I’ve been saying it for a while but yesterday it happened (again)… We were about to start a mountain bike ride on Sunday. My third in as many days and all deep into poaching territory. Thanks Cesar Chavez! (SF Official holiday) The morning turned into an utter train-wreck. I like to be very prepared before rides. … Read more
Fit is something few cyclists pay any real attention to. Dispite all of the chatter. Despite how important it is that a rider be placed well over a bike (and the bike placed well beneath them) very few riders or shops put much effort into the subject. Rarely do I have a conversation that leaves … Read more
I didn’t come up with the idea of Forward Geometry. Sure, I’d been working on improving how my bikes worked and getting them to a modern state for a while. Still, other folks have led this particular charge. Quite a few people have been working on moving this concept forward. The two people in the … Read more
2017 NAHBS. March 10-14, 2017. I wasn’t sure about going to NAHBS this year. I’ve had a very busy year building a few new bikes. I got married. It’s been a good ski season. Money has been running a bit thin. I didn’t see that my usual trip, taking nice detail photos (2016, 2014, 2012, … Read more
I love metal. It’s solid, it can be cut precisely, it can be welded together. Different metals are good at different things. Building steel bikes is especially nice. You can take a bike right from the welding table, toss some wheels on it and go. Like they say, “Steel is real….easy” If we are going … Read more
From Voltaire: “Dans ses écrits, d’un sage Italien Dit que le mieux est l’ennemi du bien” “In his writings, a wise Italian says that the best is the enemy of good.” The perfect is really the enemy of the good. The perfect fender is a wonderful thing. Water from the ground gets loaded onto the … Read more
Today, we don’t design on paper… I was recently reminded of this topic by a message board thread. A kid wanted advice advice on drawing a frame. Countless people chimed in giving horrible advice. I often find that the less someone knows the more they will pass off their opinion as truth, while lacking any … Read more
The GEN11. The younger generation won’t get this reference. Way back, when I was very young, the kids loved this car. The wonderful flying car that would save the day and cause everyone to sing. It’s probably the song I heard most sung in grade school. Mary Poppins was big back then as well. The … Read more
You gotta love SRAM X-Horizon rear derailleurs. They are the best choice for any rider looking to go to a 1×11 or 1×12 setup on their bike. From the GX level on up, the derailleurs use SRAM X-Sync Pulley Assembly (11.7518.032.000) as spare parts. The MSRP on these is an ungodly $44.00. This is because of … Read more
In yesterday’s video post from Steven Mathews of Vorsprung Suspension as a part of his Tuesday Tune series (Ep 10) in collaboration with Whistler Performance Lubricants (WPL) mention was made of my old suspension fluid chart. It was nice of them to bring up this topic for folks and they did it justice. A page on the … Read more
Like many expert mountain bikers, I put my dropper post through it’s paces. I couldn’t count how many times I use it during a ride but it can’t be too far off the amount I use my derailleur. It’s a very dynamic tool on a ride and should be. Because of this, I’ve been surprised … Read more
My friend Megan had a silly little get off on her new bike a while back. She tossed her bike off a bridge in China Camp. No real harm to her or the bike other than an issue in her brake lever. Somehow, the lever rod got messed up. Jammed and stripped. Don’t ask me … Read more
This caught me off guard today. I’m glad I found it it time. I was working on a 170mm Reverb Stealth B1. I set the IFP with the special tool according to the marks it had on it. I had to go upstairs to check the oil height for the valve as my notes were … Read more
Back sometime in the early 2010s, Mary Wragg-Moncorgé (my then girlfriend) and I went out for a nice singletrack ride with our friends Sonny and Roxy. We had just ridden one of the local gems and were doing a small road burn back to town. We were talking amongst ourselves about being sneaky in the … Read more
Here’s an interesting topic: What could you do if you wanted to build a great mountain bike while spending the least amount of money? What would you do if you wanted to build a great mountain bike without wasting money? They are two different concepts. One trims everything back to only what you really need. The … Read more
I’m setting up to start taking the play out of some of my RockShox Reverb dropper seatposts. Between break in and wear, a certain amount of play is created in the post. This leads to a saddle that has a bit of a shake to it. My goal is to have just enough room in the … Read more
I’m totally down to spoil my fiancée. She get’s some special attention. She spoils me, how could I not? She’s also a pretty legit rider. She’s ridden across the country East to West and North to South. More than I have. She’s not a shredder but game for almost any ride and she’s pedaling somewhere a … Read more
It’s funny to post this now as I am currently engaged. Ha. Anyway…. Bicycle ‘mechanics’ are generally very inexperienced riders. They spends their days in workshops talking trash and theorizing about this and that. They wax their beards and go out for beers with their boyfriends after work. Late at night, they gaze into the blue … Read more
(JT shown here on a Raleigh MTi1000) I’m excited to post this bike just as the Philadelphia Bike Expo takes place. Certainly, this is becoming the coolest event to attend in the US for the custom bike crowd. I thought that I’d be able to attend this year but that didn’t happen. I’ve just been too … Read more
The second year of the Rockville Enduro ran again. It’s a nice local race in a cool place to ride. Rockville isn’t a huge place but it does boast some really cool trails and some runs that push riders and bikes hard. I tend not to go to the big enduro races as they are usually … Read more
The repercussions of the SRAM 1x drivetrain system keep making changes in frame and component design. It’s even changing how we ride. For me, looking at building a few new narrow gauge dirt bikes, there is room opening up for larger tires and shorter stays. This is a good thing as long as the reduced … Read more
Ronen’s got a problem. We do a lot of very technical riding on some sick trails. Due to his height and fit, he’s been relegated to a 140mm seat dropper while I’ve been able to use a 170mm dropper (w/frame mod or custom bike). This has been a huge advantage for me. Adding to that … Read more
This is a bit of an update post. I posted a graphic online back in 2011. It showed the comparative leverage between a BB30/PF30 bottom bracket bearing configuration and a PF4186/T3568. It made it instantly obvious that geometrically, the PF4186/T3568 was 31% stronger than the larger, heavier BB30/PF30 configuration. The bearings had a superior working angle and … Read more
As I am in between DH bikes, I had to ride my big enduro rig at Northstar the other week. Obviously, I needed to bring a bash for the crazy rocks. It’s hard to find chainring protection for modern 1×11 drivetrains. In the hunt for lighter and lighter enduro bikes, some parts have lost meaning. Most … Read more
I like tubeless tires like most folks. Fixing them however is a messy pain in the ass. When a tire get’s a puncture in it, it needs to be repaired. I get a little rough on my tires sometimes (VIDEO), so I have to repair tires a lot. My fancy Maxxis CrossMark 29×2.10 UST tire … Read more
A week or so ago, Doug Ballard posted a photo on PBMA‘s Facebook page of a cross bike with a dropper seat post installed on it. The bike had SRAM Force 22 HydroR controls. The bike was setup with a 1x drivetrain. The left shift lever was modified to actuate the dropper seat post, similar to … Read more
Aérospatiale/BAC Concorde SST Fox Alpha What happens when you forget what you thought you knew? Either you get broke or you break through. This is what’s been going on in my world lately — the latter. Breaking through. Supersonic! When I built RedFive I was pushing the limit of what I ‘knew’ would work on a bicycle. I … Read more
My feet have been hurting in my fancy bike shoes lately. I’m also trying to relax a bit with my riding and get my form back. The girlfriend is riding flats so maybe I should match. I’ve been playing with running flat pedals on trail for the first time ever. For jumps and flow and … Read more
