But if you're looking for " budget" ds bikes, have you considered polygon? https://www.bicyclesonline.com.au/bikes/mountain-bikes/mountain-dual-suspension/
Hopefully this goes ahead https://www.miragenews.com/council-puts-omeo-s-wheels-in-motion-east-gippsland/ Proposed area
I really hope the Omeo mtb park goes ahead, but reading between the lines it sounds like they are prioritising upgrades to Victoria park over developing a MTB destination. " high priority" projects being even more bridges and all access tracks in victoria park? Even the plan to upgrade the pump track - currently more a gravel old school bmx track in a dead end corner of victoria park - Sounds more like upgrading the council facilities. We visited August last year in the hope of seeing some of the trail works (a year into the original announcement) - there was an empty office in town with an expression of interest page in the window. Asking around the shops , nobody knew anything about any mtb trails in the region - " I guess you could ride along the walking track to oriental claims" . Even the servo that used to hire mtb had no idea! I guess East Gippsland has had a lot on their plate - bush fire recovery for the communities probably seems more important than developing tourism infrastructure. But cycling is taking off post covid , and MTB riding has huge tourism potential . Imagine being able to do a mtb touring holiday as a family - Baw Baw ( especially if the epic goes ahead) , Blores, Talyor, Colquhoun - then you'd be heading for a huge drive up to Thredbo or Tathra instead of being tempted to go Omeo, Falls, Mt Bueaty, Bright, Buller.
Hopefully not on hold, just tied down in red tape......well same same. A mates Dad is on the committee and heavily involved. The feeling is it will proceed once some consultants have sucked some more money out of the project
Meanwhile Derby and Maydena ride the wave so to speak. Well they did before this shit happened. Both towns were buggered a few years ago, the difference from someone who spent a lot of time at/near those towns years ago is just staggering. Gippy council doesn’t have to look far to see what the benefit is.
I take back my skepticism about Omeo. I was chatting to someone from the east gippsland mtb club on Sunday and it sounds like the pump track is already under construction, planning us well and truly under way for the trails but it'll be summer NEXT year before we're likely to ride there.
This could give bicycle riders a bad name https://www.abc.net.au/life/why-stealthing-is-a-violation-of-consent/12639172 Meanwhile, back in the forest
With a Stealth you can do it BOTH ways! Those pics were taken today and I'm still waiting for the spokes I ordered after the other jumps. But the Fusion handled it OK previously - not with that extended seat post though. The road jump is not as savage as it looks: it has a long constant downhill slope to land on so as long as you clear the gap without doing anything too clumsy the landing is comparatively gentle. Whereas the spoke busters ....
Warning - which oil post......what's the thinking on lubrication for suspension linkages? My bicycle contacts say leave then dry +/- maybe spray some ptfe when reassembling , but I'm struggling to get rid of a creak and suspect it's the lower swingarm bush - see image. On a motorbike , I'd be smearing some grease on this to hopefully get a few more years..... For what it's worth, I suspect this type of wear is the consequence of my fear of drowning ebikes. Normally I wash my bikes regularly and the linkages get taken apart / wiped clean a few times a year. After my first post wash electrical gremlin I became a lot more cautious with the hose, electing to wipe down the bike most of the time. It's frightening how chewed out the suspension linkages are! Admittedly this bike has been ridden year round and done more km than the average dirt bike...so perhaps I should be using this as an excuse to buy a new one if only that was possible at the moment
Hmmm. Slow moving, fairly high load, metal on metal bearing surface I’d be using some nickel anti seize. I use the Loctite one all the time in this situation, it resists high pressure steam and acidic atmospheres so an MD with a hose? Pfffft. When I was racing F2 boats a constant problem was wheel bearings on trailers, you’d tow the boat for hours at, ummmm, legal speed and then dunk the wheels straight into cold water, the bearings would suck water in, then you’d tow for hours back home and there it’d sit for a few months until next meeting. I’d be changing bearings twice a year otherwise it’d be a 7am side of the road bearing swap. Tried the Loctite, I wouldn’t recommend you do this as it’s fucking expensive to pack trailer bearings with it but I had access to unlimited free supply at the time, and never ever had a problem again. I’ve used it in dirt bike linkages, performs excellently.
But I thought the " proper grease" was no grease ? Hence my question. Gotta confess, my first instinct was to smear some moly paste in there, but Paul has me intrigued with the loctite nickel stuff.
If you wait very patiently and quite outside a garage. You might see a mythical beast known as a Thorn Nomad. People say, it has been in hiding for the last 15 years.