- Location
- Grantsville, Utah
Idaho backcountry discovery route would be pretty neat as a route for bikepacking.
Any Mtn Bikers on RME?
- Thread starter glockman
- Start date
sixstringsteve
Well-Known Member
- Location
- UT
Agreed! I've ridden part of the UTBDR and it was kinda meh. Gorgeous, but more of a slog than I thought. Idaho would be awesome. I drove part of the route last year and saw a lot of gravel/bikepacking bikes out there. I'd love to arrange a trip out there.
sixstringsteve
Well-Known Member
- Location
- UT
I just sold my Bronson. Now I'm bikeless...
I think my next bike will be a plus hardtail for bikepacking and general riding. It'll probably be a Santa Cruz chameleon 650b+, but I'm also looking at a salsa timberjack.
I think my next bike will be a plus hardtail for bikepacking and general riding. It'll probably be a Santa Cruz chameleon 650b+, but I'm also looking at a salsa timberjack.
sixstringsteve
Well-Known Member
- Location
- UT
Those 3.0 wide tires may come in handy for the snow that might be up there. 
I plan on riding the goose on Saturday, but if the high is lower than 45*, I may have to rethink tgat decision ...
I plan on riding the goose on Saturday, but if the high is lower than 45*, I may have to rethink tgat decision ...
- Location
- Stinkwater
Temps don't scare me, but if it's wet I'll probably end up looking for something else to do.
sixstringsteve
Well-Known Member
- Location
- UT
Little creek mesa will be a good choice if it's wet at gooseberry.
sixstringsteve
Well-Known Member
- Location
- UT
Kevin, when do you arrive in St. George? We're riding Barrel and Zen tonight for anyone in the area that wants to join us.
- Location
- Stinkwater
We're not going to be down until Friday evening.
sixstringsteve
Well-Known Member
- Location
- UT
Hey Kevin (and Eric, and anyone else coming...) which direction/trails do you want to ride at Gooseberry on Sat?
sixstringsteve
Well-Known Member
- Location
- UT
New bike day.
Benjy was kind enough to let me use his stand and his tools. I'm loving this thing.
Benjy was kind enough to let me use his stand and his tools. I'm loving this thing.
- Location
- Stinkwater
I've been on Gooseberry twice, ridden Windmill and Bowls and Ledges and part of the North Rim. Ian's ridden Windmill and B&L with me. Haven't been on South Rim at all yet, so if you've got a preference I'm happy to defer? I dunno what we're doing Sunday, if my wife comes down we're going to find something fun for her and the little guy, otherwise I have no specific plans. I have an eyeball on Wire Mesa, but that Little Creek Mesa you suggested looks fun too. I'll be around and looking for a ride for the first part of Monday too, unless you wear me out Saturday and Sunday.
Brady/Dutchman is coming, and a friend Conner who isn't on RME. Eric is a maybe, I'm working on him though.
You guys going to come up and hang with us Friday night? Probably be at 37.1518, -113.1719 unless somebody else gets there first.
- Location
- Stinkwater
That looks like a very Steve bike.
- Location
- Stinkwater
No expert, but they mostly have to do with where your COG is in relation to the wheels. Shorter chainstays make for a shorter wheelbase and suck the rear wheel up under the butt, makes for a more playful but not as efficient bike, longer chainstays make the bike more stable but not as nimble.
Seat tube and head tube angles are measured in degrees, where 90 is vertical. Slack is shallower angles, and the new hotness. Those angles bias your COG fore and aft, and the head tube angle has an effect on your steering where the seat tube angle locates your butt in relation to the bottom bracket. Together they are supposed to determine whether a bike is an efficient and precise rocket on the climbs or a forgiving magic carpet on the descents, and if it's an enduro bike then of course it's both (until the next trend comes out).
Tonkaman
Well-Known Member
- Location
- West Jordan
Excellent description!
sixstringsteve
Well-Known Member
- Location
- UT
Cool. I'm down with whatever. Bowls and Ledges is probably my favorite section of that trail, with South Rim in a close second. We are game for whatever the group wants to do. We almost always end up riding out to the point, then taking south rim down, followed by bowls and ledges out.
I dunno what we're doing Sunday, if my wife comes down we're going to find something fun for her and the little guy, otherwise I have no specific plans. I have an eyeball on Wire Mesa, but that Little Creek Mesa you suggested looks fun too. I'll be around and looking for a ride for the first part of Monday too, unless you wear me out Saturday and Sunday.
Unfortunately we're leaving the area Saturday night, so that's our only day to play. Wire mesa is more fun than little creek mesa in my opinion. Wire mesa is a blast.
Unsure. We may do swing out there and camp with you guys. That would be a lot of fun.
sixstringsteve
Well-Known Member
- Location
- UT
Kevin did a great job explaining this,.
Short chainstays make it easier to lift the front wheel (both pedalled and coasting), turn, and in general make it more maneuverable. Longer chainstays are more "stable" at speed (but harder to lift the front wheel.). I don't think either one affects efficiency. The weird thing is that bike companies often use the same chainstay length for their XS as for their XL, which makes no sense for the rider. As a small rider, I prefer chainstays as short as physically possible. I can turn, jump, and lift the front wheel better on this new bike than almost any other bike.
A slack head angle affects how the bike steers. I like a 64.5-66* head angle. A steeper head angle is better at slow speeds (like when climbing). A slacker head angle is more stable at speed, and better for turning by leaning (rather than twisting the handlebars).
- Location
- Stinkwater
I really hope that my long chainstays are why I can't manual yet. If I get a short chainstay bike and still can't I'm going to be very put out.
So a lower number "more slack"? and steeper is higher number correct? Just want to make sure i'm on the same page. I was never good at geometry
My head angle is 66 degree's and my chainstay is 425mm. I think thats a fairly short? and considered more slack? My bike is a riot, I can't manual at all but thats operator error. My only complaint on my bike is weight. Climbs very stable, suspension doesn't eat up my pedal stroke on climbs, playful in corners