July riding

Sheila, wow, nowhere near that 82cm. I usually run about 70cm on my MTBs (my clothing inseam in 31" or 32"). That's a bit lower than I do for road bikes, but I stay with the low seat height for my style of trail riding. Don't spend a lot of time in the seat. Can't afford to have it in the way, which it is when I set it too high.

Thanks, Sky. It hasn't been under 60% humidity here in weeks, with some days over 70% and in the upper 80s. Really could use some of that dry desert air. Have absolutely no doubt about that mileage comparison. Way different kind of bicycling.

Shootingstar, have only been to Banff, once, but I think it must be one of the most beautiful places on Earth.

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Originally Posted by Muirenn

Most of the manufacturers recommend a medium for a 5'9" rider (at the moment, anyway), and they claim a 5'7" rider should be on a small. :) 5'10" is iffy. Good to know. :)

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No way would you fit on a small in Surly world. I think you would be fine on the medium, even if you needed to tweak some with a stem or different seat post

Wow! Lots of good questions.

Sheila, the way it was explained to me is that the ECR is more of a touring bike with its geometry, designed to carry max loads of gear and has a stiffer frame for that reason. It could certainly be used for single track work, as I'm sure Sky will tell you. Would certainly handle any kind of road on this planet. Probably a smart move on Surly's part to offer it in a 27.5 version, since the industry seems determined to make the 27.5 a standard wheel size for MTBs. Even some fat bikes now using that wheel diameter.

I see the ECR as a true expedition bike, but unless you plan to pack it up with a weeks worth of gear, it's probably overkill for casual trail riding. The Krampus and KM are true trail bikes with trail geometry and since I'm riding trails every day, carrying nothing more than some water and basic tools, I chose the Krampus. It's also a very sweet ride on pavement and gravel for some of my daily road adventures. I like those big 29+ wheels, too, since they roll over some of my very rough trial sections almost as nicely as my fat bikes, but the 29+ bikes are a lot easier to handle than the big fatties.

The new KM is supposedly very similar to the new Krampus, but it's designed around those 27.5+ wheels. My experience with 27.5 wheels is that they are closer to the old 26" MTB size than they are to the 29" and share many of the same characteristics of the old 26". I found that the 27.5 makes for a quicker accelerating and faster climber than the 29+, very much like my 26" MTBs, but those 3" tires on the 27.5+ should make for a much more comfortable and stable ride in rough stuff than the old 26x2" tires. With my classic 26" bikes and their 2" tires, I have to be much more careful and alert on the rough stuff.

I might have taken a KM home with me, except that they were out of stock and due in sometime later this month. Who knows, with me, I could talk myself into a KM, too, just for a little quicker and agile trail bike. Might want to take one for a test ride.

Most of my bikes are rigid - no suspension. On rough trails, they are tooth rattlers, but you learn to adapt your riding style, letting your legs and arms absorb most of the shock. The advantage is that without suspension, bike weight is kept down and if you're packing, you can add gear to the front fork. Also, you get every ounce of effort at the pedals into the bike's movement. You don't lose anything to squish.

On the other hand, even a front suspension fork reduces wear and tear on your arms and shoulders on a long ride and suspension does allow more margin of error when you tackle the technical stuff. On my trails, a front suspension fork makes log hopping and rock climbing and rolling noticeably easier and more pleasant. A full suspension bike, even more so, but I sold my fs bike because it was actually too squishy for my rigid bike trail riding taste.

Unless I'm riding some really nasty roads, though, a suspension fork is mostly needless weight out on the road for me. Much prefer rigid for road work, dirt, gravel or pavement. Those big 3" tires on the Krampus or the Stashe, both rigids, soak up a lot of road buzz when you inflate them right.

That's me, though. One thing about MTBs and MTB riders is that there's no shortage of diversity.

Love that color. Looks like a fun ride, too.

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Originally Posted by Muirenn

Hike by bike...

What bike would you get? Fully rigid steel? Or that style bike, but switch out the fork for suspension? A lot of people on Mountain Bike Review forums do that.

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Alex and I have talked about it and she likes the idea of learning the technical/technique aspect of it too. You, NWG’s adventures and especially Sky’s baja trip have got me thinking more about it though. I’ll put more thought into it when I get back home. If I do and have questions I know some on this site are good resources…:)

It could be an interesting change from the long, steady and sustained hard efforts that my road bikes have addicted me to….and as a friend says, she likes it for its exercise while being in nature drug free antidepressant qualities :)

Give it a try, Rebecca. It's not better than road biking, just a very different kind of bicycling, not just in terms of technique and equipment, but also the physical conditioning involved. Kind of like doing wind sprints versus long distance running. Both are good workouts in their own way.

