Eric F 

I've been riding in the hills above Pasadena since the early '90s. Yesterday, I rode a section of trail that I had never been on before. https://www.strava.com/activities/7985260034

diphthong

could only muster up a little lunch/beer 23-miler in the metro sd area. hoping to mix in a few more rides in the next few weeks as this is my fave time of the year for riding.

SoSmellyAir

Same here. Weather finally cooling off.

jonathanf2

Knocked out my weekly Griffith climb. I just like riding here because I can get a good workout within a limited amount of time with minimal traffic. Though I still had to yell at a reckless driver by the observatory. A pedestrian was killed the other week and same with a cyclist several months ago, so I have no tolerance for idotic people in cars.

Also despite the air getting cooler, my seasonal allergies always flare up during fall. I have an easier time riding at peak summer heat than I do during the fall!

jsigone

hows the new bike handing? I'm digging those red hoods. What's the brand?

jonathanf2

The bike is handling great. I've taken it through the rain, on rough terrain and the frame is holding up nicely. It's a nice all-arounder for climbing and for doing fast group rides. The bike building addiction is real and I'm itching to build more frames! I've already eyeballed an ultra lightweight climbing frame and I was thinking of doing a barebones 1x climbing bike! The only thing preventing me is limited storage space and my wife's death stare whenever a bike box arrives to our house! Lol

The hoods are aftermarket silicone injected rubber and I actually like them over the stock Shimano rubber. They have a nice smooth feel to them, not overly tacky and seem sturdier than OEM. I found my red hoods on Amazon for my older 105 5800 shifters, but I've seen newer 105 R7000 and Ultegra colored hoods on AliExpress.

SoSmellyAir

jonathanf2 I really dig the red trim / accessory items on an all black frame. Nice bike! What frame is that?

jonathanf2

It's an open mold frame I found on AliExpress and I think it's a Tarmac clone. The OEM manufacturer is a company called TFSA, but the frame can be found sold through other distributors under their own label. I did a bit of research before purchasing the frame by watching Youtube build videos and talking to other owners. Also the seller I purchased the frame had good communication, updating me during the build process and supplied photos + video prior to shipment. The frame was packed extremely well when I received it. It was a smooth process other than the 2 month wait time.

I'm starting to find there's an entirely different bike building world outside the big brand bikes. Also it seems almost monthly I'm seeing improvements on designs and new accessories. For example, I recently discovered and started using heat shrink cable tubing on all my bikes. It does such a better job for protection and reducing cable fraying. It's little things like this that get me excited! lol

CAT7RDR

Went for a spin in my local haunt of Whittier Hills.
Swerved hard to avoid a Tarantula crossing Turnbull Cyn.
30 miles and 4.9K of climb according to Garmin but I know better.
https://connect.garmin.com/modern/activity/9832690273

Wish I had the extra $$$ to spend on bikes rather than Halloween like this homeowner in Hacienda Hgts!

SoSmellyAir

Please do expand on this; where exactly on the cable do you apply the heat shrink tubing? On the ends, i.e., in lieu of using cable crimp ends?

SoSmellyAir

Rode 26 miles around Irvine today, including the Portola Parkway eastbound climb and the descent on Whispering Hills / Portola Springs loop, which is one of my favorite segments, even though the loop does not have a bike lane.

Watch out for the metal plate covering road work near the intersection with Dreamcatcher. I rode fast over the plate and the bump dislodged the water bottle from the seat tube cage. Thankfully I found it against the curb of a side street (Big Dipper), so it did not cause any issues for another cyclist whom I had just passed. He was kind enough to inquire if I was OK when he saw me walking my bike uphill while searching for the missing bottle.

Eric F 

Double dirt weekend!!

