hlars12

@Jcolis1904: if it's today, it's Mars (just landed yet another vehicle there to collect dirt samples) -- gotta see how shreddable that dirt is... ;-)

@gandalfsdad: Well, speaking of being environmentally responsible I do think more of us should ride to the trailhead as much as possible. It's also much better for the brain, not dealing with traffic. I would tend to argue over here that it's mostly hikers (not even hikers as much as folks who aren't typically in the woods that leave the trash--the city people that have absolutely no respect for the environment) leaving the trash. The pandemic has made this so much worse this past year, since all of a sudden everyone is 'camping' destroying more sections of woods/desert & leaving tons of trash even throwing it out of windows while driving. I do think that there should be section of forest that should remain completely wild as in no human is allowed, & some that should be protected to the extent of foot traffic only. I think the sticking point for many of us here is that horses are allowed (talk about barrier to entry for a sport). I've seen some real entitlement among some of those folks. It is definitely a problematic topic with different trail users & we would all be better off if there was more respect between us. It's also particularly difficult with the Sierra Club's blatant hate towards MTBers. Credit where credit is due; they did save the Grand Canyon from being flooded decades ago & do seem to be involved in fighting the good fight sometimes. Anyways that was a lot of rambling to say that those are some decent points overall & things that we should consider instead of the constant march of progress that we humans have lost ourselves in for generations.

@BenTheSwabian: I've come to the conclusion that ebikes make a lot of sense for commuting & to some extent trail work where you may have to pedal 20-30 miles one way (plus tools) to get work done & then still need energy to get home. Largely I agree with you though.

@bman33: Yep, clearly it's far better to drive your car to the trailhead than ride a bike to & then on the trails. Cars definitely aren't killing the same environment we're trying to save at all...

@mikelevy: Not sure if it's the desert southwest (Flag, AZ) or the newer five tens, but me & some shredders I know get super deep gouges on flats in them after a few months. They definitely seem less & less reliable long term especially for the price. I do agree with the dark side for shorts & such though. (after all they have cookies) :)

I definitely did the a** first crash into an ecosystem of prickly pear in little explored region just outside of Sedona. It was a quality adventure; basalt laden forest roads, getting lost (saved by me noticing a cairn buried in tall grass) & eventually finding the hiking 'trail' down. I was very lucky to have a friend fearlessly pluck cactus spines out of my butt trailside. I finished the ride in my bra & chamois. That's how many cactus needles were stuck in my jersey & baggies. The little cactus hairs are actually worse than the large spines--much harder to find & pull out. I can now at least partially blame my wornout fork for that crash (2-3 rebuilds & plenty of mechanic head scratching later a new fork was procured).

@fit4racing: Thanks for the inspirational videos & extra knowledge (cool to learn extra fitness tips/ideas). Luckily, there are some badass trainers near me & it's good to support them even though they're aren't a ton of MTB'ers at my gym.