CBBaron

You should probably take a trip to Vultures Knob if you want anything technical. Great set of trails there including some down hill and man made obstacles. Did it once but it is not newbie friendly. Its OK if you are competent as you an skip most of the big obstacles. The ones I did yesterday for the most part were technical and slow. Lots of roots, quite a few rocks and tree trunks. One section followed an old stone path with lots of stairs . Made it down but was not going to climb more than a couple at a time. Craig

So yesterday I explored the trails in the Cleveland Heights ravine. These are unofficial trails on that that is basically unused/unusable. I saw a note about them on a MTB forum so decided to try to find them and check them out since they are close to home. I was not expecting much, perhaps some stick strewn rutted trails haphazardly running through the ravine. What I found was a very well built and maintained trail through a very pretty valley with lots of challenges. Quite a bit of the trail was beyond my capabilities but there was enough intermediate level trails to make it fun. I played it safe and walked when ever I was questionable but had a good time and a decent work out. My computer was not working so no idea how far I rode but there were a surprising amount of trails. Craig

No sucralose but all contain stevia What is wrong with unflavored? Or even a little sugar for a sweetener? Oh well was just going to use it to add to fruit smoothies any ways, plain yogurt works quite nice too. Craig

Is there any natural whey products you can buy, or ones NOT using artificial sweeteners? I can't stand sucralose, nutria sweet, and I don't really care for Stevia, but it seems all the protein shakes have one of the above. I did find natural whey at whole foods but it was a ridiculous price. Think Il just stick with eggs, Greek yogurt and salmon. Craig

The company sponsored "Biggest Loser" competition ends Tuesday. I'm not going to win anything as some guy in CA was already down 18% 2weeks ago and a couple team mates are dragging down the team average However I have lost 30# and I'm under 200 for the first time since college Starting next week comes the hard part, keeping it off. But my plan is to get under 195 and stay there. I'm going to continue to use the gym twice a week and I'm taking up mountain biking, with some road training rides each week. Craig

Yes, But I have the Limo That thing is about 10' long and weighs 70 something pounds. Its so big than when I hang it by the rear wheel from the ceiling of the garage the front wheel has to turn to the side. But it is comfy, fun and gets lots of attention on a club ride when the stoker is a seven year old. Craig.

Thats because you are fast and probably dont sit down much. Im fat and slow and spend most of my time in the saddle, especially on the road. Dont really worry about weight or speed, my bikes are a fat bike (Pugsley) and a CrossCheck with 45mm Marathon tires, fenders and rack. A few grams on the saddle will make no difference. I also have a B67 On our tandem. If you want to talk about really heavy bikes and saddles. Craig

LCR Better trigger and more comfortable to hold than the S&W IMHO. Do think that snubbies make better pocket pistols as they are more tolerant of dirt and neglect than semi-autos especially the ultra small semis. Craig

There is a "little humor" and going to far. This thread went too far. Though I expected as much given the title, but a noobie should be welcomed first before putting them through the hazing. Craig

+1 Actually big fat comfy seats are OK for 30+ minutes of casual cycling. But if you are exerting yourself and pedaling some revolutions they suck. Personally Im a fan of Brooks My fatbike and commuter both have B17's but they are expensive and heavy. However gel and "anatomical" seats are worthless in my opinion. Good for that 20 min ride around the neighborhood but not much else. Much better to get a cycling short. Just get a pair of the spandex shorts with chamois and wear them under your regular shorts. Craig

Doesn't have to be a tight. http://www.performancebike.com/bikes/SubCategory_10052_10551_400067_-1_400000_400020 Or you could just be man enough to not care what others think Craig

Ouch, But seems like the rider was one of those idiots. Riding way to fast for the conditions. Looks he would have had to brake hard to avoid the truck ahead. Brutal accident but could/should have been avoided. Craig

If you are tall enough we could meet at Mohican some time this summer and you could ride it. Its an XL frame so takes about a 34"+ inseam to safely clear the top tube Craig

