jimicarl

What FUN!! Fun to watch, anyway. NOY SURE i have the skills or the gonads for that kinda work. Certainly not at those speeds. And good chance..., not at all. I love watching Remy's rides. Nice lessos on perspective. One of the hight points? REMY GOING BACK TO CLEAR THE TRAIL! YAAAA!!! For those watching who always leave such stuff for somebody else to clean up - may this be a good lesson in MATURITY! Surprising how much work can be done with a small folding saw - even if it's just for clearing some limbs, so others can more easily climb/ride over or under that 4' windthrow stem laying across the trail. Thanks Remy. Some good stuff right der.

Sunrace makes 11spd cassettes with much more useful & even step-ups in cog sizes. And with granny cogs to 50T. And with no stupid massive step-up between the grannies. Problem is they-re limited to HG & XD drivers. So spinout is still a real risk if you're HG & depending in where you're riding. I'm climbing extended tech single-track with 11spd. 28T ring & 11/46 SR cassettes - and find that I'm giving up little to nothing, compared to my 12spd 30T & 10/50. I love the more even steps between cogs, and have found the SR cassettes to outlast any Shimo unit I've worn out. Tho chain-grade makes a huge difference here, too. If you're shopping - give SR a shot. It's not a cheap experiment - but doubt you'd be disappointed. Newer cassettes have extended their grannies to 51T cogs. Tho they're all HG as near as I can figure. BTW - I'm running GX drivetrain w/X01 chains on both my HT & FullSus 11spds. Absolutely no issues with the derailleur & 11/46 range. Both units are rock solid & reliable shifters acriss that range. Haven't tried the 51T options. Wish my GX 1x12 worked as well

RIGHT ON!, those of you who find 12 speeds a little on the ridiculous side. Not a roadie. Don't give a RAF about keep my cadence exactly the same from garage to destination. Only use every other cog - so it's a 1x6. Is this why I see so much about folks loving their 11spd drivetrains? ME TOO!! Building a hardtail now. It'll get 1x11. But what I'd REALLY REALLY like is more like this 8spd. Based on 12spd tech, for a narrower cassette - which would allow wider hub flange spacing & less cross-chaining. At an XT or GX grade. A wide-angle cassette - say 10-48 - with more even steps between cogs (tx Sunrace for all you do). And please please please off that absolutely STOOPID massive step to granny. It smelled bad then, and still does.

Talked to the service guys at DirtLabs, who warned me about 3w, for not having the viscosity to cling well to the bushing interface. I asked about 5w & they felt that was better & should improve small-bump sensi. And..., I already have a jug. So gonna give that a shot & see how it works. Appreciate the hint! Seriously got me thinking!!

@The-Wheel: Whoop whoop!!

Henry - you kicked butt with this article. Loved it, and have MORE than enjoyed all the comments. You should do one on dropper triggers. Teehee. Oh yea. Massively polarizing. And needlessly so. We got 1x, 2x, and plunger styles all in current use. I just don't think about 'em. Any of 'em. Just stick my thumb out & press. Dropper does what it does. I'll miss, now & then. Rarely. But happens. With any of them. Just gotta remember to do do dropper BEFORE I get to whatever transition requires a dropped or extended post. Especially when the transition involves a rock/root garden one way or t'other.

Yupstate..., YOU DA MAN!! Totally agree. I think that I'm seeing more of that stuff on the market. Have been shopping a new hardtail. Have shopped (and will be taking possession, this af'noon) bikes that fit your description. And even at that - those relatively slack HTAs & steep STAs are a little extreme. My slackest sus-bike (2018 Pivot) sports 66/73.5. My steepest (2015 Turner), at 67/73. Both of those bikes climb steep dang ratted-out obstacle-riddled challenging singletrack with aplomb. And both will easily take me far beyond the point where my gonads fail me. They're both much more capable than my fears will allow me to be without that long process of learning. I'm replacing a 1st gen TJ (68/73) with a used Stylus (64/76) - partly because it's slack, but mostly because the TJ has been abused & modded for so long that I'm seriously questioning the frame's integrity. Until that nagging worry settled in - it carried me up, down & over anything my sus bikes would - and with it's head held high.

@gtill9000: Well said. Def gotta be thoughtful about what you do & what you need. My ratty old Sportage has been a good daily driver. Fun, comfy, economical with good utility. And at 135k & running - the stupid thing won't break. With roof-rack and a 3x butt-rack I can pack 7 bikes. Ridiculous. But can pack 5 in a pinch. 4, comfortably. Or 3 & two trail dogs (but the back seat person's gotta be a dog lover). Yea I got me a pee-cup. Gets used +/-weekly for utility on our rural location. Half dozen times a year pulling the camp trailer around (lots of really good overnight riding opps around these parts). And it's a delightful "caw boa caiddy" for long drives. But even at that - I'm thinking that there's a compromise out there for us. Something too replace the Kia & the p/u. Something with great everyday utility that'll pull the camp trailer or cargo trailer, still be comfy & quiet, pack all the bikes/dogs/peeps, and still net neighborhood of 30mpg/hwy. Mid-size SUV, maybe. Smaller breathed-on cargo van, maybe. We're shopping. Just makes sense.

@moturner: BINGO!! Like with so many bikers riding DH bikes on lake trails & truck-wide berm-fests. They with yet-to-be-matured souls who've allowed themselves to be spun into a lust-frenzy of (for most of us) ridiculous bicycles. That said - to each his/her/their own (we gotta find an acronym for that BS) desires. Makes for some jolly comedy in the tribe. That & the "ebike" class of motorized vehicles. Pure comedy.

TPS pickups. Can't really call 'em "trucks", since they're not being used for any commercial purpose (or anything remotely commercial in nature - like packing around a spare diesel moter for your log loader, and enough fuel for two days running the yarder). Nope. Just peanut butter, white bread, and beer. What"s TPS, you ask? Must I repeat myself?! OK. Teensy P__r Syndrome. The P-word describing that little red-topped birdy who takes bugs from under the bark of your trees, and wakes you from a sound sleep by banging on your house at first light.