tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-48676978214281100302024-03-21T06:11:12.221-07:00biking MTPeter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.comBlogger96125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-24591026612101963722023-09-11T21:58:00.001-07:002023-10-16T08:37:27.310-07:00The Hei Hei's best version<p> I got my hei hei cr in 2020 and since then I've changed or modified basically every component, mostly in the search for lightness and more speed on the race course. Sometimes that search went a little too far but for the most part it's trended in generally the right direction. I mean, who doesn't like a lighter mountain bike?</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA59o6rA_K7bWykF_v_eugvax7Wl-65m8Wtx4z-eFw5iHIcpnT4v720W4zQya00pOThJd7R49hBONvFFOvjD4Uiwg_LTzx-iOidB8-8jf50dTTG2HPfJgZpOICEsPmneOQi_BNwC0H-DW8Wyp4aAvdbQdWiojKBF8olnPnkaLUo5Wllm--lmNzppihsWrE/s3711/_DSC4837.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2150" data-original-width="3711" height="185" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiA59o6rA_K7bWykF_v_eugvax7Wl-65m8Wtx4z-eFw5iHIcpnT4v720W4zQya00pOThJd7R49hBONvFFOvjD4Uiwg_LTzx-iOidB8-8jf50dTTG2HPfJgZpOICEsPmneOQi_BNwC0H-DW8Wyp4aAvdbQdWiojKBF8olnPnkaLUo5Wllm--lmNzppihsWrE/s320/_DSC4837.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6PWqZUZKTMq99CcJdrEpybfEZbgGvYXG9gralmro3HQ-aIGJKDAimgkoRpDnuDEUVQwmCQCpi4RzNdvGW_wtKB-wOFb4ziLT_sxgBkAbfTfBBiGyDyDDffySFL3o5qvTx3wQ7dLQ2uECFHJHZV4gnbK0LccrzcoiVXtqo1LQJuikR7GwBOh4N-yRHReiL/s1499/_DSC4851.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="949" data-original-width="1499" height="203" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6PWqZUZKTMq99CcJdrEpybfEZbgGvYXG9gralmro3HQ-aIGJKDAimgkoRpDnuDEUVQwmCQCpi4RzNdvGW_wtKB-wOFb4ziLT_sxgBkAbfTfBBiGyDyDDffySFL3o5qvTx3wQ7dLQ2uECFHJHZV4gnbK0LccrzcoiVXtqo1LQJuikR7GwBOh4N-yRHReiL/s320/_DSC4851.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>That is just about the best a Hei Hei CR can get, in my opinion. Right about 26lbs flat for an XL, 120mm travel bike on somewhat real tires with pedals and bottle cages and a dropper that works. There are a few things that could make it a touch lighter but some things were chosen due to availability at the time or price or both.</p><p>The highlights are that it's a hei hei. DT swiss carbon wheels, X01 axs drivetrain. guide rsc brakes, bikeyoke divine sl 125mm dropper, Industry nine a35 stem with raceface carbon bars, and an assortment of fancy little titanium and carbon bits. I also swapped the standard grip damper in the fox 34sc for a fit 4 which has more control of low speed compression, and then revalved the shock to a firm digressive tune which makes it more responsive while pedaling hard but still pretty smooth over rougher stuff (I think).</p><p>The tires are the biggest variable, and depending on what I'm doing they might be something very flimsy like the thunder burts I used for the butte 100, or the minion dhf/aggressor combo I rode for awhile but decided was just a little too heavy and slow for a bike like this. What makes this bike ride the best to me are an aggressive XC or light trail tire. This spring I started out on 2.35 racing ray/ralphs because I had them, and now it's on Vittoria Syerras, which I also rode last fall. The syerras manage to be pretty light and fast while offering better grip and durability than your average XC tire. I also have an insert in the rear tire.</p><p>It's basically a bike I can ride just about anywhere, and it'll go pretty fast and be fun while doing it. So now that it's just about perfect I'm considering a new bike of course. </p><p>If anyone wants a list I guess I can do that</p><p>Frame: 2020 Kona Hei Hei CR<br />Fork: Fox 34 step cast performance, 120mm, fit 4 damper. 78psi, 10 clicks rebound, 14 lsc<br />Shock: Fox Float DPS, Digressive rebound firm, digressive compression firm, 0.4 in^2 volume spacer. 210psi, 5 clicks rebound<br />Wheels: DT Swiss XRC1501 with 54t ratchet<br />Tires: varies, currently vittoria syerra, 19/20 psi f/r<br />Cranks: truvativ stylo carbon, 34t chainring<br />Cassette: X01 10-50<br />Derailleur: X01 AXS<br />Chain: XX1 copper<br />Brakes: Sram Guide RSC w/ carbon blades, 180/160 clx rotors<br />Handlebars: raceface next R. 780mm, 25mm rise, esi chunky grips<br />Stem: Industry nine A35 50mm w/ ti bolts<br />Seatpost: Bikeyoke Divine SL 125mm<br />seat clamp: bikeyoke squeezy<br />Dropper lever: Wolftooth light action<br />Saddle: Shimano pro stealth offroad<br />Pedals: shimano XT race<br />bottle cages: arundel mandible carbon w/ ti bolts</p><p><br /></p>Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-75554435739307938002023-08-06T12:10:00.003-07:002023-08-06T21:58:51.850-07:00A new bike - Trek Procaliber<p> Last summer the shop started carrying trek after open road closed. I had been trying to get a new XC race hardtail for awhile at this point but the Cannondales and Orbeas were out of stock. Although strangely, the exact Alma model I wanted was available on the pro's closet, in my size, brand new. Don't really understand how they get those bikes when we're told none are available. I think the cannondale would have still been my preference because it's a little lighter and a little slacker.</p><p>Anyhow, with Trek they have a great and easy to use EP program, allowing you to order or backorder whatever you want. The more videos and quizzes you finish, the better the discount, so I chugged through a whole bunch to get the highest level, which is significantly lower than wholesale pricing. Cannondale only lets you EP a bike when there are a certain number in stock (but at a similar discount to trek) and as far as I know orbea doesn't have EP and you have to pay wholesale.</p><p>So anyway, I filled out the form and ordered myself a trek procaliber 9.6, which had the shortest ETA and the best frame color. It showed up in september.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxX_vWhyA_QuLB5j3nOFZgMdp4u5sl_HuNJuMJtwO0wJK-3OziD7XPjWhdTvuPXeLOqRqRVDNQ09enhsUp65SWfHF99cGO_2mHXmi6xbxCyATFe4q83N505O8Z2s1BDnYquazLgIpvUtDupWMJifM74de-6KE72hJA675cvZOuRGcgvk9iYIOV2U_I3VB6/s1265/PXL_20220903_214955340.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="949" data-original-width="1265" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxX_vWhyA_QuLB5j3nOFZgMdp4u5sl_HuNJuMJtwO0wJK-3OziD7XPjWhdTvuPXeLOqRqRVDNQ09enhsUp65SWfHF99cGO_2mHXmi6xbxCyATFe4q83N505O8Z2s1BDnYquazLgIpvUtDupWMJifM74de-6KE72hJA675cvZOuRGcgvk9iYIOV2U_I3VB6/s320/PXL_20220903_214955340.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Not quite the build I wanted though, with a pretty heavy and terrible fork, mid range shimano drivetrain, and narrow aluminum wheels. No dropper either. It also weighed slightly more than my hei hei. So all that stuff came off</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE9Lb5UCgicDUlqarGWVGfRjs3IHWuPf7lZ9OsueeU3YcP4OTMvWROrOHAYUnCBmXKUq4mwYK-RE2nr3O_f2QXOCutfXLC7gEUxSJh3AweNA59fO3H3AoyVgP2zZKCPfXzIJF31nPA96m_3Anv4L46vG23B2GAzEmy-GHmLl9ejUQgVwnmn2ysIwIVCHTU/s892/PXL_20221128_183304734.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="669" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjE9Lb5UCgicDUlqarGWVGfRjs3IHWuPf7lZ9OsueeU3YcP4OTMvWROrOHAYUnCBmXKUq4mwYK-RE2nr3O_f2QXOCutfXLC7gEUxSJh3AweNA59fO3H3AoyVgP2zZKCPfXzIJF31nPA96m_3Anv4L46vG23B2GAzEmy-GHmLl9ejUQgVwnmn2ysIwIVCHTU/s320/PXL_20221128_183304734.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>By november, I had pretty much all the parts I wanted for it but then it was winter.</p><p>I kind of went all out. XX1 with a rainbow cassette (although mechanical not axs), Sid SL ultimate with a lockout and the shiny blue lowers, the new Kovee RSL 1200g wheels, a transfer SL, level ultimate brakes with 2-piece rotors, rainbow ti bottle cage bolts, rainbow valves...</p><p>So yeah, that made it weigh about 21.5 lbs. I also ditched the 2.2" XR2s for 2.4 pirelli scorpion XC/RCs with the bright yellow hot patches.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qwWJWNI4QdTzTQ4s3vpUq5aVAypx5SwIqE53vBIk73MKKWxkGBxQGq3Yy5LdZ7ErQJUB64ALLnOMVpxF0POTIaSY_ba1KkwjXfmMZszV-aw22GtXwafOB8XFnVO9rXiCJRuHe-1bnYpFub3leGn0V42HSw8yT-e3SLTEqXKGts2JUbPKAkAKvoQ17PV8/s1627/PXL_20230412_210358393_2.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="949" data-original-width="1627" height="187" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5qwWJWNI4QdTzTQ4s3vpUq5aVAypx5SwIqE53vBIk73MKKWxkGBxQGq3Yy5LdZ7ErQJUB64ALLnOMVpxF0POTIaSY_ba1KkwjXfmMZszV-aw22GtXwafOB8XFnVO9rXiCJRuHe-1bnYpFub3leGn0V42HSw8yT-e3SLTEqXKGts2JUbPKAkAKvoQ17PV8/s320/PXL_20230412_210358393_2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxancy1Fh8vLLCoUeXHlkSzi_sRpn7mmmKQO3dTnUN1zBfbHmdNcfPQGiENA4kkR4dz-yyXqWiECIWicLmxtCm2raSv9qujnqB0gKLWVrHp0EiCdewydgA9byb0SFynUb3T4Vb6rsyLcMS2-YpUmGWtLSDjJpCnfAL47UhD8YUAQAQuuZU0SmwEAs_lojd/s1265/PXL_20230606_020810501.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="949" data-original-width="1265" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxancy1Fh8vLLCoUeXHlkSzi_sRpn7mmmKQO3dTnUN1zBfbHmdNcfPQGiENA4kkR4dz-yyXqWiECIWicLmxtCm2raSv9qujnqB0gKLWVrHp0EiCdewydgA9byb0SFynUb3T4Vb6rsyLcMS2-YpUmGWtLSDjJpCnfAL47UhD8YUAQAQuuZU0SmwEAs_lojd/s320/PXL_20230606_020810501.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p>(the kendas went on for the mullet climb along with a rigid post)</p>short answer: it's light, and it's real fast uphill. But riding downhill makes me really appreciate the hei hei, even in an XC race.<p></p><p>Depending on the course I'm still riding the Kona, even on a few that went all the way to the top of marshall, where the procaliber might be faster overall. I just didn't want to ride it down the full descent at race speed. The kona was the right choice for the Spirit bear race in kalispell and the Butte 100 as well (for butte I borrowed the wheels from the trek). </p><p>On the plus side, it is pretty good for a lot of missoula riding. Last week I just went up the road to point 6 and back. It's also ideal for my regular quick trips up to the overlook and our recent "death ride graveL" And it turns out I've actually ridden both MTBs about the same amount this year. I did also still race this bike quite a bit on wed nights and at scratchgravel in helena. Pretty ideal for that course. Also, I wasn't super thrilled with the fancy fizik 3d printed saddle I put on there. So now with what seems to be a more comfortable ergon I'll be happier about riding it?</p><p>It is still a very different experience downhill and at higher speeds. head tube angle is 68.75 degrees, which, not great, not terrible for an XC bike, but that number creeps up when you're actually riding it. The hei hei is 67.5, and longer overall, and with more reach. Both have similar stack, and I put a 20mm longer stem on the trek to get the bars in about the same spot. Little more drop though, and you're more over the front of a bike with a steeper hta. I find it a little harder to stay balanced on it and the pretty low handlebars probably don't help. I suppose that just comes with the territory of an XC hardtail, and I did ride one for many years with a tall seatpost just fine. But I still find myself wondering what the cannondale would be like, as it has a 67 degree HTA (or 66 something on the himod with a 110mm fork). </p>So I'm contemplating what I really want for both MTB riding and racing. Maybe a racier and lighter full suspension bike like the new oiz or a scalpel in place of both bikes. The hei hei has been really solid all around but it's getting up there in miles and is just slightly heavier than I'd like as a race bike. I'll probably stick with both bikes for another season though.Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-80680004301629139442023-07-23T20:36:00.001-07:002023-07-23T20:36:05.037-07:002023 butte 100 race report<p> I did that dumb 100mi mtb race again. it was hot and I still feel bad. My 5th time going so i thought maybe the'd make me a little copper mug or something for the "500mi club." Steve has done this 9 times now and last year they gave him one with his name on it for doing 8. But first i did have to actually finish.</p><p><br /></p><p>I need to figure out a better night before sleeping situation. I thought i had it figured out by driving up there before the race meeting to grab a spot down the road a bit away from the highway but it was all full. I also thought my new giant air mattress that barely fits in the tent was going to help. But then I wound up on the ground and basically not sleeping at all so welp, fucked that up I guess. Ate breakfast in my car in the dark at 5am, managed to poop before the start, and off we went. First climb is about 10-15min in and goes up for awhile, I found myself sitting in 3rd behind last year's winner who is a real pro bike racer and is going to marathon worlds and then Adam, who finished 4th ahead of me last year and used to be a real pro bike racer and is also a pretty good nordic ski racer. But Adam was in sight and I was comfortable. John, who won the helena race and is also pretty good ultrarunner was back there, along with some younger kids like Aiden from Butte and Elliot from team stampede who has moved up to racing in u23 and elite categories.</p><p><br /></p><p>Then we ran into either a mis-marked part of course or someone fucking with the arrows, because we get sent up this like steep rocky thing that doesn't seem right and we're all walking and wandering around. Like a dozen other people are there and going up higher and I'm like no i don't think this is right and go back down and by ignoring the arrow I get back on track with some other people. There's a group in front of me now and I have no idea how far ahead Chris or Adam are and it cost about 10min. I'm going up the regular course and John comes out of the bushes so it worked out for him and we rode together for awhile. But I'm kind of thrown off, pedaling harder than I should because of the panicky "must catch up" feeling and am thrown off a bit but I guess we're all in the same boat.</p><p><br /></p><p>Throw my vest at AS2, I didn't plan on stopping there and didn't really need to wear the vest and it makes it harder to get stuff out of your pockets. I had some snacks in cargo bibs plus about 500cal in my two big water bottles so I mostly just needed to drink them both and have a few shot blocks before AS3 at mi 25. Stop at 3, get two more big bottles of mix and cram two gels in my face. am now with John and another guy (matt?") who don't stop but catch back up to john and we're back riding together. 3-4 you descent some actual singletrack instead of endless up and down sandy moto doubletrack. I had generally been a little all over the place on the thunder burts in the sand. Rode off trail a few times but stayed upright. John is descending faster than me and that I find a bit annoying because he's a runner and on a hardtail. I'm climbing faster though and on the sandy slog up to AS4 I leave him behind and then go by Matt who is stopped there. Get to 5 and grab a quick splash of water and then see someone up ahead of me. Oh hey it's Adam, I thought he was gone. He kept pace and didn't want to have me just go by but I put in a little bit of effort up a moderate climb and get some space going into the start/finish. We leave together, then you descend down from the pass to the butte valley on this ridiculously steep doubletrack full of huge washed out ruts. I let Adam go first and then get back to him on the road. You climb through a neighborhood then up a trail then drop down to the highway and climb back up a bit to AS7. I leave Adam on the climb, another quick half bottle of water at 7, and I'm on the way to basin creek. By now it's over 90f and the course only gets harder.</p><p><br /></p><p>At AS8 I get two more full bottles of mix, one insulated, plus a 3rd bottle of just water in my jersey pocket. I needed it. You climb like 3k feet to get to the next aid station and it seems endless. I had been carrying two bottles of mix up to here but kept one full of just water the rest of the way just to pour on myself. Legs are starting to feel unhappy and the heat is unpleasant. I get off my bike and walk a few times. Start catching the tail end of the 50mi race. Start getting some light cramping. Get to AS9 feeling not great wondering how in the fuck I'm going to get up the next climbs and to the finish. It's still 20 fucking more miles. Two more bottles and maybe a gel and some blocks or something, plus salt cap chews and a tylenol. Legs work a little better but right out of the aid station is steep as fuck and starts to get a little more rocky and technical. This is the highest point of the course on the CDT, generally over 7k feet, and fuck it's hot. I feel like I'm barely moving. Misery. I think my max HR for the last 4 hours was 153, so tempo-ish. Keep looking back, see no one. Tell myself if I feel this bad they all do to. Kind of have fun on the descents, hei hei is ripping through the rocks and the thunder burts are much happier on the packed dirt instead of sand (i also let some air out at the halfway point because of the heat, and ran my suspension a little softer than normal). Thankfully the rocks are all pretty rounded. At one point I clipped a rock with my foot/pedal and tensed up and my legs cramped so hard hard I couldn't move them for like 10-20s. But then you just try to pedal and ignore how bad it feels. Finally get past limekin hill and have a pretty extended downhill to the last aid station. Have a shot of pickle juice, have a cup of coke, get a bottle of water and a bottle of mix, and just have to make it the last 9mi. Again, you're climbing off the bat, but the grade is more reasonable. It's not exactly a continuous climb and then a continuous descent but it's close. Couple of breaks on the way up, couple of short rises on the way down. It takes about 40min to get to the point where you're generally on the way down. Then 20 more to the finish. I see the R1k crew from town, say hi, and yell "this fucking sucks." but seeing friends out there is a nice pick me up. I think I went through about 14 bottles, most with 200-250cal of tailwind in them. And then about only ate shot bloks and vanilla gels. I tried a bite of a honey waffle at some point, and did put a few bars in my bags, but it's just really hard to chew and swallow things.