On 2018-02-26 18:15, sms wrote:
On 2/26/2018 12:34 PM, Joerg wrote:
On 2018-02-26 08:58, sms wrote:
I hate it when someone says "wow, I haven't seen skis/bikes/etc. like
that in a long time."
Yesterday went mountain biking in Wilder Ranch State Park north of Santa
Cruz http://oi66.tinypic.com/24y2x78.jpg.
I rode, my wife mostly walked her bike, a lovely 27.5er that she got
more than a year ago but had not yet ridden. For someone who barrels
down ski slopes, the same lack of fear did not translate to single
track.
Waiting at one trail junction, someone commented, "wow you get extra
credit for doing this ride on an historic mountain bike."
http://www.mtbr.com/product/bikes/xc-hardtail/marin/bear-valley.html.
I see plenty of 26" MTB on trails. AFAIK most downhill bikes are 26".
However, rim brakes are really a thing of the past on MTB, and good
riddance to those.
I did install disc brakes on my 26"er Marin Bear Valley. It was all
prepped for discs.
It's one of the best things you can do for a bike. Makes it a true
all-weather machine.
After switching from 26" to 29" my confidence level on gnarlier trails
went way up. Initially a bit too much and one OTB event brought me
back in line.
Do they also increase traction on steep sections. There were areas where
my gearing was low enough, but I could not get traction to go up.
Yes, and they can also be worn down farther without much traction penalty.
Time to ban horses in parks. They leave a mess and they destroy the
trails.
My experience is the opposite. Horses leave their poop all over but
that ain't so bad. Cyclists are too often the inconsiderate folks.
They rattle down a steep trail section with the rear tire locked,
spewing rocks and dirt everywhere. They chuck water bottles and then
after a flat fix they leave the nasty CO2 cartridges just where they
dropped them. Those are everywhere, even in the middle of bike lanes.
I had a few front wheel sideways jolts because of them.
What I see is that when the park has a sign saying "trails closed when
wet" the mountain bikers comply because it's hard to ride in mud, but
equestrians go right ahead and leave big holes from hooves when the mud
dries. I saw no ruts from bike tires but lots of holes from hooves.
Then ride some trails out here. There are deep MTB ruts because many
riders here go no matter what. I find MTB riding on muddy trails fun,
when the bike is slightly sideways most of the time. It's like being
allowed to be a kid again for a few hours.
--
Regards, Joerg
http://www.analogconsultants.com/