Cars & Bikes: Winnipeg Cycle Chick pens another beauty

Out of all the local bloggers on cycling I confess I like Winnipeg Cycle Chick the best.  I'm even a bit jealous of her prolific prose.  Jealousy is a wasted emotion though so better to appreciate talent when you see it.

The chick did a piece on a cycling courier that was hit and run by an SUV driver.

Bikes and cars on the road together is a contentious issue so the post generated many responses including a couple from myself posting as Cris.

While the issue causes stress and often makes us weary re-hashing the same old - same old, Andrea Tétrault (AKA Winnipeg Cycle Chick), hit's a home run telling the story of a car-bike collision but without the typical contemptuousness conveyed by anti-car or anti-bike perspectives.

It's worth a read as are the reader comments, some of which do express divisiveness, which the Cycle Chick would like to see disappear as it's the human divisiveness that causes the problem

Here's the link to the post This is Glen

Rocking The Ridge 2012 Manitoba Provincial MTB Championships

 

Bottom of fast straight down section (photo cred: Dave Bell) just before this killer climb video lovingly named "Welcome to hell".

Well I finally did it.. I won a race at Falcon Ridge Trails, Falcon Lake MB.  To make the win a little more sweet the race was the provincial championships.  

View 2012 Manitoba provincial mountain bike championships course Falcon Ridge Trails, Falcon Lake MB in a larger map

I've come in last place or very close to last place in previous races out here.  For Manitoba this is our most technical course and would still hold its own against challenging courses out of province.

Two years ago after coming in near dead last again in a race out here I vowed to win at Falcon.  Someone accross the parking lot heard me say that and quipped, "what.. in Citizen category?. ha ha!"

For those who don't know, Citizen category is an introductory category with reduced distance and technical challenge that is for those who have never raced before and are interested trying mountain bike racing without jumping to a full-blown race category and buying the $100ish race license.

Training on the race course

That comment, meant in jest I'm sure, fueled the fire that much more.  After multiple tanks of gas transporting my environmentally friendly mountain bike 300ish kilometers back and fourth from Winnipeg to Falcon Lake nearly every weekend I finally developed the skill to ride everything at Falcon.  Well.. everything on XC race courses.. there are still a few features I haven't ridden yet.. but I'll get those this year before the snow flies.

If I were to use a swear jar I would have busted at least a dozen Culligan refills worth swearing up a storm for all the times I jammed a knee into a rock, handle bar into a tree, or failed a technical section.  Being a major chicken didn't help either.  You can't be half committed and choke when trying to clean stuff out here.

Overcoming fear was and still is my greatest challenge. 

I love racing at Falcon.  This years course was the best ever.  I'll disclose that is a little self-serving as I put a lot of hours into cleaning up the trails, taking out rocks, roots, and branches that seemed to always be in the way of a good (and safe) line. I'm not the only one though, Dave Dorning and Seema Saini put in over 60 hours of work designing and grooming the course.  Rob Brigdon, Paul Seire, Robert Champagne, Bill Algeo, and a bunch of other people I've forgotten or didn't know about have also put a lot of work into making these trails better, with Bill Benson being the original trail blazer out here.. but for sure.. this course was in the best shape ever.

There are also sections of trail that the Gords Cycle Club have built out here that are more of an all-mountain technical challenge that deserve mention.

I think Falcon over-all is our best or tied for our best mountain bike trail system in the province.  We should have more races out here and do more development.  I know I'll keep working on the trails.

For those who feel the trails are too technical to race on.. it's true that for the entry level rider many lines are too hard.. we need to develop more "B" lines and need to clean up more of the rocks that ruin a perfectly good line.  Consider this though.. If a fear hindered X-rodie sport level rider like me can progress from dead last to winning out here, anyone can do it. With more trail and rider development, and the annual 24 Hours of Falcon race, and hopefully annual cup races, the trails out here will only get better. Riding well at Falcon will help someone ride well pretty much anywhere!. . .

Training on the race course. Click here for video clip

Anyway.. back to the race..

Within the first few pedal strokes of my warm up lap I knew it was going to be a good day.  I had fresh legs and good "snap". I owe part of this to my recovery taper, but also to Bryan Cobb, massage therapist who worked over my quads a couple times before provincials. Brian made a huge difference in my performance for this race. Visit Bryan's website Muscle Pain Clinic

The section known as the A-B line had been a problem for me this year.  I rode it in training last year without trouble.  This spring I entered too hot and my line was pretty sketchy.. holding on for dear life I made it through but was spooked and didn't try again the whole year. It gave me some solace hearing that others had the same experience but overcame the fear and cleaned it again.

Here's a video clip of Dave Dorning, Rob Brigdon, and Ron Kaulins riding the "A" line, and I demonstrate the "B" line.  I'm the guy riding in the background.. I start first, but the B line is longer and slower so I come out last. Someone needed to demo the B line and it had to me because on this day I was too chicken to do the A line..Video 

I knew I would make it today with race adrenaline pumping, but wanted to get it over with before the race started.  I cleaned it twice and felt satisfied.  I thought I had a realistic chance of winning gold but had some tough competition to fight off.  My main competitor was out with an injured ankle so that was a downer not being able to race against him.

Hard starts usually work for me but lately had been causing me to blow up.  This race has some long technical sections where passing is difficult so I thought it was best to enter those sections first if possible, so I gassed it at the start and had a good lead on the pack heading into the technical.

After racing against the same people for a while you get to know their sounds.  I could hear the breathing patterns of Paul Seier and Jason Howden on my wheel, but nobody else.  Without looking I knew I was in a three way race with these two, but only sort of.  Paul was racing 50+ and was doing two laps.  Jason and myself were in a three lap race, and Jason was in the age category down from me, 30+.  So really we were each in first place for our respective categories.  I didn't hear any other bike or breathing noises back there so took some comfort in knowing we had a half decent lead.

