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andyk
- Member since Mar 30, 2006
- O+
- Male / 50
-
Vancouver , British Columbia - 7 Followers
- 21 Trailforks Points
Work I.T., Hockey Dad, Ride when I can...
Recent
andyk seb-stott's article
Jun 15, 2026 at 14:35
Jun 15, 2026
How To Take Your Kids Mountain Biking Without Ruining the Fun
After 2 kids, here's what I'd do differently:
12" Wheel balance bike with hydraulic disc on the back. Give them time grow on this one. It goes to the pump track/BMX track no problem.
Skip 14" pedal bikes
16" light weight bike like spawn
skip the 18" BMX race bike
20" Norco Fluid FS
24" Norco Fluid FS
27.5" FS in XS size.
***********
All of these bikes hold their value and resell well. Let your kid have a great experience. I never did the tow strap; it builds their lazy habits. Most importantly, find them a biking buddy to build stoke and normalize this.
andyk mattbeer's article
Jun 9, 2026 at 10:11
Jun 9, 2026
Review: Shimano XT 8220 Brakes - More Consistency, Same Value
Do the calliper pistons slowly leak oil and contaminate pads when left to sit for a few months in winter. I've had numerous pairs have this issue and have given up on them because of this.
Hayes Dominion fixes this issue - cheaper to operate over time (you don't have to replace brake pads every spring).
andyk CushCore's article
Jun 8, 2026 at 17:28
Jun 8, 2026
CushCore's New Tire Lever Has a Lifetime Warranty
WARNING!
Warranty in Canada is not easily handled if you order this by mail order.
Rules are you must return it to the place of purchase. ie, economically, it’s a throw away item.
Also, yes I did break it. Go buy something else. Cushcore won’t be getting any more money until this policy improves. How about make it returnable to any dealer.
andyk seb-stott's article
Apr 8, 2026 at 10:43
Apr 8, 2026
First Look: The 2026 Cannondale Bad Habit is an 'Enduro-Minded All-Mountain Bike'
430mm chainstay has my attention. 440mm on my slayer is longer than I'd like...
andyk wynmasters's article
Mar 11, 2026 at 15:16
Mar 11, 2026
Wyn Masters Pulls Back the Curtain on Pro MTB Salaries & Career Earnings
@waltworks: I just looked this up as we are way too embedded in hockey.
For Canadians, there are approximately 500k kids playing hockey with hockey Canada. Add in HPL and Academy players, maybe it's 550-600k kids. 113k are girls. Let's say 500k boys. There are about 8-9 birth year cohorts, so that's about 60k kids per birth year.
The average NHL career is about 5 years. There are ~ 300 Canadians playing in the NHL currently. That's about 60 per 'average birth year'.
60/60k = About 1/1000 people playing hockey make it to the NHL per birth year.
That's more than I initially thought, but still very long odds.
andyk mattbeer's article
Mar 11, 2026 at 14:48
Mar 11, 2026
Hayes Dominion A4 Brake Review: Ultra-Light Lever Action and Plenty of Power
Consider me curious if Hayes offered a more DH caliper running 17mm/18mm mixed pistons, or 4x18mm for a touch more power... On Whistler Garbo laps I do find it's a bit tiring sometimes with arm pump. I absolutely see the case for a Maven there. Everywhere else, Dominion wins...
If there was a touch more power with that excellent lever though...
A4 is the best brake I've used.
andyk Dario-DiGiulio's article
Mar 11, 2026 at 14:15
Mar 11, 2026
SRAM Maven Brake Review: The Current Benchmark for Accessible Power
If you like contaminated brake pads after your bike sits for three months... Sure, Shimano FTW.
andyk Dario-DiGiulio's article
Mar 11, 2026 at 8:17
Mar 11, 2026
Review: Shimano XTR 9220 Brakes - Consistency is Key
Unless they have solved the slowly leaky caliper that soils pads after a couple of months in storage, these no longer interest me. I have paid a lot of money into replacement pads over the years when a bike is sitting idle for too long (saints/xt/xtr).
Dominion A4 just work. No changing rotors, swapping brake fluid to putoline to solve wandering bite point, and trying all the brake pads and swapping contaminated ones after a couple of months regardless. Gripes from the last gen, but these are all a no go for me just in case…
andyk Dario-DiGiulio's article
Feb 24, 2026 at 8:03
Feb 24, 2026
SRAM Releases Maven B1 Brakes - Lighter Action, Similar Power
Interesting. A1 front and B1 rear?
I’m still very happy with dominions, but I’ve thought the same for dominion: what if they offered a caliper with 17mm & 18mm pistons instead of dual 17mm. It could help the front power. Leave the rear alone.
