NOR-CAL General Chat.

[BlackbirdM3]

So to summarize, Will appreciates the hard work that went into putting a newer, better in every way drivetrain into an e28 m5

Its my understanding the newer motor is actually a piece of shit prone to shedding its nikasil cylinder linings and eating rod bearings when pushed hard. Sure its got more hp, but at the cost of reliability. If you are going to molest a car, at least choose a superior motor and use a shell that isn't rare. Better yet, just buy the car that comes with the motor you want. If you need to swap the wrong motor into the car, you bought the wrong car. The S38 isn't a slouch and is plenty reliable. Does the S38 have room for improvement? Yep, and I'd bet it would cost less to improve it than to swap an inferior more modern motor into the car.
I look at that car and think what a waste of an awesome car.

Will

[BlackbirdM3]

I really need to ride my bike more. I also need to dump more money into it, it still has the drive train from my old bike. XT derailleurs from 2003 don't work as well as new ones.

Try new cables and housing. XT stuff is solid, I still run stuff from the '90s and its still solid. By the way, if you are interested we are doing another autoX day at the end of the month, both Saturday the 31 and Sunday the 1st.

Will

[kronus]

Yep, and I'd bet it would cost less to improve it than to swap an inferior more modern motor into the car.

I like the motor, but this is totally wrong. You should price out a S38 top end and timing rebuild some day.

[BlackbirdM3]

getting chased by tony in SlO
http://www.pinkbike.com/video/248805/

Looks like you started out over in Irish Hills then you were on Madonna. I miss the riding in SLO. The Irish hills trails were just getting started when I moved up here. I used to ride the trail around Madonna (aka Cerro San Luis) at night all the time. I took my mtb down there at the end of April hoping to ride, but it rained. Ended up just riding on the road.

Will

[BlackbirdM3]

I like the motor, but this is totally wrong. You should price out a S38 top end and timing rebuild some day.

Let me guess, slightly more than an S14. Oh yeah, an S14 is still cheaper to do a head on than my Nissan U20 with half the valves and cams. I'll still take an S38 in an M5 simply because its a great motor and its what belongs in the car.

Will

[BlackbirdM3]

GG

My last HS final was before or the year you started school. I could pedal a bike at 52mph on flat ground.... the days of not being a fat sack of lard was amazing

I'm going to have to call you on that. 52 mph on flat ground puts you nose to nose with Mark Cavendish in a Tour de France stage finishing sprint. Certainly it wasn't sustained. When I was in race form in college, at the last conference championship race crit, I won a couple primes at 51 mph on my computer, and was running away from the next closest guy. Sadly I got taken out by a UCLA rider one corner from the end of the race. I was SO pissed.

In a sprint, if you can pull 40, you are doing pretty well, 45 mph, you'll likely win or be close, 50, you are winning a Pro race. To put it into perspective, you need a 53x11 gear combo to pull 45+ and you will be spun out at 50.

The fastest I've gone was down hill, 67 mph on Oakville grade. Oakville is steep, and I had a tailwind. I pull high 40s on just about any downhill of any distance. I've done 50 mph off road a few times (the old Grant Ranch DH likely being the last place I did it, sometime in the late 90s. It was on a hardtail with 2.5 inches of travel up front, no full suspension for me.)

Will

[mbonanni]

Holy shit man, 50 mph off road is insane on a bicycle. Props to that. Doing 50-60 on my dirt bike can be pretty nervewrecking (wracking? I have never typed that out) and sketchy. Then again dirt bike trails are usually a lot more uneven and rocky etc.

[YosemiteSam]

Try new cables and housing. XT stuff is solid, I still run stuff from the '90s and its still solid. By the way, if you are interested we are doing another autoX day at the end of the month, both Saturday the 31 and Sunday the 1st.

Will

Did new cables and housing when I built the bike. The spring in the derailleur is woarn out.It was on a bike I rode every day all through middle and high school. I have it shifting acceptibly now, but the chain tension is so low that I drop the chain when the trail gets technical. Also, I might be interested in another autocross. I'll see if I can make it.

[Cabriolet]

I'm going to have to call you on that. 52 mph on flat ground puts you nose to nose with Mark Cavendish in a Tour de France stage finishing sprint. Certainly it wasn't sustained. When I was in race form in college, at the last conference championship race crit, I won a couple primes at 51 mph on my computer, and was running away from the next closest guy. Sadly I got taken out by a UCLA rider one corner from the end of the race. I was SO pissed.

In a sprint, if you can pull 40, you are doing pretty well, 45 mph, you'll likely win or be close, 50, you are winning a Pro race. To put it into perspective, you need a 53x11 gear combo to pull 45+ and you will be spun out at 50.

