quote:

Originally posted by gw3971:

quote:

Originally posted by Ryanp225:
Thanks!

I rode a 29er all last year and while it was a bit faster and more planted it just wasn't as fun or flickable as the 27.5's. I suppose if I were competing or more into downhill speed I'd be very satisfied with the larger wheels but I'm only in it for the fitness and fun.

I wish I could keep both but I need to replenish the funds I stole from savings.

Couldn't agree more with your take on the 29ers. I have two 29ers and my old 26" Stumpjumper. only one is super fun to ride. I'm going to sell one of my 29ers as well.

If you like the old Stumpjumper with 26 in tires you would probably love a modern 27.5 or a mullet bike.

I still have an old Stumpy 26” and it’s sweet bike to ride. 27.5 is a good compromise between the superb handling of a 26 and the ability of 29 to roll over rocks and roots with indifference and speed.

Where it really gets interesting is when you combine 29 and 27.5 on the same bike. A 29/27.5 “Mullet” bike (business up front party in the back) is my favorite set up. It has also seen results in professional downhill racing with multiple race wins.

Specialized’s Status 160 doesn’t get nearly the attention the Stumpjumper gets. Which is too bad because it’s a hell of a mullet bike that’s down for anything. At their current discounted prices (rare for Specialized) one of the best bang for your buck bikes on the market with and impressive build sheet recently had $750 knocked off its price tag.

It made my 29ers obsolete in my eyes and led me to sell all but one of my full suspension bikes.

^^^
That's a great looking bike!

I ended up with one of each.
I sold my Marin full suspension 29er and picked up a used Specialized Rockhopper Pro hardtail 29er for after work rides and weekend bike path cruises with the girlfriend. I plan on putting some Maxxis Hookworm bmx style tires on it for riding on pavement with the occasional bike park trip.
The Giant full suspension 27.5 will be my primary bike when we go to the mountains and do any real mtb riding.

Picked up yet another trail bike. This is my first carbon framed bike and after a couple of quick rides this weekend I'm really digging it.

Oh wow. That’s very nice!!!

I need to try out a carbon frame.

Thanks! Its a 2022 5010 S build. I was looking pretty hard at the Status 140 but the shop I was at had a couple of these in stock and once I peddled it around I was ruined. lol
I also can't justify the $6500 price tag on the new models so I took to the classifieds and found this one in perfect shape. It also came with a Renthal Carbon fat bar and neck.
I picked it up for less than half the price of a new one.

quote:

Originally posted by stickman428:
Oh wow. That’s very nice!!!

I need to try out a carbon frame.

It's like crack! It's impossibly light and pops around like a bmx. The way they tune the flex and rigidity into the structure also makes a big difference. It works in tandem with the suspension to make this bike just melt into whatever surface your riding across.

I’ve been looking at single speed conversions. I like the simplicity and weight savings they offer.

It looks like many kits offer various rear sprocket sizes and if you’re smart and use a BCD104 chain ring up front you can swap out front chain rings in seconds.

This is a super clean single speed build that looks like fun. Many of the reviews I have read and watched have been positive. They feel a lot like a big BMX bike apparently.


My Soma has sliding dropouts so chain tensioning would be easy. It’s so tempting to pick up a used rear wheel on eBay for less than $200 and spend the $75 or so for a single speed rear conversion.

Ditching the shifter, derailleur and huge cassette should shave a bit of weight off an already surprisingly light weight frame.



At first glance the bike pictured below looks like a single speed. This Soma Juice is the newer version of my bike posted above. This is actually an internally geared hub by Rohloff, who offer models with 16 internally sealed gears and a wide gear range. It’s also belt driven and has a removable section of seat stay that unbolts to allow the belt to pass through the frame. You can see it to the right of the rear brake caliper.

It’s a neat design and perfect for someone who wants something with absolute minimal maintenance while traveling.

The technology is very neat but the price tag is steep. It’s sort of the equivalent of becoming an Sig Sauer enthusiast and then developing a taste for older Swiss P210 & German made X series pistols.

