Spent the last 3 days up in Damascus Va, riding the Va. Creeper trail (36 mile easy dirt ride. like a rails-to-trails sorta) with the wife and friends. Then the wife and I did some tough mtbing up in the Iron mtn trail network. The Creeper trail. Cuts thru both private and Forest Service lands. The wife slogging up a steep Fall-line, covered in baby-head sized rocks,..um..climb. Was like this for about 2 miles before making the ridge line. Still steep, but not as rocky, so it was rideable. Looooong descent just like this. When I got back this afternoon here in the NC mtns, th new 29er carbon HT was waiting, still in the box. Then 20 minute later. Ready to go. Took her for a quicky 9 miler over at Tasli late this afternoon. Here it is, enjoying a view next to Fontana lake. Fast bike. Rails corners. Rolls over everything. Love it. The end
I got a hakkalugi last summer and couldn't be happier. When I blew the fork up on my santa cruz I got a ibis 29er demo for a week and am pretty sure that I will be replacing the tall boy with that by next summer. Hella nice bikes.
I have a 2014 Fox 100mm 32 CTD Factory Series Fork and went from remote to non-remote and it was a huge PITA. I know the remote was changed for 2013 to 2014 so your experience may be different since Im not sure on the year of your fork. Contacting Fox Support through email is useless so I wouldn't bother going that route, they will just tell you to go to a local shop. A local shop went through 3 attempts/orders to get me the correct parts, despite them saying they were speaking with one of the lead guys from Fox, the parts were always wrong. I finally was able to get someone on the phone from Fox Support who got me the correct parts on his 2nd attempt and hooked me up on pricing. Another bad thing about my situation was even though I have the top level Factory model fork and went from remote to non-remote, it now doesn't have Trail Adjust which allows fine tuning beyond the CTD knob and is a feature of their higher level forks, supposedly the internal dampener is different and would require the damper to be replaced.
LordMDP. I'm really curious on how your ORAMM race went while on the cross bike. The weather looked like it couldn't have been better.
it seams nothing lasts any more, XO, XX1, and XT they all are made so light and on the edge that they wear out quick. MTB prices have gone crazy $$$$ and the stuff just doesn't last if used hard, the trails around here ( not the groomed trails ) just eat bikes and bike parts. The Carbon frames and 1 x systems are great steps forward. The dropper post rule, if you don't have one get one soon, you will never ride without one again once you have used one.
Asheville looks sweet if you ever want to come ride some great trails around Asheville Brian, PM me offers open to anyone, even Monte
Well, I messed with the stupid CTD thing last night, and just decided I wont use it and just prefer to be squishy up front regardless. So.... I took it off and it is now sitting in my parts box.
funny thing about the dropper.. On the Focus carbon frame above(left side view), one can see a clear/white plastic tip sticking out at the steer tube...as well as back of the seat tube. Thats for routing a dropper cable if the owner sees fit(since this bike uses internal cable routing). Kinda strange on a bike they market as their front line XC racing geo HT. But I also ride/race in Pisgah, and can appreciate the use of such. I'm just such a weight weenie, I dunno.... My favorite trail in Pisgah is Squirrel Gap. I do it solo in conjunction with the north end of S Mills river via Wolf Ford road(FS 476). Up and over Clawhammer and Black mtn. Left on Turkey Pen, going over to Turkey Pen gap. Down the S Mills at the 1st suspension bridge and up Mulinax. All of Squirrel Gap over to S Mills again and over the 2nd suspension bridge. Climb back out and to the car on FS476. Tough loop, but awesome none the less.
From that loop. Always do it in the winter. Less people, better views, less heat and humidity, etc. Deep leaves are kind of a bummer tho. Up to clawhammer. Clawhammer summit. Same summit on another trip doing the same loop. View from Black. Turkey Pen midway... And at its ending at the Gap. Squirrel was crazy deep in new Fall leaves. Crossing the noth end bridge of S Mills.
Unrelated. The old Toll Road going up to the top of Heartbreak Ridge. Hunting club building close to the top. Heartbreak. The steed that day. 08 Motlite. Good Pisgah bike. At least for a 26"er. 24lb as is. Got it down to just over 22lbs with Stans wheels, 4ti Eggs, alum front rotor, all ti/alum bolts, etc. Love its titanium riser bar.
Prolly fine--just put it in trail mode and be done with it--I have CTD on my rear shock--stays in Trail 100%
trails Great trails in that area, hard to beat pisgah trails, some ass kicking trails up and down. its a shame on whats happened to kitsuma and now heart break, wish they would leave them alone. some people around here want every trail to be a easy ride able like bent creek. you ever do Big creek or mildfork+ ?
Agree concerning the "paving" of trails. I've been waiting for them to get around to Pisgah. What a tragedy imo. I don't think I've done either trail you mentioned. At least thinking off hand, I haven't.
yep Yes, its mountain biking, some people forget that PM me if you ever want to ride, wont be back in the woods until the shoulder heals maybe November
I would love to. Monte has always offered for me to come out there and with some personal things that have just come about, I may head that way to enjoy a little bit of riding. My issue is what to put on the thing or buy a complete that they offer. They have an XT group kit that seems reasonable and at a decent price. Or am I better off with other items vs what they show. Not going to be a weight wieney and not going to be racing it... This is what I am coming off of (For sale actually):
so do focus' still come with a bell? I worked in a shop that sold them and always found it funny that 4k+ bikes had bells in the build box