The Road to Somewhere
- Thread starter xc62701
- Start date
xc62701
Well-Known Member
I had to take a day off today to go to the doctor so why not use the rest of the day for a ride. I planned out a hilly loop and didn’t know how it would unfold energy wise after this weekends race, and with the weather, but I know the roads well enough to make something work.
I headed out at 9 ish and it was drizzly at the start but never more than that. I just climbed and climbed some more. The legs wanted to keep going so I kept going, I hit more than a few detours, but it was fairly easy to navigate or beg to pass through.
A muffin stop in Pottersville was key to getting back to the car without bonking, and it was damn good!
I got a bunch of gravel sections while I was out there so the gravel bike with my 40c’s was right at home. I finished up feeling good and wanting to do more but my time wouldn’t allow that. This will probably be my last big ride until the 12 Hours of Port Jervis. I’m ok with that. The last 10 days have been hard on the bike and I’m looking forward to some more easy-ish mileage.
I headed out at 9 ish and it was drizzly at the start but never more than that. I just climbed and climbed some more. The legs wanted to keep going so I kept going, I hit more than a few detours, but it was fairly easy to navigate or beg to pass through.
A muffin stop in Pottersville was key to getting back to the car without bonking, and it was damn good!
I got a bunch of gravel sections while I was out there so the gravel bike with my 40c’s was right at home. I finished up feeling good and wanting to do more but my time wouldn’t allow that. This will probably be my last big ride until the 12 Hours of Port Jervis. I’m ok with that. The last 10 days have been hard on the bike and I’m looking forward to some more easy-ish mileage.
xc62701
Well-Known Member
I totally forgot! Last week(I forget which day) was new bike day! My Pivot that has been on order, since forever, finally arrived!
I’ve been tweaking it and need to work on the cockpit a bit, but so far it feels amazing. It’s a much more capable bike so it’ll be fun to play with in all terrain. I’ll have to report back after I get some more mileage on it.
I’ve been tweaking it and need to work on the cockpit a bit, but so far it feels amazing. It’s a much more capable bike so it’ll be fun to play with in all terrain. I’ll have to report back after I get some more mileage on it.
JDurk
Well-Known Member
Congrats on the new ride.
I think I have the cockpit >90% figured out on my new Pivot T429. Got there using info from both of the following links.
Started with this comparing old bike geometry to new bike geometry. Helped decide what size bike to get S vs. M.
Geometry Geeks
The world's biggest open geometry database. Find bikes by name or numbers. Easily compare bike geometry side-by-side.
geometrygeeks.bike
Did fine tuning using this method. Rode with the stock 55mm stem 1st, then to a 32mm, and finally a 40mm. I may try the 32mm again. Bars on old bikes 760mm, new bike is 780.
xc62701
Well-Known Member
Congrats on the new ride.
I think I have the cockpit >90% figured out on my new Pivot T429. Got there using info from both of the following links.
Started with this comparing old bike geometry to new bike geometry. Helped decide what size bike to get S vs. M.
Geometry Geeks
The world's biggest open geometry database. Find bikes by name or numbers. Easily compare bike geometry side-by-side.
Did fine tuning using this method. Rode with the stock 55mm stem 1st, then to a 32mm, and finally a 40mm. I may try the 32mm again. Bars on old bikes 760mm, new bike is 780.
Interesting. I’ll have to give this a shot and see where I’m at. I’m usually inbetween every fit chart for a medium/large. And I go large.
JDurk
Well-Known Member
I left out the part where I wasted valuable company time using Autocad to draw the geometry of my Scalpel and the T429 to compare.
xc62701
Well-Known Member
Lol...that works I guess. I put them side by side to eyeball the measurements, is that the same?
JDurk
Well-Known Member
Close enough, but I'm definitely an engineer dork.
xc62701
Well-Known Member
Cockpit tweaking and the weekend
I had a spare moment Sunday morning so I decided to try a longer stem on my pivot to see if it would get me in a better position on the new pivot. I found a 100 mm stem and a bar and swapped it out and moved the controls over. I threw a leg over it and turned a few times and then went right back to the old setup. NOPE. It barely turned. It went from a maneuverable machine to an 18 wheeler. I then swapped everything back. I rode it later Sunday, and honestly the cockpit didn't bother me. I think this is something that I'm going to adjust to, and after a few rides I won't even think about it. My trail bike has a similar setup so maybe I'll give that a shot. The only reason I wanted to change it out, is because the tape measure I used said it wasn't my typical fit. It never really felt bad. The long stem on that geometry - felt BAD! So I'm going to stick with it.
