Carbon Revolution

I can remember the first time a rode a bike with carbon wheel rims. I had the opportunity to try Kate Potters world cup race bike, while we were on holiday in the Pyrenees with the Potters holiday company AQR. Even during the short sprint up the street it was obvious to me that compared to my bike at the time, it was like stepping from a Ford into a Ferrari. The acceleration was instant and the handling more responsive, everything about the bike was yelling that it wanted to go fast!

 

This experience was over 4 years ago. Since then I have switched to a Carbon S-Works frame and upgraded components to a point where I am not far off the level of Kate’s bike I rode in Luchon. The only item missing up to now has been the carbon wheels. Carbon rims were a rare sight (on a mountain bike at least) until recently. Over the past couple of years technology has advanced and prices of carbon products has dropped from stratospheric to affordably expensive! In terms of mountain bike wheels, I see the Specialized Roval SL’s as the benchmark here. A pair of Rovals as raced by Spesh’s pro riders will set you back £1200 with a weight of around 1400g. Speaking of weight, carbon wheels don’t offer a weight advantage over a quality set of aluminium race wheels. In fact they are often heavier, but the advantage of carbons lateral rigidity is a reduction in flex across the wheel. In theory this should allow the rider to pick their line more accurately, when turning in and carving through a corner. That’s the marketing hype anyway, and I have read endless reviews supporting this view!

 

 

At the weekend I received a parcel from China in the post. Inside were two matt black carbon rims from Light-Bicycles. The profile of the rims is identical to the 2013 Roval SL’s and the weight 370g. My current aluminium Crest rims hit the scales at 380g so there is a marginal gain. With my budget around half the cost of the Rovals, the rims are being built up on some Stans 3.30 hubs using CX Ray spokes. Am I going to notice the difference? Will I be riding a Ferrari next weekend? Expect a ride report soon!

Cancelled, Postponed & Frustrated

I haven’t seen a puddle let alone mud on the trails for months. The post ride bike clean requires only a duster. The weather has been perfect for cycling. Warm morning commutes along the seafront and balmy evening thrashes across Kingley Vale have become almost daily routine. As a consequence I’ve been piling on the miles and I’m definitely going well at the moment. After 4th place at Deepcut a fortnight ago I was eagerly anticipating  a sunny, summer of racing.

Then came the news that the 4^th round of the Southern XC series had been cancelled after an issue with the land owners. Not to worry the following Sunday was my local race in Chichester. A chance of a podium or even an elusive win perhaps?

With a couple of friends I pre-rode the route a few days before and purchased a new Renegade semi slick tyre for a boost of speed on the baked chalk paths.

With final preparations underway I checked the event website to confirm the start time. To my huge disappointment and frustration it read; “Event Postponed.”

My next race is now a month away. The best summer in a decade is slipping by with no opportunity for me to prove that the recent training has added more than just a tan to my legs. What a waste of great weather and good form. For a few days, with no goal to train for my motivation waned. Already news of next year's bikes and components is flooding the web; it felt like the 2013 season was already over.

Of course it isn’t. There is still the small matter of the National XC at the Olympic venue in Essex. However, after that it is the autumn races before the winter enduros. It just seems ironic and such a shame that during weeks of unprecedented summer sunshine I am already planning my winter race schedule.

Fast Find Ranger PLB

Mountain biking is all about exploration, adventure and adrenalin fuelled excitement. Two wheels let you rapidly travel further than you often can on foot and experience more of the great outdoors. Rapidly developing bike technology allows riders to tackle more technical and challenging terrain, at ever increasing speeds. Unfortunately this means that when something goes wrong it is likely to hurt and you can find yourself far from home and assistance. Cyclists are used to carrying spares and tools for trailside repairs. The most important item in your pack could be the one that saves your life. Carrying a Fast Find Ranger PLB means that wherever you are in the world, you have immediate access to the global search and rescue services.

 

To learn more about this rugged Personal Locator Beacon follow the link. www.fastfindplb.com

Are You Tough Enough?

Wow, what a scorcher! The predicted heatwave struck and it even managed to coincide with the weekend. Perfect weather for a leisurely bike ride down to the coast and an ice cream on the front. Not for me! Instead I faced the ordeal of 4 hours in sweaty, dusty lycra charging flat out around a wood in Surrey, with a Sunday lunch of energy gels and Go bars!  

