Who tows with a diesel Colorado ?

[Clutch]

We have been talking about getting dirtbikes again. It played into us going with an open bed truck. My wife sold her WR450F before we left Jackson, WY. I used to race when I was younger but haven't ridden in years. We joke about how a lot of our friends' mtb's cost more than the dirt bikes we want. We have endless riding out our back door which is pretty cool. There is s ton of moto specific singletrack nearby (where they host the Loose Moose enduro nationals) and we think it would be fun to ride with the whole fam in a few years. I grew up on dirt bikes and they were my obsession growing up. Funny that mountain biking can be more expensive.

If I was going to pick up and start over from scratch... wanted riding....make that damn good riding right out the front door. One of THE main reasons we moved here. Driving from SOAZ to the "good stuff" got really old. Always felt like I need to escape that place 6 months out of the year....here, pretty content....don't really feel like leaving, just getting out and exploring.

 

[upcruiser]

If I was going to pick up and start over from scratch... wanted riding....make that damn good riding right out the front door. One of THE main reasons we moved here. Driving from SOAZ to the "good stuff" got really old. Always felt like I need to escape that place 6 months out of the year....here, pretty content....don't really feel like leaving, just getting out and exploring.

That's kind of what we have going on here. The most stuff you can do year round 5 minutes from home. We are stoked with over 150 miles of mtb singletrack that is all accessible from our house without having to ride any road. It's spectacular. We were originally only going to move back to the UP for a year so I could finish some remodeling on a house I had here, then we were going to move be to Victor, ID, even had a house under contract there but bailed at the last minute. That's probably the only place we would move to besides here. Miss proper mountains but the water, the outdoor access and the lack of people make it pretty hard to beat if you like the 4 seasons.

I managed to snap a couple of shots of the Colorado tonight when I actually took it for a drive to run some errands. Feels like a mini big rig. First time driving it on non snow packed roads.








I like the looks, clean and understated.

 

[calicamper]

I still like my old GT rigid. Way more trail feel. The suspension bikes I cant tell when I'm on the dirt vs in the air makes it hard to time your turns. Ha..

 

[upcruiser]

Upcruiser great feed back. Funny I have an OB our second Subaru since 01. Ours is the giant rear seat 2010. We moved from the old subaru for the big rear seat. Two kids also. I'm really considering the Diesel Canyon as a Subaru replacement. Our camping rig by design is set up for the Subaru. But the added capability and load rating makes the Canyon attractive. Its width is nearly identical to the gen 4/5 ob. For sure easier daily driver especially around here with our Prius sized parking spots.

The LB would be my choice also. So my 29er err kids bikes could sit in the back under a cap ;-)

I look forward to your follow up report. I have a 05 Sequoia we never use. Wifes daily driver is a 16 Fusion energi Titanium. Super nice ride 70mpg winter 80-82mpg summer. Already has 30k on the clock bought it sept 16. LoL

I just need to show the wife we dont need a 5+ seat rig to haul everyone elses kids. I'm no bus driver!

Funny, originally last fall we were talking about a newer Outback and our friends had just bought a new one last summer that we were checking out, they have so much more space and headroom than our old one. Bending in and buckling kids into their seats drove me nuts. The height of the new ones and ease of access is much better. Honestly the interior size of the Colorado seems pretty close to the size of the interior of the Outback in the front two rows.

But yeah we too were like why an Outback when we could have our economy car be a multi useful truck? Haven't figured out the bike hauling yet. The Burb holds the bikes nicely behind the second row. Thinking of doing one of those soft top caps that folds down when you need an open bed. Make some fork mounts to lock the bikes in the bed and still be able to keep them dry.