The fastest I've gone was down hill, 67 mph on Oakville grade. Oakville is steep, and I had a tailwind. I pull high 40s on just about any downhill of any distance. I've done 50 mph off road a few times (the old Grant Ranch DH likely being the last place I did it, sometime in the late 90s. It was on a hardtail with 2.5 inches of travel up front, no full suspension for me.)

Will

again. a spring on a fresh body is a HUGE difference from someone who is drained. EE doing 70 miles then sprinting the rest. this is the same as what i way saying about triathlon riders. you have to pace yourself and you cannot be full out. just so you know the record now is 83mph. that's 40% faster than i was saying. clearly none of you all ride a road bike and and do 150+ miles a week on it. when you are 18, thin, eat well and get mad exercise you would know how easy it is to get going on a road bike. that said, there's no way i would have even broken 40 on a mountain bike.

again think about this, sprinting on a fresh body vs sprinting on a worn out body. even a non-world winner kid in great shape could do well. i would have tried to enter bike racing if my parents werent so damn poor. some of us had to work for everything we have, and paying for your own college+job leaves 0 time for biking and anything extra.

[DRTSRFR]

Growing up in a family where my dad still logs 200-500 miles a week on a road bike, and is nearing 60, riding a 4500 dollar bike. I have no problem believing Eric can hit 50+ on flat ground with the right technique and gearing.

Your Dad is an Animal Spence. I'll never forget my first ride with him. He asked me if he could "tag along" on one of my MTB training rides...which averaged 30 miles. He showed up on this POS Ross that looked like it had been sitting in a field for years. Two different pedals, siezed headset, top mount thumb shifters... and tennis shoes. That guy pulled me the entire ride, headset squeaking the entire way. Talk about humbled. I was in phenominal shape and he barely broke a sweat...respect.

...and he's ridden across the US...TWICE!

[Cabriolet]

i hate you. i pulled the plug and bought that 2013 Scott Speedster 50 Bike. time to loose 30lbs.

[BlackbirdM3]

again. a spring on a fresh body is a HUGE difference from someone who is drained. EE doing 70 miles then sprinting the rest. this is the same as what i way saying about triathlon riders. you have to pace yourself and you cannot be full out. just so you know the record now is 83mph. that's 40% faster than i was saying. clearly none of you all ride a road bike and and do 150+ miles a week on it. when you are 18, thin, eat well and get mad exercise you would know how easy it is to get going on a road bike. that said, there's no way i would have even broken 40 on a mountain bike.

again think about this, sprinting on a fresh body vs sprinting on a worn out body. even a non-world winner kid in great shape could do well. i would have tried to enter bike racing if my parents werent so damn poor. some of us had to work for everything we have, and paying for your own college+job leaves 0 time for biking and anything extra.

In college I was putting 14000 miles on my bike a year. No, you didn't read that wrong. I qualified to go to Collegiate nationals for MTBs from '98-01, and road nationals 2000, and 2001 (possibly '02, I can't remember). I was the quintessential ITT rider and sprinter. 185lbs, 6 foot 2, I wasn't small, and no I couldn't climb a hill to save my life unless it was so steep everyone else got off and just walked.

Here is what I have to show for it. I never got to go to road nationals as they weren't held within driving distance.


And this is what I was doing to frames after about 6 months.


No, those aren't the same frame, one was the first, the other was the warranty replacement, and I broke the warranty replacement for that one as well. Those were replaced by this, that I designed.

And I broke that one as well, and replaced it with this, that is now creaking in the bottom bracket area and likely has a crack that I haven't found yet.


Yes, once upon a time, I was fast, and I rode a lot of miles.

Will

[marines2060]

Looks like you started out over in Irish Hills then you were on Madonna. I miss the riding in SLO. The Irish hills trails were just getting started when I moved up here. I used to ride the trail around Madonna (aka Cerro San Luis) at night all the time. I took my mtb down there at the end of April hoping to ride, but it rained. Ended up just riding on the road.

Will

It rained on us the last time we went the first day. We were so excited to ride we did anyways. We went to the top of the grade and rode all the way down to cal poly and then back to my friend Chris's house. All of us were absolutely soaked, but doing all of that was one if the best experience I've had on a bike. I don't think anybody fell either which surprised me.

[Cabriolet]

nice torque will. that seems to happen to a lot lot lot of racers. i wish the frames would be reinforced there. we'll see how long my speedster 50 lasts. im guessing 2-3 years tops.

[mbonanni]

Didnt think riding bikes was big on r3v. Start a road bike thread!

Also, today is the last day of my first year of college. It went by so fast.