new guy from SW Pennsylvania

[6bloodychunks]

Not every bike shop does that. It might be a majority that do. A bike shop I have purchased expensive standard bikes from; when I went in 12 years ago looking for an ebike, I was treated like a stranger. Now they sell a lot of ebikes, but with a little disdain. They lost out on several sales to me.

Your comments have validity but maybe misplaced in someone's intro thread where they never asked a question about their purchase. Of all places, the Introduction sub forum, we should be "treating everyone like a friend and neighbor". He may not come back after that. I never purchased an ebike from the above shop. I own a few...

i am not easily run off lol

any snarkiness just bounces off my fat only to be deposited messily onto the face of the opressor lol

 

[6bloodychunks]

I'm not familiar with Dead Man's Hollow. I've probably ridden through it though.
If you go further south below Cumberland, where the GAP transitions into the C&O canal trail, there are many good fishing spots along the Potomac. I see many mushroom pickers as well on the trail between the Paw Paw tunnel and Little Orleans.

its about a mile north of boston,
right before you go up the hill before you drop down into McKeesport
a giant nature preserve,there are signs on the gap trail at one of the entrances,
old factory ruins that are designed to be explored (an old pipe factory)
miles and miles of trails,a pond,table rock,
and an awesome semi underground tunnel that leads from the factory and dumps you out right on the banks of the yough.

 

[6zfshdb]

its about a mile north of boston,
right before you go up the hill before you drop down into McKeesport
a giant nature preserve,there are signs on the gap trail at one of the entrances,
old factory ruins that are designed to be explored (an old pipe factory)
miles and miles of trails,a pond,table rock,
and an awesome semi underground tunnel that leads from the factory and dumps you out right on the banks of the yough.

Ok, yes. I remember passing it. Forgot the name though. Next time, I'll have to give it a look.
As I recall, it wasn't suitable for bikes though.

 

[6bloodychunks]

Ok, yes. I remember passing it. Forgot the name though. Next time, I'll have to give it a look.
As I recall, it wasn't suitable for bikes though.

some of it is nice for riding,
at the entrance along the trail you can ride right down into and ride through and around some of the factory ruins,
plus there is a trail that goes around the ruins and takes you back out to the bike trail,
so even if im not exploring in there that day,
ill still ride through the scenic route lol

but for alot of it i will walk the bike,
mostly because the billions of broken clay pipes that are back in there makes for very squidgy
(my word for slippery/soft) riding.

lots of people have supposedly had paranormal experiences in there,
which is one of the reasons i went to check it out.

 

[PedalUma]

I get it brother. One bike shop in town has two sides. A service team and a sales team. Both are on pure commission and are trained again and again on how to upsell the most expensive shite. It is owned by an international 100 billion holding company. Another shop is one guy with neck tats and facial piercings who is a bike snob purist and will not touch an electric bike. Another bike shop has lost all of its brands and is incompetent. We sell more per day than he does per month. Where I work we only have non-commissioned bike mechanics, no sales people. Everyone is treated as a respected neighbor, we never upsell, and the service manager is a 30 year experienced mechanic with OCD for perfection. When people walk in we greet them and go back to working on bikes until they come to us to ask a question. Every test ride includes a guide and three or four bikes. Then we turn our backs and go back to working on bikes. That is why they come back. No pressure.

 

[6bloodychunks]

I get it brother. One bike shop in town has two sides. A service team and a sales team. Both are on pure commission and are trained again and again on how to upsell the most expensive shite. It is owned by an international 100 billion holding company. Another shop is one guy with neck tats and facial piercings who is a bike snob purist and will not touch an electric bike. Another bike shop has lost all of its brands and is incompetent. We sell more per day than he does per month. Where I work we only have non-commissioned bike mechanics, no sales people. Everyone is treated as a respected neighbor, we never upsell, and the service manager is a 30 year experienced mechanic with OCD for perfection. When people walk in we greet them and go back to working on bikes until they come to us to ask a question. Every test ride includes a guide and three or four bikes. Then we turn our backs and go back to working on bikes. That is why they come back. No pressure.

if you were local id absolutely shop there with that kind of treatment.

need to teach the rest of the shops in the world some of that warm fuzzy feeling business etiquette brother

oh and,forgive my tirade earlier,
i always highly defend my stance on anything i deem to be the perfect "thing" for me lol

 

[PedalUma]

All is swell.
A guy with a cyber truck is getting an $8,000 suspension added to his Levo today. Last month he had us build $3500 carbon wheels that coast silently. And I worked on an internet only bike for a kid with no money needing a motor core yesterday. Earlier this week a '92 thrashed analog bike with a million miles got a total re-do. I would work on your bike anytime if you lived in the neighborhood.

