I finally got my new mountain bike last Friday, and used it for an hour on that day. It definitely wasn't enough time to get in the groove... First, it's a hardtail, and the last time I road a hardtail was before my beloved 2000 Norco Team Ti frame cracked back in 2005. Norco replaced that one with a full suspension EXC 1.0 FS frame (thank you lifetime warranty!). Second, it's a 29er (Scott Scale 29 Pro). Let's just say it was a rough ride in Kanata Lakes last Friday, and I'll admit that I didn't get a chance to appreciate the benefits of a 29er.
In any case, I was anxious to really "kick the tires", and the Fortune Sunset race seemed like a good way to do that. Oh yea, the other luxury I've become accustomed is tubeless, since building up a new set of ZTR Alpines/Chris King/SuperComp wheels for the Norco. Going back to tubed on the 29er was an unwelcome change; but since I've become addicted to the super-low pressure, I ended up running much lower pressure on the 29er than I ever would have in the past with tubes.
It had rained (drizzled?) all day, so the course was wet. No big puddles, but slippery rocks and roots; luckily the rain seemed to mostly hold off during the race, making for quite acceptable conditions. Off the start I was able to hang with the fast guys up the CBC road (we raced the sport loop), but had to "let them go" once we got into the woods, as I maxed out and needed to to recover a bit. And so started my learning process of how a 29er works! The remainder of the first lap went OK, but there was no flow in the single track - because of the new geometry, because of the slippery conditions, because I haven't really raced seriously since 2002... Then it happened - at end of the first lap - the dreaded "tire bottoms out". Just a soft hit, but unmistakable, the rim hit a rock. OK, so I really did run the pressure too low for tubes (23.5psi rear), and it seemed like I was going to pay the price. Waiting for the air to rush out.. waiting.. waiting... OK, I guess I got lucky, no flat! Carry on then!
By the third lap, I started to get into a groove. I had been duking it out with a few guys since the 2nd lap, but once we hit the single track on the 3rd lap I started making a gap. It felt like I finally found the gas pedal that I've been missing so far. Maybe it was the gel from half a lap earlier; maybe I found a second wind; maybe this is the difference between hardtail the full suspension I've become to; maybe this is the 29er advantage; maybe I was just coming out of the corners in the right gears. I don't know, but I do know that those 6 or 7 minutes was enough to make me feel good about my riding, in a way that has been elusive so far this year. Alas, all good things must come to an end, and sadly for me, not at the actual end of the race. As forebode at the end of the first lap, the rear tire flatted. I can't say I was surprised. It's possible that the small hit on the first lap left a small pinch that eventually failed, or maybe I simply pinched again going over more rough stuff. Regardless, my race was over, and it was walking back to the start/finish for me! (yes, I could have [should have?] changed the flat - it's always good practice, and a late finish is much better than a DNF. But I had forgotten my inflation at home, and in the wet I'm not sure I would have been up to it anyway.)
No one's every happy with a DNF, but I did leave the race feeling better than when I arrived. I think I'm going to like the bike, I think I am getting back some of the fitness that I used to have, and I know I had a fun ride.
Final Score:
29er: good
Tubes: bad
Yep,
ReplyDeleteYou're half way there Richard. 29" Wheels are the biggest improvements in MTB technolgy, with tubeless being a close second.