</p><p><br /></p><p>Get to the finish almost 20min slower than last year. My goal was to be faster and I had the fitness to do it, but the early detour, slow and sandy conditions on the first half, and really fucking hot weather conspired against that a bit. Surprisingly from the bottom of basin creek to the finish I was only 8min slower over 4 hours compared to last year. That shit really sucked and I didn't want to keep going. But uh, I did get 2nd overall so there's that.</p><p><br /></p><p>For some reason they didn't do awards or a podium and then ran out of food before like half the 100mi finishers were done which was kind of shitty. Maybe they'll mail me something.</p>Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-18444043766159173182023-05-30T22:19:00.001-07:002023-05-30T22:19:29.734-07:00Tire review - Pirelli Cinturato Gravel H<p> This spring I was looking for a replacement gravel tire for the Schwalbe G-one Rs that I ran last year. I did generally like those tires and would buy them again but there's so much out there I felt like trying something new. The schwalbes also seemed a little slow rolling so this time around I was going for speed. I did consider trying a g-one RS on the rear, and those do test real fast.</p><p>Anyway, with the shop having trek now and trek kind of pushing pirelli and having the race team use them I thought I'd try some out and ordered the Gravel H, for hardpack. There's also a M, for mixed, S, for soft, and RC, for "race" I guess.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizgqBSR7YcNwl0LftOrnGYNrlgU3a-ImGKMP0m4BKTl-T8xRXxYPaJPGT_BVkwbwbaO7YJylTD18Q9xClgh0kWRC4YGBZzeQNdIqG_E8oojYy28f4MJxVE7ZlssZdcHckkhD9i5msAb4_PjhwGwwcGBKKZrhYmi2SrAkeSjhYW5N9MkZEO8dSVI4jweA/s2772/PXL_20230421_164025008.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2772" data-original-width="2268" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizgqBSR7YcNwl0LftOrnGYNrlgU3a-ImGKMP0m4BKTl-T8xRXxYPaJPGT_BVkwbwbaO7YJylTD18Q9xClgh0kWRC4YGBZzeQNdIqG_E8oojYy28f4MJxVE7ZlssZdcHckkhD9i5msAb4_PjhwGwwcGBKKZrhYmi2SrAkeSjhYW5N9MkZEO8dSVI4jweA/s320/PXL_20230421_164025008.jpg" width="262" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>Very low profile and tightly spaced center blocks, getting a little taller and more spread out as you go toward the edge knobs, which are low profile, but do exist.</p><p>These come in 35, 40, 45, and maybe 50mm, and black or tan. I got the 40s, and black because the black tires were listed as slightly lighter. Mine were like 485g which is not all that light, but when it comes to gravel tires I'm finding a little extra weight is worth the added durability. I also have vittoria air liners in there, plus a hookless "MTB" rim with pretty wide sidewalls to hopefully all help prevent flats. On the 23mm IW rims these come out way bigger than listed at just under 44mm. They just barely don't rub in the chainstays and leave no clearance for mud or an out of true wheel. I put some aluminum foil tape in the potential rub spots and so far it's staying pretty clean though.</p><p>The first test for these tires was day 2 of the montana gravel challenge, a loop that goes from ninemile toward town on mullan, then along the south side road to petty creek and back over to ninemile. So a good amount of pavement, not much for big climbs, and then 20 miles of pretty rough gravel road. This year we were flying and I was way on the back of the group after being in poor position at the start of the dirt climb toward deep creek and then after losing some more spots when i realized my brake hood was loose and slipping (I pulled out of the line and thought about trying to tighten it on the move and then just decided to ride the rest of the way in the drops). So I was back there, just having to stay on wheels, not getting a good view of line choice of what was coming, and being in all the chaos as people had flats or mechanicals or just got dropped. It was a long time before I actually felt like I was "in the group" and not just barely hanging on. We probably had 20+ in the front at the start and by the time we hit petty creek there were 8.</p><p>So the tires made it through. And they feel fast (and test fast), and are high volume that lets me run pretty low pressures. I've been doing like 32.34 in the front and 37-38 in the rear. The low pressure aids grip but they are really low profile and I guess we'll see how they go on drier and looser stuff. Liking them overall though. Be nice if they measured closer to listed as my major jake doesn't have the best clearance.</p><p><br /></p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWms21PyS-LkII6sZD7XqD0oW5JE6BtrdbFKpFn-cFzy9WrSjWFCQyp1w_t60sjIyutiSvvayZQStYdVsA5rQMZYTM6IuQn8r-_JQg5HAacgwn1ZS6P-VglbVocrkIA0ZlAjdm9HlZaLfX6p1rjodkhDN8cCqFhEI2YywGTkv3NQn4-PUTA4SOassoA/s2578/PXL_20230423_012839864~2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2006" data-original-width="2578" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMWms21PyS-LkII6sZD7XqD0oW5JE6BtrdbFKpFn-cFzy9WrSjWFCQyp1w_t60sjIyutiSvvayZQStYdVsA5rQMZYTM6IuQn8r-_JQg5HAacgwn1ZS6P-VglbVocrkIA0ZlAjdm9HlZaLfX6p1rjodkhDN8cCqFhEI2YywGTkv3NQn4-PUTA4SOassoA/s320/PXL_20230423_012839864~2.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /> <p></p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><br /><p><br /></p>Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-48807594216047447332022-09-05T20:48:00.004-07:002023-08-06T11:42:04.585-07:00Out with the transfer sl, in with the divine sl<p>I really like weight of the transfer sl, and also that it has a simple mechanism that will probably keep working with minimal maintenance. However, the thin tubes made it hard to get the post properly tightened and it had a tendency to either slip down in the frame or bind up depending on clamp tightness. I think possibly the hei hei frame wasn't helping either. the upper part of the seat tube is pretty short and also just a touch oversized, so the post doesn't have a good tight fit in there, which means the clamp has to be tighter to keep it in place and creates a higher force over a smaller area. Recipe for making a lightweight post unhappy, and in fact my old regular transfer liked to stick a little when cold and I think that was also due to the frame and clamp. Additionally, the stock kona clamp is bad and has a sharp edge that broke the rigid carbon post on my cross bike. The bikeyoke squeezy and wolf tooth clamps are much better.</p><p>In addition to it's finicky nature, only 100mm of travel and only up or down doesn't really suit the hei hei. So I ordered myself one of the next lightest posts out there- the bikeyoke divine SL, in 125mm. It's not that much more, but it's the longest drop it comes in.</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngSlSDLoz_NMkvxgHD3-x03JancsFx3TaGdCK3wiyQ-cQiWJjPVTwXvnSvbycrAFHB4AxWU4qu89lLmpKgR6WsezTwWq3KoM8XDWB1UoaupqxUFCyoMJUYwRDIxqezezVyiPkU6Ser_pBtnaYzw8jlsvu6LRy-1xpVxLDvj9RE8cDw047XT8j3qfyYg/s4032/PXL_20220903_220458936.MP.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgngSlSDLoz_NMkvxgHD3-x03JancsFx3TaGdCK3wiyQ-cQiWJjPVTwXvnSvbycrAFHB4AxWU4qu89lLmpKgR6WsezTwWq3KoM8XDWB1UoaupqxUFCyoMJUYwRDIxqezezVyiPkU6Ser_pBtnaYzw8jlsvu6LRy-1xpVxLDvj9RE8cDw047XT8j3qfyYg/s320/PXL_20220903_220458936.MP.jpg" width="240" /></a></div><div><br /></div><br /><p>So yeah I have added a little weight to the bike but that post does work better and the extra 25mm of drop makes a difference. The saddle clamps are not great though, I think because the hei hei's actual seat tube is pretty slack due to the bend. The front bolt is tightened down all the way and the rear bolt jammed up against the upper clamp and I broke it. So I wrapped my rails in fabric tape and dremeled a groove in the clamp and now i can get the saddle level enough so hopefully that does it. Kind of annoying that most clamps I've experienced have to be pretty much maxed out in the nose down position just to get the saddle level.</p><p>Also I put some new tires on there- vittoria syerras, which I am liking so far. And a new hardtail showed up last week. I think the transfer sl will be a better match for that bike.</p>Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-78773917779074861782022-08-17T10:37:00.003-07:002022-09-12T20:52:23.352-07:00Shock revalve<p> In june my shock made a loud bang and started spraying fluid out of the adjusters. Damper shaft had just snapped, apparently a common issue with these things. Not covered by warranty as that is only a year apparently.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLeqkgSNg3_yKMIDE4EtElam0nAw6SKzidnoqLbi3nyLXe7_Su1RhkeyQBKTMW4x_voTE62VfBUQiW1Pl7Rim-Yhn3lWH7T8iSObtpNzfvPJEl9I5X5xGsE05pZRPR4cCCEWyuAFQXhNwcw47Wj8LC3CKdC-SrbTMIsFd9XYQw1GR2MS8vO4XvQZ3oXQ/s1265/PXL_20220620_154409373.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="949" data-original-width="1265" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLeqkgSNg3_yKMIDE4EtElam0nAw6SKzidnoqLbi3nyLXe7_Su1RhkeyQBKTMW4x_voTE62VfBUQiW1Pl7Rim-Yhn3lWH7T8iSObtpNzfvPJEl9I5X5xGsE05pZRPR4cCCEWyuAFQXhNwcw47Wj8LC3CKdC-SrbTMIsFd9XYQw1GR2MS8vO4XvQZ3oXQ/s320/PXL_20220620_154409373.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>While it was being repaired at fox I thought I'd try some different valving. The stock tune from kona is a linear curve, which means that as shaft velocity increases, so does damping force. I've felt like this was part of my issue with the bike as it felt very squishy under pedaling forces, which is low speed shaft movement. A digressive valve means there is much more low speed force and then it levels off in the higher speed range.</p><p>Every fox shock and fork has a 4 digit code on it somewhere and you can look it up on the fox website to find out the details of your suspension. Mine spits out the following:</p><p>2020, FLOAT DPS, P-S, A, 3pos, Evol LV, Kona, Hei Hei CR, 190, 45, 0.8 Spacer, LCF, LRM, CMF, TC-6265/PMS-447-C Logo</p><p>The year, model, bike it comes on, length, stroke, air volume spacer size</p><p>LCF stands for Linear Compression Firm<br />LRM stands for Linear Rebound Medium<br />CMF stands for Closed Mode Firm</p><p>So now instead of linear I have digressive valving, firm, on both rebound and compression sides. I also previously swapped the 0.8 in^2 volume spacer for a smaller 0.4 which allowed me to increase air pressure to make the shock firmer while still using most of the travel. I have been at about 215psi.</p><p>The revalve resulted in a pretty big difference. At the same shock pressure it feels like the suspension barely moves when I stand up and pedal hard, yet if anything is more comfortable over bumps and rocks and roots while descending. It also uses less travel because of the extra low speed support, which keeps it from compressing as far and blowing through travel when loading the bike or pedaling hard or even landing on jumps.</p><p>I've actually been dropping the air pressure a touch, as previously I was only sitting at about 18-19% sag which is on the low side and then still not ever using full travel. Down at 200-205 I still get a good balanced feel and pedaling support but below that it starts to feel a little too squishy again. I had my rebound pretty well figured out before but now am at about the same spot with a different curve so probably need a little further adjustment there.</p><p>In conclusion it feels really good though. I'm not really sure why it wasn't this way out of the box, but I suppose they were going for a more supple feel and progressive curve where I'm looking for more of an XC race bike pedaling feel. But on the other hand it's still pretty smooth and rides nice so yeah, seems way better. Now that this bike is lighter and pedals well I'm starting to question my new bike order. But I think a hardtail will still be nice to have, and then I can do things like keep more aggressive tires on the hei hei and put on a dropper that goes down farther and works in the middle spots.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsPze-3w3dnrCpu0A5z4oXFGoOa1MQIf5p8SlCNF0fc7_YyD8t-QY08Tm5IhkbtJYTY-2GGnl8nHYh-p-DNCcW552S8jYbeE_SqY3VD6w55BrvV0y_KRC2SlonAw_3gQvMtXIlB6w6s0CYKwyl3WLYDHXA84q4PwNZd6-YGOawY6vcWbVrs0onMbxBw/s4080/IMG_20220806_182054848.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3072" data-original-width="4080" height="241" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAsPze-3w3dnrCpu0A5z4oXFGoOa1MQIf5p8SlCNF0fc7_YyD8t-QY08Tm5IhkbtJYTY-2GGnl8nHYh-p-DNCcW552S8jYbeE_SqY3VD6w55BrvV0y_KRC2SlonAw_3gQvMtXIlB6w6s0CYKwyl3WLYDHXA84q4PwNZd6-YGOawY6vcWbVrs0onMbxBw/s320/IMG_20220806_182054848.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p>Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-40063178169219981632022-08-03T08:34:00.002-07:002022-08-17T10:41:04.982-07:00Another butte 100<p> Did that butte race again, it was really hard the whole time.</p><p><br /></p><p>At one of the friday night races my shock blew up and I finally got that back on Monday after playing shock musical chairs with a few of the lbs owner's bikes for a few weeks. In addition to the repair I had it revalved from linear to digressive valving, with the hopes that it would be more supportive under pedaling forces especially out of the saddle. Turns out yes. Feels great, I don't think I locked it out once yesterday, maybe on a paved road for a bit. So yeah monday I get my bike all prettied up, install the shock, pull the cranks and suspension linkages and clean everything out, new chain and chainring, go to coach nica and fucking crash. stick through the spokes at low speed sends me otb, broken shifter, bunch of new scrapes on frame, dent in helmet, torn glove, ripped up grips, wheels out of true. Cool. But generally everything is fine. apparently I can't make it through a July without crashing. I needed new grips anyway but that was a new poc ventral so I got to buy another one of those last week which was pretty annoying. Thankfully I get a good discount.</p><p><br /></p><p>Fitness wise this has been kind of a weird seeming year for me. It feels like my riding and training has been pretty inconsistent but I've been seeing some decent results and some good strava segment times, have some good bunches of high volume weeks, some intensity although not as much or as structured as I'd like. Still mostly just riding a lot and not really "training." Went and rode my local trail climb as openers friday and set my fastest time on the hei hei without even really going for it. Also PR'd the xc course climb and a ~4min road climb somewhat recently. So I guess I'm pretty fit. I figured I could improve by a good amount since last year I had a bad crash in early july and then a mini blowup through the middle of the race. I finished 8th in like 10:50, and thought I could be a little closer to 10 hours flat and the podium.</p><p><br /></p><p>This year to be faster at the aid stations I put drink mix in empty bottles at every one, so that I could just get it filled with water and be ready to go. Last year I had little ziplocks with it and that was kind of annoying and time consuming. I was able to just stop and be like, "please fill that bottle and this bottle thanks" cram a gel or something down my face, and keep rolling. I also skipped a few more this time. I went with tailwind so had about 150-200 calories in a bottle so I didn't have to try to eat quite as much and mostly relied on gummies and gels. I think I also took a bite of a skratch rice bar, had a honey waffle, a handful of chips, some coke, some gummy bears, and a pickle along the way. Plus electrolyte tabs and some ibuprofin.</p><p><br /></p><p>6am starts are not my favorite. I camped at the start area but then didn't really sleep. Lying on the ground for 8ish hours is rest though right?</p><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ypJ71CZvRgPNZHKC1ixFtGHeCkmIpAoF65IIoLkq3OaFN-zHb8Xkv6yOhqbkOusxpEocd-j5o3aoON5-dIYfvgZuAFGb5bUDqCUNp915P9aZ5K93Ir35OtmoCaVYoZK4lnxhmTlqiesmo0eWRHG-pvBQr1i2dEOZ7tTOLrdpx4BEP-rWU3kZW8jKYw/s990/62dca10200b7e.image.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="710" data-original-width="990" height="229" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1ypJ71CZvRgPNZHKC1ixFtGHeCkmIpAoF65IIoLkq3OaFN-zHb8Xkv6yOhqbkOusxpEocd-j5o3aoON5-dIYfvgZuAFGb5bUDqCUNp915P9aZ5K93Ir35OtmoCaVYoZK4lnxhmTlqiesmo0eWRHG-pvBQr1i2dEOZ7tTOLrdpx4BEP-rWU3kZW8jKYw/s320/62dca10200b7e.image.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>This race always starts out absurdly fast and once we got to the first climbing part I opted to not chase the fastest guys like last year and watched what seemed like 10 people ride away from me. No Tinker or Josh Tostado this year, and Max raced the 50 instead, but still a few pros lined up. I felt like I was going pretty good and actually got through the first 2 segments in about the same time as last year without pegging my HR (well not as high). So I was kind of surprised at how many people were in front of me, plus there were more breathing down my neck. I was going back and forth with this one guy for a bit who was climbing faster but going slower on the descents. I was never really being held up for long and he let me by once or twice but it's race of mostly trying to go your own speed so it's a little annoying to have someone around you and having to pass and get passed constantly. I caught him going into AS2, stopped for a refill and took off my vest, and then was back on his wheel like 2min later because it was downhill for awhile. So I got past, pushed a bit to stay ahead of him on the next climby bit, got on an extended descent, and was clear. Then could see the next guy in front of me and then passed him at aid station 5 by not stopping. First half is so sandy and mostly moto/atv trails so you're just kind of slogging along, have some annoyingly steep things, have to walk parts, and then trying to surf through sand at high speed on the descents. It felt extra sandy this year.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh78UOV7PQFnAfRfqzHFW_dBGq8n3zTDW7PJUfHYK25PLJnBKU86UKF2vgHQLZPL5WRdVbYCiuEWKXRsjZTBc3yo5KGRxpNbn8yyJSS9s0tzgrvpBIB5kurmLDwCiYWEaw1Z8EwOhSDR3t1wnagJiCr1mfzTVq9_EvaeoaYX9_Sd4ssx-jC6k0I5zxQcA/s1600/Valerie%20Manne%20-%20Digital%20Spark%20Creative-0983.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1067" data-original-width="1600" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh78UOV7PQFnAfRfqzHFW_dBGq8n3zTDW7PJUfHYK25PLJnBKU86UKF2vgHQLZPL5WRdVbYCiuEWKXRsjZTBc3yo5KGRxpNbn8yyJSS9s0tzgrvpBIB5kurmLDwCiYWEaw1Z8EwOhSDR3t1wnagJiCr1mfzTVq9_EvaeoaYX9_Sd4ssx-jC6k0I5zxQcA/s320/Valerie%20Manne%20-%20Digital%20Spark%20Creative-0983.