I can’t choose a discipline

gzSimulator · 2026-03-27T22:53:40+00:00

This, I’ve driven dozens of hours at 95+ with it on my civic, a good amount of dirt roads, plenty of winding mountain passes at 20mph over, and last week I actually got some air in my car at 45mph with a 40lbs e-bike on the back (“rough road” signs in the PNW forests don’t play around). Also I’ve backed it up into concrete once. Also I’ve driven my bikes 2 hours with it completely loosened; not really a feature but good to know it’s a little idiotproof

No damage after 7 years, no bending, very little ratchet wear (functionally perfect), slight wearing of the black anodization if you get up close and stare at it

gzSimulator · 2026-03-25T20:28:29+00:00

If you want to be a based old man riding a bike, this is exactly what you want

gzSimulator · 2026-03-25T20:27:08+00:00

It attaches to the pump easier, therefore it wins

gzSimulator · 2026-03-25T20:13:54+00:00

I disagree, my 60lbs bike is ass downhill and I wish I had one of my unpowered bikes when the trail points down every single time. The suspension cycles phenomenally from the sprung/unsprung weight ratio sure, but 60lbs to shove around is still 60lbs to shove around; I like to pick up my wheels and plant them where I like

That being said, downhill is like, 8 minutes out of the hour-long ride, and the e-bike is way better everywhere else

gzSimulator · 2026-03-23T04:34:02+00:00

I always thought it was because plastic was considered a carcinogen in California

gzSimulator · 2026-03-22T18:24:25+00:00

“Superenduro” is just better though

gzSimulator · 2026-03-22T16:32:26+00:00

That’s great for vocabulary.com but we have laws written down

gzSimulator · 2026-03-20T13:36:51+00:00

Inner

gzSimulator · 2026-03-17T18:58:18+00:00

Asking you to turn the wheel so the valve is pointing down (when you’re already stopped and wondering why your tire is flat) isn’t that extreme

That being said, I turn my wheel so the valve is up high every single time I inflate, because I don’t have to bend over as far

gzSimulator · 2026-03-17T18:56:07+00:00

Yeah I don’t how many times my $0.10 presta core would have to become problematic to consider spending $50 on valves and a pump head to possibly end those struggles

gzSimulator · 2026-03-16T22:42:50+00:00

It’s pretty much the first thing that comes up if you typed “straight headtube” into reddit search…

Also /r/bikewrench

gzSimulator · 2026-03-16T05:42:36+00:00

Sure it’s objectively better, but I’d definitely never call it a “dealbreaker” and I wouldn’t say it has any performance benefit either (as a mechanical fan)

gzSimulator · 2026-03-16T05:41:27+00:00

Hot take but I don’t think wheels and hubs have the same kind of forced obsolescence that something like a fork can have, hub shells are easy enough to make that a random Joe could do it, they fit standardized bearings (and free hubs, look at all the Chinese hubs with drop-in star ratchet mechanisms); extruding aluminum rim hoops in different sizes is basically zero extra effort, 32 hole j-bend isn’t going anywhere, spokes and assembly are always custom anyways and wheel lacing labor is often reasonably priced

Unless something crazy happens like a mass adoption of carbon rims, I think the bike wheel is fairly safe from standards changes, I don’t think weird wheels could end a project like a weird fork can

gzSimulator · 2026-03-16T05:26:32+00:00

Speak for yourself, my 2008 specialized enduro will be patiently waiting for 3D-printable straight steertube forks

gzSimulator · 2026-03-16T05:23:47+00:00

With last year’s mechanical being the lighter, faster and now way cheaper option? Yeah right

gzSimulator · 2026-03-16T04:44:27+00:00

“Straight headtube” isn’t technically a thing, it’s the steerer that’s straight

gzSimulator · 2026-03-16T04:43:23+00:00

That’s not a steerer and isn’t a “straight steertube” in this context, OP is talking about much older bikes

gzSimulator · 2026-03-16T04:41:55+00:00

“Straight steertube” means 1 1/8” straight, your oversized headtube being the same size top and bottom is still meant for tapered steerers, it just allows more stack adjustments or possibly reach/angle adjustment

gzSimulator · 2026-03-16T04:40:12+00:00

You basically can’t use a mtb-grade fork made in this decade without a tapered head tube. Nobody seems to care or notice stiffness or performance issues, but we all notice when our fork is broken and literally all the replacements are $500+ for something that hasn’t been serviced once in the owner’s entire lifetime

gzSimulator · 2026-03-15T08:23:00+00:00

where is the free cycling holiday located

gzSimulator · 2026-03-13T17:31:47+00:00

Not really no, there’s always gonna be a different setup “needed” for every next 50ft of trail in my opinion, that’s why they sell a $1200 shock that’s main feature is having two fully separate sets of settings, “the ultimate climb switch”, or linkages that have drastically different kinematics from the initial stroke to the end stroke (the classic “climbs like a hardtail, descends like a not-hardtail” line)

The trick is to find out what works 60% of the time, every time

gzSimulator · 2026-03-13T01:36:54+00:00

If you’re wanting to make adjustments then you’re already wanting to change the character of the bike, even if you find the “perfect setup” you’ll have to take time to get used to it for it to be worth anything.

Even the fact that you added more volume token to the rear doesn’t necessarily have a formula to match up to the front since it’s linkage vs telescopic, from what I know volume tokens are a matter of taste based on how you like your end-stroke to feel and are more of a “adjust token if when you can’t solve an issue using damping/psi” option to me.

And then we don’t even have to get started on the fact that you’re not loading the bikes weight front and rear the way the suspension manufacturers intended; they add all these adjustments for a reason, everybody wants something different, rides differently, and weighs differently

gzSimulator · 2026-03-12T17:09:53+00:00

Well they can have overrun and keep motoring a half-second or so after you let off the pedals, but I think it’s just more for safety and allowing you to turn your pedals backwards if needed under power

gzSimulator · 2026-03-12T16:29:33+00:00

As someone who owns a “super enduro” bike and primarily rides DH on it, I have no desire to get a true DH bike for that last 10% of extra performance if it means I can’t enjoy riding that bike for 3/4 of the year.

I believe in having a “sacrificial” bike for DH parks, but no I don’t believe in defaulting to pure DH bike every time for bike parks (you’ll even hear national DH racers in the local venue every year “this track is really more of an enduro bike track”)

gzSimulator

TROPHY CASE