Biking / other activities thread!

I probably already posted about it but back in summer 2020 I was in an area I haven't ridden in before, its very steep with blind corners. I came around a corner going fast, hit a rock that was like 3 feet tall and completely flat, went over my handlebars managed to flip and land on my feet. I was fine but my front rotor got bent. Went to the Trek store and got new brakes it was time anyway.

We had a serial killer in Anchorage on the bike trails in 2016. I got my new bike in 2016 so I was biking a lot. I was in the Valley of the Moon Park like 2 weeks before two people got shot there

Wow that's an old school mountain bike.

I started with BMX when I was a kid but at some point I lost interest in it. I had a pretty good bike, was a Dyno Comp or something. If I remember correctly, it was GT's more budget-friendly line but it was a good bike. Maybe a little heavier than the more expensive ones.

Having some knowledge of BMX as a kid definitely helped when I got into MTB many years later. I wish I still had my BMX bike from when I was a kid, I let a family member borrow it for their kids and I think it got stolen while they had it.

At nearly 40, I've learned lots of stuff that I didn't know how to do before, like manuals and bunnyhops. I'm still not great at doing manuals but each time, I'm getting better at keeping the wheel up for longer. Almost crashed into a tree last time I was able to hold the front wheel up for longer than a few seconds, luckily I was able to react quickly enough to avoid it.

I was thinking about getting either a 2022 Fuel EX 5 or even a 2022 Top Fuel 8. The shop I got my 2019 bike from was bought out by Trek, so it's a Trek Store now. Gonna give them a call and see if they can get one or the other for me.

Got a Top Fuel 8 reserved locally, gonna go pick it up tomorrow

I ended up getting a Fuel EX 8 instead, like yours. Wanted to get an XC bike (which the Top Fuel is) at first, but with my style of riding I chose the Fuel EX instead. I really enjoy techy terrain and climbs which that extra suspension really helps with. It may not be as fast as an XC but I had a lot of fun breaking it in today.

The store had both a red and a blue one but I went with the blue one. Always wanted a blue bike.

*edit* BTW when you get your Fuel EX 8, make sure everything on it works correctly. The cable run for the dropper post on mine had a defect from the factory, they had to fix it and it took a while. Just glad I noticed it before I left the store. Also ended up having to move the switch for the dropper post, where it was from the factory, my thumb kept getting caught behind it so I had to move it over to the right, on the other side of the brake lever. Was afraid it would cause a problem with the cable run but it seems okay.

I had my first ride on the Fuel Ex 8 today. Very smooth compared to my Superfly 5 which I expected. Its a bit heavier but has a far less aggressive geometry which I am enjoying so far. The dropper post is nice.

Because it took so long to get my bike they said I could have a free helmet and pair of gloves. I got a super light $300 Bontrager helmet no charge. It has a spot on it for the official Bontrager light or a gopro. Its magnetic so it just clips on and off. Also the chin strap is a magnet.

I went on the ride I know the best, it rained the last two days and was only 40 out. I got half way through and my favorite section was way too muddy to continue so I took a shortcut. Got in like 2/3 of my normal ride. The combination of the tubeless tire and full suspension is nice. I already had a seat post with a spring in it in my hardtail but thats obviously not as good as taking bumps as a full suspension and tubeless tires.

I'm kinda nervous about my tubeless leaking when I am on the trails but unlike when I rode in Alaska I don't go that far away from civilization here nor do I have to worry about brown bears. I got a tubeless repair kit hope I don't have to use it.

So far its a much nicer experience then what I am used too I just wish it wasn't December, when it gets into the low 30s it starts to get too cold for me to really enjoy biking.

Sweet deal. Yeah I heard that Trek changed their bike sizings, they also added a "Medium/Large" size (ML) between Medium and Large (for people who are between 5'8"-5'10") also their bikes in Small and Medium sizes come with 29" wheels, which is nice. I'm not too tall (5'6" or 5'7" maybe) so I needed a Medium frame bike. I'm glad this one came with 29" wheels, that was something I really wanted in a new bike.

