BIKEPGH MESSAGE BOARD ARCHIVE

Will there be more casual rides for the fall? I haven't been able to make it to one of these but I really want to.

I only have a rigid commuter bike to ride on trails. Would this be ok for the above ride?

you should be ok as long as it doesn't rain and the trails get all muddy. i went last week on a urban configed hardtail with a semi-slick rear tire.

had to hop off once in a while to get up & over a couple things, but most of the ride i was fine.

Rides will continue until morale improves!

Not stopping anytime soon but in another month lights will no longer be optional.

@ pbeaver if i can get some other things done tomorrow afternoon i'll be there. i have been wanting to try MTB, and with frick park right in my backyard it seems a shame to pass up opportunities. i assume that knobby tires are preferable to rando- or CX tires?

knobbies would be preferred, but as long as its still dry you can manage on almost any tire.

some spots will be trickier with semi-slicks, but if you've got some knobs, it will be more fun to ride them.

As of last night it is very nice and dry. Knobs not required. The back tire I have on my mt bike right now is so worn out that it is pretty much a big fat slick tire at this point.

dont forget! it should be a great night for a ride!

https://www.facebook.com/events/442783749094130/

sorry, gonna miss out on this. got a deadline to meet and can't take the much-needed break i'd like. really want to do a beginner's ride, though.

a good friend told me this afternoon to just break down and get myself a full-suspension MTB. okay, i've been a roadie for years. where should i go to look at mountain bikes? and, btw, i would REALLY prefer to go to a place that treats women with respect. not gonna out any particular LBS, but honestly, there are a few that aren't particularly...well, female friendly/literate.

im not going to make this one either, just got back from a long afternoon ride that wiped me out.

im gonna need to drink a 5-hr energy just to have the strength to crack open a redbull.

@julieb: Thick Bikes is a good place to start. I bought a rigid 29er there a couple months back (And yes, I'm such a loser that I haven't done any real riding in dirt with it yet.)...they had a fine selection.

Also I wouldn't get a full suspension bike as your first mtb. For a beginner I always suggest a do it all hardtail singlespeed with platform pedals. Simple, effective and adaptable with no bells and whistles to think about when you should be focusing on technique. Thick carries transition bikes and they make one of the best examples of this around. The Trans Am is available in 26 and 29 as a single speed or with gears (and can be changed back and forth between geared and as easily)

@reddan & cburch thanks for the advice. I have been meaning to stop on over @ Thick Bikes for a while. Thanks for the nudge.

also rigid tail bikes tend to be a bit less expensive than full suspension rides.

Lighter too.

I've been thinking of a new MTB as well. I don't really trust my old Bridgestone with the damaged chainstay, plus it has no suspension at all. Any recommendations that are more like one grand than two?

Redline monocog flight. It's rigid but it's also a 29er. Plus it's super fun to ride.

If you really want front suspension you should wait another month or so for all the 2013 stuff to hit after interbike. Once the new stuff is out there will be many more deals to be had on 2012 and 2011 stuff still taking up showroom space.

so i spent some time looking around at most of the major and some of the minor brands youll find in shops around here. if you REALLY want front suspension and a decent parts kit on a new bike without discounts or sales your floor is probably going to be around $1500, not $1000. That said, most of the trails around here (apart from moraine and parts of apollo/roaring run) are plenty of fun on a modern rigid bike too.

Check craigslist and pinkbike.com for used bikes. There are great deals to be had

Thanks - I'll have to look around. I felt like a retrogrouch buying a non-suspension bike in '93, so I think I'm ready to get a bike with a fork, although I understand there's a cost and weight penalty. I definitely want gears - I can't fathom one ratio for both riding really steep grades and still being able to ride to/from home. Maybe I'll see what kind of end of season stragglers are left over in the shops.

I bought a Trek Marlin with a cheap suspension fork, pretty sure I would've been better off with a rigid fork. Roots and rock gardens were pretty uncontrollable. I dropped the coin for a Fox fork this summer and the difference is really night and day. If you're going suspension fork, just do it right the first time.

This still on for tonight at 6? Shockingly, I actually managed not to forget my Redline today...

Yup. Totally forgot to post it in Facebook. Busy week.

Facebook, eh? I've heard of that. That's where people "like" each other's posts in order to cure cancer and stuff, right?

I wish. Most of my heavy reposter friends are either trying to being about a collective anarchist utopia or are trying to convince me that Obama is putting fluorine in the chem trails to control our minds so the UN and the fed can help the Muslims institute sharia law. Or something.

In collective anarchist utopia Facebook, posts like you.

Oops, is it time for my meds already?

I want to go tonight but am unsure about my tires. I just put the smoother commuter tires on my bike. what do you guys think?

It hurts less to fall in the woods than on the road. Bring lights. It gets dark early.

I was out last night. Trails are dry. My tires are bald too. It just means bike go faster.

The thing I like best about riding in the woods is trees don't move. If I crash, it is my fault.

I know who cburch is talking about. He follows me. Really really out there. Watch you don't get hit with the foam flying off from his mouth.

If anyone is interested I have a slightly used [Tin Foil Hat] for sale.

One owner, and I'll throw in a free cleaning to remove the excess melted brains.

@pbeaver: What size? And is it Snell-approved?

y'all know you can block people on FB so you don't have to see them, right? You can even make it so they can't see you, either.

its a xxl, but its only ANSI, not SNELL

@pbeaver, it might have started as an xxl, but I'm sure it's a small by now. Tin foil just isnt thick enough anymore.

Will the ride go on if there is some rain?

Does rain wash away chemtrails or does it just make fluorinated fallout?

something just clicked... I know why Pittsburgh will never catch Portland as Best City in the Country. Portland doesn't fluoridate their water and never has!

^ too late!

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2012/09/12/portland-fluoride-water-oregon_n_1878515.html