When my friends and I used to frequent this "adult entertainment" place back east, we would bring trivial pursuit cards and quiz the dancers for their tips. Some of those girls are really smart!

well, they're all working their way through college...

These chicks were not working thier way through college. Trust me!

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this is simply an everyday tale of life, longing and mindless vandalism. everything is true, especially the bit where we all lie.

So was "Fear not a Factor" for you? We've got the Fox Lady and Cheaters. FL=$$$$ and woman to match. CHeaters="hey honey, wanna see my scars?" and you can imagine those ladies.

I gotta say all this talk abot 29. I think a good solution, at least for me, will be putting a 29* on the front only. I've only read one review of a Trek "69er" in Dirt Rag. They gave it their "lets not p--s off the sponsor" review. I never saw anyone with one on the trails and am surprised since it's what they do in motorcycle racing - big wheel in front. iDood thinks they look retarded and that is a factor, I mean the danimal does have fans to please. however, I think I will look pretty enough up there on the top of the podium. Chuck (Pacific Coast Cycles) says a 69er defeats the purpose and its the traction your 29er rear wheel gives you that is the benefit. But i'm thinking I probably am not going to go 29er anyhow so why not find a happy medium. I bet it would do great at Nobel tech stuff since it would be harder for you to otb when the front wheel is big. Sitting back there like a downhiller but on an xc bike. Any thoughts?

*or better yet that metric in-betweener, 750 or whatever it is just to get an improvement it and yet not lose handling

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"In a time of universal deciet, telling the truth is a revolutionary act" - George Orwell

chuck knows his shit, but i think one of the benefits is the contact angle the tire hits stuff with. in the front, you are more concerned about that.

the 69er has that capability, but without the penalty of the extra rotating mass in the back.

but, putting a larger wheel on the front will prolly mess with your geometry a bit depending on how you do it. i considered it briefly on the ss cuz the rigid fork has plenty of room being suspension corrected.

650b might not be a bad idea. a lot harder to find stuff for those though.

you can find a decent 29er frame for not too much.

I think the concept is under-reviewed. I am going to ask chuck to hook me up w a tester on that. I wonder if one can just change forks to do it...or do you need a different frame. probably a new frame since the geometry messup thing. That would probably require some serious framemakers/bike engineers input. Probably why Trek had to do it first.

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"In a time of universal deciet, telling the truth is a revolutionary act" - George Orwell

i'd go with a different frame.

and that's why

nothing serious. just clearance for the wheel and fork, right head tube angle, and right bottom bracket height.

they didn't afaik.

check out siren bikes.

your image there reminded me: where did you get your shirts made? how much ???

Don't have any where enough expertise to respond to that statement BUT....

... I demoed a Trek 69er at Rays MTB Park over the winter, and really did not like it. I had my Chumba XCL, the Trek and a Redline Monocog that day, and I liked the Monocogs handling the best by far (in that wacky place).

Just my $.02.

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this is simply an everyday tale of life, longing and mindless vandalism. everything is true, especially the bit where we all lie.

Thanks for the feedback Chocula.

Dood, on the artwork/my shirts, the whole business is on hold/up for sale/looking for an angel investor. The website is up at www.ridiculousgear.com but inventory is next to nothing. I did give you at least one shirt right?

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"In a time of universal deciet, telling the truth is a revolutionary act" - George Orwell

no, i got no shirt meow

thai has made some meow designs for some dirt treaders shirts. i've looked meow into cafe press, and i'm not digging it meow. i was wondering where meow you got your stuff printed and what the prices meow were like...

Ill get you a shirt Ldood next time we hang out. easy on your meows...subtlety wins the meow game padwa. Yeah Thai designs are pretty rad too! Id like to see a version of your banner on a shirt.

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"In a time of universal deciet, telling the truth is a revolutionary act" - George Orwell

So, I picked up a new Giant Reign X1 last week, and took it out to "Blue Hills", IMO the closest thing to a SoCal style all mountain style trail within an hour of Boston.

My route was a ~700' road climb, the downhill is akin to a 1 mile downhill version of the "stairway to hell" mixed with trees, roots and an ass load of little green caterpillars hanging from spiderwebs (why? I don't know. its a one-two day phenomenon though).

I have not ridden this trail, or any other east coast trail, on anything other then a single speed 29er since I moved back last year and foolishly sold my Chumba on a wing and some 29" koolaid.

Verdict: Holy shite batman. I forgot how much fun 26" wheels, gears and 6.7" of stanky Maestro suspension is. What does this mean though? Is it the wheel size? The gears? The suspension? I am not sure. Barring the invention of a long travel, affordable(EC does not buy $2000 frames) FS 29er, I think 26" is hands down the only way to go for those with DH/AM tendencies.

I still love the 29er (just picked up used Air 9 frame mad cheap via ebay. wooot.), but 26ers are still the way to go if you like to go down rocky hills really fast.

Please feel free to comment, but if you disagree with me I will kill you.

~The Anti-Chocula.

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this is simply an everyday tale of life, longing and mindless vandalism. everything is true, especially the bit where we all lie.

Pics of the new ride? Pics of you beating the new ride? Anything?


ps - Riegns rock, huh? That 6.7" of travel feels like 8 sometimes I swear.

Reigns do rock. I had a '05 Reign that cost $1200, and blew the socks off my $3200 Chumba XCL.

No pics right now. However, you need only look in your garage, as the bike is new '08 X1. Yay, we have matching bikes! Got it for $1995 from my LBS.

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this is simply an everyday tale of life, longing and mindless vandalism. everything is true, especially the bit where we all lie.