coyotecycleworks

unpopular opinion, 4X was killed by 27.5 wheels. I know there are still some manufacturers making DJ/4X specific frames but around 2008-2010 it seemed every brand had their own bike that was either labeled as 4X specific or at least a 26" DJ that you could run. it's just too bad 26 doesn't get the same support as 27.5/29.

@rookie100: Nope and don't plan on it, my wife and I like to travel a lot (well pre-pandemic) and we like to have some of those freedoms that you lose with having kids. We have plenty of nieces and nephews to 'entertain' the having kids idea and every time we sit in our nice quiet house after a family get together we feel like we made the right choice. Nothing against having kids, it's just not for us.

I'm 36 and looking back at how much I was into riding/racing 15 years ago to now it's funny how things change with time. At first it was just working to pay for bike parts/trips/races nothing else mattered. Dropped out of college, learned a skilled trade, started making more money helped with the cycling hobby. Then the inevitable injury bug hits, you realize your hands as a skilled tradesperson are your livelihood. You start second guessing big drops jumps etc. even riding a little less. Then other things come along, marriage, mortgage, work becomes more important because you're not providing for yourself anymore. BUUUUUUUT then that job gets your interest in furthering your career, you go back to school get a degree, now you can afford those fancy parts you dreamed of, you have more time to ride, a regular schedule, a partner to ride with. Point is life gets in the way of a lot of things but if you apply yourself, make some sacrifices, you can achieve a balance that makes it all worth it in the end.

@pistol2ne: Couple things you might want to understand before you start saying the only reason people are freaked is because of the higher number of confirmed cases. First while there is more extensive testing we will see more confirmed cases no doubt. Until recently the news (all networks) was reporting only confirmed cases. The problem is, and what needs to be reported more, is the percent positive rate which is going up in areas that opened early. That means if we are testing 1000 people @ 3% positive one day and then 2 weeks later testing 2000 people @ 6% that ratio shows more people are getting it. You could test a million people in one day and while you would get a higher number no doubt, the number is meaningless without the percentage increase. What broader testing offers is a better view of where groups of people are getting sick and it allows regions to isolate small outbreaks. We don't have the capacity to do this by any means but if everybody got tested once a week we could have WAY more accurate data about what can be open and what needs to stay quarantined. Think of it as graph with x y coordinates you can't represent the data without both a rise and a run.

Big one that drives me crazy is lights. I'm always amazed when there's a high-end-brand-x bike light that costs $200+ when you could go on Amazon and get a comparable one for much MUCH less. You are literally paying for a name, plus many of the cheaper lights have high quality CREE LED's. I see the same thing with older generations and off-roading who will only buy direct from the retail store and figure 'well it's the most expensive, it's gotta be the best'.

@Boissal: There's a running store called RoadRunner here in southern california that has their own brand of UPF sun shirts that I use all the time for regular trail riding that are about $20 a shirt. Any shirt that's 'made' for MTB will easily start at $40. Glad to hear someone else has found how good/affordable they are!

@RayDolor: I'm being sarcastic. The idea that going against recommended health guidelines makes you brave is kind of like riding without a helmet.

@endlessblockades: Yeah I learned about it on John Krasinski's SGN. Now those tips are frosted because they've been touched by angels! In all seriousness he's a great guy and yes don't judge based on looks alone.

Who knew that balls were all that was needed? Cancer: you just need balls. Diabetes: you just need balls. Alzheimers: you just need balls.

I was going to make a Guy Fieri joke but found out amid all this pandemic craziness he's donated tons of money in COVID19 relief. Not all soul patches are found on d-bags, put a pair of white rim sunglasses on and well there's no saving you now.