I also knew that there were two more laps and anything could happen.  Anything happened and Jason took a spill on some baby-head rocks.. he was ok but his seat broke off and the race was over for him.  That sucks because it was going to be a good battle with Jason..

I slowed a bit on my second lap to reduce risk of blowing up or taking a bad line.  I couldn't see or hear anyone behind me so I knew I had at least 20 seconds on the next guy behind me.. A good buffer to win if I could keep the gap.

I felt the onset of cramping but it wasn't that bad yet.  If I backed off on climbs I should be able to make it. I also had some pickle juice with me.  A recent study suggested pickle juice may be effective at stopping cramps.  No really.. here's an article on the study.

I downed the pickle juice and holly crap!  That is the most revolting substance I have ever imbibed. It was putrid. Disgusting. So I drank the rest of it. It made me hack and gag.  I thought I was going to hurl.  I'm sure the rider behind me thought the same thing.  Did it work?  I don't know..  I didn't cramp but I also backed off on effort a little.  Was it the backing off or the vile juice?  Maybe a bit of both.  I would usually have to back off a lot more to prevent cramping.  I was able to to continue at 8/10 effort.

I had to clean the A-B line one more time before the finish line.  I took a bad line.  The same line that spooked me earlier in the year.  This time was different though. Instead of panicking my brain and body seemed to respond automatically and I corrected my line without a problem and rolled it out. As riders get to know each others sounds, race officials get know riders and where they usually finish. When I crossed the finish line the commissar asked, "are you finished?"  asked with an "are you sure you're finished?" tone..  "Yes, that's three laps", I said.  Sheesh.. Looks like I have to podium in more races to clean up my record :-).

L-R Dave Dorning (race organizer), Rob Friesen (Silver), me, Garry Bistyak (Bronze) men's sport 40-49

Paul Seier and I. Both won Gold.  This felt extra good as I coach Paul :-)

As usual I look stiff as a board in a photo and Paul is relaxed and cool..

I'll add an unapologetic shout out to Team Woodcock..
Rob Brigdon won bronze in Open Elite with a couple flat tires, Jackson Locken won Gold in Senior Sport, I won gold in Master B sport (age 40-49).. ahem.. I also won overall in men's sport beating the 20 and 30 somethings :-), and Dave Dorning was the race organizer. Dave gave up racing provincials to put on the race

New Blog: Manitoba Mountain Bike Trails

I have a lot of our beloved MTB trails recorded with GPS.

Here's a new blog where I'm posting them.

Feel free to leave a link to your GPS'd trails as well

Manitoba Mountain Bike Trails

Brandon MB Cup #5; Morden Back 40 2012

Sorry, no pictures..

The Brandon MTB race on July 29 went really well for the first of three laps.  I had a strong start and felt like I could hold the pace.  My legs disagreed and threatened me with cramping.  Scheisse!

It was another super hot Manitoba summer day.. 30ish degrees. Many were feeling the heat.

I know the drill.. if I keep going I'll be in a world of hurt bent over on the side of the trail.  I slowed down to a pace I could handle without cramping and was very quickly passed everywhere.. I'm used to getting passed in trails with tight turns. I suck at tight turns on dirt, which is a bit of setback when mountain biking.

On hills though I usually do reasonably well with few passing me.. not today though.  I came in 5th out of 9 finishers.  I'm happy with that.

The Morden Back 40 is one of my favorite events.  I was really looking forward to it this year.

It rained. Some of the trail has a soil that gets extremely slick when wet, and so sticky I'm sure my bike weighed an extra 10 pounds with all the muck stuck to it.

I wasn't able to get into the muck ride mentally and was not enjoying walking through sections of un-ride-able slop. One racer rolled by with a huge smile and with great enthusiasm said, "it doesn't get any more technical than this!".  His happiness did not rub off on me, but he did try to put a positive light on the situation.

No, I was in a mental funk as was not interested in a walk-ride thing this day, so I pulled out of the race. Lot's of DNF's with some bikes so packed with mud the wheels would not turn, but others rode most of slippery slop with great skill and agility.

The first lap went reasonably well.  I caught and passed nearly everyone on the flats who had previously passed me in the single track.  I was really looking forward to the second lap of this 32 kilometer event (there was also an eduro 80k event, plus a 16K 1 lap event.. something for everyone), but the first few kilometers of trail took on more rain and we're as slick as goose crap on Teflon.

Oh well. This means I have to practice riding in mud, which has a catch 22 - riding in mud on many trails will rut out the trail and destroy the trail surface.. can't do that..

My expectations were that I would have a blast riding a course I love, but the muck changed all that.  What I could have done is change my expectations to suit the changed condition.  Have lemons?  Make lemonade.

 Looking forward to next years Back 40.

Reviewed: Three 29'er XC Race Tires

Schwalbe Rocket Ron     Maxis Ikon       Specialized Fast Trak S-Works

Schwalbe Rocket Ron 29X2.25 tubeless ready claimed weight 520g

Maxis Ikon EXC 29X2.2 claimed weight 520g actual weight 514g

Specialized Fast Trak S-Works 2bliss 29X2 claimed weight 520g actual weight 535g

I didn't have a chance to ride each tire in all conditions and the Rocket Rons were the only ones I rode front and back, the Ikon and the Fast Track S-Works saw duty only in the rear.  I'll update as I get more rides in on these tires.

I'll tell you what I've found so far though..

Each manufacturer has all sorts of techno bafflegab explaining special proprietary compounds and computer modeled tread pattern for optimal everything.

Any sales person would have tonnes of marketing techo-hype in their arsenal to explain the advantages of each of these tires.  Specialized and Maxis have the best marketing with videos and more technobabble than Schwalbe.  I'm not saying the tread designs are BS, I think each have a pretty good design, I'm saying each company tries hard to sell you their tires, and like any marketing campaign, some of what is said amounts to minutia and rhetoric.

