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Grateful Dude

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May 30, 2016
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Ya it's insane at the speed they carry in those spots.

This is called Original Sin, a black tech run in the park there. It was one of the harder trails I got to do last weekend. Not my footage but similar lines.



Have you had rides in terrain like this? If so where? I love seeing how each place is so different and what skill set it forces their locals to excel in.
Hell yeah man, I've hit trails like that! That looks fairly similar to what most of the ski resorts in Colorado have to offer (keystone, vail, beaver creek, Crested Butte, winter park, etc). I've ridden at most of the major CO ski resorts, and they're all a little different but for the most part comparable to that vid. That kind of shit will make you pucker up!

Makes me want a DH bike. Although that would be silly in Austin.
 

La Paix

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Hell yeah man, I've hit trails like that! That looks fairly similar to what most of the ski resorts in Colorado have to offer (keystone, vail, beaver creek, Crested Butte, winter park, etc). I've ridden at most of the major CO ski resorts, and they're all a little different but for the most part comparable to that vid. That kind of shit will make you pucker up!

Makes me want a DH bike. Although that would be silly in Austin.
If I were to travel to the US to ride what would be the top 3 in your opinion? I'd prefer mostly DH but some XC/Enduro is always a decent option. If it's somewhere I could tow my trailer to that would be ideal so not FL or GA or a bunch other.
 

Grateful Dude

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May 30, 2016
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If I were to travel to the US to ride what would be the top 3 in your opinion? I'd prefer mostly DH but some XC/Enduro is always a decent option. If it's somewhere I could tow my trailer to that would be ideal so not FL or GA or a bunch other.
Sorry for the slow reply...I got so high on edibles last night that I couldn't read on my phone anymore lol :D

Man, top 3....that's a tricky one as there are many awesome places to ride. Here's a few though:

Moab is a must. Insane amount of trails and a good bit of variety. There are some classic we'll know trails there, and they're famous/popular for a reason - they're damn good fun. The Whole Enchilada is a great ride to say you did. It's a big day (28 miles I think) but it's awesome. You start at like 12k so you have that high mountain setting, and then the trail changes to several different styles as you work your way down. Porcupine Rim is one of the best sections, and it's a blast.

I'm a big fan of Flagstaff and Sedona too. Flag is higher in elevation and in the mountains, and Sedona is the classic open red rock style trail. Both are great but very different. The two towns are only 30 min apart so it's cool to have both options. Sedona has a ton of trail. Burly, fast, chunky, technical, steep - you can find it all there. Hangover trail is a classic there. Tough climb and the cliff is scary as fuck lol, but it's a rewarding and great ride. Great scenery.

And you gotta get to Colorado. I love it there, and there are dozens of absolutely killer places to ride across the state. Every single place I've ridden in CO I've loved. I've spent the most time on the Front Range trails as I have friends in Golden. The front range extends from there and up towards Boulder and Fort Collins. It's a bit rockier and chunkier than the higher mountain stuff. Tons of trails everywhere. My bud has like a dozen badass rides he can do near home. My recent vacation started there, and then we went to Crested Butte which is much higher up. Big mountain style rides there, lots of climbing and then killer descents. CB is known by many as the birthplace of true mountain biking. Lots and lots of trail, many of which are epics (25+ miles and take a good chunk of the day to complete). And you also have the lift at the ski mountain there.

And then there's Gunnison, Salida, Fruita...the list goes on. All a bit different, but you almost can't go wrong picking somewhere. And then you also have all of the ski resorts. I've ridden at Keystone, Vail, Beaver Creek, Winter Park, CB, and Steamboat. All tons of fun, probably similar to what you saw at Whistler.



FRAT lol
 

La Paix

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Sorry for the slow reply...I got so high on edibles last night that I couldn't read on my phone anymore lol :D

Man, top 3....that's a tricky one as there are many awesome places to ride. Here's a few though:

Moab is a must. Insane amount of trails and a good bit of variety. There are some classic we'll know trails there, and they're famous/popular for a reason - they're damn good fun. The Whole Enchilada is a great ride to say you did. It's a big day (28 miles I think) but it's awesome. You start at like 12k so you have that high mountain setting, and then the trail changes to several different styles as you work your way down. Porcupine Rim is one of the best sections, and it's a blast.