 

[Clutch]

That's kind of what we have going on here. The most stuff you can do year round 5 minutes from home. We are stoked with over 150 miles of mtb singletrack that is all accessible from our house without having to ride any road. It's spectacular. We were originally only going to move back to the UP for a year so I could finish some remodeling on a house I had here, then we were going to move be to Victor, ID, even had a house under contract there but bailed at the last minute. That's probably the only place we would move to besides here. Miss proper mountains but the water, the outdoor access and the lack of people make it pretty hard to beat if you like the 4 seasons.
.

That is awesome. Really dig being back in a place that has seasons. Half the battle is finding a place to be happy and content with.

Hope the new truck works out for you guys.

 

[upcruiser]

I still like my old GT rigid. Way more trail feel. The suspension bikes I cant tell when I'm on the dirt vs in the air makes it hard to time your turns. Ha..

There is something to be said for simplicity. I have been trying to narrow down to one bike to ride all year. Getting close..












It's getting close, just put a Bluto on it so I can send it a bit more on the technical stuff, make it more fun for trailriding. Next is a 29+ wheel setup for the summer and I think it will scratch all the itches. Figured this thread could use some more pics

 

[upcruiser]

That is awesome. Really dig being back in a place that has seasons. Half the battle is finding a place to be happy and content with.

Hope the new truck works out for you guys.

Thanks man! Will keep this thread posted. I need to probably start a thread for it. Not sure what all we are going to do to it yet. Gonna drive it for awhile and just see what needs addressing. 140" is a loooong wheelbase. You would need a lot of lift and tire to make it worthy of anything too technical. I think Lockhart Basin won't be in this trucks future, haha.

 

[p nut]

Fat bikes!! For a 1 bike solution, they are hard to beat. Love mine as well.


_
Having said that, at least some variety isn't a bad thing:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/meriwe...014/01/18/combo-bikes-suck/amp/?client=safari
-
One-bike plan has been a fantasy for my for a while. But reality is, I need at LEAST 3--MTB, Fat, road.
....And a SS MTB, fixed gear road, CX bike, and.....

 

[calicamper]

Good friend replaced his VW diesel buy back with the LB canyon. Plus he moved to this https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...i-resorts-this-winter/?utm_term=.c87005a68d87

We were up there two weeks ago. There wont be Rubicon or sierra 4x4 action till August this yr. Those pictures are no joke. We had 17ft high sheer walls of snow on all sides of the driveway at the cabin. And snow up to the 2nd floor roof line.

 

[Clutch]

Thanks man! Will keep this thread posted. I need to probably start a thread for it. Not sure what all we are going to do to it yet. Gonna drive it for awhile and just see what needs addressing. 140" is a loooong wheelbase. You would need a lot of lift and tire to make it worthy of anything too technical. I think Lockhart Basin won't be in this trucks future, haha.

You're welcome!

Yeah keep us posted, curious to see how it fairs.


Dude...the ice cave pic...that is a whole lot of awwwwwwwwwwesum.

 

[upcruiser]

Fat bikes!! For a 1 bike solution, they are hard to beat. Love mine as well.

View attachment 387898
_
Having said that, at least some variety isn't a bad thing:
https://www.google.com/amp/s/meriwe...014/01/18/combo-bikes-suck/amp/?client=safari
-
One-bike plan has been a fantasy for my for a while. But reality is, I need at LEAST 3--MTB, Fat, road.
....And a SS MTB, fixed gear road, CX bike, and.....

Nice Muk! That's what mine is, mine is a 2015 though. It's a super versatile bike. Amazing how well it can shoulder big loads and how stable it is at speed. I just converted over to X1 1x11 and the Bluto so I think it will be more fun as a trail bike now. My wife has a Bear Grease X1 and it is such a sick bike. I wish I would have went that route since it is so light and has such snappy handling. A Bear Grease with a Bluto and 29+ can slay just about anything. We still have our road bikes, mountain bikes, town bikes, and a tandem mountainbike but with our current life we just want to simplify down to one mountain bike each and keep the road bikes for when we are visiting family and don't have access to good dirt riding. The road biking in the UP isn't great, I actually have my road bike setup for more gravel grinding anyway. I lust for the new Salsa Deadwood 29+ trail bike. I have a couple of friends with them already and they are so sick.

