by "The Lurktastic Opponaught" (oppolurker)
Published 01/28/2017 at 14:11
by "The Lurktastic Opponaught" (oppolurker)
Published 01/28/2017 at 14:11
Tags: I think the appropriate response is squeeeee
STARS: 3
Boris the evil brute to be exact. Now I wait...
:-D
"bob and john" (bobandjohn)
01/28/2017 at 14:16, STARS: 0
fat tire? fat tire.
I havent been into the cycling stuff for like 6 years now. so many advancements have been made since.
"The Lurktastic Opponaught" (oppolurker)
01/28/2017 at 14:20, STARS: 0
I’ve been reading constantly to reeducate myself beyond my ancient 3x7 trek with v-brakes. Luckily I have a colleague that’s well versed, and he advised me on my purchase. It took a lot of reading to finally feel comforable enough to pull the trigger.
"bob and john" (bobandjohn)
01/28/2017 at 14:21, STARS: 0
3x7 and v brakes? dude. did you come out of the 90s?
"The Lurktastic Opponaught" (oppolurker)
01/28/2017 at 14:27, STARS: 1
I’ve been thrashing my trek for over twenty years with good success. I love that geometry and can can fly on that frame, but I upgraded to fat so I can have a year-round ride.
"The Lurktastic Opponaught" (oppolurker)
01/28/2017 at 14:32, STARS: 0
I also had a couple of bad crashes last season where ambition>talent, and while not in need of retirement, the frame should probably be limited to bike trail duty with the kids.
"OPPOsaurus WRX" (opposaurus)
01/28/2017 at 14:59, STARS: 3
my what fat tires you have
i was sitting here thinking, this would be a hell of a lot better with snow tires
"Highlander-Datsuns are Forever" (jamesbowland)
01/28/2017 at 15:05, STARS: 0
Did you order it? I’m curious to see what you think of the 4" tires. My new bike has 27.5x 3" tires and while it has grip galore I am getting a set of 29" wheels and tires as soon as the snow melts, those 3" tires are so fucking slow on pavement.
"The Lurktastic Opponaught" (oppolurker)
01/28/2017 at 15:08, STARS: 2
Yeah, I finally convinced myself to buy it this morning. It comes with 4.7" tires, and will take up to 5". I borrowed a friend’s fat bike before pulling the trigger, and yeah, transiting to the trail head on road sucks. Especially at 8 psi.
"Highlander-Datsuns are Forever" (jamesbowland)
01/28/2017 at 15:14, STARS: 1
I’m running about 16-17 psi on the 3" tires. I had to get a new pressure gauge that would measure accurately at that low of a pressure. 1-2 psi really does make a huge difference when I’m targeting such a low psi.
"The Lurktastic Opponaught" (oppolurker)
01/28/2017 at 15:16, STARS: 1
What I should mention is that with a fat bike, there is no bad line, there is no question of being able to climb, and zero doubt when descending. There is almost no terrain that’s unridable on a fat bike. As long I supplied power, it just went.
"The Lurktastic Opponaught" (oppolurker)
01/28/2017 at 15:24, STARS: 1
I’m going to need a high volume low pressure pump for this one. My usual co2/patch kit outfit isn’t going to cut it anymore, and I also anticipate the need to adjust tire pressure more frequently.
"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
01/28/2017 at 15:24, STARS: 2
Watch it, sonny. Lurking around here are many more old timers than you think!
My Super-V was built in 1996. I upgraded to v-brakes in ‘97. :) This pic was taken five years ago while on a ride with my son.
Although newer, my Redline still rocks ancient technology - moustache bars, barcons and cantis.
My Schwinn, built in 1976, still has *
gasp
* long-reach calipers. If not for the
drop bolts
, it would still be rocking 27" wheels.
"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
01/28/2017 at 15:26, STARS: 0
With the nearest trails almost an hour away, I’m stuck on the pavement. I don’t even like riding 2" tires there. Fatties would be horrible!
Congratulations on the purchase, anyway. Did you order from BikesDirect? If so, I’d like to hear how their service is.
"Highlander-Datsuns are Forever" (jamesbowland)
01/28/2017 at 15:30, STARS: 1
I am dreading the first on trail flat repair. Going to be pumping for ages. I’m set up tubeless but would need to install a tube if the hole is too big.
"Highlander-Datsuns are Forever" (jamesbowland)
01/28/2017 at 15:32, STARS: 1
So true. I easily cleaned several very technical climbs on the Fuse the very first time I rode them. It had taken me several tries on my old bike a dual suspension 29er.
"The Lurktastic Opponaught" (oppolurker)
01/28/2017 at 15:33, STARS: 0
I grew up riding a lot of technical urban terrain on a early generation cross country hardtail. It taught me a lot about bike handling, making the move to wooded single track easier since I moved to Maine. Just because you live in the city doesn’t mean fun can’t be had.
"The Lurktastic Opponaught" (oppolurker)
01/28/2017 at 15:37, STARS: 0
Yeah, the mulefut wheels it’s spec’d with are tubeless compatible, which I’ll consider.
"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
01/28/2017 at 15:52, STARS: 1
I grew up in the boondocks and didn’t start riding urban until my twenties. That’s not to suggest that I did a lot of trail riding before then. It was BMX (not on a track) until my teens, then roads until I started driving. I didn’t pick up a mountain bike until college.