 

For the last six years the Army, with a little help from the experts at Gorrick, have organised the 'Are You Tough Enough?', MTB endurance race near the Deepcut Barracks in Surrey. For variety this year they moved the venue across the road to Frith Hill, creating a new 7 mile course with many of the traditional Gorrick twists and turns mixed up with some faster open trails.

 

Tropical temperatures meant that it really was a case of hydrate or die. I’d been drinking extra water for a couple of days beforehand to ensure I started in the best possible shape. I took along 8 large bottles of water to pick up each lap, along with gels to keep the fluid level high.

 

There was some short lived relief from the heat as we dashed away from the simmering concrete of the start arena into the dappled shade of the forest. After the wild melee of the start, there was a fast rooty descent that strung the riders out into single file. I was about 10^th in line, keen not to get caught up behind slower riders but at the same time conserving energy for the long afternoon ahead.  





Dusty helmet stripes!

The Saharan trail conditions threw up clouds of dust as the pack swept around the course. When the sweat inevitably began to pour the dirt clung to riders faces and legs until we looked like a cast of Mary Poppins chimney sweeps. The sandy conditions meant bikes drifted through the corners although the tyres buzzed along nicely on the rock hard open paths.
 


For the first half of the race I clung on desperately trying to keep my friend Ian in sight. I closed on the climbs and then he would pull away again on the technical sections. When I finally caught him I literally crawled past unable to say a word, in my own little world of pain. The first 2 hours were all about racing, the second two were about survival. Every part of my body started to cramp, including my feet and hands. I drunk as much as I could, taking on water at the pit stops and downing bottles of water and munching bananas.
 

As I closed back on the arena for the 6^th time, I could hear the commentator counting down the time left. Wringing a little bit extra out of the knotted muscles in my legs I crossed the line with less than a minute to spare. My reward; an extra lap and another 45 minutes of racing! Unfortunately a racer from Dyson Cycles who I had been riding with for over 3 hours came through just behind me to keep me honest! So with no chance to sit up, I fought the ever increasing cramp in my legs to slowly stretch my safety margin until I was able to relax slightly and roll to the line.

 

I was delighted to come home in fourth place. My best result of the year so far and a sure sign that I am better suited to the longer endurance format of racing. Next time the podium!   

On the right path

Dear Sir or Madam,

 

Living outside of Portsmouth I commute in everyday via bicycle down the fantastic Eastern Road cycle path.

 

As grateful as I am to see the council maintaining cycle paths, the recent resurfacing of the Eastern Road cycle route has in my opinion ruined a brilliant resource. As anybody who has ridden a bike will know, what a cyclist desires is a nice clean, smooth surface. The recent Eastern Road cycle path resurfacing is rough and course, with regular lumpy joints and a dangerously loose gravely surface. As a result the majority of cyclists now resort to riding down the pedestrian section of the path, which has retained the original tarmac. This leads to congestion and makes it harder for faster riders to come past as they do not know which side to pass. Riding along Eastern Road is now more dangerous and the new surface makes my morning commute feel similar to riding down a flight of steps. 

 

I hope that this email reaches those that arranged the resurfacing and helps ensure that future cycle path maintenance work is performed in a more cyclist friendly manner.

 

Kind regards

Ben Connor

  

 

I have never felt compelled to write a letter of complaint before. Maybe it is a sign of my age!

 

Approximately three times a week I cycle to my office in Portsmouth. Luckily much of the route is on cycle paths including the busiest section down Eastern Road into the city. On a sunny morning I can pass in excess of 100 cyclists on this 2 mile section which can become quite congested. The path is split 50/50 for pedestrians and cyclists by a big white line. Back in March the cycling half was resurfaced with a course gritty orange finish that you might be familiar with for rumble strips and marking hazardous areas on roads. In my mind totally inappropriate for a cycle path, and judging by the 100 riders I was now passing each morning who were trying to all share the pedestrian section of the path I wasn’t alone.

 

On Wednesday I turned onto Eastern Road to find that the new surface has been removed along the entire length of the path. I am waiting in eager anticipation of what they are going to replace it with, but it appears I may not have been alone in voicing my concerns. As pleased as I am to see the council responding, one has to think of the cost to tax payers of resurfacing miles of cycle path and then ripping it all up 3 months later.