I still ride pavement, too, so there's a place for both in my biking, but, yeah, being able to ride trails right in my backyard means I do more MTB, now. I try to add at least two 20+ mile road rides, each week, though, because, as I said, it is a different kind of physical conditioning. Speaking of which, the new Krampus is due to get some road miles, this week. About ten miles out on the pavement, I have a nice set of gravel roads to ride.

Catching up. Beautiful photo of Banff, Shootingstar. Looks like a great place to visit.

Thanks very much for the saddle info, Sky King. I moved it back a millimeter for my ride on Sunday and that has helped significantly. It still feels too nose-up though, and is pushing my shorts up into my crotch. Very annoying. But when I finished my last ride and looked at it, it was clearly tilted down. It definitely was not like that when I started the ride. I thought maybe the bolt wasn't tight enough and it tilted when I hit a bump while riding. But when I went to adjust it last night, the bolt was so tight I couldn't budge it. (Note to self: ask the guys at he LBS not to tighten it so much that I can't loosen it to make adjustments on my own). Also when I checked it with a level last night it was not tilted. So I will hopefully go out and ride again tonight and see what's going on with it.

I say "hopefully" because this morning I discovered the rear tire is flat. I had the bike upside-down last night while I cleaned it and lubed the chain. You'd think I would have noticed the flat then. But no. By the time I get out of work and am able to fix it tonight, it will probably be dark. I looked the tire over quickly this morning and saw several small cuts where glass could have cut through. It will be nearly impossible to find any lurking bits of glass in the dark. Who knows if I'll actually ride tonight or if I will just end up sitting under a streetlight cursing my tire.

Anyway. In spite of the saddle-nose-tilt problem and whatever glass I rode through to cause the flat tire, I rode about 45 miles on Sunday and overall had fun. A friend was leading the ride, and he cross-posted on the schedules of two bike clubs. Most of the people who showed up are not familiar with the area where we rode, though I know it well (and in fact I had designed the route, a couple of years ago). Most people also rode ahead on their own and we rarely or never saw them during the ride. However there were a couple of people who needed help in the last segment of the ride, after the final rest stop. One did not have a cue sheet, and as I talked to him I got the impression that he had some sort of mild cognitive disability. I was happy to ride with him to make sure he didn't get lost, but he kept crowding me and wouldn't ride single file when there were cars behind us, like he was too afraid that I'd drop him. I was starting to sound annoyed with him and didn't want to be annoyed, for his sake as well as mine. And there were two other people who needed help -- one who got dropped on every hill, and another who was riding with him so was stopping periodically to regroup. So I pulled the guy with no cue sheet up to the ride leader and announced that I was dropping back to help the slower riders. It was good that I did that, because they attempted a short cut and would have gotten lost if I hadn't found them. I led them back using a shorter route to cut a few miles from the total. They were extremely appreciative. So at the end of the day we had a bit of drama but enjoyed a scenic bike ride. After we finished I stopped at a nearby sandwich place to get something to eat, and just as I was about to leave it started to rain very heavily, and continued to come down in sheets for about 20 minutes, leaving huge puddles on the roads. I was very glad to have finished the ride before the rain started.

NY, that was very nice of you, and people are usually appreciate of those efforts. Murienn, sounds like you have a plan.
I finally rode today, all of 8 miles, my first ride since my trip to the Berkshires. I was going to do a 25 mile ride in the morning and go out with friends for lunch. Then, another friend's dad died, so I went to the funeral with one of the 2 people I was supposed to go out with. I had planned and got ready for a 5 AM ride, despite the fact it was 50 degrees out. But my alarm woke me up and that is a sign I need to sleep! So, I did. After the funeral, my friend and I and one other person went out to lunch in the city I grew up in. So, I didn't get home until 2, I was not really motivated, so getting out for 30 minutes or so was fine.
Tomorrow is tabata, Friday, I am co-leading a ride. Looks like rain Saturday AM, and then my granddaughter is coming for the afternoon, so I will probably do another tabata class. Hoping for a 50 mile ride on Sunday.

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Originally Posted by Muirenn

Question to North Woods: how does one use a dropper post? You move it up and down while doing steep inclines?