I'm a big fan of Flagstaff and Sedona too. Flag is higher in elevation and in the mountains, and Sedona is the classic open red rock style trail. Both are great but very different. The two towns are only 30 min apart so it's cool to have both options. Sedona has a ton of trail. Burly, fast, chunky, technical, steep - you can find it all there. Hangover trail is a classic there. Tough climb and the cliff is scary as fuck lol, but it's a rewarding and great ride. Great scenery.

And you gotta get to Colorado. I love it there, and there are dozens of absolutely killer places to ride across the state. Every single place I've ridden in CO I've loved. I've spent the most time on the Front Range trails as I have friends in Golden. The front range extends from there and up towards Boulder and Fort Collins. It's a bit rockier and chunkier than the higher mountain stuff. Tons of trails everywhere. My bud has like a dozen badass rides he can do near home. My recent vacation started there, and then we went to Crested Butte which is much higher up. Big mountain style rides there, lots of climbing and then killer descents. CB is known by many as the birthplace of true mountain biking. Lots and lots of trail, many of which are epics (25+ miles and take a good chunk of the day to complete). And you also have the lift at the ski mountain there.

And then there's Gunnison, Salida, Fruita...the list goes on. All a bit different, but you almost can't go wrong picking somewhere. And then you also have all of the ski resorts. I've ridden at Keystone, Vail, Beaver Creek, Winter Park, CB, and Steamboat. All tons of fun, probably similar to what you saw at Whistler.



FRAT lol
Perfect thanks man great reply. I'm going to google those and start down the rabbit hole.

I just finished a quick ride at a new trail area close to home. It's called Crawford by locals but it's Myra Canyon provincial park. Fire torch a huge portion like 3 years ago but it's still good riding and amazing views.


 

Grateful Dude

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May 30, 2016
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Perfect thanks man great reply. I'm going to google those and start down the rabbit hole.

I just finished a quick ride at a new trail area close to home. It's called Crawford by locals but it's Myra Canyon provincial park. Fire torch a huge portion like 3 years ago but it's still good riding and amazing views.


Cool man, let me know what/where you're liking and I can give some more trail names or suggestions.

That pic is awesome! Killer scenery where you live.

I got a quick ride in today as well. I went over the bars hard today. Superman style lol. I've been crashing too much lately.
 

La Paix

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Cool man, let me know what/where you're liking and I can give some more trail names or suggestions.

That pic is awesome! Killer scenery where you live.

I got a quick ride in today as well. I went over the bars hard today. Superman style lol. I've been crashing too much lately.
Stupid mistake or pushing it?

I went over at Whistler. It's was a really steep see room so landed 2p' down from the crash site, or at least it felt that way.

Another one from tonight.

 

Grateful Dude

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Stupid mistake or pushing it?

I went over at Whistler. It's was a really steep see room so landed 2p' down from the crash site, or at least it felt that way.

Another one from tonight.

It was totally a stupid crash. Was dropping over a ledge and stuck front wheel in a bad spot , and it just sent me flying over.

The new bike is sweet looking, how're you liking it so far?
 

La Paix

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It was totally a stupid crash. Was dropping over a ledge and stuck front wheel in a bad spot , and it just sent me flying over.

The new bike is sweet looking, how're you liking it so far?
Lol. Those type of crashes just make you get up and shake your head at yourself. It's usually a case of if you were going a touch faster you'd be good.

I love the Enduro, first bike I've bought new too. Every thing is just so we'll balanced for climbing and going Dh. Tires are 2.6 which is almost + size but I see the benefits especially now that we haven't seen rain in 6 weeks and it's dusty as fuck.
Hey I got a kit with the bike and appearently it's everything I need to go tubeless. If I post a pic can you walk me through it? You think it's worth it?
 

Grateful Dude

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Lol. Those type of crashes just make you get up and shake your head at yourself. It's usually a case of if you were going a touch faster you'd be good
Yep, I was shaking my head like "how the fuck did that happen" lol. And I think you're right, a little more speed and I probably would have rolled right through. Trails are really dry here right now, so there's lots of loose dirt and rock/gravel on the trail. Makes it a bit slippery in spots!