Trek Fuel EX is a full-fledged trail bike, plenty of suspension travel for pretty much anything you throw at it. One thing I miss on my new bike is that on my 2019 Fuel EX 5, it has a watermark on the back of where the seatpost goes in, it's the shape of a mountain with stars above it. Trek used to put them on all of their bikes, it was a different shape based on what bike it was. Like the Marlin had an anthropomorphic marlin riding a bike behind the rear part of the frame somewhere. I looked for something like that on my new bike but didn't find anything, I guess they don't put those on their bikes anymore.

I like it a lot though, great bike so far. Mine has some clicking whenever I'm pedaling, gonna have to check and make sure everything's tight. I bought a workstand a while back and I've been wondering if it's okay to clamp a bike by the dropper post, looked up a few videos and they say that even mechanics at the bike shops clamp bikes by their dropper posts all day. It's a good idea to make sure the clamp is clean and won't leave particles of dirt or anything on the seatpost, can ruin the seal on a dropper post.

As far as I know the tubeless sealant is good and reliable, it just won't work with large punctures. Speaking of which, last time I went riding, someone booby-trapped this wooden feature by prying up boards and turning them upside-down so the nails were sticking up. I went through it the first day I had my bike and narrowly avoided it, they had even put another board between to force people left or right where the nails were sticking up. Not only could this have caused serious punctures or even damaged wheels, but it could've also resulted in serious injury or worse. Kids come to this trail too. Thankfully the parks & rec department fixed it very fast.

*edit* Also just put my bike up on the workstand and found what the clicking is when I'm pedaling, the end of the cable run for the derailleur (where it's capped) was left too long from the factory and it touches the chain sometimes. I think I can fix it myself but I'll probably take it to a shop and have them do it. It stays out of the way most of the time, it's only when I start riding crazy that it moves over from where it is.


Also need to cut down my handlebars by at least 1/2 an inch on each side.

One last thing, I really hate the lever for the dropper post it came with, my thumb slipped off it twice because it's just smooth/painted instead of being grippy. I was able to make it feel and grip better by putting some self-adhering medical wrap around it. You can find this stuff at Walgreens or any place like that, and it comes in different colors so you can make it match the bike too.

I dropped my old bike off to be shipped. While I was there I looked at those Bontrager lights, one of them actually has bluetooth and you can install a button on your handlebars to switch through the modes, pretty nice. The light I have now works perfectly fine its just not as nice.

I'm just glad we found it before someone else did, that sabotage could've really hurt someone, even some little innocent kid.

When it's cold out I usually wear my shorts, the spandex padded undershorts with them, and I also have these sleeve-type knee pads and also wear long socks, all that keeps me pretty warm.

If I ride on pavement I tend to lock out the suspension so I can pedal more efficiently, but sometimes I just leave it open. I don't tend to ride my bike(s) on concrete since they're both trail bikes, I don't want to wear out the tire tread too fast so I try to save em for the dirt. Even my first bike still has plenty of tread.

Also found that from the factory on my Fuel EX 8, they left the end of the inner cable down (the thing that kept touching the chain) instead of putting it around the groove and clamping it down. I was able to fix it but then had to re-adjust the gears from the adjuster on the shifter, but I think I have it all set now. I'm kind of a perfectionist so I spent like 3 hours last night messing with it to make sure it was right. The manual says to leave 20mm of that at the end but there's less than that, might take it to the Trek shop and have them re-do the shifter cable since it's their mistake, but it shifts just fine now so I'll probably just leave well enough alone.

Great bike though, for the first time ever last night I hopped onto the curb with each wheel independently without touching the curb, I think that was a huge milestone.

I was riding on a paved trail today and decided to lock the front and rear suspension, doesn't move an inch when its locked out damn.

I did this tonight but it was pitch black besides my lights. Didn't feel a single bump.

Sadly half way through it got muddy so I had to slow down

I'm glad to be out of Alaska but wish I could have biked on these new trails they put in at this ski area, that place was my base of operations been down the main hill and surrounding trails so many times

I saw brown bear cubs before I left, I was crazy close to a road too which is why it was so trippy. I flipped around like Neo and pedaled out of there as fast as I could. Was going up hill but I cleared it in record time lol