Anyone have anything they'd like to rant about?

[rideit]

Have you tried using squirt lube instead?

[evdog]

Or how bout some queso? : )

[El Chupacabra]

Or waxing yourself?

[jm2e]

Outside owning Pinkbike. Guessing their impotent little meaningless side articles behind a paywall are quickly going flip and end up as most content behind a paywall but for a couple shitty articles about sponsored components and yesterdays news.

[One (+) Sentence]

Outside owning Pinkbike. Guessing their impotent little meaningless side articles behind a paywall are quickly going flip and end up as most content behind a paywall but for a couple shitty articles about sponsored components and yesterdays news.

Pinkbike doesn’t owe you free content, but you should read this article anyways https://m.pinkbike.com/news/an-updat...-mtb-2022.html

A couple bucks to employ people like Eliot Jackson and Andrew Neethling isn’t the end of the world in my mind.

[skiing2skiing]

There should be more informal/casual dh races!

[Bunion 2020]

By Jeff Reed Guest columnist 14 hrs ago

Over the past several years, Montanans have heard a fair amount from a small but vociferous circle of mostly Bozeman-based environmentalists. I call this circle the Wilderness purists.

Through widely circulated email screeds and the occasional guest column, the purists have attacked mainstream conservation groups for taking a pragmatic and inclusive approach to conservation and for not living up to the purists’ ideal of what conservation groups should be doing, no matter how un-strategic, ineffective, and ultimately futile that ideal may be.

The purists have lobbed their rhetorical grenades at Wild Montana and other conservation groups for their work on the Gallatin Forest Partnership proposal, the Blackfoot Clearwater Stewardship Act (BCSA), the Rocky Mountain Front Heritage Act, and other conservation initiatives born of collaboration and compromise among different interest groups.

The purists launch these attacks even though the collaborative approach to conservation has proven to be immensely popular among Montanans, as suggested by the 2022 bipartisan Colorado College public lands survey, which found that 79% of Montanans support the BCSA.

One of those purists is columnist George Ochenski, who has lambasted the BCSA (and collaboration in general) on several occasions. He recently wrote about the 2022 Colorado College poll, chiding Montana’s Republicans for ignoring voters’ conservation priorities, which is evident in the polling that shows overwhelming support for numerous conservation measures. But Ochenski did some ignoring himself: he cited every Montana-related result in the polling, except the one showing overwhelming support for the BCSA.

Judging by their regular discrediting of mainstream conservation groups, the purists don’t seem particularly interested in building support for their own proposals among Montanans who cherish public lands but do not regularly worship at the altar of Wilderness.

Here’s a taste of the kind of overheated rhetoric that’s become commonplace among the purists, this from a guest column by Steve Kelly of Bozeman:

“These pro-business ‘movers and shakers’ lack basic human integrity…. Love of money comes first. A cynical, authoritarian, use-and-abuse philosophy resonates among businessmen. Legislating commercial opportunity and government-sponsored jobs is music to ears of unrepentant money-worshipers.”

And one wonders why enviros sometimes get a bad rap in Montana.

It’s instructive, though, to look beyond the florid rhetoric of the purists and see what they’re actually proposing. Created a few years ago by a few purists in the Bozeman area, the Gallatin

Yellowstone Wilderness Alliance has a proposal for public lands around Bozeman. It would close:

- 234,621 acres of winter motorized recreation use, including the Big Sky Snowmobile National Recreation Trail, designated in the 1960s.

- 257 miles of mountain bike trail access, including Emerald Lake, Chestnut Mountain, Corbly Gulch, Truman Gulch, North Cottonwood, South Cottonwood, and sections of Sypes Canyon and Middle Cottonwood.

- 171.8 miles of motorized trail access.

- Most of the Bozeman Ice Festival.

- The Bridger Ridge Run, among many other foot races.

Most people working in conservation learn how to discern the difference between what’s feasible and what’s not, given the social and political realities they work under. Purists don’t want to bother with making that discernment and belittle those who refuse to join them in chasing rainbows.

The purists appear to be under the mistaken impression that landmark Wilderness achievements have come without compromise. That’s never been the case, not even with the 1964 Wilderness Act, which was passed only after Sens. Lee Metcalf and Mike Mansfield allowed new mineral claims to be staked in designated wilderness areas until 1984.

More proof that collaboration and compromise work is in the recently finished Custer Gallatin National Forest plan. The plan marks the first time the agency has recommended wilderness for the Gallatin Range — something Forest Supervisor Mary Erickson credited the Gallatin Forest Partnership with helping make possible. Across the Forest, the plan protects more than 400,000 acres, including 140,000 acres of new recommended Wilderness, 106,000 more acres than it did before the plan was released.

That’s a remarkable conservation win. And it happened because conservation groups built public support by engaging more than just hardcore Wilderness lovers.

The purists could only express disappointment. But after spending more time drafting screeds — blaming mainstream conservation groups for everything from starving grizzly bears to ushering in the end times — than building public support for what they want, they have only themselves to blame.

Jeff Reed lives in Paradise Valley, where he owns and operates Reedfly Farm.

Great letter

[yeahman]

Great letter

+1. Having shared a few chair rides with Ochensky, I can say he is as annoying in person as he is in print. Don't even bother reading his columns anymore.

