Did anybody WOMBLE this weekend?????

[ODB]

I seem to remember Kaiser talking to Sarah about how once she got a road bike she would be addicted to it and like it better than the mountain bike. Seems now we switched it on him. There's just something about bombing down a windy singletrack through heavy vegitation at about 20 mph to let you know just how alive you are!

Get them hydrolics K!

[bmph8ter]

Originally posted by Kaiser:
Do you really listen to rap?

Picked up my mtb at the shop today - talked to the wrench about getting some hydraulic brakes instead of my disc mechanicals.

Yup. I bet it makes up 80% of my collection. Of course I like other stuff too: Hendrix, Metallica, Reel Big Fish, some bluegrass, etc.

Hydraulic brakes huh? Just be careful, once you get used to them you won't ever want to ride anything else. I heard it's kinda like test riding a blur.

[Kaiser]

How about hybrid rap? I ask because I'm looking for the Lil Jon remix of Reggaetone/Daddy Yankee's 'Gasolina' and I can't find it anywhere.

As Joe knows, I like literally everything except for opera (which I can appreciate, I just don't really enjoy it). Classical, rap, heavy metal, country, pop, blues, jazz, bluegrass, you name it.

Hydraulics: that's why I'm looking at getting it - my lame ass mechanical disks don't hold a candle to the hydraulics on that Scalpel. A guy at the bike shop swapped a pair off of one of his bikes, so he'll let me know if he can get me a deal on the pair he took off.

[ODB]

You know, that's the problem with the womble. Everytime you do it you get home and want a bike upgrade of some sort. After the race I got a new bike pump, after this last ride new pedals. Kaiser is going to go hydrolic (why he needs that in Chicago, I don't know). I suppose Aaron would upgrade if there were anything his bike needed!

[bmph8ter]

Originally posted by Kaiser:
How about hybrid rap? I ask because I'm looking for the Lil Jon remix of Reggaetone/Daddy Yankee's 'Gasolina' and I can't find it anywhere.

As Joe knows, I like literally everything except for opera (which I can appreciate, I just don't really enjoy it). Classical, rap, heavy metal, country, pop, blues, jazz, bluegrass, you name it.

Hydraulics: that's why I'm looking at getting it - my lame ass mechanical disks don't hold a candle to the hydraulics on that Scalpel. A guy at the bike shop swapped a pair off of one of his bikes, so he'll let me know if he can get me a deal on the pair he took off.

YGPM!

Originally posted by ODB:
You know, that's the problem with the womble. Everytime you do it you get home and want a bike upgrade of some sort. After the race I got a new bike pump, after this last ride new pedals. Kaiser is going to go hydrolic (why he needs that in Chicago, I don't know). I suppose Aaron would upgrade if there were anything his bike needed!

There actually are a few things I would change. First would be getting rid of my wheels and tires. I could go with some American Classic 350s (disc of course) with mid weight tires and knock almost 2 pounds off my bike. If I had the cash for a hand built set, I could probably save more than that. Oh well, maybe someday.

[silly]

Yeah, Aaron actually spends quite a bit of time trash talking his bike. I picked it out for him, and sometimes I think he doesn't like it at all.

[bmph8ter]

Originally posted by silly:
Yeah, Aaron actually spends quite a bit of time trash talking his bike. I picked it out for him, and sometimes I think he doesn't like it at all.

Pfft! I've never trash talked whatsizername seriously. I was a bit surprised when it weighed 30 pounds, but it is an XL built to ride hard and not be a weight weenie bike so that's OK. Doesn't like it at all? You must be kidding. If I didn't, it would have gone up on Ebay last year when Santa Cruz couldn't make 'em fast enough and I could have made a tidy profit. [img]tongue.gif[/img]

[Kaiser]

Hey, in this month's Mountain Bike mag, they have a review of the new SC Blur offshoot (the original Blur is no more). It has the sweet Juicy 7 hydraulics.

Why I need hydraulics in Chicago? Two words: rain and mud.

Question for bmph8ter, silly, ODB, and anyone else who wants to take a stab at it. The wrench at the LBS has a pair of Hayes HFX9 hydraulic disc brakes. They retail for $150/pair, but he'll sell them to me for $200 for both. If I have them put on at the shop, they will have to charge $30 per pair - otherwise, it will be free (I'd like to do it at the shop since the owner always gives me incredible deals). Add tax and the fact that he said that he would take my current Avid Mechanicals and it doesn't seem like that great a deal anymore, right? I've looked up the reviews on mtbreview and they are mixed. People either love them or hate them. Average rating is OK at best. The thing is that I am fed up with my current brakes - always chirping, always out of position, don't work that great in wet conditions, and the rotors always seem to go out of true. JPs brakes performed like a dream. But I'm wondering if by going to hydraulics, I'll just be trading one set of problems for another, more complex group (i.e. bleeding, etc.). Please give me your thoughts, esp. Aaron.

