mervyn1

My pet peeve lies with those who supply fat bikes to Canada or other areas that experience true winters with non-studable tires. Not all fat bikes are destined for the sands of the American southwest. Also fat bikes with the cut-out in the seat that allows your ass to get wet when some of the snow turns slushy. Not big deals, but still an annoyance!

For heated grips, go to: https://ame-grips.myshopify.com/collections/heated-ame-grips/products/mtb-clamp-on-heated-1-3-tri-grips I used them for many years winter commuting. Had one charger at home and another at work.

As a 72 year old, I find it amazing to read a bunch of whiney comments from 40 something year olds who feel they are ready to pack it up and be cast away on an iceflow to the eternal life of happiness (or whatever). Age, chronic injuries such as back pain and torn knee cartilages, and medical issues such as cataract and cancer surgeries slow you down, but they DON'T HAVE TO STOP you from enjoying cycling. Green trails become fun again and Blue trails provide all the "adrenaline" challenges. I find I am also gravitating towards gravel and bikepacking to supplent mountain biking. So far this year I have cycled 765 km, and we are just finishing winter here in the Great White North. I am not quite ready for an e-bike. I think the time to start whining about age is at 75, not 45! I will let you know in two years. Oh by the way, happy birthday Christina!

I am getting more annoyed about the "Beta" inserts into Pinkbike!

What we need is a manufacturer to combine a chamois short with a jock strap for protecting "the boys".

@4thflowkage: I agree that FF makes crashes look like fun. I can remember going over the handlebars many times, even on rocks, and coming out unscathed. Great Fun! Then one day over the handlebars ended up with two broken ribs. Its Ok to take risks, but newbies should be encouraged to start and progress slowly. Especially if you started mountain biking in your fifties!

I am putting together a gravel bike with a Shimano 12 speed drivetrain. I wanted to use RF cranks and chainring, but the largest 12 speed chainring they have is a 34 Tooth. So I went with Shimano XT with a 36 tooth chainring. While RF is catering to the mountain bike masses, they should make a 36 tooth ring to appeal to gravel cyclists or even strong cross country cyclists.