[evdog]

Why do people have so much trouble staying on the trail? You have one job....

[t.odd]

lol, the braiding in Squamish would make your head explode (I hate it)...that just looks like someone lost attention for a split second

[LeeLau]

lol, the braiding in Squamish would make your head explode (I hate it)...that just looks like someone lost attention for a split second

Blowdown in Squish and NV has been surreal. So much greenery down. Most of us are clearing narrow paths, leaving blowdown on the braids and dragging cut greenery off trails and back onto braids for even more blocking. Know that doesn't help you evdog but it's a mtb problem everywhere

[evdog]

lol, the braiding in Squamish would make your head explode (I hate it)...that just looks like someone lost attention for a split second

Yeah I know, this example just stuck out being an easy section that one rider apparently couldn't handle. The braiding down here already makes my head explode. There's no limit to what the Jongs here won't go off trail to ride around. At least in BC they're bypassing stuff that is actually hard, at least from what I used to see.

[jm2e]

I’ve got these Reynolds Bernard Kerr model wheels that came with my DH rig. They’re old school super deep profile. For whatever reason, it just will not mate to any valve. Every tire change is a nightmare of deflation until I ride around on it enough to splash the sealant around. Fortunately they’re bomber enough to run flat with CushCore for 6-800’ of bike park.
The really annoying part is that Reynolds official solution is that I need to use their overpriced valves and their overpriced tape.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

[One (+) Sentence]

I’ve got these Reynolds Bernard Kerr model wheels that came with my DH rig. They’re old school super deep profile. For whatever reason, it just will not mate to any valve. Every tire change is a nightmare of deflation until I ride around on it enough to splash the sealant around. Fortunately they’re bomber enough to run flat with CushCore for 6-800’ of bike park.
The really annoying part is that Reynolds official solution is that I need to use their overpriced valves and their overpriced tape.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

Wait, you’ve tried a number of different valves except the ones that Reynolds specifically designed to work with your wheels?

I’m surprised the wheels/bike didn’t come with compatible valves when you purchased it/them.

[climberevan]

I've had success with inserting valve stems into a bed of silicone/acrylic/polyurethane caulk in this case. It makes taking them out a bitch, but that's not something I need to do often.

[evdog]

I just had a similar issue. New wheelset didn't come with valve stems. The pack of Stan's stems I had weren't long enough so I picked up 45mm WTB stems from the LBS. Neither one would seal against the rim, like not even close. Could hear air rushing out. Most shops were closed Sunday/Monday. Called around, the only shops that were open only carried the same WTB stems. Took about 4 tries on Tuesday to find one with longer Stan's cores in stock. Not sure what the problem is, the Stan's and WTB have the exact same shape base and appear to be the same dimensions. But the tired aired up perfect with the Stan's stems.

[beaterdit]

I’ve got these Reynolds Bernard Kerr model wheels that came with my DH rig. They’re old school super deep profile. For whatever reason, it just will not mate to any valve. Every tire change is a nightmare of deflation until I ride around on it enough to splash the sealant around. Fortunately they’re bomber enough to run flat with CushCore for 6-800’ of bike park.
The really annoying part is that Reynolds official solution is that I need to use their overpriced valves and their overpriced tape.


Sent from my iPhone using TGR Forums

Muc off Valve stems are the best I've found. Not cheap but they come in a bunch of lengths and colors, and come with several different shapes of gaskets so should work with whatever.

The Reynolds wheels that came on my Firebird have a big square block gasket on the valve. Their fancy tape failed on me though, sealant got into the rims. The bike was sitting for a while and it rotted my spoke nipples. Partly user error I guess but shit, now I have to relace the wheels before I can sell the bike.

[Canada1]

You may laugh at this, but my favorite valve stems came with a set of house wheels from Diamond Back. They have a rubber rectangle on the base that just works, rather than the requisite round cone on most. The 1/10 ounce of extra rubber makes all of the difference.

[panchosdad]

Great letter

Great indeed!

[rideit]

Advanced Dentistry

[VTskibum]

Have some of those rectangular Reynolds that came w a black label wheelset years ago and they do work quite well. Still use Stan’s and as mentioned come in different lengths, though recently got some Cush core style knock-off Amazon ones with the multi angle air ports on the inside that are pretty good so far.

Also not exactly a rant, bc it’s hilarious, but my buddy for April 1st picked Remy Metailler to roast me.

Jist of it is that my jumps are small, I ride kid trails, and my wife is the boss. Also sent it along to the rest of our riding crew. My wife and daughter think it’s hilarious as well.

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[rideit]

I think that was a mistake, that was meant for me. I was born in Brattleboro, so I can understand the confusion.

[VTskibum]

So took a hacksaw to my daughters bike (Liv/Giant STP 24+) today out of annoyance at the full wrap cable guides. I didn’t have a bleed kit or olive+ Barb for the tektros and the principle of these being full wrap is just stupid, so hacked off the end. Could just squeeze it in enough to stay put. Used dremel and sandpaper to smooth it out and didn’t have to mess w bleeding them to fit.



Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[evasive_MT]

Poop Dream

[rideit]

Well, that trail is kinda…poopy