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Post by ForRealTho on Sept 24, 2020 9:56:34 GMT -5
So I got a little Fiio m3k MP3 player back in April to replace my iPod. At first I liked it but the problem is it has a touch screen. It is very humid where I live and everytime you touch it to change tracks a little bit of moisture gets on the screen. After a few hours of this the thing becomes unusable. Plus it has no clip on the back. I realize touch screens are all the rage but literally all I need in a player is the ability to hit next track cuz I shuffle play. The problem with the little clip MP3 players is none of them hold a 256 gig SDCARD. I'm thinking of just getting this little cheap thing and a 128 gig SDCARD then just converting my music collection on the fly to 256k mp3. It should easily come in under 128 gigs if I do that. Its so cheap even if its trash I won't be out of a lot of money. www.amazon.com/Oakcastle-Bluetooth-Headphones-Waterproof-Expandable/dp/B08BJBJTMF/ref=sr_1_6?dchild=1&keywords=mp3+player&qid=1600958653&sr=8-6 |
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Post by ForRealTho on Oct 2, 2020 20:20:19 GMT -5
Went full on night riding for the first time. Borrowed a really strong light that attaches to your handlebars. A lot of fun, went crazy fast on some downhill sections I recommend trying it.
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Post by ForRealTho on Oct 2, 2020 20:27:08 GMT -5
Obviously I didn't film this but it was like this but on a bumpy singletrack.
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Post by Coolverine on Oct 2, 2020 20:51:21 GMT -5
I've always wanted to go riding at night, people keep telling me to just buy a cheap light set on Amazon but I want to get a good one. Lumina Niterider seems good, I was thinking the 1800 on the bike and the 750 on the helmet.
Went for a ride today, it was a lot of fun. Someone on the trail was trying to catch up and pass me but he couldn't and gave up eventually.
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Post by ForRealTho on Oct 2, 2020 20:58:49 GMT -5
I've always wanted to go riding at night, people keep telling me to just buy a cheap light set on Amazon but I want to get a good one. Lumina Niterider seems good, I was thinking the 1800 on the bike and the 750 on the helmet. Went for a ride today, it was a lot of fun. Someone on the trail was trying to catch up and pass me but he couldn't and gave up eventually. I borrowed a Niterider for tonights ride but got a cheaper one on Amazon just now. I have a headlamp but not as bright. I used a light before but only at the tail end of rides in Arizona. Spent over an hour in dark tonight |
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Post by Coolverine on Oct 5, 2020 15:31:38 GMT -5
One time I got stuck out on a trail when nightfall came and I don't have any lights. Still had a couple of miles back to the parking lot and all I could see was the lighter colored path of the trail on the ground in front of me, everything else was completely dark. I just kept praying that I wouldn't crash and kept following the path until I was out.
*edit* I've heard that the MTB trails around here are allowed to be ridden the opposite direction at night, with lights. I need to do that someday, there are some places that would be interesting to do the opposite direction, to say the least.
Normally during the day, it's clockwise direction for bikers and counter-clockwise for hikers, but hikers/joggers are always breaking that rule. It's even worse when they have earbuds in and can't hear you coming from behind them and asking them to move. Maybe if they keep doing this, foot traffic will be banned from the trails and only bikes would be allowed, that would be a dream come true.
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Post by ForRealTho on Oct 5, 2020 17:24:03 GMT -5
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Post by Coolverine on Oct 6, 2020 19:17:37 GMT -5
I know someone from work who has one of these, they've been on Amazon under different brands but he says it's a good one.
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Post by Coolverine on Oct 7, 2020 20:22:12 GMT -5
My friend wanted me to find a cheap mountain bike for him, but when I told him what it would cost for a decent one, I think he might've changed his mind. He was wanting to buy a cheap bike from Craigslist, but it's not even worth what the seller was asking for it. Actually seems like most of the cheap bikes on Craigslist are overpriced, you can buy the newer model of the same bike from the store for just a little bit more. I remember when I was a kid, my first ever bike was a cheap department store bike. When I started getting better at riding, it actually broke just from me riding it normally on pavement. The crank bearings broke and spilled out everywhere, later that year my parents got me a real BMX bike and the difference was like night and day, it never broke and lasted for many years. It's worth it to spend $$ on a bike.