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Got to start/finish/AS6 and was feeling pretty good, unlike last year, because I'd been a little more reasonable early on and had eaten and drank more. Took a minute to eat and refill and catch my breath then that guy rolled through without stopping as I was leaving and we rode together for a bit. We got to the next climb which is fairly mellow on singletrack, I'm behind him and comfortable, then he just kind of slows up and I feel good and can see the next guy so ok I guess I'll go by. Get by the next guy before the top, hit the descent, skip the next aid station, get to number 8 which is at about mile 67. Think, "huh I got here pretty quick," and trying to calculate how long the rest is going to take.</p><p><br /></p><p>Still feeling good, clean chain, eat a little more, drink a little more, fill bottles, and now it's the shitty part where you climb up to the continental divide trail. I was there for awhile, get on the trail, see guy behind me roll through and not stop. I think, uh, that's not a good idea dude it's like 13mi and 3k feet and 2 hours to the next one. But it encourages me to keep the pace up. Start catching 50mi racers. Pass a guy walking, see a red 100 plate which means, oh, actually he's in my race. Legs start getting unhappy twinges. Get to next aid station, guy had got back on his bike and chased me and rolled in pretty much right after me so I hurry up and get out of there. It would have been nice to stick around for a bit- they had hot dogs and bacon and beers and a fun party vibe going.</p><p><br /></p><p>This is like mile 80, and there's still a big section of climbing to do where you hit the high point of the course at about 8k feet and are on the CDT to the finish. it's fairly rocky and has various shortish climbs and decents along the way back to homestake pass. Legs are unhappy. This is hard. it's hot. I'm yelling fuck you legs, fuck you rocks, fuck you sun, have to walk up some things, but at least on the downhills I can kind of rest and go fast. Probably faster than I should given the level of fatigue but it's free time as long as you stay on your bike. A lighter hardtail would be nice on a lot of this course but on the last 20mi when you're tired and sore and the trail gets rougher the hei hei is perfect. Passing lots of 50mi racers. Looking at distance, time, avg speed, and realizing I'm really close to that 10 hour even pace. Keep it going, fly down to the last aid station, people are getting out of my way. Quick stop, one more climb before you descend to homestake and the finish. Pushing the limits of cramping, backing off, standing to use different muscles, actually breathing hard. Pass my friends Andrew and Mike doing the 50 and get out a "hi". Get to the top and it's like, oh shit this is going to be close. Like 25min to go 5mi, but mostly all downhill. Pushing the descent even harder, pedaling out of corners, out of the saddle on the slight rises. Ignoring my HR page, ignoring my legs, just watching the time get closer to 10 and the distance get closer to 100 and wondering what's going to happen first. And trying not to crash. Come out onto the pavement, sprint more, cross the line in what appears to be about 9:59:40. But got a chip time of 9:59:06 somehow. 5th overall.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7FyQFYG-jZGoSrFfLUYBBZY6kVUK0F4nWN6THuMcJFkhSZkRHjbm341fbmi37wZ1UO3AOwTj_yay-c3WOFOZtiGEbzeVhN7dkzSD28z3_NszdUnVabCPwDzV7cFW8q_hWiLXOmZliAwKEBikCUBIr8nzP1Uj2LKFttd25vDA0cB5TlWwP2goJm2k9bA/s948/IMG_20220723_230520.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="948" data-original-width="927" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7FyQFYG-jZGoSrFfLUYBBZY6kVUK0F4nWN6THuMcJFkhSZkRHjbm341fbmi37wZ1UO3AOwTj_yay-c3WOFOZtiGEbzeVhN7dkzSD28z3_NszdUnVabCPwDzV7cFW8q_hWiLXOmZliAwKEBikCUBIr8nzP1Uj2LKFttd25vDA0cB5TlWwP2goJm2k9bA/s320/IMG_20220723_230520.jpg" width="313" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdJjBxJkFpwIxt9J40U1c4cxfKl1ukjujkKpkp0mqMLpEkLCAAX5uiMLG6INUQ4XGxlvP9QoPCqb0F1Xa7AiE08VHvx6VzoQwl5dAqjSZvrVpJxThIa_bJTaP0ZBkWkYzQ5PqBxdkAUn5DCj5tvBnIw0poF072ZXy1CNxHVPFSxUOR3tbamIjxcuRbg/s3363/PXL_20220726_003925726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3010" data-original-width="3363" height="286" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAdJjBxJkFpwIxt9J40U1c4cxfKl1ukjujkKpkp0mqMLpEkLCAAX5uiMLG6INUQ4XGxlvP9QoPCqb0F1Xa7AiE08VHvx6VzoQwl5dAqjSZvrVpJxThIa_bJTaP0ZBkWkYzQ5PqBxdkAUn5DCj5tvBnIw0poF072ZXy1CNxHVPFSxUOR3tbamIjxcuRbg/s320/PXL_20220726_003925726.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p><br /></p><p>https://www.strava.com/activities/7517578121/</p><p><br /></p><p>Compared to last year my riding parts were definitely faster but not by as much as I though, especially the middle when I was feeling like shit and thought I was barely moving. Only a few minutes here and there across the board, but I suppose that still adds up over a whole day. Time difference was about half from stopping less, and half from going faster. I only had like 18 minutes stopped time compared to 45ish last year. Still felt like I was going way too slow on the climbs in the last 20mi and could barely handle HR over 145ish. So maybe there's more time in it with a few more calories and electrolytes and drink mix. Skipping aid stations meant I did not get a fresh bottle of mix at those and having some electrolyte tabs along early would have helped. REI had these saltstick fast chews which are kind of not really great, it's like a salty chewable multivitamin and I think i'd rather just have the pill format. But having two of those at all the last aid stations was definitely helpful. I also kept picking up gels and then not really eating them so I had like 5 of them stuffed back there by the end. It was also annoying that I couldn't get my standard salted watermelon shot blocks. The long sleeve format is a lot easier to eat while moving than the bags like skratch or gu, especially when you cut then in half and have two pre-opened sleeves of 3.</p><p><br /></p><p>Winner was this guy Chris who is some sort of a pro that mostly races gravel and recently got 4th at unbound xl. 2nd was Carter, a pro mtb racer from bozeman, 3rd a guy Matt from Michigan who I don't know anything about but seems to have real sponsors and travels around racing, 4th Adam from bozeman who got 4th last year and apparently used to be a pro roadie and also does a lot of ski racing.</p>Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-87087923472027932092022-01-12T16:05:00.005-08:002022-09-05T20:51:00.166-07:00Fox Transfer SL review<p> The last "heavy" part on my hei hei was the seatpost. The 170mm standard transfer came in at 631g when I put it on our scale. That's a lot, and it bugged me having that on an XC bike. Also, it had started acting a little finicky in cold weather so I figured something else to put in there while I send it in to be serviced wasn't a bad idea anyway.</p><p>Enter the fox transfer SL, one of the lightest dropper posts out there</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiT4BNUj52y0OBdSTC1Hfp8vUWrDSOcbqnmV2_MYZ_coPO0Y-Au2UDwI05RXnUwITVSqN90LFvyEF0zkVZhzjH9hTxH9iq206Sv8L6AGoxt-W7j042IyYzBi6ck3uOZ-UvGHnNJefLQIhB69G5UE34PApyTYZ2bN2ZP5QolzTtMUtvDOgk_N6PWjcosWQ=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEiT4BNUj52y0OBdSTC1Hfp8vUWrDSOcbqnmV2_MYZ_coPO0Y-Au2UDwI05RXnUwITVSqN90LFvyEF0zkVZhzjH9hTxH9iq206Sv8L6AGoxt-W7j042IyYzBi6ck3uOZ-UvGHnNJefLQIhB69G5UE34PApyTYZ2bN2ZP5QolzTtMUtvDOgk_N6PWjcosWQ=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><p>Two years ago I didn't even ride with a dropper but now I'm finding it to be pretty invaluable. While it saves weight, I'm noticing some compromises with the SL version of the Transfer. The main things are that it can only be up or down, and only has 100mm of travel. For trail riding steeper and rougher terrain on the hei hei, that's kind of not enough. I'd estimate I generally dropped the old post down in the 125-150mm range, not usually all the way, but still more. The lack of intermediate positions isn't as important with the shorter travel though.</p><p>The other issue is that it has thin walls and is really sensitive to clamping pressure. With the stock kona clamp I couldn't get it to stay in place without sticking, and swapped to a bikeyoke squeezy, which is super slick and low profile and light and has a titanium bolt.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhK_pi1zp-Y2lFpqf7W0frqQuV7L8GBaOjjniuhXQcxxAB5r_ILKXAxwwfzPMtbpElq6LiSdC13G0VeZ0Ic0KiO_k5ztoq6nIbiiTjwvJbAfc0IjhBPkflr1bFk1jJRgfJc7sAGaPLDg5_Tut6Hd9qMDi7rOjBK5PqhYsfXXfqqsLPg9W_LZsHKg_dmUw=s3024" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2962" data-original-width="3024" height="313" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhK_pi1zp-Y2lFpqf7W0frqQuV7L8GBaOjjniuhXQcxxAB5r_ILKXAxwwfzPMtbpElq6LiSdC13G0VeZ0Ic0KiO_k5ztoq6nIbiiTjwvJbAfc0IjhBPkflr1bFk1jJRgfJc7sAGaPLDg5_Tut6Hd9qMDi7rOjBK5PqhYsfXXfqqsLPg9W_LZsHKg_dmUw=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>It also seems to not have the tightest fit in my seat tube, which is likely more the frame's issue although I haven't measured it, and could also be why the old post was getting finicky.</p><p>When you actuate it, you can't just be sitting on the saddle with your full weight either, as it will get hung up on whatever little latch releases the post and not drop down. You have to unweight, push lever, drop post down. Then make sure to go all the way down.</p><p>So anyway my impression is yes, lighter. A full 253g of savings, over 1/2 a pound, and the best value in g/$ I've done. But also, good for racing, not ideal for a trail bike, so I might go with something with more travel and a little heavier.</p><p>I estimate it will come in a bit under 26lbs when I go to XC tires, which is still heavier than I want for a race bike. I'm "on a list" for an orbea alma hardtail frame, and then will use my nice wheels on it and piece together the rest. I don't have my hopes up about having it for xc season though.</p>Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-38638539011463294812021-12-06T10:56:00.006-08:002021-12-18T21:52:01.188-08:00Adding lightness to the Hei Hei and other improvements<p> Out of the box, I was a little disappointed with my new bike. It was a little heavy and sluggish and the brakes didn't work that great. A new hardtail race bike wasn't in the cards due to the availabilty of bikes, and of funds when I needed to be actually trying to order it, so the idea was to turn this into something I could actually race.</p><p>So mostly that meant replacing the heaviest parts. Firstly the cranks. Kona specced a ridiculously heavy set of cranks and chainrings, and spending about $200 for some truvativ stylo carbon cranks dropped 190g from the bike. Carbon bars, carbon cages, a few titanium bolts, and xc tires got me through the friday night season with reasonably ok results but I was still not thrilled with riding a 27.5lb bike up the race course at marshall.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYRhlY5QX-n8B6Q-5IRmeLjP9Fxe1csyLTIFDfYgNBrwjfACbv5wFJz9uvhnfrkJXrFm4674dMrWykA3Vc1NvVKdocr7CBJMk7tHTUeXK51UsHyq6Yh_ZigYEi01q5U3tth-BT9rLm5vC-vgHekK2aifxwTz6zDkD0ZNmcl-3AS1hBEL854ecgquho0A=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhYRhlY5QX-n8B6Q-5IRmeLjP9Fxe1csyLTIFDfYgNBrwjfACbv5wFJz9uvhnfrkJXrFm4674dMrWykA3Vc1NvVKdocr7CBJMk7tHTUeXK51UsHyq6Yh_ZigYEi01q5U3tth-BT9rLm5vC-vgHekK2aifxwTz6zDkD0ZNmcl-3AS1hBEL854ecgquho0A=s320" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p>I wanted nicer wheels and a lighter cassette, but most of the racing was done by the time anything I ordered actually showed up. That didn't stop me from spending money though and I had some DT Swiss carbon wheels along with an XO1 cassette and 2 piece rotors in time for the butte 100, taking a full pound off the bike. 26.5 is now not so bad for a 120mm bike (with pedals and cages).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjlPdsBN2ZDjrJO5VusMw3CqGdoidksUiWtqnSEFWjpS_mYYg3Kfgh254dwp0DYvDFZQpxs-gNF2bq_lU-6uaG45jupdpKBNUG34dKH36mfECWhB0qrWbomDv6JuvOuC8Hl5q2vnGVFK9CsN6XmxL8kbZH71sZoCDV3DLgb2aTesD-0e7mLfO-fdEGADA=s3024" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2929" data-original-width="3024" height="310" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEjlPdsBN2ZDjrJO5VusMw3CqGdoidksUiWtqnSEFWjpS_mYYg3Kfgh254dwp0DYvDFZQpxs-gNF2bq_lU-6uaG45jupdpKBNUG34dKH36mfECWhB0qrWbomDv6JuvOuC8Hl5q2vnGVFK9CsN6XmxL8kbZH71sZoCDV3DLgb2aTesD-0e7mLfO-fdEGADA=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJsunguLSRyYiRziBhSRBG2bdJGMF1ComTBLdZrcD26RNSZcYRgxgacqmCHlkKjIXXo23TBaHEDSkB3v0hyOzBArRIYraA7m0vcUJi2PI4OicD86wvGoTexS4WTf2sEXZ9Nzkbo4L2xr87A3gI4Z-a0TgqEO5ITqWZKGPqhIpoC_h2ukW1EjR_z0q0Pg=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4032" data-original-width="3024" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEhJsunguLSRyYiRziBhSRBG2bdJGMF1ComTBLdZrcD26RNSZcYRgxgacqmCHlkKjIXXo23TBaHEDSkB3v0hyOzBArRIYraA7m0vcUJi2PI4OicD86wvGoTexS4WTf2sEXZ9Nzkbo4L2xr87A3gI4Z-a0TgqEO5ITqWZKGPqhIpoC_h2ukW1EjR_z0q0Pg=s320" width="240" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEin09aIFRdK9IW7Zb2HtAzTFL87AlKdK9suJ6-si709ZELJD4sXXqrFVdqjIVbhZo9oTUlk1wbUryzE1zgCthOCq8zIJIf1OK8leKUYt9nGAObV4WbmBz2wn-ZGzaLJEUmJTHrrp_1orU8sh6fSqk8mPanjuZgOzZvnkQNSPLH8uegJdfbQ-4p7r6aO9g=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEin09aIFRdK9IW7Zb2HtAzTFL87AlKdK9suJ6-si709ZELJD4sXXqrFVdqjIVbhZo9oTUlk1wbUryzE1zgCthOCq8zIJIf1OK8leKUYt9nGAObV4WbmBz2wn-ZGzaLJEUmJTHrrp_1orU8sh6fSqk8mPanjuZgOzZvnkQNSPLH8uegJdfbQ-4p7r6aO9g=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Along the way I also did that brake upgrade, going to RSC levers and then carbon blades to keep my fingers warmer in the cold</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsaimrbMJA5_4T6662P3rVzIiyiYSSaGouxrCcGZWoeQiUHGocKyvMOWuvcw3X7DhA67NZQxjyrIWyIzZR6xQb5992311hpcvKj8ozksDF3deENg5Wjic-8pSCTyFBUVTG9lZc4ghCM8axYZr3s7-Jt_p3xsStcMRYST0vxJcxiAbKiP5MF_l9HskkpQ=s4032" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="3024" data-original-width="4032" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/a/AVvXsEgsaimrbMJA5_4T6662P3rVzIiyiYSSaGouxrCcGZWoeQiUHGocKyvMOWuvcw3X7DhA67NZQxjyrIWyIzZR6xQb5992311hpcvKj8ozksDF3deENg5Wjic-8pSCTyFBUVTG9lZc4ghCM8axYZr3s7-Jt_p3xsStcMRYST0vxJcxiAbKiP5MF_l9HskkpQ=s320" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>This was well worth it, the bearings and "swinglink" actuating the MC gives them much better power and feel.</p><p>I'd say overall lighter cranks and better brakes would have been the main things this bike should have had in the first place. The fancy cassette and wheels and carbon bars are all things you don't find on a new bike until you spend twice as much.</p><p>Combined with an ever increasing rear shock pressure (I'm up to 215 from an initial 185) the bike is starting to feel a lot better on the way up. It also just got a fox transfer SL post, saving another 250ish grams which when I go back to XC tires should drop the bike to just under 26lbs (with pedals and bottle cages on it, most listed weights exclude all that). However, I've still never broken 23min on the ravine trail climb on this, while my best time on the hardtail is 21min flat.</p><p>So pretty overboard. I've probably spent as much on the upgrades as I did on the whole bike. And I still want a new hardtail. Hopefully I can get just a frame from orbea and then use these fancy wheels and piece together the rest of it before race season starts. </p><p><br /></p>Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-23563922179387346732021-11-19T21:28:00.001-08:002021-12-06T10:24:52.422-08:00Oh yeah I got a new bike - 2020 Kona Hei Hei CR review<p>So I wrote this like, a year ago? Didn't post it, probably because I sell konas. But did some work to the bike over the last season and was kind of bored and haven't posted in here in awhile and thought about writing about all the stuff I've done so far and found this. Still pretty accurate, but needs a followup that maybe I'll do later.</p><p><br /></p><p>Finally, I have a modern, full suspension mountain bike. It's been a long time coming. As great as a hardtail xc bike is for around here, and for racing, I wanted something a little more appropriate for big days, rougher trails and steeper descents. </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2tDtijs050y8yU81pbVN4gWFZyGaqKzBOdhVJmG8M-_DQlKB7fMQteza3QOPvNbtKQY984sAUNM4axSI1uG1L8fJMWRsc1oLyPhj6ND7uosKe-iqHGIFhjfZk-AX5k02esE0_gG4QVieO/s4160/IMG_20200809_155109897_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="4160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2tDtijs050y8yU81pbVN4gWFZyGaqKzBOdhVJmG8M-_DQlKB7fMQteza3QOPvNbtKQY984sAUNM4axSI1uG1L8fJMWRsc1oLyPhj6ND7uosKe-iqHGIFhjfZk-AX5k02esE0_gG4QVieO/s320/IMG_20200809_155109897_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>The new Kona hei hei. 120mm front and rear suspension, 67.5 degree head tube angle, dropper post, carbon fiber, fox 34 step cast. It seemed like everything I wanted and more - still an XC bike, but more capable.</p><p>On real descents, big back country rides, and trails that aren't smooth dirt like we have around town, it's pretty fantastic. So fast, so smooth, so stable. Rocks you pick your way through and things you slow down for on a hardtail, you just float right through. It'll go faster than is appropriate for public trails and you'll feel calm and in control. The difference between how this bike handles and feels compared to the old hardtail with a tall post and steep hta is huge, and getting back on the old bike is really strange and awkward. You have to remember how to ride it again and you're wondering how you ever managed.</p><p>Now, my gripe with this bike: Kona calls the hei hei an XC bike, but that kind of depends on your definitely of XC. If you think of XC as racing, yeah nah, it's not going to do that very well. If you consider XC as general "cross country" riding where you go long distances with good efficiency, then yeah, sure. It's that. But not the racey part. I'm sure that for a capable full suspension bike it feels light and fast, and if you're coming from an older, or longer travel full suspension, it'll seem like a rocket ship. But compared to a real XC race bike, it's heavy and slow. Almost every time I ride it, that's staring me in the face. It's minutes slower to the top of ravine trail, which I ride a lot. Trying to get on the pedals on the flatter sections and between corners, it's sluggish. The weight doesn't help (currently sits at 28.2lbs), but it feels like there's something else going on there. Even with the suspension all closed it feels like there's squish and twist and flex happening somewhere, and the bike just doesn't surge forward like you want it to.