 

[upcruiser]

Good friend replaced his VW diesel buy back with the LB canyon. Plus he moved to this https://www.washingtonpost.com/news...i-resorts-this-winter/?utm_term=.c87005a68d87

We were up there two weeks ago. There wont be Rubicon or sierra 4x4 action till August this yr. Those pictures are no joke. We had 17ft high sheer walls of snow on all sides of the driveway at the cabin. And snow up to the 2nd floor roof line.

It's crazy what Tahoe and Mammoth have been getting. I am headed to Mammoth in May for work so I imagine it's still going to be pretty good, though featureless with that much snowpack.

 

[upcruiser]

You're welcome!

Yeah keep us posted, curious to see how it fairs.


Dude...the ice cave pic...that is a whole lot of awwwwwwwwwwesum.

That ice cave shot was from a ride over the ice on Lake Superior to Grand Island. It is adjacent to Pictured Rocks National Park. Killer area. That National Parks IMAX film that came out this year had Conrad Anker climbing ice on this side of the island and in this cave. If you haven't seen it you should check it out.

Here are a few more pics from that day

 

[XJLI]

The other thought I wanted to put in there was about interior space. I feel that is is a bit roomier in the front than the Tacoma but compared to my first gen, acess cab Tundra, its not that big. Even thought he Tundra was very similar in exterior size, it felt alot bigger inside than this. Most modern vehicles bother me with how bad the visibility out is, and the Colorado isn't too bad, but compared to my 80 or old D1 Rover, it isn't that great. Chalk one up for added safety. I am 6' and with the driver's seat set for me, I can sit behind myself with just enought knee room. Head room in the back seat is a bit compromised by the sloping roof but not an issue.

How's the driving position compared to the fullsizes and D1 feel in every day driving? I've sat in the Colorado, but haven't driven it. I agree the 2nd gen Tacoma (haven't been in a 3rd yet) and full-size Chevys just sit too "low" for me.. and I'm 6'. I don't think anything can really compare to the position and visibility you get in a D1.

 

[upcruiser]

How's the driving position compared to the fullsizes and D1 feel in every day driving? I've sat in the Colorado, but haven't driven it. I agree the 2nd gen Tacoma (haven't been in a 3rd yet) and full-size Chevys just sit too "low" for me.. and I'm 6'. I don't think anything can really compare to the position and visibility you get in a D1.

It's not quite as high of a seating position as a D1 nor my 80 series, but it's pretty close. Nothing really matches the Discoveries for driving position and visibility out. The 80 series is close and has very good visibility but the Rovers of that era allowed you to be up looking down and very close to the window so it was easy to see the corners ore stock your head out and spot what you are doing. I think pretty much all modern trucks, including the current Wanglers make you feel like you are sitting more inside them and unable to see out and down much. The LR4 still has decent visibility despite thicker pillars but I feel like that is still one of th better rigs from that perspective. The Colorado isn't quite that good but it's a lot better than some of the other newer trucks I have driven recently. The size of it alone compared to a full size should make it easy to place. I wish the view outband up was a little better. That's what I love about our 80 series, big windows and with the moonroof it's the next best thing to an open top when touring in beautiful areas. That's what drove me nuts about our FJ. You couldn't see out and around you that great and traversing canyonlands or Lockhart Basin type of stuff you missed out on a lot of views if you didn't stop and actually get out.

I don't have a ton of feedback yet on the Colorado as I have only driven it a couple of times now. I was in New Hampshire for work the last two weeks. We are planning a little road trip over to Tahquamenon Falls Sunday or Monday so looking forward to spending some time in it and see how comfortable it is. Not sure if my wife will let me behind the wheel though, she loves this thing so much, it's cracking me up.