rumrunn6

that green grass looks awesome, love the color of the bike, heard a lot of good things about those tires. been riding gravel myself but only lately been tweaking tire pressure, meaning less up front & tuning the back tire depending on conditions. I think lowering the front is an easy decision, but I'm battling the back between harder for more support & speed & easy pedaling vs softer for a more comfortable ride

hokiefyd 

Thanks; so do I. I was surfing Craigslist last summer when this bike popped up in my town (not common, as most of the good bikes I see are from "over the mountain" in the DC market). I called the guy up immediately and went to meet him. When I saw it, I had to have it. I paid $250 for it in the summer of last year. It's a 2015 model, and was used very little by that first owner.

Trek calls the two colors "Black Pearl" and "Liquid Blue". It really pops out in the sun.

I keep mine about 50-55 psi in the front and about 60-70 psi in the rear...or so. I sometimes let them go down a bit and ride that way for a while. I just today pumped them up pretty good (at least 55/70 front/rear) and they certainly roll fast with more air! In either case, they're about a PERFECT volume for me; they say 42mm on the sidewall, but they measure out to about 38-39mm on my 16mm internal width rims. I wouldn't mind larger, but the Verve has a fender mount down between the chainstays that has this little "stop" protruding out from the mounting boss (which limits the tire's diameter to about a true 42-43mm). I could grind this little stop down for more clearance, but I just haven't done it and, honestly, I have no desire to run a different tire at this point. The SpeedRIDE comes only in the nominal 700x42 size; if you're looking for something in the true 700x38 to 700x40 size, this is a great choice.

Tbone2

Did a rails to trails ride today, Covington to Mandeville La. 28 miles
https://www.traillink.com/trail/tammany-trace/

littleArnold

My new Trek Hybrid FX took my girlfriend on a 10 mile bike ride yesterday, something she could not do on my heavier steel mountain bikes. We are both about the same height so we can easily share bikes. When I first took my girlfriend out to try to get her to go on bike rides with me she tired quickly on the steel mountain bikes I had. She did not have the leg strength to push the heavier mountain bikes and tired quickly after just a couple miles. The hybrid transformed her from barely being able to ride at all to being able to comfortable ride 10 miles. The hybrid enables me to ride faster, but it honestly has benefited my girlfriend a lot more. A great bike for a newbie who doesn't have much leg strength or endurance. The much lighter frame made it much easier for my girlfriend to push the bike. I rode on my steel Schwinn Mountain bike and she rode on my Trek Hybrid aluminum frame and she had no problem keeping up with me on the hybrid bike. I was shocked how much a difference the lighter bike impacted her performance. She breezed through 10 miles with ease, could keep up with me, and had a much easier time on the hybrid. I got a lot stronger legs than her and I have noticed you don't need nearly as much leg strength to ride the hybrid.

rumrunn6

I've handcuffed myself for a while until I get my head above water again but thanks for discussing pressures. I'm rolling slightly wider tires & so the pressures are slightly lower, but it seems the front/rear proportions are close to correct now

stingx

Local trails again...

Cosmicyclist

Along the Pacific ocean, along the somewhat uneven streets of Hilo.... it rains quite a lot here, so bikes with disc brakes, and fenders always sell well

jase33

Went out for little ride in the desert just outside of where I live; near Red Rock. I like this place because it's always quiet. Sorry for the crappy iphone pic.

therealjoeblow

Looks peaceful - I'd love to ride there!

Cheers
TRJB

therealjoeblow

Went for a big cruise this afternoon and passed through "The Forks" on the way back, where the 2 main rivers in our city meet. This is the asymetrical cable-stayed pedestrian bridge over one of the rivers. Quite an engineering feat to design! The pavillion you see at the base of the support tower is a restaurant in the middle of the bridge.



Cheers
TRJB

jase33

Ahhhh...Canada. I would certainly trade bike paths with you around May thru August.

FXjohn

10 mile bike ride around the lake. Name this bike

therealjoeblow

I would name it Murphy... that way whenever something goes wrong with it you could belt out "Jesus Murphy" and it would just fit ;-)

Cheers
TRJB

ColonelSanders

That is a great pic.

I think your bike is crying out for a kickstand though.

FXjohn

haha. I meant what model and what year.

jase33

You don't like my stick stand?? It's all natural, low carb & gluten free!

Actually, I have been mulling over whether to get an Upstand or just a regular one. I think I like the idea of the Upstand but the reality of using a regular one is winning out. I'm sure I will have one or the other installed shortly after the first time it falls.

andrei_r

30 km ride today. 10 to go, 10 trail and 10 to come back.

On the way to the trail:


Downhill portion of the trail:








At the bottom, about 500m riding down a small creek:




As the creek spills into a river:


And now all the way back up under the blazing Brazilian sun:

rumrunn6

wow what a nice variety plus the dip!

andrei_r

Yeah, I guess I'm lucky to have some nice terrain not too far from my house. I never swim when I ride though. Maybe if I buy triathlon shorts, otherwise it must be really unpleasant pedalling 15km home sitting on a soaking wet pad. Also being in Brazil there's always a chance for some unpleasant encounter.. a boa, piranhas and God knows what else. When riding with a group, I feel less scared, but when riding alone, I prefer to stay on the trail. Just a couple of months ago I ran practically face to face with this fella on a different trail:

rumrunn6

yikes! yeah safer ON the bike!

ColonelSanders

Your photo's are always such an inspiration to get out and ride one's bike.

ColonelSanders

I had a good chuckle when I saw your "kickstand".

Doesn't your Trek have a spot on the chainstay to attach/screw in a kickstand?

Having a kickstand on my bike has made it so much easier to avoid scratches to the frame when locking my bike up when I am out and about.

jase33

Yes, it has the direct mount on the chainstay for a kickstand. I am not used to having one on a mountain bike and think it looks funny sticking out the back and it's taking time for me to accept the look of it. That's why I am torn between the appearance of the Upstand (or the less expensive RockBros version) and the convenience of a direct mount stand.

andrei_r

Thanks! Did you get out and ride yours?

ColonelSanders

Hah, I did actually, but it was just a very short ride to the shops to get some groceries.