I love the Enduro, first bike I've bought new too. Every thing is just so we'll balanced for climbing and going Dh. Tires are 2.6 which is almost + size but I see the benefits especially now that we haven't seen rain in 6 weeks and it's dusty as fuck.
Glad to hear, that is a really nice bike my man. Feels good to have a brand new bike, doesn't it?! Everything is fresh and working perfectly. I'm running 2.4's, the wide tires help a lot.

Hey I got a kit with the bike and appearently it's everything I need to go tubeless. If I post a pic can you walk me through it? You think it's worth it?
For sure man, happy to help you with this. Definitely go tubeless, it's way better IMO. Send me what you have and I'll breakdown the install and setup for you. Did they give you any sealant to put in the tires? You will want that. Tubeless provides a better ride because you can run a bit lower psi, so you get better traction and a little more squish to smooth things out. The sealant will stop a lot of the leaks you may get, and the just carry a tube in your pack so you can throw that in if something crazy happens. Send me what you got and I'll get in to more detail.

:cheers:
 

La Paix

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Yep, I was shaking my head like "how the fuck did that happen" lol. And I think you're right, a little more speed and I probably would have rolled right through. Trails are really dry here right now, so there's lots of loose dirt and rock/gravel on the trail. Makes it a bit slippery in spots!



Glad to hear, that is a really nice bike my man. Feels good to have a brand new bike, doesn't it?! Everything is fresh and working perfectly. I'm running 2.4's, the wide tires help a lot.



For sure man, happy to help you with this. Definitely go tubeless, it's way better IMO. Send me what you have and I'll breakdown the install and setup for you. Did they give you any sealant to put in the tires? You will want that. Tubeless provides a better ride because you can run a bit lower psi, so you get better traction and a little more squish to smooth things out. The sealant will stop a lot of the leaks you may get, and the just carry a tube in your pack so you can throw that in if something crazy happens. Send me what you got and I'll get in to more detail.

:cheers:
Having a new bike is a game changer. I need a minor time as things stretch into place but it's so fucking smooth and worry free. I kind of miss the 29s on the climb but its a fair trade for the diverse terrain I ride.

Let lost pics of my tubeless kit later, looking forward to that.

Oh and ya, you need to come to Crankworx, seriously. Bring the wife and we'll get a sweet little condo right in the village. Ride during the day, shop and spectate later on.


View: https://www.instagram.com/p/BX8TW15hHWb/
 

La Paix

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Hey Grateful Dude @GratefulGiarc I'm creeping on your bike pictures and see you run clips ins, you find these a good option? I know we have very different terrain but I'm curious if they'd be a decent option for me. I bet for climbs and shit I'd enjoy but I'm skeptical on the DH parts.

And btw that Evil is super nice still. I'm kind of thinking I should've test ride my Enduro in a 29...
 

Grateful Dude

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you find these a good option?
Definitely. I've been using them since Shimano introduced the SPD cleats and shoes in the mid 90s, so for me it's what I'm used to. It actually feels weird when I ride flat pedals now hah. It takes a little getting used to in the beginning, but it becomes second nature eventually. You will definitely crash or at least tip over a few times during the learning curve ;)

You're right, it helps for the climbs and is useful for XC/Trail type riding. Once you get used to it, they give you some extra control over your bike. You become connected to the bike, so for example to jump over something I just lift up with my legs instead of doing an old school bunny hop. I run mine for everything, mostly because that's my comfort zone, but if I had a dedicated DH rig I would run flats on it. You could always get a set, and then throw your flats on when you're doing a DH day (it's super easy to change them out, just remember the non-drive side is reverse threaded!).

FWIW, there are a few different kinds of cleats, but I think the Shimano SPD is the best.
 

La Paix

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So I used to use my Fox hydration pack for both dirt and MTN biking but it's far too big. Last week I bought the smallest Camelback I could find and it didn't feel good. It kept sliding off my shoulders or felt too tight regardless of how I set the straps. Now at 37 I've just purchased my first fanny pack lol. All the guys at my LBS run them and say they're amazing so I took the leap of faith. Holds 1.5L of fluid and lots of room for phone, tools, tube and some snacks while staying relatively small and out of the way. I'm excited for it's debut! Should work great for snowboarding as well.






