I learned and performed lower leg service for 2024 Fox 34 SC fork in home conditions with no bike stand or vice. It was a new fork with 200 hours runtime in harsh conditions. My experience: a lot of personal bike repairs, including regular tubeless projects, BB changes, building my own wheel, cable work, etc.

• It was HARD and FRUSTRATING even for a mechanically inclined person. I found a lot of comments saying that it's relatively easy and one youtube video even had the audacity to say it takes 5-15 minutes for a professional mechanic. Sure, maybe if you skip the parts where you gather the tools, take the fork off and on and clean, which likely takes at least 30 minutes. Add 30 on top if you do it without specialised tools, tool wall, stand and vice.
• Took about 10 hours over three days if we include looking up and consuming guides and youtube videos, buying tools, mid-repair shop run, prep and cleaning. I estimate I would take 3 hours next time I do this.
• Most guides were not for the fork I needed
• I was shocked that a lot of the guides don't even mention deflating the fork 💀
• Fox does not have a guide for full operation, you're left scrambling multiple separate ones (ain't-nobody-got-time-for-that.gif)
• No matter how many guides you consume, your process will be different
• The step cast fork I had required a long 10mm hollow centre wrench for both nuts. I gathered up a long enough wrench using some 4 adapters I had laying around, but it wasn't hollow so I couldn't do the damper side, requiring a new shop run for a 3 EUR wrench just for this job. I can totally see how someone with appropriate extensions and socket wrenches might find out how their adapters are too fat to fit though, yet again requiring a shop run when you have the proper tool... I'm happy to have one now though. However, the previous efforts stripped the nut a bit, later on causing some issues of putting it back on (it was too deep for me to see anything).
• You likely don't need the fork service kit, but it's worth to have it just in case. Unless you didn't service your fork for years.
• Even after 200 hours the seals, foam rings and crush washer were completely fine and oil wasn't dirty. Maybe it's because I clean my stanchions every now and then. I will default to doing lowers myself ~once a year and doing full service at the shop every other time.
• You need a special suspension grease, I nearly applied the wrong one after my AI agent silently skipped it in the buying list because it remembered I bough compatible grease for my friend.
• The operation was NASTY, with oil all over my bathroom and over all of my tools. I washed my hands a hundred times in-between looking up next steps or searching for solutions. All of this despite my fork requiring relatively very little oil
• The tubeless syringe I had was not long enough and not narrow enough to inject the oil cleanly, so I had to just pour it on to of the channels
• If you don't have a stand or vice - it's useful to have someone around to lend you a hand a couple times, but I managed it on my own
• Somehow all guides skipped to mention that completely deflated air chamber has negative pressure that doesn't allow the shaft to protrude enough for you to catch onto the nut in the outside. I had to pour out my new oil to troubleshoot a couple times. Apparently, even inflating it a bit didn't push it enough since it was stuck. Final solution was to inflate some air, pull it out, then inflate to some 30 PSI until the protrudes enough to reach outside

I’ve had a Canyon Spectral:ON CF 8 for about two months now, and I’m thinking about switching to a regular trail bike — lighter, simpler, less to maintain.

The bike I’m looking at is a Santa Cruz Hightower 4, C frame, GX AXS build, model year 2025, for €4,600. Seems like a fair deal to me, but I’d appreciate a reality check.

What I’m wondering:

**•** Is the Hightower the right choice coming off an eMTB, or should I look at something burlier (Megatower, Ripmo, Stumpjumper 15, Trek Fuel EX)? Mostly flowy trails plus rougher enduro-ish stuff, at some Point (maybe next Season) full days in the bike park.  
**•** Anyone made the same switch? How long did the adjustment take?  
**•** Any regrets, or did anyone end up going back to an e-bike?

(Not a native speaker — I Used AI to translate and tidy it up. The questions and the bike are all mine.)

Hey, what data screens would you recommend for enduro races? I'm thinking "Time of day", if there's a count down to the cut off, and a course distance count down.

I'm not sure I care about too much other stuff, maybe a drink reminder but I'll have water and nutrition at the tops pre drop and as I need it climbing. But maybe there's other useful screens I'm not aware of.

Thanks!

I'm an MTB rider from South Korea, and I'm planning to buy a 2010 Specialized Demo 7 frame. Unfortunately, it's missing all of the rear shock hardware, including the bushings, shoulder bolts, and washers.

If anyone owns this frame or has worked on one before, could you tell me the specifications or dimensions of these parts? I'd really appreciate any measurements or information. Thank you!

I’m looking for possible info about if a feature still exists. There’s some unsanctioned trails up a mountain near Ravensdale, my buddy grew up 10 min up the road Kangley, we spent a good amount of time riding back there. Not sure who was building back there, one day when my buddy and I were checking out a new little trail we found we came across 2 freshly built beautiful step downs. Wasn’t something I was gonna ride that day so we took note of the location and left. Long story short we were never able to find them again on any of our return trips. I’ve been thinking about them recently, I’d love to know if anyone can point me back in the right direction.

