The Trivial

The ER has been kind to me this week, and I found time this afternoon to get a good 305 to Smith Ravine ride in before the coming working weekend.

I had not been on 305 since I last rode it a few months ago with Dan and Dave. It's just farther than I want to drive with my limited ride time. Today will go down as the first day of spring for me. I was warm and sweating in shorts and short sleeves (plus pads). I hope it stays.

I took the full rigid Zion again. Perfect for the trail IMO. I was glad to see that my climbing ability is no worse than a few months ago, and probably a little better than the last time out there. Granite Basin riding has not gotten me as out of shape as I thought. The rigid bike is light, and simply rolls up the hill. Made it from the parking lot to the top of 305 in 52.5 minutes. Faster than usual for me and I wasn't really pushing it. I felt good, so I pushed up Smith Ravine until just past the large Juniper tree. Turned around 1:16 into the ride 5 minutes past the tree. Lots of woodpeckers in the dead trees on Smith.

Techy thoughts:

1. I found the downside of a flexy, comfortable, rigid steel bike....frame/fork flex. Definitely felt it coming down Smith Ravine. Fast bumpy terrain with heavy braking for sharp corners brings it out. It's not necessarily a bad thing, just weirds me out a little. The El Comandante descends with more authority in this area due to the slightly slacker headtube and way, way stiffer frame. It is a more confidence inducing ride at speed at the loss of a little comfort. I actually think the Zion behaves better at speed now with the rigid fork on it, but it is no match for the Ventana. When I had the Reba on the Zion, with the suspension flexing, and the frame flexing, it was a little bit of a handful at high speeds and heavy braking (same conditions). The rigid fork definitely makes it less squirrelly. No problem really, just ride slower and all is well.

2. Rigid forks allow for instant weight transfer. This characteristic is really fun. I can make the front end light in an instant when I need it to be. I can also weight it heavily for braking/cornering if need be. I am having to relearn how to brake. With suspension, I would ease into it until I got things settled into the travel, then hit the brakes hard. Rigid, you can basically weight the front, and slam on the brakes (provided the surface is smooth). I am no where near using the front brake to it's full effectiveness. The lack of brake dive messing with the geometry is also refreshing. One less variable for the brain to figure out.

Of course instant weight transfer has its down side. The rear locks up more readily, and is less effective. If you do the weight transfer wrong in a rough part of trail, you might find a rock transferring a lot of weight for you, instantly, in the wrong direction, slamming you into an obstacle, or bouncing you into the air when you want to be stopping or turning.

Fun stuff.

3. I think this bike is perfectly set up for me. I love the Mary bars, the Oury grips, the fit. The front Nevegal is simply an outstanding tire. The Ignitor let me down on the rear climbing a few times, but will do until I wear it out. I need to re-learn how to climb anyway. Explain to me why a little bitty Ignitor rides softer than a great big Exi?

4. The Bontrager wheels from the Rig are impressive given their low budget nature. I notice no flaws compared to some of my nicer wheelsets except that I miss the fast engagement of the Kings while SSing. What I most appreciate about them is how quiet the freehub is. I literally never hear the thing clicking. The clicks are quieter than the noise of the tires on the ground, and certainly quieter than the gear noise while pedaling. This bike is quite stealthy.

5. Zion vs El Comandante? I really don't know. I seem to like which ever one I'm riding at the time, a lot. I think I will set them up a little differently. Suspension fork for El Comandante (although Sherwood recommends rigid), lower gearing for more epic rides in rougher terrain. Full rigid and higher gearing for the Zion? Unfortunately, the Zion is now 32 X 22 and El Comandante is 32 X 21 and I am too lazy to change them over. For now. Maybe I need to try the rigid fork on the Ventana. I'm afraid of a beating, however. If I liked it though, it could become the uber-light bling rigid bike, and the Zion could be the "trail" SS, or be sold or demoted (promoted?) to SS commuter (or fixie???) Hmmmmmm. I don't see myself ever getting rid of the Ventana simply because I got a killer deal on it and it is gorgeous.