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I’m posting this for my friend.
Just had his first ride on either a 29er, or a SS bike. He says he rode 8 miles, and never had to push the bike.
The photos speak for themselves, but I will give the story of the bike after the photos.
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I built this Inbred up for my best friend who is a little bit challenged when it comes to bike mechanics (you can see why). He has had a few injuries (thumb collateral ligament...needed surgery, Collarbone broken) in the last few months, and was fairly down on his prospects of riding again. He just didn’t want to continue to get injured.
He is a great technical rider, and excellent athlete, and it bummed me out to think about him giving up a sport we both loved due to a couple of unlucky crashes.
I realized that his crashes came from a desire to constantly push his limits of speed wise and technically. Riding a dual suspension bike allows you to go fairly fast and when you do go down, it is hard. Additionally, I realized the 26” wheels had a little to do with it as well. I honestly believe 29ers give you an extra margin of safety/communication with the trail before they burn you or break free.
I did some thinking, and decided he needed an SS bike to handicap him a little top speed wise. I added 29” wheels to try to get a margin of safety and security while improving the ride (plus, they rock). Plus the SS would physically challenge him in a way a gearie wouldn’t. Basically, when he rides, he’s a personality that likes to go all out as fast as possible, and be totally worked at the end of a ride. I think SS fits this nicely and keeps the speeds down a little. Finally, he doesn’t like to work on bikes (I do). The SS allows him to neglect the bike more, and just lube the chain and fill the tires with air.
I called him (I live in AZ, and he in KY) to float the idea. His response was “Whatever, just pick me a bike, I trust you. Build it up for me, ride it, test it, then ship it to me. I’m shipping my Titus to you today. Ebay it, and use the funds to build up the new bike. Don’t tell me anything about the bike, just build it and ship it to me...Surprise me.” That’s a lot of trust, but I know him, and how he rides, and he knows I can build a good bike.
Around this time, the 29er Inbred came up for sale. Perfect bike for him. Perfect size and style. Great price for the goods.
Also, since he lives in Kentucky, the Inbred label seemed even more appropriate.
Picked it up, had it a month or so to ride and tune (converted me to liking SS riding), and shipped it to KY.
After only one ride, his comments are that he feels the 29er wheels seem to warn you more when they are in danger of slipping, or starting to slip so you can take action to prevent it. Obviously, this was not an ideal first ride.
My comments: I have never, ever seen a bike with so much mud that could roll. (He said it could roll on the trail, but once the mud dried for a few hours, it was totally stuck fast.) A testament to the workability of SS and discs in this environment. Also, I think he’s a stud to ride 8 miles in that stuff. Plus his photos had me rolling. I had to share.
Way to go stud
![]()
Just had his first ride on either a 29er, or a SS bike. He says he rode 8 miles, and never had to push the bike.
The photos speak for themselves, but I will give the story of the bike after the photos.
I built this Inbred up for my best friend who is a little bit challenged when it comes to bike mechanics (you can see why). He has had a few injuries (thumb collateral ligament...needed surgery, Collarbone broken) in the last few months, and was fairly down on his prospects of riding again. He just didn’t want to continue to get injured.
He is a great technical rider, and excellent athlete, and it bummed me out to think about him giving up a sport we both loved due to a couple of unlucky crashes.
I realized that his crashes came from a desire to constantly push his limits of speed wise and technically. Riding a dual suspension bike allows you to go fairly fast and when you do go down, it is hard. Additionally, I realized the 26” wheels had a little to do with it as well. I honestly believe 29ers give you an extra margin of safety/communication with the trail before they burn you or break free.
I did some thinking, and decided he needed an SS bike to handicap him a little top speed wise. I added 29” wheels to try to get a margin of safety and security while improving the ride (plus, they rock). Plus the SS would physically challenge him in a way a gearie wouldn’t. Basically, when he rides, he’s a personality that likes to go all out as fast as possible, and be totally worked at the end of a ride. I think SS fits this nicely and keeps the speeds down a little. Finally, he doesn’t like to work on bikes (I do). The SS allows him to neglect the bike more, and just lube the chain and fill the tires with air.
I called him (I live in AZ, and he in KY) to float the idea. His response was “Whatever, just pick me a bike, I trust you. Build it up for me, ride it, test it, then ship it to me. I’m shipping my Titus to you today. Ebay it, and use the funds to build up the new bike. Don’t tell me anything about the bike, just build it and ship it to me...Surprise me.” That’s a lot of trust, but I know him, and how he rides, and he knows I can build a good bike.
Around this time, the 29er Inbred came up for sale. Perfect bike for him. Perfect size and style. Great price for the goods.
Also, since he lives in Kentucky, the Inbred label seemed even more appropriate.
Picked it up, had it a month or so to ride and tune (converted me to liking SS riding), and shipped it to KY.
After only one ride, his comments are that he feels the 29er wheels seem to warn you more when they are in danger of slipping, or starting to slip so you can take action to prevent it. Obviously, this was not an ideal first ride.
My comments: I have never, ever seen a bike with so much mud that could roll. (He said it could roll on the trail, but once the mud dried for a few hours, it was totally stuck fast.) A testament to the workability of SS and discs in this environment. Also, I think he’s a stud to ride 8 miles in that stuff. Plus his photos had me rolling. I had to share.
Way to go stud