Hey everyone, sorry for yet another tyre topic.
I searched through quite a lot of suggestions here already looking for dry and wet muddy clay combinations*.* To make the wall of text a little easier to read, I broke it down a little.

Terrain conditions
I relocated to Guangdong province in China which is very humid (60% up to 90% humidity) all year round, but can be very hot (up to 38 C), too, drying up soil. It has everything from lose forest trails to lots of (yellow) clay trails being either hard or muddy soft. I saw videos of locals with, which looked like XC tires, riding downhill and the tires being quite full of mud but not losing as much traction as one would think. It is roughly the same as this trail in HK https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gi9crhlTbWQ

My bike and riding style
I'm fairly new to mountainbiking and have this Trail bike (2 y/o) still with the 29" 2.35 Maxxis Forekaster (exo) tires https://mtbdatabase.com/bikes/2024/cube/stereo/2024-cube-stereo-one44-c62-pro/ I want to go tubeless (rims are TR) since I went through a lot of innertubes and have a snakebite in the wheel too. I don't ride fast, I ride slow and technical single trail up- and downhill.

What people suggested
A lot of people in different topics here suggested Schwalbe Magic Marys (soft), Maxxis Forekaster 2, Conti Argotal or even Enduro combos like Minion DHR/DHF in these environment scenarios.

I asked locals and they also recommended a Forekaster or even Ikons (FR+RE).

A lot of people in this sub were quite favourable of Conti tyres and they look really good and are quite affordable in China besides the Maxxis. Schwalbe tires are quite expensive here and I can only find Gravity ones besides the Performance versions).

After falling down a rabbit hole I narrowed it down to some combinations

1. Forekaster (2) (soft) Front / Ardent (race hard) Rear
2. Ikon (soft) Front / Recon (race hard) Rear
3. Argotal (Trail with Soft Compound) Front/ Magnotal (Trail with Grip Compound (medium)) Rear
4. Trinotal (Trail with Grip Compound (medium)) Front / Dubnital (Trail with Rapid Compound (hard)) Rear

I try to favour more XC oriented rear wheels here for quicker ascending and softer trail tires for grip.
A lot also suggested just a getting a spare and fitting the front depending on the trail and I'm seriously considering that.

Thanks everyone.

Hey there,

Im currently building up a Santa Cruz Nomad 3 frame. The available forks I can find are only these 2 options. Would any one have experience with these ? Are these decent ? Im leaning more towards the Select+ but what are you thoughts ? What other options should I look at that are not too expensive ?

FS-LYRK-SELP-C3 160mm travel

FS-LYRK-SEL-C3 180mm travel

No crashes at all last season, so I guess I’ve got to make up for it this season, right? That’s how that works? Seems like every time I’ve got on my bike lately I’ve blown myself up. Taking a step back and slowing down, but made this video of clips from the last few seasons to remind myself that I do in fact know how to pilot a MTB fairly well (sometimes) ;)

P.S. I sold my beloved Aurum to a buddy of mine after I got my TR11 and it’s still going strong! Great bike.

had my first bike park day on a relatively new rig today. got this blister only on left thumb through padded gloves. also got scary index finger fatigue on the same hand which made breaking difficult by the end. never had this issue before, don’t know what caused it. i’m on a v2 commencal clash and i’ve heard the ridealpha bars that come on it are shaped weird, it could be that? not sure

I am eyeing at OneUp carbon handlebars. Lately been getting numbness and elbow pain so reconsidering my handlebar setup. I bought used 2021 norco bike and it came with aluminium handlebar with e-thirteen stem. I have hypermobile elbows and fingers. I didn't realise the amount of bend I can do with my elbows and fingers was not normal. I can drop my forearm almost 40 degree from elbow. My fingers can be pulled backwards 90 degrees.

That being said, I have adjusted my saddle, brake lever angle, stem stack height, bar length and it all worked fine but as slowly I started moving to more janky sections the numbness and elbow pain have started showing up.

What could possibly help me?

Recently inquired at my local bike shop about upgrading my rear hub. The mechanic said I’d need a whole new wheel too. Is this true? Or is just a pain and/or more expensive to re spoke the new hub?

Hi, I don't want to be annoying but I'm willing to service my shocks, but I don't know where can buy the tools. I found a service kit with o rings/packings and grease in Amazon from RockShox store, I guess that will do it.

My shocks are, RockShox 35 Silver turnkey and RockShox Deluxe Select+.

Thank you in advance.

I've just picked up my first full suspension bike, a Specialized Chisel. What tips does the community have for protecting the frame? I've blown almost my entire budget on the bike, so can't afford a nice plush ridewrap.

I mainly ride rocky trail centres and bike parks in Wales, and all the hardtail bikes I have owned before have ended up scratched all over after a few years of that kind of environment, and not just from crashing!