As far as the weekend. I attended the JORBA chainsaw safety workshop with a bunch of other locals. I can officially say that I'm chainsaw certified! So the next time there is some cleanup or a bad storm hits, there will be a few more of us out there ready to clean up the trails. The class was a full 2 day program that consisted of lots of safety gear/procedure talk followed by saw maintenance and repair, and the fun stuff, cutting shit! Of course the whole point was to be able to safely cut and remove debris, and the proper way to do so without injury or having to abandon your saw. It was very thorough and useful. I'll feel better getting into the woods to clear stuff with the information that we covered.
I finished up the weekend with a beer by the fire. What a great way to wrap up!
I had a spare moment Sunday morning so I decided to try a longer stem on my pivot to see if it would get me in a better position on the new pivot. I found a 100 mm stem and a bar and swapped it out and moved the controls over. I threw a leg over it and turned a few times and then went right back to the old setup. NOPE. It barely turned. It went from a maneuverable machine to an 18 wheeler. I then swapped everything back. I rode it later Sunday, and honestly the cockpit didn't bother me. I think this is something that I'm going to adjust to, and after a few rides I won't even think about it. My trail bike has a similar setup so maybe I'll give that a shot. The only reason I wanted to change it out, is because the tape measure I used said it wasn't my typical fit. It never really felt bad. The long stem on that geometry - felt BAD! So I'm going to stick with it.
As far as the weekend. I attended the JORBA chainsaw safety workshop with a bunch of other locals. I can officially say that I'm chainsaw certified! So the next time there is some cleanup or a bad storm hits, there will be a few more of us out there ready to clean up the trails. The class was a full 2 day program that consisted of lots of safety gear/procedure talk followed by saw maintenance and repair, and the fun stuff, cutting shit! Of course the whole point was to be able to safely cut and remove debris, and the proper way to do so without injury or having to abandon your saw. It was very thorough and useful. I'll feel better getting into the woods to clear stuff with the information that we covered.
I finished up the weekend with a beer by the fire. What a great way to wrap up!
JDurk
Well-Known Member
Look at the reach dimension on the new bike vs. the old bike. A long stem doesn't work anymore. New school geometry is a big change when dialing in a cockpit.
xc62701
Well-Known Member
I did my usual nose of the saddle to bar measurement and I am a full 2” short which is why I was thinking longer stem. I know it wasn’t supposed to work but I wanted to see if it would. I got an immediate lesson in new geometry. It handled like crap.
JDurk
Well-Known Member
Right? My XC geo med Cannondales, F29 HT (reach 414) and Scalpel (412), both with 100mm travel and 90mm stems. Indy Fab custom rigid steel SS (425), 80mm stem. All 3 have Enve 760mm flat bars.
Med Pivot Trail 429 v3 (reach 460) 130/120mm travel with 780mm bars, started at 55mm stem, 1 long ride with a 32mm, 2 long rides with a 40mm. Going back to the 32mm.
Considered the Sm frame (reach 430) based on Pivot's recommendations, but I believe it would have felt cramped. Glad I did the comparison with Geometry Geeks.
xc62701
Well-Known Member
I decided to commute to work today by bike since the next few days will be crappy. My commute in was dry, but the commute home will not be. It's a good way to get some more time in the saddle and force myself to get out since the weather won't be inviting if I'm riding from home. My full commute gives me 3.5 hours of riding, so that's great pedaling time to add to the week. Especially since it's mother's day weekend and I don't know how flexible my schedule will be to allow riding time. I gotta make it work somehow.
Weight is still creeping downward. 162.4 this morning. That's 44 lbs lost since January. Honestly, I don't really have to overly focus on my diet any more since it's pretty automatic. I know what to eat and I don't stray from that. The other day we had a whole room full of treats for teacher appreciation week. I took a walk around and looked at all the sweet treats, then I went back to my table and ate my chicken and veggies that I prepared. Ok I did take a couple of pieces of chocolate, but other than that I did well. I would have taken a whole plate or more previously. So something is sticking.