</p><p>So is that even a reasonable gripe? That my 28lb 120mm bike isn't an XC race bike? Maybe?</p><p>The other thing I'm not thrilled with are the parts. I thought, GX and guides, yeah that's what I have on the hardtail and i generally like it. Yes, it's what you'd expect on a bike in this price range, and they're not like, low end stuff, but at the same time I don't find them to be very good. The shifting, no matter how carefully I check hanger alignment, adjust the b-limit with the special tool, and fine tune indexing, just never seems to be quite right, especially making multiple shifts, and quick shifts under load like you might in an xc race. The GX 11 speed on my hardtail is way better- smoother, faster, more precise- even though you'd expect them to be about the same.</p><p>The guides also really lack power for a bike like this, something I never had an issue with on my hardtail. If anything, they were sometimes too much and I had trouble modulating the rear brake with xc tires. But those are RSCs, and apparently that swing link and bearings instead of bushings really make a difference. The hei hei's brakes are just weak. (they've been bled twice and the pads were bed in properly). I've found myself pulling the levers so hard it hurts my fingers and they just don't give the bite and braking force you want for confidence while descending.</p><p>The suspension is fine, but not fancy. The 3-position grip damper on the fork is not very useful, as I want it to be either open or closed. There's not really a good use for the middle spot that I've found although I do try it on smoother, more rolling trails. Still, it doesn't reduce bob enough while pedaling and then is just harsh over bumps. A low speed compression adjustment would be nice too, and I've already looked at what a fit 4 damper with lockout costs. The middle position on the shock, on the other hand, actually is pretty good and I use that more than fully open. I also changed the volume spacer (from 0.8 in2 to 0.4) so I could run a little higher pressure to get more support and a better balanced feel while still using most of the travel.</p><p>This bike is still pretty fun to ride though, especially when I'm on the right trails. I rode the alpine 7 trail this fall and it was the perfect bike. I never felt like it was too slow climbing and left the shocks in the middle setting pretty much all day. The other big ride was to the top of carlton ridge, down mill creek, and then up to the top of blue mountain the back way and down deadman's ridge. For stuff like that, it's perfect. I didn't make it over sheep mountain this year, but that's another spot where I'm sure this bike would shine.</p><p>On paper, it seemed like the perfect bike. In reality, I'm not in love with it. Maybe, but just maybe, if I had the fancy version with nicer parts and shocks (they were out), I would like it better. Maybe if I bought an XTR or XX1 group for it and better brakes and lighter wheels it would cut it on the climbs. IF it could pull that off it could be a do it all bike for me. But as it is, it feels like my issue isn't so much the weight as it is that the bike just isn't as efficient as I want. You notice it on flat ground, with the suspension closed, with the original light and fast tires.</p><p>Which leads me to a dilemma. What do I do when there's actual racing again? Try to upgrade it and make it light enough to get to the top of the xc course? Sell it and buy something else like the fancy xx1 version or a scalpel or scalpel se or orbea oiz/oiz tr? OR, just get a new hardtail to race and keep this as the more fun trail bike, possibly with a modest upgrade here and there?</p><p>I guess I have all winter to think about it.</p><p>In the meantime, this has been on some pretty fun rides</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLnbobYFDbLTug-nXSdjsiLzTJDsdHz5RfBnHCt0prRK4U4dDV80n6ALXSSIBb22_345jxj4GfoFANS04hR6Gb5lk9CL0s20KmmKYBW-5oclxk1fEmg7LdcsrO44oNsVb4OGfB7OXpqpf/s4160/IMG_20200828_154754824_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="4160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXLnbobYFDbLTug-nXSdjsiLzTJDsdHz5RfBnHCt0prRK4U4dDV80n6ALXSSIBb22_345jxj4GfoFANS04hR6Gb5lk9CL0s20KmmKYBW-5oclxk1fEmg7LdcsrO44oNsVb4OGfB7OXpqpf/s320/IMG_20200828_154754824_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_QsN7i8EVnnnAnZ4mDQEVjEzTmrGKaua3pVoa4gpV0u9z17uoP17tYWRgBlb56Ek_RU5ghHth_PdymLfIHp6Ey5TT1BA5MYL5UnnVhEQ2hzp9z3PaMUjLG91NbLUZ54Z_13jKLq4ciYq/s4160/IMG_20200828_162524990_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="4160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhF_QsN7i8EVnnnAnZ4mDQEVjEzTmrGKaua3pVoa4gpV0u9z17uoP17tYWRgBlb56Ek_RU5ghHth_PdymLfIHp6Ey5TT1BA5MYL5UnnVhEQ2hzp9z3PaMUjLG91NbLUZ54Z_13jKLq4ciYq/s320/IMG_20200828_162524990_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkncQ2XQWn3HVR-Xjt50tpbfZP6kTkeU6UbBYJD0KsJ0bodIkJ0Eckx-Wt_qHS0NXzhe1ahQMvji0JHyVlj783mCt2Utw2jrJsAq8TSGQzkjEh5YhheHR662O1bOF6lfehXVZwXYeBxYHD/s4160/IMG_20201004_124041608_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="4160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkncQ2XQWn3HVR-Xjt50tpbfZP6kTkeU6UbBYJD0KsJ0bodIkJ0Eckx-Wt_qHS0NXzhe1ahQMvji0JHyVlj783mCt2Utw2jrJsAq8TSGQzkjEh5YhheHR662O1bOF6lfehXVZwXYeBxYHD/s320/IMG_20201004_124041608_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb19hb28um28yLsD9FemuIFH8KIhft8JVdz-71UR-kN9ACLRXmbCfGDoIPyXNiCbdvvAqnJU-SYfhT2WeWcT1i1vYEF72Or1241DySqd2TjCNAkjXc6arr1ASYbdcwvxxPfhPX9e_03dLs/s4160/IMG_20201004_124606566_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="4160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgb19hb28um28yLsD9FemuIFH8KIhft8JVdz-71UR-kN9ACLRXmbCfGDoIPyXNiCbdvvAqnJU-SYfhT2WeWcT1i1vYEF72Or1241DySqd2TjCNAkjXc6arr1ASYbdcwvxxPfhPX9e_03dLs/s320/IMG_20201004_124606566_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXC-6PTQlv5-_zav0LRVU_HySLvr3U_pMQXfUwI_ZBN_JHNkKGuxw5i8Mf4v2YVlIu2zO3b9N_qItof9kl8SVr23tWPM01t-LcnkIggRbKGraeSv3cH1xQ4IUY1twgKqSZMzM1Qj_kM-Yn/s4160/IMG_20201004_130826631_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="4160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXC-6PTQlv5-_zav0LRVU_HySLvr3U_pMQXfUwI_ZBN_JHNkKGuxw5i8Mf4v2YVlIu2zO3b9N_qItof9kl8SVr23tWPM01t-LcnkIggRbKGraeSv3cH1xQ4IUY1twgKqSZMzM1Qj_kM-Yn/s320/IMG_20201004_130826631_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUKq_cBm8_x43HLHzRTgWTamwz8FS4f2eHvCDV7-qsQPxZ1DIFovbfTtGZPFyOc69YU775vdwoy2t1ZwtgBLrCRih68ECy9MPRYoIeLWAUp-HXqPkhmAUrjn0Uy2xMKWT-QvE1jHifedUr/s4160/IMG_20201004_135935342_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="4160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUKq_cBm8_x43HLHzRTgWTamwz8FS4f2eHvCDV7-qsQPxZ1DIFovbfTtGZPFyOc69YU775vdwoy2t1ZwtgBLrCRih68ECy9MPRYoIeLWAUp-HXqPkhmAUrjn0Uy2xMKWT-QvE1jHifedUr/s320/IMG_20201004_135935342_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGokLf8y5HETmYjg_erfq4nMXcVqHeTSwrcU2GNvcknmpv_t-Bn6OJffKaFZa8paXTOs8ILTUp9bsHpNMJUZIpAgOLt9Q9zk4-pxiyevAbCnyLLKy5CZ2cVfGqe1jYaXyH2pBS1BJxRl3/s4160/IMG_20201004_140631683_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="4160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwGokLf8y5HETmYjg_erfq4nMXcVqHeTSwrcU2GNvcknmpv_t-Bn6OJffKaFZa8paXTOs8ILTUp9bsHpNMJUZIpAgOLt9Q9zk4-pxiyevAbCnyLLKy5CZ2cVfGqe1jYaXyH2pBS1BJxRl3/s320/IMG_20201004_140631683_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-44064936946040822472021-05-23T19:07:00.000-07:002021-05-23T19:07:26.176-07:00Friday XC racesAfter a lot of trainer miles and solo rides over the last year we're back to some regular racing again. Most of what I do is pretty local- the wednesday XC and CX series plus the occasional road, cx, and mtb race on a weekend somewhere.<div><br /></div><div>This year the "wed xc" races are Fridays and we're doing a full day where you can do it solo, time trial style, or a mass start depending on your comfort/vaccination level. The course and timing are set up pretty much all day and then there's an actual race in the evening. This year I'm also working for Shaun/MTCX so I'm there all day helping get the course and things ready. Running all over up and down a mountain is probably not the ideal pre-race routine but on the other hand getting payed to be at a race is nice too.</div><div><br /></div><div>Week one we did only the "show and go" format with a max starting group size of 4. I went out with Cory, Kory, and Owen and it was almost like a real bike race. It was a pretty short course, up the road to the lower part of hot sauce and right back down, so I rode my old hardtail for the extra uphill speed. It definitely doesn't handle rougher trails and the downhill like my hei hei but it sure climbs better. I wound up 7th, behind all the people I'd expect including Howard Grotts, who lives here now.</div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div>Week two was the first time I've worn full spandex on my hei hei I think. This was 2 laps of the full xc course and it's nice to have a more modern bike. I was in a good spot for about the first 5 minutes and then guys started pulling away and one more passed me. I stayed there and held off the fastest masters racers (here we do 40 plus and I'm getting close to there and we all started together). Thankfully it was only two laps because I was not having a good time. It was the first warm one and that always gets me. Like halfway up on the 2nd lap it seemed to be a little cooler and then I felt alright to the end.</div><div><br /></div><div>The hei hei does make up decent ground coming back down. Comparing my best lap on strava I'm even for the first five minutes, and then lose 37 seconds in the next ~7 to the top of the last road climb before you get onto a kind of rolling bit of trail across the top of the course. There it's pretty even- gain a little ground going down, lose a bit on the short climb back up, then lose a bunch on the last stretch of road to the top, at this point I'm 52 seconds back on about a 20min lap. Then I come back to within 36. picking up 22s over about 3 minutes. However that is compared to my fastest lap, but not my fastest descent on the hardtail.</div><div><br /></div><div>But maybe this will be an xc bike yet. It's close to 5lbs heavier but for the most part I was glad to be on it, and I have some lighter parts hopefully coming in the next few weeks. The guy in front of me kept riding away on the road and then I caught him at the bottom of the first lap. Then did it again on lap 2 and was almost in a sprint finish. Also, I did my fastest 2nd lap ever so that's something. Comparison says I did the 2nd half from the top, across, and down about 30s faster, and then was only significantly slower on the first part of the climb where you're basically sprinting. Kind of promising that I can put down a lap a good amount faster than I've done if I can just put it all together.</div><div><br /></div><div>Behind Howard, Ivan finished 2nd and then his dad was 2nd in masters so we got some decent team points tonight. I was 10, after a 7th last week.</div></div>Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-37834376572842786022021-04-20T14:43:00.007-07:002021-05-26T21:46:51.386-07:00Carlton Ridge and a little more<p>I've been trying to write up some of the better rides I do, and this one is about a ride south of town just outside of Lolo. Lolo Peak is the north end of the Bitterroot mountain range and I want to say it's just shy of 10k feet tall, which isn't the biggest one down there, but with the valley floor at 3300 or so they all stick up quite a bit, and lolo peak has a whole bunch of mass.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieC1CnrbbVNn5g_7nT93PiQtpg_HGYxzoX_1wcozpRfDp7EbV_3bQJug8UX98r47HDGk73buBEOF3QEk8gsL6YZ62hef3OE3WtMtgnEqYua5tuVkjmL1oYZe_nq0-rifXYdY2hPTA1t_Z2/s4608/IMG_20210423_190227612.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="4608" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieC1CnrbbVNn5g_7nT93PiQtpg_HGYxzoX_1wcozpRfDp7EbV_3bQJug8UX98r47HDGk73buBEOF3QEk8gsL6YZ62hef3OE3WtMtgnEqYua5tuVkjmL1oYZe_nq0-rifXYdY2hPTA1t_Z2/s320/IMG_20210423_190227612.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Much of the bitterroot is in wilderness, including the top of lolo peak, so there isn't a ton of mountain biking, but the north/east side of the mountain isn't and there are a couple of pretty good trails.</p><p>The other nice thing is that a road goes a good way up to the lolo peak trailhead, so you can shuttle these rides.</p><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOE93LZScIBud-gReIbyxykv6yZ8jFOVRWryrUlF3aupVFJLHtHLFSch74WMTnTSuihH6xBOgPqJP_GXcyyvFlg617G5or4zuDO_lq1oE00iYo43MYZK08QgR9AsDj3h-7d6xMuLRFwj-/s1680/IMG_20200828_142630828.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="945" data-original-width="1680" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnOE93LZScIBud-gReIbyxykv6yZ8jFOVRWryrUlF3aupVFJLHtHLFSch74WMTnTSuihH6xBOgPqJP_GXcyyvFlg617G5or4zuDO_lq1oE00iYo43MYZK08QgR9AsDj3h-7d6xMuLRFwj-/s320/IMG_20200828_142630828.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYxj0hZ470iAz0tMBU4Pa-iA-bQGTmDmVFWxZxq_aA3LVtbF_TwfyF1m7tsGtGcYj9J4EsxnArVDZaYcXtVK0K1E8GVWLsVV8RJ5bfMhyX3IYwfN04j8B7yTgwnAMFk5cAzosjnulEcao/s1628/IMG_20200828_142735574_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="916" data-original-width="1628" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwYxj0hZ470iAz0tMBU4Pa-iA-bQGTmDmVFWxZxq_aA3LVtbF_TwfyF1m7tsGtGcYj9J4EsxnArVDZaYcXtVK0K1E8GVWLsVV8RJ5bfMhyX3IYwfN04j8B7yTgwnAMFk5cAzosjnulEcao/s320/IMG_20200828_142735574_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><p>That's carlton ridge back there. The trail climbs up, goes down the other side to a lake, and then you can continue up to lolo peak. The lake/dam is the wilderness boundary. You can see that it was all burned in that fire a few years ago. It was a big one.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgDWOpr6tOuXaPMNdSV-Sq8_jNpQeg08ryKwJnxoJoxHVe29NM11XvZP3cQaRjnMyJ6200yQZBM9Txey5yahkjQkVQYxNmO7WNfPkjkQxsjy6FbYliIT3lbTweA6XfMgd8atWl7zYCMLq/s1586/IMG_20170818_182243857.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjDgDWOpr6tOuXaPMNdSV-Sq8_jNpQeg08ryKwJnxoJoxHVe29NM11XvZP3cQaRjnMyJ6200yQZBM9Txey5yahkjQkVQYxNmO7WNfPkjkQxsjy6FbYliIT3lbTweA6XfMgd8atWl7zYCMLq/s320/IMG_20170818_182243857.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>This was from the hill above my neighborhood way on the north side of missoula</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2HUJA40-y0BEAmjOImqcZwf1kkcLdCo-wE8C_Hs_hbC6U5X5U6ufFvuJoC8HolPkTTM8CIWLlKjze_L8TlmzYeSBMJmd6WZq73sXkxYooq9OgmHbqtwzvMSp5QNEjiqR3NzljUdzGBUM/s1586/_DSC4706.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjt2HUJA40-y0BEAmjOImqcZwf1kkcLdCo-wE8C_Hs_hbC6U5X5U6ufFvuJoC8HolPkTTM8CIWLlKjze_L8TlmzYeSBMJmd6WZq73sXkxYooq9OgmHbqtwzvMSp5QNEjiqR3NzljUdzGBUM/s320/_DSC4706.JPG" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>That was 2017, and the trials up there were closed for over a year, because, well, they basically didn't exist anymore. But they were rebuilt and reopened by late summer 2018.</p><p>The trailhead</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wt0V6gj0ZUpIICHwkJ8Kg3SjfFjtvHh2mGoSHQezHm795Cf5wgaK5mF1uBxYz3gENhZpcfX09MoMqnXUiO0RW5IP4EOSpeazMGZ3FH24hEfj4D-N4-Tg-jhWX6k-WnTpOLGnu6Ne5V9f/s1586/IMG_20200828_150638642_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7wt0V6gj0ZUpIICHwkJ8Kg3SjfFjtvHh2mGoSHQezHm795Cf5wgaK5mF1uBxYz3gENhZpcfX09MoMqnXUiO0RW5IP4EOSpeazMGZ3FH24hEfj4D-N4-Tg-jhWX6k-WnTpOLGnu6Ne5V9f/s320/IMG_20200828_150638642_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>3 years later, much of the area is still charred grey and black and lifeless</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1D0k-gT-fpJaK1PNS3KNmcvk-mDXocUxCVbrFIyShF1VcEVszwXmhseFk5eZvZEvteWps5ZWxIUSTDsBe_tgkIWGHBIWFoErVKAjIx0h_FR9b3BoKJLFwACS21t3xlUsZKpYj3730Z1bj/s1586/IMG_20200828_155413369_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1D0k-gT-fpJaK1PNS3KNmcvk-mDXocUxCVbrFIyShF1VcEVszwXmhseFk5eZvZEvteWps5ZWxIUSTDsBe_tgkIWGHBIWFoErVKAjIx0h_FR9b3BoKJLFwACS21t3xlUsZKpYj3730Z1bj/s320/IMG_20200828_155413369_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImtFqM_pkzQPBwjlwv76bsNAH0N4YBtfW2Q9uzqJ3OdOzf_OYF_Qhyphenhyphend5RmhFjqn7DuqGsqoqZotxwB3qCNKGFLCK1w_aIoELTX3xKqdonRCXVixW2QtagTgyNd8WAnldc_pyFC0A1Ni-0/s1586/IMG_20200828_160822113_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjImtFqM_pkzQPBwjlwv76bsNAH0N4YBtfW2Q9uzqJ3OdOzf_OYF_Qhyphenhyphend5RmhFjqn7DuqGsqoqZotxwB3qCNKGFLCK1w_aIoELTX3xKqdonRCXVixW2QtagTgyNd8WAnldc_pyFC0A1Ni-0/s320/IMG_20200828_160822113_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div><div>But there are also patches of green and it will all come back eventually. The open-ness is actually really nice when you're up there. it's brighter and you have good visibility. And a neat strobe effect as you ride through the shadows of the burnt trees</div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuEJV2kjm07mARlqzdktPgsRrHWxfUIFc7EPLbZCO8iIzwy-oRx0UlDPAuiFfFnDDL_8soALJw2iYqQ3FovWLeM3YGg27j-StggYL1MXvFRPOUYdEKZJAaBlYBNwdvpq0DcNT7odJ9ji_c/s1586/IMG_20200828_154754824_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjuEJV2kjm07mARlqzdktPgsRrHWxfUIFc7EPLbZCO8iIzwy-oRx0UlDPAuiFfFnDDL_8soALJw2iYqQ3FovWLeM3YGg27j-StggYL1MXvFRPOUYdEKZJAaBlYBNwdvpq0DcNT7odJ9ji_c/s320/IMG_20200828_154754824_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bGMaWWMA-peN5X17XUaVpvO_xZcheOgC021xNO6HlpNxMHV7YA_-6q_Zv2z0iCc4aQkB9j9G_5kjJkPFNMiiLEUN_udtp4zuehqOA2vw0vn8L0H0A1hPOMsK77ZAjxZ_GJ1oIpNcwAj7/s1586/IMG_20200828_163711598_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6bGMaWWMA-peN5X17XUaVpvO_xZcheOgC021xNO6HlpNxMHV7YA_-6q_Zv2z0iCc4aQkB9j9G_5kjJkPFNMiiLEUN_udtp4zuehqOA2vw0vn8L0H0A1hPOMsK77ZAjxZ_GJ1oIpNcwAj7/s320/IMG_20200828_163711598_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>The climb to the trailhead is pretty long, so it's common to do a partial shuttle and not even go all the way to the top of carlton ridge. Just the mill creek trail back down to the highway is a really fun ride and involves very little uphill pedaling. However, having been all the way up to carlton ridge a couple times I've found it to be worth the effort. It is pretty far up there, the ridge being an elevation of 8300ft, making for about a 5k foot climb from the bottom. But then 5k back down, nearly all the way to highway 12 on singletrack. you probably want a squishy bike as it's a little rougher than most of the missoula trails.