Colorado Krew Hangout

anarce said:
Thanks! My co-worker had his JKU lifted and regeared there a couple years ago. I'll get a quote from them. They aren't too far from my office near downtown Littleton, so that's convenient. I had the impression that their prices had gone up a bit though still below High Country.
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I havent used them for anything major in probably 4 or 5 years. Mostly smaller items that I just buy when I want it same day (ring gear bolts, switches, compressor etc..) so their prices probably have risen a bit.
 
tworley said:
Snow up above Telluride this morning


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Did any trails get closed yet? I'm planning on a fall colors trip in 2.5 weeks. I'm thinking Mineral Creek/Corkscrew/California area. I'm hoping my parents will come along and they've already said they're not interested in Imogene or Engineer at their ages...
 
TRevs said:
Did any trails get closed yet? I'm planning on a fall colors trip in 2.5 weeks. I'm thinking Mineral Creek/Corkscrew/California area. I'm hoping my parents will come along and they've already said they're not interested in Imogene or Engineer at their ages...
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All is still open now, 2.5 weeks could be a different story. I'll be in the area again next weekend and I'll let you know how things look. They've gotten some snow but not enough to close the passes yet.

As for your trail selection... Have you been to the area before? I would take my parents over Engineer a thousand times before mineral creek. Engineer is gorgeous but it's a glorified dirt road....i did the whole thing in 2wd 2 weeks ago except for going down west from the summit where I used 4 low just to control my descent. The toughest and most narrow parts people think of as Engineer are actually mineral creek because it often gets lumped in as it connects Engineer to Ouray.

Photo is from mineral creek. I'd had it lumped in with my imogene photos and was trying to find the spot in my gopro footage until I finally checked the timestamp and realized it was taken between imogene and Poughkeepsie.

20200824_184517356_iOS-01.jpeg
 
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freedom_in_4low said:
All is still open now, 2.5 weeks could be a different story. I'll be in the area again next weekend and I'll let you know how things look. They've gotten some snow but not enough to close the passes yet.

As for your trail selection... Have you been to the area before? I would take my parents over Engineer a thousand times before mineral creek. Engineer is gorgeous but it's a glorified dirt road....i did the whole thing in 2wd 2 weeks ago except for going down west from the summit where I used 4 low just to control my descent. The toughest and most narrow parts people think of as Engineer are actually mineral creek because it often gets lumped in as it connects Engineer to Ouray.

Photo is from mineral creek. I'd had it lumped in with my imogene photos and was trying to find the spot in my gopro footage until I finally checked the timestamp and realized it was taken between imogene and Poughkeepsie.

View attachment 188155
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They didn't exactly rule out Engineer, but did say they weren't up for Imogene. We did those roads 30+ years ago when I was a kid. I think it's more the altitude they're avoiding than the trail itself.

I'm still a novice but did Corkscrew/Hurricane/Yankee Boy last year and did Argentine and Georgia Pass (and a part of Red Cone) last month. I haven't done Mineral Creek before but it sounded doable with my current rig and abilities.

I'll probably make 2 days out of it: Mineral Creek to American Basin and climb Handies with my daughter, then an easier day with the older folks.
 
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Imogene was closed to a mudslide or something last i heard. The snow from my picture was gone that same afternoon.
 
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TRevs said:
They didn't exactly rule out Engineer, but did say they weren't up for Imogene. We did those roads 30+ years ago when I was a kid. I think it's more the altitude they're avoiding than the trail itself.

I'm still a novice but did Corkscrew/Hurricane/Yankee Boy last year and did Argentine and Georgia Pass (and a part of Red Cone) last month. I haven't done Mineral Creek before but it sounded doable with my current rig and abilities.

I'll probably make 2 days out of it: Mineral Creek to American Basin and climb Handies with my daughter, then an easier day with the older folks.
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Mineral creek is definitely doable. I just didn't know what you were specifically avoiding. I'm taking my parents up there next weekend and they have no problem with elevation but have zero offroad experience and my mom isn't big on narrow shelfs like imogene (and neither is my wife), so we'll be going around the Engineer/Cinnamon loop Saturday and then Ophir and last dollar Rd on Sunday.

I still have never done Corkscrew, hurricane, or Yankee boy Basin.
 
tworley said:
I havent used them for anything major in probably 4 or 5 years. Mostly smaller items that I just buy when I want it same day (ring gear bolts, switches, compressor etc..) so their prices probably have risen a bit.
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Dang, The Edge was pricier than I had hoped. $650 for Yukon gears plus $1187 for the install. The Black Label shop quoted me $1500 installed, but he still hasn't responded to my last messages.
 
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rasband said:
Another Colorado guy that isn’t on much recommended SFF Customs in Parker to me. I haven’t used them, but he seemed impressed and said he’s done a few rigs there.

http://www.sffcustoms.com/
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I've heard he'll reuse all your original bearings unless you specifically ask him to change them. Makes sense to press on new bearings while everything is out.
 
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tworley said:
I've heard he'll reuse all your original bearings unless you specifically ask him to change them. Makes sense to press on new bearings while everything is out.
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Good to know! I sent him an email to get a quote. I'll be sure to ask about the bearings. The Edge said they use Timken bearings and Yukon gears.
 
tworley said:
I've heard he'll reuse all your original bearings unless you specifically ask him to change them. Makes sense to press on new bearings while everything is out.
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Yikes, hopefully he makes that clear to customers. I figure one more name to check into isn’t bad, but since I haven’t used them wasnt 100% on sharing them.
 
I have used SFF Customs for a regear and axle swap. He has also helped me with a few other projects. His name is Josh and he does solid work for a very reasonable price. It is true that he will reuse any part he can, unless told otherwise, though he does inspect everything and makes recommendations based on wear. I am very happy with his work. His site advertises a regear for 800. Price goes up if you want specific branding on the gears.
 
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TRevs said:
Did any trails get closed yet? I'm planning on a fall colors trip in 2.5 weeks. I'm thinking Mineral Creek/Corkscrew/California area. I'm hoping my parents will come along and they've already said they're not interested in Imogene or Engineer at their ages...
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I'm on red mountain pass right now. Can confirm everything still open. It was 70 in Silverton today, snow is fully melted up to about 12,500 and California Pass had snow off the road above lake Como but the road itself was clear. I imagine Engineer might need a couple more days to clear the short section that faces North; I talked to a guy that said it was slush yesterday.

The photo was our lunch today at around 12,200 coming down the east side of California Pass. You can tell north from south based on the remaining snow coverage.

As long as the warm weather holds I would still expect things to be ok for your trip. I would hesitate to book anything non refundable, watch the area weather and be prepared to make a game time call if they get another snowstorm. If you're on FB, join "San Juan Mountain Trail Group", they're pretty good about knowing current conditions.

IMG_20200913_122133-01.jpeg
 
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