I'm prepping for the 12 Hours of Port Jervis. I'm not sure if I want to bring more water bottles or beer. I'm not taking it seriously so I figure I'll go ride for a few hours and see how I feel and then figure it out from there. I just want to get a bunch of miles in and see how the endurance engine is working. The big question I have is, will the pizzeria in town deliver up there??? That would be amazing.
Weight is still creeping downward. 162.4 this morning. That's 44 lbs lost since January. Honestly, I don't really have to overly focus on my diet any more since it's pretty automatic. I know what to eat and I don't stray from that. The other day we had a whole room full of treats for teacher appreciation week. I took a walk around and looked at all the sweet treats, then I went back to my table and ate my chicken and veggies that I prepared. Ok I did take a couple of pieces of chocolate, but other than that I did well. I would have taken a whole plate or more previously. So something is sticking.
I'm prepping for the 12 Hours of Port Jervis. I'm not sure if I want to bring more water bottles or beer. I'm not taking it seriously so I figure I'll go ride for a few hours and see how I feel and then figure it out from there. I just want to get a bunch of miles in and see how the endurance engine is working. The big question I have is, will the pizzeria in town deliver up there??? That would be amazing.
xc62701
Well-Known Member
The weekend riding was not great. Friday's commute home tried to kill me. I knew it would be rainy, but the wind and the cold made it sooo much worse. I had to stand in the hot shower for 20 minutes just to thaw myself and get my hands working when I got home. Saturday was just a limp spin in the basement before traveling all over to try and keep the family busy in the rain. We visited the Lakota Wolf Preserve and a nice winery in Stroudsburg. Again, out in the cold and rain. My body, still wasn't happy. Sunday's ride was non-existent as it was Mother's Day, and my wife wanted to spend a good portion of it moving yards of mulch. That was exciting if you are into manual labor workouts. That was it in a nutshell.
As for this week, I think spring is finally here! Crap I don't want to jinx it. I'm so looking forward to some nice sun and warmer weather. With that said, I'm still thinking ahead to the Port Jervis 12 Hour race this weekend. I was doing some math, and to be in the hunt, it looks like it'll end up being 12-15 laps. That's a lot to swallow. I still am not thinking about it too seriously. I'm currently thinking about bringing and equal amount of beer and water for the event. I did a couple of 100 miler races in 2019, and they almost killed me, but I am in much better shape now. I'm still not so sure I want to be riding my bike for 12 hours. 4 hours sounds so much better. Even 6. 12? Meh.... I had an early idea that maybe I'll do a lap, and then chill and have a beer, then repeat. That sounds much more fun than going in the same circle for 12 hours. Or maybe I'll ride for 6 and then drink for 6? I did find an answer to the pizza question, YES! They will deliver pizza to the venue. That makes it much better to wrap my head around. It was going to be that or lukewarm burritos from somewhere and lots of stomach distress.
The weather is still looking good, although the possibility for showers is creeping in there. As of now I'll be going up Friday night to camp and get ready for the race Saturday. If the weather changes, I'm sure as hell not camping in the rain before an event like this. It will be hard enough if we end up racing in the rain. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it stays dry for us. This will be the first event for my new bike as well. I'll have the Pivot Mach 4SL ready to rip. I'm stoked to give that thing a go up there and see how it enjoys the rocks.
As for this week, I think spring is finally here! Crap I don't want to jinx it. I'm so looking forward to some nice sun and warmer weather. With that said, I'm still thinking ahead to the Port Jervis 12 Hour race this weekend. I was doing some math, and to be in the hunt, it looks like it'll end up being 12-15 laps. That's a lot to swallow. I still am not thinking about it too seriously. I'm currently thinking about bringing and equal amount of beer and water for the event. I did a couple of 100 miler races in 2019, and they almost killed me, but I am in much better shape now. I'm still not so sure I want to be riding my bike for 12 hours. 4 hours sounds so much better. Even 6. 12? Meh.... I had an early idea that maybe I'll do a lap, and then chill and have a beer, then repeat. That sounds much more fun than going in the same circle for 12 hours. Or maybe I'll ride for 6 and then drink for 6? I did find an answer to the pizza question, YES! They will deliver pizza to the venue. That makes it much better to wrap my head around. It was going to be that or lukewarm burritos from somewhere and lots of stomach distress.
