@bicyclebuck Aside from the wastefulness of that approach nicer bikes are also nice to ride. I grew up on big box bikes (for the most part, I did have a 24" Gary Fisher when I was pretty young) and the difference in even a half-hearted attempt at a higher end bike is amazing. My first "higher end" bike was a $350 hardtail that I rode the piss out of for a couple years, broke everything, wore the rest out, but it got me in and led me to building a Banshee Paradox back when 29ers were not ubiquitous. THAT bike was fantastic. Enormous to fit me (XL frame) but smooth, lighter than it should have been, and just worked. Built like a tank and handled daily riding duties and trails 3-4 times a week.

Yeah I could have rammed through crap bikes but having one reliable, well built bike was so much nicer to live wtih

@benjrblant Backseat driver FTW!

@s65 it looks like it's a bout a 20 mile loop or so, which would be a nice ride.

I really like the C&O towpath. I have walked about 30 miles of it from DC west (so up to about Poolesville, MD) but the other day was my first time riding to Great Falls from my house (my girlfriend lives in the Palisades and I have done it from there before). Doing it from home adds about 15 more miles. The path is in pretty good shape and shade that is provided is a godsend around here in the summer.

The Range- IMG_1174.jpg
Very custom(setup for barspins, mullet, etc) older enduro race rig pressed into freeride duty, currently has a broken seatstay from hucking the roof of an abandoned KFC to flat.

Car equivalent- Your nephews lifted, salvage titled '03 WRX?

The CAADX-
IMG_1346.jpg
Fairly generic rig with genuine race pedigree(from local cx races, all the way up to pan american champs), has since logged FKTs on multiday bikepacking loops and been a commuter/hooligan xc bike replacement.

Car equivalent- Successfully club raced NC miata, turned to time/speed/distance rallying and backroads fun

@whatisthatsound titanium bikes are so sweet, but it's very much a luxury to spend that kind of coin on a hardtail. I'm already barely doing drops, due to lack of skill and the risk of injury and increased recovery time as I get older. I'm only 35 but I can feel it and I know my limits. Full time hardtail life is not what my knees need.

Finished up the Lemond,
lemondfinal.jpg

@silentbutnotreallydeadly Thanks, will keep in mind. Plan is SPD shoes and clipless for the gravel bike, and probably aggressive flats for the mountain bike

@dejock Gotcha, I'm in NJ although I have done some riding in Roanoke.

@amgtech Will do for all, thanks!

@benjrblant @Tripper Rocky Mounts Brass Knuckles... only thing that would lock properly around the fenders. I got two since the design seems solid to use with my MTB as well.

@LooseonExit Ah yeah... tbf the garage is full of stuff so no way to drive in and make that mistake haha. But that's something I'll have to be careful about for sure. And thanks! Color was a big selling point of the car

@spacekraken good night

@ita97 I really need to ride it to compare, but it's got about 2x the padding of the stock tape. Feels like a world of difference without riding it...

@ibrad Yeah trying to get some good use out of it! And yep, matching the car was a nice bonus

@kleebrz I plan on it...

@annoying_salman this wont help then... I've shot with a friend's D700 and it's awesome. 12mp seems low by modern standards but it's a really crisp 12mp with amazing tones

@cb @Noodles Ha yeah, I ended up just drinking half of it before riding home... I think you're right, the cup holder was designed for a travel mug.

@drvantraveler Thanks! I really appreciate all your help and advice getting it set up. Shifts are basically as good as the bike I bought new last year haha.

@highlander and just like a rusty Subaru, it too has a problem with the head.

@spacekraken said in Shred Sled:

Well it's still an hours drive each way so not every day

ugh. That's too bad.

@italia said in Small rant: be nicer drivers, ppl:

@nerd_racing I should state that drivers are generally much worse than cyclists. I fully don't understand riding for pleasure on streets that were not designed with cyclists in mind. Just seems like such an unnecessary risk. If you are commuting then I get it.

I do it for exercise. It's sneaky cardio for my fat-ass. I need to ride more so I don't roll the autozam when I corner hard, a la flintstones drive in.

@drvantraveler Oooh that seems very worthwhile...

@xjdano Honestly I'd start a new thread asking for specific parts and see what people suggest? Finding this stuff can be tricky.

@spacekraken man you're really making me scratch my 90s MTB itch... this probably isn't good for my current n situation.

@aestheticsinmotion Embedded it as "code" lol whoops

@drVanTraveler Okay thanks! Sounds like I've got a plan then. Kinda tempted to find chainrings that work with the existing crank, but good to know the process for getting it setup with the Altus crankset isn't too bad.