Tires were run at the same pressure for all comparisons using Stans NoTubes (except the Ikon.. had trouble with compressor that day and couldn't inflate tubeless)..

Loose gravel climbing

Winner: Rocket Ron
Ikon and Fast Trak S-Works: Tied

The RR has a more aggressive tread pattern with the lugs further appart than on the Ikon or FT S-Works.  The wider 2.25 casing also provides a wider contact patch.  I may not know precisely why the RR hooks up better on lose gravel, but it does, and noticeably so.  Of course it will still break free on loose gravel, but much less, and with less side slip.

The Ikon, although a 2.2 casing was actually a lot closer to the 2.0 casing of the Fast Trak S-Works.  Both the Ikon and S-Works climbed loose gravel well, but had more snakyness in holding a line and larger, more speed robbing spinouts than the RR.  You really had to keep weight back to ensure grip whereas with the RR spinout was far less frequent and only partial, and weight distribution was less finicky.

S-Works 2.0 on the left, Ikon 2.2 right.

Short grass climb

Winner: Rocket Ron

Ikon and Fast Trak S-Works: Tied.

Short dry grass is typically pretty grippy anyway.  Each tire performed well here with the Rocket Ron producing a little more grip.

Cornering

The Rocket Ron on the front is a phenomenal tire for cornering. I can't say anything about the other tires on the front as I haven't tried them.  The RR is so good up front though that I would be hesitant to try the Ikon or Fast Trak S-Works up front as it seems I would surely be let down.. but I will try them up front and post my findings.

The rear plays a roll of course in cornering as well.  Here the RR completely and entirely wins hands down. Very predictable grip and a gradual transition from grip to controllable oversteer slide-out.  I'm comparing three of the very best tires available so they are each pretty damn good.  None of these tires has been a dog so far in terms of grip, ride quality, or handling in general.

Dry rock 

Winner:

Maxis Ikon

Fast Trak and RR: tied

The Ikon had marginally better grip on dry rock than the other two, and a little less frequent slipping on 2 foot square edge up-and-overs.  It felt like the tire compound had more stickiness than the others, although I never had any issues with the the RR or S-Works, none of these tires failed or flailed under these conditions. 

Ride quality

The Rocket Ron and the Fast Trak S-Works have a more supple feel than the Ikon.  The Ikon and the Fast Trak both have 120 TPI casings, the Rocket Ron 127 TPI.

On back to back rides the S-Works is noticeably more supple feeling than the Ikon. The Ron is comparable, though still beats the S-Works for a supple ride.  Is it the extra 7 TPI thread count? Unlikely.  It will be the wider width and the overall combination of casing design and rubber compound, wall thickness etc.  Whatever the reason, the RR is the most supple of the three, the Ikon is good but a little more stiff.

Durability

Winner: Unknown

Rocket Ron: surprisingly good

Ikon: sidewall in the EXC version sucks big time

Fast Trak S-Works: early prognoses looks good.  So far more durable than the other two

The Schwalbe website cautions that the RR is a race purpose tire and has low puncture and sidewall protection.  On my first ride with the Ron's I scuffed some rocks and the sidewalls started showing some thread.  I thought the tire would be dead in a couple rides on the rocks.  Nope.. four months of riding rocky trails and lots of sidewall scuffs with threads showing and the tire was still going strong.  The knobs had almost completely worn down in the centre but the tire kept performing. 

The Rocket Ron finely met its demise in a race where a pokey piece of fresh-cut of shrub stabbed the sidewall.  Stans was not enough to seal the large hole.  Despite this being race-light tire not intended for durability, it lasted far beyond my expectations.  I'll be buying a Rocket Ron again.

Conversely, riding the Ikon one ride on the same trail under the same conditions taking the same line at the same speed with same amount of sidewall contact I always have.. tore through the side wall.  Good thing I was riding with a tube that time. For another paltry 60 grams you can get an Ikon with the Maxis EXO protection sidewall.  The Ikon EXO seems like it would be good choice if you encounter terrain where lot's of sidewall scuffs occur.

Maxis Ikon sidewall broke on through to the other side on a rocky ride

The gunk around the cut was some spray on rubber I was trying out as a repair.  Didn't work.

Riding the Fast Trak S-works on the same trails produced the least amount of visible sidewall scuffing.  I still hit the rocks with the sidewall, but I had to take a really close look to see the abrasions. 

Overall the winner so far is the Rocket Ron.  The Ikon, Rocket Ron, and Fast Trak S-Works are so close in weight I would not let that enter into the decision for buying.. you wont notice 10 - 20 grams.

The latest version of the RR is tubeless ready with an improved bead and sidewall. Previous versions (2011) were said to be difficult to run tubeless. I had no problems running the Rocket Ron and the Fast Trak tubeless.  I tried to run the non-tubeless ready Ikon with Stans but couldn't air it up.  I've read reviews saying others have no such trouble.  Turns out there was a problem with my air chuck.  I've got a new air chuck now but won't be trying the EXC Ikon with Stans as there are two big cuts in the sidewall.. Big enough that Stans would not have sealed them so I'm glad I didn't run the Ikon tubeless.  I'll give the Ikon EXO a chance tubeless though..

Wider is faster, and the RR is wider than either the Ikon or Fast Trak. Previous reviews on earlier versions of the Fast Trak seemed to suck overall so I avoided these tires.  The tire was redesigned 100% and is getting much better reviews.  I have no real issue with the general performance of the Fast Trak S-Works, but wish I could have it in a 2.25 width.  The 2.25 RR is the same weight as the 2.0 Fast Trak.

The Ikon and Fast Trak S-Works I rode performed admirably and are decent tires for sure.  The EXC casing is definitely not durable.  The S-Works is far more durable than the Ikon for about the same weight and similar performance, with the S-Works having a noticeably more supple ride.