The weather is still looking good, although the possibility for showers is creeping in there. As of now I'll be going up Friday night to camp and get ready for the race Saturday. If the weather changes, I'm sure as hell not camping in the rain before an event like this. It will be hard enough if we end up racing in the rain. I'm keeping my fingers crossed that it stays dry for us. This will be the first event for my new bike as well. I'll have the Pivot Mach 4SL ready to rip. I'm stoked to give that thing a go up there and see how it enjoys the rocks.
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Wolf preserve is cool! did the owner get in the cage with the bobcat?
xc62701
Well-Known Member
We didn't hang around that long. We got the main speech about the wolves and headed out. It was 40's and rain and all of us were just COLD. We hid in the shuttle and took the early route back. We plan to go back when the weather is much better and we can enjoy being outside and not shivering.
xc62701
Well-Known Member
The boat project has resumed, and now there's rain in the forecast for the PJ race.
Now that the weather had turned better, I can start getting the boat back together. Not only do I want to be warmer working on it, but I need warmer temps for the glue to set when I start carpeting the floor of this thing. Yesterday was transom day. I've been dreading this as I didn't want to screw it up. It took me a long time to make this new transom so I didn't want to have any issues putting it back in. Mainly I had to drill 18 holes in this thing that had to mate up to holes on the other side. I actually bought a device that would help ensure that I hit the mark and it worked on almost every hole. That was $35 well spent. I now need to get someone to weld up the aluminum plates that I had to take out to get the transom out, then the engine can go back on, and the floor project will be in full swing! More pics and details to come.
As far as PJ, I'm hoping the rain stays away, but the chance for rain just increased. I don't mind a little rain, but I don't want bike wrecking conditions. I also don't want to camp in the rain. Been there - done that. I'll keep checking back but prepping for a hurricane basically.
Now that the weather had turned better, I can start getting the boat back together. Not only do I want to be warmer working on it, but I need warmer temps for the glue to set when I start carpeting the floor of this thing. Yesterday was transom day. I've been dreading this as I didn't want to screw it up. It took me a long time to make this new transom so I didn't want to have any issues putting it back in. Mainly I had to drill 18 holes in this thing that had to mate up to holes on the other side. I actually bought a device that would help ensure that I hit the mark and it worked on almost every hole. That was $35 well spent. I now need to get someone to weld up the aluminum plates that I had to take out to get the transom out, then the engine can go back on, and the floor project will be in full swing! More pics and details to come.
As far as PJ, I'm hoping the rain stays away, but the chance for rain just increased. I don't mind a little rain, but I don't want bike wrecking conditions. I also don't want to camp in the rain. Been there - done that. I'll keep checking back but prepping for a hurricane basically.
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xc62701
Well-Known Member
12 Hours of Port Jervis. I'll start with what I told Deejay at the finish. While I loved the course, I also wanted to punch him in the face. It was so brutal but so much fun. I think the last time I did a 12+ hour race was 2011. I did the good ol 24 Hours of Mooch 2 times. And did the 12 Hours of Cranky Monkey in 2011. Someone was asking at some point - how do you prepare for these? I don't think there is a way. It's just mental games/toughness that helps you get through. My plan was to ride within myself and not put out any sharp efforts. If I felt myself breathing heavy or having to work too hard, I would dial it back. I'd try to get a bunch of good laps for the first 4 -6 hours and then see what happens from there. Either continue on, or stop and drink beer. So with that we get to the racer meeting, chat about details and then stage for the le mans start.
Everyone lines up and gets ready to hoof it to our bikes. Of course I line up with a full bottle in my back pocket, so that's always great running. I have to take that out of my pocket and then brace the rest of my repair gear in my pocket as we run the 1/8 mile of gravel back to our bikes. I jump on and get in the conga line and just try and get into a groove. The best I could tell I was in 12th place as we headed away from the start. As the lap progressed, there was a little mixing up, but it was calm and collected. It was fairly comical though - at least for me. As soon as I passed someone, or someone passed me, there would be an equivalent the other way so I was always in 12th. For me that kept my interest for a little bit. I knew there were other groups mixed in like teams and what not, but I tried to settle into a good pace that wasn't too taxing. The course was pretty amazing. 3 main climbing sections - one fireroad, one new singletrack, and then the rooty singletrack climb to the flagpole. I knew those were my spots to watch my efforts. If I went too deep I would be cooked and game over. There was one rough tech section that was pretty easy to navigate, when dry, and the rest of the trails were just some good ol shaley PJ singletrack. Rocky, rooty, loamy, smooth, you name it. Cruising into the first lap, I came through at 47 minutes. Shit this was going to be a long day if I stayed the course. Doing the calculations, I thought an average lap would end up around an hour, so maybe 11 or 12 laps to finish. If they stayed shorter, and I kept going, this was going to be a really long day.