How does this work? The new Krampus will take a dropper post. No idea if I'd want one.

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Correct, descending, railing around turns at high speed, landing after going airborne. Basically, any time you want to get down lower than what a fixed seat allows. Some are activated with button on the seat, but the better ones are activated with a button or lever on the handlebar, hence the routing thing.

It's something to consider if you are doing difficult single track with lots of steeps and drops, riding over boulder fields and the like. I personally have never felt the need for one and I do some fairly steep drops, though this is hardly mountain country. In real mountain country, I might consider one, but even then, that kind of super aggressive stuff down the side of a mountain, both wheels off the ground, over what some wouldn't even consider a trail is out of my league. Might get there, someday, but not there right now. At this point, I'd rate myself as an intermediate or advanced intermediate single track rider (one wheel off the ground) and though our trails can be a bit rocky at times, nothing I can't manage without resorting to a dropper post. I tend to keep my seat lower on my trail bikes than on my road bikes, anyway, and that works, fine. I can tuck down very low when needed. Might be fun to try a dropper post, sometime, and knowing me, I probably will, but for now I'd be much more inclined to put my money in other kinds of upgrades. Something you can always add, later.

Tabata is a high intensity interval training class. 45 minutes of the hardest stuff you can imagine. It's different every time, combo of cardio and weights. Usually 8 sets of 4 exercises each. 45 seconds of each one, with a minute rest between each set.

Thompson makes a great seat post. Have several. Quality item.

They have Tabata classes at my gym. I think they do them up on the roof during the summer.

So I did manage to get out and ride last night. As usual I got out of work late, so it was around sunset when I reached my ride start (a community center) and got everything out of the car. Removed the rear wheel with the flat tire, spread all the tools out in the back of the car, got a spare tube from my gear bag. Noted the location of the tire logo relative to the valve stem. Struggled to get the tire off the rim, I think maybe I should get better tire levers. Pulled out the tube, pumped air into it, searched for the hole, no luck. It was too slow a leak. Put on my reading glasses, got out my daytime blinky headlight, set it to steady beam, used it as a flashlight as I inspected the tire. Didn't find any cuts or anything sharp on the inside. Did find numerous small cuts on the outside. Scratched a couple of tiny pieces of glass out of two of the cuts. Checked the rim tape inside the wheel. Put a new tube in, struggled to get the tire back on the rim. Made sure the tire was situated with the same logo lined up with the valve stem, for reference. Pumped it up. Took a restroom break. When I returned, the new tire appeared fine. Still not confident, though. So I did a few short laps on the roads immediately around the community center. Tire was okay. Headed out on my normal route, but when I reached the next residential neighborhood a mile or so away I decided to so some laps there so I wouldn't be too far from my car if the tire went flat again. Zig-zagged through the streets up a big hill and back down again, four times. Tire still good, ride distance about 6 miles so far. Headed out on the main road for a couple of miles to connect with the flat neighborhoods that I usually ride through on the end of the ride. Did a few laps there. Returned to the community center. Total distance 17 miles, about what I would have done if I'd ridden my normal route, but with fewer hills. So glad I've learned the roads well enough over the years to improvise like this.

This morning I pumped the bad tube up again and held it under water to find the leak. It was roughly opposite the valve stem. The new tire is still holding air so I think either I removed the offending glass or the cause of the puncture was not stuck in the tire. I will check the tire again tonight with a magnifying glass just in case. And perhaps I will use the bad tube to practice patching tubes, which is a thing I am very bad at.

We're expecting lots of rain tomorrow and Saturday, so I have a club ride planned for Sunday.

The other club I belong to (not the one I lead for) is doing a flat century in the cranberry bogs of SE MA on 10/1. DH and I are thinking of doing it. I've done one century, also flat, in 2006, with no real training. I just need to do a few 50-75mile rides and I'll be fine, since all of the rides I do around here are hilly and require time in the saddle.

Yeah, no substitute for time in the saddle to prepare for a big ride like that. It's part of my bicycling regimen that needs a little work. One hour of trail riding, every day, is a good workout and very healthy, but that long distance stuff is another type of workout.

Been riding the Surly Krampus all week and switching back and forth with various bikes for the sake of comparison. The closest bike to the Krampus is my other 29+ rigid, my Trek Stashe. Okay, well, duh! Still, the two are surprisingly different. Shorter chain stays on the Trek, lighter frame and more XC geometry make it a more nimble, agile bike. You might expect a 29+ bike to be kind of clunky in the handling department, but not this one. Reminds me of my old classic 26" MTBs.