 

Grateful Dude

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May 30, 2016
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Now at 37 I've just purchased my first fanny pack lol
Hahaha. I'm a year older, but haven't got a fanny pack (yet) :D

Right on man, hope that works out for you. I'm used to carrying a full size CamelBak (Mule NV), but I probably carry more shit than a lot of folks. That bag looks big enough to carry whatever you need for a ride. I use a 3L bladder, but that's mostly because I need it with the heat here. My CamelBak is a little big for everyday use, but I bought it as a one-bag-for-all situations, and it's big enough I can carry food, rain jacket, fleece jacket (for times like when I was in Colorado last month).
 

Grateful Dude

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Grateful Dude @GratefulGiarc here's my bag I got from the shop to go tubeless, am I missing anything?





All you need for the tubeless conversion are those two valve stems, and the black rim tape that says 'roval' on it. When you're ready to go, pull your tires off and clean the rim surface with rubbing alcohol. Then you will line the inside of each wheel with the tap to cover all of the spoke holes on the inside of the rim. The tape should be the correct width for the inner width of your rims, so just make sure to get it in nice and smooth/even as you go. Press firmly as you go (and maybe after it's done) just to make sure the tape has good contact/adhesion all the way around. There may be a hole in the tape already cut, so you can put that over the hole for the valve stem and proceed from there. Once the tape is in, install the valve stems and tighten down enough to compress the o-ring (that's the only seal on the valve stem.

That's it! Other than re-installing tires with sealant. The sealant is important, it will help the tire seat more easily at first and will help prevent flats. Stan's and Orange Seal are the most popular, both work. I'm using Orange Seal these days. When you first re-mount your tires over pressurize to like 45 psi or so. This will force the tire bead into the right spot on the rim. If the bead was a little off, you may hear a loud pop as you pump it up (this is the bead "popping" into place). It may scare the shit out of you lol, but it's actually a good thing. Doesn't happen every time, but don't worry if that happens. The core of your valve stems likely is removable, so you can add more sealant through there after a few months without needing to remove the tire.

I just got back to the office from caving all day, and I just typed this up quickly. Let me know if anything is unclear or if you want more clarification on anything.


And FYI, those gray cylinders or "pucks" are for your front shock. Your fork probably has 2 or 3 already installed in it, and they come with extras so you can fine tune your fork. Adding pucks makes the spring rate more progressive. Those pucks take up some of the internal volume in the air chamber, so with more pucks it is harder to compress the air as the fork compresses (harder to bottom out). Running more pucks lets you keep your fork softer for the little stuff, but keeps it from bottoming out on bigger hits. Your fork is probably fine as is, but you have the option to add more and do some fine tuning if you want.
 

La Paix

Fuck this place
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All you need for the tubeless conversion are those two valve stems, and the black rim tape that says 'roval' on it. When you're ready to go, pull your tires off and clean the rim surface with rubbing alcohol. Then you will line the inside of each wheel with the tap to cover all of the spoke holes on the inside of the rim. The tape should be the correct width for the inner width of your rims, so just make sure to get it in nice and smooth/even as you go. Press firmly as you go (and maybe after it's done) just to make sure the tape has good contact/adhesion all the way around. There may be a hole in the tape already cut, so you can put that over the hole for the valve stem and proceed from there. Once the tape is in, install the valve stems and tighten down enough to compress the o-ring (that's the only seal on the valve stem.

That's it! Other than re-installing tires with sealant. The sealant is important, it will help the tire seat more easily at first and will help prevent flats. Stan's and Orange Seal are the most popular, both work. I'm using Orange Seal these days. When you first re-mount your tires over pressurize to like 45 psi or so. This will force the tire bead into the right spot on the rim. If the bead was a little off, you may hear a loud pop as you pump it up (this is the bead "popping" into place). It may scare the shit out of you lol, but it's actually a good thing. Doesn't happen every time, but don't worry if that happens. The core of your valve stems likely is removable, so you can add more sealant through there after a few months without needing to remove the tire.

I just got back to the office from caving all day, and I just typed this up quickly. Let me know if anything is unclear or if you want more clarification on anything.


And FYI, those gray cylinders or "pucks" are for your front shock. Your fork probably has 2 or 3 already installed in it, and they come with extras so you can fine tune your fork. Adding pucks makes the spring rate more progressive. Those pucks take up some of the internal volume in the air chamber, so with more pucks it is harder to compress the air as the fork compresses (harder to bottom out). Running more pucks lets you keep your fork softer for the little stuff, but keeps it from bottoming out on bigger hits. Your fork is probably fine as is, but you have the option to add more and do some fine tuning if you want.
Great info as always. We here call those pucks tokens. So far I see no need but time will tell. Thanks again bruddah.
 