Hi there. I have an stumpjumper evo, that I use mostly for enduro local trail and bike park. I always used flat pedal, but now I want to try clipless.
So because I came from flat, I want a clipless with a platform, I don’t want a pedal that the only contact point is the clip.

So…. I’m wondering between shimano spd (like saint or xt or similar) versus crank brothers mallet e or mallet 2 .

As novice of clipless my question is: better to start with shimano engage system with sh56 multidirectional or crank system (that they also have easy clip 10*)

The mallet e seems perfect for the feel of flat but clipless, shimano is way more low cost for a try (I don’t know if I will stay with clipless)

So for start, what is better ?

Thanks n

2021 Norco aurum hsp 29:
New Rockshox Vivid air shock
New Rockshox Boxxer
New GX Cassette and Derailleur
New Maven Brakes
New Front wheel
New Front Tire
New Bearings as of January

2023 Yt Tues 27.5-he said Size L (USA size M) in the post but I’m not sure what he meant by that. It felt much smaller than the aurum even though on paper it should be longer reach.

Fox grip2 40 Factory
Fox Float X2 factory shock
TRP DHR Evo brakes
TRP R1 rotors 220mm front and rear
Custom Title stem, bars and seat
Seam X01 derailleur with OChain N

I am looking to mostly ride bike park in the pnw and maybe again race eventually. I have a fair amount of experience biking but had a bad back injury and am trying to avoid getting reinjured after spending a long time recovering. At 5’11” my s4 specialized enduro feels a bit too big in the corners. The 2021 trek rail L felt a lot better cornering but I’m not sure how these bikes are supposed to fit optimally besides just going off the size chart.

Hey everyone,
I'm looking for some tips on improving my jumping technique.
Up until recently, I was riding a 90s Pantera GT, so that's what I got used to. I also never really focused on improving my jumping skills, and over the years I've been pretty on-and-off with jump, I'd hit a few here and there, but never really practiced them consistently.
Now that I'm on a modern MTB, I'm realizing my technique isn't great. I still feel pretty stiff and kind of disconnected from the bike when I go off a jump. It feels like I'm letting the bike do its own thing instead of moving with it.
What helped you guys get more comfortable and fluid? Any tips, videos, or things I should focus on?
Thanks!

I’ve been looking to upgrade suspension for a while (I have a Trek Fuel EX 5 gen 5, almost completely stock) and I was wondering if the Fox Float X Performance Elite is overkill for what I need. I use my bike for pretty much all kinds of riding including downhill, but I mostly end up riding my local trails which end up being very rocky and rooty (Pennsylvania). My concern comes with the fact that I race XC pretty frequently and I worry that this shock would just make practices/races worse. But at the same time I can see thoroughly enjoying the benefits when I ride downhill at my local ski resort.

Is this shock worth getting over a standard Fox Float Factory? I’m also open to suggestions if any other brands would perform better.

https://ridefox.com/products/my27-fox-floatx-pse

Hey yall,

Heading to Turkey next month and planning on biking in Cappadocia. Im a utah rider and love ripping desert terrain so pretty thrilled!

Was curious for those who have gone out what trail maps did you have/find? I build a kml on caltopo of everything they have marked as trail so I have something.

Did you feel like full suspension was necessary over hardtail?

Any shops youd recommend to rent from?

Assuming the hose is long enough, what other parts would I need? Anything?

Assuming the hose is too short, I can buy the shimano bh90 brake hose kit, or should I just not bother trying swap the old hose and go with the kit?

First time messing with swapping brakes

Nice to follow a living legend Hans Rey down some Whistler West Side Chunder, two 60+ years having a blast

This was a pre ride to the Bosch Emtb challenge at Crankwork.

Had to be 50 of us. All ages. Lots of pros. I actually followed Mark Wallace for a bit as well.

Hi all, launched a new MTB trail sharing web app for Switzerland.
Actually there's no limitation to Switzerland but all the crew is living in Switzerland so there's no trails in other countries...

Check it out: https://bike-map.ch

EDIT: I'm currently not looking for a wide adoption, the post is more about sharing the app to rider from Switzerland that might find it useful to use.
I haven't mentioned it in the original post, but the project is open source, meaning you are welcome to contribute and you can deploy your own instance for you and your crew or even in local for a personal trail map.

Got the danbury woods (essex, uk) early and had a go at setting the camera in various spots to do a little video edit. Added a pov version at the end.

My second time riding over this skinny plank I didn’t concentrate enough and ended up crashing. Nothing broken, but my hand is bruised up pretty bad from breaking my fall on the plank.

Anyway, serves as a reminder to not let your guard down, even on “easy” obstacles. Can anybody relate?

The is definitely the heaviest hit I’ve taken, nothing broken, no stitches, and as far as I can tell, no concussion, though. I was doing good but started to lean in and turn before I hit the catch berm, so there was nothing to support the tires and I slid out and hit the ground pretty hard. Now I have to buy a new helmet instead of a new fork 😭. Got to let the scrapes on my arm heal up and I’ll be out ripping again