</p><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEXBSUwFsX3FXtQwJVEbGChZ2EeI0AvHsE6SaNRl7CJL2ThgiTvfhLy3f3-qZhhn_cvCQ6EnNEUCEdhkIfRUODqSXRXWrNzoGGyX7ngbDTDYUNG0L8wUrsyPcLTxBcKLUqtSWdjK7-poNs/s1586/IMG_20200828_155923449_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEXBSUwFsX3FXtQwJVEbGChZ2EeI0AvHsE6SaNRl7CJL2ThgiTvfhLy3f3-qZhhn_cvCQ6EnNEUCEdhkIfRUODqSXRXWrNzoGGyX7ngbDTDYUNG0L8wUrsyPcLTxBcKLUqtSWdjK7-poNs/s320/IMG_20200828_155923449_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div> <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9cq4c-7K3ZsVne8_5OI-9VZ6MccK_Hvy1QWitV6dpLyqPA34VWI7p1YAUEGEEHUoUOcei7oJtMjVqS3nXByL0ckppdBmN1wgWsqtj80Ypwaz-DkxJrtHYqostxMJWuF5a2DM_jTILc5r/s1586/IMG_20200828_161440725_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK9cq4c-7K3ZsVne8_5OI-9VZ6MccK_Hvy1QWitV6dpLyqPA34VWI7p1YAUEGEEHUoUOcei7oJtMjVqS3nXByL0ckppdBmN1wgWsqtj80Ypwaz-DkxJrtHYqostxMJWuF5a2DM_jTILc5r/s320/IMG_20200828_161440725_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div>Since the fire, I'd even say the carlton ridge trail is the best riding up there. The mill creek isn't quite the same and is much narrower, looser, off-camber, and a little overgrown. The lower part, before you hit the creek, has you struggling to even keep your tires on the tread, and I would say it definitely needs a little work. It is still a lot of fun, with some steep, technical corners and a big rock garden when you hit the creek. The calton ridge trail is open and bright with many roots, rocks, and high speed sections.<div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwt2WiBCOFC_1Wbp4Qej1sHrcpqLcbL8mAckeQHI5y0u7hwdC7s4a1yofAkjcP7SXR9ZiCyEeYKz6KLwAExeXd15G2KticFwzs4CVO_it7WRmHWmYGgPOFsRo6L-fDXGvVUT7EDWI8fZ5_/s1586/IMG_20200828_162524990_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiwt2WiBCOFC_1Wbp4Qej1sHrcpqLcbL8mAckeQHI5y0u7hwdC7s4a1yofAkjcP7SXR9ZiCyEeYKz6KLwAExeXd15G2KticFwzs4CVO_it7WRmHWmYGgPOFsRo6L-fDXGvVUT7EDWI8fZ5_/s320/IMG_20200828_162524990_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJcKYeF74nU0GIP_ic_Xt_ibVbHuAN0fXZ1IsDrHpL8mdWOBP9kGl6kW6GWdmzYyO1HWcJOEWPHXzEtoD9-JUAdSCe6RY31OBvD3zc3P8y3kTy9GymhyphenhyphenYGGV94Mc7pDEWQNGMwFhZ0Ksr/s1586/IMG_20200828_155459019_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfJcKYeF74nU0GIP_ic_Xt_ibVbHuAN0fXZ1IsDrHpL8mdWOBP9kGl6kW6GWdmzYyO1HWcJOEWPHXzEtoD9-JUAdSCe6RY31OBvD3zc3P8y3kTy9GymhyphenhyphenYGGV94Mc7pDEWQNGMwFhZ0Ksr/s320/IMG_20200828_155459019_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><p></p><p>Normally, just driving out there and riding carlton ridge and mill creek is a big ride and more than enough for the day. But I did this during the move MT challenge, so just that didn't quite cut it. Instead of driving I rode from home, but also I had a secondary goal for the day- climb to blue mountain from the hwy 12 side. I had a track, and a general idea of how long it would take, and gave myself a cutoff time for when I needed to be at the bottom of mill creek. It seemed like I was ok, so after a water and snack break at the travelers rest store I went back up the highway instead of back down to lolo and the bike path.</p><p>Just climbing up to the top of blue mountain is another big ride in itself, and going the back way is longer and a lot less straightforward than just going up blue mountain road. There isn't really a direct route, and I'd never done it before, and was relying on a gps track i created myself in caltopo by drawing a line that seemed to go through on satellite imagery. It, uh, doesn't if you only have a forest service topo.</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1H44MrfI1MVHTtw0FNDOlHC-VoryN_LhZr7jED8TM01RcM2F-Sajf9p3QVy0qkTMyvL4n-tOGoUHQfCYJIE9b9gT2d6J99Hf6-rJAPqpidTufxmxe94QB_y5KkYKz1McuBoxqrPCR17SY/s1586/IMG_20200828_181538148_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1H44MrfI1MVHTtw0FNDOlHC-VoryN_LhZr7jED8TM01RcM2F-Sajf9p3QVy0qkTMyvL4n-tOGoUHQfCYJIE9b9gT2d6J99Hf6-rJAPqpidTufxmxe94QB_y5KkYKz1McuBoxqrPCR17SY/s320/IMG_20200828_181538148_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><p><br /></p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4zJ4ttstjzrL1G0V4d3RlxUpNArwsxonaJvznjXAPkvtiA_J9wx9iUPgg8lPnOufhyphenhyphen6C378XHw7yOJdAsW0paXHgdJpBKCuPhwT5lDkPt9Sk8XSMYD-xQPBFfP8zZNjM-B-aaZs-5Nbr/s1586/IMG_20200828_181533475_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjx4zJ4ttstjzrL1G0V4d3RlxUpNArwsxonaJvznjXAPkvtiA_J9wx9iUPgg8lPnOufhyphenhyphen6C378XHw7yOJdAsW0paXHgdJpBKCuPhwT5lDkPt9Sk8XSMYD-xQPBFfP8zZNjM-B-aaZs-5Nbr/s320/IMG_20200828_181533475_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>I hope this is right. Gee, I still have a long way to go. If you look closely you can see the blue mountain fire lookout up there</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHtrVoYev8r7Nky437o8jg0ZhgqO89LwYq5bV7OVXtrC1mhgJnXjZ-x9Xy5w_LuqfPTTn6IBjDbLmKJp4uzRvDIZFPRQO-r3oJdnn_ck8vUSivFLrfkborVTYnc248uJb3xu2eqIsFcnR0/s1586/IMG_20200828_182932371_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHtrVoYev8r7Nky437o8jg0ZhgqO89LwYq5bV7OVXtrC1mhgJnXjZ-x9Xy5w_LuqfPTTn6IBjDbLmKJp4uzRvDIZFPRQO-r3oJdnn_ck8vUSivFLrfkborVTYnc248uJb3xu2eqIsFcnR0/s320/IMG_20200828_182932371_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Eventually I came to a road with signs of use, and followed that to woodman saddle, which is just off the back of blue mountain. Then a bit of moto trail got me to the top</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxTm9JZ-cDbQ3hnYJTLopbIuy24eycK9XkOcDBvUoCMCBANQsF-9t7HADXuqCAYvViGydxTf9fwGhioIyUzZTt1oeMnWLXlQLdcnV9uTHL-Z8YnLdFiYkwx-JCC9jNxyLbVTbwlF_DFQU/s1586/IMG_20200828_192303174_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVxTm9JZ-cDbQ3hnYJTLopbIuy24eycK9XkOcDBvUoCMCBANQsF-9t7HADXuqCAYvViGydxTf9fwGhioIyUzZTt1oeMnWLXlQLdcnV9uTHL-Z8YnLdFiYkwx-JCC9jNxyLbVTbwlF_DFQU/s320/IMG_20200828_192303174_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Where I was</p><p> </p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOrtoe_WDjDL5kcs_WT55mIpmtWMRoydPFb2k4LDBKhgzVpMvJ3VjPRt8I6UI2QTfd7iBokU9xcHzOphEyXKdSLJkosNS5hrWCl42DjuF7ckumelEUkgJvGy_xp6Lz9VrPoTqdFgwDi8V/s1586/IMG_20200828_193021643_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="892" data-original-width="1586" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOrtoe_WDjDL5kcs_WT55mIpmtWMRoydPFb2k4LDBKhgzVpMvJ3VjPRt8I6UI2QTfd7iBokU9xcHzOphEyXKdSLJkosNS5hrWCl42DjuF7ckumelEUkgJvGy_xp6Lz9VrPoTqdFgwDi8V/s320/IMG_20200828_193021643_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p></p><p>Then it was a fast, fun descent down deadman's ridge and then straight to the dram shop for a beer.</p><p>This one's a pretty big day so make sure you bring snacks. I wound up with something like 70mi and 9000ft of climbing.</p></div>Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-49184480660670231312021-01-17T18:11:00.006-08:002021-01-17T21:59:59.591-08:00Shimano RX-8 gravel shoes<p>A few years ago, I can't say I was very excited by Shimano's shoes. I even tried some on (the previous XC7) the last time I was shopping and they didn't fit right or feel comfortable. I wound up with some sidi dominators, which fit me great, just like the geniuses I've had for almost 10 years. But then last summer I won a pair of the pretty blue S-phyre RC9 road shoes and suddenly Shimano had my interest. With my discounts resetting at the end of the year I was looking for something to buy, and decided on another pair of shoes. Also they were about all Shimano had in stock. The replacement parts situation is not good right now. So here they are, the "gravel" shoe:</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72q6nGGcMs6ENfMyLzN1VKxlo_izwlDNKA_ZKrhEvR6Y8_0y4qwyp4iTRXYLlI0pt5DVLPGZ3JYEaFBMioJLfl_hlLBkT2BVSR9KmpBYd-1kgCyjD9_vhHJktQMIK5flGulVMzdhkUdyT/s4387/IMG_20210116_121418942_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2256" data-original-width="4387" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi72q6nGGcMs6ENfMyLzN1VKxlo_izwlDNKA_ZKrhEvR6Y8_0y4qwyp4iTRXYLlI0pt5DVLPGZ3JYEaFBMioJLfl_hlLBkT2BVSR9KmpBYd-1kgCyjD9_vhHJktQMIK5flGulVMzdhkUdyT/s320/IMG_20210116_121418942_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOpUdOyYG0aJY-DKNu1BOzIlldjzqhnNxKn0jFaySNqpAy8Emo0Ux_Y5Yp7aMubZhDhIIudHBCDRcr2BVfF_S4mihmfSf_KbaNiODiKB_S6CGg2aJkVaeEmIIeoavmhttvSa7LpuxeyNM/s4245/IMG_20210104_191420610_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2226" data-original-width="4245" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAOpUdOyYG0aJY-DKNu1BOzIlldjzqhnNxKn0jFaySNqpAy8Emo0Ux_Y5Yp7aMubZhDhIIudHBCDRcr2BVfF_S4mihmfSf_KbaNiODiKB_S6CGg2aJkVaeEmIIeoavmhttvSa7LpuxeyNM/s320/IMG_20210104_191420610_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYx7nY-WBzCkgIGYBg34BLAFH_yx3IwbZJUAdrJfv_OGP8yMJW_y8jpFbncRF07a1Vwcf4410BD8o31Xw8gNmDyx6S8OJz72YoxolXVqV0SRTZzXYNgVZZ9V-QhZ0MWKPwzZrbUUmAZHNp/s3766/IMG_20210116_121428417_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3766" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYx7nY-WBzCkgIGYBg34BLAFH_yx3IwbZJUAdrJfv_OGP8yMJW_y8jpFbncRF07a1Vwcf4410BD8o31Xw8gNmDyx6S8OJz72YoxolXVqV0SRTZzXYNgVZZ9V-QhZ0MWKPwzZrbUUmAZHNp/s320/IMG_20210116_121428417_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>They're super light and sleek and cool looking, have a stiff carbon sole, and a BOA IP1 dial like the rc9 and xc9.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYWHdMxbwA-GTzB9azk62GqCEOjkybvxNCNXc4359qxM7hoomvK030Q33RfrJlKdHZUL3fyVMjY1UKNqL3mzpFV1VtfZQoczYo821udTKOJGCt4uQ1n1BA7zfTrpAY9ubJoQuIBe22o4L/s3757/IMG_20210116_121640472_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2376" data-original-width="3757" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQYWHdMxbwA-GTzB9azk62GqCEOjkybvxNCNXc4359qxM7hoomvK030Q33RfrJlKdHZUL3fyVMjY1UKNqL3mzpFV1VtfZQoczYo821udTKOJGCt4uQ1n1BA7zfTrpAY9ubJoQuIBe22o4L/s320/IMG_20210116_121640472_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>The nice thing about these dials is they work in both directions so you can loosen the shoe by just a click or two if you need to, compared to having to fully release the lower end dials.</p><p>One thing that differs between these fancy shimanos and other cycling shoes is that you're right on the carbon sole without a foot... board thing in between. I'm no expert on shoe construction but noticed that under the insoles of all my other shoes there's some sort of a wooden? board thing between the insole and sole of the shoe. I assume not having it in there makes the shoe lighter but probably takes a little more work to shape properly. It also reduces the stack enough where I had to lower the saddle on my road bike and if you've seen Phil Gaimon's newest video he mentions it.</p><p>These rx8s are really similar in construction to the RC9s (and XC9 mtb shoe), but cost, uh, a lot less at $225 vs $425. I suppose they're considered more on the same level as the rc7 and xc7, which cost the same. S-phyres are pricey. But also very shiny and blue and will make you feel like the prettiest princess. I've even had someone yell "nice shoes" at me and I think he was being serious (you can get other colors, if you really want).</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6fMF9ITpHJNScCXuXgKEuvslV_xBMnWaeqv3kciUZlfd7Z_QutoaQjy0w-tP4dcVLJBeHxHZHqxJPzQ83qXmM7hkQN6QTTQbpHMl3RxHVMItjK1j9EcagUBopPV1_6TMOG8Bu86NwN0F/s4099/IMG_20210116_121743066_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2253" data-original-width="4099" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgN6fMF9ITpHJNScCXuXgKEuvslV_xBMnWaeqv3kciUZlfd7Z_QutoaQjy0w-tP4dcVLJBeHxHZHqxJPzQ83qXmM7hkQN6QTTQbpHMl3RxHVMItjK1j9EcagUBopPV1_6TMOG8Bu86NwN0F/s320/IMG_20210116_121743066_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyQM_U67kfFz7FXxNuMo_4o11RBu7cI0wXAhOzMqoKNhKyB36xrFVQ__gv-Q15uD-B5ci33em-nDjxLS-hjsG49g3lxdPZEwLAoPSydaAoP70y4OoKEFDLoZy2npura2R4TqofmLKCNLH/s4608/IMG_20210116_121806419_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="4608" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhyQM_U67kfFz7FXxNuMo_4o11RBu7cI0wXAhOzMqoKNhKyB36xrFVQ__gv-Q15uD-B5ci33em-nDjxLS-hjsG49g3lxdPZEwLAoPSydaAoP70y4OoKEFDLoZy2npura2R4TqofmLKCNLH/s320/IMG_20210116_121806419_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>The insoles are even nearly identical between the two and include two different arch supports that stick to the bottom</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrB1LN7GN1sShF71uxTJDD9c4fjdSaNJhOIVOMY5ctSAkXVcqn5S72jj-dAfnvMN_M1Unaz9quP2iLy3g4lPnPOt2aRAdT625hcdjzIe1QnKnWeRnruS81ip0slZP-VPdjENg6bLPYB1G/s4068/IMG_20210116_121835348_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="4068" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivrB1LN7GN1sShF71uxTJDD9c4fjdSaNJhOIVOMY5ctSAkXVcqn5S72jj-dAfnvMN_M1Unaz9quP2iLy3g4lPnPOt2aRAdT625hcdjzIe1QnKnWeRnruS81ip0slZP-VPdjENg6bLPYB1G/s320/IMG_20210116_121835348_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>Like I mentioned, the s-phyre puts the insole right on the carbon, but the RX8 adds a very thin layer of foam that I assume is there to add a bit of comfort and vibration absorption.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1165LSdaFO9mUyhtevb1ks807Oh7wXOerRJgHUa80zxktMvfMWcOiDdrAwVfRJVmzfCvSVXwb0r9E_RouE7vQMysJIx3hB6ePPz7_KkHXKEuVdIN8I0SfM4-Vo3VIDkzMcAmKCQvyHMv/s4608/IMG_20210116_121855121_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="2592" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX1165LSdaFO9mUyhtevb1ks807Oh7wXOerRJgHUa80zxktMvfMWcOiDdrAwVfRJVmzfCvSVXwb0r9E_RouE7vQMysJIx3hB6ePPz7_KkHXKEuVdIN8I0SfM4-Vo3VIDkzMcAmKCQvyHMv/s320/IMG_20210116_121855121_HDR.jpg" /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPyc4V2ivpa_xy2drzwJSdjcFbwdxRH41ZDWuZRIQJ-0b28cO__p7bkk6SbwEP8lDFBXXXtBJevOx-6Zg5zd5t6_dF8aZ4UuebruAKv_wrAMGo2Tw9E4Vr-scaKnmpkPVLoKGI2gHN45o3/s4608/IMG_20210116_121907815.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="4608" data-original-width="2592" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPyc4V2ivpa_xy2drzwJSdjcFbwdxRH41ZDWuZRIQJ-0b28cO__p7bkk6SbwEP8lDFBXXXtBJevOx-6Zg5zd5t6_dF8aZ4UuebruAKv_wrAMGo2Tw9E4Vr-scaKnmpkPVLoKGI2gHN45o3/s320/IMG_20210116_121907815.jpg" /></a></div></div><p><br /></p><p>The s-phyres have that 2nd boa dial, which is nice, and the interior fabric around your ankle is softer, and they have the cool heel gripping fabric. But it's a little hard to see what makes them cost almost twice as much. I did still consider the XC9s over these RX8s. Between the two, the sole itself is probably the biggest difference, as the XC9 has more substantial lugs and holes for toe spikes, and would be more appropriate for racing cyclocross (well, as long as you're ok with running through mud in $400 shoes). Look close at a world cup race and you'll see a lot of them.</p><p>The RX8, on the other hand, has kind of a narrow, minimal sole lugs and is really meant for rides where you aren't having to get off and run or walk. I'm a little concerned about gouging up that fancy carbon on the bottom going over rocky hike a bike situations. There were a few rides last year where I walked a lot (alpine 7 and the miller divide backwards on my cx bike for example), and I'm not sure I'd want to be wearing these. They do have a nice rubber pad to give you a little more grip if you miss clipping in, and will likely be perfectly fine for dry, grassy cx races where you don't have to run up a muddy bank.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdR_as9FoJJa8L_y06dWNr4e9K4KvtqZMxHkXzOfarL-wm4C1mmCk7KEhrNHHOa0-IiJ-kgAbWmfJdPMecvbXEgPAAvaxOah6DS6JPY-Tpdy4Ag_ZZe6DgIW0YISAj1IUHeaw6eKf9ZQ_6/s3475/IMG_20210116_121622606_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="3475" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdR_as9FoJJa8L_y06dWNr4e9K4KvtqZMxHkXzOfarL-wm4C1mmCk7KEhrNHHOa0-IiJ-kgAbWmfJdPMecvbXEgPAAvaxOah6DS6JPY-Tpdy4Ag_ZZe6DgIW0YISAj1IUHeaw6eKf9ZQ_6/s320/IMG_20210116_121622606_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><p>The unfortunate thing is that I've only worn them for about 45 minutes on the trainer so far and it'll probably be months before I actually go out on a real ride with them. I didn't have any issues for that short spin with thin socks, but they are a little narrow compared to my sidis, so we will see if I regret not ordering the wide version, or if they'll break in a bit. They supposedly have the same fit as the s-phyres but they seem just a bit tighter across the toes.</p><p>I'll also admit that a "gravel specific" shoe seems a little bit dumb and ridiculous. At the same time, that does fairly accurately describe a large portion of my riding, and they look a lot cooler than my sidis, which despite being pretty new look like they could be from 20 years ago.</p><p><br /></p><p>In other news, I'm going to start posting mostly on patreon now instead of blogger. It works about the same, and I suspect most things are going to be public, but there's a slim chance people will kick me a few bucks here and there so why not.</p><p>https://www.patreon.com/user?u=46334758</p>Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-14929865664308741122020-12-17T11:35:00.004-08:002021-01-18T10:38:35.207-08:00Cold weather riding gear roundup<p> If the roads are reasonably dry, I tend to push the edges of the seasons and get out there when it's pretty cold. So far this has been a pretty dry winter and I'm still getting out on rides into December despite the new zwift setup.</p><p>The thing is it's hard to be comfortable when it's in the 30s and that kind of means a lot of specialized winter bike clothing. What I find most important is keeping my hands and feet warm. Then wear a warm enough jacket and you'll probably be ok for a little while at least. A buff/neck warmer is also a big must have. From there it all kind of gets optional.</p><p>Until this year my go to setup was a pair of hand me down 45nrth fasterkatts a size too big, running tights over regular bib shorts, and a softshell jacket that seems to be meant for running and xc skiing. it's fairly slim fitting, or was when I got it, but now it's a bit flappy. My gloves were pearl izumi softshells that are pretty warm, but have some holes in them now and the padding in the palms is annoying and adds unnecessary bulk. So it was all kind of patched together, but worked well enough.