As John said you'll really have to get it professionally assessed. If you're lucky it may just need the tension of the spokes adjusted to true it and I'd expect that in the neighborhood of $30, more or less. Replacement of a whole wheel the budget end might be around $70, could easily go over $100-200 by going just a little better in quality. That's just rough guesses to give an idea. ... View more

Notice your question about hike-able parks. I know that many of the SRA areas have hiking available, but in general, I'm referencing those that are part of the Hiking Club and Passport trails. Not everyone is comfortable doing hikes where there aren't established trails. I'm personally on the fence about going off-trail because I'm also solidly in the Leave No Trace camp. I've seen social trails, downed trees or mud cause all kinds of problems with erosion, especially by inexperienced hikers. ... View more

Thanks for the reply.  I was ready to buy but a friend told me about pink bike.  I got a 2019 full suspension carbon fiber bike with $2500 in new carbon fiber wheels, seat post and stem for $1500 bucks!  I got the whole set up for $1250.  Took it to local bike shop and the tech was so jealous.  He offered me 2500 if I would sell it to him.  Rode it yesterday and I am in love.  I am seeing a lot of used bikes hit the market now that the novelty is fading.  thank god because they were driving the price up on everything.  Looking forward to seeing the market get flooded with used bikes in the next few months. ... View more

MN in general and the twin cities specifically have loads of great skiing in the winter.  I understand that most ski resorts are going to try opening this year and kids ski free at most until a certain age.  I started my kids at 2 years for alpine, but don't expect to be outside with them for more than 1-2 hours at the most.  They do get bored/cold (even with the right gear because they keep taking it off).  Kids are older now, but this past season, when everything closed early we would still get out into some smaller hills in the state parks. Keep the energy positive no matter what they are doing, don't expect them to love it right away, but if you make the trip fun they will always ask to come back.  We would frequently stop to climb a big snow pile, build a snow fort in the trees, look at some wildlife, or eat a snack. Gear wise, toddler's downhill skis with bindings are cheap (~$100) and you can get get some Roces length adjustable ski boots so you don't have to keep buying them new ones each season.  Leave the poles out until they master balance without them.  Also a slope rope is way better than a backpack harness for alpine skiing and they are only about $20. I personally wouldn't start with cross country skiing until they are over 5, but grab a pair of classic skis, find some flat terrain and pull them on a sled behind you.  That is always fun and quite a workout! ... View more

@TomV  @REI-DannyB @HankG  Yes! Fat tire biking is THE BEST! One of my favorite aspects is riding through the winter but fat tire bikes are versatile on so many other surfaces when control, stability, flotation, and the ability to roll over almost anything are critical to your journey.  The hardest challenge of winter fat tire biking is knowing your layering and how your body is going to handle different temperatures. When I lived in Alaska and rode all winter long, I had my layers dialed: I had a below -20° kit, a below 0° kit, an above 0° kit, an above 15° kit, and my above freezing kit. Obviously those were pretty much the same base kit with a layer added for each level, but it took a lot of trial and error to get it right. Too little and you get cold fast, too much and you get hot fast and then cold immediately after. But really it comes down to knowing how your body performs in the cold under exertion. Here are some pics to spread the stoke for fat tire biking! I'd love to dive in deeper (perhaps in a separate thread) if you want to know more! Fat tire bikes are awesome on snow! Fat tire bikes are awesome for kids! Fat tire bikes are awesome in mud! Fat tire bikes are awesome on rocks and water! Fat tire bikes are awesome on sand!   Fat tire bikes are awesome for bikepacking! ... View more

Likely almost any of them. Handlebars are pretty standardized, and bike bells are made to accommodate. A few of them do have a choice between small and large size, you'd want the large because the ADV has drop bars (smalls are meant for 22.2 mm diameter, which is standard for the grip area of flat bars). Edit to add: you should also consider where on the bar you want to put it. The centers of bars often flare a little larger where they attach to the stem, up to 31.8 mm. ... View more

@TomV I can totally relate! Much like yourself, I found that the addition of two children and two pets, it suddenly morphed my Jeep Cherokee from a spacious SUV into a sardine can! I quickly realized that I was in need of some extra cargo room, and  I told myself nothing was going to stand in my way of getting outside. I ended up going with an XL rooftop box. It has been a life saver, to say the least, and a very worth while investment. I use my rooftop box for every activity imaginable: weekend getaways with the family, ski/snowboard trips, quick trips to the hardware store, hauling gear to local concerts, or even moving friends across country! An example of what I can fit in my XL Cartop Box: one full size suitcase, two carry-ons and one or two small duffel bags. Obviously, it does depend on Brand and style that you go with. Like @REI-JenK mentioned, usually folks wish they had gone bigger instead of smaller, but it does definitely depend on your vehicle and what you plan on putting in it, such as your skis. Also, there are some distinct features of each Brand and Style that may sway you one way or the other. Pay close attention to the clasping mechanism that attaches the box to your rack, and the locking/opening mechanism for each style. You should check out the Thule and Yakima website for excellent fit guides. If you still have more fit questions hit up your local REI, or if your not able to make it down to the store, check out REI Virtual Outfitting! I'm stoked for your adventures in your growing caravan! Have fun! ... View more

I did a small section of the trail last year.  Very nice.  Was a little tough going in a couple of places because it was hard to find the trail.  With the trail maintenance teams being cancelled this spring I’m a little concerned about the trail.  Might try it anyway, will keep you posted.  Happy trails ... View more

@OC_Planner thanks for reaching out about reviews on REI.com. You've gotten a bunch of responses already and we wanted to add a little more context. In addition to recognizing how helpful reviews can be for our customers in making buying decisions, reviews are also important to the co-op so we know which products our customers love and which ones need to be changed or replaced. We do have a team dedicated to getting more authentic and verified reviews on to REI.com and, in the end, real reviews are a function of our members being willing to write reviews! You'll notice @John mentioned that he rarely circles back to submit reviews; he's not alone! Our customers are able to submit reviews on the products they've purchased through their online REI account, and all reviews go through moderation and fraud detection to ensure they are authentic and on-topic - we take reviews seriously because we know how important they are! And as @TomV noted, as we bring new products in each season, they often launch with few or no reviews since we haven't had any members test them out yet. Finally, we continue to work to optimize the ease of review writing and submission; we recently added more questions on our review forms so submitted reviews have more content, like overall fit and height information. We anticipate some exciting updates to our reviews section in 2021! ... View more

@TomV  Thanks for jumping in here! First person experience is the best kind! We had a Base Camp 6 for our family before we moved to a roof top tent for our adventures. At some point we'll likely come back to it again. Thanks! ... View more

Cheers,  Tom! Welcome to the forum! My wife and I also love mountain biking. ... View more