I’m not interested in an electric bike right now. Like for you, it would be just way too much money to invest so I’d be 100% happy with it.
For now I’m going full suspension, and Juliane is going electric.
To make the ride a bit smoother for her, I’ve ordered a suspension seat post. I’m going to try it out on our current bikes to make sure that would be enough. Amazon is taking a long time to get it delivered though.
I’ve ridden up 50* inclines in 100*F weather in Singapore. It’s not pleasant and it makes the descent dangerous unless you wait for jelly leg to calm down at the top.
Yeah, downhill is dangerous. That’s why I ride the brakes and go slow downhill.
You are welcome to do that. I instead choose to live 
You mean, choose to not live?
There is perhaps no sensation in the world I enjoy more than a long and fast downhill on a mountain bike.
It’s like what I imagine heavy drug users may feel when using heavy drugs.
The euphoria I feel when I am skiing at high speed in a flow state is difficult to express. It is sublime. It is a feeling that drives me.
Yeah, see this is why I can totally relate, despite having never seriously skii’d in my life.
Mountain biking, when I am in that flow state, is the same feeling. I just don’t do it as often, nor am I as technically proficient.
I learned skiing with instruction. I learned mountain biking entirely intuitively.
I am much more proficient at skiing, and I trust my skills enough to push my limits and touch the face of god But with MTB, I can’t maintain a flow state for very long on technical terrain. I have to think and react way too much. I’d need more practice and probably instruction to find and eliminate the bad habits I’m sure I have.
I was just chatting with Juliane about this, as she wasn’t sure she’d enjoy a bike ride as much on an electric bike.
But I explained that the flow state will still be there. It comes from the constant micro-problem solving that take your full attention, each one important to keep riding smoothly and safely. At every turn and slight obstacle, even just a root of a tree or a patch of sand, your brain is engaged.
And yet it isn’t dangerous enough to make you stressed out about a minor mistake ruining everything. All you lose is a bit of momentum.
Also important is that it feels like you’re achieving something, as if it’s a meaningless task it’s hard to get into a flow state.
It fits so well to the diagram, it might as well have a picture of someone riding a MTB down those stairs.
Electric mountain bike ordered.
This weekend I’m going to bike out to Cunningham Park and see what the trails there are like.
That will likely be the deciding factor on if I actually get an MTB again.
I looked at some POV videos of the Cunningham trails and it seems like a lot of very flat paths with regular logs to ride over. I’m not sure how satisfying that is going to be for you as a regular riding spot.
Yeah, I did some of the same. I’m checking out some other places up in the Bronx now too. There are some places up by Sprain Brook that look more promising.
Today I bought this!
https://www.instagram.com/p/B_aW-t4qAmO/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link
It’s a Trek Roscoe 6.
After a month of research, it turns out a full suspension bike I’d be 100% happy with would be about €3,000, and I don’t have that money available this year. But I do have €1,000, and for that I could get a hardtail trail bike I would be 100% happy with.
I’ve ridden locally for a month, and after trying Juliane’s new electric mountain bike, it’s pretty clear I’d only need the full suspension in very rare circumstances. If we travel somewhere and I need a more capable bike for a big trail, I can always hire one. A hardtail with oversized tires and good front forks is plenty for this year, for sure.
For comfort, I have a suspension seat post, which has been AMAZING. On the new bike, it gives me 90% of the comfort that a full suspension bike would provide, even if it doesn’t help with handling and braking control. But I can use good technique for that, and the suspension seat post can protect my skinny behind.
I’ve put on some chunky pedals, and adjusted the positions of the brake levers and such. I’ll get some new grips next, after some research. Then the only thing I’d like is a slightly bigger front gear, as I wan’t a bit more at the top end, and the lowest gear is so crazily low I don’t think I’ll need it around here where there isn’t a whole load of actual mountains.
I’m pumped for the next year of riding!
Yeah, that’s the style of the times. Most road bikes moved to what they call “compact gearing” many years ago. Smaller chainrings in front but more cogs in the back. And those cogs in the back have much more range from small to large. When you look at average road bikes from even the '90s or '00s the chainrings are huge by comparison and the rear just has maybe five tiny gears with very little range between them.
Off-road bikes it’s been even more extreme. Many models just have a 1x in the front and a HUGE range in the back, which is what it looks like you have. The 1x is actually really nice since you just shift up and down without ever having to think about cross-chaining or anything like that. But yes, the downside is that you might run out of gears if you’re not climbing.
Hey, everyone, we’ve discovered an amazing side effect of one of us having and electric bike. Drafting! There is a fixed top speed of 25kmph where the electric motor doesn’t add more power, but that is way faster than I can bike into the wind on flat ground for a long time. So Juliane goes ahead and blasts a hole through the air. It’s the first time I’ve drafted off a strong rider for a long time, and it’s wonderful!