The Krampus, though, amazes me. With the new Knard tires, it's actually a slightly faster bike than the Trek on a straight run. Plenty agile, but not as twitchy as the Trek. Better climber in the steeps and easier to hop logs with it's trail geometry. And that steel? Oh, yeah, what a difference it makes on the rough stuff.

What is especially noticeable on the Krampus is its ability to track a straight line. This could be the result of it fitting me better than than the Trek, but it is the more stable bike. I used to ride the Trek on 6 to 10 miles of pavement to get to my favorite gravel and sand roads, but the Trek just felt like a mismatch on the pavement as in, what are we doing on this stuff? Get the Krampus out on a road, though, and it begs to cover some miles. I had originally hoped that the Krampus would give me a narrow tire, lighter version of the Pugsley for a do it all, utility bike and looks like I hit the jackpot. The Pugs will still get the call in extreme conditions or when things turn soft and the Pugs can be ridden in all four seasons, but the Krampus will take over for the longer rides until the snow falls.

Love the Pugs and now the Krampus, too. :)

I helped lead our struggling Fri. morning series. The guy I lead with goes anyway, and the last few weeks, when I have not attended, he had one person. Today we had 2. It's the same ride every week. He mentioned that he had cut the end part off the past 2 weeks, since the one attendee was happy with 25 miles instead of 30, which we also did. The end of the ride is through a business park, a community college, and a VA campus... it's ok, but not that pretty. We are going to add the miles back in, with a prettier route.
I've had some allergies, which seems to affect my cycling more than anything. But, I did the job as sweep, the other woman there was riding my speed, though I did lag a bit on a climb that came after a short and super steep climb. This ride is mostly shady, which is good, as even though it was only 77 when we left, in the full sun of the parking lot, it felt like 97. And, I was home by noon.
Weather looks better for tomorrow. I may ride early in the AM, just a short one, before my granddaughter arrives.

Today DH and I rode out to Bolton Farms. Found out it is not quite 50 miles from our condo, as opposed to our house. We kind of knew this, and although we did not take the shortest way home after lunch, I think next time, we will do the 3 needed miles before lunch! It was a perfect New England day. Not hotter than 78 degrees and a dew point in the 50s. Also a breeze. The part of the ride before lunch is very hilly, with a long downhill right before the stop. After lunch, is also a climb, not so steep, but totally unshaded, so we've had many hot and uncomfortable rides up this part of the ride. It was a little quieter than usual on the roads today, both cars and cyclists. Everyone's at the beach, and it's the last weekend before the PMC. Most of the riders we saw were going the other way, in the beginning of the ride.
Need to keep doing longer rides...

No, have never tried the 510s, but have heard about them and considered giving them a try. Just never had any issues with the wide variety of shoes I use on all my flats. Thanks for the warning.

Took the Krampus for a pavement ride, yesterday. Did a total of 25 miles. 4 were gravel/sand, but all the rest pavement. Very comfy ride, kind of like a faster Pugsley. Definitely a capable shoulder riding bike like the Pugs, too. Nice to have as an option should I ever need detour or get off the road, quick.

Only issue was that the Krampus felt so much like the Pugsley that I kept reaching for those Jones Loop bars which weren't there (have them on the Pugs). Definitely need to add the Jones to the Krampus if I plan to do a lot of road work with it.

What are 510s?

The one time I rode my mountain bike with flat pedals, I wore my usual Shimano mountain bike shoes since the cleats are recessed.

So, catching up for July, I led a 49-mile ride on Sunday for the club. I used a route that someone else had devised and that I heard was popular, and reversed it for the sake of variety. It was okay, parts were very nice, but some of it used roads that are not my favorite for cycling due to the amount of traffic. We had perfect weather and a big turnout as a result, and everyone seemed to enjoy the ride. A couple of people slowed down quite a bit for the last 10 miles or so and since I was the sweep, I had to slow down too. This was only a problem because I was wearing shorts that apparently have been worn too many times, and they were causing some chafing. So I really was happy when we reached the end.

The new saddle was bothering me pretty much for the entire ride. The wide part of it has a domed shape, and I think this is what is causing the feeling of the nose being tilted up. I'm going to try lowering it a bit to see if that helps.

On the shoes thing with flats, I also use some old clipless shoes without the cleats attached and they work fine, too.