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Post by ForRealTho on Oct 8, 2020 18:15:01 GMT -5
My friend wanted me to find a cheap mountain bike for him, but when I told him what it would cost for a decent one, I think he might've changed his mind. I saw a guy walk into Trek when I was there, look at a couple of prices, look at his girlfriend and shake his head and leave. Bikes are pretty ridiculous to be fair. Got my light in. Bike is orange and so are the mounts on the light by luck  |
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Post by Coolverine on Oct 8, 2020 18:54:45 GMT -5
That's a nice bike, I have a Trek too. Is that the Gary Fisher edition one?
Those cheap department store bikes are more like toys than actual riding machines, that's what a lot of people don't realize. I think they actually put warning stickers on them that say not to take them on actual mountain bike trails. If you think about it, cheaping out on a bike is akin to cheaping out on a car. Still, for just casual rides around the neighborhood or on gravel roads and maybe some trail riding with just flat ground, they aren't all bad.
I do agree though, bikes are pretty pricy, even the cheap ones that are around $100-$200 should really cost only half that much. Whenever I see front suspension with no air valve on those cheap bikes though, I get worried. Probably means there's just springs in there.
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Post by ForRealTho on Oct 8, 2020 20:31:15 GMT -5
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Post by ForRealTho on Oct 8, 2020 20:32:55 GMT -5
That's a nice bike, I have a Trek too. Is that the Gary Fisher edition one?
No its a Superfly 5. My first "real" bike was a Gary Fisher Wahoo. When I was ready to upgrade Gary Fisher was bought out by Trek and the Superfly 5 has a very similar geometry. They actually discontinued the Superfly series I forget which one the lady at the story said is the successor. |
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Post by Coolverine on Oct 8, 2020 22:49:52 GMT -5
I know some who has a Superfly 100 Gary Fisher edition, it looks a lot like yours but full suspension.
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Post by ForRealTho on Oct 9, 2020 10:30:14 GMT -5
I know some who has a Superfly 100 Gary Fisher edition, it looks a lot like yours but full suspension. That bike looks great. My bike is 4 years old and still going strong. I think getting a new bike every 10 years is good interval. I thought about getting a carbon fiber full suspension Trek but instead I just got a seat post with a shock in it, then I replaced the stock bike seat with one with build in pads, then on top of that I got a big gel seat cover off Amazon. I don't feel like I am missing anything not having full suspension. 2026 will be the 10 year mark on my current bike, at that point I might spring for a $5,000 bike but dunno if I wanna go that crazy with it. |
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2020 13:26:46 GMT -5
My friend wanted me to find a cheap mountain bike for him, but when I told him what it would cost for a decent one, I think he might've changed his mind. I saw a guy walk into Trek when I was there, look at a couple of prices, look at his girlfriend and shake his head and leave. Bikes are pretty ridiculous to be fair. Got my light in. Bike is orange and so are the mounts on the light by luck Well, that's the sacrifice your friend chooses to make. Unless a man is making serious bank, that man usually has to make financial sacrifices in order to maintain and keep a gf (or wife). I hope his relationship pans out for him. Otherwise, it's a serious waste of time & resources.. More specifically, imo, it's wasted time & resources regardless unless they have children (I've never know a couple that's been married 8+ years who are still happy with their marriage partner). But they often still love their children, regardless of the duration of marriage (or even if it ends in divorce), so marriage can arguably be worth it when a given married couple has kids. Your bike looks very similar (same brand and color scheme) to the one I bought some ~20 years ago and gave to my younger brother ~10 years ago. Now, I mostly walk/run for exercise. Thankfully, I don't have any knee or joint issues, despite approaching my late 40's. I have four siblings with joint and/or back issues though (the older two are obese, and the younger two abused drugs/alcohol and worked physically demanding jobs for decades). So yeah, definitely keep up the exercise and eating right to remain fit & happy, and extend your quality of life to mid-life and possibly beyond. |
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Post by Coolverine on Oct 9, 2020 15:16:49 GMT -5
I'll be 40 in a few years, been into mountain biking for 1 year and I'm in better shape than I've ever been, I even had knee and wrist problems but that's all gone now. I roughly did the math and I've biked nearly 800 miles in a year, all off-road. 800 miles is a little more than the width of Texas.
When I decided to get into shape, I started with jogging (and then running) and I think that gave me a big boost when I got into mountain biking. I did injure my knees early on with jogging/running but I just kept muscling through the pain and going as far as I could, eventually my knees healed and became a lot stronger.
