Any Mountain Bikers?

sm31

Active Member
That Blur is so sweet. If I were to get back into racing it would for sure be my jam.

I know what you mean... But if I'm any indication, you never know what the future may hold. (y)

Short bio:
Competed in my first USCF (now USAC) road race in 1986 & raced road bikes full time in the 90's. Then I took a long sabbatical and got back at it for a few seasons around 2010. I quit again after a move and some job stress, and after that I thought I was done for good.

40 lbs gained and a couple of bad check-ups put my ass back on a bike in 2019... then 2021 suddenly found me looking at local races again. Did a dozen road races & maybe another dozen mtb races last season and loved every minute of it. I'm having so much fun I can't believe I ever quit. I'm 53 now, so I know I can't keep this up long term but I'll keep going this time until I feel like I can't make any more progress. Maybe 2 or 3 more seasons hard at it.
 

sm31

Active Member
The trails are finally clear of snow around here. Still a bit muddy for my taste but it sure feels good to get back on a legit trail! Need to chop the steer tube now that I have the bars where I like them...
 

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sm31

Active Member
My 13 yr old son races on the high school MTB team and just finished his season last week. Can’t wait to see him progress through the next few years! View attachment 375101 View attachment 375102

That is awesome!!! When I lived in WY, I had the chance to help coach the local HS mountain bike team. It was an absolute blast! XC racing is a damn good sport to be involved with too... it's a "life sport" that can keep you in tip top shape for decades.

The only downside is the pain and suffering. Lol... 😅
 

bmkrinne

Active Member
That is awesome!!! When I lived in WY, I had the chance to help coach the local HS mountain bike team. It was an absolute blast! XC racing is a damn good sport to be involved with too... it's a "life sport" that can keep you in tip top shape for decades.

The only downside is the pain and suffering. Lol... 😅

agree! I’m an assistant coach for his team and have probably had more fun than the kids. They are boys and girls ranging from grades 6-12 racing NICA events. They are all amazing kids!
I’m more into the chunky techy trails, so XC is about to whoop me! You gotta be in shape for that shit, man!!! 😂
 

sm31

Active Member
Never thought I would add one of these to my stable... in fact, I was sort of "anti fatbike" until recently because I felt there was a pretty narrow range of conditions where a fatbike could be preferred over my regular mountain bike until things got to fluffy for any riding at all. But with the progress these things have made, I'm really impressed with what they can do. So I got lucky and picked this one up barely used about a month ago... 9zero7 Cycles carbon frame, Sram GX (RaceFace cranks), 5" studded Dillinger tires. Platforms installed for the pics but that's because I just attempted a day trip to a local glacier. Weather sucked so I got turned back. For shorter harder rides, I still prefer SPD's but snow/ice getting jammed in them is a pain.

...and I'm lucky enough to have places like this to ride it... lol. Pic taken on Eagle River about a half mile from my house. It's definitely opened up a whole new range of winter adventures, and I'm looking forward to having a blast on it.

If any of y'all are considering purchase, I would weigh it against how often you'll be able to ride it in the conditions it was meant for. In my case, that's about 6 months of the year. Every now and then I see some poor sod riding one of these on a regular trail in the summer. Definitely would not recommend that. The rolling resistance is a killer, and I'm also surprised that the giant tires don't make for as smooth a ride as I expected.
 

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sm31

Active Member
Loaded up the bikes this morning and thought about this thread! Heading on the maiden ride on my son’s new Transition Spur. Happy shredding folks!! View attachment 390728 View attachment 390729
Sweet!!! I meant to ask on your previous post... how do you like that Thule rack? My old rack is (a "custom" no-name POS) is finally done & I need something new that can also take a fat bike. Any advice from the group on a rack that works well on a JK? Thanks!!
 

duktrx

Active Member
I had an awesome one that swung in the opposite direction as the tailgate and then had an extension tube made to clear the spare tire.

I will dig through my file cabinet next weekend to see if I can find a model #. I think it was Thule.
 

bmkrinne

Active Member
Sweet!!! I meant to ask on your previous post... how do you like that Thule rack? My old rack is (a "custom" no-name POS) is finally done & I need something new that can also take a fat bike. Any advice from the group on a rack that works well on a JK? Thanks!!
I bought the rack a couple years ago at REI since they have a one year no question return policy, but actually really liked it. I haul it on 3 different vehicles. It pivots downward to allow an SUV tailgate to open but on my JK, the 37” spare hits the round pivot cover on the rack, so I can only get the tailgate open part way. Had to add a hitch extender to get the rack far enough out to clear the spare in the first place. Not a great rack for the JK but on my F250 and Acura MDX it’s pretty nice!
I think the Kuat racks would be a better fit on the JK due to their lower profile pivot mechanism.
 

sm31

Active Member
I bought the rack a couple years ago at REI since they have a one year no question return policy, but actually really liked it. I haul it on 3 different vehicles. It pivots downward to allow an SUV tailgate to open but on my JK, the 37” spare hits the round pivot cover on the rack, so I can only get the tailgate open part way. Had to add a hitch extender to get the rack far enough out to clear the spare in the first place. Not a great rack for the JK but on my F250 and Acura MDX it’s pretty nice!
I think the Kuat racks would be a better fit on the JK due to their lower profile pivot mechanism.

Awesome! I was looking at the Kuat racks but I dont have any experience with them so I wasn't sure... Thanks for the advice!
 
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