Very cool. I really like those internally geared setups for commuter/fitness bikes. But yea, the price tag on some of those talks me into keeping my old rock hopper.

Spring has sprung out here in Colorado. I took the new Santa Cruz 5010c out to the singletrack park yesterday to see if 150mm of travel will suffice for my crazy shenanigans.

Looks like you had a blast! That looks like a fun place to ride.

My local trails should be dry enough for a ride today.

I just recently tried out my first oval chain ring and I have to say I am impressed. The 34T oval chainring came on a bike I acquired recently. Had it not come installed I probably would never have tried it out.

It’s hard to explain but I do feel like I am climbing hills better and maintaining speed easier with an oval chainring.

Whenever I wear my chain out I was going to get an oval ring also.

One of the most bad ass hand made 4130 chromoly hardtails ever built is nearly done. There isn’t much left to upgrade other than wheels, tires, and hubs. It should be a fairly light bike that’s down for anything. The fork swap alone shaved off noticeable weight from the front.

So far I have upgraded not every but many of the components on the bike.
Upgrades:
Bars
Stem
Stem cap & spacers
Dropper lever
Pedals
Seat
Fork
Front disc

I have a lighter Giant rear wheel with a light Maxxis 2.35 in tire that I’ll be setting up as a “dingle” or “tringle” which is a single speed with two or three cogs installed. I’ll probably go with a 20T or 19T main cog for trails and a 13 &11 tooth cogs for flat land. Single speed kits are super modular so the sky is the limit as far as gear ratios and gear combos you can run.

The chain tensioners I am looking at are interesting. Many have an adjustable arm to move the tensioner pulley inward for chain alignment. This can also allow for some ability to switch gears though that kind defeats the purpose of a single speed. Still, it adds the ability to ride both flat land and hilly trails with very little weight penalty. Another option is to run an tensioner arm off the ISCG 05 tabs near the crank. Interesting.

I cut down and installed my 2022 Fox Factory 36 that I got from Jenson on clearance a few months ago for a stupid good price (sub $500!! ).

I also installed a 220mm Hope 2 piece front disc but quickly realized I will need a different Shimano brake adapter. The adapter I am running is a 203mm style so the brake pad is not covering 3mm + of the disc.

It’s an easy fix and I’ve already got the correct adapter inbound.

Here you can see the part of the disc that is not getting contact from the pad.

Mine was a 26 inch 1963 Schwinn Corvette. Had a rim brake on the front and a coaster brake in a 2 speed hub on the rear. It also featured Stainless Steel fenders so no concerns about rust freckles. Had the bike until 1982 when my Parents moved to Florida and Dad sold the bike without asking if I wanted it.

I’m gonna have a fun project to tackle on this rainy and unusually cold day.

Many trail riders would see it as a step backwards and in capability it’s hard to argue against that point but there are advantages to ditching the cassette, shifter and derailleur in favor of a “single speed” set up.

I’m still researching the best chain tensioner design to incorporate with my Chromag & Soma Valhallen.

I have a two cog derailleur looking chain tensioner that I picked up cheap on the fleabay. I’m leaning towards an ISCG 05 mounted chain tensioner near the crank since both bikes have ISCG 05 tabs and the weight penalty is very minimal with such a set up.

I see there are some fans of the Specialized Status on here! Here is a pic of mine at Angel Fire Bike Park. Definitely gear up for Angel Fire, full face helmet, elbow and knee pads, take the ski lift up and let gravity take over on the downhill. I built this one frame up, Shimano XT 11 speed, Zee brakes, I9 1/1 hubs on Stans Flow rims and Fox suspension. I have new Stumpjumper frame I am building up now. I will post a pic of it as soon as I'm finished.



I have retired my Santa Cruz Tallboy (also frame up build) to move parts over to the Stumpjumper. This one had Shimano XT drivetrain and Nobl carbon wheels. Tallboy is a great bike but I bought an XL frame and it was a smidge too big for me. I like messing around with bikes, so onto the next project.