More to come as I ride more..

A few more races with the 2012 Specialized S-Works Fast Trak are under my belt now. I keep noticing less buzz on harder surfaces.. it rides smoother and "feels" faster that way, but it does grip marginally less than the Schwable Rocket Ron.  If I never rode the Ron's I wouldn't say the S-Works lacks grip significantly. Given the choice right now though I would rather have the TL ready Rocket Ron on the back for all conditions compared to the S-Works.  The larger width, bigger air volume provides a more supple ride and the tire grips better.  While a little more buzzy on hard surfaces the RR feels like it absorbs smaller bumps with a more supple feel compared to the S-works.

2012 24 Hours Of Falcon Ridge

I love our Manitoba mountain bike enduro events; the Morden Back 40, and the 24 Hours of Falcon Ridge.

It's a chance to get on your bike and race, or not race, just have a blast putting in laps on great trails with great people.

The 24 Hours of Falcon is held at Falcon Ridge Trails, Falcon Lake Manitoba. The course has a mix of dirt road, single track, technical rocky sections, and a couple short steep hills (up and down).

Here is the 2012 course


View 2012 24 Hours of Falcon Ridge Mountain Bike Course in a larger map

It took me a week to recover enough to do a write up on the event.  Ok I wasn't that bagged.. I just didn't get to it until a nice lazy Saturday morning.

For the past two years after the event (this year was the third annual, and best so far) I've made it halfway through the 1.5 hour drive home and had to pull over to nap.  This year I made it all the way home before I started to feel like a zombie.

The first two years I slept in the chalet which wasn't too bad, but the door slamming every time a person went in or out was a bit of a sleep killer.  This year I bought a tent.  $50.00 at Canadian Tire (half price sale).

Here's a picture of the tip of my finger. Pre-assembled tent is in the background.

Tada.  Hammering stakes into a gravel parking lot is great.  When finished I only had two tent poles left over.  Not sure where they went but it didn't seem like I needed them.  I'm pretty happy with my first tent experience since Cub-scouts.. which was nearly 40 years ago.

Critical update.. My girlfriend just read this blog entry.. "Do you want to read my write up on the 24 hour race?".  "How long is it?", she asked.. I should have said, "24 hours".  Badum dum.  Of course she was referring to the length of the write up.  She looked like she had just been asked if she wanted to read an article about watching paint dry.  "It's not that long, see?" I demo'd the length by using a really fast scroll.

I think she likes it, she's laughing. Then..

"Hey!  This wasn't the first time camping since Cub-scouts!", she said. "Really?"  Then I got one of those looks where nothing needs to be said but some how it makes you remember things.  "Right.. at Birds Hill Park.. with you."  "Yeah, you and your guitar pickin! You serenaded me by the campfire.  That was the last time we went camping!" LOL! 

I don't know if the serenading worked or if she thought, "crap.. there's always something.. well maybe if hide the guitar it will work out."..

Not being an educated consumer on how to buy a tent, I thought "4 person tent" would translate into having lots of extra room for one person.

What I didn't realize is that real capacity is a mere fraction of claimed capacity.  This is my double air mattress (which apparently uses the same real capacity formula as the tent) thrown in. It was cozy.  

Bill Algeo (wearing the yellow X vest), the organiser for 24 Hours of Falcon Ridge, addresses the crowd of ne're-do-wells and hooligans that make up the 24 event entrants.  There is also an 8 hour event that started a couple hours earlier.

 Don't mess with this crowd.  They guy in the mask was brave; the temperature was over 30 degrees C.  He said, "AAARRRGGG" a lot.

It was a good event for me.  I had it all planned out.  Don't be a rookie and go out too hard on the first few laps.  It's a 24 hour event.. blasting the first two laps is dumb.

Dumb:  See also; "Cris LaBossiere"

I hammered the hills on the first lap.  Not 100% all-out, I wasn't THAT dumb. I only went 95%.  Like Homer Simpson repeatedly putting his hand on a hot stove and saying, "D'oh!" each time, I burned myself and cramped hard core at three hours and did actually say out loud, "D'oh!"  Along with some choice expletives. 

You know those cramps that are so bad that when you try to stretch the cramping muscle to stop the cramp, the other muscles cramp?  Science note.. a muscle cramp can usually be resolved by stretching the affected muscle, which activates a motor feedback loop that overcomes the spasticity of the cramp and invokes the muscle to relax. 

Reality note: Only works on mild cramps.

Many people are lucky enough to never experience extreme cramps.  A few people have the gene's that allow them to have this displeasure.  For those who don't know, it is extremely painful and incapacitating.

I stood next to my bike on the side of the trail for about 10 minutes, unable to move in the first five.  Moving requires muscles to contract.  Asking cramping muscles to contract makes them cramp harder.
I was at a section of the course where I could have taken a short cut, almost all downhill, straight back to the start/ finish.  That would have been the smart thing to do to give my cramping muscles a break.

In regards to "smart", see "dumb" above.  I couldn't take a shortcut back, that would mean I couldn't record this lap.  If I didn't improve and was truly in unrecoverable bad shape I would have nixed the event and went straight back to recover.  Fortunately my cramps did resolve and I was able to get back on and finish the lap.

I took a two hour break massaging my trigger point laden legs and later did another 90 minutes of riding.

I don't have the capacity to do 24 hours straight, or even 8 hours straight and survive intact.  Luckily the 24 Hours of Falcon Ridge event is very accommodating to peoples varying abilities.  The objective is to complete as many laps as you're capable of or willing to do over 24 hours.  You can go solo or in teams.

For me that meant trying 4 hours on day one, and four hours on day two.  Day one went reasonably well considering the cramping blow out.