Grateful Dude

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La Paix @BirdWatcher

A couple more things...

you will want to use an air compressor to seat/mount your tires. It can be done with a floor pump, but it can be a pain in the ass. Once seated and holding air, floor pump or whatever is fine.

You can by an adapter at any bike shop for a few bucks, and that will fit over the presta style valve stems you have, and that adapter will work with any standard air tools.

What psi are you running currently? With those fatty tires and tubeless you should be able to run them at fairly low psi (around 20-25?). Just squishy enough to add some traction and plush up your ride


And carry a tube in your pack as a last resort tire fix. If something happens that you can't fix on the trail, you have that. All you have to do is pull out the valve stem (leave the tape). Will get you out!
 

La Paix

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La Paix @BirdWatcher

A couple more things...

you will want to use an air compressor to seat/mount your tires. It can be done with a floor pump, but it can be a pain in the ass. Once seated and holding air, floor pump or whatever is fine.

You can by an adapter at any bike shop for a few bucks, and that will fit over the presta style valve stems you have, and that adapter will work with any standard air tools.

What psi are you running currently? With those fatty tires and tubeless you should be able to run them at fairly low psi (around 20-25?). Just squishy enough to add some traction and plush up your ride


And carry a tube in your pack as a last resort tire fix. If something happens that you can't fix on the trail, you have that. All you have to do is pull out the valve stem (leave the tape). Will get you out!
Good info. On my 29er I was 22 in the rear and 28 or so up front. Talking to the guys at my shop now and they think I'm going to soft, maybe it's the terrain here? They suggest for my size to go 28ish front and rear. They'll do my tubeless change over for about $40 if I want so that may be best. I'd have to lose pressure once riding or s rat h up my new wheels!


Oh and hey check this shit out. My buddy was just talking to me about inventing some next level grip while we were high on the chair lift at Whistler, looks like somebody beat him to it.

Revolution Suspension Grips Review
by BRIAN MULLIN on JULY 18, 2017



The Revolution Suspension Grips is an innovative system that isolates your hand’s and upper body from the shock and vibration propagated through the handlebars from the trail, and this design helps decrease fatigue, repetitive injury and arm pump.

“There are many different grip shapes and sizes designed to achieve that perfect, ergonomic fit with hopes of minimizing arm pump and hand fatigue. These grips were made for anyone who has ever suffered from hand fatigue, numbing, blistering or arm pump. If you suffer from any hand or wrist problems, such as carpal tunnel, arthritis, or other injuries, our grips will help alleviate the pain.”



The system features a two-collar lock-on design, an inner plastic sleeve which is 1/8-inch larger than the handlebar and floats within the shock absorbing inserts or dampers in the collars, and finally a nubbed rubber grip.The lock-on system doesn’t allow the grips to spin entirely and when used in person you can feel the minute amount of circumferential rotation, which is only 3-4mm of movement.


Features

It comes in two versions, the tuneable Pro Series Shock Absorbing Grip System for $89.95 which I tested and the fixed Race Series Shock Absorbing Grip System for $59.95. The Pro version comes with tuning washers that provide an adjustable feel from firm to soft, and it comes in various grip and lock-on clamp color options. The fixed tuned Race version offers a medium-soft feel, comes in a Black only color option. Both versions come in three grip diameters, Small (31mm), Medium (32.5mm) and Large (34mm).

“Our grips are unique because they allow movement and absorption with the subtle natural motion of your hands and upper body. Although the movement is subtle, the effect is profound. You will not notice the movement while riding; however, you will maintain better control without the typical harsh feel and vibration of a traditional grip.”

The grips are available through local bike shops as well as online through www.revgrips.com.


Pro Series Kit
The full Pro Series kit that I tested comes with the Revolution grips, four lock-on clamps, a set of thin and thick tuning washers for each side, two full sets of shock absorbing inserts and finally a bar end plug. For ease of installation, it comes with a 2.5mm and 3mm hex keys.

