Help: My front wheel is washing out
Hey Lee,
I think everything about cornering you have taught me just clicked. however i am still having minor troubles with the front wheel slidding a little bit. Any advice?
Zach
Send questions to lee@leelikesbikes.com
Demo 8 sizing?
Hey Lee
I am currently riding an 07 Demo 8 size Medium Frame. I am 6′ 1″ and the bike feels cramped. I have a 50mm stem on the bike. Would putting a 65mm stem on the bike effect the bikes handling and stearing? Or would it be wiser to buy a size large frame for the Demo 8? Or even a size large Demo 7 which has the same wheel base as the Demo 8 but has a 1 degree steeper head angle as the medium Demo 8?
How tall are you and what size Demo do you ride? Do you know the size of the bikes the guys on Team America ride and their heights?
Thanks for your help.
Ted
Controlling speed on long downhills
Hi Lee,
Great book I enjoy it very much. It’s the best investment since I bought my first MTB, well that and attending your clinic.
I do have a question about braking. On your book you said to keep the legal speed of 15 mph. I try to do it on a smooth grade or rolling singletrack. How about on a long 4-5 miles fire road what should I be doing? If I don’t brake I can quickly gather speed but if I try to slow down I’m just dragging my brake. Is there a secret formula to roll smoothly and still maintain relatively legal speed?
Thanks again for writing the book. You have no idea how much it helped me. I hope you are in SoCal soon. I want to do a Jedi Knight clinic.
Best Regards,
Albert
Can Sand Hill Ranch be saved?
Hey Lee
I have just recently heard that the good folks at sandhill ranch might be considering shutting down the bike section because of unknown reasons. I personally consider this a horrible thing to happen. If I had the opportunity to help them keep the area open or help maintain the park, I would.
Can you PLEASE help me rally the braaapers and help please keep this wonderful area open.. What forums can I write to? Who can I motivate to help? Can IMBA help us? If you have any suggestions can you please send it our way? I’m deeply worried. If it was a matter of money I would pay double what they charge. If its a matter of up keep, I would volunteer. thoughts? Your expertise and knowledge is valued and respected. Please help me keep this heaven open.
Daniel
Shorter shock on SX Trail?
Hey Lee.
I have an older 05 sx trail frame I am looking to build up for light freeride use. It uses a 5th element 8.75×2.5 shock. The headangle is too steep though even with the very long 66 forks it originally came with. I am wanting to run an 06 for 36 talas on it so it becomes more of a problem. The other issue is that I’m not a huge fan of the stock shock and I have access to a dhx5 in 8.5×2.5 size. Is this my silver bullet? How much difference will the shorter length make to the h/a?
Cheers, Jonny
Cornering: Which foot forward?
Hi Lee,
Your website in an invaluable source of info, and thanks to your tips I’ve become a better rider. Lately I’ve been practicing aggressive cornering a lot; as you say pointing your hips in the direction of the turn is key.
I’ve noticed that I can more effectively point my hips in the right direction if I keep the turning side foot behind, ie keep the right foot behind when turning right, and the left foot when turning left. Yet since I’m right handed and my dominant foot is the left, it comes natural to keep the right foot behind even when turning left, which results in less effective hips turning.
Lately I’ve made an effort to “switch stances” when cornering to the left. Am I doing the right thing or should I just keep the same stance all the time? In your pictures I noticed that you keep the dominant/left foot in front when cornering in either direction. Thanks
regards, Vito
Frame size for tall pump/urban/trail rider
Great site Lee.
My buddies and I are getting more into pump tracks. Most recently we just laid the groundwork on my friends backyard pump track. Its already starting to take shape nicely.
I have a question about bikes. I’m 6′ 2 and I’m trying to figure out what kind of frame to build up. I love Yeti’s so the long Yeti DJ comes to mind. I have also been looking at the Santa Cruz Chameleon. I guess I’m looking for a bike that I can ride the pump track on, but also do some urban and light trail on. Being tall its hard to decide what size is right. Is there a good rule to follow for pump/urban bikes. Like maybe one size down from what normal sizing would be?
Any suggestions?
Thanks,
Ian
29er hardtail vs. suspension?
Hey Lee,
Love your book, I have question, I am looking to buy a new bike next year I want a 29 er, should I go with a full suspension or a hard tail?
Minimum gear to try moto riding
Lee,
I don’t know if this is the appropriate venue for this question, but here goes. What are the minimum requirements to start riding motos? I have MTB DH stuff but I feel like that won’t cut it, safety-wise. I have access to a bike, but no gear. What should I get/borrow?
Thanks,
Brian Glass
When motos ruin your dirt jumps
Lee,
Me and my friends found an abandoned DJ spot in a clearing in the middle of a public park. We worked really hard to turn it into a sick DJ/pump track/free ride park with a wall ride ladder bridges and everything.
The problem is these fat kids on dirt bikes (with engines ya know) keep crushing down all of our lips…even filling in our gaps turning them to stupid table tops so they can ride them.
Is there anything we can build or do to prevent or discourage electric or gas powered dirt bikes?
Charlie
New shock for 2005 Enduro
Lee,
My 2005 Specialized Enduro Expert came with a 5th element air shock, 8.75 x 2.5. The shock now has no rebound damping and don’t think anyone services these shocks anymore. What options do I have?
Thanks,
Matt
24″ mountain bike or BMX cruiser?
Chris is riding dirt jumps and skate parks on his P.2, and he wants a lighter, more maneuverable machine.