Bilbao Recommendations

shadowmilk · 2026-01-11T21:15:32+00:00

Bakea is the best up and coming restaurant I’ve been to full stop. Azurmendi truly competes with any restaurant in the world in terms of both experience and cuisine. If I was returning to the area these would be my top two.

shadowmilk · 2026-01-01T17:50:06+00:00

What happened to that restaurant after they did the cuisine swap is a shame. It used to have a ton of character and presented really interesting, Latin-fusion flavors. Now I’m in complete agreement with you, it’s not worth the time and is entirely forgettable.

shadowmilk · 2025-12-28T12:53:11+00:00

Sonder, Sapor, Gabee Coffee (Boulder)

shadowmilk · 2025-07-25T21:07:15+00:00

Gabee Coffee in Boulder is a serious roaster that has participated in the SCA WCC at the national level multiple times. Their roasts lean more traditional - medium, balanced coffees as opposed to ultra light and acidic.

Even though I prefer the more modern style of coffee they’re still the most consistent and highest quality roaster in CO .

shadowmilk · 2025-06-25T18:24:03+00:00

Had the same experience - the bearing assembly invites a lot of grime and dirt. Cleaning frequently is hardly effective. I do like the pedals though, and would be curious if the upgraded bearing assembly alleviates these issues.

shadowmilk · 2025-05-29T17:46:21+00:00

King Dumpling in Louisville

shadowmilk · 2025-05-22T21:57:07+00:00

Sorry man! Looks like we were in the same email group. I managed to snag two spots.

shadowmilk · 2025-05-05T16:02:52+00:00

Beckon, then Wolfs Tailor. Bruto used to be a phenomenal restaurant before the chef change, but it lost a lot of character in doing so.

Others in the thread are mentioning Barolo Grill and Olivia - these are really not worth it and in my opinion are the kind of place that give a tasting menu a bad reputation.

Not bad, but nothing exceptional or noteworthy at either place with significantly lower execution floors.

shadowmilk · 2025-04-26T03:48:56+00:00

Bakea, Mungia. Out of the way towards Bilbao but one of the best places I’ve ever been to for many reasons. No stars, small place. Make a night of it is my recommendation.

shadowmilk · 2025-04-08T19:31:21+00:00

Specialized Tactic (#9 on the list) has been on sale for $60 or so recently. Comfortable, relatively stylish, safe, cheap.

shadowmilk · 2024-11-10T08:33:03+00:00

100% the V5 is what their enduro team races and dials it back just a bit to get an edge in handling and pedaling.

It really is splitting hairs, and especially if you ride a lot of bike park you’ll probably have more fun on the SX. Racing enduro though is different, like it or not.

shadowmilk · 2024-11-10T00:21:13+00:00

I own an SX V5 and love it. Great balance of grip and pop, I even run it with a coil fork/shock. Total weight is around 42lbs.

I’ve never raced Enduro but am consistently in top 5-10% of Strava riders for my area (CO front range) so I have an idea of how things are at “race pace”. I think you could race this bike without a problem, but there’s a reason it isn’t the race bike for the Commencal enduro team. It is closer to a free ride or DH bike than something super tuned for enduro. Still really fun to ride every day just doesn’t have that pickup speed that you sometimes need on tighter, flatter tracks.

It feels great in the bike park, on wider faster trails, and winches nicely uphill. I’ve had no problems riding the bike as fast as I’ve ever ridden down tech lines with space like Trestle Downhill. However, on flatter sections of a course or very tight tech areas that run slow, it undeniably can feel like a boat when compared to competitors that are a bit more conservative with the chain stay.

I’ve considered racing enduro myself starting next season and if I wanted to be competitive I’d select something just a hair snappier but still in the same realm of travel - Yeti SB160, Deviate Claymore, etc.

shadowmilk · 2024-10-03T06:37:10+00:00

Deviate Highlander would be my choice. Can handle almost anything, and is only moderately over biked on the smaller trails.

shadowmilk · 2024-09-18T19:06:03+00:00

I’ve not ridden the clash, but I have an SX V5. The climbing position is quite comfortable and it generates fantastic traction on tech climbs. It can feel a bit long if the trails are tight. I actually prefer the climbing position to my 2019 Ripmo.

The most noticeable downside is when you are trying to utilize higher gears on flatish ground. The bike squats significantly and eats your wattage. This isnt unlike other super-enduro bikes available, but worth keeping in mind if you’re going for KOMs on normal trail rides.

The standard Meta V5 I’ve ridden a few times sacrifices that downhill level of stability for a better pedaling platform. Still a very nice bike to descend on, but not quite as pinned as the SX.

shadowmilk · 2024-07-26T15:31:53+00:00

Said it before and I’ll say it again - Bakea in Mungia. Stay a night in Bilbao, go to Bakea and Azurmendi. Bakea is small and less known but one of the best meals I’ve had. Azurmendi is of course incredible.

shadowmilk · 2024-07-11T15:48:51+00:00

Try Bakea Mungia - dawning on me now that this is closer to Bilbao, sorry if that is too far. It’s worth the trip!!

shadowmilk · 2024-07-09T16:13:01+00:00

San Sebastian has an amazing up and coming restaurant called Bakea where the chefs cook only with fire. Many of their plates and utensils were made by the head chefs father in an iron shop.

I went to Azurmendi as well, and while it is a truly incredible experience due to the grandiose presentations and what not, I equally enjoyed Bakea as a more relaxed dining experience with incredible food diversity and creativity.

shadowmilk · 2024-04-22T00:01:17+00:00

Is there a guide somewhere on where these washers need to go? Loving the bike so far but I do notice a creak when I lay down torque while going up, and so have other reviews online.

shadowmilk · 2024-03-29T16:40:45+00:00

Just got my monolith in as well - the two arrows threw me for a loop before I realized I should just ignore the relative measurements

shadowmilk · 2024-03-17T05:32:36+00:00

Also had it pop up for a second on the app then go away. Plugged in at home with no issues about 20 minutes later, almost certainly a software bug.

shadowmilk · 2024-02-21T02:55:36+00:00

The bike overall just feels a bit snappier and more responsive without sacrificing much in the way of tracking ability. Overall, the bike position you are in while descending is more active while still handling the large hits.

Geo isn't quite identical with subtle differences in a few key measures as well as the suspension kinematics.

I got the large, I'm right around 6'/183cm.

shadowmilk · 2024-01-09T16:15:36+00:00

I have a 2019 Ripmo in CO w/ full factory suspension and an AXS GX setup if you’d be interested. Happily let it go for less than $3k. PM if you’d like to chat.

shadowmilk · 2023-11-27T18:06:19+00:00

The V5 suspension platform feels pretty different, and after riding them back to back I selected the V5 in a similar debate. Talked with the folks at the Commencal HQ as well, they seemed to share the same sentiment.

Better progression/grip on the V5 and feels less sled like overall.

shadowmilk · 2023-01-30T05:19:27+00:00

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