Kit Contents

  • Grip
  • 40 rubber inserts
  • Two hex keys – 2.5 and 3mm
  • Four lock-on clamps w/ bolts
  • Four thin tuning washers – 0.01″
  • Four thick tuning washers – 0.02″
  • Handlebar plug


Installation
For the Pro kit I tested you need to decide how you want to tune the grip:

  • Firm – no washers
  • Medium/Firm – One thin washer on one side of the grip
  • Medium – One thin washer on each side of the grip
  • Medium/Soft – One thin washer on one side and a thick on the other of each grip
  • Soft – One thick washer on each side of the grip
For my initial experiment, I went with the Medium setting, meaning I’d use thin washers on each side of the grips. It’s a good idea to make a rough assembly with just the grip and lock-on clamps on the bar to get the proper fit width before you get everything put together.

The first installation step is placing the rubber shock absorbing inserts into each of the lock-on clamps slots. It seemed easy enough but squishing them in when you’re fat fingered took some finesse.



Next, place one of the chosen tuning washers onto the end extensions of the grips and insert those same teeth into the rubber damping inserts, it’s a tight fit, so it will take some wiggling to get everything engaged. Now, slide the assembled piece inward onto the handlebars and hold everything in place and tighten down the lock-on clamp. While still holding things in place, repeat the same process for the outer extension, meaning add the washer and wiggling the teeth into the rubber insert. Once done, apply some pressure to the outer clamp by pushing inwards and tighten everything down. If you measured correctly, you can then slide the handlebar plug into place and tighten it down to help hold the entire thing securely in place.

It took me about 15 minutes to get everything in place the first time, since getting both ends of the lock-on clamps squeezed inward correctly to prevent unwanted movement from the grip took some effort. Plus I dropped a few of the rubber inserts on the ground during assembly. The instructions mention tightening the lock-on clamp to 1.13 Nm, but I ended up adding a tad extra with my torque wrench. Otherwise, the lock-on’s slipped when I twisted the grips.



Impressions
I installed the grips on my Ibis Mojo HD3 which has 150mm of travel, and although it softens the blow of rugged terrain and does act as mini-suspension, it certainly doesn’t offer additional any substantial amount of pseudo travel. What it does offer is the isolation of your hand’s and upper body from the shock and vibration that comes through the handlebars and grips, which provides decreased fatigue, injury prevention, greater control and more darn fun. I’d prefer to call them an isolating grip system instead of a suspension product.

I had played with the RevGrips at Sea Otter and thought they might wiggle around too much and feel vague during use, but that wasn’t the case. Once I started riding my bike on a trail and used them in a real time environment, they worked just fine, and they never felt sloppy. There is a minute amount of rotational play and a little vertical movement during use, and the latter soon is hardly noticeable. After a few times riding them around home, I ventured out to Moab and took them into some extreme terrain, where the bike and myself got jack hammered on the square edged rocks and vicious rock gardens and slabs that make the area famous. As you ride along the grips rotate back and forth over the top of the handlebars, most of the time your hands move with the grips and other times it seems as though the bike rotates under you while the hands stay static. Regardless, the system takes the edge out of impacts and hits, terrain chatter (especially at high-speed), square-edged obstacles and braking bumps, roots, rock gardens and pretty much anything that causes harsh blows to be propagated back to the bike and its occupant.

As you ride along the grips, rotate subtlety back and forth, but it’s never enough to feel like you’re over rotating on the bars. And with the design of the grips hard inner shell, they continued to work to matter how hard or tightly I squeezed the grips. Once you get up to speed, you hardly felt them moving, and I still had a direct connection to the bars with plenty of control. At more normal speeds or when poking along on a trail, the rotation action was more noticeable, though still not overly sloppy or squishy. On rare occasions when I was trying to do a precise movement with the grips there was a small delay while the grips rotated for a split second and when I got my final response, but it certainly wasn’t a deal breaker.



I started off with the tuning in the Medium setting and ended up preferring the softest setting, which provided me with a better overall ride, due to improved shock and vibration absorption, and it significantly helped with my troublesome thumb arthritis. It’s amazing how much difference altering the tuning of the grips makes in how they perform on the trail and having the advantage of setting the feel from Firm to Soft makes them ideal for a cross spectrum of riders and terrain, though I think they’re at their best in the softer modes.