</p><p>Thanks to working at MBW this year I had a little extra cash plus some pretty good discounts and decided I needed to get some better stuff for winter.</p><p>Firstly, bib tights. I've wanted some of these for awhile and now that I have some I'm wondering what I was thinking just doing tights over bibs or leg warmers for all these years. They're super warm and cozy and so much better. The ones I have are pearl izumi amfibs, but there are plenty of similar ones out there. I want another pair so I can ride more between loads of laundry.</p><p>Probably more important are the shoes. I went with shimano's MW7 goretex shoe and they are really warm. I've seen sub 20f, and been out for 4 hours in below freezing weather and my toes were happy the whole time. I'm surprised at how much warmer these are than the fasterkatts, and they have a nice flap over the top to keep water and grime out of the tongue and boa laces. My only problem right now is there's a small gap between the bottom of the tight and the top of the shoe, so your sock gets wet and then eventually there's water in the waterproof shoe. I'm thinking I need some little flaps or sleeves or something that I can have under the tight and over the top of the shoe.</p><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QTYBsxa8Nmt5Yc-Hi0Y6lw5_8rOnhraiytrxdqyUyb97Z1LwD4Bfzx9a5cby_fX6v36osyzRxf9BCZNsRCVCgTGPtaVf5A4bbw8TyR9U6V3uMOr8eQD4BnpMnULZMvSiUuPecCIqDXT-/s4608/IMG_20201216_152842372.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2592" data-original-width="4608" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6QTYBsxa8Nmt5Yc-Hi0Y6lw5_8rOnhraiytrxdqyUyb97Z1LwD4Bfzx9a5cby_fX6v36osyzRxf9BCZNsRCVCgTGPtaVf5A4bbw8TyR9U6V3uMOr8eQD4BnpMnULZMvSiUuPecCIqDXT-/s320/IMG_20201216_152842372.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>So what else? Oh yeah gloves. You need to have good gloves. I'm still trying to figure out how to handle the really cold days but for low 30s my new POC thermal gloves are pretty nice<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLpXy89vPZ3xnul3rDrQD9TykZj1RJYa0oN7ksbhEDjQ5m-43XT7RGwURT3Y7nNkX-OSPN8UDNa-Ow87Cat83j6p-z-34Ftq9FiTzEtOiFQ5R-6YNf5hPNgO-HF3LI15tW6kBwq2Kd5vrg/s4160/IMG_20201012_105543275_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2340" data-original-width="4160" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLpXy89vPZ3xnul3rDrQD9TykZj1RJYa0oN7ksbhEDjQ5m-43XT7RGwURT3Y7nNkX-OSPN8UDNa-Ow87Cat83j6p-z-34Ftq9FiTzEtOiFQ5R-6YNf5hPNgO-HF3LI15tW6kBwq2Kd5vrg/s320/IMG_20201012_105543275_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The other ones are the PI amfib lite, which are a great cool weather glove, say high 40s. No padding or insulation on the palm so you get good feel from the bars and controls but some light insulation and wind resistant on the back. This is my 3rd version of these gloves.<div><br /></div><div>Probably my only gripe with the POC is the wrist opening, which is just big and open. Some sort of a cuff or closure would help keep warm air in your gloves. Also they're expensive, and I doubt I would have bought them without the "pro deal." Pros are they really warm for their weight and allow good control and dexterity.</div><div><br /></div><div>When it's like, 20f out there they don't cut it, and I think bar mitts are probably the only solution for that. I'm thinking about trying to see how well I can ride with light over mitts, and eyeing lobster gloves, but those won't work for one finger braking on a mountain bike. My other thought is battery powered heated gloves.</div><div><br /></div><div>My other big cold weather riding purchase was a new jacket. Pearl Izumi's "PRO insulated jacket." PRO means it's their nicest stuff, and generally slimmer fitting. MSRP for this thing is $225. So I'm not sure what's going on with this basic, shapeless jacket missing some important features.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cFcf5muJ3wA6ev0i1-pKa8eWLbgfn_KzUqk_lWGsCIPGKCRycsgTad2Wl0oG5CHTpcafLgw3OH-578aCLkwfpGKXJ77zhYaxIRNoLb0bMWnz-kSi7OGBqCpzh5RU17jQcgvB6GNPvhz4/s2304/IMG_20201216_153019054_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2304" data-original-width="1728" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh6cFcf5muJ3wA6ev0i1-pKa8eWLbgfn_KzUqk_lWGsCIPGKCRycsgTad2Wl0oG5CHTpcafLgw3OH-578aCLkwfpGKXJ77zhYaxIRNoLb0bMWnz-kSi7OGBqCpzh5RU17jQcgvB6GNPvhz4/s320/IMG_20201216_153019054_HDR.jpg" /></a></div><div><br /></div>The one thing it has going for it is the fancy polartec alpha insulation, which is really light and warm.<div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjdWr7MjC-iZYcUTJQRqUoSw5ERBXElAw2zxaQczoHaa8LBW33xf4xLnMBsiPsQ9zKzyVsqbJUmDGYSHWhgT22WW0oMGZfTSucs36BvZ05bz5XVRCp8e5zzLQJTK98-97eMJnotwaZopr/s2304/IMG_20201209_145234299.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1728" data-original-width="2304" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsjdWr7MjC-iZYcUTJQRqUoSw5ERBXElAw2zxaQczoHaa8LBW33xf4xLnMBsiPsQ9zKzyVsqbJUmDGYSHWhgT22WW0oMGZfTSucs36BvZ05bz5XVRCp8e5zzLQJTK98-97eMJnotwaZopr/s320/IMG_20201209_145234299.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><br /></div><div>But as a cycling jacket, it's fairly mediocre. I'm going to cut this short though and make a whole post about it later.</div><div><br /></div><div>Well that about covers it. Wear an appropriate number of layers under your jacket and then don't forget the buff/neck warmer. The other thing I've done is stuff my thin, light, down jacket in a pack or frame bag and that can get put on over top of everything if I need it. When I was up on university mountain a few weeks ago I was glad to have it for the descent down the open ridgeline in the wind.</div><div><br /></div><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEEXXlxGWWhFapb3PZ3ywhhJhzeOOTLuONVap6g-Hhl-n8uO52ElgYTIEBV1f68HjWHfv_6UtjkNJw0Il3iMfwBKzzGvxiKCM1cAhDa-W1UNBdF10Er02X4fs1JZHpl9Nhq39ztRFQz4Y/s4404/IMG_20201128_161750392_HDR.jpg" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="2477" data-original-width="4404" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSEEXXlxGWWhFapb3PZ3ywhhJhzeOOTLuONVap6g-Hhl-n8uO52ElgYTIEBV1f68HjWHfv_6UtjkNJw0Il3iMfwBKzzGvxiKCM1cAhDa-W1UNBdF10Er02X4fs1JZHpl9Nhq39ztRFQz4Y/s320/IMG_20201128_161750392_HDR.jpg" width="320" /></a></div><br /><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><br /></div><div><div><br /><div><br /><p><br /></p></div></div></div>Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-67892620988994580342020-10-12T18:05:00.004-07:002020-10-25T11:06:14.877-07:00Trails where you can ride an e-bike<p>This is a much shorter list than the places where you can't. MTB missoula has a pretty good guide to the regulations, but no real specifics. You might read this:</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.mtbmissoula.org/post/e-bikes-what-you-need-to-know">https://www.mtbmissoula.org/post/e-bikes-what-you-need-to-know</a></p><p><br /></p><p>And then wind up a little more confused than you were before. What is clear, is that as far as the USFS is concerned, they are a motorized vehicle. So on forest service land, you can only ride them on open roads and OHV (dirt bikes, atvs, etc) trails. A gate on a forest service road means it's closed to motorized vehicles, and yes, even e-bikes. Soo, if you're looking for somewhere to ride an ebike on FS land, the best way to see where you can go is to look at the motorized use maps. To find these, you can search for something like "lolo nf mvum" and a link like this will come up:</p><p><br /></p><p><a href="https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/lolo/maps-pubs/?cid=stelprdb5097692&width=full">https://www.fs.usda.gov/detailfull/lolo/maps-pubs/?cid=stelprdb5097692&width=full</a></p><p><br /></p><p>Those are all for the lolo national forest, which is where we are in missoula. Other nearby forests are the bitterroot and superior ranger districts, which have their own maps. Roads and trails on these maps open to motor vehicles and ebikes are highlighted.</p><p>Also you can look at a full mvum in arcgis here:</p><p><a href="https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?useExisting=1&layers=18de7e3f022a432f850c864ad4ba952d">https://www.arcgis.com/home/webmap/viewer.html?useExisting=1&layers=18de7e3f022a432f850c864ad4ba952d</a></p><p>In case it wasn't clear, all the trails in the rattlesnake are closed to ebikes. As are the marshall mountain trails, mount sentinel, and pattee canyon areas. You can't even ride one on the deer creek sneak. But you can ride up deer creek road, and up above pattee, to the miller divide trail. Also in that area are a number of roads like allen creek from turah and holloman saddle, and it's mostly all open to e-bikes.</p><p><br /></p><p>The other part of missoula that allows e-bikes is Blue Mountain. But not very much of it- just the parts open to motorized vehicles such as deadman's ridge, orchard, and hayes creek. One thing to note about this is that motorized use on those trails is seasonal. In the spring when the gate on the road is closed and you can't drive to the moto trailhead, all those trails are also closed to motorized use, and yes, e-bikes. But if I had an e-mtb, blue mountain, and all the area beyond, is where I'd spend most of my time. From the top, there are a lot of places you can go, like all the way out to the southside road, petty creek, or highway 12.</p><p>Speaking of highway 12, I noticed one trail on the mvum that I didn't expect to see - mill creek on lolo peak. However, to ride it you have to do an out and back from the bottom- the section from the mormon peak road trailhead does not allow e-bikes (and neither does the trail from carlton ridge).</p><p>Going farther up highway 12, there are also some lines on the map in the graves cr/petty cr and lolo pass areas. Whether the trails exist and are clear is another question, but they're there.</p><p><br /></p><p>Eventually I'll probably make a public map on caltopo with some of these routes and trails and roads highlighted but for now I'm about done typing. Here's a list of some of the trails that are open to ebikes</p><p><br /></p><p>Miller divide 512</p><p>Mill Creek 1310</p><p>Ninemile divide</p><p>blue mountain</p><p>telephone butte area<br />1220<br />720</p><p>lolo pass/lolo hot spring/petty creek/wagon mountain area<br />26<br />322<br />289<br />295<br />skookum butte</p><p><br /></p><p>Bitterroot-rock cr divide 313</p><p>sweathouse creek<br />121<br />122</p><p>Warm springs, lost trail pass area is almost all open to motorized use</p>Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-58927017186986224492020-07-24T09:04:00.000-07:002020-07-24T09:04:17.031-07:00recent ride picturesBeen getting out a lot for the Move MT challenge. Tom Robertson and I are going back and forth for 2nd place in the 10 highest peaks challenge and chasing Alan Adams, who is on a quest to ride a million vertical feet this year.<br />
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<br />Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-6886218389614622972020-05-14T10:56:00.001-07:002020-05-14T10:56:36.668-07:00New road wheelsI've been getting by on some pretty busted wheels and this year finally got some replacements for both the road and cx bikes. The road bike was the first to get something as I was riding it a lot this spring and the mavic ksyriums were starting to show their age. The rear freehub still had play after first going to oversized bushings and then a bearing, and the hub bearings themselves were starting to knock. On the plus side, they were still perfectly true after probably over 10k miles of hard use ranging from dirt roads on road tires to racing cx to riding singletrack. Aside from the rear freehub issues common with mavics I don't have any major complaints.<br />
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For the road bike I wanted something more aerodynamic, and for the cx bike I wanted something wider and tubeless. While working on missoula xc stuff at the mtb missoula and cycling house office I asked Shaun if he had anything around. And yes, he did have some Heds jet 6s in the basement that he let me have for practically nothing.<br />
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They're a little older, and I had to get an axle and freehub and have them dished for 11 speed, but they're straight and wooshy. I took the giant stickers off immediately to keep the all black subtle look going but did get those snazzy tan wall vittoria corsa controls. I liked the open paves a lot and these are the new version of those. They're smooth and fast but jury is still out on durability and flat protection. I basically never got a flat with the open paves and have a couple on these already. But when you run over a staple it's going through just about anything. These are the "C2" rim and so are 23mm external, 18mm internal width. It makes the 25mm vittoria measure a touch over 27 and that's the most tire that will fit between the chainstays on this bike.<br />
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They're 60mm deep, and do seem to go faster out on the flat. Going 22-24mph just seems easier than before, although I was on the mavics with maxxis refuses last fall and for the early season this year so just going to a much faster tire is part of it. Plus getting that fitness back. I do plan to tape over all the holes for the fairings as I hear that helps. You do notice that depth in windier conditions but it's got to be pretty gusty and a crosswind for it to be much of an issue. Also, it's a different feeling from being pushed around with narrower wheels. I'd call it less abrupt, and more of like, gentle nudging.Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-83250062707544112752019-11-20T21:54:00.001-08:002020-05-12T13:12:05.603-07:002019 CX season - Rolling ThunderMontana CX season ended with "rolling thunder." It's at a brewery, the beer is free, and things start at like noon with the juniors and get faster as the day goes on. The "elite" mens field races at 8pm and there are lights set up all over the course and tons of spectators. Going up the hill, down the off camber, and up the run up it seems like both sides of the course are lined with people screaming your name. It's awesome.<br />
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I decided to do the mtb race as well as the night race because it was only 3 laps. Pretty fun, there were around 25 people out there and the full suspension bikes got a head start, so I was at the very back like a minute behind. I caught the two fs bike leaders near the beginning of the last lap, had a battle up and down the hill, and won. Got a 6 pack and a free dinner at Cafe Dolce. That race was at 5:30, which was kind of weird timing with racing at 8 as far as eating and recovering and warming up goes. I pedaled around a bit, ate a little, and then we were lining up.<br />
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They called up almost everyone, but behind the first row, things were kind of a free for all. I was like, uh, hey, you guys want to try this again because no one is where they are supposed to be but then looped back around and Cory stuck me in front of him. I was supposed to be 3rd row, but some guys weren't there, but some people got added late, and anyway I wound up on the 2nd row, on the inside edge, behind Dan and Rob. Who were originally supposed to be on the 2nd row. But I think we were all in about the right spots. Had a good start- found my pedal, stayed up there, made it through turn 1, barely, because Rob got loose and almost took out himself and Dan (and i probably would have been the first guy into the pile). I was somewhere around 8-10th out of 54 racers and pretty happy with that. The first part of the course goes into the backyard/concert venue at the brewery, and is a little tight and narrow, so things are strung out single file and there isn't much room to pass. Then you get out around the edge and go up the hill and it widens out. Being up there let me not worry about fighting for position or trying to move up, and instead try to find a reasonable pace.<br />
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Next lap Ian comes by me and I'm like, oh, this will be a good wheel to follow. But I couldn't hang onto that and he went on to finish 9th overall and ahead of Rob and Dan, so good work Ian. I meanwhile, was beginning the backward slide. Guys were catching me, sometimes I'd follow for awhile, and then I'd get dropped. I just didn't seem to have it. Laps like, 3-5 I was behind the guy who won the masters race. He was pedaling really fucking hard up the hill and I was dying, but I could go a little bit slower and catch up on the way back down and through the 180s at the bottom. Once we got up the hill for the last time I could ride his draft down the back straight and through the start/finish and then it was back in the tight corners through the grass. But this going harder than I wanted up the hills and then slower down them and through the corners was not an ideal situation, and after like 3 times up that hill (we go down and back up it 4 times in a row each lap), I couldn't do it anymore and gave up on sticking with him. My 6th lap was like 30s slower than 1-5 and then I was just waiting for it to end. There were 9 laps. A few more guys caught me, including a teammate who was a favorite to win the masters race but got a flat and missed the start. Charlie was in the lead of that race (and is our masters state champion) for about the first half until that guy went by him up the hill like he was standing still. Charlie was coming up behind me with like 2 to go but crashed on the downhill off camber. He got back up and finished but I think hit his head pretty good.<br />
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I feel like I had a better race in me than that, and rolled in not very happy, but surprisingly got the last step of the cat 3 podium (5th). 1/2/3 and "open 4/5" all raced and started together, and they said they weren't doing a cat 3 podium, but they wanted to give a cat 3 state championship and there were over 20 of us so they figured they might as well. And I didn't get lapped by the winner (Kevin Bradford Parish, who has been racing world cups this year). Ivan was 2nd and only 8 seconds behind at the end, but KBP might have just been riding with him to make it fun. Andrew, who won this race last year and has also been in some pro fields this year, got a flat early on and then crashed a couple times so not a good day for him.<br />