Fast forward to lap 3 and there was a little bit of excitement. I knew Nelson was off the front and ripping so he was out of my head. I knew there were some strong guys behind, and I had no idea how far behind. Mid way through lap 3 Alex comes up and passes pretty solidly. He was looking good and pulled away and I resisted the urge to chase as it was only lap 3. That would have been too much of an effort. I was wondering how he would keep that pace as well, but the next few laps would tell. I just kept pedaling and finished lap 3. All of my first laps were 47 minutes. I had all of my bottles out, and was using liquid nutrition so I literally did not have to put a foot down for the first 4 laps. After that I would have to at least stop and hit my cooler, then go for the next lap. So that was 3 laps in well under 3 hours.
Lap 4 I was just doing my pace again and Emrah comes flying by on the gravel climb, I knew him and Nelson should end up on the box, so I didn't know what took him so long. He looked solid so I wrote him off and figured I'd be hopefully seeing Alex again so we could fight it out for 3/4th place. Lap 5 I see Alex again. This time he was on the side of the trail as he had a small puncture. He said he was good and I kept on pedaling and wondering when I'd see him again. He said he had some pizza waiting for him and I was definitely jealous, but I'd get to pizza soon enough after the race. As the laps went on I started to spin some slower laps. I was bleeding a few minutes here or there - and there was some quick stopping to dig through the cooler etc... It was expected so it was all good. By the end of lap 7 I was running a 54 minute lap. I was still happy with that and I still felt good. It was just below 6 hours and I had 7 laps completed. And just towards the end of the 7th lap the rain started. I knew that there was a probability of rain, but was hoping it held off. It didn't, but it was a welcomed relief.
Now that it was raining, it cooled everything down. It was starting to get hot and humid. The rain helped the temps, but made the course a bit tricky. It changed my race lines. Places where I could just fly I had to really pay attention again. It was like race #2 had started. I don't mind the conditions, so I just kept it rolling. The good part was that I was done with liquid nutrition and now onto PBJ sandwiches. Once I switched to solid food I felt my energy pick up a bit. I think my body was just getting tired of the liquid stuff. I would still see racers here or there, but once the rain started the course felt much more empty. A few times I wondered if I was the only idiot left out there still racing.
Lap 9 or 10 I was still at it, and wondering where all of the other racers were. As I went through the transition tent I wondered what place I was in, but there was no obvious leader board and I didn't want to waste time asking so I just kept on it. I was waiting for Alex to come back to me and pass again so I stuck to my plan. Mid way through the lap, here's Alex, but this time I'm passing him. He looked like a ghost. I asked if everything was good and he just said he was suffering. I said we're all suffering and told him to keep it rolling.
The remainder of the laps the rain was still back and forth and conditions not really getting any worse, at times even drying a bit. With lap times going out a bit I kept doing the calculations, 3 laps to go, 2 laps to go, only 1 lap to go yes! I could finally pedal! For the last one, I was not super energetic but I wasn't destroyed. I pedaled harder where I told myself not to earlier and just wanted to get the lap over with. I debated between "party pace" and racing and racing won. I wanted to get finished, get out of my kit, and get a beer! I hit the transition tent for one final check in and I was done. I finished in 11:35 with 13 laps. It was good enough for 3rd place!!! I finished happy, but battered. My hands and shoulders took the beating. My legs felt surprisingly good. I got beer, waited for the podiums, then went and got pizza. It was one hell of an event. Thanks to Deejay and the Starcrawf guys for putting on one hell of a cool and brutal event.
I know I've said it before, but I thought over the past couple of years that my racing days were over. This journey I've been on the past 4+ months has let me know that there's still the racer inside me, and that getting healthy has major benefits. Not only has my enjoyment in/on/around the bike been better, but it's made me just happier in general - at home, at work, everywhere. I need to remind myself of this when I get in a rut again and realize how much better things can be when I work at it.
