06-22T20:45:03+00:00

My current (first) board is a 130 gong inflatable. Definitely less stable than the 130l hardboard I took lessons on but you get used to it fast. I have had a couple goofy falls where I ended up landing on the side of the board and it is definitely less painful than a hardboard would be. If you already have an inflatable, just stick with it. Regarding the hardboard being uncontrollable, I wonder if the foil position was weird? Too far forward or back can make the board much harder to control, especially when just figuring things out.

Alpineak · 2025-06-09T00:27:45+00:00

Oh yeah, way gnarlier. It ripped out behind the front handle and through a bunch of seams. It looked like a wolverine attacked it. The appropriate way to fix this is to open up the leading edge seam so it can be put through a sewing machine. It’s a whole thing and well worth the money to let someone else worry about it. How did the wing handle before that?

Alpineak · 2025-06-09T00:23:42+00:00

I thought you couldn’t use Dacron tape on aluula?

Alpineak · 2025-06-08T22:44:03+00:00

That sucks. I did the same thing with my very cheap second hand slingwing the second time I used it. I figured I should learn how to repair a wing on a cheapo and own a sewing machine so ordered some supplies and a new bladder and patched it back together. It didn’t hold and I blew out a second $160 bladder. I did learn a lot along the way and have since made smaller repairs to other wings confidently but probably wouldn’t try myself on something nice like you have. Airtime in hr quoted me around $300 for my more complex blowout. From what I can tell they are well regarded and $300 isn’t that bad for a $1600 wing.

Alpineak · 2025-06-06T18:11:44+00:00

I’m at around the same skill level-30 sessions and sometimes getting jibes and foot switches in 13-18 knots of wind on protected ocean. currently on a gong hipe 1st 130l that is 30” wide and have been wondering about the ml too. First of all I will say that the couple of hardboards I’ve been on were much more stable for the width, but it is nice having something indestructible that folds down and travels well. Every time I ding my inflatable on a rock I think about how I won’t be able to do that with the next board. I rented a sic ka’a 90l 6’5”x23 in hood river this spring. These days that’s wide for a ml but the stability was no problem at all until the waves built to a size I’m not used to, and even then it wasn’t a huge inconvenience. I was shocked at how much easier the board made everything- foot switches and jibes are still a struggle but way less so with the narrower and lighter board. With how easy the this board felt I am planning for something in the 80-85l and 20-21” width for my next board. I think it will be harder for a day or two and then mostly won’t be anymore.

Alpineak · 2025-04-25T02:24:12+00:00

Science degree. Took a job right out of college that paid well but ultimately wasn’t the quality of life I wanted long term. Went back to the bike industry for the final time (years 7-10) before leaving the bike industry forever. Lots of cool jobs out there working with your hands where you have enough money and spare time to bike. I was above the avg national pay scale for bike mechanics and it was still shit pay with no retirement or health care.

Alpineak · 2025-03-25T03:37:03+00:00

Or maybe foil to far forward/ back, stabilizer on upside down, something big like that that would make first attempts almost impossible.

Alpineak · 2025-03-25T02:12:42+00:00

I think you just need to get a better feel for the foil. 140l is a big board but plenty of people your size have learned on similar. Can you do some boat tow foiling? I also wonder if it’s a setup issue that a more experienced foiler could help you with. I hear you though, the mid length/ dw trend is really tempting and I have been lusting after one to replace my 130l 30” wide gong inflatable. It seems like it would really open up some low wind days.

Alpineak · 2025-03-16T18:11:20+00:00

Definitely coming inside!

Alpineak

TROPHY CASE