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I never seem to race as well as I'd like at this one. Maybe it's because it's november in montana and fitness is on a downhill slide, maybe I went too hard and blew up, maybe I'm just that slow, maybe it's because the race doesn't start until 8pm. Or maybe I shouldn't have done that mtb race at 5:30 (but I got good prizes so totally worth it).<br />
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Wed night I was surprised at how far the tire pressure dropped after getting out on the course and things were fairly smooth and fast, so I was considering starting on the higher side. But that grass field warmed up during the day and turned into slick, greasy mud that I could barely stay up on during the mtb race, there's the off camber downhill, and the corners on the hill are fast and off camber. Thankfully the slick parts mostly hardened up and I was actually going too slow sometimes in there, just expecting to start sliding. I can't remember if I started at 25/27 or 26/28, and I didn't check them after, but I assume I was a little lower during the actual race. They felt good, had plenty of grip, and stayed supported on the paved chicane going into the start/finish. I've spent a lot of time racing at 27/29 or higher and they're definitely better when the course lets you go below that. Still glad I went with these as my one set of tubs for the last two seasons. Andrew had one up front with a grifo rear, Ivan was on terreno wets, Toby (3rd overall) was also on Baby Limuses.<br />
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There are a lot of pictures thanks to Myke Hermsmeyer and John Sieber<br />
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<br />Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-29802572139263535682019-11-08T18:36:00.001-08:002020-05-12T13:12:05.581-07:002019 cx season - wed week 6Wed cx week 6. The last one. This race is out at big sky brewery since our big race is there Saturday. I was out there Sunday mowing the ditch around the sand pit, and then Monday was a snow storm, and Tuesday was really cold. Which meant all the course setup happened kind of at the last minute yesterday. I got the back yard of the brewery setup while Dave and Cory worked on the hill. This is the 4th year racing out there and I've helped set things up before, so we have things mostly figured out, but there's some new stuff this year, mainly that the road between the brewery and the big hillside we use is getting closed so the street is the start/finish straight. The previous issue was that the course was a little short, laps being low 5 min for the fastest guys. Now we're using more of the hilliside plus the street and it's longer. Our laps last night were over 7min and we didn't have to get too crazy with stuff like constant back and forth through a field.<br />
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After a couple of hours of course setup I went home to grab all my stuff and was back a little after 4. This gave me time to hack some ice out of the parking lot after turn one and attempt to warm up. My mistake was wearing my base layer while I did all this because it was pretty damp and the temp was like 22f so I decided to just race in my long sleeve jersey with nothing under it like that cold day at the golf course. I did wear full leg warmers and my warmer gloves though. This was fine but I would have rather been wearing that extra layer. Also the race was kept short, only like 30min, because they had the series awards after and it was already going to be pretty cold and dark. Also there was snow on the ground. Fairly light though and traction was good.<br />
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At the start, I'm on the front row and then just go backward. Everyone is passing me and about halfway through the lap I'm at the very back of the line wondering what is going on (likely all that walking around to setup the course). But then we climb the hill and I made up a bunch of spots before the off camber descent into the runup, where I catch Charlie. Next lap, the two of us are up to Shaun. The front of the race is Andrew, Toby, some Speedvagen guy from Portland, Dan and Rob, then the three of us. Charlie gets by Shaun, Shaun doesn't chase him and I stick on Shaun because I'm kind of dying after all that work to move back up on lap 1. Charlie gets a few seconds on us, and then last lap I go too wide in turn 1 through the gravel parking lot onto the loose stuff and Shaun comes inside. Then gets a little space on the steps going around a lapped rider, then gets a little more space over the flyover where I'm remounting too slowly at the top. That's where the gaps stay.<br />
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It was kind of hard to decide whether to go higher or lower for tire pressure. While yes, there was snow and ice out on the course and a pretty nasty off camber, the course is mostly grass, the traction was good and things are pretty smooth and there are some fast straight sections where you want to minimize rolling resistance. At the golf course, I was up to 31/33. In the mud at bozeman I started at 22/24 and assume they dropped a bit during the race. At our other course I've settled on 27/29. Because of the snow and off camber and tight corners, I put 26/28 in the tires before warmup. This was after letting the bike sit outside while I was clearing ice. Then I rode around for a good 30-40 min, then checked pressures again. They'd dropped to 22/24 from the cold ground and snow. That didn't feel excessively low but I went back up to 26/28 and raced there. It seemed fine. I had enough grip to ride the runup and go into the snowy downhill 180s about as fast as I dared, sometimes foot out and sliding.<br />
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I'm going to blame all the course setup work on that one. This happens to me every year and Dave (one of the race directors) told me not to show up to help today or tomorrow. Plus I feel like the fitness has been on a downhill slide all season. I suppose that happens when you ride less and pretty much only race. This weekend will be fun regardless and maybe it's better not going into it gunning for the cat 3 win and then winding up off the podium disappointed. Plus there is no cat 3 podium, 1/2/3 and open 4/5 are all racing together and scored together and there are some pros showing up. Our race is the last one of the day, at 8:30pm, and there's free beer all day, so the crowd is pretty fun.<br />
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<br />Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-12446469441450602242019-10-26T18:46:00.000-07:002020-05-12T13:12:05.574-07:002019 CX season - wed week 5After the "bike ball" Friday night, I was really useless saturday, actually did a solid ride/workout sunday, and then have felt like garbage all week. I was really on the fence about racing, but figured if I felt bad enough I could just dial it back, take some handups, or even quit. I had some motivation to show up though because there is a series overall podium with pretty good prizes. Dan and Robert are very firmly in 1st and 2nd, but the points are best 5 out of 6 races and Andrew, Ivan, Toby, and Kory have all missed at least 2 races so the 3rd spot is going to Charlie, Shaun, or me. My worst race was 9th on week two, so my goal was to do better than that, and finishing ahead of Charlie and/or Shaun is a bonus. Charlie wasn't there tonight, but Shaun was. He missed week one, finished ahead of me weeks 2 and 3 (week 3 was a sprint finish), and I beat him last week. Charlie and I are also 2-2, and one of those I only got because his chain kept coming off.<br />
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Course was the same spot as weeks 1 and 2, but the other direction. This meant no gravel parking lot after turn 1, but the first two turns were still pretty tricky as you're coming off the driveway into the ditch, and then through a 180 degree corner across/out of the ditch. I think the Bs had a pileup there tonight. Off the start I missed my pedal and was way back, but somehow managed to move all the way up into like 5th wheel after the first couple of corners. Andrew was immediately by himself, then Dan, Rob, Toby, were together, then I was right there for most of the first lap. But we hit the track around the baseball field and gravel lot and paved start/finish straight and they were gone too. Then it's me, Shaun and Kory. Early in lap 2, Kory comes by and I actually get on his wheel. The 2nd half is a little more technical and I can follow him there more easily, but he's really strong and it was a struggle to get to that point. I'm watching him pedal out of corners and trying to follow and just thinking "fuck, what am I doing?" Then it was fine for a bit and I got in his draft to the start/finish. He messed up the turn out of the ditch and I'm in front again, but after the barriers he passed me back. I moved over to let Shaun through. Who just said "no." I decided, yeah, that's fine, let him go, and now it's a rematch from two weeks ago.<br />
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We're comfortable, I ride a couple laps on the front, he rides a couple on the front, and before you know it we're on the last laps. I'm on the front with 2 to go, with 1 to go, and I'm wondering what I'm going to do because the sprints between us don't usually go my way. The previous shitty rocky gully thing that you went down was now uphill, then you take a banked 180, go through a narrow track and a gap in a fence, and then down a bank, through a chicane and a big fast sweeper into the runup. I had a less then obvious line through the fence that gave better speed down the hill, and then it comes down to willing yourself not to touch the brakes and trusting the tires around the sweeper. I notice i have a bit of space here and that's my chance so I hit it up the run/ride up a little harder than usual, keep it on through the next twisty section, then I'm in the drops sprinting around the baseball field, carry good speed through the gravel, and stay ahead to the finish.<br />
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<br />Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-86512943372884908442019-10-19T18:58:00.000-07:002020-05-12T13:12:05.610-07:002019 CX season - Wed week 4Just making it to wed night cx was kind of iffy after bozeman. I stripped my bike down sunday and was pretty annoyed with how fucked it was/is. BB bearings wouldn't turn, shift cable wasn't moving well, wheel bearings don't feel great. Thought, well, maybe I'm just done for awhile and left it hanging up in pieces until tuesday. Then figured I should try to get it working and race. But my LBS never seems to have bb30 bearings in stock and I didn't feel like getting bearings from a different shop and then going down there and asking to use their stand and tools. Popped off the seals, flushed them out, repacked them, and they seem turn well enough. Also ran some ptfe spray lube and compressed air through the cable housing, repacked the jockey pulleys, scrubbed the cassette and brake tracks, and tried to get the shifter a little cleaner. It's a little sluggish, and for some reason it goes into the biggest cog and then just clicks right back out, but it works. Maybe this weekend I'll do bar tape and a new cable.<br />
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Anyway, got the bike actually in raceable condition. After an hour in the wet/mud saturday I had an annoying saddle sore. didn't do a recovery spin sunday and turned around after about 20 seconds of trying to ride monday. But my road bike saddle and position are different enough that I was able to get out for a ride yesterday. Did a couple of efforts up a hill that weren't too terrible but I'm not sure what I was going for. All I have been doing the last month is basically racing and recovery and I feel like I need a solid week this week to get me through the last couple of races. So tuesday was 2 hours and sort of a work out and sort of openers.<br />
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After last week at the golf course I mentioned to the manager there that I was willing to help set up this week's course. I don't really like how we've been doing the start, where we're out on the street, then come up onto the curb through a narrow sidewalk driveway ramp thing, then onto a narrow path around a pond, and the start finish is after a corner, part cart path, part grass, plus a gravel path crossing like 50m before the line. Instead I suggested starting on the driving range and having the start finish right in front of the clubhouse on the grass, which we did, and it worked well. Nick is all about adding "features" out there though, so after the start/finish we had a 180 into a small ramp jump, into three tight 180s, into a short barrier. I was iffy about the jump at first because it had this weird landing onto a small platform but it was fine.<br />
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At the start, Rob and Dan are at the front, Toby is with them, and I wind up a few people back, but then get through the group and am alone in 4th wondering if I should try to close that gap. But I decided I should dial it back let the guys behind me catch up instead. Kory goes by me at the end of the 1st lap and I'm thinking, well, maybe I should follow him? But no I'm already breathing too hard. Kory got up to the leaders and then fell right back off, but stayed away from the rest of us for 4th. The rest of the chasers caught me- Brendan, Charlie, Shaun, Ian. Lap 2 was the 5 of us kind of figuring out our places. I think Charlie and Ian got out front, I remember being behind Brendan thinking he's going a little slow through some corners. I went by, I think got up to Ian, we caught Charlie and then were ahead of him about a lap later so it was just the two of us for the 2nd half of the race or so. Like I mentioned last week, it's nice to be with another person and Ian is a really good bike handler. We were cooperating, taking turns, he's go through the sand and rough off camber ahead of me, where he could somehow go faster and hold a higher line, then I'd go by and pull him up the driving range.<br />
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Toward the end the cooperation starts to dwindle and instead you start making little digs on each other. One thing about this course is that the grass is really tough and shows the fitness discrepancies between the leaders and the, shall we say, more casual racers. And children. So you are in lapped traffic pretty quickly. It's fine, it's part of the races, this is beer league with everyone out there at the same time and not *categorized racing* so we're all pretty courteous. But at the same time it's still racing. One sand trap toward the end of the lap got a little tricky, mostly because of traffic. It's uphill in the thick grass getting to it, and then you have to get over a big square lip to get out. Coming into it clean you had good speed and could roll right through and out by getting the front up and then giving the rear a little hop. But not everyone was going so fast and some were running it or getting hung up, and with the grass leading up to it there were some pretty big speed differences. One lap, I'm behind Ian there, and were coming up on some people and I want to get around them before the sand. I get through, but it's a little tight and crowded in there and I get a little space on Ian, but we still had a few laps left and I'm not trying to drop him or anything. But then he passes me back over the jump into the tight corners, and, well, I guess it's on now. 2 laps to go, and he started using the traffic against me. He'd wait, then sprint to make passes in tight spots where it was hard to follow. But I was able to close the couple of small gaps he got. Last lap, we're coming up to that same sand trap and there's someone we're going to catch again. I attack up the grass, get past and through clean, Ian has to put a foot down, and I have a gap. From there it's all out to the finish line and I make it with a couple second lead. We both basically have to lie down on the grass for awhile after. Puts me 5th like last week, but I finished ahead of Charlie and Shaun this time (Ian was 6th last week too). I think my edge over Charlie today was that I didn't get off my bike once the whole race. He was running the short barrier and the lip out of the sand, and that was where the gaps formed early on.<br />
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So another solid finish. Two weeks left of the season, next wed is back at the first place we raced at, then the last week is at the brewery for wed and saturday's big race. Then that's about it for me. There is another race in Bozeman in two weeks, and the Inland NW series, and nats, but I'm good with just doing the local races plus maybe an extra or two out of town. But I think another workout this weekend is about all I should try to do aside from the next three races. Fitness is where it is and probably isn't going to change much, for the better anyway. I'm sure I could drink a ton of beer and fuck myself over for the end of the season if I wanted though.<br />
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<br />Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-86903215429661857192019-10-18T11:09:00.002-07:002020-05-12T13:12:05.614-07:002019 CX season - Bozeman Grand PrixWent to Bozeman last weekend to race their cross race. This year the Wild West series didn't happen, the Flathead didn't put on a race, and Helena cancelled theirs. I was planning to attend at least one of those, and with nationals happening fairly nearby there was definitely a demand for some usac sanctioned races in the state. But rolling thunder is going to be the only one. The inland NW series, happening in the N ID and Spokane area, are done through USAC and some people I know have been heading out to those. In fact, I was getting text messages Saturday on the drive back from Bozeman about carpooling to Sunday's race in CdA.<br />