Finally, here is what I did today (excerpted from my training log): Rode my mountain bike for 50 mins, not hard or intervals, just working on technical skills and rough single hiking trails. Call it GPP on my bike. Was a good recovery for the legs. The idea was brought upon by my Womble experience last week and my lack of technical skills/balance issues. I did fall a few times today, when my rear wheel would fail to clear a parallel log on a curve. Ouch - forearm and knee always seem to find rocks in those types of falls. I was so frustrated on the trail that afterward I was practicing trying to trackstand in my backyard with the neighborhood kids watching.

[ODB]

The more I see people with Disc's the more I like my old fashioned rim squeezers. The nice hydrolics Aaron has squeaked all the way down the trail. That would drive me nuts if it was coming off my bike. (I've almost crashed trying to get the leaves out of my wheels cause I couldn't stand the noise.) Just the opinion of an old school rider.

Sounds like you got the bug for the mtb! Get those kids out there practicing the trackstands with you. They can never start too early.

Here is what I did today: I got my eggbeaters in yesterday so tonight I put them on and tried them out in the driveway some. I like them so far of course I haven't been on the trail with them yet. I got the Mallet C's so I still have some platform. They seem to clip in and out pretty easy. I'll keep you informed.

[Kaiser]

I used to be all about silence until 2 years ago I was riding Palos Hills (decent elevation for IL) in the rain and my brakes totally failed on a downhill. It was muddy and silty and the pads got fouled up and I had to bail.

You're gonna like the pedals. New flexible clip-in shoes like JP has are next.

I wasn't so much trackstanding as going very very very slow and trying to keep my balance. Trackstanding will come soon enough. I was working on bunny hopping and side hopping on the trail today, as well as slow turns (like you guys can do).

[silly]

I'm not sure about the $$$ b/c I haven't researched disc brakes, but I do know that the next bike I buy will have hydraulic disks. They do squeak, but so do V brakes when they're wet, as well. Additionally, I get sick of picking up leaves with my V brakes and worrying about pad wear before each epic ride, not to mention having to squeegie them on wet rides. Have you ever grabbed a handful of wet V brake on a downhill? Yep, they'll be hydraulics.

Personally, if it feels like a rip-off, it may be. Check out Performance and Colorado Cyclist...from what I've read on Bikeforums, the installation process isn't that difficult. Just a thought.

[bmph8ter]

Those are actually the brakes I have Kaiser. I love 'em. My biggest complaint is that sometimes the lever adjusting screw would back out (vibration I think) so the lever would hit my fingers when braking. I only use 1 finger on the brakes when riding (yeah, even on the Womble); try that with your V-brakes so it is somewhat of an issue to me. I found a super easy fix though and applied it right before we left. Back the screw out all the way and apply some sort of thread locker on it (I used nail polish) and screw it back in. Problem solved.

Disc brakes are a bit noisy, but I really don't care about that. I complained about it for the first few rides, but then I realized how well they stop. I use 1 finger on the brakes! You shouldn't have to worry about bleeding them (assuming your LBS does it right) unless something goes wrong (broken line or some such).

Flexible shoes? Why? That seems a bit counter productive to me. Stiffer soles should transfer power better and help prevent hot spots when riding pedals with small platforms. Not that I'm an expert or anything and I still ride flats on my bike.

[Kaiser]

Thanks silly. Interesting that you've changed your stance on the v-brakes now. The LBS doesn't try to rip me off, I just don't think they knew how to price these.

Thanks bmph8ter - I thought you had those brakes and why I wanted to get your feeback. I'll try to hammer the LBS down on price to see if I can afford.

Flexible shoes for ODB, not me, so he can scramble without fear of falling. I love my Diadora Jalapenos, but they're not so great for scrambling tough terrain.

[ODB]

Actually, years ago when I bought my road shoes I got some that can be used for mtb. They aren't bad with the new cleats. I think after some adjustment they will fit my spd's on the road bike. I may eventually get some eggs for the road mike if I like these pedals as much as I think I will.

NEXT UP: Getting some for ODBsGirl!

[FishrCutB8]

NEXT UP: Getting some for ODBsGirl!

NICE.....guess we'll have to stop calling you bitches....now, about MY chocolate...

[ODBSGIRL]

Originally posted by FishrCutB8:
NEXT UP: Getting some for ODBsGirl!

NICE.....guess we'll have to stop calling you bitches....now, about MY chocolate...

I'll continue to call bitches every time I fall over cause I can't get unclipped

[ODB]

***BITCHES***