Bikes and Tundra

Some battle scars from my recent crash on Thursday…

Still a little sore and still have no clue how I went over the bars..,

 

Bought some rockymounts and spent the wk end fitting the bikes under the bed of our little 6x12 cargo trailer.
Was hesitant to spend the $$ of the rockymounts but they ended up being 20% off and the quality is unreal.

 

Rocky Mounts make great products, very underrated in my opinion. Simple but highly effective.

 

I have experience on these three, so I'll chime in. I cut my teeth on an old Specialized XC hardtail with 3x8. It worked. My body geometry doesn't do well with XC positioning, but that's beside the point. The best bike is the one you own... Most important is just getting out, and preferably on something not super expensive because you need to know you like the sport a lot, otherwise it's just too big of an investment.

I stopped biking for quite a few years and picked it back up and treated myself to a current bike. A modern full squish trail bike is a tremendous step up. 1x12 makes so much more sense and is more enjoyable than screwing around with the front chainrings. Riding the old bike with narrow bars, spring fork, no rear suspension, 26s, blah blah vs modern is too hard to describe until you experience it.

So then comparing the two you listed, they'll obviously be similar experiences (discounting the motor). I personally wouldn't go mullet because of my height/weight and where I ride I need as much ground clearance as possible, but that call is up to you. The motor in the Turbo Levo is sweet. All of the hard efforts of spinning up and getting over a 500W hump, a big climb, whatever, is nice. This decision should come down to you personally. The group I ride with, the guys that are getting older, trying to keep their heart rates down, don't have enough time to train their endurance, are generally moreso out of shape, etc, will get the assist. The most important thing is enjoying the experience so you keep at it and improve your health.

 

Really appreciate the in-depth response! Considering ive been rocking the overdrive comp since 2014 and now moving up to hard trails I really see where its lacking. There are some amazing deals right now for Labor day. Ive scoured reddit but am not a member so I decided to ask here. Thanks again and hopefully Ill have something new to join the conversation with!

 

Local brand to me! Great service!

 

I would agree with input. New geometry/tech is a very obvious improvement, although any trail bike is rideable. A performance bike of any era was at some point amazing and ground breaking for some reason. As they are a big investment, it can’t hurt to rent a bike or two a take it for a trail ride. See how it feels. It’s pretty hard to guess which bike is right for you without trying it imo. As these are priced as used cars, I can’t imagine someone buying a car without a test drive.

 

Short fork fender and a 475lb rate titanium rear coil in bronze finish of course. I better chill for while

 

Ripping some local trails today between chores

 

I have a Specialized Fuse Expert and a Specialized Turbo Levo Comp. Both bikes are 1X12 drivetrains and now I couldn't imagine going to anything more than a 1X. I really enjoy both bikes but they are so different and a completely different riding experience from each other. You have to pick your lines with the hardtail, but it is light and hops around, very fun to play on. The full squish E bike is a beast and allows for mistakes. Also with the Levo it weighs 50 lbs and I have grown to love how it stays planted to the trail, even in the chunk. With the mullet design I have not had an issue with ground clearance, however I will pedal strike on a climb from time to time. I purchased the E bike due to recent heart issues and now need to keep my heart rate within a certain range. I use a heart rate monitor now and this combo has been a game changer for me. As @JRS stated the modern bikes are sweet but it's good to probably start out with a cheaper bike until you know if you like the sport or not before spending the big money.

 

time to ride!

 

Some pretty wicked bikes in here. Decided to get a MTB for my BD. Not sure how far down the rabbit hole I’ll go with this or how much time I’ll dedicate to riding outside of our camping trips, so I grabbed an entry level hard tail. If I find I’m riding more and the bike won’t meet my needs, I’ll upgrade later. Giant Talon 2

 

Are you anywhere near Bentonville? Supposed to be some world class biking there.

 

Good starting place! I keep finding bikes I want to upgrade to but I keep not getting the saddle time to justify it.

Just enjoy and ride when you can! As you already stated, if you realize you need more bike you can cross that bridge when you get to it.

 

Daughter goes to U of A in Fayetteville, just down the road from there. I’m about 3 hours from there. Lots of good trails in the state

 

It’s an addicting hobby in all honesty…

It’s as bad or worse than Tundra mods.

That’s a very good bike to explore, I am a big fan of Giant bikes.

Enjoy!

 

Already down the rabbit hole a little….
New grips
New seat (way better cushioning and shape for me
New pedals (actually have grip to them and a wider more stable base)
Some frame protection bits (chain slap guard and frame down tube guard)
Front fork mud / splash deflector flap

 

And a bike rack…

just a test fit. I’ll use all the straps to secure and will get a lock for when the bikes are on it. Also reposition the wheel brackets to be more centered.

 

Wife’s bike came in today too. Now if this rain would just let up….

 

Posted this elsewhere but figured id share here. Needed a way to secure the bikes in the bed when we are also towing the camper. Decided to make a removable mounting board with fork mounts for the bikes. Measured and cut the board, fitted the mounts and sanded and finished in bedliner. Used a some large self tapping screws to secure, will swap out for riv-nuts in the future to make it easier to remove. Purchased the mounts on Scamazon, about $40 for both.

$20 Bike Fork Mount Block - 9x100mm Quick Release Bicycle Fork Mount for Transport and Storage/Trucks/Vans/SUVs, Black

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0BY1FH3Y7

 

That's a great setup!

 

So I don't have a tundra yet, but looking at gen 2.5 crew max, well looking at a few but waiting for the perfect one to come along.

I currently have a huge F-350 and have no problem fitting a bike in the back seat with the front wheel off, and seats folded up. I ride XL bikes, I have a Tallboy, a Farley, a couple gravel bikes etc... I really like having the bike in the truck vs outside or in the bed, but am wondering how well a bike fits i the back seat. I'll also have a car seat back there so won't be able flip both seats up for a couple more years.

Picture of the gravel bike when I first built it up just because.
Pi

 

I can fit my road bike in the back without issue and it is a 62cm. I haven't tried my Mtn bike (XXL) however.

Curious why you prefer them inside vs. in the back of the bed. Security? If that is the case, I'd suggest looking at a pair of locking Rocky Mounts

Link to my write up:
https://www.tundras.com/posts/2969948

 

Usually in my truck I have sand bags in the back for part of the year. Also, I currently have a nice locking retrax bed cover but likely won’t be able to get one for the tundra right away. I have a bunch of different racks but like to keep it inside and out of the elements, especially my fat bike with all the road salt in the winter.

 

Finally got some local trails to ride! Freshly opened single track trails about 4 miles from the house behind the new indoor activity center (soccer fields, basketball, volleyball, pickleball etc, all indoors). This is a smallish trail system but they will be expanding periodically and it’s around 4.5 miles of trails if you only ride them all once. The way it weaves together I can combo some sections and get as much riding distance as I want. Rode them today despite the muddy conditions at some spots. Riding again tomorrow with my brother in law.

 

You guys have great riding down there! I live just north of you in KC, and travel down to Arkansas a lot during the year for gravel and mtb riding. We get zero riding up here when wet, with our heavy clay soil. Which is usually a big factor on the timing of us heading down south to ride. That, and it can be 20 to 30 degrees warmer in the winter on a given day.

Looked like a nice day to ride.

 

Most of the good riding is 1-3 hours from my house (NW trails and central state ones). Can’t just slip out for a ride. These trails are 4 miles away.

 

Rode again today with some buddies. Good ride, but muddy from all the rain recently.

 

All the snow is getting to me. Haters gone hate.