longevity?

[William]

I was able to get some road and trail riding in on this nice warm weekend. The off-road ride has got me wondering about the word "longevity". The trails in the NE area are prone to be very rocky which also requires you to be very technical at speed in picking out a good line, esp running a rigid set up. I grew up riding the road and trails in Oregon and Washington that were no where near this rocky on rigid bikes with no issues. I actually prefer it over any suspension bike I've ever tried. I like going fast and most of the time I can glide the 29er over and around bad patches at speed but some areas are so rocky that there's a lot of bumping going on. I'm a smooth rider and I know how to unweight my bike and soak up a lot with my legs and continue to hammer along but, being a big guy, I have to wonder how much abuse a steel fork can take on trails like this under my weight? I know there is no definitive answer to my musing, just throwing it out there.

I guess all I can do is keep going over my equipment to make sure its up to snuff before and after rides as usual.



William

[DRZRM]

William, you have a few pounds on me but not much. I think that you wheels will go long before your steel ridged fork. Having ridden hard singletrack with akelman for years in RI close to your house, it was always rims that made you pay for your big mistakes.

[jr59]

Knowing the bike and fork you are on.

I would agree with the op statement. The wheels will be more of a problem long before the fork.

[merlinmurph]

Nice, big, fat, squishy tires and not too much air pressure - helps a lot.

I used to find that people tended to have way too much air in their tires, espcially around here with all the rocks. Too much bouncing around and brutal on the arms.

My 2 cents,
Murph

[Ken Robb]

I think you are sensitive/aware enough to the condition of your bikes to notice incipient problems like cracks, bad bearings, etc. I can't imagine breaking anything but a wheel on my 1989 MB3 but I might be a bit more careful riding my Rambouillet off road. In truth, in recent years I only ride my FS Marin Mtn. bike on rocky stuff because I need to spare my aged body. :beer:

[BumbleBeeDave]

. . . about my 'taint than about the fork! :eek: :rolleyes:

BBD

[William]

It is a stout fork that is true. I am running a bigger tire up front to absorb some harshness though I probably could run a little lower pressure. I've been running it around 45psi on average.

I notice when my seat post slips more then a mm or two so I would probably pick up any tell-tale signs that something is amiss.

BBDave, my taint is safe since I tend to stand and finesse the rough stuff (plus the XL Depends help a bit too ;) ).






William

[BumbleBeeDave]

(plus the XL Depends help a bit too ;) ).

. . . TMI! :eek:

BBD

[crownjewelwl]

have you considered running tubeless?? i run mine at 35psi...

It is a stout fork that is true. I am running a bigger tire up front to absorb some harshness though I probably could run a little lower pressure. I've been running it around 45psi on average.

I notice when my seat post slips more then a mm or two so I would probably pick up any tell-tale signs that something is amiss.

BBDave, my taint is safe since I tend to stand and finesse the rough stuff (plus the XL Depends help a bit too ;) ).






William

[William]

have you considered running tubeless?? i run mine at 35psi...

I do believe the rims can be converted to tubeless.



Dave, sorry, I just felt I had to throw out a disturbing image. ;)





William

[crownjewelwl]

I do believe the rims can be converted to tubeless.

William

You should give tubeless a shot then with the Stan's kit

I have front suspension and I can't imagine riding at 45psi!

[likebikes]

try a carbon frame/fork if you are worried about an uncomfortable ride

[Sandy]

Wow! I must be getting old. You all are talking about bicycles. When I first saw the title- Longevity...I actually thought about people's longevity, including mine.

I think if I rode a mountain bike over the rocks, branches, ruts and hills that mountain bikers encounter, it would be most reasonable to think the bike would outlast me.


Sandy

[Steve in SLO]

Wow! I must be getting old. You all are talking about bicycles. When I first saw the title- Longevity...I actually thought about people's longevity, including mine.

I think if I rode a mountain bike over the rocks, branches, ruts and hills that mountain bikers encounter, it would be most reasonable to think the bike would outlast me.


Sandy
Same here. My thoughts ran towards how long my knees would hold out hammering over rough territory, but then I am a bit sore from yesterday's 20 mile rough trail ride on 32's @ 45-50 PSI (so no pinch flats) on my Psychlo-x.

[Fixed]

nothing last forever
except forever
cheers imho

[Kirk Pacenti]

140mm of travel covers a multitude of sins... ;)

Cheers,

KP

[William]

You should give tubeless a shot then with the Stan's kit

I have front suspension and I can't imagine riding at 45psi!

I'll probably give tubeless a go. In the meantime I'll lower the pressure a bit.


try a carbon frame/fork if you are worried about an uncomfortable ride

No problem with the ride, just musing on the longevity of the fork & wheels on rocky terrain. Besides, for me, I'll stick with steel.

Wow! I must be getting old. You all are talking about bicycles. When I first saw the title- Longevity...I actually thought about people's longevity, including mine. I think if I rode a mountain bike over the rocks, branches, ruts and hills that mountain bikers encounter, it would be most reasonable to think the bike would outlast me. Sandy

Sandy-pal, yer a youngin' at heart. Riding will keep you young. Besides, you just need something with tires that will soak up those bumps and ruts...

http://bicycledesign.net/wp-content/uploads/2011/11/monster-bike.jpg


nothing last forever except forever

Kind of makes you feel sort of........insignificant ;)

http://fc08.deviantart.net/fs71/i/2010/234/d/a/Nothing_Lasts_Forever_by_RyanMichael.jpg


140mm of travel covers a multitude of sins... Cheers, KP

True, but all that bobbing when out of the saddle makes me feel like I've been Swimmin' with bowl legged women. :p

http://www.narragansettbeer.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Quint_straight-up_no-logo_09.jpg

[Kirk Pacenti]

And the problem with that is??? ;)

Seriously though, with the right tuning that should not be an issue.


Cheers,
KP





....makes me feel like I've been Swimmin' with bowl legged women. :p

http://www.narragansettbeer.com/wp-content/uploads/2009/10/Quint_straight-up_no-logo_09.jpg

[William]

I'll throw out one more thing while we're on the subject of riding off-road: I'm finding that on all the varied terrain I'm riding around here that I'm only using one or two gears, even on the climbs. I'm never shifting out of the big ring which is (off the top of my head) about a 32x14. It's kind of making me wonder if going to a SS set-up might be a thought. Plus sometimes on really fast and rough terrain my left hand/fingers will bump the trigger dropping the chain down to the smaller ring upfront. I have big hands and on these particular bars there is no room to move the triggers in.

Again, just wondering in text.





William

[crownjewelwl]

you sir have an amazing selection of clip art

[rugbysecondrow]

I'll throw out one more thing while we're on the subject of riding off-road: I'm finding that on all the varied terrain I'm riding around here that I'm only using one or two gears, even on the climbs. I'm never shifting out of the big ring which is (off the top of my head) about a 32x14. It's kind of making me wonder if going to a SS set-up might be a thought. Plus sometimes on really fast and rough terrain my left hand/fingers will bump the trigger dropping the chain down to the smaller ring upfront. I have big hands and on these particular bars there is no room to move the triggers in.

Again, just wondering in text.





William


I like the SS thing, I find I mentally blend into the woods more than I did with gears. It unclutters the bars, which for me are the Titec H Bars. I really like them for SS riding.

[EDS]

Anyone who had a mountain bike in New England before the mid '90s had fully rigid rides. Those bikes were abused and in some cases continue to be abused. My $500 1995 trek 930 with cro-mo frame fork is still alive and kicking.