There were a few technical sections all of which I had no trouble with this year.  In previous years I would be walking over technical sections and watching in awe the other riders who seemed to float over rocks. This year I was a floater.  Almost..  I'm not that nimble yet.. couple more years.

Day two was stellar.  After a solid 4 hours of interrupted sleep (at one point someone was blowing one of those horns you hear at European soccer events.  A very pleasant sound at 2am.  Thanks for that). Oh wait.. my shin muscles cramped while trying to sleep.  Trapped in my mummy sleeping bag I couldn't bend the right way to relieve the cramp.  Frantically I nearly tore open the sleeping bag and tried to pull on my foot to stop the shin cramp.  Which of course made the calf cramp.  Then the other leg went.  Are you kidding me?

I hoped nobody was walking by my tent at that point.. not sure what they would think was going on in there with the tent shaking.. and only one person in it.

Back to day two..  I started out very conservatively.  I felt not too bad, but the first hour felt like it might be the last as well.  I tried another lap slow.  Felt better.  And better. 

At just under the halfway point in the loop you have to get your number plate punched to show that you're doing full laps. The people volunteering to do this are awesome. They're out there for hours in the heat with the incessant bugs all for the greater good. These two were from the ABES and BABES men's and woman's mixed team ..they raced as well as volunteered at the event. Cudo's.

By hour three I felt fantastik (not a typo.. I was cleaning everything).  I matched pace with another guy who incentivized me to push harder than I thought I should.  I feared cramping but there was no sign of this nemesis today.  After a pretty hard lap I felt ready to hammer.  The clock said 11:25am.  35 minutes to noon, the cut off time.

I was averaging 35+ minute laps.  I had just enough time to squeeze out one more.  I had race buzz, where you feel like every nerve in your body is tingling with anticipation of going all out.  I had my iPhone headphones in and was ready to rock.  Of course for safety's sake the volume is low so you can hear others talking or coming up behind you.

Part way through my final lap the earphones started to fritz out.  Must be the sweat.  I was zoning into the music and getting motivation from it, but thought.. ok, no tunes.. doesn't matter.. nothing will stop me from putting in my fastest lap.. at that moment, BAM!  Music volume went full blast..  I went with it.  Saw it as a sign I'm meant to go hard.

Have you heard that re-mix of Queens We Will Rock You? Niether had I.  I can't remember when or why I bought this song, but I did, and it was playing now.  Turns out it was the perfect tune to ride hard too. ..Just looked on my phone.. it's an extra when you buy the album Queen News of The World on iTunes.

Anyhoo.. After blasting the dirt road like pro rodie I arrive at the turn-around.  "25 minutes left.. can you make it?", say's the hole puncher..  25 minutes?  Holly crap I am going way faster than I thought.  "I shouldn't have a problem", I replied and sped off.

This just keeps getting better.  I was totally pumped.  At that moment my iTunes, which for some reason was set to play every artist in my library in alphabetical order, landed on Ray Charles.  It didn't start with Ray's funky tunes, but rather his ballads.  Just when the technical section started and where I need to be maximally amped. 

Great tunes for relaxing or wanting to go to sleep.  No way I'm taking my hands off the bars to change tunes though.  Then I thought, Hey, this is Ray.. Ray is cool.  Just be cool like Ray and get into the grove.  Ahhh.. my flow changed from rigid to supple.  I wasn't banging over the roots and rocks.. I achieved the float zone.  Thanks Ray!

I cleaned all technical sections without hesitation.. I knew I would make the deadline, my goal had now changed to how much can I beat the deadline by..

I rolled into the finish and the clock said.. 11:49.  A 24 minute lap. I quickly looked at all the other lap times for the 24 hour event.. no 24 minute laps.  Waaa?  Double check.. holly crap I think I have the fastest lap time!

Turnes out I tied for fastest lap time, for which the only prize is pride, with John F, a top notch rider and one of the winners of the event.  Wow did I feel good!  The difference though is John can pump out a bunch of laps like that.. I think I could do only a few..  But for me this was a great achievement coming from not being able to ride the whole course two years ago.

I'm really looking forward to next years event.  I love riding the trails at Falcon Ridge and I love this event.  Thanks to everyone who made this possible

24 Hours of Falcon Ridge Blog

Video of one lap courtesy JP

Camp Cris

My race on wet rocks

I've been racing mountain bikes for two decades, and pretty much sucked in every race I've entered.  I've been in the entry level category the whole time.  Ok, so in the past three years I've entered more MTB races than I have in the past 17 years, but if I count from the first MTB bike race I entered, which I remember was on the Simon Fraser University hill in Burnaby BC, I've been racing MTB for.. well, actually longer than two decades.

In that first race I recall passing almost everyone in sport going downhill, which I thought was remarkable being a rodie.  Shortly after my ego-boosting descent I did an endo and chest plant into the mud.  I felt my rib cage compress like a coil spring, which fortunately sprung back instead of breaking.

Until three years ago when I decided to go all-in and switch from road to mud sucker (instead of wheel sucker), the MTB was all about getting out in the bush for some fun.  Now it's all about fun and building performance.  Today was my first race in "Comp" which in Manitoba is the upper level of our huge Sport category.  So, really I'm still in sport..

The race was in Pinawa, was pretty flat, and had plenty of Canadian Shield rock and some mucky, sloppy single track.

I came in dead last.  I expected this result when I did my warm up lap.  Wet rocks and I don't get along very well, although we're starting to warm to each other a little.

Of course I took no race pictures.  Why would I do that?  Pictures would be perfect for a blog entry of a race.  In fact, most blog entries about mountain bike races are pretty useless without pictures.

After the race I did some sight-seeing around Pinawa.  They have a suspension bridge and an old dam.

Like how I managed to capture the edge of my finger in that last one?  When I was young we had a true 100% professional quality dark room in the basement.  Back in the olden days we used film in cameras to take pictures, and developed the film with special chemicals.  My mom was a pretty serious photographer, hence the dark room.