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Post by Coolverine on Oct 9, 2020 15:20:15 GMT -5
I know some who has a Superfly 100 Gary Fisher edition, it looks a lot like yours but full suspension. That bike looks great. My bike is 4 years old and still going strong. I think getting a new bike every 10 years is good interval. I thought about getting a carbon fiber full suspension Trek but instead I just got a seat post with a shock in it, then I replaced the stock bike seat with one with build in pads, then on top of that I got a big gel seat cover off Amazon. I don't feel like I am missing anything not having full suspension. 2026 will be the 10 year mark on my current bike, at that point I might spring for a $5,000 bike but dunno if I wanna go that crazy with it.
My first ever bike is full squish, I've lost 9lbs this year so I think I actually need to let some air out of both shocks now. Nothing wrong with hardtails, they'll actually be less maintenance in the long run and you get a lot more pedaling power out of it when going uphill. Sometimes I lock out my rear shock, depends on the terrain, but for the most part I leave it open. If there's one thing I do want on my bike, it's a dropper seatpost. I'm not so sure that it's an absolutely necessity, but sometimes I do feel like I want the seat out of the way.
I think I did find a bike for my friend that he can afford, normally there would be many decent used bikes to choose from but the pandemic has everything in short supply.
If I could have any bike right now, I think I'd get the Fuel EX 9.9, I love the colors on the 2020 model. It's got this red/black/grey color and then there's some gold on the front forks, just looks awesome to me. I have the Fuel EX 5, it absolutely shreds the dirt out there and goes over just about everything. I can only imagine how much better the higher end models of this bike are.
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Post by Deleted on Oct 9, 2020 16:06:14 GMT -5
I'll be 40 in a few years, been into mountain biking for 1 year and I'm in better shape than I've ever been, I even had knee and wrist problems but that's all gone now. I roughly did the math and I've biked nearly 800 miles in a year, all off-road. 800 miles is a little more than the width of Texas. When I decided to get into shape, I started with jogging (and then running) and I think that gave me a big boost when I got into mountain biking. I did injure my knees early on with jogging/running but I just kept muscling through the pain and going as far as I could, eventually my knees healed and became a lot stronger. That brings up an important point. If you're just starting (from a previously sedentary lifestyle) and/or you're obese, running can be very hard on your joints and possibly even cause permanent joint damage. For those ppl, it's better to start with low impact aerobic (like cycling, swimming, or elliptical), build strength and attain normal weight, before running. Also, taking Vitamin D and Glucosamine Chondroitin supplements, and staying hydrated before & during exercise are helpful in protecting joints and possibly preventing arthritis. www.nccih.nih.gov/health/glucosamine-and-chondroitin-for-osteoarthritisArthritis is an autoimmune disease (ADs) and government studies have linked ADs with Vitamin D deficiency. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31401314/ |
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Post by ForRealTho on Oct 9, 2020 16:09:34 GMT -5
I'll be 40 in a few years, been into mountain biking for 1 year and I'm in better shape than I've ever been, I even had knee and wrist problems but that's all gone now. I roughly did the math and I've biked nearly 800 miles in a year, all off-road. 800 miles is a little more than the width of Texas. When I decided to get into shape, I started with jogging (and then running) and I think that gave me a big boost when I got into mountain biking. I did injure my knees early on with jogging/running but I just kept muscling through the pain and going as far as I could, eventually my knees healed and became a lot stronger. See I already did the "Get in shape thing" back in the early 2000s. When I was in college I started going to the gym 5 days a week. Soon as I finished college and got a job I got my first bike. My endurance was through the roof then compared to now. I turn 40 next year so I can't push as hard as I did when I was 25. |
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Post by Coolverine on Oct 9, 2020 16:31:15 GMT -5
There's a specific way to jog/run, your feet aren't supposed to hit the ground but if you've never jogged/ran or done very little of it, your legs are weak and it's difficult to do it the correct way. I noticed after a while, I was able to jog/run more lightly on my feet and they weren't slapping onto the pavement anymore. I don't do much running anymore but when I do, I can still feel like the strength in my legs always makes me able to do it correctly.  I've never been very overweight, thankfully. |
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Post by ForRealTho on Oct 9, 2020 21:34:06 GMT -5
Wish I had a GoPro, went on a nice long ride tonight with my lights and a good group. It adds to the experience when it is crazy dark IMO. Almost wrecked in a really jagged rocky area but other then that we were hauling ass the whole time.