Saturday...MTB ride: Flint Canyon - Cherry Canyon - Glendale Sports Complex. I love this route. It's a really nice mix of everything. There are some tough climbing segments - particularly on the return from GSC to Cherry - but it's worth it for the singletrack. Getting to share the ride with an old friend added to the fun. He's stronger and a better bike handler, and chasing him definitely pushed my limits. Occasionally to an uncomfortable level. https://www.strava.com/activities/8003174368

Sunday...I had intended to do my typical Sunday coffee group road ride, but my motivation didn't want to get out of bed that early. I ended up getting on my MTB later in the morning, and had a great ride. The temps were perfect, and rain the night before left the dirt conditions really excellent. I kept my effort on the climb to the top of Brown Mtn Rd very moderate, and just enjoyed the day. https://www.strava.com/activities/8009137450

diphthong

26-miler for some lunch near mission bay and back to sdsu area. decent headwind even more so being out of shape and nice tailwind home.

jonathanf2

I've been on my gravel bike the last few days just because the weather has been so darn nice for riding the mountains!

Eric F 

Tuesday Happy Hour - This has become my favorite quickie weeknight MTB ride, but next week will be the last time until the clocks shift back in the spring. https://www.strava.com/activities/8019962409

Chasing the fading sunlight...

jonathanf2

I was just up there yesterday. I'm tempted to add higher volume tires to my gravel bike (or flat out get a MTB), my arms get a major workout on the downhill trying to navigate all drops and rock gardens on a rigid frame!

Eric F 

Another bike is always the right answer...obviously. I'm lusting for a gravel bike, but haven't found the right deal that fits my current budget.

We ride a lot of the same dirt. One of these days we might actually cross paths.

jonathanf2

Gravel bikes are great because you can pretty much ride anywhere. My 2x setup can keep up with moderate paced road rides, but geared low enough to climb the trails at JPL and Cherry Canyon. Honestly if you're handy, building one is is the way to go, since you can fine tune your groupset and dial in your components. Probably the biggest expenditure would be getting a decent wheelset, besides the frame. Though I think frameset is a personal choice. Even though I like carbon for road, my buddy crashed his carbon gravel bike and destroyed his top tube. I've crashed my alloy gravel numerous times and it still looks brand new!

Eric F 

I'd love to build up something new, but the reality of my budget will probably dictate that I start with a used bike and upgrade over time.

I have a hard time agreeing to generalized conclusions about frame materials based on a couple of incidents. Contrary to your examples, the two MTBs I've destroyed where both aluminum, but I have a 20 year old CF MTB frame that has taken an absolute pounding. Send your bike flipping through a rock garden and the likelihood for survival is a lot less than losing traction in flat turn, regardless of frame material. All that said, I definitely tend to prefer CF.

SoSmellyAir

This one is on sale; hope it fits your budget: Ibis Hakka MX Bike Frame | Jenson USA

I am also looking but for a disc brake endurance bike. Gravel riding sounds fun but I don't have the discipline to clean my bike at the requisite frequency.

Eric F 

That's about the top of my budget for a complete bike - LOL. I have my eyes on a Giant TCX on the used market. It's technically a CX bike, but there are people who really seem to like it for gravel, as well.

jonathanf2

That's a nice frame, but I'm wondering why it has a post mount fork and flat mount frame?

SoSmellyAir

Not sure, but maybe because that is an Enve Cross Disc fork?

Hakka MX - Ibis Cycles Inc.

It that combination a bad idea (in case I change my mind about extra bike washing)?

jonathanf2

Knocked out 21 miles over at Griffith Park this morning. Daytime weather has been perfect all-week!

jonathanf2

I wonder if that photo is just a mistake, since the fully built bikes appear to have front/rear flat mount brakes. Also it'd be a PITA, for example Shimano GRX only comes in flat mount calipers and if you go post brakes you'd have to run a rear flat-to-post adapter. I actually prefer post mount, but it'd be better to have the same mount front and back. Though I like that the frame comes with a T47 BB. T47 seems like it's catching on with newer carbon frames.

Also I'm OCD about cleaning my bikes, S. California trail riding seems to be mostly hard packed dirt that gets into everything. Hosing your bike will be a necessity!