It seems I didn't pick up the "don't put your finger in front of the lens" cardinal rule of photography.

In mountain-biking I had failed to employ bike handling cardinal rules such as:

Turn wheel and lean bike to get around corners

Stay on the trail- don't ride into trees (related to first rule)

Continuing to pedal allows you to ride over things.. Stopping peddling and panic-braking usually results in swearing, then walking over technical sections that 13 year old girls from Kids of Mud ride over while giggling 

Over the last couple years I've managed to apply some of these basic skills with some limited success.  I came in second place in the first race this year, and won the second race.  My lap times were fast enough to move up to the next category.  And yes, I did giggle like a 13 year old girl when I finally rode over stuff that had me verklempt for years.

Actually, I must confess.. I did technically win the second race, but the two people who were kicking my butt in front of me both had mechanical failures allowing me to pass them..  Nevertheless, my lap times were still good enough to move up a category.

Lucky for me my first race after the move up was on wet rocks.  I don't mind coming in dead last, I rode everything on the course.. not all in one lap mind you.  Last year I would have walked nearly the entire course so this year riding the entire course felt pretty gratifying.

So now I can ride most of the technical that shows up on a cross country course, but can't always ride it the first time.. er, or sometimes the 10th time.. soon I'll be able to ride this stuff faster, and by soon I mean in a couple years..

By that time I should be able to move up to the Expert category :-)

When to replace your chain

I've heard people say they've had the same chain on their bike for years and don't see any reason to change it.

I agree, if a chain isn't significantly worn, keep riding it.  There's an argument for continuing to ride a chain that is worn but isn't skipping yet; if it ain't broke, don't fix it.  I don't agree with that argument when it comes to chains.

You have to eventually replace the wearing parts of a drive-train anyway, so why not ride stuff until it dies, then replace it all, every few years?

You could do that, but like riding tires until bald, which can be done, the performance will gradually deteriorate as the practical service life of the component is surpassed.

The risk of mechanical failure increases, and it's no fun to be stuck in the woods with a mechanical failure that could have been prevented.

If you change your chain early you retain performance and spend less money.  Buying more chains is cheaper than not buying more chains?  Usually.  If your chain wears past a certain point it accelerates wear on chainrings and cogs.  Buying a high quality chain that lasts a long time and changing it out at the right time costs less in the long run in my experience.  Cogs and chainrings last longer.

So how do you know when your chain is worn enough that it will start causing premature wear on the rest of your drivetrain?

When chain wear is at 1%.  This refers to the increased length in the distance between link pins due to wear.  Replace your chain when it is at .75% wear, before it reaches the 1% mark.

The old school method is to measure the distance over 6 complete links, which should be exactly 12 inches on the chains we put on our mountain bikes, which is usually a chain with a 1/2 inch pitch (distance between link pins).  A set of inner and outer links = one complete link.  If chain is 1/16 of an inch past 12 inches, it's time to replace.

Never mind figuring that out though.. just buy a chain wear tool.  I like the go - no go type for ease of use.

This Park tool works well.

Resting the tool on my current chain, it slides about halfway down the .75 side of the tool.  When the chain is new there is pretty much no travel down the tool.

Pressing down with a bit of force caused the tool to go all the way down into the .75 wear indicator level. Most people will wait until the tool easily slips down instead of needing coaxing, but I'm measuring a Shimano chain here, and I don't like Shimano chains so this gives me a good excuse to get rid of the chain a little early.  Besides, race season starts in a couple weeks and if a new chain is going to skip I want to find out now so I can start the season with all the new parts I need.

If you let the chain wear to the 1% mark there is a greater chance of chainring and cog wear which will cause a new chain to skip on old cogs and increase risk of chain suck.

Shimano chains work, like all chains do. It's just that with my past life as a shop mechanic for 10 years and all the years I've been riding I've personally had more trouble with Shimano chains than any other chain, either braking or short life span.  Chains are a lot stronger now than in the 80's and 90's and Shimano chains have improved a great deal, but in my experience Shimano still wears or breaks before a Sram or Wipperman.

So why do I have a Shimano chain on my bike?  It came stock with the Giant Anthem X 29'er I bought last fall.  I thought I would ride it out to see how long new Shimano 10 speed chains last.  This is the HG74 chain, from Shimano's middle of the trail but well performing SLX group.  A lighter rider riding in dry conditions not doing any sprints or hard riding, a casual rider, could get years of trouble free service from this chain.  I got three months.

The new HGX chains from Shimano, which this is one, are specially designed with specific inner and outer plates designed for purposefully climbing or descending gears.  It shifted well until the last few weeks when I started to get some chain suck.  The chain suck could be coming from a dirty chain or wear on chainrings, so I can't really place the blame fully on the chain.

The chain did shift well, but I would expect nothing less on a 100% new bike.

My favorite chain is Connex stainless steel, made by Wipperman, and is tested as the strongest, longest lasting chain you can buy, double and triple the life of Shimano and Sram chains.  I've never broken a Connex myself and have rarely heard of them breaking from others.

I like the Connex quick connect link, although the Sram link is easier to use.

Shiny new chain in the box.

No quick link on the Shimano chain so out comes the chain tool from the bottom of the tool box to remove the old stock chain.

Connex Quick Link - no tools needed.

Must instal the right way or the link will skip on small cogs (11T) and may fail.  No worries when put on the right way though.. like anything mechanical..

I haven't ridden this 10 speed Connex yet (rode the 8 and 9sp versions before).  I'll add to this blog entry in a few days after my first ride and let you all know if I found a difference in shifting between Shimano's special HGX design and the Connex design. 