One of the dudes in my group was like "is that a Superfly?" when we were talking about bikes lol
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Post by Coolverine on Oct 11, 2020 18:22:16 GMT -5
Nice. I want to get a gopro, probably soon. I'm having to take a break from biking for a few days, my entire right arm started cramping up yesterday after my ride, when I woke up today my muscles were twitching a little. I think I've been going too much, probably need to stretch some too.
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Post by ForRealTho on Oct 12, 2020 8:17:54 GMT -5
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Post by ForRealTho on Oct 12, 2020 8:24:57 GMT -5
Nice. I want to get a gopro, probably soon. I'm having to take a break from biking for a few days, my entire right arm started cramping up yesterday after my ride, when I woke up today my muscles were twitching a little. I think I've been going too much, probably need to stretch some too. Back in 2016 or 17 I ended up at the doctor with a messed up arm from going to much so I try and avoid that. So Friday night was about 12 of us following the group leader. I had never been on that trail system so I did my best to just keep up with the group. At one point they decided it would be faster to take the road to get to the next trail. We turned a few times and went to a different group of trails. I recognized where we ended up but not how we got there exactly. Its confusing in the dark. So Saturday I went to the same area at noon, no need for my lights but things look way different middle of the day then pitch black obviously. I followed the same route and at some point diverged not sure where. I kinda snapped out of it when I realized I had no idea where I was. They put red paint on a tree to mark the main trail but I was in a way different trail system then I started. I opened up Google Maps on my phone and it was a good 40 minutes on the road back to the parking lot. I decided to call it there. Got back to my car at 4 pm. 4 hours on the trails is a lot. Went home before I overdid it. |
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Post by ForRealTho on Oct 14, 2020 9:14:26 GMT -5
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Post by ForRealTho on Oct 24, 2020 19:23:23 GMT -5
So I filmed a crappy clip on my phone riding with lights at the end of a ride last night. Pitch black out there lol
Today I rode with a faster group then I am used too. Hauling ass and then got to an area where we were backed up and I did what you are never supposed to do and changed gears at a dead stop. Managed to snap my chain in half.
Luckily was a bike shop a 10 minutes drive away and they were open so I got a new chain. In and out 5 minutes. A new chain was $20 so I saw no point in fixing the old one, especially since it was a 4 year old chain.
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Post by ForRealTho on Oct 26, 2020 10:50:21 GMT -5
Been thinking about getting clip on pedals. I was riding with a guy with them and he just flew up hills. Makes me nervous I might fall over and break my back tho
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Post by Coolverine on Oct 26, 2020 20:16:14 GMT -5
All you have to do is turn your foot out and kick out to the side to un-clip, I actually had more trouble getting them clipped in than out, also I think you can adjust how much force it takes to un-clip them. I would recommend wearing kneepads while practicing with those, I've busted my knee twice practicing with them on pavement. I still use platform pedals on my bike (Shimano GR-500's) and I took out the big spacers on the pegs so they hook onto my shoes better. I've found that if I point my toes downward and scoop back on them, I get more power and speed out of it, especially on climbs.
Here's a video where this guy (Alex aka Single Track Sampler) had a lot of trouble getting up a big rock with platform pedals, but I think eventually he made it up.
I might switch to those clip-in pedals one day but not yet. The platform pedals I use have been great though, I've made it up lots of steep stuff that I had trouble with in the past. I think being in the correct gear when climbing is equally as important. They also made magnetic pedals with very strong magnets at some point but I haven't been able to find them. Seemed interesting but then you'd have to worry about the magnets being near your other things, maybe that's why they can't be found anymore. One review I read doesn't recommend them at all, said that there wasn't enough grip and they slide around.
Unfortunately it's been raining and cold for the last several days here, so I haven't been able to go riding.  |
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Post by ForRealTho on Oct 27, 2020 13:21:21 GMT -5
I'm thinking next year my bike will be 5 years old so I could get a proper trail bike like the Fuel. The Superfly is a cross country bike and all I do is trail ride anymore. Winter is rapidly setting in here so I won't be biking till probably late March. I tried winter biking when I still lived in Alaska and I hated it. Breathing in the freezing air while giving it your all robs you of so much power it just sucks.
Been watching comparisons like this tho
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