XX1 Chainring Review – S-Works Cranks

This review follows my initial trials and tribulations with a Carbon-Ti monoring and chainguide. (Review here.) XX1 was the big news from SRAM this year. It introduced 11 speed cassettes to mountain biking, but also an innovative chainring solution that claims to allow you to run a single chainring without the need for a chain guide. The teeth of the chain ring alternate between thicker and thinner gauge to improve the engagement with the chain. Sounds simple but would it work?

 

My mouse button was hovering over the “Buy” button on a set of XX1 cranks when I stumbled across a spider on ebay that would allow me to fit the XX1 chainrings to my existing S-Works cranks.

 

Given my previous experiences I’ll admit to a little anxiety as I headed to Peaslake with my brand new and untested chainring. The North Downs is quite a tough challenge for a chain, with plenty of drops, steps and technically challenging terrain. Within five minutes we were bouncing over roots and the chain was peacefully quite. The XTR Shadow Plus mech was doing an excellent job of stopping the chain from flapping around and I hadn’t missed a single pedal stroke. As the ride wore on I completely forgot about the chainring and just concentrated on riding, which I see as a great recommendation for any piece of kit.

 

Having now followed up the 2.5 hour thrashing around Peaslake with another 2 hours racing on an extremely challenging XC course, the chain hasn’t once skipped or dropped. I can categorically say that no chain guide is required!

 

I’m a weight weenie so the 37g extra weight of the spider and ring over my previous Carbon-Ti Monoring was making me twitchy, but this is cancelled out by the lack of chain guide. The performance has been flawless so far! The XX1 chainrings and the clutch rear mech have really revolutionised the mountain bike drivechain.

Carbon-Ti Monoring / Superstar Chain Guide Review

Earlier this year, fed up with relentless chainsuck ruining my races I switched to a single chainring. Running a single chainring has other advantages too; firstly there is a reduction in weight of about 1lb when removing the front mech, cable and shifter. There are also less mechanical components to go wrong and it certainly looks neat!

The disadvantage is clearly a reduced range of gears. I opted for a 32 tooth chainring which has worked perfectly for me in races and never left me lacking. I stuck with the existing 11-36 10 speed cassette. I will admit that on social rides I have on occasion spun out on long fireroad descents, but strangely I haven’t missed the lower gears. A 34 tooth chainring would be an option but I am more concerned about struggling on the climbs than losing a little on long boring descents.

 

Carbon-Ti Monoring - Needs a chain guide!

Owning a pair of S-Works cranks I opted for a Carbon-Ti Monoring paired with an XTR Shadow Plus rear mech with internal clutch. The Monoring mounts directly to the cranks, doing away with the need for a spider to support the chainring. At about 72g it is seriously light! I had hoped that the XTR internal clutch would provide enough control of the chain to prevent me requiring a chain guide up front to stop the chain dropping off the chainring.

Unfortunately although the clutch rear mech does a superb job of maintaining tension in the chain, preventing noisy chain slap against the bike; as I reported at the time it wasn’t enough to stop the chain dropping several times a lap at the final round of the Brass Monkey’s series.

 

Superstar Chain Guide - Poor Design

After this experience I fitted a Superstar chainguide, which I can safely say is useless! At nearly 100g its heavy and isn’t pretty! It does have the advantage of being cheap - £25 compared to £90 for similar devices from the likes of E-Thirteen. Mine arrived ‘on the wonk’ and needed some filing to get everything true and aligned with the chain. It’s biggest failing is a design which relies on a tiny grub screw tightening on a shaft to maintain the chainline. The screw regularly worked loose during rides, dropping the guide onto the chainring.

A friend with the same bike then kindly designed and produced a chainguide for me on a 3D printer. Happy days! This worked brilliantly, weighed only 25g and it appeared the job was done.  Until one day towards the top of a climb the pedals went round and the chain didn’t! When I got home I found that the titanium Monoring had rounded off the spline on my S-Works cranks. The interface between the chainring and the spline is only about 3mm. I assume Carbon-Ti have made it this small so that you can adjust the chainline using the spacer provided. Luckily the damage to the spline is only at the very edge so I might get away without an expensive bill for new cranks – but I’m not happy!

Damaged Spline

Unfortunately mine is not an isolated story. Another friend with a Monoring has also encountered the same fault. What do I try next? – Another review coming soon!