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Braff Zacklin

Certifiably Surly
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Posts posted by Braff Zacklin

  1. Rift Zone seems like a bigger bike across the board (stack, reach, ETT, WB, etc.). Since you're a tweener, maybe XL in the Hawk Hill and L in the Rift Zone?

    My hardtail is actually a medium frame, but my squishy is large. Both are 650b, and I've tweaked the cockpits for both so that they feel similar.

    All things considered, I'd go with KuЯdt's recommendation to ride both, if possible, and see which fits you best.

     

     

  2. I am an honest 6'0", and the bars on both of my trail bikes are 740mm. I've gotten used to it, but no way would I want wider for myself. Half the time I come off my bike these days, it's because I clipped something with my bars that I didn't think I was close to hitting.

    Of course, I could just be a dork.

    @TwiceHorn As with handlebar width, bike frame and wheel size boil down to personal fit and preference. People rode 26-inchers for decades without killing themselves, so I'm sure you'll be fine on 650b or 29.

    One last tip: Don't pay sticker. Be ready to walk away if the shop won't move on the price.

  3. Just now, Machinator said:

    Home cookin.

    Bad call, to be sure, but it works both ways--GSW has somehow miraculously avoided fouling Cleveland during the act of shooting for the entire half. Warriors are 12 of 13 from the line; Cleveland 0 for 0.

  4. The golf course in Beaver Dam is fun, but I'm the worst ever and I was also drunk, so YMMV.

    Mountain bike trails around St. George are lit. Great place to ride in winter and early spring.

     

    03.28.13_St George_Sidewinder-Suicidal Tendencies

     

  5. Indiana is probably a decent team, so it makes sense that I should be rooting for the weaker opponent (aggy) for our nightcap ... but I can't--aggy tears are just too sweet.

  6. Ah, that second half--marking with meters of space, not closing out, not anticipating obvious passing lanes--that's our trademark defense, amirite? We should patent that shit.

  7. There is no sin in being overbiked.

    That said, if I saw someone with a trail or enduro sled sessioning paved greenways, I'd give 'im shit.

    Forgot to mention that 1x is also on point. Converted to 1x10 in 2013 and haven't looked back. Squishy trail bike just bumped up to 1x11 with a Sunrace 11-46T cassette. Old 1x10 setup was passed on to the hardtail.

  8. There are two schools of thought:

    Eddy Merckx allegedly said, "Don't buy upgrades, ride up grades."

    However, some surly fucker is fond of countering, "Regardless of what you spent, if it helps keep you motivated to ride, then it's worth it."

    I believe wholeheartedly in both.

     

    Dig the looks, geo, and spec of the Hawk Hill 2. Checks all the boxes for me: slack-but-not-crazy-slack HTA, shortish chainstays, good BB height, dropper post, tubeless-ready tires, modern standards (Boost hubs, tapered fork, etc.), decent fork, good shock, etc. Price is right, too.

    Is Marin direct-to-consumer these days?

  9. 42 minutes ago, SimonBolivar said:

    Man I like Josh Sargent. The kid just has that "it" factor for making plays.

    He's also very easy to spot on the field, no matter how wide the angle.

    • Haha 1
  10. On 5/9/2018 at 7:06 AM, Al_4_ISU said:

    Is it normal not to be able to climb steep, sustained pitches?  I live on the edge of a very hilly area, and that's where all the trails are at.  I ride road bike in that area, and chew up any paved hill I've ever come across.  I can't think of a single time I've had to walk my road bike up a hill.  However, on single track, when I hit anything very steep, I quickly become able to keep pedaling, even in my lowest gear and my feet going flying off the pedals, or my front end starts coming up.  It seems like I can hardly climb anything with my fat bike, at least on single track.

    Hey, Al. This response might be too late to be of much help, but I'll share what I've learned over the years and maybe it'll do some good.

    Also: word diarrhea warning. It's what I do.

    1) When your fork drifts or lifts, it's a sign that it isn't properly weighted. The steeper the climb, the more your weight will have to come forward. This means moving forward on the saddle. On the steepest ups, the nose of the saddle should be very close to a particularly sensitive area.

    That alone might not be enough for some ascents, however. You'll also need to drop your chest as closely to the stem as possible. It takes some practice, but when you get it right, you will feel like you are "wedged" between the handlebars and the saddle. With your weight distributed thusly, you should be able to climb anything that your lungs and legs allow.

    Another trick is to drop your wrists, i.e., the bottom of your palms will be below the grips. This helps because we tend to pull on the bars as we begin to struggle, but with our wrists lowered, we effectively pull down on the fork instead of up.

    2) If your feet are flying off the pedals, you are probably overtorqueing the cranks (pushing harder than necessary on the downstroke, which causes the cranks to rotate faster than what your other leg is anticipating). Roadies and beginners tend to do this because they aren't used to pushing such easy gears and haven't yet developed a lighter touch. Overtorqueing can also cause your fork to rise, especially on a steep incline (it's basically an unintentional wheelie).

    Practice is key. Using your baby gears more will help develop the timing and coordination for a smoother, more measured downstroke. It might sound like I'm pandering to you but I promise I'm not--it's so easy to spin out or overtorque in those big cogs.

    Another solution is to drop your heels slightly. This will help keep the pedal pins secured to the soles of your shoes. But don't drop your heels so low that you pull your feet down and off the pedals--this will cause your shins to be very unhappy.

    I only ride platform pedals with sharp grub screws as pins and Five Ten shoes. The grip is so outstanding you have to consciously lift your foot to re-position the pedal. But I went through many seasons of scabby shins.

    3) One final concern is weight. I tend to put on the pounds during winter. There's a very steep, rooty, scalloped climb on one of our local trails that I usually cannot clean if I'm over 210 pounds. My legs and lungs give out unless everything is perfect.

    Between 200-210, however, I will typically nail the section as long as my line choice isn't too bad and my back wheel doesn't spin out. And at less than 200, I will usually scoot up it, no problem, regardless of line choice or what my rear wheel does.

    Hope this helps. If nothing else, you've read your book for the month.

    Anyway, keep practicing and keep challenging yourself.

    -- BZ

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