D-evolution of a Cyclist

1999 was the year I got my first mountain bike. In retrospect, it should have been in 1993 when I entered Clemson, but I was too busy chasing tail instead of chasing trail. Around 1998 the tail stopped running and we moved in together. Shortly after, I purchased my first bike, a Trek 4500. It set me back $350 and had a Rock Shox Jett (crap), shimano alivo drive train (crap) and V brakes (crap), but it was like Christmas day to me. I rode that bike almost every day for a year. Rain, Sun, Snow, Ice, it did not matter. And looking back at my ignorance, some of the things I did were so stupid. I would ride on muddy trails and then take my bike to the car wash and pressure wash it. A few rides later when the BB creaked I would take it to the shop, still under warranty, and let them fix it. I am pretty sure they hated me there. But, I fell in love with biking. Nothing is was better than finding the best set of downhill trails and railing them. Climbing was not fun, it sucked, but it was necessary to evil to pluck the fruit of carving up some downhill single track. I was hooked!

Early 2000 the Trek 4500 was rear-ended in Atlanta after riding trails in Huntsville, Alabama. Thanks to his car insurance, I upgraded to Trek 6500 with Avid Mech Disc brakes and a Rock shock Judy fork. I thought it was the Shit. I rode it at Fants Grove and Issaqueena regularly for a year until graduation. Then we moved to Charleston, SC for work and family. Here my soul died for 3 long years. I would ride as much as I could, but the joy of riding up hill to fly down was gone. The only climbs in this area would be found at bridges and overpasses. I longed to get back to Clemson or the Upstate.

In 2004 I got the opportunity to move to Columbia and I was stoked. Most people thought I was crazy to be excited about moving from Charleston to Columbia, but it meant elevation change and a closer proximity to the mountains. Life was looking up. I started riding Harbison regularly and eventually decided it was time for a new bike. I had my sights set on a Trek Fuel EX, but then a GF/Trek Demo tour came through Columbia and I rode both the Cake and the Fuel EX. The handling on the Cake was much quicker and I was sold. This is when I met Paul Harrell. He dealed and I wheeled and walked away with a GF Cake DLX 2. I spent the next 5 years riding different versions of this bike. I think the only things that still remain are the XT crank, Avid brakes, and LX shifters. It has 5” of front and rear suspension. What more could I ever want???? At one time I had this bike down to 25lbs and was racing XC on it. Then something changed…

After many 12/24 hour races, Assaults on Mountains, and 3 PMBARs, I felt the need to go a different direction. Something inside me had changed over the last 10 years. I no longer hated climbing just to blaze the downs. I actually liked climbing. I started setting the Cake up so that the SPVs were so stiff that I might as well be rigid. Energy robbing suspension became the enemy. A lot of the riders I rode with had been on 29ers and some were even on rigid 29er SS. It became evident to me that SS is not a bad idea, especially in the mountains. Climbing out of the saddle and mixing it up just makes sense. And fully rigid would be the most efficient way to do this. Not to mention the simple fact of maintenance. I had grown tired of buying new cassettes every 500-700 miles, new $30 chains (3 a year), rebuilding shocks, rebuilding forks, rebuilding pivots. The maintenance had taken away from the joy of riding and it was time to get back to the basics. So in February of 2009 I purchased a 26” On-One Inbred frame and built it up fully rigid SS 69er. The reason that I did not go all 29er is because of fear that I would not be able to get the front wheel up as technical riding would require and I am a short shit at 5’7” just at the threshold of 29er recommendations. I also figure that 26 in the rear would be a little lighter and quicker to accelerate. After that day I rode the Cake 3 times and every time I was on it I was annoyed by the all of the moving parts and little wheels. Was I faster? Probably not, but I was having more fun and it was a simple machine. Now the wheels have been turning and I wonder if full 29er is better? If 69 is good then 29 has to be better right? And now that I have rode in Pisgah with the full rigid a bunch of times, I am really starting to miss going down hill. One draw back I found was that when it was time to point the bike down a real trail, (Black Mountain, Bennett, Turkey Pen), the ones where you can really get some speed, I am limited by the lack of control I have bouncing all over the place. So maybe it is time for “some” suspension again. I have been eyeing this GF Rig at Harrell’s for some time now. It just hung there talking to me and it never seemed to sell. Maybe destiny, but finally I made an offer on it and a week later I had made another bike purchase. It is a Full 29er, avid elixir brakes, and a sweet Fox F29 fork. I took it out on its maiden voyage yesterday at Harbison and what a blast it is to ride. Absolutely no problem getting this thing up and over logs (one of my main concerns) and it just keeps on rolling. The suspension is just enough to smooth out the trail and the 29er rear actually feels like 2” of suspension. This bike rails the corners. Well as much as the incompetent stock tires let it. http://bontrager.com/model/07572 Bontrager XDX may be adequate for the back, but a Mountain King is going on the front for the next ride. I quickly learned where the edge was while cruising through Lost Creek, and each time it was the front washing out.

This bike has a lot of potential! I can see riding it and upgrading it for many years to come. And now I have two legitimate bikes that I can swap back and forth from without completely neglecting either one of them.

I have a feeling that the Rig will be the Mountain Bike and the On-One will be the everyday rider around Harbison and local trails. As much as I really liked the suspension, I could still feel it robbing power because the climbs were too short to lock it out and the downs just aren’t that fast around here.

It will take some riding to make a determination about what is faster. My gut is that the Rig is faster. The only reason I say that is because we have a trail in HSF called Lost Creek that throws a little of everything at you. It is rocky, rooty, tight single track with short ups and off camber turns. A strong rider could time trial this trail in ~26 minutes. I typically ride it in ~28 minutes. Well over the last year I have conducted some unscientific experiments on the bike that I have ridden. The reason they are unscientific is because there is not HR info, no power info, only time and perceived effort. Of course this can change based on level of fitness, weather, trail conditions, and the day you are having. Currently this is where I am: On the Cake, I would average 27-28 minutes with moderate exertion (just below LAT). The ride was as you would expect on a 5” FS bike. The right line is the one that straightens the trail out the most. Blaze through everything. I rode the On-One fully rigid with 26” front and back and it took me 29 minutes. The effort was normal, but I could not wait to get the loop over with. The 26” front wheel fully rigid is crap. Then I turned around and put the 29er wheel on the front and did the loop again. This time it took me about 28 minutes. I was slightly faster, but the quality of the ride was much better. It is amazing how much of a difference a bigger wheel makes. Last night was my first time on the Rig and the first trail I rode was Lost Creek. Now my fitness is probably much better than when I did my previous rides, but I started the clock just to see how things shake out. It took some getting used to the handling, suspension, bigger wheels and sorry tires. I lost it a few times in the corners partly because of traction, and partly because I was breaking too late in the turns thinking that is how you ride hydraulics brakes. Finally I just started riding the trail so that I would not wash out, and just try to maintain speed. To my surprise, when I got to the trail head 27 minutes had passed and I was not nearly as fatigued as normal. Could this be? Has all that hype about 29ers really been true and my stubborn ass is just now figuring it out? It is probably a combination of things like, level of fitness, big wheels, gearing, and suspension. It will take some tweaking on the bike fit and tires before the bike is dialed in and I can see what it can really do. In the mean time I will continue to ride both Single Speeds out there and report what I find. It is an exciting new world. I can not wait to get up to Pisgah and rail some fun down hills that I have missed out on in the last year and a half.

Peace!

Go Ride Your Bike! Whatever flavor it is.