Nice weather for a bike ride. Lack of fitness is showing due to lack of riding!
Sunday, 6 May 2012
Wednesday, 2 May 2012
2012 Trek Superfly 100 AL Pro
First off road ride out on the new bike. it had been raining a lot the last week so i picked the canal to ride down to try and avoid most of the mud but this wasn't really working.
I have been riding the bike on my really "extreme" ride to work and back. After using Trek's guide to setting up the suspension on their bikes I decided that the vigorous testing on my commute over the various curbs, speed bumps and dog poo, that the suspension was too soft, based on Trek's setup it was way too soft at the front and to add to this the rebound was too quick bouncing giving me the feeling of being bounced off the saddle over bumps.
So I used this ride to setup the bike in a more realistic setting. Armed with my shock pump, allen keys, a bumpy canal and some steps to drop off nearer to home to test the settings.
Well my current settings that I had personalized on the way to work were useless. Too hard, rebound couldn't control the suspension, front was way too hard leaving me with a slack steering.
After some playing with rebound, pro pedal and air pressure I improved it greatly.
At the half way point I googled "Trek Suspension Setup" to see how Trek's settings compared. They were pretty close, I had more pressure in the rear but the same in the front, which surprised me as i originally thought it was too soft. Although i did have a slightly slower rebound settings.
The higher pressure in the rear that i ended up with is probably to do with coming from a hardtail.
On the way home after avoiding attack from the swan which attacked me on the way out and few at me on the way home. I rode the dropoff down the steps and didn't bottom out the suspension so its not too soft.
Just got to get out and ride it some more now to get ready for mountain mayhem.
You can see Trek's suspension setup here.
http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/resources/suspension_setup/
I have been riding the bike on my really "extreme" ride to work and back. After using Trek's guide to setting up the suspension on their bikes I decided that the vigorous testing on my commute over the various curbs, speed bumps and dog poo, that the suspension was too soft, based on Trek's setup it was way too soft at the front and to add to this the rebound was too quick bouncing giving me the feeling of being bounced off the saddle over bumps.
So I used this ride to setup the bike in a more realistic setting. Armed with my shock pump, allen keys, a bumpy canal and some steps to drop off nearer to home to test the settings.
Well my current settings that I had personalized on the way to work were useless. Too hard, rebound couldn't control the suspension, front was way too hard leaving me with a slack steering.
After some playing with rebound, pro pedal and air pressure I improved it greatly.
At the half way point I googled "Trek Suspension Setup" to see how Trek's settings compared. They were pretty close, I had more pressure in the rear but the same in the front, which surprised me as i originally thought it was too soft. Although i did have a slightly slower rebound settings.
The higher pressure in the rear that i ended up with is probably to do with coming from a hardtail.
On the way home after avoiding attack from the swan which attacked me on the way out and few at me on the way home. I rode the dropoff down the steps and didn't bottom out the suspension so its not too soft.
Just got to get out and ride it some more now to get ready for mountain mayhem.
You can see Trek's suspension setup here.
http://www.trekbikes.com/uk/en/resources/suspension_setup/
Sunday, 29 April 2012
2012 Mountain Mayhem
Mountain Mayhem Solo that's the plan for the year!
There I said it my first solo 24 hour mountain bike race! I have done this event as a team of 10 for the last two years which I imagine will feel like cheating in comparison to solo!
Riding as a team of 10 has had its ups and downs. Downs been woke up at 2 or 3 am to be told everything's failed and you need to be on your bike! Ups being when you think you are going to be placed top 10 only to end up 11th for the second year in a row! but all is fun in the end!
I have successfully entered the 2012 Mountain Mayhem solo. (bites nails). So its about the time I need to start some sort of training plan or even to have a plan of how to go about riding a 24 hour race. But this is my problem how do you plan for 24 hours in the saddle? Ive not even done half of that before.
24 hour race strategies
Ride. Rest. Ride. Rest. More resting. Short ride. Back to resting.
This would seam to be a good strategy for the first attempt at solo but I fear a lack of motivation for getting back on the bike! Sounds like a fun strategy but not very effective for a high number of laps!
Ride slow, ride slower then even slower.
This is the ways the pros do it but just without the slow. Start riding and just ride until I can't ride any more.
There I said it my first solo 24 hour mountain bike race! I have done this event as a team of 10 for the last two years which I imagine will feel like cheating in comparison to solo!
Riding as a team of 10 has had its ups and downs. Downs been woke up at 2 or 3 am to be told everything's failed and you need to be on your bike! Ups being when you think you are going to be placed top 10 only to end up 11th for the second year in a row! but all is fun in the end!
I have successfully entered the 2012 Mountain Mayhem solo. (bites nails). So its about the time I need to start some sort of training plan or even to have a plan of how to go about riding a 24 hour race. But this is my problem how do you plan for 24 hours in the saddle? Ive not even done half of that before.
24 hour race strategies
Ride. Rest. Ride. Rest. More resting. Short ride. Back to resting.
This would seam to be a good strategy for the first attempt at solo but I fear a lack of motivation for getting back on the bike! Sounds like a fun strategy but not very effective for a high number of laps!
Ride slow, ride slower then even slower.
This is the ways the pros do it but just without the slow. Start riding and just ride until I can't ride any more.
Tuesday, 28 February 2012
2012 Trek fuel EX 9
2012 Trek fuel EX 9 came into the shop today and then was taken away. @speedscycles
Sunday, 26 February 2012
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