What's new?

[Carbon_Dude]

I've not checked in on Chintertown in a long while.  Hope everyone is doing well, and staying healthy.  The weather here outside Atlanta has been terrible for getting out and riding, so much rain over the last three months I can't even talk about it.  Been riding Zwift a lot lately, the new MTB course is fun.

[Sitar_Ned]

The OG original Chinertown member. Good to hear from you, man

So what are you riding most these days? The Stumpy or the Stache? Come back to the dark side...

[Carbon_Dude]

I've been riding both my Stache and my new 2019 Specialized SJ Expert.  The LBS had a blow out sale and I couldn't resist after a long test ride, so I sold my 2016 SJ and traded up.  I've still not forgotten how fun it is to have a Chiner though.  The color of the new SJ is Rocket Red and the color just blows out in most pictures.  I've currently got the bike setup with a set of Chiner 27.5 wheels and 2.8" tires for the wet winter conditions.  I'll switch back to the factory 29" wheels for the drier summer conditions.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/tt4fvRmod3wgbYKC8

Bigger news with me is after 20 years I've changed companies, I moved from Motorola to Levolor.  The new job requires a long commute into downtown Atlanta so I decided to purchase an EV to save on expenses.

https://photos.app.goo.gl/dmTe9SykBkytJuWn7

[Sitar_Ned]

Nice! Congrats on the new gig and the Tesla. I'll join the EV crowd soon enough I'm sure. I actually like the new truck.

As for the stumpy... I've currently got the new bike itch pretty bad. Looking at the chiner Santa Cruz replica frame and a discounted Ripmo frame. We'll see.

Is the stumpy designed for both 27.5 plus and 29? I'd really like that option.

[Carbon_Dude]

The Cybertruck will be another game changer for those who like trucks.  I have a friend who works at Tesla who also has a Tri-motor on order.

If I were to build a FS Chiner today, that Santa Cruz clone that I saw posted in another thread looks really promising.

Yes, the regular SJ 29er (not the ST) can switch between 27.5" and 29" wheels, there is a flip chip on the shock yoke to help with raising the BB when I put on the 27.5 wheels.  Pedal strikes are minimal, although better with the 29" wheels and the flip chip in the low position which is odd to me, seems like the chip should make the BB height the same.  Although maybe it's slightly low because I'm running 2.8" Maxxis tires instead of 3.0" wide tires.

[tripleDot]

Last Sunday (March 15), I was able to ride around my favorite cycling route at Samal Island. I kind'a know it'll be a while before I'll get to visit it again. And sure enough about a couple of hours after I got home, the announcement for a month-long city-wide lockdown in connection with Corona Virus was annouced. I'd still be able to ride the bike around the city but won't be able to visit the island.

[Carbon_Dude]

I hope we don't go on a total lock down in my area, getting out and going for a trail ride is the only thing keeping me sane right now.

[Sitar_Ned]

I hope we don't go on a total lock down in my area, getting out and going for a trail ride is the only thing keeping me sane right now.

That's where I'm at too. Just leave the trails open and the internet on. Please. Lol.

This is all so crazy... hope you guys are doing well out there.

[freeride1]

I hope you'll be more free than us here in Italy...I'm at home from 9 days, running or cycling wasn't prohibited but not well seen by people, so I preferred to pedal on hometrainer.
Buoght an Elite one last december after 23 years as a biker that have always rejected the idea of pedal at home...probably one of the best choices in last period!
By the way, from today also walk, running or cycling is no more allowed, due to the virus spreading uncontrolled (at least numbers say this).
As a 42 y.o. I'm not scared by this virus, but it's affecting our life in a hard way.
Stay safe, go out only to buy food.

[Carbon_Dude]

Not much new here in GA, trails have remained open so I've been riding 3-4 times per week.  In week 6 of working from home, just hoping my company doesn't start doing massive layoffs as our factory in Mexico has been closed for 4 weeks now, not set to reopen until May 17th.

Meanwhile, I've been doing some upgrades on my bikes:

Trek Stache 9.8
New 800mm RaceFace Next R bars - $100 on eBay
New Bike Yoke Dropper Post - $350 on eBay
PNW Loam Dropper Remote Lever $60

The wider bars are really nice, stock was LinePro 750mm wide bars, while nice just were starting to feel narrow compared to the bars on my SJ.

For the dropper, the stock Line Drop post started to become a bit slow to return, particularly compared to my SJ post.  The Bike Yoke post is of the highest quality dropper I've ever seen.  So smooth and the return is solid, and the release using the lever is nearly effortless.

Stumpjumper
Currently running my Chinese 27.5" x 40mm wheel set on Maxxis Recon+ 2.8" tires, DT Swiss 240 hubs w/52T upgrade

In addition I just ordered the SRAM AXS Upgrade kit (from Italy) ~$800, keeping my fingers crossed this all works out.  I have a neighbor that has the AXS system on his Canyon FS bike, it's so amazing.  When I found it for a 20% discount on eBay, I decided to pull the trigger.


The local bike shops around here are selling out of bikes, with the virus, everyone is coming into the shop and buying bikes like they never have before.  They are not offering ANY discounts on bikes right now, they are running out of stock on many sizes of many models.  Repairs are huge right now too, the mechanic is working hard to keep up.  Never thought the virus would be so good for the bike business.

[Carbon_Dude]

Checking in again.

BREAKING NEWS:

We moved from Atlanta to Daytona Beach Florida.  Trails around here are very different but fun, you just ride a little faster, or slower at times.  More sand, lots of roots, and hot weather, but I hope to get out and ride some of the larger, more popular trails in Florida, like Alafia and Santos.  Also, it's a blast riding my bike on the beach.  Imagine it's low tide, the sand is hard packed, the wind is to your back, and you are just speeding along at 24mph on a cool Spring day.  My local trail is Spruce Creek Preserve.  Good trail for intermediate riders.

Here is a recent pic:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/i8Pqri5xFmQ6FugGA

Back in September of last year, I accepted a new position at a company called Sun Nuclear, we sold our house, built a new house in Daytona Beach, and officially changed lattidude in January.  It's been a long time since I checked in at Chinertown, so I thought I'd post an update because the only constant in life is change.