Even without the suspension design of the system, the grips themselves with their tacky and soft rubber and the knobby pattern were quite comfortable and easy to hold onto, even when using them bare handed. The 32.5mm diameter Medium sized grip was ideal for me, somewhere between their skinny and fat brethren, allowing me an easy to hold body without having to overgrip.

The Pro Series at $89.95 for a set of grips makes them quite expensive, but the added benefits for tuning, decreased fatigue, impact absorption, injury prevention, comfort, greater control, more than makes up for the pricing deficit. I am now spoiled after using these for several months, and I am not sure if I could ever go back to using standard grips.

Revolution Suspension Grips Review
 

Grateful Dude

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May 30, 2016
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14,261
Talking to the guys at my shop now and they think I'm going to soft, maybe it's the terrain here? They suggest for my size to go 28ish front and rear.
Yeah man it's all personal preference, and depends on terrain, riding style, body weight + gear, etc. I like to run a little squishy. Not too much, just enough that the tire conforms to the trail a bit. Just not too squishy that you bottom out on your rim when you hit something significant. Just play around with it to see what feels right for you. We kind of run opposite - I run a little more in the back tire than in the front. I keep the back around 25-28, and the front around 22. My rear wheel takes bigger hits than the front so that's why I keep that aired up a bit more, and I keep the front a little softer for added steering traction. Sidewalls will be different thicknesses on different brands of tires as well, so one psi might not work among different tires. I'm a nerdy scientist, so I keep a notebook in my garage with a log of all the changes/adjustments I make - point being, just experiment for a bit and find what you like. Same goes for suspension settings. Tubeless tires do bleed air slowly, so make sure to check psi before any ride.

$40 bucks isn't too bad for mounting a set of tires, and that's definitely the easiest option! I assume that includes sealant too.
Oh and hey check this shit out. My buddy was just talking to me about inventing some next level grip while we were high on the chair lift at Whistler, looks like somebody beat him to it.
Lol, I've had so many ideas while stoned...but like your buddy, somebody has always beat me to it! Those grips are a bit pricey, but I like that they allow customization. I'd like to give those a try.
 

La Paix

Fuck this place
First 100
Jan 14, 2015
38,273
64,597
Yeah man it's all personal preference, and depends on terrain, riding style, body weight + gear, etc. I like to run a little squishy. Not too much, just enough that the tire conforms to the trail a bit. Just not too squishy that you bottom out on your rim when you hit something significant. Just play around with it to see what feels right for you. We kind of run opposite - I run a little more in the back tire than in the front. I keep the back around 25-28, and the front around 22. My rear wheel takes bigger hits than the front so that's why I keep that aired up a bit more, and I keep the front a little softer for added steering traction. Sidewalls will be different thicknesses on different brands of tires as well, so one psi might not work among different tires. I'm a nerdy scientist, so I keep a notebook in my garage with a log of all the changes/adjustments I make - point being, just experiment for a bit and find what you like. Same goes for suspension settings. Tubeless tires do bleed air slowly, so make sure to check psi before any ride.

$40 bucks isn't too bad for mounting a set of tires, and that's definitely the easiest option! I assume that includes sealant too.


Lol, I've had so many ideas while stoned...but like your buddy, somebody has always beat me to it! Those grips are a bit pricey, but I like that they allow customization. I'd like to give those a try.
Ya I'm thinking now about psi. Where I live every climb or XC I've done so far is rewarded with a great DH back to trail head so firm tires may serve better. On my 29er I could hear and feel the tire start to roll when diving into corners so maybe a higher psi would be a better balance. I like youe idea of keeping a lot for l changes, I just may follow your lead.
 

Grateful Dude

TMMAC Addict
May 30, 2016
8,925
14,261
On my 29er I could hear and feel the tire start to roll when diving into corners so maybe a higher psi would be a better balance
Yeah, that sounds like it was a bit too low on air if it's rolling. Try increasing by small increments of like 2 or 3 psi at a time. With those fattie tires, that will make a noticeable difference. Keeping a log helps, especially with a new bike where there is a lot to fine tune (shocks, tires, and everything else). Once you get it dialed in, you'll know what your sweet spots are all around and pre ride tune-ups become quick and easy. I have my settings dialed in for the Evil, so before every ride I will check my tires and shocks to make sure everything is as I want it. Plus, I smoke a lot of weed, so the log helps me with what I think I remember lol.