taking things off-road Xterra anyone?
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2010-04-21 11:28 AM |
Member 237 Cypress, Texas | Subject: taking things off-road Xterra anyone? Anyone in the Houston area interested in taking things off-road? I just finished my 1st Xterra and I am hooked! It was tough and super fun. I have plenty of MTB friends but most are not interested in Tri's; either they don't like to run or can't swim. I could use more mountain bike friends especially if they were interested in Tri's and/or BTer. |
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2010-04-22 2:03 PM in reply to: #2807189 |
Master 2083 Houston, TX | Subject: RE: taking things off-road Xterra anyone? I'm in Humble, and considering doing the Emma Long in August. My training centers around tri's and not xterra, so that should be an indicator my MTB "skillz" are novice at best. Not having done off road before, I don't know what my times would be for reference sake. But for what it's worth, yeah, there's someone here in Houston that's interested in taking it off-road. |
2010-04-23 12:14 PM in reply to: #2810589 |
Member 237 Cypress, Texas | Subject: RE: taking things off-road Xterra anyone? Hey! Finally after almost 50 reads one brave soul steps forward. You should do the Emma Long Xterra. I'm doing it and there are one or two other BT'ers planning on it too. I did not race it last year but a good friend of mine did. He had nothing but good things to say about it. I've ridden at Emma Long (a.k.a. City Park) several times and it has the potential to be really technical. See pictures below. On race day, reportedly, the added planks and bypasses to the more technical trail features. As far as comparing road times to off-road times I cannot say for sure in regards to Tri's. I'm new to this side of things. However I can speak knowledgeably regarding times/speed of Road races and MTB races. Easy cruising speed on my road bike is between 18-21 mph. Road bike race tempo for me is about 25-27mph for most of it but that riding in a big group or pace line. On the MTB my easy cruising speed is around 10-12 mph (through single track). If the trail is really technical and/or steep it ranges between 7-9 mph. After a 20 mile MTB race I feel as trashed as I do on a 50-60 mile road race. Basically, for me, the level of effort or level of PERCEIVED effort is 1 mile off-road is equal to ~3 miles on the road. Running times I can't say for certain. I'm a slow runner to begin with. I do 95% of my running off-road. Basically the only time I run on concrete is when I do a 5k with my wife. I'd agree when people say add a minute or two to your road run pace for technical trail runs. It is about that for me but I'm not a strong runner at all. Edited by cycleologist 2010-04-23 12:23 PM |
2010-04-27 10:03 PM in reply to: #2812489 |
Regular 74 New Mexico | Subject: RE: taking things off-road Xterra anyone? cycleologist - 2010-04-23 12:14 PM So that's the part you walk down, right? Right? Cause I kinda like the idea of Xterra - but not if I have to launch myself into a rocky "death by mountain bike". I don't think my measly front suspension will help a whole lot with that kind of drop. Edited by moxie 2010-04-27 10:04 PM |
2010-04-27 10:13 PM in reply to: #2821492 |
Member 237 Cypress, Texas | Subject: RE: taking things off-road Xterra anyone? moxie - 2010-04-27 10:03 PM cycleologist - 2010-04-23 12:14 PM So that's the part you walk down, right? Right? Cause I kinda like the idea of Xterra - but not if I have to launch myself into a rocky "death by mountain bike". I don't think my measly front suspension will help a whole lot with that kind of drop. Those pictures are of the Emma Long trail used in Xterra Austin. Last year , as my buddy reported to me, a couple of the drops like the one pictured above had wooden planks to allow them to be rolled down. The race also excluded some of the tougher trail features. As I've mentioned earlier I have ridden it has the potential to be technical but I'd be willing to bet the trail will be a bit tamer but still very challenging. At Emma Long, I have ridden a rigid single speed bike and did ok and have taken a 5" travel trail bike and was able to ride down a few more things. Expect to hike-a-bike uphill or down hill a couple of times in an Xterra. No shame in not riding something and there is absolutely no reason to ride something that is technically above your ability level. I walked down a section in my last Xterra and had to hike uphill at least 3 times. Sometimes it is faster to dismount an run. At least that is what I have learned racing MTB's in the past. Edited by cycleologist 2010-04-27 10:32 PM |
2010-04-28 9:32 AM in reply to: #2807189 |
Veteran 267 | Subject: RE: taking things off-road Xterra anyone? Hey Mark, what would you recommend for a first full-suspension bike? I'm riding a Specialized hard-tail, and although it is fine, I can see where I am at a disadvantage on some of these Xterra courses. Is that question too broad like in road bikes or can you give some quick pointers that eliminate a lot of the choices? Thanks. Randy |
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2010-04-28 11:04 AM in reply to: #2822252 |
Member 237 Cypress, Texas | Subject: RE: taking things off-road Xterra anyone? I'll try and give it a shot here. I will first say, I am more partial to big wheels 29er. I ride a 29er hardtail at the moment for races. There is a 29er FS race bike in my near future. I seldom ride my 26er FS bike these days, especially on race days. Some people will argue on the benefits. In my opinion riding a 29er on an XC trail is like wearing a wetsuit for a swim. The mechanical advantages it provides outweigh the disadvantages. I don't really agee when people say a 29er HT is as smooth at a 26er 4" travel FS bike. 4" of suspension is 4". I think people who make this claim have not set up the suspension on their bike correctly. 3.) You mentioned “first FS bike” To me this means the most bang for the buck. Something decent and will be sufficient for racing, reliable, and rugged enough for every day riding. My pick are as followed in no particular order Giant Trance – I own one. It is an AWESOME all around bike. It is just about anything. I raced mine all last year in a couple of 12 and 24 hr MTB races and a couple of shorter MTB races and felt like I did just fine. It was not the bike that was slowing me down if you will. I’m even comfortable taking it on some light free-ride-ish trails. I’ve taken it off of a 3’ drop to flat and have done a few 5’ drops to a rolling transitions. Scary but the bike was not the limiting factor. The Trance is like the “working man’s” Ibis Mojo or Santa Cruz Blur. The Anthem is lighter and more race oriented but I liked the Trance for it’s versatility. Trek EX 8 or top fuel– EX if you want a more burly bike or top fuel if you want something more race oriented. Make sure if you are looking at a Trek it has the ABP. These feel much better than those w/o. Gary Fisher Hi-Fi – Sweet 29er FS bike right out of the box. A 29er will cost you a bit more than an equivalently spec’d 26er. Specialized Stumpjumber FSR – either version 26 or 29. I like the 29er version better but you need to see which feels better under you. There are lots of swanky sexy options but the bikes I listed above are great production bikes and come out of the box nicely spec'd. As soon as it is available to the public I am purchasing a Giant Anthem 29er. I’m doing more XC type stuff these days. If Giant produced a 29er Trance I would have a really tough time deciding which to get. Hope that helps. Sorry for the long-windedness. I REALLY like bikes… |
2010-04-28 1:39 PM in reply to: #2807189 |
Veteran 267 | Subject: RE: taking things off-road Xterra anyone? Excellent info and great starting point. Thanks. |