Now I live in rural suburbia. It’s far enough out to have some large parcels/small ranches/small farms, but close enough in for leapfrog housing developments. We can call up horses on the ranch at the end of the street, but there are 50 houses on our street.
There isn’t much in the way of technical urban terrain to ride. The nearest “urban” building is a large school. The area is so flat there aren’t even any stairs to ride. The only steep slopes are the ditches.
Private property in the area is all fenced. The only “open” land is the utility corridor where the regional electric transmission lines run. The four-wheelers have churned those to impassable mud bogs.
I’ve tried to find decent places to ride. The nearest decent trail is nearly an hour away, the only decent urban area is downtown Baton Rouge, at least half an hour away.
This is the downfall of living near the swamp.
"The Lurktastic Opponaught" (oppolurker)
01/28/2017 at 15:55, STARS: 0
I’m sorry, that sounds like purgatory for cyclists.
"Stephenson Valve Gear" (stephensonvalvegear)
01/28/2017 at 17:23, STARS: 1
Beautiful Bike! Congratulations!
I love my fat bike. It’s like riding around on a cross between a mountain bike, monster truck and farm tractor. In other words, it is a hoot!
"The Lurktastic Opponaught" (oppolurker)
01/28/2017 at 19:36, STARS: 0
Thanks! I’m really looking forward to it. It’s my first new bike in a long time, and my first with XT. Should be a good time.
"The Lurktastic Opponaught" (oppolurker)
02/08/2017 at 22:33, STARS: 0
Bikesdirect has been pretty good. My bike was shipped FedEx freight and arrived on-time, which was good as I needed to take a day off to sign for it. It did have a wonky brake caliper upon arrival, but bikesdirect, with a bit of prodding, is sending me a replacement gratis and letting me keep the old brakeset as a spare. That’s a fair deal, especially when it’s a sram guide hydraulic. The bike itself is fantastic. Shimano XT derailleurs and shifters, race face crank and bb, guide rs brakes, and mulefut wheelset on frame with very good fit and finish, a ton of braze-ons, and that was delivered for 1199. That’s an unreal price. Assembly and tuning was easy, but it wouldn’t be a good idea for someone who only changes the occasional inner tube. If things like anti-sieze and inch-pounds don’t frighten you, you’ll be fine.
"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
02/09/2017 at 08:13, STARS: 0
Although I’ve never been a bike tech, I play one in my garage.
It sounds like a good deal. I’ve been browsing their site for years, but being cheap, I’ve built most bikes from the frame up using a mix of new and used parts or they’ve been rescues and I’ve had to do a frame up restorations. Well, there were two complete bikes that I bought used. Really, I can only think of one I bought new from the shop.
I think my next big new purchase will be a really nice touring bike. Anything I get will have to get some parts swapped out since I really prefer moustache bars and barcons.
Enjoy your new bike! I look forward to an extensive Oppo review!
"The Lurktastic Opponaught" (oppolurker)
02/09/2017 at 09:21, STARS: 1
This is the first new bike I’ve bought as an adult. Everything else has been used bought used and maintained to keep it rolling. Bikesdirect was the only company offering competitive new prices against used bikes. You’re not paying for customer service, though.
"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
02/09/2017 at 09:26, STARS: 0
It looks like a good deal for the mechanically-minded. It may not be such a good deal for those who don’t know which end of the wrench goes on the nut.
"The Lurktastic Opponaught" (oppolurker)
02/09/2017 at 10:32, STARS: 0
You’re buying a box of bike parts, some assembly and tuning required. As long as you know that going into it (and can bike shop based on geometry charts) you’ll be fine.
"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
02/09/2017 at 10:43, STARS: 0
I assume they ship in a standard bike box with the front wheel removed, the handlebars turned or removed, the seat and post removed, and the pedals removed. Did they have any other parts in their “must be installed prior to use” bag?
"The Lurktastic Opponaught" (oppolurker)
02/09/2017 at 11:26, STARS: 0
Yeah, shipping was in a standard minimalist shipping box. I had to assemble and torque: stem, front rotor to hub, front caliper to fork, pedals, seat post, and I had to burp a little fluid from the rear brakes because they were rubbing. The wheels are almost true, so that can wait for the first shop visit in the spring. Aside from those items, I hit everything with either anti sieze or grease as this is going to get salty, and applied a heavy wet lube over the factory grease on the chain. Every component got a torque check based on the manufacturer specs. All the components are name brand and have spec sheets online, so finding the proper torque numbers was easy between raceface, sram, and shimano. My only issue was the defective brake caliper, which bikes direct is replacing free. So aside from that inconvenience, I’m happy with the purchase. Also, this particular model didn’t include pedals.
"TheRealBicycleBuck" (therealbicyclebuck)
02/09/2017 at 11:32, STARS: 0
Sounds like you have it down pat. I’ve made two annoying mistakes with new gear. I once used a wax-based lube on top of the factory grease on a new chain. The mess was epic.
I also once didn’t bother to check/tighten the spokes on a new wheel. It was straight and true out of the box, but several spokes were too loose. I tacoed it on a less than stellar bunny hop the first time I took it to the trails.