I've put about 15 hours on this chain now.. raced it twice.   Shifting under load up hills with the Connex is slightly less smooth than with Shimano's HGX chain, but it works just fine.  I'd say it's the same as Shimano's non-HGX chains or any other good top end chain.  This is for sure a nit-picky difference..   Nobody is going to lose time on any hill climbs.  Shifting seems just as fast.  It has that familiar HyperGlide click/ mild clunk feel.

I think it's worth it for the extra strength and durability.

Update August 27 2012:  Connex chain has just started to show very slight wear after 5 months.  Not yet at 0.75 wear. Not yet as much wear as the Shimano chain had at 3 months.  I'm ahead of the game chain wear wise, but the Connex was about $100.00 and the Shimano about $30.00. I need four more months of use from the Connex for wear life/ cost ratio to be equal between the two chains.  I am ahead on another front though.. My last Shimano chain on my old bike broke twice within a couple months.  Why did I buy a Shimano chain for the old bike if I don't like Shimano chains?  I went cheap because I was getting a new bike so I bought a $30.00 Shimano chain.. Wasn't so cheap as I needed to replace it early.  I threw it in the garbage and bought a Sram chain for $50.00.  Had not problems with that one.

Cut 'Yer Bar's- How to cut carbon mountain bike bars

I hate bar strikes.  No, not the local establishment closing it's doors due to employee negotiation challenges, but the kind that can send you careening off the trail when you try to ride through the space between trees that is more narrow than the width of your bars.  

The remedy? Two choices that I saw.. get better at riding with wide bars, or cut my bars. I cut my bars.

Yes you too can cut your carbon bars.  Following this straight forward guide from Easton I cut my new Easton carbon riser bars.  Actually I sort of loosely followed the instructions.. you may want to follow the official procedure to the letter and avoid the back yard hacking I do.. but you'll still get the general idea from reading this. 

These bars are really light which should cause me to double my speed while riding.  Maybe triple my speed since I cut off 3 cm or so off each end.  I thought of cutting off only one side so I could get the comfort of a wide bar, and the tree clearing and handling of a shorter bar, but it's possible this is a bad idea.

I used a zip tie as the saw guide resulting in only a slight angular cut.  I could have achieved a perfectly square cut following the vice mounting instructions in the Easton guide, but sheer laziness thwarted the effort.

 

I did follow the advice of wearing a dust mask while cutting, sanding, and clean up; breathing tiny carbon dust particles into my lungs wasn't very appealing.  Was advised to wear gloves as well.. don't want to get the carbon dust on your fingers.. could get into your eye, nose, or mouth.

I used an 800 grit fine sandpaper to smooth the cut ends and also to remove any burs on the inside of the shifters, brake levers, and stem.  I used a torque wrench to tighten all bolts to spec.. important for carbon.

I liked the 58 cm Easton carbon flat bar I had on before for stability, handling, and clearing tight trees, but the straight bar didn't agree with my elbows where I developed some pain after riding.  A 40 mm riser put my hands in the right place but I didn't like the 64 cm length, especially after clipping trees with them at Bur Oak and in Brandon (local Manitoba trails with some thread the needle tree spacing). I could have cut my alloy bars, but it made more sense to buy 69 cm carbon bars that cost 5X as much and cut those down.

If you're wondering what kind of grips those are, they are the  ESI silicone grips.  Only 60 grams for the Chunky version, thicker and more comfy than the Racers Edge thinner and lighter version (50 grams).  I contemplated the weight penalty of the extra 10 grams in the Chunky version, but then realized I was delusional with weight-weenie-itis. There's an extra chunky version out now which is probably even more comfy than the Chunky. 

These have been the best grips I've ever ridden with.  If you're looking to try out some new light weight grips that stay in place and cut vibration, give these a try.  They'll slip if not clean when mounted and can start slipping if you bail and get dirt inside them.  Keep them clean and and they stay put.. no need for lock ons.

A note on cutting carbon bars.. not all bars are made the same.  Some can't be cut at all, some can be cut but only a limited section near the ends, and most can't have bar-ends mounted once cut.  I bought the Easton EC70 riser because it came in the 40 mm riser I needed to get my position right, and they could be safely cut to any length (Easton replied to my email asking them about this).  I can't use bar ends after the cut though, but haven't used those for a few years and don't miss them.

Ride report:

I do XC riding and racing, and some mild to moderate all mountain. No black diamond trails (those are for more skilful riders than I).

I found handling to be better with the narrow cut. Steering input mistakes were less amplified which worked well on technical courses and when long ride fatigue would set in. I did sacrifice some comfort, but not a lot. It was easy to adapt to and I didn't find any comfort problems, even after 6 hours of trails. For handling I noticed I was more stable and able to hold a better line when going up onto slower speed 1-2ft square edge rock rises, as well as zigzagy rooty rocky stuff.  With wider bars I had to contend with a little more front wheel wandering. In speaking to other riders some have found the greater sensitivity to steering input on a wide bar gives them more control, but for me it lead to more overcorrections and unintended steering inputs.  This may be due to differences in riding style and ability, and my 20 years of mostly road riding before switching to dirt.  My road bars are 440mm, and that's considered wide for a pavement pedaler. 

After two years of riding the 600mm cut down bars: The Easton EC70 bars feel great.  With the front suspension doing a lot of the shock absorbing work I'm not so sure I feel a large, definitive difference in less vibration, a common benefit attributed to anything carbon. These bars will flex less than stock because I've made them shorter so maybe that has something to do with it. I'd probably have to go back to alloy bars to see if I could feel an increase in ride harshness.  I bought these bars because they are light and strong, and having a bit of carbon on your bike isn't a bad thing.  Hell, make the whole bike carbon! (There wasn't a carbon version of this bike when I bought it in 2011). Carbon has an ability to cut some vibration, but how much of that is placebo or real I don't know.  I didn't notice any shocking difference, although many swear there is.