Look up a Schwinn Roadmaster from the 1950's, and you will see why I don't understand most of this thread.

Awesome to see a fellow Specialized Status rider here.

I probably should have built mine up from a bare frame. When I’m done modifying it I will have ended up swapping out most of the parts. Though I suppose it is nice to ride it while I slowly improve it.


I went on an intermediate/advanced trail yesterday. It was my first time trying out the new Fox Factory 36 Fork and new 220mm Hope front rotor.

I’m used to riding this trail on a full suspension Status with 160mm travel up front and out back. The trail has lots of drops, rocks, roots and generally neat the snot out of me. I was riding a 27.5 in tire Chromag hardtail with a stiff oversized chromoly frame and a 160mm fork.

The feedback from the Fox fork on the trail is superb. Twice I rode quite close to the limit but was able to feel the tire begin to slip out and recovered.

I believe the VERY slack 64.5° head angle also helped. The steeper the angle the faster/ more twitchy the steering is. A slack angle is a lot less twitchy and in my experience works great on the Chromag for its intended purpose of going fast downhill.

Speaking of Specialized....in SC



In MA

Stickman the complete bike Status is such a good deal right now, it makes sense to start riding one immediately and upgrade as you go along.

I am a little amazed it took 40 years for mountain bike designers to figure out head angle geometry! The early mtb pioneers just adopted road bike geometry with 71º angles in the beginning. You almost had to accept when you made a sudden stop flying thru the air over the handlebars was part of the sport! With the 63.7º head angle on the Status I really have lost my fear of going over the handlebars on a steep black trail. I still crash occasionally, but it's not like the old days. All designs are a tradeoff though and that geometry is slacker than I need for 90% of my riding,

I am looking forward to getting back on the Stumpjumper for green and blue trails. It will be lighter, more efficient pedaler, shorter wheelbase and 65º head angle for faster cornering on tighter trails.

I picked up an oval chainring also, in preparation for a Colorado trip last summer. I wanted all the help I could get for climbing up the mountains at 11,000' elevation (I live at 1200'). I got an Absolute Black 12º chainring. It felt weird at first especially pedaling fast on flat terrain. I do think it helps on the uphills. I may order a Wolftooth 10º oval chainring and try it out, as a little bit of a compromise.

Pics of the two best rides I have ever done. This is the reason I try and stay in shape, so I can do these rides. Trail 401 in Crested Butte, there wasn't anything technical about the ride, just have to climb up to see the views (I confess there was a jeep ride part of the way up, but you have to pedal and hike a bike after a certain point).



Another ride thru Doctor Park. It doesn't look steep in this picture, but going downhill 21mph without pedaling thru the Aspens was a blast.

ibanda, dang man I don’t know how I missed your post! I was about to post up a pic from todays glorious sunrise ride when I saw your post. Holy smokes!! What a view!

We have some nice trails here in NC but that is just breathtaking! I couldn’t imagine biking a trail like that! I bet that’s a day you will remember forever.

You’re right about the Status. I have slowly been modifying mine. It is so much fun on the black Diamond trails, especially the downhill sections. It’s not ideal for the green and blue trails as my Scott Spark feels WAYYY faster but it’s still capable enough to tackle them and have fun.


I used to get up early to surf at VA Beach and got pretty depressed when I moved away from the ocean. Mountain biking is one of those things that gets me up before the sun with a smile on my face just like surfing used to. The supremely good feeling of heading home after a nice surfing session is remarkably similar to the feeling I had heading home after todays ride.

What a great way to start the day!!!







My two favorite rides in one pic. . The Integra would look wild painted the same color as the Soma Valhallen.

My Baja Blue Soma Juice is torn apart again but will be getting rebuilt with a Fox front shock very soon. It’s gonna look amazing when it is done and be a VERY light hard tail trail bike.

More to come soon.