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Thread: Maiden Voyage.

  1. #16
    Join Date
    Oct 2010
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    Hey, I'm impressed that you are even considering doing a race like this!
    LORI
    Pivot Mach 4 / WTB
    Updated Vintage Terry Symmetry / Bontrager InForm RL WSD

  2. #17
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Columbia River Gorge
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    3,565

    Smile

    Quote Originally Posted by Muirenn View Post
    I'm curious about something. You mentioned that you are changing mountain bikes along with the type of riding you are doing. What did you do before vs now? Race?
    What I was riding was this and/or my single speed mud bike. I did race on the full suspension bike last season and the season before. It is a great racing bike. Especially for trails with a lot of rocks and roots to roll over, technical trail where you don't want to have to be very precise about the line you pick (if you hit a rock on that bike, it doesn't really matter, you'll just roll over it), and for learning to like some speed downhill. It is still VERY light for a full suspension bike and has some suspension dampening, so climbs better than most.

    But...

    I bought the full suspension bike when I was first getting back into mountain biking and I didn't really know where it was going to take me, so I got a bike that was reported to be a cross country bike but with enough of a slope to the head tube and enough suspension to handle technical, fast downhill riding. The blue bike did that. It allowed me to ride much more technical terraine than I would have been able to without the suspension and it really helped me learn how to pick lines around corners etc. And of course, everyone that was "serious" that I knew, had a full suspension bike so I got one too.

    But full suspension is a PITA if it's muddy. It requires maintenance and takes a lot longer to clean up. Also, I have a tendency to avoid the pain of pushing a bigger gear and that was limiting my progress riding, especially hill climbing. So, the following winter, I took an old hard tail mountain bike and turned it into a single speed with a rigid fork for winter training. I discovered that my skills had progressed to the point that I could go downhill on the type of trails that I liked best (no big drops but some rocks and roots etc) without any significant loss of speed even though I didn't have any suspension. The bike was noticeably lighter when climbing and I liked that I didn't seem to be losing any of my effort going into the climb by the squishing of the suspension. As far as clean-up went, no problem, let the mud dry and brush it off easily in a few minutes, lube the chain and away you go again.

    If I hadn't gotten the inkling to do this Portugal race, I would likely have just continued riding these two bikes and just picking the right days for them.

    But my full suspension bike just is not appropriate for the Portugal race. It would not gain me anything on the descents with exception of a couple of Roman Road cobble descents which were very technical but are a miniscule part of the total mileage. The full suspension would be a disadvantage in terms of energy loss through the suspension on long flatter days and I would be doing my own maitenance in the evening and didn't want to have to worry about the suspension. The climbing that there is in this race can be very steep if not long, so any weight loss on the bike or me would also be helpful.

    So this new bike is born for that race and is much better suited for the type of riding I am doing in general, which is tight twisty single track with lots of steep climbing but pretty buffed out trail for the most part. I had seriously contemplated building a hardtail, but I heard a lot of feedback from the racers (apart from my boyfriend who rides nothing but a fully rigid bike!) that having some rear suspension is really helpful in taking the edge off your butt, especially, over cobbles on long days. So I went with the pivotless rear suspension.

    That's a really long answer to your question. But I didn't know how else to answer it without sounding vague. But really, I think that the bike you start riding on, is not the bike that you're likely to continue riding for a long time. Until you have some mountain biking experience, figure out what kind of riding you like and what your strengths and weaknesses are... you won't know what direction to go in. A good entry level full suspension bike is a good place to start. Then, maybe like me, you'll decide that you like the climbing and the challenge of long days in the saddle and you'll want a really light bike. Or, maybe you'll love ripping down hills, doing gap jumps or who knows what and you'll want a bike with HUGE suspension where weight is not a bad thing. Or maybe you'll just love all around riding and the jack of all trades bike will continue to be the right bike. Who knows where you'll end up, but enjoy the journey!!
    Living life like there's no tomorrow.

    http://gorgebikefitter.com/


    2007 Look Dura Ace
    2010 Custom Tonic cross with discs, SRAM
    2012 Moots YBB 2 x 10 Shimano XTR
    2014 Soma B-Side SS

  3. #18
    Join Date
    Apr 2006
    Location
    somewhere between the Red & Rio Grande
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    5,297
    Ohhh that sounds like an amazing race! I found my niche is longer races, it is mental and physical. You can't just be the best athlete, you have to be mentally conditioned. I cannot wait to hear about your event!
    Amanda

    2011 Specialized Epic Comp 29er | Specialized Phenom | "Marie Laveau"
    2007 Cannondale Synapse Carbon Road | Selle Italia Lady Gel Flow | "Miranda"


    You don't have to be great to get started, but you do have to get started to be great. -Lee J. Colan

  4. #19
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Columbia River Gorge
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    Quote Originally Posted by Aggie_Ama View Post
    Ohhh that sounds like an amazing race! I found my niche is longer races, it is mental and physical. You can't just be the best athlete, you have to be mentally conditioned. I cannot wait to hear about your event!
    Exactly. I am not naturally gifted when it comes to power or speed. I am however naturally very good at pacing myself and hanging out in that long endurance zone for a really long time. The longer the race is, the better I place usually. And I always end up passing people in the last 1/4 of a race.

    The mental part is to my advantage as well. I seem to usually be able to put my brain in a different place where the hurt isn't such an issue and I can do it for hours at a time. I'm also really good at minimizing time off the bike, I think that comes from training for fast transitions in triathlon. While other people hang out in aid stations, get off the bike, stretch etc. I get what I need and get out. You can easily make up 5 to 10 min on a competitor that way.

    The big question is recovery. Can I do long days like that for 9 days straight? This is an aspect of my physiology that I haven't explored yet. It's what I plan to test in the coming months. This race is super expensive so I don't want to enter unless I'm fairly confident that I have the capacity to finish. Things can always happen that mess up your race, but I want to go into it knowing it's possible.
    Living life like there's no tomorrow.

    http://gorgebikefitter.com/


    2007 Look Dura Ace
    2010 Custom Tonic cross with discs, SRAM
    2012 Moots YBB 2 x 10 Shimano XTR
    2014 Soma B-Side SS

  5. #20
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Columbia River Gorge
    Posts
    3,565
    Quote Originally Posted by Muirenn View Post

    I was thinking about the Jamis 26'' wheeled entry-level bike. I forget the name. The 18 inch women's model might fit.
    So you're thinking hardtail then?

    That's a good choice in terms of cost, and it doesn't sound like you have the kind of riding that would warrant the extra expense or weight of a FS bike.
    Living life like there's no tomorrow.

    http://gorgebikefitter.com/


    2007 Look Dura Ace
    2010 Custom Tonic cross with discs, SRAM
    2012 Moots YBB 2 x 10 Shimano XTR
    2014 Soma B-Side SS

 

 

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