2014 update:

I did make the whole bike carbon!  Have the Giant Anthem Advanced 29er now. Still rockin the same Easton EC70 carbon bars cut down to 600mm.  After riding Vancouver BC's famed North Shore for the past three months, I'd like to try adding another 30-60mm in bar width. 

Wider bars are more comfortable for the long climbs, but as of now I'm not entirely convinced that ultra wide bars (750, 800+mm) handle better.. It seems to me that with all the hype around ultra wide that it would be easy to be duped by the placebo effect.  The bars will certainly feel different, and one will be thinking about all those anecdotal testimonials and company marketing promises.. I think many will simply assign the perceived value of better handling to the different bar feel. 

There will be an optimal bar width range that is dependant on rider weight, size, bike set up, experience, and trail type, but I think this variability will be taken care of within 600 to 700mm for most people. Personal preference aside, I'm having a bit of trouble being convinced there is a fact backed measureable difference in lap times, DH times, and yes, Enduro split times, with ultra wide bars. Hard evidence will persuade me though.  Watch my blog for a lap time comparo with different width bars later this summer. 

Wireless Disk Brakes For Bikes

Wireless Bicycle Brake Only Fails Three Out Of A Trillion Times | Co.Exist: World changing ideas and innovation

Interesting idea.. but.. what kind of whacked out test bike is that?

The prototype actuates the brake by squeezing the grip.  This will be great for adding extra resistance when sprinting and hill climbing.

My brief ride with a Tour de France rider

Was going through a bunch of old files and came across some of my old flyers from when I taught safe cycling to kids and adults back in the late 80's - early 90's in Vancouver BC. The classes were usually close to or were sold out.

I also taught repair courses, and Learn to Race courses.

I remember riding my bike from Vancouver to Lions Bay to teach safe cycling to kids at Lions Bay Elementary School, one of my favorite locations to teach because of the great ride on the way out.

The ride was only about 40 k, but the kids were easily impressed and were willing to listen to what lycra-clad biker guy had to say. These were indeed rewarding days.  A great ride out to Lions Bay which had a good combo of long climbs, short and punchy climbs, 80km/h descents and gorgeous West Coast scenery; and of course another great ride back, sandwiched in-between with kids in helmets practicing turn signals, stops, starts, turns, braking, the obstacle course.. all great fun.

I got lucky a couple times and was able to do some safe cycling teaching alongside Alex Stieda, more memorable for me than for him I'm sure. Which reminds me of a couple epic rides I went on where Alex Stieda made a special appearance.

One was a charity ride from Vancouver to Harrison Hot Springs, a 120 k ride with some steep, hard rollers along the North side of the Fraser river.

A group of racers took off early, eager to win bragging rights to finishing first.  The rest stayed back with the main pack, (a few hundred riders) including a whole lot of riders young and old who wanted to get some chat time with the first North American to wear the Yellow Jersey in the Tour de France and team member of the iconic 7-11 road racing team, Alex Stieda. 

Mr. Stieda was definitely an ambassador to the sport.  He was happy to talk cycling with anyone who rode along side.  With 120 k in front of us I was pretty sure I'd get a chance to talk to him at some point so I waited.

About 50 k in the pace started to pick up but was still only about 35 km/h.  Alex was still chatting up a storm, but the bunch I was in had been whittled down from from the all inclusive participants found in charity rides to road racers only.  Might have been a few triathletes in there.. I say this because a few seemed to have a hard time riding in a straight line :-)

By 75 k it was on.. Alex was taking pulls and there were only three of us left that stayed on his wheel.  Was I dreaming?  I'm in a four man breakaway with Alex Stieda, all of us on the rivet (well, 3 of us anyway). Another 30 minutes and with the pro on my wheel, we dropped the other two guys.  Holly crap!  Is this what it feels like to be in a break in the Tour?

I found out about 2 minutes later.  I was breathing so hard I'm sure I could of inflated a king size air mattress in about 10 seconds.  My legs were passed burning and pain.. my mind was going blank as it took everything I had to maintain a pull.. I didn't want to disappoint the man on my wheel.

Then most humbling thing happened.  I will never forget this experience for the rest of my life.  Few weekend warriors ever get the chance to ride all out with a pro, this was my one in a million..

Alex rode up next to me and said something like, "let's take it up a level".  I was only semi- coherent so I don't remember verbatim what he said, but I knew it involved more pain.  But what he said was not as important as how he said it, which was calmly. I remember instantaneously comprehending how far out of my league I was, I was riding harder than I had ever pushed myself in my life, and this guy can still talk.. you'd think he was sitting on rocking chair knitting a jersey for how composed and relaxed he seemed. 

He showed some compassion though.  Realizing that it was quite impossible for me to vocalize a response, he put on his coaches hat and said, "you stair at my rear hub! Don't look at anything else! Focus on that hub and maintain your distance, don't let that hub go!  Here we go!"

Amazing what focus can do.  The only thing that existed in the whole world was Alex Stieda's rear hub. I learned one of the most valuable racing lessons ever on that day.. no matter how much you're hurting there is a chance you can still get more out of your body, you can't give up, and to gain access to your own subhuman abilities you need to want it like you never wanted anything else in your life.

I knew that of course Alex was not turning out his max wattage, he was pushing just hard enough to make me work my hardest.  Two rolling hills later and Alex peeled off and came back to me, "you did really good, you're a strong rider!  Time for me to turn around and go back to the others and spend some time with them".

And with that he smiled and waved and was gone, as were my lungs and legs.  The only thing echoing in my head were Stieda's words, "you did really good, you're a strong rider"..  When I came down of that high the rest of the ride was a piece of cake.  All riders were shuttled back to Vancouver by van.  I remember getting on my bike to ride home from the drop off point having the worst case of rubber legs, and I'm sure I was towing a piano.

I slept like a baby that night and dreamed of riding in the Tour..