Yea, It takes really low pressure to get the float you need. Like 4psi low. In a 4-6" snow it will tractor through amazingly. Takes alot of effort but you move and stay upright. In deeper you usually need something to have packed the trail some first. Snowmobiles are great for that. Pretty amazing in the loose sand. But tire pressure is the key. Too much and its just like any MTB. Low enough and it really works. If you really want float the latest thing is the Moonlander While my old school fatbike has 65mm rims and 3.7" tires. That one is 100mm rims and 4.7" tires. Ofcourse it takes a 28mm offset to the rear hub and a special crank (or single ring) to clear the tire. Craig

Took the Purple FatBike for a ride around Ohio & Erie Canal Reservation MTB Trail today. Did 2 loops as it is a pretty short trail. Its my first time riding off-road in a couple years and didnt ride much before that so Im very much a novice. However this was tons of fun. Trail was i good shape but there were 2 small puddles. I would expect they will dry out today but we are expecting more rain tomorrow. I will definitely be doing more MTB rides this year. Looking forward to Royalview opening for the season and the grand opening of Bedford. Craig

Same thing happened to us with our new pup last summer. Had runny poop a couple days but meds cleared it up and no more problems. Make sure you clean up any poop in the yard to prevent reinfection. That is the reason it is so hard to completely eliminate in a breeder situation with lots of dogs. Probably best to let the breeder know as already mentioned. Craig

Now I see why Alum seems to be so popular. It is very close to you Columbus peeps. Not likely Im going to drive that far for it though. Especially when Mohican is closer. Craig

Yea see that kind of thing on my daughters homework occasionally. I think (hope) most of the time it is a case of the teacher having a problem in mind that may not be the problem on the paper. If that is a test then the student and/or parent should argue vigorously. Craig

Got the new front on my fat bike. Then did road 20 miles with my single speed commuter. Any thing off road is a muddy mess after all of that rain last week. Then spent the rest of the day doing taxes Craig

My new tire is in and I would love to join you. Mohican was a lot of fun last time. But that supposes that I get my taxes done and get the bike ready by then. Ofcourse there is also the problem that I will not keep up with you nor is 2 laps even remotely possible Craig Sent from my SCH-I500 using Tapatalk 2

Congrats Looks like a tough ride. I did about 13miles of pavement on the FatBike (have 2.5" tires on it currently). My first bicycle ride since last fall when I hurt my back. I felt pretty good afterwards so I was pleased. Craig

Nice looking bike. You will find better deals on used 26" bikes than 29ers. Nice thing is you are right at average height so most bikes will fit. At 6'2" I need the large frames which always seem to be much more rare. The 29 market is still fairly new. However like I said seems like every who has tried them prefers them. I guess the smoother rolling and better traction makes up for the weight increase. I havn't ridden a good version of either so its just second hand knowledge. Let me get some my new tires on the bike and get some rides in to see how my back holds up (disc hernia last fall), then we can see about meeting up for a ride in Royalview. I watched some youtube video of the trails there. Looks very nice. Part of what motivated me to get the new tires and try off-roading again. Craig

Company sponsored a "Biggest Loser" team competition that I signed up for after putting on quite a bit of weight this winter. Started at 227# on 2/4 now down to 204. 4 more weigh ins and I would like to under 195. Mostly just watching what I eat and walking with our pup but have been starting to do more workouts now that the office gym has opened and the weather has made cycling more comfortable. Need to step that up if I want to get to 195. Cycling, running, and light weight lifting. Watched a program on fasting for health last night on PBS. Seems 2 fasts (500 calorie days) a week nets some big health improvements including weight loss. Might give that a try after more research. Craig

I dont have a regular MTB but from what Ive seen there have been many improvements in MTB technology, especially at lower price points. And it doesn't look the geometry of your bike is designed to accommodate a suspension fork. I think you should look at getting a different bike. Best value is buying one from another rider who is upgrading. However fit is important so make sure its the right size. Otherwise there is alot of choices at many price points. 29er seems to be the current trend, especially if you are taller. Most experienced riders I know have made the switch and wont go back. Maybe we should meet up some day to do a local trail. I'm on the east side (Shaker Hts.) so nothing currently much closer than Strongsville. Though I hear Bedford Reservation may soon have a trail. Im on a FatBike so pretty slow, and Im pretty green off road. Craig