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This is what's wrong with The Industry™

lobsterCT

Monkey
Jun 23, 2015
278
414
Yep, thanks for the visual. I had one like that 20 years ago for my quill stem fork. It was like $30 and I liked it better than the vast majority of what is available today.

Riders to industry. Come in industry. Can you hear us?
 

StiHacka

Compensating for something
Jan 4, 2013
21,560
12,508
In hell. Welcome!
Yep, thanks for the visual. I had one like that 20 years ago for my quill stem fork. It was like $30 and I liked it better than the vast majority of what is available today.

Riders to industry. Come in industry. Can you hear us?
Yes.
 

lobsterCT

Monkey
Jun 23, 2015
278
414
Thanks for the suggestion Stihacka - I guess there is more than one way to skin a cat.

@JM - I did some google fu that suggests, yes they are more expensive.

Google also suggests that they have more friction than ball bearings. I could see that being a plausible reason as well. People might say, hey wtf, this thing isn't as smooth as my CK.

I wouldn't personally mind a little extra friction in my headset for a lot more stiffness in the fork/frame interface.
 

Jm_

sled dog's bollocks
Jan 14, 2002
20,064
10,626
AK
Thanks for the suggestion Stihacka - I guess there is more than one way to skin a cat.

@JM - I did some google fu that suggests, yes they are more expensive.

Google also suggests that they have more friction than ball bearings. I could see that being a plausible reason as well. People might say, hey wtf, this thing isn't as smooth as my CK.

I wouldn't personally mind a little extra friction in my headset for a lot more stiffness in the fork/frame interface.
Yeah, I wouldn't be concerned about friction, that's like a bit of steering damping, but I'm not convinced the FSA bearings weren't cheese-bearings. I'm not sure anyone has tried to make a high quality HS with tapered bearings.
 

iRider

Turbo Monkey
Apr 5, 2008
5,686
3,143
I'm not sure anyone has tried to make a high quality HS with tapered bearings.
I have a Tange one in classic 1 1/8. Seals on it are not great by today's standards but back in the day they were pretty good. Survived years of abuse with 2-3 re-greases a year. Somehow I recall one of the German brands (Acros?) making one but my Google Fu is lacking ATM.
 

Electric_City

Torture wrench
Apr 14, 2007
2,047
783
Loving the poll at the end of that piece:

Are you a fan of flow trails?

- I love them
- They're ok
- I don't care for them.



:banghead:
86% "I love them"

i don't hate flow trails, i hate that it seems like all the new trails being built are flow trails.
That's a big problem cause that's what newbies and the aging riders want.

A buddy of mine rode with me and my group for 3 years. He made his daughters boyfriend try it when they came home. Brian (the BF) would go out and ride, but just for something to do. Then they went to Raystown, the epitome of "flow" trail. Brian stopped riding cause the trails around us "suck cause there's no flow". Eric stopped riding too.

Brian bought an e-bike last month. Eric said he's now looking to buy one to "keep up" with Brian.

I like where mountain biking started, but I don't like where it's going.
 

jstuhlman

bagpipe wanker
Dec 3, 2009
17,313
14,123
Cackalacka du Nord
86% "I love them"


That's a big problem cause that's what newbies and the aging riders want.

A buddy of mine rode with me and my group for 3 years. He made his daughters boyfriend try it when they came home. Brian (the BF) would go out and ride, but just for something to do. Then they went to Raystown, the epitome of "flow" trail. Brian stopped riding cause the trails around us "suck cause there's no flow". Eric stopped riding too.

Brian bought an e-bike last month. Eric said he's now looking to buy one to "keep up" with Brian.

I like where mountain biking started, but I don't like where it's going.
HEY NOW. define "aging" . . . :happy:
 

Toshi

butthole powerwashing evangelist
Oct 23, 2001
39,638
8,683
I am aging, I suppose. I even have an e-bike! But I like technical, rough trails.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
88,636
26,882
media blackout
86% "I love them"


That's a big problem cause that's what newbies and the aging riders want.

A buddy of mine rode with me and my group for 3 years. He made his daughters boyfriend try it when they came home. Brian (the BF) would go out and ride, but just for something to do. Then they went to Raystown, the epitome of "flow" trail. Brian stopped riding cause the trails around us "suck cause there's no flow". Eric stopped riding too.

Brian bought an e-bike last month. Eric said he's now looking to buy one to "keep up" with Brian.

I like where mountain biking started, but I don't like where it's going.
all this can be solved with rocks and a couple bags of quikrete.
 

Nick

My name is Nick
Sep 21, 2001
24,861
16,396
where the trails are
the County I live in has adopted the "we 'need' gnar trails to separate riders" mentality. Intentionally difficult trails, with A and B lines, real drops, steep junk ... it's pretty amazing, and seems to only be getting started.
 

Lelandjt

adorbs
Apr 4, 2008
2,636
997
Breckenridge, CO/Lahaina,HI
Last edited:

Lelandjt

adorbs
Apr 4, 2008
2,636
997
Breckenridge, CO/Lahaina,HI
Yeah, I wouldn't be concerned about friction, that's like a bit of steering damping, but I'm not convinced the FSA bearings weren't cheese-bearings. I'm not sure anyone has tried to make a high quality HS with tapered bearings.
If your frame is ZS56/ZS44 and your fork is 1 1/8 straight you can use this one made for my electric dirtbike.
https://lunacycle.com/sur-ron-tapered-bearing/
 

Lelandjt

adorbs
Apr 4, 2008
2,636
997
Breckenridge, CO/Lahaina,HI
I read the article, looked at the photos, and I think either he or I have the wrong idea of what a "flow trail" is. That article is basically defining it as any non technical (smooth) trail. I thought flow trails were downhill with berms, jumps (usually manageable size tabletops), and 4ft wide cuz they're machine built. His definition just sounds like "easy trails" or "smooth trails".
 

rideit

Bob the Builder
Aug 24, 2004
24,579
12,413
In the cleavage of the Tetons
Yeah, I briefly lived in Mill Valley, when it was super dry it was kinda gravely, IMO.
Either way, TDF riders were ‘Mountain Biking’ way back when, all those roads were generally unpaved in the high mountains...
 

StiHacka

Compensating for something
Jan 4, 2013
21,560
12,508
In hell. Welcome!
i spend a fair amount of time moving logs and rocks to block this shit. i haven't yet had to resort to digging holes or quikreting objects into place.
You don't understand. I am talking about entire trail sections with techy spots being officially decommissioned and re-routed via "flowy" sections that lack any technicality, not about stravatards and their B-lines and braids.
 

jonKranked

Detective Dookie
Nov 10, 2005
88,636
26,882
media blackout
You don't understand. I am talking about entire trail sections with techy spots being officially decommissioned and re-routed via "flowy" sections that lack any technicality, not about stravatards and their B-lines and braids.
no i understand and believe it. thankfully i haven't seen it here. yet.