Petaluma Motor Wheel - EBIKES

Petaluma Motor Wheel is an exciting new Ebike showroom in Petaluma California.

petalumamotorwheel.com

 

[Viking1]

Welcome Brother! Your “long hair” shot reminds me of my heritage. Hang around, there is a lot of good info here and maybe we can cross paths some day. My wife and I are full time RV, so we are professional gypsies I guess.

 

[6bloodychunks]

Welcome Brother! Your “long hair” shot reminds me of my heritage. Hang around, there is a lot of good info here and maybe we can cross paths some day. My wife and I are full time RV, so we are professional gypsies I guess.

thank ya brother! appreciate the compliment!

the hair is mainly due to me playing metal music most of my life lol

if it is the will of the universe,
our paths shall cross
if you ride the gap trail let me know.

the indian creek valley trail is another great trail in this area besides the GAP,
albeit only 19 miles,its remote and BEAUTIFUL,
plus the fishing is phenomenal

 

[Viking1]

I am a bassist myself and I guess my best performance was opening for Blackfoot back in 2007.

 

[6bloodychunks]

I am a bassist myself and I guess my best performance was opening for Blackfoot back in 2007.

SWEEEET!!
im originally a guitarist/vocalist,
but have also become a bass player and drummer.
(i dabble in recording music at home,
turned a walk-in closet into a tiny recording studio lol)
used to play some shows back in the 90s,
but family and life came first.

 

[Viking1]

Understood. Good stuff. Since we are full time RV now I usually just stick to open jams or finding other pickers somewhere now since I can’t really commit to a band.

 

[6zfshdb]

thank ya brother! appreciate the compliment!

the hair is mainly due to me playing metal music most of my life lol

if it is the will of the universe,
our paths shall cross
if you ride the gap trail let me know.

the indian creek valley trail is another great trail in this area besides the GAP,
albeit only 19 miles,its remote and BEAUTIFUL,
plus the fishing is phenomenal

The last time I rode the Indian Valley Trail was 8 years ago. The upper section in Donegal and Saltlick townships was indeed a great ride. I tried to do the lower 5 mile section in Springfield but didn't have much luck. I found the trail where it crossed Mill Run Rd but lost it on the west side of the Mill Run Reservoir.

I've heard that section has since been improved going east through the gorge, ending at an old RR bridge where Indian Valley Creek joins the Yough. I also heard there are plans to eventually connect it to the GAP. Might try it again in the spring.

 

[6bloodychunks]

The last time I rode the Indian Valley Trail was 8 years ago. The upper section in Donegal and Saltlick townships was indeed a great ride. I tried to do the lower 5 mile section in Springfield but didn't have much luck. I found the trail where it crossed Mill Run Rd but lost it on the west side of the Mill Run Reservoir.

I've heard that section has since been improved going east through the gorge, ending at an old RR bridge where Indian Valley Creek joins the Yough. I also heard there are plans to eventually connect it to the GAP. Might try it again in the spring.

aww man,you missed the best section!

ive been going there for years before it was ever a bike trail
we used to walk down to the end of the old railroad bed and camp out underneath the trestle where indian creek meets the yough.

sorry in advance for the book i write hahaha

when you came down the gravel road by camp christian and turned to the right,
you needed to cross the bridge with the gate closing it off,
theres room to go around.
(gate is there because the guy that monitors the dam on the lake lives back there,
hes super cool,we talk to him often)

then as you go back the path,it splits,
straight follows the lake edge down to the breast of the damn and dudes house,
and LEFT takes you through a beautiful cut with rock cliffs on both sides,
before dumping you out into a very remote area with a killer smallmouth stream that empties into the yough river,
no people/houses/civilization/anything down in there lol
back in the 1800s there used to be a town down there called Hampton,there are still old foundations to be found,
my great grandmother was born there.

ive heard they have been planning to make a foot bridge across the yough at the end of the indian creek trail,to join it to the GAP trail,
i wish they would hurry up and do it already lol

 

[spokewrench]

i do all my own repair maintence,
and i know you dont want to hear it,
but beyond normal regular upkeep or me breaking something,
it has been trouble free and wonderful.

It can't be as bad as my Radrunner, from a big company with lots of dealers. Still, after three years of investment and work, it was much more satisfactory.... except those darned 20 x 3.3 tires. They wouldn't work well below 30 psi. At that pressure they slid badly on snow or mud, and they were rough on pavement. Maybe I should have started with one like yours.

 

[6bloodychunks]

It can't be as bad as my Radrunner, from a big company with lots of dealers. Still, after three years of investment and work, it was much more satisfactory.... except those darned 20 x 3.3 tires. They wouldn't work well below 30 psi. At that pressure they slid badly on snow or mud, and they were rough on pavement. Maybe I should have started with one like yours.

for a cheap bike mine has been trouble free,
i really can't recommend it enough.
only preventative maintenance i did was put flatout in my tubes.