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So Bozeman sure was something. It's been pretty dry for the last week and a wet race hadn't even crossed my mind as I headed out there. Pulling in, the driveway to this farm we're racing at is a giant mud puddle. Uh, that's weird. Go around back where the start is, see people coming out of the last corner covered in mud. They are on the other side of the divide, and got more snow in the previous week, and it seems it finally warmed up enough to melt. Took one practice lap to see what it was like, got my bike nicely gummed up, and I'm wondering how I'm even going to make it through the race with the wheels still able to turn. I don't have a 2nd bike and even if I did there wasn't a pit or anyone with me to hose things off. I scrape things clean as best as I can, warm up on the road for a bit, and head to the start line.<br />
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Wind up on the 3rd row, which is not where I wanted to be. No categories, just A group, so 1/2/3 and whoever else wants to race in that one. Like 17 people? First couple corners I'm pretty far back but things aren't really strung out yet and I make up a couple spots. It's slow, wet, and slippery, basically the whole lap is just mud of varying consistencies. Out in the open sun, it's starting to dry out and get thicker, in the shade it's more that really wet sloppy stuff, and out on the back of the course it kind of varies depending on where you are. Some spots were maybe originally grass, and there are ruts, and sometimes you can stay on a higher up, harder packed ridge for awhile. Later on I was aiming for the puddles and wetter sections because it seemed like there was less resistance and I was hoping it'd splash off some of the mud and packed up grass. Laps are taking 10 minutes. On lap 2 I'm still farther back than I want, but I'm getting some clean course in front of me and catching people and feel pretty good. By lap 3 I'm happier with my position and appear to still be moving forward. I'm getting the hang of the super slick, tight single track sections and the tires are working great. Then toward the end of the lap, I go to pedal out of a corner and my chain is off the ring. Well yeah I guess I can see why that happened as it's all jammed up with mud and grass. Put it back on, comes right back off. Try again. Same thing. Uh, should I just quit now? scrape some muck out of the chainring with my fingers, get it back on, oh hey I'm moving again. Guess I'll take that beer hand up on the next lap. Do that. Also get a dollar handup. Pass a guy back. Chain comes off again in the same spot. Fix it, pass another guy back who is messing with his rear wheel. Take another beer. Lap 5, pretty far back there now, chain falls off again. More scraping of the chainring. Have this comedy back and forth with a guy and tell him I'll see him in a few minutes after passing him again. But make it through the last lap with the chain still on and didn't get lapped. Find a hose. Eat tacos. Drive 3 hours home, put everything in the wash with an extra rinse cycle and take a shower.<br />
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Well there's your problem<br />
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I guess the good I can take away is that despite the bad start and chain falling off issues, I felt like I was riding pretty well. Before the first drop I was going away from the guy who got 7th and could see more people ahead of me. Tire pressures were 22/24 and probably could have been another psi or two lower if I wanted, but this is the lowest I've raced at and the cold mud and water probably dropped it a bit vs setting them after riding on the road in the sun to warm up. Despite not being the full mud tread they were fantastic - even when they were sliding there was some grip. I've never ridden in conditions like that but was reasonably comfortable with it and whenever I was around people in the really slick parts I seemed to be going faster (counterpoint- I was not at the front of the field). Now I'm wondering if just running some parts would have been both faster and nicer to the bike. On lap one things were backed up through the tight trees and I was basically just walking fast to keep up. It seemed like these parts were the worst for the drivetrain as well.<br />
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I found a few pictures but they don't fully capture what it was like out there<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/boballenimages/posts/2385312311578021">https://www.facebook.com/boballenimages/posts/2385312311578021</a><br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/TeamRockfordOwenhouse/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2669334829796484&__tn__=-UC-R">https://www.facebook.com/pg/TeamRockfordOwenhouse/photos/?tab=album&album_id=2669334829796484&__tn__=-UC-R</a><br />
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The course was pretty cool, sections of singletrack through trees with tight corners, a bridge and creek crossing you had to run across, some barns, loose chickens, some fields of ruts and mud, and two "aid stations." They also had a keg and tacos after.Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-70579584065644390192019-10-17T09:28:00.002-07:002020-05-12T13:12:05.598-07:002019 CX season - wed week 3Week 3 was at the golf course. Thick grass is hard, and it was cold out. 27f. Andrew and Ivan didn't race because they were going to Boulder, and at the start things seemed fairly civil. I didn't have to work very hard to put myself 5th wheel behind Shaun going into the first bottleneck, where you go up a narrow driveway off the street. Robert was in the lead with Dan and Charlie behind him. The start of the lap takes you on a narrow track around a pond, then in front of the clubhouse, around a few tight corners, over the barriers, and then down the driving range. Or rather up, because it's a slight climb. Did I mention it's also thick grass? This was the most miserable part of the course, and by the time we hit the end of the range, there was a gap from Shaun to Charlie, and a gap from Charlie to Rob and Dan. I was fairly comfortable when it started opening and probably should have tried getting to Charlie before it got too big. But at the same time I'm thinking "don't be stupid and blow up on lap 1" and I was happy with where I was. Dan and Rob rode away, Shaun and I stuck together, and Charlie stayed out there, just out of reach. Looking at the times, he got about 16-17s ahead and then we closed to like 9 at the finish. Parts of the course were fast enough where there was drafting, and it was also nice to be riding with another person. We kind of figured out where each of us were better and took the lead through those sections. Without being on Shaun's wheel through the sand and over this set of logs and down a bank, I would not have even realized I should have been going faster there. Going into the last lap he's ahead of me, and there's an uphill section on cart path, then some off camber tight corners, then the finish line. My plan was to attack up the path and get in front, but there were some other racers kind of in the way that we were lapping, so I didn't get by, and there wasn't really a good way to get around in a sprint. Plus Shaun is a better sprinter than me. So 5th, but also 4 guys who finished ahead of me last week weren't there. The other 4 were, and still did. But being with Shaun and almost Charlie definitely made me feel better.<br />
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Went 31/33 psi today because it was almost all grass and cart path. So less rolling resistance the better and it's all pretty smooth. Very few hard corners on course or places you needed to brake. There were some logs that I bottomed out on every lap, probably could have gone up another psi or two, but it was fine, and there were a few fast, hard corners where you wanted some grip.<br />
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Course was not quite what the manager out there was planning but he wasn't sure if there was going to be snow on the ground or what and kept things conservative. TBH that's better because there have been some questionable features out there and a few crashes because of them. I'm going out there next week to help set up and can hopefully provide a bit of a new take on the golf course.<br />
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After not feeling great last week I actually made myself recover and that helped. Thursday I only rode to coach the kids mtb program and back, Friday I kept it fairly chill and just rode up the path and part of my nearest trail, then Saturday I practiced cx with Ivan, then did our hill climb. I felt pretty good, got 3rd, and my prize is a pizza from a local place. Charlie won, Kevin, our road state champ the last two years, got me by 8 seconds (Charlie was another 10s faster, just under 15 min climb). I was about 40s off my PR, felt like I could have gone a bit faster after I finished, but I'm ok with that, especially after over a week of feeling like crap. Sunday was a quick mtb ride, monday recovery, yesterday more cx practice with Ivan and Andrew, plus a warm up riding there and cool down back. Chasing those guys up and down a giant, steep, grass hill worked ok for openers and getting ready to ride on the golf course.<br />
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Pictures<br />
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<a href="https://www.facebook.com/pg/jsieberphotos/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10157929457633570&__tn__=-U-R">https://www.facebook.com/pg/jsieberphotos/photos/?tab=album&album_id=10157929457633570&__tn__=-U-R</a><br />
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<br />Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4867697821428110030.post-51380070826107464272019-10-15T10:00:00.000-07:002020-05-12T13:12:05.590-07:002019 CX season - wed week 2Last week, a couple of the regular fast guys weren't there, and I generally felt pretty good the whole race. This week had better turnout and I wasn't really at 100% going into it. Same gravel section off the start, but last weekend's rain packed it down pretty well and the large dumpster was gone, so much more manageable in the group at high speed. Turn two was a hairpin on loose gravel though. Despite feeling like I had a pretty good start, there were a lot of guys, and a lot of fast guys, and I was probably 8-9th wheel or so once we got through the tricky bits. But, no gaps for about the first half of the first lap. But then there were, and I couldn't stick with Toby through the technical bits when he passed a couple guys who were falling off, and the front of the race was gone. I got passed by a couple guys, passed a couple guys, and had some fun back and forth throughout most of the race and then with like 3 to go was by myself again. This time in 9th place though. And the leaders of 40+ caught and passed me on the last lap but sticking on their wheels to the finish line was actually pretty easy. I tried to ride the run up about half the time today, it wasn't faster because you had to take a longer route vs running up, but there was a crowd up there. I made it twice out of I think 4 attempts, on one of the missed ones I took a whisky shot.<br />
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I wasn't really expecting a great finish. Last week I felt good during the race, pretty terrible thursday, but still went to the group mtb ride, which was straight up a mountain. That went bad and felt bad and I should have just done like an hour of casual recovery instead. Carried that into going on a moderately hard garbage ride friday, built trail saturday, went for a fucking run for some reason sunday, then on a 3 hour road ride monday. Tuesday I tried to do an openers ride up my usual trail and was pretty off pace, so I knew what was coming. Strava's estimated power is lower on essentially the same course and so is my average speed.<br />
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Tire pressures were about the same, maybe a touch lower. I set my pressures at home and then after pre-ride they'd dropped to 24/26 due to the temperature change, which was definitely too low out there. I started on the low side of 26/29 (gauge only reads full psi increments and I get a couple of pushes of the bleed button between them), and it got colder as the race went on, and I hit the rims a lot, and harder than I'd like a couple of times. Should have checked them again after the race to see where they ended up. The rain packed things down so everything was either fairly grippy and fast, or grass, or just fucking loose rocks and chewed up dirt. So the pressure I think needs to stay up there for the rocks and to keep the tire supported on the grippy corners.<br />
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Best parts were definitely the cheer squad and then getting good burgers with friends after. Not so much the racing.<br />
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Another season of cyclocross racing is underway. Half over for me, actually. I've done 3 wed night races and went to Bozeman, and have 3 more wed night races and then Rolling Thunder.</div>
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Anyway, here's what I wrote about week 1</div>
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The course "old thunder," a mix of fast and smooth, and really rocky, lumpy, and loose. I don't like it that much- there are a lot of places you can crash or wreck a wheel/tire and some hard, immovable objects you come close to at high speed. My main goals were to stay upright and keep my tires full of air. You can ding the rim with tubulars but I don't have a good backup set right now so I'm trying not to find out what's too hard.</div>
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Was not thrilled with the first couple of corners. First one fine, slight bend on pavement from the paved start/finish straight into a paved parking lot at a baseball field, but then you go through a gate into a loose gravel lot, where you have to turn a little bit, and then there's a blind corner with a really inconveniently placed bench on the outside of the exit. Warming up, trying to go race pace around that corner I kept finding myself going straight at it or even going on the wrong side off course.</div>
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Off the line I had a pretty good start, sitting like 4-5th wheel, but then got a little nervous and let up in the gravel and was wider out than the line I'd been practicing and suddenly was near the back of the group and gaps were already forming. Ivan was already alone like 30 seconds in. Shit that kid is fast. He said he didn't have a very good race in Wisconsin, but did finish 7th and it was his first race as a UCI 17-18 junior. Behind Ivan were Andrew, Dan, Robert, and Charlie. Robert did beat me every week last year, and at every wed night XC race this spring, but some of them were close so I was kind of expecting to be near him tonight. Not so much. But after the bad start I did move up a couple of places on the first lap and was sitting in 6th with Charlie in sight, then he dropped his chain. Next lap, there's Andrew with some sort of a mechanical issue. There were a couple of guys chasing me for the first half, but I was out there alone in 4th the whole time. Kind of got on cruise control, and would find myself maybe not going as fast as I could in places. Then Phil and Jeremy, the leaders in the 40+ group that starts maybe 30s behind our group were getting close with about 3 to go. Then I got hung up behind some traffic on some technical bits a few times and had to get off, and they were closer. Last lap I had to get off on the last ride up because it was so loose and chewed up then through the shitty rocky downhill section Phil was basically on my wheel. But I picked it up and held him off to the finish.</div>
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4th in the A group, which ties my best wed night result, but without Charlie and Andrew's issues would have likely been 6th. Robert meanwhile wound up 2nd, but he had some motivation to chase Ivan after a puncture slowed him down and was riding with Dan most of the race. There were some pretty long headwind sections so drafting was helpful. I was just out there alone the whole time. Ivan still won. I generally felt pretty good, especially for the first race which is always a shock, but could easily wind up in like 10th with more fast racers there. I don't even want to look at the lap times right now.</div>
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Bike worked well. I went down from a 42t ring to 40t, but didn't notice much difference. New chain stayed on new chainring, I've had drops on this course like 3-4 times in the last two seasons with the 1x setip. 11-32 cassette. Tires are baby limus tubulars with like 4-5 races on them, and I went with 26/29 psi tonight. They stayed well supported on the fast, grippy corners, and while I dinged the rims a few times there were no hard impacts. I really wish I had another set of wheels with file treads though. Maybe could have used something like a chicane or las tonight (Ivan was on terreno drys, Andrew grifos, Robert MXPs, Charlie big wtb riddlers) but I appreciate grip over speed on this course. We have two golf course races though and faster tires would be nice. You really can feel the chunky side knobs grabbing the grass. I will probably just go up in pressure out there. I could pick up some tires and go with tubes and clinchers but I'm not sure it's worth spending the $120 or whatever on tires for two races, plus I'm thinking about fresh baby limuses for the end of the season.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Z_ewvVpdsOx2vifLlCPCB0_-AA1WbdxzDGin2FdSXLRDB8iVJdtfHbMZzrwVGdzwzHAMqgcBfSDWRsbFoRIxUUyawInTYpAwhgn0MPgdmiNQoW6OlcDxld_-hqEZ5zN4gXmXR4XItlcq/s1600/70763273_10157890777548570_8848326606280720384_o.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="800" data-original-width="1200" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4Z_ewvVpdsOx2vifLlCPCB0_-AA1WbdxzDGin2FdSXLRDB8iVJdtfHbMZzrwVGdzwzHAMqgcBfSDWRsbFoRIxUUyawInTYpAwhgn0MPgdmiNQoW6OlcDxld_-hqEZ5zN4gXmXR4XItlcq/s320/70763273_10157890777548570_8848326606280720384_o.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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Peter Lhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17562703459875476832noreply@blogger.com0