Tech Briefing: New Shoes, Bikes, Helmets & More - September 2018

 I am very interested In the fezzari as well, have perused their website and looks like a lot of sweet bikes but haven’t seen much in the way of reviews yet

 @mkotowski1: Here are links to a few reviews. I was able to demo one for a day. I came away very impressed (currently own / ride a Ripmo now) The La Sal Peak represents a new era for the brand. The research, engineering and hard work they put into the La Sal Peak design shows.
www.bikemag.com/gear/mountain-bikes/first-ride-fezzari-la-sal-peak
reviews.mtbr.com/fezzari-la-sal-peak-first-ride
mbaction.com/first-ride-fezzari-la-sal-peak
bikerumor.com/2018/08/17/first-ride-fezzari-la-sal-peak-29er-enduro-bike-bombs-drops-rips-climbs
(I'd also be keen to hear what Pinkbike has to say about it in a formal review...)

 It would be 200% more, or just plain 300%, but still a valid point.

 Did a demo at Outerbike; did not like the Fezzari La Sal Peak sizing and felt like I was sitting above the bike. After about 20 bikes; the Rocky Mountain Instinct BC and Yeti SB5.5 seemed best. SB150 should be close to the 5.5.

 The Fezzari looks like a nut-buster.

 A bike just for pump tracks, what a joke go buy a bmx for 300 bucks

 @mkotowski1: $300 won't get you a worth a shit bmx bike

 @rideitall-bmx-dh-road-unicycle: yeah? How nice of a bike do you really need for a pumptrack?

 So now I need to bring 3 bikes to my jump park? Slope bike, dirt jump bike and pump track bike?

 @rideitall-bmx-dh-road-unicycle: used will get you something nice for 300 plus even something high end is going to be way less than that “pump track bike.”

 @makripper: yeah you are a scrub if you use a dj bike for pump tracking bruhhh haha jk

 Whoever makes the first Pumpjumper will revolutionize the industry

 @TugboatComplex: or more likely face litigation

 @TugboatComplex: pumpjumper haha

 yeah but you'll two, one for gravel pump tracks and another when its bitumen

 Ask Yeti

 @fiatpolski: or that polygon xquare one thing or whatever it’s called!

 @fiatpolski: I love the look of the Yeti's!

 Have you tired not vomiting on your keyboard for a day? Or maybe try riding your bike instead of using the keyboard @WAKIdesigns:

 @freeridejerk888: I have never vomited on my keyboard and I took the advice of just go out and ride, I ride hell of a lot, but the will to type random words to make certain part of population angry just keeps coming.

 At this point I feel sorry your brain is functioning at such a low level @WAKIdesigns:

 @freeridejerk888: nothing annoys me more than poor insult...

 @WAKIdesigns: what you got a problem with poor people now do you Waki?! Ehhh you dirty troll you

 @mkotowski1: “poor people piss me off” Eric Theodore Cartman

 LOL no kidding... I'd take a complete bike any day. Then again, I'm not the target customer...

 Bontrager will replace a helmet if crashed in the first year.

 Yeah, I think I'll now go for Kali too. I destroy helmets too often to get a very good/expensive one to then replace it after a few months. So I'd either ride with a damaged helmet for too long or I'd just get a relatively cheap one and replace it when I need to (and keep one spare to avoid downtime). I chose for the latter option. The On-One/Carnac Enduro helmets aren't too expensive. I use one, I've got one still new in the box. But yeah, if they offer this kind of crash replacement there is no point not getting one of these. I'll look into the fine print but yeah, it seems like a great deal.

Unfortunately most of my bigger concussions weren't cycling related (and I wouldn't have worn a helmet) but I do dislike concussions and I indeed believe I might suffer from some of these lower impacts so it is well worth it.

 @vinay: what about stopping crashing and hit your head ? Looks to me that you are pretty much into vegetable wannabee territory if you already suffered a number of concussions and still break an helmet on a regular basis.

 @opignonlibre: Yeah, I do agree blows to the head are to be avoided. Unfortunately they just happen. The last time I broke a regular mtb helmet must have been in February. A (not cambered) corner I usually ride fast was frozen and slippery so I washed out and smashed my helmet on the hard soil. This fall I rode a lot on the new pumptrack here. Unlike the typical Velosolutions tracks, this is some kind of concrete that wears and leaves a layer of gravel and dust. And unlike the Velosolutions tracks the bumps are more dome/cone shaped rather than straight and perpendicular to the riding direction (as you also see in BMX racing). So if you don't hit them right in the middle but a bit wide, you'll slide to the outside and crash against the bump. I once broke a pisspot helmet this way.

So sure, I'm trying to minimize these hard blows against raised obstacles. It are these tiny moments you're not fully focused which take you out. That quick early morning ride (still in the dark), not yet adapted to the frozen trail. Or learning to ride the slippery pumptrack. Last weekend I rode it on the mtb for the first time and indeed with knobby tires and front suspension it suddenly was easy (though not as fun with the big 26" wheels). So yeah, I may experiment with the tires in my BMX which might make it safer. And I've found a pattern. What often happens is that I try or even session something difficult which takes all my focus. Then when I've succeeded (or finished sessioning) I actually lose focus on the easier sections after that and crash there. So yeah, I try consciously regain focus once I've finished the section that required all my focus. But I don't have the illusion that crashes won't happen. They will and if I can get a safer helmet for that, it would be a good choice.

But again, most concussions weren't cycling related. When I laugh for too long, I don't breathe so after a while I pass out. Once I'm passed out, breathing starts again and recover quite quickly. It happened quite a few times though once I unfortunately banged my head against a heavy flower pot that didn't give way. This was probably the most recent big concussion. But what could I do against it? What I try to do now though is that when I feel I've not been breathing for a while, is sit down on the ground so that when I go unconscious and tip over I don't hit my head too hard. But that's all I can do about it, isn't it? It would be silly to decide to no longer laugh.

TL;DR: Crashes happen. I try to minimize them but I don't have the illusion that I can completely avoid them.

 wtf did I just read lmfao

 Can't for the life of me figure out why any one in their right mind would splurge that kind of money for an alloy bike with that build... Wake the fuck up people and boycott these outrageous companies!

 So an alloy version of the 2016 Altitude 790 MSL Rally Edition?

 linkage plates! www.bikes.com/en/tags/pipedream

 @mollow: That's about the stupidest shit I've heard on here in awhile...guess they should just give us bikes for free. f*cking people these days

 Yes please. Freaked out for a second and clicked just to double check lol. That quote is for the bottom of the ENTIRE Process line... a $2199 Process 134 SE is slightly different from a $4999 base-level carbon Process 29.

 Good point, that's the pricing for aluminum. I've updated now - thanks!

 USofA*

 @mtbikeaddict: not in SouthPark